The new emperor's first decree upon ascending the throne was to forcibly take his cousin as his

"Silver Sparrow, buy me a simple offering for the festival."

"Yes."

Ruan Xianrong sat on the steps, looked at the sky, and sighed.

"Xie Chengli, you deliberately told me about this place so that I would come to see you."

"You think that once I see what's inside, even if you die, I'll never forget you for the rest of my life, right?"

She scoffed, "You've miscalculated. I'm the most heartless person; I don't care about anyone but myself."

Yinque bought the offerings back, and Ruan Xianrong burned paper money and lit incense.

The flames kept leaping higher, trying to jump out of the brazier, just like Xie Chengli, who only gained his freedom after a desperate struggle.

Looking back now, the Xie Chengli she met was probably not himself most of the time.

As they came out of the house, Yinque whispered a reminder, "Miss."

Looking in the direction of the sound, a carriage was parked not far away.

Xie Chengyan is here again.

The ghost lingers.

She wasn't in the mood to deal with him today, so she locked the door, got into her carriage, and returned to the Prime Minister's residence.

In the evening, news came that the house she had visited earlier that day had caught fire. The house itself was undamaged, but the contents inside were destroyed.

The next day, Xie Chengyan came and insisted on making her write calligraphy and paint.

"I heard that Niannian used to enjoy practicing calligraphy with your fiancé and watching other men paint. How about I teach you from now on?"

Ruan Xianrong recalled the painting he had done at the manor last time; the result was such a grotesque mess, it was hopeless.

He could draw a few stick figures that are better than his fairy.

His painting skills are inferior to hers, yet he dares to teach her?

"When you were little, I always taught you to write. You could learn everyone else's characters, but you just couldn't learn mine. Looking back now, was it on purpose?"

It wasn't intentional; she simply didn't want to learn.

Who wants to practice his handwriting?

"I am dull-witted, so naturally I cannot learn it."

"Dull-witted?" Xie Chengyan chuckled softly, pressing against her back and holding her right hand.

"Then I'll teach you myself."

His breath brushed past my ear, carrying the crisp scent of ambergris.

Ruan Xianrong's body stiffened for a moment, then she forced herself to relax.

The pen tip was dipped in ink, and under his control, it landed on the paper.

He guided her hand and slowly wrote the character "晏".

After he finished writing, he didn't let go. Instead, while still embracing her, he whispered in her ear, "Where did you go yesterday?"

Loading cargo.

Didn't he see where they went?

"I just took a casual stroll," she said casually.

"Oh?" Xie Chengyan's voice drew closer. "You just wandered around for a bit and ended up going to the outer city?"

Ruan Xianrong took a deep breath and tried to pull her hand away, but he held it even tighter.

"Can I go and pay respects to a friend?"

Xie Chengyan chuckled, a hint of mockery in his voice, "He hid so many things, what did Nian Nian think after seeing them? Did she regret it?"

He found out.

That's true, they set fire to the house, how could they not know?

"Since Your Majesty already knows, why ask again?" She met his gaze without flinching.

"I still feel sorry for him and think he's pathetic. He couldn't break free while he was alive, and even in death he's still trapped by those inanimate objects. Wouldn't it be better for everyone if he were burned to ashes?"

Xie Chengyan stared at her intently for a moment, then suddenly released her hand.

"That's right." He took a half step back. "It's just inanimate objects; they can be burned. The living are what matter."

He spread out a new sheet of paper and handed the pen back to her.

"Let's continue practicing calligraphy. Today we'll practice the character '晏' (yàn). We'll stop when our writing is even remotely similar to its original form."

Ruan Xianrong took the pen and started a new line next to it.

She wrote her own name.

The handwriting is neat and tidy, upright and peaceful, showing no trace of the poor handwriting one might expect.

Xie Chengyan's eyes darkened further.

"It seems you still can't learn it." His tone was unreadable.

"This is the only way I can write my characters." Ruan Xianrong put down his pen, his tone respectful but his posture firm.

"Your Majesty's handwriting reflects your character and is beyond the reach of ordinary people. It is enough for me to write my own name well."

The room fell silent for a moment, with only the faint sound of the wind outside the window.

After a long while, Xie Chengyan laughed, a low, slow laugh with an ambiguous meaning.

"Niannian, you always know how to make me angry."

"That's just who I am. If you don't like it, then don't come looking for me again."

She turned to leave, but was suddenly pulled back and her lips were sealed with a kiss.

"Are you deliberately provoking me so I'll let you off the hook?"

"Niannian, instead of having these thoughts, why don't you think about how you can like me more, so that your life will be easier?"

He raised his hand to wipe the water droplets from her lips, his desire growing stronger.

"Never mind." As if he had no choice but to let go of her, he waved his hand.

"That's all for today. Stay home and prepare. In a few days, I will formally bring you into the palace."

"Xie Chengyan! Can't you just let me go? Can't you just pretend I'm dead?"

"You still want to lock me up in the palace and treat me like your pet? I don't like you at all, do you even understand that?" she roared.

After a long while, Xie Chengyan kissed her lips again. "As long as you behave, I won't lock you up."

After the person left, Ruan Xianrong stood there, looking at the two words on the paper, feeling a surge of unease.

Crumple the paper into a ball and throw it into the charcoal brazier next to it.

The Prime Minister's residence was quiet for a few days, and Miaoyin didn't leave the residence much, spending her days with Ruan Tinglan.

Jiang Wantang also came by during this time and spoke with her alone.

The Meng family's affairs didn't affect her; she was still working hard on her mission.

And he was full of confidence.

"Don't you want to marry the emperor?" she asked.

Ruan Xianrong shook her head, "I don't want to."

"Then I'm relieved. It won't be long before Xie Chengyan falls in love with me. Even if you marry him, it will only cause you more trouble."

Ruan Xianrong retorted, "How do you know he'll definitely like you?"

"I have my own methods."

It seems the system helped.

Whether this system is reliable or not is another matter.

She actually hoped the system would be fully functional; if Xie Chengyan fell in love with Jiang Wantang, she would be free.

"Then I wish you all your dreams come true."

After Jiang Wantang learned that she had no intention of Xie Chengyan, her original hostility disappeared.

Since they weren't competitors, she had no problem with Ruan Xianrong.

"Xie Chengyan will be welcoming you into the palace in a few days, and he will not make you empress, but only make you a concubine."

"It seems you're not as important to him as I thought. So, do you want me to help you?"

"How can you help me?"

Jiang Wantang took out a small bottle. "If he takes this medicine, the procedure will be successful."

Ruan Xianrong was stunned for a moment, and then she wondered why Jiang Wantang would be so kind as to offer to help her.

"Isn't this what I need to do to help you?"

"I thought Miss Jiang had some amazing skills, and that I would have to do it."

Jiang Wantang was a little embarrassed when she was told this. "What can I do? I can't even get close to him. He's wary of everyone else. Only you can get close to him."

"So, I'm leaving this important matter to you."