After being reborn, the aloof prime minister was once again forced by a tyrant.

Xiao Jingyuan stood frozen in place, as if he had been immobilized.

Only when the vermilion doors of Tingxuexuan creaked shut, completely isolating the moon-white figure, did he suddenly raise his hand, his fingertips trembling as he covered his lips.

The slight coolness of Xie Qinglan's lips still lingered there, like a spark falling into dry firewood, burning his fingertips until they went numb, and even his heart ached with a burning sensation.

He really was kissed by Xie Qinglan.

He didn't force her, he didn't steal it; Xie Qinglan grabbed his collar and bumped into him on her own.

A wave of ecstasy swept over him, washing away all the inferiority and despair he had accumulated over two lifetimes. He staggered backward, his back slamming heavily against the crabapple tree in the courtyard. Pink and white petals fell in a flurry, landing on his hair and shoulders, but he was completely unaware.

Hot tears fell unexpectedly onto the back of his hand, and only then did he belatedly realize that he was crying.

He stumbled back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and didn't sleep a wink all night.

Xie Qinglan told him to go back and think it over.

He thought about it all night.

That night, he detached himself from that burning kiss, peeling back inch by inch, like flipping through an old account book he had carelessly overturned. Before, he had only skimmed through each page, seeing only rejection and indifference. Now, rereading it carefully, he discovered that between the lines were countless tender words, words he had been blind to all before and hadn't understood.

past life.

He tied the jade pendant, which held great significance, around his waist. Xie Qinglan coldly said "no," but never stopped him. Later, he saw the jade pendant deep inside Xie Qinglan's dressing case, neatly placed under a plain white silk handkerchief, spotless.

The crabapple blossom he secretly placed beside Xie Qinglan's pillow on the Flower Festival was moved to the desk the next day and then disappeared. He thought it had been thrown away, but years later, when sorting through the relics of Lan Yue Pavilion, he found the long-dried flower branch at the bottom of the drawer. The petals were crushed into powder, but the branch was still intact and flattened.

That year, he was struck by a poisoned wolf-tooth arrow while leading an expedition, and remained unconscious for three days and three nights. The first thing he saw when he awoke was Xie Qinglan standing before his tent. But as soon as Xie Qinglan opened his eyes, he turned and left without a word, not even sparing him a glimpse of his back. Later, Gao An secretly told him that Xie Qinglan had come every night for those three nights, sitting behind the screen, remaining silent until dawn before leaving.

Xie Qinglan always liked to criticize his folded books with sarcastic remarks, saying that he hadn't allocated enough disaster relief funds, that his military pay was poorly calculated, and that his border defense arrangements were full of loopholes. Every word stung his heart, but every time he turned around, there would always be a note with neat handwriting on the table, filled with detailed suggestions for improvement.

The window latches of Lan Yue Pavilion were made of heavy bronze, and once locked, they could never be opened from the outside. Yet he always loved to climb in through the window late at night to pester him, and when he got really into it, he'd roll onto the bed. Xie Qinglan would tremble with anger every time, cursing him for being shameless, but that window was never actually locked.

……

This is even more evident in this lifetime.

He accepted his jade pendant, and after being forced by him, he did not get angry but only said that he wanted to go back to Tingxuexuan. After recovering from his illness, he never mentioned leaving. He even took the initiative to say that he wanted to plant crabapple trees in the courtyard. He invited him to admire the flowers, named his sword, and let him come to Tingxuexuan to act crazy when drunk. The next day, he even personally handed him a hangover soup. He took care of the flowers he gave him, and allowed him to touch and kiss them. He even... had a reaction to him.

Finally, there was that sudden, proactive kiss yesterday.

Xiao Jingyuan sat up abruptly in bed, his hands gripping the quilt tightly until his knuckles turned white. His eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot, but they shone brightly, like a beast that had been trapped for two lifetimes finally glimpsing the light.

All the details point to the same answer—his almost delusional guess was correct.

Xie Qinglan no longer hates him, and may even...

Only the death in their previous life became the deepest chasm between them.

He desperately needed an answer.

It's urgent.

Xie Qinglan also didn't sleep all night.

As the night faded away inch by inch outside the window, a thin, bluish-gray light appeared on the horizon. The iron eaves of the roof clattered in the morning breeze, making people uneasy.

He sat on a pearwood chair by the window. The palace door was not locked, but only slightly ajar, leaving a gap about the width of a hand—like a deliberate, unspoken expectation he had left open.

Morning light peeked through the crack, casting a narrow silver band on the gold bricks. He stared at the light for a long time, watching it change from a cold white to a soft glow, watching it climb inch by inch up the corner of the table, then over the chair legs, gradually pushing back the shadows in the hall.

As the first rays of pale gold finally pierced the sky, casting a warm hue on the branches of the crabapple trees in the courtyard, a dark shadow finally appeared outside the door.

Xie Qinglan's breath caught in his throat. He saw the person outside the door raise their hand, their fingertips just inches from the door, but then abruptly stop. The hand was trembling slightly, whether from the cold morning dew or something else, he couldn't tell.

After a moment, the man lowered his hand, then raised it again, then lowered it again. He repeatedly rubbed his palm on the hem of his clothes, and then began to raise it again.

Xie Qinglan waited for a long time, until the morning glow on the horizon dyed the crabapple branches in the courtyard, but she still did not hear the knocking that was delayed.

He gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly, his fingertips almost digging into his palms. Yesterday's kiss had nearly drained all his courage. If it was this obvious, why didn't this fool understand…

He suddenly stood up, walked to the door, placed his fingers on the door panel, took a deep breath, and then pulled the door open.

The morning light surged in, outlining Xiao Jingyuan's tall yet lonely silhouette. He stood outside the door, the shoulders of his black dragon robe damp with dew, forming a thin layer of white frost. His eyes were red, whether from a sleepless night or from recent tears was unclear.

His hand was still in the position of about to knock on the door, suspended in mid-air, and his whole body was frozen as if he had been acupunctured.

"What are you standing at the door daydreaming about?" Xie Qinglan turned her face away, her heart pounding like a drum, but her voice remained in that unhurried, indifferent tone. "Come in."

He turned and walked into the hall, the tips of his ears glowing faintly red in the morning light. He dared not look back, afraid that he would not be able to hide the heat on his face, and even more afraid that the person really had not followed him in.

Thankfully, I heard soft yet firm footsteps behind me.

Xie Qinglan walked to the table, picked up the teapot, poured a cup of warm tea, and placed it in front of Xiao Jingyuan. Then he sat down, folded his hands on his knees, and straightened his back, as if awaiting a trial.

He waited for a while, but Xiao Jingyuan still didn't speak. Xie Qinglan raised his eyes and met those bloodshot yet incredibly bright eyes, as if the starlight of two lifetimes had been crushed and contained within them.

"Have you thought it through?" he asked, his tone carrying a hint of nervousness that even he himself didn't realize.

Xiao Jingyuan shook his head.

Xie Qinglan's heart sank. He gripped his clothes tightly, his fingertips turning white. Hadn't he thought it through? He'd gone through all that, and this person still hadn't figured it out? A surge of shame, anger, and disappointment welled up inside him. He lowered his eyes, his voice growing fainter: "Then, Your Majesty—"

"Qinglan, I've been thinking about this all night." Xiao Jingyuan interrupted him, his voice hoarse, carrying an unprecedented vulnerability and seriousness. "I'm stupid. There are some things I really can't understand unless you explain them clearly."

Xie Qinglan raised her eyes and met that gaze. The tension and unease in those eyes were almost overflowing.

His heart skipped a beat: "...What?"

"Why did you commit suicide in your past life?" Xiao Jingyuan's voice trembled, his lips were pale, and his hands, resting on his knees, clenched into fists. "And that suicide note...is there some hidden story behind it?"

Before he could finish speaking, tears rolled down his cheeks without warning. He didn't wipe them away, letting two streaks of water run down his cheeks and drip onto his black dragon robe, leaving a small, dark, wet stain.