It is precisely because we do not know how many more years we can spend together that we should cherish the fleeting moments before us.

Yu Wanyin: “Xiao Tiancai said he will come back next month to check your pulse.”

After the Crown Prince’s case was settled, Yu Wanyin still told Xiao Tiancai the news of Xie Yong’er’s death.

Xiao Tiancai was distraught for several days. Yu Wanyin thought he would leave, but he appeared as usual, keeping his promise to take care of Cen Jintian until the very last moment.

Only after Cen Jintian passed away did Xiao Tiancai come to say goodbye.

Yu Wanyin felt guilty, feeling she owed him a lot, but Xiao Tiancai comforted her instead: “I have faithfully served you, as Xie Fei wished. Now, I leave to see the beautiful landscapes she longed to see.”

Yu Wanyin couldn’t help but ask, “What did she say in that letter?”

Xiao Tiancai’s ears turned red again: “She said that once the affairs in the capital were settled, she found a new place of peace and would wait for me to find her.”

After a few seconds of silence, he smiled and said, “You don’t have to be sad. As long as this land exists peacefully, her spirit will have a place to rest, and we will meet again one day.”

After that, he left on his own, occasionally sending letters back to talk about the local life he saw.

Xiahou Dan: “He comes and goes like the wind.”

“I heard he became a traveling doctor, saving lives wherever he goes.” Yu Wanyin recalled the conversation, still feeling a bit down.

Xiahou Dan glanced at her and, seemingly unintentionally, said, “By the way, Abai also sent a letter.”

“What’s it about?”

“Nothing much, just talked about recent events and expressed some concern for us.” Xiahou Dan snorted, “Included a sentimental poem.”

Yu Wanyin laughed, “Let me see.”

“Nothing worth seeing.”

“Let me see—”

Xiahou Dan pushed aside his tea cup and stood up: “It’s rare to have free time, how about a game of table tennis?”

Yu Wanyin was distracted: “Alright.”

The harem was disbanded—most of the concubines left with expressions of relief—but the ping pong table remained.

After winning two games, the Empress threw down her paddle, claiming that swinging on a swing would be more fitting for the Qingming Festival. So the Emperor sent people to find colorful ribbons and boards.

When Li Yunxi walked through the corridor with memorials, he saw from afar a splendidly dressed figure swinging back and forth under the tall willow trees in the imperial garden, and the Emperor’s laughter could be heard nearby.

Immersed in his solitary state, Li Yunxi could not bear to see this. After a long time, he adjusted his expression and asked the eunuch to announce his presence.

Moments later, the Empress stopped swinging, and the Emperor came over alone: “What’s the matter?”

Li Yunxi presented the memorial: “Please review it, Your Majesty.”

Although it was a day off, Xiahou Dan couldn’t ignore a minister who volunteered to work overtime.

He took him into the imperial study, listening to the report while reviewing the memorial. Li Yunxi diligently spoke, always feeling that the Emperor was listening half-heartedly, occasionally smiling and daydreaming. Yet, every time he paused, Xiahou Dan could respond fluently, leaving him with no grounds to remonstrate.

Half an hour later, a eunuch knocked and entered, bowing and presenting a note. Li Yunxi, with sharp eyes, immediately recognized the familiar scrawl.

“Barbecue tonight?”

Xiahou Dan looked at it, propped his chin, and wrote back “1.”

Li Yunxi: “?”

The eunuch, as if used to it, collected the note and left.

Xiahou Dan looked at Li Yunxi and, in a dismissive tone, asked: “Any other issues?”

Li Yunxi: “…No.”

He bowed and left, but after taking two steps, Xiahou Dan called out, “Wait.”

Xiahou Dan pointed at his memorial: “Your writing is impressive. How about your poetry?”

“Poetry?”

“In your spare time, you could write a few sentimental poems.” Xiahou Dan seriously suggested, “Since you have no one to send them to, let me use them to offer my respects.”

“…”

Li Yunxi finally blurted out the words he had held in all day: “This behavior is improper!”

—