Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

Because it was the end of the New Year's Eve palace banquet, only the imperial carriage was allowed to travel on the streets after curfew, and the surroundings were surprisingly empty.

The orderly, heavy footsteps of the night patrolling guards occasionally drifted from the distant alleyways, adding to the chilling atmosphere.

The cool moonlight spilled onto the empty streets and rows of houses, outlining a silent world of black and white.

Looking at the scenery outside the carriage window, Jiang Sese couldn't help but say, "Look at those trees, they're so big, they're everywhere."

Xie Jue followed her gaze and said, "They are ancient locust trees. They can be found on Xichangshun Street, Xisi Archway, and at intersections throughout the capital. Most of them were planted in previous dynasties or even earlier."

"An ancient locust tree?"

Jiang Sese tried to open her eyes wide, carefully examining the scene by the light of the moon and the occasional glow of lanterns in the distance.

The locust trees have thick, gnarled trunks and mottled, rugged bark. Their branches stretch out in all directions, and even in the cold winter when the leaves fall, they still possess a majestic and ancient aura.

As the carriage approached a wide crossroads, an exceptionally large old locust tree rose from the ground, its canopy like a canopy. In the night wind, countless dark red, butterfly-like things fluttered gently, almost covering the low branches.

"What's that?" Jiang Sese sat up straight and clung to the car window.

"There are so many...red things hanging on the branches? Are they strips of cloth?"

Xie Jue followed Jiang Sese's gaze and said, "Yes, it's a red ribbon. People believe that the ancient locust tree has a spirit, and they often tie red ribbons under the tree to pray for their wishes to come true. Some pray for children, some for marriage, some for peace... whatever they want, they come here to tie one."

"A wishing tree!" Jiang Se suddenly realized.

Throughout history and across the world, the ways in which humanity places its hopes are remarkably similar.

Looking at the red ribbons swaying in the wind, and imagining countless ordinary people who had stopped here, tying their heartfelt wishes to the branches with the simplest hopes, Jiang Sese's heart softened inexplicably, and a surge of emotion welled up within her.

Jiang Sese turned her head, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him, a childlike eagerness in her eyes. "I want to make a wish too, right... right under that tree over there?"

Xie Jue nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go with you."

Xie Jue then raised his hand and gently tapped on the side of the carriage.

The carriage immediately slowed down and finally came to a steady stop a few feet away from the ancient locust tree.

After Xie Jue got out of the car, he turned around and reached his hand into the carriage. Jiang Sese placed her hand in his palm and, with his help, lightly jumped off the car.

Moonlight filtered through the sparse branches, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

As you get closer, you can see more clearly the red ribbons tied to the low branches. Some are new, some are old, some are brightly colored, and some have faded and turned white, dancing gently in the night breeze.

Jiang Sese looked up, somewhat wistfully, "So many wishes, I wonder how many of them have come true?"

Jiang Sese then realized something and said with annoyance, "But...we don't have any red ribbons."

Aside from the handkerchief I always carry with me, where can I find a suitable piece of red cloth?

"This is not difficult," Xie Jue instructed a guard.

The guard obeyed and left, but reappeared shortly afterward, carrying a tray with two bright red cloth strips, each about a foot long, neatly arranged on it, along with a small blue stone inkstone and a fine wolf-hair brush already dipped in ink.

Jiang Sese: ...Okay.

Jiang Sese took the red ribbon, and seeing Xie Jue take another red ribbon handed to her by the guard, she asked in surprise, "You want to make a wish too?"

Xie Jue in the book never believed in these things, did he?

Xie Jue smiled at her and said, "If you believe, it will work. Since I believe, I hope it will work this time."

Jiang Sese felt a warmth in her heart from his words "If you believe, it will work" and his deep gaze.

Holding the cool pen in her hand, Jiang Sese felt her fingertips burning slightly. Hmm... what should she write?

Wishes... She had many wishes.

I hope for peace and well-being in this unfamiliar time and place, I hope for the health and well-being of my family, and I hope for the happiness of my friends...

Jiang Sese secretly raised her eyes and quickly glanced at Xie Jue.

Xie Jue was looking down, intently tidying the red cloth strip in his hand. His profile was clearly defined in the moonlight, a truly mesmerizing face.

This person is always like this: he talks little but does a lot.

Jiang Sese's heart was incredibly tender.

Jiang Sese turned her back, slightly blocking Xie Jue's view with her body, and wrote a few words:

Wishing Xie Jue happiness every day.

"Finished writing?" Xie Jue's voice sounded from behind, carrying a hint of barely perceptible laughter.

"Mmm!" Jiang Sese nodded vigorously, hiding the rolled-up strip of cloth behind her back. A faint blush rose on her face, her skin was as white as snow, so delicate that it seemed to melt at the slightest touch, and she was especially beautiful in the moonlight.

Jiang Sese looked up at him, her eyes gleaming with a mischievous yet expectant light: "What did you write?"

Xie Jue looked into her bright eyes but didn't answer. Instead, he smiled and asked, "And you? What did you wish for?"

Jiang Sese immediately shook her head: "We can't say! Everyone says that if you tell your wish, it won't come true!"

Xie Jue was slightly taken aback, then chuckled softly.

"Okay, then I won't ask. Since that's the case, you're not allowed to ask me what I wrote either."

Jiang Sese immediately stomped her foot, deeply experiencing what it meant to lift a stone only to drop it on one's own foot. While she was still curious, the guards had already hung the red ribbons on the two of them, and Xie Jue half-carried her to the carriage.

Jiang Sese leaned against the car window, unable to resist turning back to gaze at the ancient locust tree that was gradually receding into the distance.

The red ribbons that the two of them hung up flashed by and quickly blended into the sea of ​​red, becoming indistinguishable.

Whether it's a deity or the spirit of an ancient tree, please bless my wish to come true.

May he be happy every day.

The night is deep and the road ahead is long, but with each other by my side, I feel at peace, for that is where I am on my way home.