Shuse Jinjia

When asked, Duan Chengyu blushed slightly, but still answered frankly, "You all know her... Xue Jintong!"

Xie Zhaotang paused for a moment and glanced at Huo Beiyu.

She remembered how Old Madam Pei had arranged the marriage between Huo Beiyu and Xue Jintong.

Unexpectedly, Huo Beiyu and Xue Jintong didn't end up together, but Duan Chengyu and Xue Jintong did.

Xue Jintong's uncle and Xie Zhaotang were partners in a bean product business, and Xue Jintong was in charge of managing her uncle's business in the capital.

Now, the Xue family's bean products are sold all over the country, and Xue Jintong has also demonstrated strong management skills.

It's a perfect match for her to marry Duan Chengyu!

The three stood to one side chatting idly when, without them noticing, a troop of imperial guards ran up the city wall, shouting, "The Emperor has arrived!"

The crowd stopped chatting, lined up, and respectfully welcomed the imperial arrival.

A moment later, Emperor Mingcheng, dressed in imperial robes, walked steadily up to the city gate, accompanied by the Crown Prince.

The divine physician Lu has already prepared an antidote to cure the Crown Prince's poison, but the poison has penetrated to the bone marrow, leaving the Crown Prince's body weak. It is unknown how many more years he may live even with slow recovery.

The crowd knelt and bowed in respect.

Emperor Mingcheng laughed and said, "Rise. Today is a day of universal celebration, so there's no need for such formalities. Please make yourselves at home!"

Although it was supposed to be casual, with Emperor Mingcheng present, no one dared to act recklessly.

Emperor Chenghua and the Crown Prince stood to one side chatting. Looking around and not seeing Duan Li, he casually asked, "Where did Brother Li go? Why didn't he come to admire the lanterns?"

The Crown Prince knew that Duan Li had prepared a birthday gift for his father, the Emperor, and smiled upon hearing this: "He's probably out on the street with a few of his study companions!"

The two chatted for a while, then they heard gongs and drums sounding under the city gate. Soon the lights were turned on, and the two stopped their conversation.

Two small dragons on either side of the city gate approached, dancing to the beat of the drums.

The drumbeats were lively, and two small dragons swam over, wagging their tails and sometimes spiraling upwards, sometimes bending down to the ground. They soon arrived at the city gate with the person holding the dragon pearl.

Emperor Chenghua watched as the two small dragons seemed to possess a spirit, soaring about—a far cry from the dragon dances of previous years—and couldn't help but smile and nod: "Quite unique!"

The prince smiled and nodded. The two then saw two small dragons shaking their heads and wagging their tails, sometimes crossing over, crawling, rolling and playing.

When the performance was almost over, the drumbeats suddenly quickened, the dragon's head was raised high, and it swayed like clouds as its body moved.

The dragon's mouth slightly opened, spitting out a red silk ribbon with four large gold-lacquered characters that read "National Prosperity and People's Peace".

Another small dragon also spat out four large golden characters: "Long Live the Emperor".

Duan Li, her rosy cheeks peeking out, perched on her companion's shoulders, called out loudly, "Grandfather, today is your birthday! Your grandson wishes you a long and prosperous life, and I wish our Great Zhou Dynasty peace and prosperity..."

Emperor Mingcheng was delighted to see that the boy leading the dragon dance was Duan Li, as he was illuminated by the city gate lights. He pointed at Duan Li with a mixture of pride and satisfaction.

"That kid's gift is brilliant..."

Emperor Chenghua had seen plenty of gold, silver and jewels, but for his grandson to personally perform a dragon dance for him and entertain his father in colorful clothes showed that his filial piety was genuine and more precious than any jewel!

The civil and military officials who had come to admire the lanterns knelt down in agreement: "May His Majesty live ten thousand years, and may our Great Zhou Dynasty enjoy peace and prosperity..."

The Imperial Guards maintaining order below also shouted in unison.

Just then, tens of thousands of lights in the capital city were lit up at once, one, ten, a hundred... as if someone were using light as a brush to outline a golden city on the inky sky.

The city lights, like a cascading river of stars, illuminated the night sky of the capital.

Even though Xie Zhaotang came from the modern era, seeing so many lights suddenly turn on made the entire city seem to awaken from its slumber.

She was also shocked!

"So beautiful!"

Everyone on the city wall was just as amazed as she was.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Huo Beiyu put his arm around Xie Zhaotang's shoulder.

"May the country be prosperous and the people at peace, and may we see such a magnificent sight every year!"

Xie Zhaotang leaned back, and Huo Beiyu smiled and supported her weight with his arm.

A prosperous and peaceful era requires someone to shoulder the burden. He and countless other soldiers fought bloody battles for the sake of national peace and prosperity, to protect their families, to ensure that the people could live and work in peace, and to ensure that the lights of every household in the capital could be lit safely. He felt that he had no regrets about the path he had taken!

Xie Zhaotang was also filled with emotion. The light of one lamp was dim, but the lights of thousands of homes were shining brightly.

Every lamp holds the warmth of a home and the hope of a family.

These ten thousand lights represent the hope of tens of millions of families, and even more so, the hope of a nation.

She is like a lamp, emitting a faint light, but with the combined efforts of Huo Beiyu, Duan Chengyu, and many more like-minded people, they can change the Great Zhou Dynasty and make their country prosperous.

They are part of this light, part of this land.

She looked into the distance. She had traveled to the Great Zhou Dynasty and initially struggled only for her own survival. Now she had her own home and friends, and she had put down roots in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

In the future, she will continue to work hard, not only to watch Tian Tian grow up safely, but also to do her best to ensure that the people she cares about live well!

A lamp is for guiding the way; if it's on, you won't get lost.

Now, the city lights are the brightest road.

She also wants to be a lamp; although she can't bring light to everyone, she can be a lamp that can illuminate others.

"Tangtang, I heard that Duan You and Zhao Ning want to travel together. Do you want to go too?"

Huo Beiyu whispered in her ear.

Xie Zhaotang looked up at him and smiled, "I've never left the capital before, I want to go out and see the world..."

Huo Beiyu looked down at her: "Is a year enough?"

Xie Zhaotang stared intently at him: "You can't leave!"

Huo Beiyu is a military general. Even though the war has stopped, there are still other countries eyeing the Great Zhou Dynasty. The Emperor will never allow Huo Beiyu to rest for a year.

Huo Beiyu raised his hand and touched her face: "You can go even if I don't!"

"Tangtang, I never intended for you to marry and obey your husband... You are different from other women; I never intended for you to be confined to the inner quarters!"

"You really should travel around and see the local customs and culture. The capital is just one corner of the world; there are countless other lights shining outside the capital..."

Xie Zhaotang was instantly moved by Huo Beiyu's words.

She knew Huo Beiyu was magnanimous, but she never expected him to be this open-minded...

This is the person she chose; she didn't make a mistake in choosing him!

She reached out and took Huo Beiyu's hand, whispering, "Thank you!"

You let me fly because you hope we can fly together like a pair of birds in the future. Huo Beiyu, I will not let you down!

She didn't want to be the one waiting forever, and Huo Beiyu's broad-mindedness in accepting her was helping her become a better version of herself!

He is not afraid to set her free, because he will also fly higher and become a better and more outstanding version of himself!

The lights from the city tower shone on Huo Beiyu's handsome face, making his features even more striking. His jawline was sharp and defined, carrying a hint of coldness and hardness honed by years of martial arts training.

But his eyes held a gentle, approachable warmth.

The distant lights reflected in his eyes, like scattered gold dust, making him even more dazzling, like the brightest star in the night.

Xie Zhaotang momentarily forgot where she was and couldn't help but stand on tiptoe and kiss his chin.

"Huo Beiyu, wait for me to come back. This time next year, I'll accompany you again to admire the lanterns, and we'll light up these thousands of lights even brighter..."

The response Xie Zhaotang received was a passionate kiss from Huo Beiyu...

Their journey has just begun; they have a long way to go.

But if love between two people is meant to last, why should they be together every day and night...

Life is still long!

The lights fell on the two of them, casting long shadows that overlapped, creating a warm and inviting picture...