The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Ce greets Your Highness."

Yan Ci held a folding fan in his hand and bowed to Tang Xixue.

A long white robe with black patterns fluttered gently in the night breeze, and his silver-gray hair was tinged with silver-blue by the starlight and snow, making him look like an ink painting scroll under the moonlight.

Mysterious, aloof, and unbelievably beautiful.

His bowing posture was upright and elegant, without the slightest flaw.

But as she stood up, her calm eyes glanced subtly at Si Xingxuan not far behind her, her gaze as indifferent as a snowflake falling on a lake.

Polite, distant, and subtly sarcastic.

"A-Ce".

Tang Xixue's gaze fell on him, then shifted to the fiery red-clad youth beside him, her lips curving slightly.

The lamplight illuminated her eyebrows and eyes, making her gentle smile appear even more tender and captivating.

"Did you come together?"

Her voice carried a hint of surprise, yet also a touch of understanding.

A strategist and a junior general, two people who should have been strategizing and leading the charge in Chenyao, appeared together on the territory of Xingze Empire.

She knew they were risking their lives to be with her.

"Um."

Yan Ci tapped the folding fan lightly in his palm, his tone as calm as a gentle breeze.

"We just happened to run into each other."

Feng Zhuo opened his mouth, wanting to say, "You were the one who followed me here," but before he could say anything, Yan Ci stopped him with a subtle look.

The young general had no choice but to swallow his words, his cheeks puffing out like a puppy whose food had been stolen.

Tang Xixue took in the subtle exchange between the two without exposing it, but her smile deepened.

They all went to great lengths for her!

What could be wrong with that?

"I see. That's quite a coincidence."

Her voice rose slightly at the end, carrying a hint of mischief.

Yan Ci remained expressionless, but Feng Zhuo's ears quietly turned red.

Yan Ci took an item out of his sleeve and handed it to Tang Xixue.

It was a delicate and exquisite carp lantern.

The bamboo ribs are extremely finely tied, and the lamp body is covered with vermilion silk, with each fish scale clearly visible. The fish tail is slightly raised, as if it is about to jump into the water from the palm of your hand and splash a circle of ripples.

The candle wick hadn't been lit yet, but the lamp was already so beautiful that it was hard to look away.

"Ce is here to bring a gift to His Highness."

His voice was a fraction lower than before, and a fraction gentler.

"Congratulations, Your Highness, on becoming the new Medicine God of the Nine Provinces."

Tang Xixue took the small carp lantern. The moment her fingertips touched the bamboo frame, the fine scales on the lantern shimmered with a warm luster under the light.

She held the lamp up to her eyes, examining it from left to right, her peach blossom eyes filled with surprise.

"Thank you, A-Ce, this little fish lantern is really pretty."

Her smile spread from her eyes to the corners of her lips, and her voice was as soft as the first spring rain in March.

"When I was a child, I always wanted a lantern like this for the Lantern Festival. I never imagined that today it would be A-Ce who would fulfill my wish."

Yan Ci's eyes flickered slightly.

He naturally remembered that the young princess had once said she wanted a small fish lantern, so he specially prepared one for her.

He remembered every word she said.

"May Your Highness have a bright future."

His voice was neither loud nor soft, as if he were just saying something very ordinary.

His eyes, however, held something deeper than a sky full of stars and snowflakes, something farther than a sea of ​​lights.

"With A-Ce holding the lamp for me, the road ahead will certainly not be dark."

Tang Xixue smiled gently and carefully put the little fish lantern in her palm.

The way she held it so dearly made it seem as if she was holding not a small lamp, but a heavy, sincere heart.

she does not know.

What Yan Ci gave her was far more than just this small carp lantern.

The magnificent sight of billions of lanterns soaring across the Nine Provinces, the grand spectacle of all people praying for blessings on the Lantern Festival, and the faith and worship of the people of the Nine Provinces towards the new Medicine God—that was the true gift he gave her.

He laid out everything behind the scenes, but only hid the credit in a small fish lantern, casually presenting it to her.

Today, across the Nine Provinces, thanks to the Seven Generations Pavilion, numerous temples dedicated to the Heavenly Physician of Destiny have been erected.

The statues of deities are solemn, the incense is burning brightly, and the power of faith from all living beings flows like a gentle stream from all directions.

The Secret Records of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion state: "The power of faith, when gathered into a sea, can ultimately shake the heavens."

He was willing to do anything that would benefit the young prince.

Regardless of the manpower and financial resources required, or the intelligence networks involved, he would light her way with a lantern.

We will never let her fall into the dark abyss alone again, so pitifully.

Feng Zhuo watched Tang Xixue adore the little fish lantern, and felt as if a hundred cats were scratching at his heart.

"Ah Xue!"

He shouted, then realized he had shouted too loudly, and his ears instantly turned as red as agate.

He frantically pulled something out of his pocket, clutched it tightly in his hand, and then mustered the courage to hand it over.

"I...I also prepared a gift for you!"

"What gift?"

It was a sachet.

The fabric is made of brocade, with roses as the pattern, and the stitches are crooked and twisted, with some even knotted.

The rose embroidered on the corner is crooked, with petals of different sizes.

It's called a rose, but it actually looks more like a wildflower with its petals scattered by the wind.

The young general, who was always ready to fight and kill enemies, would clumsily hold an embroidery needle in the snow and wind of the northern frontier, under the moonlight of the training ground, every night he missed her. He would prick his fingers countless times and untangle the threads countless times before he finally embroidered this sachet.

"Um."

Tang Xixue took the sachet and gently sniffed it.

"It smells like roses."

She looked up at Feng Zhuo's flushed face and his bright, dazzling eyes, filled with tension and anticipation.

"The stitching is very meticulous, and the fragrance is lovely. I really like it."

She tied the sachet around her waist, hanging it alongside the begonia jade pendant that Si Xingxuan had given her.

Crabapple and rose, one pink and one red, swayed gently around her waist.

Feng Zhuo looked at the sachet hanging on her waist and was so happy that she almost jumped up on the spot.

He tried hard to suppress the upturned corners of his mouth, but he couldn't; his mouth was stretched almost to his ears.

"I'm glad you like it! I... I spent a long time embroidering it..."

His voice grew softer and softer, but the joy in his tone was more dazzling than the lanterns that illuminated the entire city.

"Oh."

Si Xingxuan stood aside, taking in the whole scene, and a slight twitch appeared on his lips.

"General Feng is truly skillful and clever."

His smile was gentle and warm, and his tone was incredibly sincere, but the words "skilled and clever" coming from his mouth sounded more like, "How can a grown man embroider like that?"

"These stitches are quite unique, with a rustic charm that is just as impressive as the craftsmanship of our Xingze embroiderers."

He turned his head to look at the begonia jade pendant on Tang Xixue's waist, his gaze lingering for a moment on the side-by-side suspended image, and the smile in his eyes turned three degrees colder.

"Zhizhi, this sachet does match the begonia jade pendant. But this sachet is, after all, made of cloth, and it will wear out quickly from wind and sun. Unlike star sand jade, which will last for thousands of years without deterioration."

He raised his hand and very naturally tidied Tang Xixue's hair, which had been ruffled by the night wind.

"But if Zhizhi likes it, then let her wear it. I don't mind."

Feng Zhuo's eyes widened.

"Who, who asked you not to mind! This is a gift for Xue, as long as Xue likes it, what's it to you!"

"Natural coherence".

Si Xingxuan smiled slightly, his smile carrying three parts smugness, three parts boasting, and four parts irritating.

"I am Zhizhi's husband. What Zhizhi likes is what I must protect. I will naturally take good care of General Feng's sachet."

He emphasized the word "take care of" with a meaningful tone, as if he were about to keep Tang Xixue safe in some dark place.