In the deep of the night, the moonlight, like a silken thread, floods the dark alleys of Beijing. The bluish stone paths reflect a faint cold glow under the moonlight, as if telling stories of time.
Yu Yao dragged her exhausted body back into the house.
Zhou Bo opened the door and saw her. The worn-out face was full of concern. He couldn't help but care and say, "Madam has been tired all day today. Please rest now."
She nodded slightly, yawned, her expression resembling a lazy cat, "Uncle Zhou, you should go to sleep too."
She finished speaking and walked straight back into the room.
Inside the room, the candlelight flickered, warm and serene.
After washing and brushing, she lay down on the soft bed, feeling exhaustion wash over her instantly.
In a daze, she felt a gust of air entering the room.
Her natural alertness made her open her eyes immediately.
She saw a shadow standing by the window, and moonlight shone through the window onto the figure. The tall and slender silhouette was barely recognizable in the moonlight, with its outline visible in the dim light.
Once she recognized the person, she felt at ease and lay down again.
"Isn't it just daytime? Why are you here again?"
She closed her eyes, turned over, like a lazy cat.
"Grrr... What a heartless woman. I just helped you with business today, and you turn around and don't even recognize me?"
Dúgū yè is maliciously smiling, like a poppy flower blooming in the dark night, dangerous and enchanting.
He walked over to the bed, took off his robe naturally, and quickly slipped under the covers with her.
She felt the bed next to her dip, and he lay down beside her, sideways, with one hand reaching out to embrace her, his chin resting on top of her head.
He had a bit of the night chill on him, cold and cool, and a pleasant scent of dragon's whisker, a scent that was intoxicating.
Yu Yao lay comfortably in Dugu Ye's arms, feeling truly exhausted today. She had no mood to argue with him and couldn't help but want to fall asleep.
Suddenly, she heard him murmuring something in his mouth, a low voice: "Yao'er, I want to find an identity for you so that you can become my wife officially."
"What identity?"
Yu Yao opened her eyes and met Dugu Ye's gaze, which was like the deep waters of a lake, so profound that one could not see to the bottom.
"Daughter of Qin Gong."
Dugu Ye fixed his eyes on her, without any secrecy, "The Qin family has a long history of meritorious service, with an upright family style. They have born seven sons in a row, with no daughters. I plan to have you pose as the daughter of Qin Gong, and marry you as the legitimate daughter of the Qin family."
She moved her body and looked at Dugu Ye with worry: "Does the Qin family agree to suddenly have a daughter with no bloodline?"
Dugu Ye chuckled softly, a sound like a gentle breeze over the strings of a zither, crisp and moving.
"There's no one who objects. The Qin couple has been desperate for a daughter, and having one added to their family would only make them happy. It could also help them climb up to the palace, why not do it?"
She nodded slightly, as if in thought, but soon another problem occurred to her: "If she is the legitimate daughter of the Qin family, she will inevitably have to go out and socialize. This exposure would surely reveal the truth."
"This is indeed a problem."
Dugu Ye's eyes deepened into thought, staring at his face for a while, and suddenly said: "You're not a spider demon, are you? You should have some magic powers. Changing the appearance is easy. Just change to the face of your previous life. I'm used to it. However, this face is also very beautiful, but I still prefer the other face."
Yu Yao glanced at him and pondered the feasibility of this method in her heart.
She has different appearances in each world, so she's not particularly concerned about which face to use.
This is also better for An An and You You, as they will not be confused when they grow up and find out that their mother married someone else, causing resentment.
The more she thought about it, the better she felt. Using her previous life's face to marry Dugu Ye, when she missed the children, she could just change her appearance back.
In An An and You You's hearts, it would only seem that their mother was not living with their father, without knowing about her marriage.
This is also better for the two children's growth.
"Alright, let's do it as you suggested."
She nodded slightly, as if to agree.
Dugu Ye felt quite good, and remembered something, feeling guilty again: "In the previous life, I had nothing. Just a broken cave and some beast meat. You followed me. That world didn't have weddings or anything like that. I never thought about giving you a wedding compensation later on, and now looking back, it's really guilty."
Yu Yao smiled slightly, warmth spreading in her heart, "Past things don't need to be mentioned again. Anyway, that was the beast world, with a different worldview from here. How could I blame you?"
"Though that may be, I still feel guilty in my heart. In this life, I must give you a wedding that shocks the world."
His eyes were gentle and full of emotion, his voice low and hoarse, as if it was a whisper from a distant heaven.
She smiled and didn't speak anymore, snuggling her head into his chest, and then fell asleep.
Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, Dugu Ye lifted his hand gently to trace her features. The movement was as gentle as caressing a precious work of art.
He couldn't help but want to bring her back to the palace as soon as possible so that they could be together openly.
Listening to her even breathing, he tightened his grip on her a little and closed his eyes, quickly falling asleep.
She had a good night's sleep until dawn, when Dugu Ye reluctantly left.
The morning sunlight shone through the windows, giving a sense of vitality.
She didn't know how Dugu Ye was involved with the Qin family.
In any case, a few days later, the couple of Qin Gong proposed to see her.
Yu Yao changed back to her appearance in the beast world, and put on a gentle and demure dress. Her hair was also let down, replaced by a double bun that is common for girls at home.
After dressing up, she went out.
The meeting was not arranged at the Qin Gong's mansion, but at a secluded garden in the outskirts of the capital.
The scenery in the garden was clear and tranquil. Green trees formed a shade, and the sound of running water could be heard. The sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves, like golden threads woven into a beautiful picture.
She was led to a pavilion by the servant, where she saw the couple of Qin Gong sitting there, with a kind expression.
After some small talk, they sat down.
The couple of Qin Gong asked her some questions about her daily life, such as her parents.
Yu Yao had already prepared her script in her mind. She said that she was an orphan, with no parents or relatives.
Upon hearing this, the couple of Qin Gong felt sympathy and said she was a poor child.
In fact, this is more in line with their wishes.
The rest went very smoothly.
She was soon acknowledged as a relative, and naturally became the Miss of the Qin family mansion.
A few days later, the Qin family suddenly announced to the outside world that their little daughter, who had always been weak and sickly, was kept in the countryside and was now in good health, and had reached the age of trial marriage, so she was brought back.
This news spread quickly in the capital and caused quite a stir.
The streets and alleys of the capital were filled with discussions about what the appearance of this Miss of the Qin family mansion could be like.
The Qin family's wife began to take Yu Yao to some social occasions.
Of course, her name is not Yu Yao, but Meng Yao, the legitimate daughter of the Qin family mansion.
She carried herself with elegance and spoke appropriately, quickly winning the admiration of many noble girls and young gentlemen.
Xuan Ji was now the king of Wei, but as an outlander, he spent his days in the palace. Except for meditating and chanting sutras, he spent time with An An and You You.
The courtyard of the Wei family mansion was quiet and harmonious.
Sunlight shone on the cobblestone path, sparkling slightly.
The servants of Wei Mansion didn't know where the two children came from. However, seeing how much attention the prince gave to them, they dare not be negligent and treat them almost like young masters.
The news that the Wei Mansion had two more children quickly reached the ears of Emperor Xuan Wu.
On this day, Emperor Xuan Wu summoned Xuan Ji into the palace.
The imperial palace was magnificent, with gold and jade shining under the sun, and red walls and yellow tiles gleaming.
The long corridor was lined with guards standing solemnly, giving an atmosphere of gravity and majesty.
In the private study of the emperor.
Emperor Xuan Wu was processing petitions when Xuan Ji entered, and he told him to sit down next to him.
As he read through the documents, he couldn't help but ask, "I heard that you have two more children in your mansion. What's the story behind this?"
He knew that this son was an outlander and even if he returned to the imperial family, he had not yet undergone the ceremony to become a layman.
It was truly puzzling why two children suddenly appeared and were taken care of so carefully.
That's why I couldn't help but summon him to the palace to ask about it.
