Chapter 1680

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The winter in Dongliang Jun is much milder than that of Yongdu, perhaps because it is near Yongjiang, the moisture is too heavy, so the night sky here is far less clear than Yongdu's, yet because of this, a hazy beauty pervades everywhere; every blade of grass and tree has its outline blurred, and thus the night feels especially gentle.

The moon was as if veiled in a thin gauze; the stars don't know where they have fled to?

That night Weisa stayed behind to look after Hong Lingxue, while Hu Xiaotian and Long Xi Yue went to attend the welcome banquet specially arranged by Dongliang Jun's magistrate Li Mingcheng for Hu Xiaotian; Hu Xiaotian took the opportunity to have a reunion meal with all his subordinates. As the guest of honor that evening, Hu Xiaotian naturally drank quite a bit of wine, and by the time he left he was already slightly tipsy.

Long Xi Yue accompanied him back to the manor, discovering that Huo Shengnan had not returned either, leaving a note saying she would go inspect the garrison tonight; in fact she was also leaving Long Xi Yue and Hu Xiaotian a private space to be alone.

Hu Xiaotian realized how fortunate he truly was; all these female confidantes around him knew how to consider others.

Long Xi Yue helped him back into the room, personally fetched hot water to wipe Hu Xiaotian's face, and said softly, 'Wait a moment; I'll have someone prepare hangover soup, it'll be ready soon.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed, 'I'm not drunk, no need for hangover soup.' He took Long Xi Yue's soft hand and had her sit beside him.

Long Xi Yue lowered her head, her pretty face slightly flushed, and said, 'You drank so much tonight; you were swaying as you walked just now.'

Hu Xiaotian replied, 'I was pretending to be drunk on purpose; otherwise how could I come back early to keep you company?'

Long Xi Yue was by nature reserved; although she was delighted at her lover's safe return, being alone together in a room made her feel uneasy, and she herself didn't know why. She whispered, 'I'm going back; Weisa and Shengnan will be coming back soon.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed, 'They won't be coming back.' He reached out to stroke Long Xi Yue's silky, lustrous hair, and said, 'How come I feel that since returning, you and I have grown distant?'

Long Xi Yue whispered, 'No… it's just… we aren't married yet, so this isn't proper…'

Hu Xiaotian chuckled.

Long Xi Yue, feeling a bit embarrassed, furrowed her brows: 'How annoying, you're laughing at me again.'

Hu Xiaotian, as if by magic, produced a gift box. Then he knelt on one knee before Long Xi Yue.

Long Xi Yue was startled by his sudden action, stamping her foot and saying, 'What are you doing? You're just saying you drank too much, right? Hurry up and get up, or people will laugh at us.' In her heart, Hu Xiaotian was a man who could stand heaven and earth, someone who simply could not kneel.

Hu Xiaotian opened the gift box; inside lay a diamond ring whose brilliance, like starlight, dazzled Long Xi Yue. This diamond ring was actually commissioned by Hu Xiaotian in Yongdu, asking Zong Tang to help craft it. In fact, back in Yongdu Hu Xiaotian had already thought it through clearly: he could not let Long Xi Yue continue waiting like this any longer; they had endured hardships, gone through many trials and tribulations before finally coming together, and it was time to discuss marriage. Although in his mind none of these female confidantes weighed more or less than another, ultimately he needed to choose a mistress of the harem; Long Xi Yue was gentle and virtuous, kind and tolerant. Moreover, her status is now that of a princess of the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, making her the natural choice to become his wife.

'Marry me!' Hu Xiaotian said sincerely.

Long Xi Yue bit her cherry lips. Gazing at the diamond ring, her beautiful eyes were already moist; although she had long decided in her heart to marry no one but Hu Xiaotian, she had never imagined that Hu Xiaotian would propose to her in this way. She whispered, 'We already have a marriage pact, don't we…'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'I want you to promise it yourself; I want to personally place the engagement ring on your finger, and then I will prepare a wedding that you will never forget in this lifetime.'

Long Xi Yue's heart was completely filled with happiness; her nose felt sore, and tears fell involuntarily. She nodded, Hu Xiaotian took her soft hand to put the ring on her finger, then rose, cupped her pretty face, and kissed her deeply…

In fact, Hu Xiaotian had also hesitated about marriage; it was Huo Shengnan's words that steadied his resolve to marry Long Xi Yue as soon as possible. Some matters are better settled early; harmony in the home brings success in all endeavors, and if one wishes to achieve great things, one cannot be bogged down by household affairs. Although they all get along well, they ultimately lack formal status, and continuing like this would be unfair especially to Long Xi Yue; the sooner Hu Xiaotian clarifies Long Xi Yue's position, the more reassured the female confidantes will be.

Moreover, as Hu Xiaotian's relations with Dakang eased, rumors of his lingering affection for Qiqi spread like wildfire. Although these female confidantes said nothing aloud, they inwardly worried about it; naturally they considered Long Xi Yue's temperament easier to get along with. Princess Anping could tolerate others, but as for the Yongyang Princess Qiqi, even Hu Xiaotian could bring himself to harm her; if she truly rekindled her old romance with Hu Xiaotian, who knows what her wayward nature might drive her to do. Huo Shengnan, Weisa, and Tang Qingxuan had also discussed this privately.

Although Long Xi Yue was unworldly, she possessed a powerful personal charm, and all of Hu Xiaotian's female confidantes were utterly convinced by her. In Hu Xiaotian's former world, such a thing would be almost unimaginable, but here everything has become a matter of course; although there are many female confidantes, they get along with tacit understanding, as close as sisters, and this is naturally thanks to Hu Xiaotian's personal abilities, his all‑round capabilities.

Upon hearing the news, the first to congratulate Hu Xiaotian were Huo Shengnan and Weisa; not only did they feel no jealousy at all, they genuinely felt delighted.

Hu Xiaotian had agreed with Long Xi Yue to go out today, but after returning he still hadn't visited Tang Qingxuan; moreover, Jian Rongxin, Liu Changsheng, and Weichi Pitian, who had come from Yongdu to Dongliang Jun, were temporarily staying at the Sandy Isle Horse Farm, and Hu Xiaotian naturally ought to pay them a visit.

Huo Shengnan had to stay stationed in Dongliang Jun, and Weisa was busy helping at Zhuge Guanqi's home, so they could not go together.

Upon hearing their congratulations, Hu Xiaotian couldn't help laughing; he opened his arms and embraced each of them, kissing each on the cheek and saying, 'You won't have any objections to my doing this, will you?'

Huo Shengnan and Weisa exchanged a glance, and both laughed.

Huo Shengnan said, 'What thoughts? Do you think we would be jealous?'

Weisa said, 'Perhaps others would, but since the princess is so wonderful, we certainly wouldn't!'

Hu Xiaotian felt greatly reassured and declared earnestly, 'In my heart I treat each of you exactly the same, with no favoritism or difference.'

Huo Shengnan laughed sweetly, and she actively kissed Hu Xiaotian on the face: "All right, don't think our hearts are so small; actually, the relationship among us sisters is far more harmonious than you imagine."

Hu Xiaotian pinched each of their chests lightly; the two women exclaimed and wriggled free from his embrace. Hu Xiaotian laughed, "They're clearly big—how could they be small?"

Huo Shengnan said, "Weisa is still bigger." They and Hu Xiaotian had long since broken through the last line of defense, so they often joked around.

Weisa blushed, covering her heaving bosom with both hands: "Sister's laughing at me again; I'll go help the master pack." She made an excuse and fled quickly.

Hu Xiaotian pulled Huo Shengnan into his arms again, wearing a mischievous grin: "While we still have time, want to practice the Sun-Shooting True Classic a bit more?"

Huo Shengnan lovingly poked his nose with a finger: "Annoying, your head's never got anything decent; if you have excess energy to burn, there are plenty of opportunities at the Sands Island horse farm."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "You couldn't be talking about those horses, could you? I'm not that depraved."

Huo Shengnan couldn't help laughing: "What a disgrace—you're a famed figure under heaven, yet you still talk and act like a scoundrel."

Hu Xiaotian buried his face in her chest and whispered: "No matter when, I'm willing to be your little scoundrel."

Huo Shengnan held him tightly and whispered softly: "By the way, I want to make a trip to Bei Jiang."

Hu Xiaotian blinked, immediately grasping Huo Shengnan's intent—her journey to Bei Jiang must be related to Weichi Chong.

Huo Shengnan said, "After meeting Pin Ting and hearing you talk about my adoptive father, I've constantly worried about him. Power struggles in the Da Yong court are intensifying, and Xue Shengjing has allied with the Black Hu, so Bei Jiang will surely face unprecedented pressure."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Actually, even if you went, you might not be able to change anything."

Huo Shengnan said, "Nevertheless, I still want to go see my adoptive father. I was orphaned young; if he hadn't raised me, I wouldn't be here today, nor would I have met you."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, understanding Huo Shengnan's feelings for Weichi Chong, and said softly: "Why not let Changming take you there?"

Huo Shengnan laughed, "No need, just lend me Xiao Hui. I'm not in a hurry either; once things here are settled, I'll treat the trip to Bei Jiang as a sightseeing jaunt to relax. With my current martial skill, you needn't worry about me."

Hu Xiaotian actually believes this—since they cultivated the Sun-Shooting True Classic together, Huo Shengnan has made great progress in internal energy, having learned to shape qi into arrows; her archery even surpasses Tang Jingyu of Luoying Palace.

Hu Xiaotian said, though, "I'm still uneasy; why don't we practice the Sun-Shooting True Classic a bit more before you leave?"

A hint of allure appeared on Huo Shengnan's pretty face as she cooed, "Whenever you want to practice, I'll be happy to accompany you."

Hu Xiaotian gladly nodded, about to say he wanted to practice right then, when Weisa's voice came from outside: "Master, the Dakang envoys have arrived."

Because I was out on business and got drunk last night, I only posted one First Update; today I shouldn't drink too much, so two First Updates are no problem. I'll get up in the morning and post the first First Update to show my sincerity!

Ps. Fellow readers chasing updates, do you still have free appreciation tickets and coins? The 515 red‑packet list is counting down—I'm rallying votes, asking for extra boosts and appreciation tickets, let's give it one final push! (To be continued~^~)