"He is someone who is good at manipulating people's hearts," Xiao Man said, setting down her empty bowl. "He knows how to make the Empress feel guilty and willing to be used by him. Everything he does has a purpose, though I can't quite figure out his intentions yet."
"He is deliberately showing weakness," Wen Mohan suddenly understood. Was Feng Moran trying to use the Empress to restrain Xiao Man? He had become quite adept at feigning weakness himself.
His competitor was Nangong Yu, and he was at a distinct disadvantage. His only advantage was that he could abandon everything and stay by Xiao Man's side, something Nangong Yu could not do.
His willingness to abandon everything and leave with Xiao Man was also a form of showing weakness, making it impossible for Xiao Man to heartlessly discard him. In essence, love was a game of strategy. If you won, everyone was happy; if you lost, you were left with emotional scars. He was fortunate enough to win this game.
"Man'er, do you regret it?" Wen Mohan asked abruptly.
"I never regret," Xiao Man replied calmly and decisively. Even if the Dugu family was annihilated because of her soft heart, she did not regret it.
"There is still some time before the wedding day. If you regret it, there is still time," Wen Mohan's hand, which was holding the official document, turned pale. Despite his outward composure, his body was stiff with nervousness.
Xiao Man took the official document from Wen Mohan's hand and met his gaze. "That is what I should be saying to you. You still have time to regret it. If you want to regret it by the wedding day, even if I have to tie you up, I will marry you."
Wen Mohan's smile immediately spread across his face as he embraced Xiao Man's waist. "I do not regret it, and I will never regret it. I want to grow old with you, create the world you envision with you, and have children with you. Whether it's a son or a daughter, I hope they resemble you."
Xiao Man frowned and asked coquettishly, "Will you stop caring about me once we have children?"
Wen Mohan paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, his joyous chuckles echoing far away. "No matter when, you are the most important person in my heart. It's just that I love you, so I will love our children."
"That's more like it."
"Man'er, how many children will we have in the future?"
"One, perhaps."
"Then let it be a daughter. Daughters are good, they're like you."
"What if we have a son?" Xiao Man asked curiously.
"Then I will protect you together with our son," Wen Mohan said, holding Xiao Man, his face filled with a blissful smile. "It would be even better if we had a son and a daughter, but pregnancy and childbirth are too arduous. I can't bear to see you suffer so much."
"Getting married and having children is a natural progression, isn't it?"
"But for a woman, giving birth is like walking through the gates of hell. If anything goes wrong, it can be life-threatening..." Wen Mohan instinctively tightened his embrace. "Perhaps we shouldn't have any. Having you is enough for me."
"This matter, let's leave it to fate," Xiao Man said with a smile, her eyes shining as if with starlight.
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, the capital city of Bianjing was packed with people. Young men and women wearing all sorts of masks walked through the streets, seizing this festive occasion to find suitable partners.
Xiao Man and Wen Mohan squeezed through the crowds, both wearing expressions of helplessness. Neither of them had expected such a throng of people on the Mid-Autumn Festival.
After finally breaking free from one crowd, they were swept by the excited masses into another lively area.
Xiao Man signaled to her hidden guards not to follow, and pulled Wen Mohan through the throng. In a blink of an eye, they were holding all sorts of street snacks. Xiao Man ate as she shouted to Wen Mohan.
"I didn't expect it to be so lively today." Su Dan Novel Network
"I heard that Mid-Autumn Festival is also a grand celebration in Lan Yue. Haven't you noticed that it's mostly young men and women on the streets tonight?"
Xiao Man looked around. "They're all wearing masks. I really couldn't tell."
Wen Mohan's lips curved upwards as he handed Xiao Man the food he was holding. Xiao Man ate and chatted with Wen Mohan. Because of the crowd, they had to raise their voices to be heard.
There were many games during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Xiao Man dragged Wen Mohan from one end of the street to the other, spending very little money but accumulating many items in her hands, all won by Xiao Man.
"I didn't realize you were so good at games," Wen Mohan praised sincerely.
"Of course. I was a local tyrant in Shengjing city back in the day. I was skilled at everything from eating and drinking to playing." Xiao Man said with a smile. "Back then, you disciplined me quite a bit for my gambling and dogfights."
Wen Mohan listened and feigned anger. "You still have the nerve to say that! You tricked me so hard. I really thought you were uneducated and only knew how to eat and play all day. Who knew you were hiding so much? If I hadn't stumbled upon it occasionally, I would have been completely fooled by you."
"The General's estate was too powerful. It needed some weaknesses to keep the Emperor at ease," Xiao Man said softly. "Everything was out of necessity, just like your father, who had to withdraw from court for your and my sake."
Wen Mohan held Xiao Man's hand. "At least one thing wasn't out of necessity."
"What?"
"Choosing you was my willing choice. No one forced me."
Xiao Man's eyes immediately crinkled into a smile. Their fingers intertwined as they gazed at each other lovingly in the crowd.
Du Yulan watched the couple in the crowd, her eyes burning with anger. "They are so deeply in love, it makes one so jealous, so jealous that I wish I could destroy it all."
The person standing behind Du Yulan was completely shrouded in a cloak, making it impossible to tell if they were male or female.
"How did you know she would come out today?" the person asked. Although their voice was deliberately lowered, it was still discernible as female.
Du Yulan smiled. "Because the person who understands you best is often your enemy."
"You mean, the person who understands you best is also Xiao Man?"
Du Yulan sneered. "How could Xiao Man possibly understand me? The people she cares about are always those around her. Why would she pay attention to a minor character like me?"
Suddenly, Du Yulan spotted a familiar figure in the crowd. Nangong Yi, accompanied by Zhou Kang, was walking through the streets. He had grown tired of staying at the envoy's residence every day and decided to visit the night market during the Mid-Autumn Festival, never expecting it to be so lively.
"Young Master, Bianjing is so lively."
"After all, it is the capital of a nation. If it's not lively here, where else could it be?" Nangong Yi searched around.
Zhou Kang grumbled, "You said you came out to experience Lan Yue's customs and traditions. Your subordinate observes that you are actually hoping for an accidental meeting with the Princess."
Nangong Yi pretended not to hear. "Lan Yue's customs are different from ours, so naturally, we must come out and see. You talk too much."
"Your Highness dares to say it's not to see the Princess?"
"Of course not," Nangong Yi said calmly. Even if it were, he couldn't let Zhou Kang know, or he would lose face.