Killer Queen: Tyrant, prepare to die!

After having a heart-to-heart talk under the moon, the days flew by.

It's already mid-March.

The peach blossoms have faded, leaving behind their spring beauty, but the crabapple trees by the courtyard wall are in full bloom, their pink and white blossoms crowding the branches in a lively display.

That evening, after Shen Qingci finished reviewing the last stack of memorials,

He rubbed his wrists, about to get up and stretch.

But then they saw Nangong Ye standing at the door, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn't.

"What's up?" She raised an eyebrow.

Nangong Ye took a deep breath, as if he had made a great decision, and walked in, stopping in front of her.

Then--

"Thump."

He knelt down straight down.

Shen Qingci: "...?"

Jinshu was tidying up the teacups when she was so startled that her hand trembled and she almost dropped the cup.

"Your Majesty! What are you doing—" she exclaimed.

"Jinshu, you can go out now." Nangong Ye said without turning his head.

Jinshu looked at him, then at Shen Qingci.

Seeing the Empress nod slightly, he quickly slipped away.

They even thoughtfully closed the door.

Shen Qingci leaned back in her chair, looking down at the man kneeling on the ground.

"What's wrong with you now?"

Nangong Ye looked up at her.

Those eyes were filled with seriousness, and a hint of barely concealed nervousness.

"Qingci," he began, his voice solemn, "The current Emperor—"

He paused, then changed his words:

"Am I now worthy to propose to Shen Qingci again?"

Shen Qingci was stunned.

She looked at the man kneeling before her, at the tension and anticipation in his eyes, and suddenly felt a little dazed.

This person...

"Get up," she said.

"I won't get up." Nangong Ye shook his head. "If you don't agree, I'll kneel."

Shen Qingci remained silent.

She looked down at the silver ring on her finger, at the two words "A-Ye" engraved on it.

She remembered him holding her under the moon and crying like a child.

I remember the plum blossom cake he clumsily made.

She remembered him staying by her bedside all night, changing her handkerchiefs again and again.

I remember him saying, "I'll wait, no matter how long it takes."

Then she smiled.

That smile was faint, yet as gentle as the spring breeze in March.

She shook her head.

Nangong Ye's face paled instantly.

"No...you won't agree?" His voice trembled.

"Get up," Shen Qingci said.

"I don't……"

"Get up and listen to me."

Nangong Ye stared at her blankly, then slowly stood up.

Shen Qingci also stood up, walked in front of him, and looked up at him.

"Ah Ye," she said softly, "I don't need you to 'propose' to me."

Nangong Ye was stunned.

"Shen Qingci has already been married once."

she says,

"That marriage was a mess, I was overjoyed, but it also left me heartbroken."

Nangong Ye's eyes instantly reddened.

"Therefore, there's no need to propose marriage anymore."

Shen Qingci looked at him, speaking each word clearly.

"What we need is not another wedding."

"Then... what is that?" Nangong Ye asked blankly.

Shen Qingci turned around, walked to the desk, and pulled out a scroll from under a pile of memorials.

That was top-quality Xuan paper, with gold foil pressed along the edges; it was clearly prepared in advance.

She unrolled the scroll.

The paper was covered with dense writing, the handwriting was elegant and beautiful, it was her own handwriting.

"What is this?" Nangong Ye leaned closer to take a look.

The first four characters are:

The Covenant Between the Emperor and Empress

Below are the terms and conditions.

He read through it line by line:

"Article 1: The Emperor and Empress shall rule jointly, and both seals shall have equal effect. All matters of military and national importance shall be promulgated only after both seals have been used."

Article Two: The Emperor and Empress are equal and rely on each other. In the court, they sit side by side; in their private chambers, they address each other as husband and wife.

Article 3: Respect each other and do not suspect each other. If there are any doubts, ask them face to face. Do not keep doubts in your heart, let alone doubt your actions.

"Article 4: Each shall perform its own duties and not interfere with the other. His Majesty shall be in charge of military and national affairs, while the Empress shall be in charge of new policies for the people's livelihood. They shall cooperate and complement each other."

Article 5: To jointly raise the Crown Prince, with one heart and one mind. The Crown Prince's upbringing shall be discussed jointly by both; the Crown Prince's faults shall be borne jointly by both.

Article Six: If a disagreement arises, it shall be clarified in public. The one who is in the right shall follow reason, and the one who is in the wrong shall accept reason. No one shall use force to oppress others.

Article 7: ……

One by one, a total of eighteen.

Nangong Ye's eyes welled up with tears, and his throat tightened.

Of the eighteen rules, none of them were "You must listen to me" or "You must be good to me."

All of them are—

"Co-governance", "equality", "respect", and "trust".

What she wanted was never his humble proposal of marriage.

What she wanted was for him to stand beside her.

"Qingci..." He looked up, his voice trembling.

Shen Qingci looked at him, a faint smile in her eyes:

"Ah Ye, what I want is not a husband who treats me like a goddess and apologizes to me every day."

"What I want is someone who can stand shoulder to shoulder with me, share this country with me, and face the storms together."

"An ally, and a lover."

"They were ruler and subject, and also husband and wife."

She gently placed the document of alliance into his hand:

"Take a look and see if there's anything that needs to be changed. If not, then sign and put your fingerprint on it."

Nangong Ye looked down at the alliance document in his hand.

My hands are shaking.

My heart is trembling.

Tears welled up again, uncontrollably.

He took a deep breath and tried to steady his voice:

"No need to change it."

"Not a single word needs to be changed."

"All eighteen points are correct."

He looked up at her, his eyes brimming with deep affection.

"Qingci, these eighteen points you wrote are my dream."

"It's a dream I've never dared to imagine or ask for."

"But you wrote it down."

"You gave it to me."

Seeing his tear-streaked face, Shen Qingci couldn't help but reach out and gently wipe away his tears.

"Aren't you silly?" she said softly. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm happy." Nangong Ye took her hand and pressed it against his face. "I'm just happy."

Shen Qingci smiled slightly.

"Then sign it."

"it is good."

-

Two copies of the covenant were laid out on the table.

One copy was kept on file, and the other was kept by each of them.

Nangong Ye picked up his pen and solemnly wrote his name at the end.

"Nangong Ye"

The three characters, each stroke deliberate and solemn, are like those carved on a monument.

After writing, he took out his personal seal and gently stamped it below his name.

The bright red inkpad, contrasting sharply with the ink stains, is particularly eye-catching.

Shen Qingci took the pen and signed his own copy.

"Shen Qingci"

Then, she took out the phoenix seal of Empress Shengchen and gently stamped it on.

Two seals, side by side.

One emperor and one empress.

A dragon and a phoenix.

From then on, they jointly ruled this vast land.

Looking at the two seals side by side, Nangong Ye suddenly reached out and grasped Shen Qingci's hand.

Their fingers are intertwined.

"Qingci," he said softly.

"Um?"

"Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

Thank you for giving me this opportunity.

He looked into her eyes, and spoke each word carefully.

"Thank you for trusting me and standing by my side."

"In this lifetime, I, Nangong Ye, will never betray this covenant."

Shen Qingci looked at him.

Looking into his earnest eyes, and seeing the carefully hidden joy within them.

Suddenly he laughed.

"Okay," she said. "I've got it."

"If you dare to break one of these rules—"

She raised an eyebrow:

"I'll just take Bao'er and run away."

Nangong Ye's expression changed, and he pulled her into his arms:

"Don't run away!"

"Then you should abide by it."

"I will definitely abide by it!" he hurriedly promised. "I will abide by every single one! All eighteen, not one less!"

Shen Qingci nestled in his arms and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Jinshu's voice rang out from outside the door:

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, His Highness the Crown Prince is asking if dinner is ready. He's hungry."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

"Let's go." Nangong Ye took her hand. "Let's go eat."

"Um."

As Shen Qingci reached the door, he suddenly stopped.

"Ah Ye".

"Um?"

She turned around and looked at the two covenant documents placed side by side on the table, and at the two bright red seals.

The corners of his lips curved into a smile:

"We'll shoulder this responsibility together."

Nangong Ye held her hand tightly.

"We'll get through this together."

As the sun sets, its afterglow fills the courtyard.

Crabapple petals fell, covering their shoulders.

In the distance, Bao'er's voice came:

"Father! Mother! Come quick! The food's getting cold!"

The two smiled at each other and walked hand in hand toward the sound.

Behind him, the two covenant documents lay quietly on the table.