15: When will you marry me?

The starlight was brilliant.

Mu Xiyan stood alone in the courtyard, her hands behind her back, looking up at the starry sky, seemingly lost in thought.

Inside the house, Maid Qingqing walked out excitedly.

"Your Majesty, I heard you went on a secret rendezvous with that Third Young Master of the Su Family this afternoon. Have you already won him over?"

"I suppose so!"

Mu Xiyan nodded.

"That's wonderful! Your Majesty can begin the next step of the plan. I believe it won't be long before Qingzhou is completely pacified!" Qingqing blew into her palms and added, "Then we can return to the Capital City. Although Qingzhou is nice, it is in the south, after all, and I'm still not quite used to living here!"

Only then did she notice the Empress's gloomy and melancholy expression, and she asked tentatively, "Your Majesty, you seem to have something on your mind?"

After a moment of contemplation, Mu Xiyan turned around abruptly, her golden eyes full of majesty.

"Qingqing, if I were to forcefully attack the Governor's Residence, what are the chances of killing Su Xuemei?"

"A forceful attack? Your Majesty, you must not be so reckless!"

Qingqing's expression changed, and she hurriedly knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty's Celestial Realm cultivation is unparalleled, but the Governor of Su is also in the Celestial Realm. With her two daughters who have impressive martial arts cultivation, as well as a group of Guest Elders, the Su Residence is like a dragon's den and a tiger's lair."

"If Su Xuemei were to escape by chance, Qingzhou would surely revolt. Facing three hundred thousand elite troops, it would not only be a catastrophe for the Great Xia, but also for all the common people in the world!"

"I implore Your Majesty to think twice!"

Mu Xiyan chuckled, the gloom on her pretty face dissipating, and she turned and walked into the house.

"Look how scared you are! I was just saying it casually!"

"Rest assured, I will absolutely never use the lives of the common people as a gamble!"

Even after the Empress left, Qingqing remained kneeling on the ground, not daring to get up for a long time.

A look of contemplation appeared on her face.

As someone who had grown up by the Empress's side, she knew the Empress's temperament very well; she was definitely not someone who liked to speak recklessly.

Could it be that something went wrong with the plan?

But where exactly could the problem be?

Everything had clearly been going so smoothly!

...

In the following period of time.

Su Quan would take every opportunity to visit the official residence every few days.

Every time he appeared, he was meticulously dressed.

The young man was naturally stunning and peerless, and with this dressing up, he was even more like a Fairy who had descended to the mortal world, standing aloof in the cold, yet only smiling for one person.

With both sides harboring their own ulterior motives, his relationship with Mu Xiyan heated up rapidly.

Besides sparring and exchanging pointers, they would often sneak out of the city for secret rendezvous.

Except for not crossing the final line, they had done everything else that should be done.

"Watch the sword!"

In a peach orchard outside the city.

Su Quan raised his sword and thrust it forward.

The sword light was clear and cold, like a Dragon emerging from an abyss, unrestrained and free.

Mu Xiyan responded calmly.

The two danced amidst the falling peach blossoms, as graceful as a startled swan and as agile as a swimming Dragon. Their sword moves were sharp, parrying and deflecting in invisible ways, making for a lively fight.

A moment later.

Su Quan's sword was knocked away again. He was exhausted and didn't bother to pick up the sword; instead, he trotted to the young woman's side, wrapped his arms around her waist, and muttered, "No more, no more, I still can't beat you!"

"Xiao Quan, you are a man after all. Being able to practice swordsmanship to such an attainment is already very rare!"

Mu Xiyan also hugged the young man's broad back, a faint smile on her cherry lips.

Her words were heartfelt.

The young man had an extremely strong talent for martial arts. They had only known each other for two months, and his cultivation had made terrifying progress.

If he had been born a woman, the Great Xia would surely have gained another Celestial Realm powerhouse in the future.

"What if it is rare? I still can't beat you!"

Su Quan snorted softly, his fingers drawing circles around the young woman's right breast.

"Sister's martial arts can be considered outstanding among the younger generation of the Great Xia. It's only natural that you are not my match!" Mu Xiyan toyed with the young man's hair tips, a look of pride on her pretty face.

"Pfft, you're just bragging. I heard the Great Xia Empress is only just over eighteen, yet she has already reached the Celestial Realm. Even if you are amazing, can you be more amazing than her?" Su Quan blinked his bright, beautiful eyes.

"Your Majesty has peerless Divine Might and rules over the world; of course, I am no match for the Empress!"

Mu Xiyan held a smile at the corner of her mouth, thinking with a bit of mischievous humor.

If the young man knew he was currently lying in the Empress's arms, he would probably scream in shock.

Su Quan's eyes were full of love, his small hand gently stroking the young woman's delicate cheek, and he said softly, "No matter how amazing the Empress is, in my heart, she doesn't compare to Sister Mu in the slightest!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Xiyan's heart trembled violently.

She subconsciously shifted her gaze elsewhere, pretending not to care, and said, "I am just a commoner, how can I compare to Her Majesty the Empress? If the Empress were to be struck by your beauty and wanted to forcibly take you into the palace, what would you do then?"

"If that were to really happen..."

Su Quan pressed his ear against the young woman's chest, listening to her slightly rapid heartbeat, his eyes becoming hazy. "Then I would use death to prove my resolve and preserve my purity for Sister Mu!"

Mu Xiyan's heartbeat skipped a beat.

She bit her jade teeth tightly, even a little afraid to face the young man's passionate and sincere gaze. Her cherry lips moved, but in the end, she could not say a word.

Su Quan sat up from the young woman's arms, staring straight at her pretty face, and asked seriously, "Sister Mu, you will marry me, right?"

Mu Xiyan felt extremely guilty and did not dare to make a sound, only nodding reluctantly.

Su Quan seemed to have lifted a burden from his heart. He let out a long sigh of relief and curled up in the young woman's body again, murmuring, "Sister Mu, do you know? I come from the Su Family and have been strictly brought up since childhood. If my mother found out that I had done such intimate things with another woman, I'm afraid she would break my legs!"

"But even if they were broken, I wouldn't regret it. In this life, I only want to be with the person I like. If I cannot give my body to the woman I love, then I would rather shave my head and become a monk, accompanying only the green lamp and ancient Buddha from now on!"

"So, Sister Mu, please don't let me down, okay!"

By the end, the young man used an almost pleading tone.

Mu Xiyan could no longer bear it. She stood up immediately, walked towards the horse in the distance, and said, "It's getting late, we should go back!"

"Okay!"

Watching the young woman's back, Su Quan's eyes turned gloomy. He licked his lips and shouted, "Miss Mu, I heard from my mother a few days ago that she intends to marry me off to a noble princess from a foreign land."

"So, when will you be able to go to my house to propose marriage?"

Mu Xiyan stumbled and almost fell off the horse.

Su Quan didn't want to let her off. He chased after her and said, "Although my mother has very high standards, Sister Mu's conditions are not bad either. Most importantly, as long as Sister Mu is willing to come and propose, I am willing to use death to force them; no one can tear us apart!"

"Are you in such a rush?" A look of guilt and embarrassment appeared on Mu Xiyan's pretty face.

Su Quan smiled brightly. "Because I also want to give my body completely to Sister Mu sooner!"