The reports Ah Wu had been receiving recently were quite detailed.
For example, County Princess Chongning’s public declaration that she would marry no one but the young lord, or that the young lord had accepted her handkerchief and that they were close to getting engaged. In short, every bit of news was something Ah Wu didn’t want to hear.
After burning the latest letter, Ah Wu was left fuming with no way to vent his frustration.
At the same time, Ling Rui, the cause of all his annoyance, was chatting away with his fellow delegates on the road.
Among the group was a young man who had recently gotten married. Though he appeared gentle and reserved, he was, in fact, quite the talker.
Ling Rui loved chatting with him.
“Big Brother Meng, tell me again how you went from being enemies with your wife to becoming her husband.”
“Persistence.”
Meng Qiu shared his experience calmly, “At first, she didn’t want to marry me. We’ve known each other since we were kids, practically childhood sweethearts, but we had so many arguments growing up that she never even considered me as a potential husband.”
“She didn’t consider me, but I wanted to pursue her.”
Meng Qiu loved talking about his wife. Seeing Ling Rui listening so attentively, with his face cupped in his hands, Meng Qiu felt immensely gratified.
“To win over your wife, you can’t be afraid of the effort it takes to pursue someone.”
“But… but what if you pursue someone and they don’t respond?”
Ling Rui thought about his courtship dance, the one he had prepared so carefully, but Ah Wu didn’t seem to react at all.
“Pursuing someone doesn’t mean they’ll respond right away,” Meng Qiu continued, sharing his wisdom. “If you try once and they don’t respond, then you just have to try a few more times.”
“As they say, persistence pays off. You’ve got to give it your all if you want the result you’re after.”
“Mm-hmm, you’re absolutely right, brother.”
Under Ling Rui’s sincere praise, Meng Qiu’s ego was practically swelling with pride.
They often talked about relationships like this, and others around them found it odd.
After all, they remembered how County Princess Chongning had boldly expressed her affection for Ling Rui in the capital, and yet Ling Rui had done everything to avoid her. But now, on this journey, he suddenly seemed so curious about matters of the heart.
Even though people found it strange, they didn’t dare ask questions aloud.
Ling Rui had been granted the title of a Wangye, and while he hadn’t been given a separate territory to govern like in the past, his title still held significant weight among the nobility.
His residence was built in the capital, but he still spent most of his time living in the palace. Emperor Ling, and now the new emperor, had always been openly fond and protective of him, something known to the whole world.
Ling Rui appeared gentle and friendly, always with a smile, but at the end of the day, he was still a Wangye, and those traveling with him were careful not to offend him. Meng Qiu, however, was one of the few who was bold enough to chat casually with the Wangye.
Their pace was slow, as they were carrying many items on this trip, and rushing would have led to things getting bumped around.
Ling Rui didn’t mind the slow pace. Whether they arrived a few days earlier or later made no difference to him. In fact, arriving later would give him more time to think about how to face Ah Wu.
As they got closer to their destination, Ling Rui grew more and more nervous.
Along the way, he had bought many gifts, all meant for Ah Wu. In addition to the gifts, he had written a long confession letter on rough paper.
Gifts, love letters, everything was ready.
Meng Qiu patted his shoulder approvingly. “Well done. When I pursued my wife, these were essentials.”
“Oh, and don’t forget, a confession requires a ceremony!”
“A ceremony? What kind of ceremony?” Ling Rui eagerly asked. “I’ve already performed a courtship dance. Does that count?”
Meng Qiu: “…”
Meng Qiu didn’t quite understand what a courtship dance was supposed to be. After a few seconds of thought, he asked, “Do you have a venue, flowers, that sort of thing?”
Ling Rui shook his head.
Hearing this, Meng Qiu declared with conviction, “Without flowers, it can’t be called a ceremony.”
“If you’re going to confess, you have to be romantic. Flowers and greenery are the most romantic of all.”
“Mm-hmm, I’ll remember that!”
Ling Rui firmly committed all of Meng Qiu’s advice to memory. Seeing Ling Rui’s eager-to-learn expression filled Meng Qiu with a sense of accomplishment.
“You’re sure to succeed, Wangye,” Meng Qiu said, looking at the young prince’s stunningly beautiful face. “As long as the other person has eyes, they won’t refuse you.”
With such good looks and sincere preparations, Meng Qiu believed that no one could resist the young Wangye’s pursuit.
“Not necessarily,” Ling Rui replied, uncertain about his chances. “The person I’m pursuing is someone truly exceptional.”
Ling Rui didn’t have full confidence in his confession. In his mind, Ah Wu was the best person in the world, and he wasn’t sure if Ah Wu would accept his feelings.
Meng Qiu was astonished to hear this. Who would have thought that someone like the young Wangye, when faced with love, would be just like any ordinary person—full of self-doubt?
“You’re amazing, Wangye. I’m sure the one you love will love you back!”
“Thank you.”
Ling Rui liked hearing Meng Qiu’s words of encouragement.
Finally, after a mix of nerves and anticipation, they arrived at their destination.
Ling Rui hadn’t told Ah Wu that he was coming, so Ah Wu had no idea that he had already arrived in Great Qing.
The delegation was arranged to stay at an inn in a bustling part of the city, and that day was spent resting, without much else happening.
Meng Qiu, who had grown close to Ling Rui over the journey, whispered to him, “Wangye, the people of Great Qing aren’t as arrogant as I expected.”
At least the officials who had come to greet them were quite courteous.
“Great Qing isn’t what it used to be,” Ling Rui whispered back. “Ever since they changed emperors, relations between Great Qing and us have been much better.”
In the past, under Great Qing’s former emperor, their kingdom, Qi Dynasty, was little more than a subordinate state. But now that Ah Wu was in charge of Great Qing, and with Ling Rui’s brother leading Qi Dynasty through various reforms, their kingdom no longer had to humble itself before Great Qing.
This was Meng Qiu’s first time in Great Qing. After observing the people for a while, he murmured, “The people of Great Qing… they do seem different.”
Their own kingdom still had work to do.
Once the delegation was settled, they had the rest of the day and the next morning to move around freely.
Ling Rui wandered around the city for half a day. He walked from the bustling streets to a temple in the western part of the city, known for its thriving incense offerings.
Although he didn’t believe in gods or Buddha, he overheard people talking about how the temple’s “Tree of Love” was particularly effective. So, following their lead, he bought a red ribbon, wrote his and Ah Wu’s names on it, and tied it to the tree, praying that he and Ah Wu could be together smoothly.
The red ribbon swayed in the breeze. Ling Rui closed his eyes and made his wish, “Please bless me, let Ah Wu like me.”
The kind of love he wanted wasn’t Ah Wu’s nurturing, protective affection. He wanted the kind of love where they could have children together.
Of course, he couldn’t actually bear children—he was just using it as a metaphor.
After silently wishing for a long time, Ling Rui finally turned to leave.
He wasn’t in a hurry to enter the palace just yet.
He visited several stores, eventually buying a red outfit that resembled the wedding robe he wore when he first entered the Great Qing palace.
Back then, he had worn a red wedding robe, and Ah Wu had lifted his bridal veil. Now, in this red outfit, he was going to find Ah Wu again.
With the waist token Ah Wu had given him, Ling Rui could enter and leave the Great Qing palace at any time, under any circumstances. Even the emperor’s private quarters were accessible to him.
Flashing the token, Ling Rui passed through the gates without any obstruction. His steps were light, and even though the distance from the palace entrance to the emperor’s quarters was not short, he didn’t feel tired at all.
After walking for what seemed like a long time, he finally arrived at Ah Wu’s quarters. Ah Wu wasn’t there. Ling Rui showed his waist token, entered the room, and after looking around, sat down on the bed.
He glanced at his red clothes, then thought about how he would soon see Ah Wu. His heart pounded like a drum.
Ah Wu would definitely know he was there since he had entered using the waist token. All he had to do now was sit quietly and wait.
As he imagined what it would be like when Ah Wu appeared, Ling Rui took the opportunity to rehearse his confession in his mind one last time.
It was a long confession, one he had prepared carefully.
While Ling Rui was in the quarters going over his speech, Ah Wu had already learned of his arrival, much earlier than Ling Rui had anticipated.
Ah Wu had been receiving reports ever since Ling Rui was wandering the streets. He knew Ling Rui had gone shopping, visited the temple, and prayed for a romantic relationship.
Listening to these reports, Ah Wu’s expression remained unreadable.
But when he heard the latest update that Ling Rui had entered the palace, he didn’t hesitate for a second. He immediately got up and strode toward his quarters.
The report about the “Tree of Love” kept echoing in his mind. The shadow guard had said, “The Wangye looked very sincere in front of the tree.”
The thought of his little one secretly praying for love without telling him—it felt like a knife twisting in Ah Wu’s heart. He was deeply hurt but couldn’t show it.
The quarters weren’t far, and soon enough, Ah Wu stepped through the door. Perhaps the sound of his footsteps carried inside, because when he entered, the first thing he saw was his little one staring at him.
“Ah Wu.”
Ling Rui, who had been waiting for a long time, looked at him with bright, expectant eyes.
Their gazes locked. Ling Rui pointed to the gifts he had brought, saying, “These are all for you, and there are flowers too. Do you like them?”
“Yes, I like them,” Ah Wu responded in a flat tone, following Ling Rui’s lead.
Ling Rui glanced at him and felt like Ah Wu hadn’t really looked at the gifts. He hadn’t inspected them closely but still said he liked them. It felt a bit dismissive.
The sparkle in Ling Rui’s eyes dimmed slightly, and the words of his confession, which he had prepared so carefully, suddenly felt hard to say.
Both of them fell into silence.
Sensing the atmosphere becoming awkward, Ling Rui lowered his head, abandoning his planned approach. Fiddling with the hem of his clothes, he nervously and quietly said, “I have many, many more gifts to give you.”
“Ah Wu, can you like me?”
