Peace Order

Everyone took this opportunity to reminisce and chat, to spend this day telling their departed friends about the lives they lived now, telling them of this age of peace.

The best way to offer rites to the dead is to live better, and work harder at living.

To use fine wine in place of firecrackers, and loud songs in place of long weeping.

You and I, of this generation, ought to be thus.

The mortal world burned bright with fervor; today was truly the liveliest day the realm had seen in more than ten years, and yet Li Guanyi was still "kept" in the palace, handling dossiers with the civil officials, only just managing to finish one batch with great difficulty.

Yan Daiqing, Wen Qingyu and the others withdrew.

Li Guanyi sat alone in his chair, a dossier spread open and resting on his knees; he looked at the characters written there, which recorded how remnants of the previous era had been completely cleared away—most of them human traffickers, and some involved in usury-like dealings.

As well as, in this new era, those who meant to exploit loopholes to line their own pockets—new, unstable elements.

Emperor Qin picked up the brush and traced out words.

With his Martial Arts Legend realm, he could easily hear the jubilation filling the entire city; it was more exuberant and lively even than New Year’s, but before his grand wedding, he still had to attend to government affairs.

These matters were even harder to deal with than that old fellow Jiang Su!

What kind of business was this.

Emperor Qin let out a sigh.

All of a sudden, he heard a crisp sound.

Li Guanyi lifted his head slightly and saw, upon the palace steps under the night, a golden little bean rolling forward at an unhurried pace, reflecting a faint phosphorescent glow; he froze.

Emperor Qin rose and went over, raising his hand to pick up that golden bean.

Then, as he paced outward, he saw at the side of the doorway a woman in a blue robe, hair bound with a wooden hairpin, lips curved in a faint smile, clearly about to toss another golden bean.

Li Guanyi caught Xue Shuangtao’s wrist, calmly stuffed the woman’s hand into his own pocket. "If you’re going to throw golden beans, you might as well just throw them straight into my pocket."

Xue Shuangtao laughed aloud. "You’re really lazy."

Li Guanyi smiled. "Just saving ourselves some trouble."

"Miss, what brings you here today? According to custom, you should be at the Xue Family’s now."

Xue Shuangtao’s eyes flickered slightly as she said, "Waiting there is truly tedious."

Li Guanyi lifted his brows. "Miss, what are you thinking?"

Xue Shuangtao touched the corner of her eye and smiled. "Is it that obvious?"

Li Guanyi said, "How long do you think we’ve known each other?"

Xue Shuangtao couldn’t help a soft snort of laughter. "True enough."

She leaned against the palace pavilion, her hand held by Emperor Qin; she did not pull away, only gently returned the grip, lifting her gaze to the distant sky. "It’s been more than ten years. With the grand wedding tomorrow, there’s still a bit of a strange feeling—just this sense that tomorrow, once our identities change..."

The sensations from before, the changes in the Xue Family, flashed through her heart.

Xue Shuangtao’s voice faltered; then she suddenly curved her lips in a sly little smile:

"So, my Guest Elder, would you be willing to do something a bit different with me?"

Li Guanyi paused, slightly stunned. "What?"

Xue Shuangtao tugged at Emperor Qin; suddenly giving a strong pull, Emperor Qin offered no resistance, simply moved forward, watching as the woman’s side-swept hair rose and fell, her almond-shaped eyes clear and bright.

Over there, Mr. Wen Qingyu was on his way to find Li Guanyi, to ask Emperor Qin to continue the next small meeting with the civil officials, when he saw the Long Wind Tower Master pulling the emperor out; he stopped, slightly taken aback.

Li Guanyi said, "Mr. Wen Qingyu."

The Long Wind Tower Master let out a breath, as if steeling herself, and said:

"Mr. Wen Qingyu."

"Please, lend me your emperor for half a day."

Mr. Wen Qingyu thought for less than a third of a breath before assessing the situation; without the slightest hesitation he betrayed the Yan Daiqing Sky Team, and said with full confidence:

"Your Ladyship, do go."

"As for everyone else, this minister will handle them."

Li Guanyi was dragged forward; he looked at Xue Shuangtao, puzzled.

"Miss?"

The Long Wind Tower Master had her back to him as she said, "Tomorrow, at the grand wedding, we will naturally be emperor and empress. But today, we’re just Xue Shuangtao and Li Guanyi. How about that?"

She turned her head; after the tempering of this tumultuous age, the Long Wind Tower Master who oversaw the realm’s intelligence dossiers lowered her eyes, and once again there was the faint gentleness and resolve of the young girl she had been.

She gave a firm tug, then led Emperor Qin forward; the emperor whose Martial Arts was peerless under heaven somehow could not resist the pull of this woman, just as though that scene from more than ten years ago—when he led the young Miss out of the Literary Meeting among the great families—had happened all over again.

Back then, he had been the one to pull her away from the ladies from prominent families’ Literary Meeting.

This time, she was the one leading him out of the court, out of the identity of an emperor.

Wen Qingyu watched that woman lead Emperor Qin out of the palace.

It was a day for the world to rejoice together; heroes from all quarters had once more gathered here, just as they had back in the days when they campaigned across the land, Jiangnan’s lantern light blazing up to the heavens. Retired old soldiers hugged wine jars as they sang the "Breaking Formation Song," and the common folk joked and laughed in high spirits.

The copper bells at the eaves chimed and tinkled.

The wedding was tomorrow.

Emperor Qin had been led by the Long Wind Tower Master to "escape the palace."

Leaving behind worldly rank, stepping away for a time from his feats in the annals of history—while everyone awaited a grand ceremony that would be recorded forever on those annals, in the gap before that magnificent ritual was inscribed upon the scroll of centuries, in a place unknown to the words of future histories, the girl she once had been was tugging along that little pharmacist.

On this final day, they set out on a grand and romantic "flight."

Before they became the realm’s emperor and empress.

It ought to be the wedding of Xue Shuangtao and Li Guanyi.

Mr. Wen Qingyu stroked his chin, unconsciously breaking into a smile:

"An elopement? A different kind of elopement."

"How charming."

Just then, a clear, upright voice sounded.

Yan Daiqing came over holding a stack of dossiers.

"Where is Your Majesty?"

Mr. Wen Qingyu’s smile froze.

This was bad.