Chapter 74

On the night, when they lay between the bedsheets, the words uttered by his beloved with his beloved’s head buried in his chest were silently etched into Lord Shen’s heart.

He had a plan, a surprise grand enough to fulfill his promise to Shen Fengyue. Since that day, he had been secretly planning and carefully preparing everything, all without Shen Fengyue’s knowledge. Shen Fengyue was completely unaware and kept in the dark.

And now, another year had passed, and it was the night of the Qixi Festival once again.

There was nothing particularly special about the Qixi Festival. The same old traditions were followed—needle threading under the moon, eating fried fruits, and talking about the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.

The previous Qixi Festival had left a deep psychological impact on Shen Fengyue, causing him to have no expectations for this festival. In addition, Chu Xi was still young, and the harem had no concubines. There was not even a young girl to exchange playful banter with, making it quite dull.

As the champion of the previous harem intrigues, the late emperor’s concubines would naturally not cause him trouble. Shen Fengyue lived a peaceful life, but it was perhaps because it was too peaceful, he often found it quite boring.

Chu Xi was busy with state affairs and Shen Fengyue was responsible for managing the harem. According to the rules, he allowed the palace maids to engage in the usual activities of the Qixi Festival and promptly dispersed the crowd when it was time. People dispersed in small groups, and he returned to his palace, where candles were lit, and he resumed reading his book under their flickering light.

Halfway through reading, there was a commotion at the window lattice. Someone was opening the window and stepping onto the window frame.

In the deep of the night, Shen Fengyue knew who it was without even looking. He kept his head down, still focused on his book.

“Empress Dowager,” the person called out softly when they saw he was ignoring them.

Shen Fengyue paid no attention.

“Empress Dowager.”

“Empress Dowager, hey…” Lord Shen crouched on the window frame, looking pitifully as he pleaded, “Can you pay some attention to me?”

Shen Fengyue was annoyed by the constant calling and lazily lifted his eyelids, casting a glance at him.

Upon seeing that his gaze was finally directed towards him, Lord Shen immediately struck what he believed to be the most handsome pose.

Then Shen Fengyue heard the coquettish fool sitting on the window frame, with a flirtatious expression, thinking he was incredibly attractive, proudly saying, “No book can compare to me.”

Shen Fengyue, “…”

He lowered his eyes and looked straight at the book in his hands, then raised his gaze to the window. He licked his lips and had to admit that this man had some charm.

Shameless Lord Shen jumped down from the window, even though he was over six feet tall, but he landed with such little force that it only made a slight sound, not enough to alert the night guards outside.

He took three steps and approached Shen Fengyue, placing one hand on the table and reaching over to Shen Fengyue’s side to pick up the book and casually throwing it onto the bed.

“???”

Lord Shen bent down, bringing his face very close.

A magnified handsome face approached him, their noses almost touching, and his long lashes fluttered up and down with every blink.

“Take a good look at me.”

He slightly widened his eyes, making his black pupils appear even more captivating.

Shen Fengyue actually stared at him face to face for a while, until he suddenly reacted after seeing the other party’s smiling eyes. Why should I obediently gaze at him like this!

He then used both hands to hold Lord Shen’s face and pushed him back, moving that big face away from his line of sight.

Lord Shen didn’t get angry but instead shook his head in enjoyment as if to let the flesh of his cheeks repeatedly touch the warm palm of his beloved, feeling that warmth.

“Empress…” He was about to say something when Shen Fengyue pressed both of his hands together, immediately causing the flesh on both sides of his handsome face to gather in the middle, his mouth pouting. Shen Fengyue found it amusing and began rubbing that face with both hands.

In the midst of the rubbing, Lord Shen mumbled, “Empress Dowager, tonight I want to give you something.”

“Hmm?”

Shen Fengyue stopped his movements, and Lord Shen held his wrists, putting his hands down and enveloping them with his large hands.

“Empress Dowager, tonight I want to give you something,” he said.

“What is it?” Shen Fengyue’s face showed a lack of trust.

Lord Shen chuckled, took his hand, and was about to go out. Shen Fengyue realized his intentions and hurriedly shouted, “Are we going out again?” He still remembered the embarrassing experience of being tricked into cross-dressing by this person last time.

“Don’t worry, this time there will be no tricks.” Lord Shen guessed his concerns and reassured him, then pulled him out of the palace.

As they walked to a small grove, a horse was tethered to a tree trunk. Shen Fengyue recognized it as Lord Shen’s favorite horse.

“This?” Where were they going this time that required a horse?

“It’s a secret, I can’t tell you for now.” Lord Shen said as he took out a long black cloth strip from his arms and wrapped it around Shen Fengyue, covering his eyes.

Shen Fengyue was instantly plunged into darkness, his sight taken away, making his other senses more heightened.

He felt himself being lifted onto the horse, with Lord Shen sitting behind him. With a stretch of his long arm, he pulled him into his embrace, and all Shen Fengyue had to do was lean back slightly to rest against the man’s strong chest.

The man pulled the reins and issued a command, and the horse obediently started running.

The sound of horse hooves clattering echoed in his ears, and as the horse stepped on fallen leaves, there was a delicate rustling sound. They moved up and down with the horse’s gallop. It was running fast, and amidst the run, Shen Fengyue could occasionally feel leaves brushing against the ends of his hair.

As he took a deep breath, his nasal cavity filled with the refreshing scent of the forest, the natural aroma belonging to the trees. There was the scent of dry leaves, the scent of soft and damp soil, the fragrance of unknown flowers, and the strong hormonal scent of the man behind him…

The horse leaped forward, and it seemed they had run out of the forest. After a smooth journey, Shen Fengyue heard the gentle sound of flowing water, gurgling and flowing briskly.

The horse also came to a stop at this moment, and Lord Shen lifted him off the horse, removing the black cloth that covered his eyes.

Brightness suddenly returned, and for a moment, he couldn’t adjust. Everything in front of him was shrouded in a hazy green color as if a slightly greenish soft filter had been applied, and it took a few seconds before the colors returned to their original state.

They had arrived by a small stream, its water clear and flowing over the protruding stones in the stream bed, making a soothing sound.

Next to the stream stood a simple brick house, with a large red silk cloth hanging above it, and a pair of “Marriage” characters pasted on the door. In front of the door was a long table, and on the table was a small tripod, with three tall incense sticks inserted into it, already lit. Wisps of white smoke curled upwards, drifting between heaven and earth. On the left and right sides of the tripod were two golden plates, stacked with pyramid-shaped “Marriage” fruits—red dates, peanuts, longans, and lotus seeds.

“This?” Shen Fengyue, surprised by the scene, exclaimed.

Lord Shen took his hand and explained, “I have been waiting and preparing for this day for a long time. I know that our love cannot be made public, so I specially prepared a wedding ceremony that belongs only to the two of us on this Qixi Festival, the festival of lovers.”

“Go inside and quickly change your clothes.” He led him to the door, pushed it open, and two brand-new wedding outfits were neatly folded on the table.

As Shen Fengyue held the wedding attire in his arms, he seemed dazed, feeling that all of this was like a dream, unreal but also undeniably real, a reality rather than a dream.

They both went to change their clothes separately. Shen Fengyue unfolded the wedding attire and discovered that it was a men’s outfit.

Men’s clothing… It had been a long time since he had worn it.

After changing into the clothes, he untied his temple hair, tied it into a bun on the top of his head, and then put on a jade crown.

After completing everything, Shen Fengyue turned around in front of Lord Shen and asked, “Do I look good?”

There was no mirror in the room, so he couldn’t see his own appearance, but he believed he must look good, exceptionally good.

Lord Shen, who had already changed before him, carefully examined him from top to bottom upon hearing his words. It was quite amusing because not only had Shen Fengyue never seen himself in men’s clothing, but Lord Shen had never seen him like this either. It was the first time he saw Shen Fengyue wash away the embellishments and restore his true appearance as a man.

Without the adornments of cosmetics and hair accessories, he no longer appeared so feminine, and words like charming and enchanting would never be used to describe him in this setting.

His eyebrows were delicate, with an upward curve at the outer corners of his eyes. His eyes were bright, stunningly beautiful, captivating Lord Shen with every movement.

Lord Shen picked up the red silk cloth from the table and wrapped it three times around Shen Fengyue’s jade crown.

With the red wedding attire and the face without makeup, everything looked incredibly beautiful.

“My wife looks truly gorgeous,” he praised.

Shen Fengyue asked him, “Are you happy?”

Lord Shen didn’t answer, but his lips curved up, the arc growing wider, lifting his eyebrows and eyes, filling his entire face with a radiant smile. The extent and depth of this smile were so great that even Shen Fengyue couldn’t help but smile along.

They faced each other, their faces filled with radiant and intoxicating smiles, like two fools.

In the end, Shen Fengyue couldn’t bear it anymore and pushed Lord Shen forward, urging him, “Alright, stop smiling. Let’s go to the ceremonial altar.”

There were only the two of them participating in this wedding ceremony, and Lord Shen was the one who lit the firecrackers.

As the firecrackers burst, making crackling sounds, they echoed loudly in the silent night, adding a touch of liveliness to this desolate place.

Amidst the sound of firecrackers, they both held a long red silk cloth, with a beautifully crafted red silk flower in the center. Facing the ceremonial altar, directly above hung a half-moon, and as it was approaching midnight, the moonlight had dimmed. But in Shen Fengyue’s eyes, he had never seen a brighter light than this time.

With the loud sound of firecrackers and the gentle glow of moonlight, they stood together, dressed in wedding attire, as the white smoke from the incense on the ceremonial altar rose slowly.

“First bow to the heavens and earth.” The two of them held the red silk cloth and bowed together towards the front.

They paid their respects to the heavens and earth.

“Second bow to the parents.” They stood up, turned to the side, and bowed together.

They paid their respects to their parents.

Finally, they stood up and faced each other. Lord Shen smiled and said, “Wife.”

Shen Fengyue looked up at him, his eyes filled with a smile, and for the first time, he called him by a title he had never used before, “Husband.”

“For the rest of our lives, I hope for your understanding and guidance.” Lord Shen said.

Shen Fengyue nodded.

“Husband and wife exchange bows.” They knelt and bowed deeply to each other, their waists bent at a ninety-degree angle, their heads lowered until their jade crowns gently touched.

They exchanged bows as husband and wife.

From that moment on, they would be together forever, never to be separated.

After the final bow, Lord Shen tightly embraced Shen Fengyue and whispered, “Happy newlyweds.”

“Happy newlyweds.” His brows and eyes curved again, his tone filled with infinite tenderness and affection.

After the ceremony, Lord Shen led Shen Fengyue into the room, had him sit on the bed, and went not far away to pour wine.

Shen Fengyue obediently sat on the bed, the bedding was also in festive bright red, perfectly complementing his attire. He ran his hands over the smooth bedding, feeling its texture.

At that moment, he heard the long-lost voice of the system in his ear.

“You knew he was a bug a long time ago, didn’t you?” it asked.

Shen Fengyue remained silent.

The empress died, but there was no mission message. The same happened when Emperor Chu and when Wei Yunping died. One option after another was ruled out, leaving only one answer, but neither he nor the system mentioned it as if they had an unspoken agreement.

Lord Shen was undoubtedly the bug.

The system asked again, “Have you developed feelings for him?”

Shen Fengyue continued to run his hand over the smooth red silk bedding, neither denying nor admitting it.

The system understood his attitude and didn’t say anything more.

Suddenly, Shen Fengyue said, “I can accompany him until we grow old together. Does that count as fixing the bug?”

There was a moment of silence, then the system replied, “In theory, yes.”

That’s good. Shen Fengyue silently thought in his heart as he watched the red figure pouring wine in the distance, his attention solely focused on that person.

When Lord Shen finished pouring the wine, the system’s voice suddenly sounded in his mind, saying, “Congratulations on your wedding, Old Shen.”

Shen Fengyue was momentarily stunned, then sincerely replied, “Thank you.”

Lord Shen approached with two silver wine cups in his hands. He held them steadily, and the liquid in the cups didn’t even ripple.

He sat down next to Shen Fengyue and handed him one of the cups. Their hands crossed, their arms touching as they drank the ceremonial wine together.

Lord Shen closed his eyes as he drank, but Shen Fengyue quietly opened his eyes and focused on the person in front of him. In his mind, he inexplicably recalled the words of a literary figure from his world,

If we were to cross paths on a day so clear, After fresh snowfall, with the moon shining near. The ground adorned with a radiant sheen, the sky above aglow with silver serene. And you approach me with a smile sincere.

Between the moonlight and the snow, you become the third unparallel beauty anew.

And in the glow of the red candles, when the candlelight illuminated his closed profile, Lord Shen became that third kind of unparalleled beauty.

Lord Shen, my heart is pleased with you as well.

Though the wine doesn’t intoxicate, Lord Shen was still intoxicated with the beauty of the person beneath him, intoxicated by this sweet love.

The ropes holding the bed curtains were untied, and the curtains slid down, covering the view of the intimate moment.

Inside the room, the red candles burned brightly, their flames flickering. Only the sight of one person leaning down to kiss the other was visible, and faintly, the intertwined figures were seen, exuding an infinite beauty.

*

At Jinjiang Company.

Jia Sanmao looked at the monitoring data and asked the person beside him, “How long has he been inside? Why hasn’t it ended yet?”

The person replied, “It’s been a while, but it seems like something is holding him back.”

“Activate the auxiliary program.”

“Yes.”

[Ding dong, the auxiliary program has been activated. The auxiliary program is now running.]