The bright moon hangs high, beckoning him down from his pedestal.

A few days later, news of the border's surrender reached the palace.

After finishing his official duties, Shen Wangxi went to Yilan Palace.

When he stepped into the inner hall, Shen Qingruo was leaning against the soft couch by the window, pruning the flowers.

"Your Majesty?" Seeing him enter, she put down the scissors and her eyes crinkled into a smile.

Shen Wangxi sat down next to her, naturally put his arm around her shoulder, and told her the news:

"The envoys I sent to the border have returned. Your biological father, Wei Zheng, and your maternal grandfather, Grand Tutor Yun, have both agreed to surrender."

"They are currently preparing at the border and will soon be able to set off for Beijing."

Shen Qingruo was stunned, then her almond-shaped eyes lit up, as if she had fallen into the stars.

She sat up straight, grabbed his arm, and exclaimed with delight, "Really? Your Majesty, are you serious?"

"A ruler's word is law." Shen Wangxi looked at her delighted expression, and the corners of his lips also lifted slightly.

"That's wonderful!" Shen Qingruo cheered, throwing herself into his arms and wrapping her slender white arms around his neck. "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Feeling the warm, soft flesh in his arms, Shen Wangxi was in a good mood and gently patted her back.

After a while, Shen Qingruo lifted her head from his embrace, blinked her clear, large eyes, and began to ask a series of questions:

"Your Majesty, do you know what General Wei Zheng's favorite color is? What are his hobbies?"

"And what does Grandfather Yun like?"

These questions came at Shen Wangxi like a barrage of beans, leaving her completely stumped.

His understanding of Wei Zheng and Yun Wenhan was limited to their rivals in the court and enemy generals on the border; how could he know about their preferences?

Looking at the little girl's expectant eyes, Shen Wangxi didn't want to say he didn't know, lest he damage his image of being omnipotent in her eyes.

He hesitated for a moment, then made up a story without changing his expression: "Wei Zheng usually wears dark armor, which means he likes blue. As a military general, he naturally loves swords and other sharp weapons."

"As for Grand Tutor Yun, he was a scholar and a refined gentleman who preferred the simple white color and was obsessed with ancient books and classics."

Shen Qingruo listened intently, nodding her head repeatedly, completely believing her: "Blue, white, likes swords and ancient books, Aruo, I'll remember that!"

She was overjoyed to receive the answer, and leaned forward to give Shen Wangxi a quick, sweet kiss on the cheek.

Then, like a butterfly flitting from its wings, she skipped out of his embrace and ran joyfully to her dressing table and wardrobe, whereupon she began to instruct the palace servants:

"Find all those blue and white dresses, and the matching jewelry."

The palace servants immediately got to work.

Soon, several sets of dresses in shades of light blue, moon white, or lake blue with white accents were laid out on the bed, along with matching jade hairpins, pearl flowers, and hair ornaments.

Shen Qingruo picked up one piece with great interest and compared it to the other, muttering to herself as she did so:

"Isn't this blue one too heavy? This white one with the embroidery is beautiful, it would look great with that pearl hairpin..."

Shen Wangxi initially leaned against the soft couch, looking at her busy little figure with doting eyes, finding her lively appearance very cute.

But as he looked around, he noticed that the little girl's attention was completely drawn to the clothes and jewelry. She touched this piece, tried on that one, her eyes sparkling, but she never looked back at him again.

The smile on Shen Wangxi's lips slowly faded, and she felt inexplicably uneasy.

She was so concerned about her biological father, whom she had only met once, that she even had to carefully consider what clothes and jewelry to wear.

"Aruo," he called out, his voice deeper than usual.

Shen Qingruo was holding a light blue sapphire beaded flower in her hair when she heard the sound. She put it down, turned around, walked to him, and naturally sat down beside him, looking up at him with her pretty little face: "What is it, Your Majesty?"

Looking into her eyes, which were now only filled with his gaze, Shen Wangxi felt a surge of resentment and asked:

"Wei Zheng is coming back. Does that mean the father that Aruo once admired and longed for is no longer me?"

Shen Qingruo's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting him to think that way: "Why would Your Majesty ask such a question? What's the point of comparing them?"

Shen Wangxi persisted, pressing on with a hint of stubbornness: "Then let me ask you again, Wei Zheng likes blue, and I like to see you in turquoise. If you were to meet them that day, would you wear blue or turquoise?"

Shen Qingruo couldn't help but chuckle when she saw his serious expression, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons.

Shen Wangxi's ears turned red from her laughter, feeling a little embarrassed, but she still stared at her stubbornly, waiting for an answer.

He ordered Wei Zheng to come back, not so that his biological father would come and steal the girl's place in his heart.

Seeing that he seemed genuinely concerned, Shen Qingruo stopped laughing, reached out her small hand and softly grasped his large hand, her voice sweet and gentle as she began to coax him:

"Your Majesty, how can these be the same?"

"General Wei is my father, my blood relative."

"But Your Majesty is Aruo's beloved, her husband, and the one she is to spend her life with."

Seeing his expression soften slightly, she leaned closer, her breath sweet as orchids: "Besides, Your Majesty is someone Aruo has admired since childhood, and that will never change."

As Shen Wangxi listened to her soft and gentle words, the bitterness in his heart was slowly soothed.

He took her soft little hand in his own and hummed in agreement.

Seeing that he was better, Shen Qingruo added with a smile, "That day, Aruo wore a dress with a turquoise background and blue embroidery, didn't she? It had both His Majesty's favorite turquoise and General Wei's favorite blue—the best of both worlds!"

Now, Shen Wangxi was finally completely appeased.

His lips curved into a smile again, and he reached out to pull her into his arms: "Okay, whatever you say."

The inner sanctuary has regained its warmth.

Shen Wangxi even became interested and accompanied the enthusiastic young girl as she selected clothes and jewelry for their meeting.

As Shen Qingruo browsed, she didn't neglect him, asking in a sweet, gentle voice, "Does Your Majesty think this one is pretty?"

Shen Wangxi nodded, feeling that life was peaceful and serene, nothing more so.