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

When we returned to Tingxuexuan, it was already broad daylight.

The crabapple petals at the courtyard gate were swirled by the morning breeze and fell onto the blue brick ground, accumulating a thin layer of pinkish-white.

Xie Qinglan pushed open the palace door and walked in quietly.

He saw Xiao Jingyuan leaning against the headboard, his breathing even and deep. The morning light slanted in through the window, falling on the corners of his reddened eyes, softening his usually cold and sharp features.

He was truly exhausted—he hadn't slept for several nights in a row, had cried, and stayed by his side until he fell asleep.

His brows were still slightly furrowed, as if he was sleeping restlessly, or as if he was still struggling with some unresolved knot in his dream.

Xie Qinglan stood by the bed, looking down at him for a long time. The morning light cast his shadow on Xiao Jingyuan, swaying gently with the clanging of the iron eaves. Then he bent down, sat on the edge of the bed, and reached out to gently brush the stray hairs that had fallen across Xiao Jingyuan's forehead behind his ear.

Her fingertips lingered for a moment on the man's handsome brow bone, tracing the curve of his sword-like eyebrows with utmost lightness.

The movement was so subtle that Xiao Jingyuan didn't even notice it.

Then he lowered his head, his breathing slowed, and placed a very light kiss on Xiao Jingyuan's forehead. His lips lingered on Xiao Jingyuan's cool skin for a long time, much longer than the hasty kiss yesterday.

Xiao Jingyuan's eyelashes trembled violently.

Xie Qinglan was about to step back when he looked up and met a pair of eyes that had suddenly opened. The pale pupils were still misty with sleep, yet they perfectly reflected his image.

"You, you..." Xiao Jingyuan was still not clear-headed, his tongue tied in knots, staring at Xie Qinglan's lips, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Xie Qinglan slowly straightened up, lowering her eyes to hide the panic in them. A faint blush crept onto her ears, but her face remained calm: "Awake?"

"You kissed me again!" Xiao Jingyuan sat up abruptly, his voice hoarse and nasal as if he had just woken up, his tone filled with barely suppressed surprise.

"no."

"You kissed me!" Xiao Jingyuan's eyes widened, and he reached up to touch his forehead. "I saw it with my own eyes! You just lowered your head—"

"Your Majesty is dreaming." Xie Qinglan turned around, walked to the table, poured a cup of tea, and took a sip with her back to him. The blush on her ears had spread to the side of her neck, and from behind, her fair neck looked like a sunset.

Xiao Jingyuan stared blankly at his retreating figure, his fingertips still resting on his forehead. The warmth of Xie Qinglan's lips still lingered there, slightly cool and soft, like morning dew on flower petals, gently brushing against his heart.

His eyes welled up again, but this time, it wasn't from pain.

"Qinglan." He spoke, his voice still nasal, yet filled with an undisguised anticipation and trembling.

"Um."

"Do you... like me a little bit?" He sat on the edge of the bed, his hands gripping the hem of his shirt tightly, his knuckles turning white.

His gaze burned like a wildfire, yet beneath it lay a fragile vulnerability, as if the slightest word "no" from Xie Qinglan would shatter him completely.

Xie Qinglan paused slightly in the teacup. He looked down at the emerald ripples spreading in the cup and remained silent for a long time, so long that Xiao Jingyuan's heart was pounding in his throat.

"……Um."

That sound was so light, like the wind brushing against the petals of a crabapple tree, that it was almost swallowed up by the clanging of the iron horse on the eaves.

But Xiao Jingyuan heard it. That single word landed clearly in his heart, making his eardrums buzz.

Xie Qinglan's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, his fingertips tightened around the rim of the teacup, and he added softly. His voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself, yet also as if he were speaking to him:

"It's not just a little bit. It's liking it."

Xiao Jingyuan froze on the edge of the bed as if struck by lightning. He remained motionless, his lips slightly parted, and tears fell without warning.

Xie Qinglan turned around at the sound and saw him crying again. She was slightly taken aback, put down her teacup, and walked back to the bedside, her tone carrying a rare sense of helplessness: "Why has Your Majesty become so prone to tears?"

Xiao Jingyuan shook his head, unable to speak, and his tears flowed even more fiercely.

Xie Qinglan sighed softly, squatted down in front of him, and looked up at him.

"Your Majesty need not blame yourself for my death in my previous life. I did not commit suicide, nor did I ever write a final letter."

Xiao Jingyuan's tears stopped abruptly. He stared blankly at Xie Qinglan, his mind a complete blank, and it took him a long time to find his voice:

"...What?"

"I was framed by someone."

Xiao Jingyuan abruptly stood up. In his bloodshot eyes, all fragile emotions were instantly replaced by surging killing intent. Like a ferocious beast whose scales had been stepped on, he exuded a chilling, bone-chilling aura: "Who is it? I'll tear him apart alive right now—"

Xie Qinglan fell silent. He looked at the murderous intent that was almost burning in Xiao Jingyuan's eyes, his gaze darkening slightly as he quickly weighed the situation in his mind. He still had a use for Pei Yuning, but if he revealed the truth now, given Xiao Jingyuan's temperament, he would definitely rush to Chang Le Palace with a knife and chop her into mincemeat, which would only ruin the subsequent plans.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Xiao Jingyuan assumed that he also didn't know who the murderer was. Then, as if all his strength had been drained, the murderous intent on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a deeper, more piercing remorse. He slowly sat back on the edge of the bed, covered his face with his hands, and his shoulders trembled violently.

"It's my fault. It was I who withdrew the Shadow Guards from Lan Yue Pavilion... It was I who failed to protect you..."

Xie Qinglan's heart suddenly tightened.

He reached out and gently grasped Xiao Jingyuan's hand, which was covering his face, pulling down the still trembling hand to reveal the face that was soaked with tears and looked disheveled.

"Your Majesty, you have done very well."

Xiao Jingyuan shook his head, his voice choked in his throat, unable to utter a single word.

Xie Qinglan sighed again and gently wiped away the tears on his face with her fingertips: "Don't cry. His Majesty is the supreme ruler; it's unbecoming of him to cry like this."

Xiao Jingyuan still had doubts in his heart, and tears were still hanging on his cheeks, but his eyes gradually became clearer.

He stared at Xie Qinglan's face, his voice hoarse as he asked, "I also want to know why you...why you took poison? Why you cut your wrists? And why you committed suicide? If it wasn't suicide, you—"

He stopped himself in his tracks. What he really wanted to ask was, if he wasn't heartbroken, why would he hurt himself again and again?

Xie Qinglan felt guilty when asked this question. She couldn't very well say that she cut her wrists to force him to show himself, or that she committed suicide to test him.

He raised his hand, his fingertips gently touching Xiao Jingyuan's lips, interrupting the rest of his words: "I didn't take the poison myself. Don't ask anymore. Your Majesty only needs to know that I never had any ulterior motives, nor do I blame Your Majesty."

The lips beneath her fingertips were warm and twitched slightly, but she ultimately remained silent.

Xiao Jingyuan grabbed his wrist tightly and pressed that hand against his face.

The calluses on his palms brushed against his cheeks, the hardness from years of wielding a sword, yet he felt they were soft, so soft that they could soothe the pain that had surged through two lifetimes in his heart.

He rubbed against her affectionately and called out in a muffled voice, "Qinglan."

"Um."

"Never leave me again."

Xie Qinglan looked down at his pitiful and disheveled appearance, and the corners of her lips curved slightly, like a piece of ice melting away: "Okay."

Tears welled up in Xiao Jingyuan's eyes again, but this time, he was smiling. Laughing through the tears, he pressed Xie Qinglan's hand to his heart, letting him feel the pounding, drum-like heartbeat. Each beat, each surge, was for him.

Xie Qinglan let him hold her hand, and remained silent for a while before softly asking, "Your Majesty, are you sleepy?"

Xiao Jingyuan nodded vigorously. He hadn't slept for two days and two nights. Now all the hanging emotions finally settled down, and weariness surged up like a tide, weighing heavily on his limbs and bones.

But he still held on tightly, refusing to let go of Xie Qinglan's hand, as if afraid that if he let go, the person in front of him would vanish like a dream.

Xie Qinglan saw through his thoughts and gently withdrew her hand. In Xiao Jingyuan's instantly dimmed gaze, she raised her hand and untied the jade hairpin that had been tied up all night.

His long, jet-black hair cascaded down like an ink waterfall, spreading across his moon-white brocade robe, highlighting his snow-white skin and exquisitely handsome features. Xiao Jingyuan's gaze was instantly captivated, and even his breathing slowed to a beat.

"I'm sleepy too." Xie Qinglan didn't look at him. She slowly untied her outer robe, folded it, and placed it at the foot of the bed. Then she lifted a corner of the brocade quilt and lay down.

He faced inwards, leaving only his slender back view for Xiao Jingyuan.

A moment later, his voice came from under the pillow, still in that unhurried and indifferent tone, but with a hint of stiffness that was hard to detect: "If Your Majesty does not want to sleep, then go back to the Imperial Study to review the memorials."

Xiao Jingyuan then realized what was happening. He hurriedly kicked off his boots, tore open his outer robe, carefully lifted the brocade quilt, and lay down next to Xie Qinglan.

He dared not get too close, keeping a fist's distance between them, holding his breath, and turning to look at Xie Qinglan's back.

The man's dark hair was scattered on the pillow, his nape was so white it was almost transparent in the morning light, and the curve of his shoulders and back was slender and graceful.

"Qinglan," he couldn't help but call out.

"……Um."

"Could I...?"

"cannot."

"I haven't said what it is yet."

"Even without Your Majesty speaking, I know what it means." Xie Qinglan's voice remained cold, but beneath that coldness lay a barely perceptible hint of embarrassment. "It's already dawn. Go to sleep."

Xiao Jingyuan smiled and obediently closed his eyes. Weariness finally washed over him like a tide, pressing heavily on his eyelids.

He vaguely thought that Xie Qinglan's bed was so soft, Xie Qinglan's quilt smelled so good, and Xie Qinglan was right next to him, within reach of his hand.

He reached out and tentatively placed his hand on Xie Qinglan's waist.

The man's body stiffened slightly for a moment, then completely relaxed. He even moved closer to him, gently resting his back against his chest.

At this moment, the world lost its color, and all things fell silent.

The obsession of two lifetimes, the madness of half a lifetime, the countless sleepless nights and heart-wrenching pain, all melted away in this gentle embrace.

He once thought he would be trapped in the hell of loss forever, with no peace.

He once thought that the bright moon hanging high in the sky would never fall for him.

But at this moment, his moon is quietly nestled in his arms.