Chapter 232: A Proposal of Marriage

An Luo felt that lately everyone in the marquis's residence had been acting strange.

Whenever she went to find Qiu Ruo and Qiu Luo, she would always catch the two sisters huddled together mysteriously whispering.

Even Yu'an and Zaituan seemed to have their own little secrets; every time she asked, neither would say a word, just blinking their big eyes at her and acting cute.

An Luo was baffled.

"What's actually going on?"

That day, she was returning from the shop with Cheng Xin.

Cheng Chengxuan had previously said he would help her train two maids who knew martial arts, but that couldn't be done overnight, so for now Cheng Xin had been placed by her side.

"Cheng Xin, have you noticed that everyone in the residence has been acting pretty strange lately?"

"Cheng Xin?"

After a good while with no response, An Luo looked back—and the person behind her was gone.

"Where did she go? Where did she run off to?"

The surroundings suddenly fell silent.

Today really was strange; from the moment she stepped through the gate of the residence, all the way to the outside of her own courtyard, she seemed not to have run into a single maid or servant boy along the way.

An Luo uneasily touched the ring on her index finger.

Better hurry back to her room.

The moment she stepped into the courtyard, a light suddenly flared on one side.

Only then did An Luo notice that at some unknown time, ropes had been tied along both sides of the bluestone path, with revolving lanterns hanging from them.

That flash of light just now seemed to be a signal; immediately after, the revolving lanterns on both sides lit up one after another.

An Luo looked at them one by one.

The candlelight inside the lanterns flickered slightly; painted on them were a man and a woman, and on closer look, they turned out to be her and Cheng Chengxuan.

This one in front of her: Cheng Chengxuan stood atop the High Platform, while the little figures below raised their fists and cheered.

And she stood in the distance, as if drifting apart from the crowd.

"This is?"

An Luo carefully recalled for a moment.

Wasn't this the scene of Cheng Chengxuan returning to the Border Camp?

So he had already noticed her back then, that early on?

Thinking of this, An Luo couldn't help wanting to cover her face.

That day she had been crying with snot and tears streaming; such an embarrassing scene had actually been witnessed by Cheng Chengxuan?

She kept walking, kept looking.

In the woods, a man and a woman holding hands, the woman chatting and laughing brightly, the man looking shy… the man carefully holding out a fruit to offer the woman, then the man smiling and letting the woman run wild on his face, under the moonlight, the two of them hand in hand…

Walking all the way through, the lantern light swayed, shadows and light playing off each other, recreating scene after scene of their past.

Only most of the pictures on these lanterns were things that had happened to her in the Modern Era.

So those were, in Cheng Chengxuan's imagination, scenes of the two of them facing each other?

Realizing this, An Luo's nose tingled slightly.

"An Luo."

A few meters away, Cheng Chengxuan gazed at her gently and stretched out his hand toward her.

An Luo sniffed, broke into a bright smile, and walked toward him.

Seeing her move, Cheng Chengxuan also walked to her side with a smile, tightly clasped the hand resting in his palm, and led her forward.

On the table, candles were arranged in the shape of a heart, inside which rose petals were likewise spread into a heart shape, and on top sat two boxes, one large and one small.

Seeing her staring, Cheng Chengxuan scratched the back of his head a little sheepishly.

"Big Brother said that girls from your side would probably like this kind of—um, sense of ceremony?"

An Luo burst out laughing; seeing his expectant look, she reined in her smile and deliberately teased him.

"It's not that everyone likes this sort of thing."

"Huh?"

Cheng Chengxuan grew a little flustered.

"Don't you like it?"

He secretly regretted it—wish he hadn't listened to Big Brother.

That unreliable guy, nothing but bad ideas!

He hurried to clear the table.

"Then I…"

"Don't."

An Luo grabbed his hand.

"It looks really nice, I quite like it."

"As long as you like it."

Hearing that, Cheng Chengxuan let out a sigh of relief, took the opportunity to hold her hand, opened the large box to reveal an Imperial Jade Seal, then picked up the small box on the table and opened it to reveal a ruby ring, and nervously held it out to her.

"An Luo, will you marry me and be my Empress?"

Hearing the second half of his sentence, An Luo's restless heart felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured over it, suddenly sobering up quite a bit; and precisely because she was a little more clear-headed, hesitation showed on her face.

Although she had been actively integrating herself into ancient times these days, over twenty years of living habits and ways of thinking were not so easy to change.

She couldn't even pretend to be a proper ancient person yet—how could she bear the responsibility of an Empress of a nation?

Could she really do it?

But if she had to watch Cheng Chengxuan marry someone else, just the thought alone made her feel terrible.

What should she do?

Her left hand clenched nervously; as anxiety and tension rose, her eyes gradually welled up.

"I…"

Seeing her hesitation, Cheng Chengxuan gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't be afraid. I know bringing this up now is a bit too sudden."

"But what I want to tell you is — I know you suddenly came to an unfamiliar world and feel uneasy, I know these days have been hard on you, and I also know that the title of a nation's Empress is far too heavy a burden for you."

Cheng Chengxuan's gaze on her was gentle yet resolute.

"An Luo, whether it's needlework and embroidery, or music, chess, calligraphy and painting, or the duties of a wife and an Empress — if you're interested, go ahead and learn them; if not, there's no need to force yourself."

"Because for me, as long as the person by my side is you, that's enough."

"Everything rests with me. No matter what happens, I'll stand in front of you. But right now, the most important thing is — my little fairy, are you willing?"

An Luo's eyes had long since blurred with tears. So he knew everything.

He knew her nervousness and unease, knew her lack of confidence.

An Luo nodded firmly and reached out her hand.

"Cheng Chengxuan, I'm willing."

After putting on the ring, An Luo looped her arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear.

"And — I really, really like you."

Just as she was about to pull away from his ear, Cheng Chengxuan suddenly tilted his head slightly, and their lips met.

When the kiss ended, Cheng Chengxuan nuzzled her glistening lips.

"An'an, I'm so happy."

Then he lowered his head and kissed her again.

As if afraid she'd tire from standing on tiptoe, the hand Cheng Chengxuan had around her waist lifted her up with a firm push.

An Luo was briefly stunned, then closed her eyes and tightened her arms a little.

Suddenly, from a corner not far away came rustling sounds, mixed with an indignant little baby voice.

"Hey! Little Aunt, don't block Yu'an!"

"I can't see anything!"

"Shh! Don't shout, don't shout."

"Be good, Yu'an. You can't watch this — you'll get a sty in your eye."

"Then why is Little Aunt still watching?"

"It's different. Grown-ups are fine watching."

Yu'an planted her hands on her hips and let out a heavy hmph.

Adults may set fire, but children aren't allowed to light a lamp!

So unfair!

Hearing the voices, the two embracing quickly pulled apart.

Seeing how things stood, Cheng Qiuluo scooped up her little nephew and slipped out of the courtyard, running outside to regroup with Cheng Yao and the others.

"How is it? Is everything ready?"

Cheng Yao nodded.

"Don't worry, Miss Luo. Everything's all set."

Cheng Qiuluo waved her hand.

"Light it!"

The few of them took out their fire folders, lit the fuse, and ran off to hide at a distance.

Soon, with several "whoosh whoosh whoosh…" sounds, brilliant fireworks burst open in the sky.

"Wow! So pretty!"

Yu'an hopped about, clapping and cheering.

In the courtyard, the two embraced beneath a sky full of fireworks.

An Luo looked up.

"From now on, please guide me well, my Emperor Your Majesty."

Cheng Chengxuan lowered his head; their foreheads touched, his tone carrying a smile, his eyes brimming with unconcealed joy.

"As you command, my Empress."