The mad princess forces love upon him, and the aloof imperial advisor trembles every night.

She tilted her head, her only visible eye blinking repeatedly, as if examining some rare treasure.

Her little face was flushed with a healthy blush from running, and her dimples were shallow. Her smiling face looked just like his younger sister who had died because of him.

That year, when my younger sister got engaged, she rushed into his arms in the same way, looked up at him and asked, "Brother, are you happy?"

Perhaps he truly regarded her as a younger sister, or perhaps the light in her eyes was too pure.

Cangming, who is usually cold and taciturn and is known as the "King of the Ash Snow Pavilion", only shows her an almost indulgent doting.

Beneath his mask, the corners of his lips curved into a very faint smile.

"Get down," he softened his voice, "You're a thirteen-year-old girl, what kind of behavior is this?"

Mianmian pouted, but instead of letting go, she hugged even tighter and crossed her legs even more firmly.

"Answer me first: have you missed me? Otherwise, I won't get down and will let you hold me all day!"

Cangming looked helpless, but a faint smile flickered in his eyes:

"Okay, I want to."

Mianmian's eyes lit up, like a child who had stolen candy, and she tilted her head to ask:

How much do you want to?

"Do you want to eat?"

Do you think about this when you drink water?

Do you think about it when you're sleeping?

"Did you dream about me last night?"

Cangming looked into her expectant eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

"have."

A single word brought a smile to Mianmian's face.

That smile was so bright and radiant, it was as if it had brought the sunshine that had been gathered over the past seven years in the Northern Desert to his eyes, to dispel all the gloom in his heart.

"Okay!" Mianmian was satisfied, but still showed no sign of letting go.

"Since Brother Ming misses me so much, I'll be merciful and let you hug me a little longer!"

As she spoke, she rested her head back on his shoulder, looking like she was doing him a favor, and she did so with a self-righteous air.

Cangming: "..."

He finally understood: this girl's sharp tongue was seven parts influenced by her master, Chu Qingyue, and three parts honed by the wildness of Beiming Fengxue. Ordinary people really couldn't out-argue her.

"Brother Ming," Shen Xingmian suddenly touched his shoulder, her voice softening, tinged with barely perceptible heartache.

You've lost weight.

"Is Kyoto just too busy?"

"You need to eat more later, so that when I grow bigger, you won't be able to carry me anymore."

Cangming's heart softened a little.

He raised his hand and gently ruffled her soft hair: "You're a young lady now, so I can't hold you like this all the time."

"Who said that!" Shen Xingmian retorted immediately, her single eye filled with seriousness.

"My sister said that even if I'm a hundred years old and a wrinkled old woman, she can still pick me up in one go!"

As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something and blinked:

"My sister didn't come today. Is she busy doing charity work again?"

Cangming was taken aback.

Good deeds?

Since his master returned to the capital, he has only done two things: kill those who deserve to die, and flirt with and scheme against that cold-hearted imperial advisor.

Where did this act of kindness come from?

"Good deeds?" he asked, sounding puzzled.

Shen Xingmian blinked, her face innocent and naive, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world:

"Alas! Life is so bitter, living is so difficult."

"My sister must have gone to help them end their suffering—to be reborn sooner, to be free from suffering sooner, and to be reborn into a better life in the next life!"

"What could be more virtuous than this?"

Cangming: "..."

He looked down at the little girl in his arms.

Her single eye was filled with earnestness and unwavering faith, as if Chu Qingyue had truly gone to save all living beings and was the kindest and most compassionate person in the world.

After a long while, Cangming chuckled softly, his chest trembling.

So be it.

After her eyes were injured, His Highness protected her so well that she was never tainted by the bloodshed, the court infighting, or the wickedness of human nature.

In her eyes, His Highness will always be the older sister who gently combs her hair, clumsily makes her pastries, and blows up half of the Beiming army camp to cheer her up because she said she "wanted to see fireworks."

She is her light, her warmth, her everything.

The bloodshed, the slaughter, the fanaticism and madness...

Let these people block the way.

Even if my hands are dirty, my heart is tainted, and I fall into hell, I will still protect the pure sky in her eyes.

There must always be one or two people in this world whose eyes are always filled with light and whose hearts always believe in goodness.

"Yes," Cangming lifted her up slightly, his voice unusually gentle, "Your Highness is doing a good deed. A very good deed."

Mianmian smiled contentedly, hugged his neck tightly, and whispered:

"Brother Ming, I found a particularly sweet rock honey in the Northern Desert this time. It's so sweet that it can make you forget all the bitterness."

"I saved the biggest piece for you; it's in the icebox. I'll give it to you when we get back."

Cangming felt a warmth in his heart: "Okay, thank you Mianmian."

He paused, then said, "Go back to the carriage first."

"His Highness instructed me to take you sightseeing for the morning, to explore the capital, and to inquire about grain prices, before we have lunch together."

Mianmian's eyes lit up, then she smiled slyly:

"Then you'll ride in the carriage with me, and I'll ride in the carriage. Or... I'll ride a horse with you!"

Cangming looked into her bright, sparkling eyes, which seemed to say, "If you don't agree, I'll cry," and finally gave in.

"Okay," he said, carrying her towards the carriage. "Let's ride in the carriage together."

Mianmian immediately beamed, hugged his neck and shook him: "Ming-gege is the best!"

The driver had already discreetly lifted the carriage curtain.

Cangming carried her into the carriage and placed her on a cushioned seat.

The carriage slowly started moving, rolling over the bluestone road, and slowly heading towards the bustling yet dangerous imperial city.

Inside the carriage, Mianmian took out a small, delicate jade box from her bosom and presented it to him like a precious treasure:

"Look, rock candy! It's so sweet, try some."

Cangming took it and opened the box.

The crystals are translucent pale yellow and have a sweet fragrance.

He picked up a small piece and put it in his mouth. The sweetness melted on his tongue and spread all the way to his heart.

"Is it sweet?" Mianmian leaned closer, her one eye sparkling as she looked at him.

"Sweet." Cangming nodded, his voice a little hoarse.

"After that," Mianmian smiled, tilting her head.

"Eat one piece whenever you feel bitter."

"I'll find you more after you finish eating."

"If it's not in the Northern Sea, I'll go to the Western Regions; if it's not in the Western Regions, I'll go to the Southeast Asia... I'll always find something sweeter."

Looking at her earnest little face, Cangming suddenly felt that this long and dark life didn't seem so hard to endure after all.

At least, there's still this one piece of candy.

There is also this little sun, willing to use all her light and heat to warm him for a while.

He raised his hand and ruffled her hair again.

"Okay," he said, "If you ever suffer in the future, just ask Mianmian for candy."

Outside the carriage, the sun had fully risen, its golden rays shining brightly.

Inside the car, the little girl chattered on about her experiences doing business over the past few years. When she got excited, she gestured wildly and laughed as clearly as silver bells.

Cangming listened quietly, the corners of his lips beneath the mask always slightly upturned.

He thought, perhaps His Highness is right.

In the future, he will really meet a good girl.

But before that, he had to protect the little sun in front of him.

May she enjoy happiness for a lifetime, and may she always be like she is today, with light in her eyes and sweetness in her heart.

This was probably the only cleanest thing he could do in his filthy life.