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I still...

Mo Yan was about to refuse when she suddenly felt an itch in her nose. She quickly turned her head away and sneezed twice. Then she turned back to Wu Zichu and said, "I've already jumped on the water swing. Although it wasn't quite satisfactory, please forgive me, Your Highness... Achoo... I have to go back and drink ginger soup. I'd better not go to Your Highness's place. If I pass on my cold to him, wouldn't my sin be even greater... Achoo achoo..."

She spoke very quickly and sneezed repeatedly. Wu Zichu took a few steps back, helpless against her.

Although Mo Yan was already wearing quite a lot, Zhan Zhao still took off his cloak and wrapped it around her. She still covered half of her face tightly, afraid that he would see it.

"Brother Zichu, I'm also returning to Kaifeng Prefecture." Zhan Zhao bowed to Wu Zichu to take his leave. The latter had no choice but to bow slightly before turning back to the restaurant to report to Prince Ning.

Zhan Zhao and his companion were walking back to Kaifeng Prefecture.

Mo Yan had a toothache and couldn't say much, so she was much quieter than usual. Zhan Zhao also walked quietly, his mind replaying Mo Yan's words to him.

"At that time, it will be a matter of life and death..."

"...There's no use in worrying..."

"...It's no use being sad..."

Despite being filled with sorrow, he was completely helpless. He suddenly let out a long sigh, which startled Mo Yan, who looked up at him.

"Brother Zhan, what's wrong?"

Zhan Zhao shook his head: "It's nothing."

Seeing his preoccupied expression, Mo Yan tentatively asked, "Are you thinking about what will happen after you go to Liao?"

Zhan Zhao remained silent.

Mo Yan took it as a tacit agreement and sighed, shaking her head, "When you can't see me, you can naturally hold back, but if I can't see you, and I can't help but miss you, what should I do?" She spoke softly, as if asking him, or as if talking to herself. For a moment, Zhan Zhao didn't know whether to answer or not.

Author's note: If you find it dragging, please bear with me. In the whole story, the two of them really have very little time for happiness.

Preview: The next chapter will take us to the Liao Kingdom.

Chapter Thirty-Four

The days that followed passed swiftly yet were incredibly difficult for Zhan Zhao. As the day of his wedding drew closer, he felt increasingly attached to the Song Dynasty, to the familiar Kaifeng Prefecture, and to a certain person…

For Mo Yan, time flew by, for she was simply too busy. Although she was a constable, she had a lot to do. Due to her lack of seniority and young age, she was the least authoritative of all the constables in the police station. During the New Year, the people didn't want any trouble, but after the New Year, things piled up everywhere. As a constable without any duties, she couldn't shirk any of her responsibilities and was often dragged along by other constables to help investigate crime scenes, keeping her extremely busy. Every morning when she ate breakfast, she couldn't help but devour steamed buns, and her determination to never stay in Kaifeng Prefecture grew stronger.

The Song and Liao dynasties exchanged betrothal gifts and other presents. In early May, the Liao delegation arrived in the capital to welcome the princess to Liao. After receiving his orders, Zhan Zhao had a farewell banquet held at Ma Han's home the day before. Wang Chao, Zhao Hu, and Zhang Long all came. The good brothers drank heartily and promised to meet again no matter where they were in the world.

After the banquet, Zhan Zhao went to bid farewell to Bao Zheng. Bao Zheng, knowing the difficulties Zhan Zhao would face on his journey, was quite reluctant to part with him, and the two talked until late into the night. When Zhan Zhao finally emerged from Bao Zheng's study, it was already past midnight. He walked slowly until he reached Mo Yan's courtyard before stopping. During the banquet, he heard Wang Chao mention that she had been dispatched to Hua Rong Town outside the city to investigate a case that day, leaving in the evening and likely not returning until tomorrow.

Even so, he stood quietly outside the Moyan Academy, as if she were just inches away from him, until the first rays of dawn appeared, and his clothes were already soaked with dew without him even noticing...

"Brother Zhan!"

Mo Yan yawned wearily. She had just returned from Huarong Town and unexpectedly ran into Zhan Zhao outside the courtyard.

"You're back. I..." Zhan Zhao paused slightly, but still tried his best to remain calm as he said, "I'm going to the Liao Kingdom."

“I know.” She nodded and smiled, “I heard that the Pili is a specialty of the Liao Kingdom. You’ll be in for a treat when you get there.”

"You need to take good care of yourself from now on." He gazed at her smiling face, and though he had a thousand words to say, he could only utter this one sentence.

She nodded casually, then thought for a moment and turned her head to smile, "What will you do if I'm not good enough? Will you run all the way back from Khitan to see me?"

He was stunned by these words, and after a long while, he finally said, "I..."

Seeing his hesitant look, Mo Yan chuckled, not wanting to make things difficult for him any further: "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Seeing her carefree smile, Zhan Zhao felt a little relieved. He looked up and saw the sun rising, realizing he couldn't delay any longer.

He handed her the giant sword, saying, "You should keep this sword for self-defense; it will put my mind at ease."

"Okay." She accepted it without hesitation.

“…I’m leaving,” he said softly.

She drew her sword, cupped her hands, and without further ado, declared with boundless pride, "The green hills remain unchanged, the clear waters flow on forever. Farewell, until we meet again!"

Although he was very sad and reluctant to part, Zhan Zhao couldn't help but smile because of her. He took one last deep look at her before turning away. Behind him, Mo Yan, holding the Juque sword, went into the courtyard with a smile.

Because of the large number of dowry items and people, Princess Yu's wedding procession moved very slowly. Even with carriages and horses, it still took more than half a month to travel from the capital to Hejian Prefecture. That evening, the prefect of Hejian hosted a banquet for everyone. By the time the banquet ended, it was past midnight. Zhan Zhao saw that the princess had already retired for the night. After arranging for guards to watch over her and patrolling the surroundings, he slowly returned to his room.

Once he left Hejian Prefecture and headed north, he would be in the territory of the Liao Kingdom. Once he set foot on foreign soil, he didn't know if he would ever have the chance to return in this lifetime. He gazed wistfully at the crescent moon in the sky, realizing that it was truly time to leave.

It was early summer, the moon was bright and the breeze was gentle. Shadows danced on the ground, and the distant chirping of cicadas could be heard, sometimes high, sometimes low, sometimes intermittent. He stopped in his tracks, standing quietly... He remembered a large banyan tree near the east gate of Kaifeng Prefecture, where the cicadas' roar in the height of summer was deafening and incredibly annoying. She lived nearby now, and was so afraid of cicadas; he wondered if she could sleep at night. Thinking this, he sighed inwardly. She was absolutely right. What good was his worry, what good was his sadness? It was all utterly useless.

"...Willows on the bank, a gentle breeze at dawn, a waning moon. Years will pass, and all the beautiful moments will be in vain. Even if I have a thousand kinds of feelings, to whom can I speak?" A voice faintly recited outside the wall. These sad words seemed to be expressing his melancholy at this moment, yet they were recited with a cheerful tone. Even without seeing the person, one could almost see her smiling face.

In that instant, Zhan Zhao was startled and looked out of the wall in disbelief... How could it be her! Without thinking much, he lightly touched the ground with his toes and skimmed over the high wall.

Not far from the wall, by the pond, several old willows gently drooped their tender branches. A slender figure sat on a rock by the pond, her back to him, her knees drawn up, her head tilted to one side and resting on her knees. She held a long willow branch in her hand, idly slapping the water's surface, making the bright moon in the water sway and become blurry.

It was indeed her. He didn't know what method she had used to get here. Zhan Zhao was both annoyed and delighted, and slowly walked towards her.

She suddenly let out a long sigh, abruptly raised her head, cleared her throat, as if someone were standing right in front of her: "Brother Zhan..."

Zhan Zhao was startled when he heard the voice, thinking that she had discovered him.

"It was Lord Bao himself who promised to let me come! ... Sigh, does he believe me or not? What if he insists on sending me back?" She scratched her ear in frustration.

It turned out she was talking to herself. Zhan Zhao found it amusing, but he also wanted to hear what she would say next, so he quietly hid behind the tree.

"I should have asked Bao Zheng for some kind of document, so I wouldn't have no proof," she said regretfully. To be honest, she had caught up with the wedding procession three days ago, but knowing Zhan Zhao's temperament, she was afraid he would send her back again, so she hadn't dared to show herself. She could only follow them, making up excuses, hoping that once they reached the border, she would finally appear before Zhan Zhao, and he would probably resign himself to his fate.