Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The spring breeze of the capital city has blown for three years, thickening the moss on the city walls and also fading much of the childishness from Gu Xiang's face.

In today's capital, when people mention Gu Xiang, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, everyone gives him a thumbs up and then curses him as "that stinky and hard rock."

In the past three years, Gu Xiang, with his sharp tongue and his indomitable spirit, has gone from criticizing imperial relatives to dealing with trivial matters, managing to straighten out the atmosphere of the capital city by a significant margin.

Even the dogs on the street would tuck their tails between their legs and walk away when they saw someone wearing a scarlet robe.

Early morning, in a secluded little house in the backyard of Zuixianju.

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the dressing table.

Gu Xiang was dressed in a neat undergarment, holding a snail-shaped ink stick in his hand. A fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his wrists trembled as if they were being shaken.

"A little to the left... Oops, too high."

Su Qing closed her eyes, leaning lazily against the back of the chair, her voice hoarse from just waking up.

Gu Xiang took a deep breath, held it, and carefully lowered the pen tip.

"alright!"

Gu Xiang breathed a sigh of relief, threw away the snail-shaped ink, picked up the bronze mirror and handed it over, his face full of praise.

Su Qing opened her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror.

The left eyebrow is slender and willow-like, while the right eyebrow... is as thick as a caterpillar, with a strange hook at the end.

"Lord Gu."

Su Qing put down the mirror and looked at him with a half-smile.

"Is this the skill you've honed for three years? Anyone who didn't know better would think I got my hands on a door while trying to steal chickens last night."

Gu Xiang scratched his head, his face turning bright red.

"This...this is called 'Distant Mountain Eyebrows,' the book says..."

"The book also says, 'Whether your eyebrows are light or dark is fashionable,' you're practically in your grave now."

Su Qing sighed, took a damp cloth and wiped away the "caterpillar," then added two more strokes herself.

Gu Xiang stood aside, not annoyed at all, watching with a smile.

Su Qing finished drawing her eyebrows, stood up, skillfully picked up the official robe from the rack, unfolded it, and draped it over Gu Xiang.

Her slender fingers deftly fastened the buttons, adjusting them from the collar all the way to the belt, her movements fluid and effortless, without the slightest hint of awkwardness.

Gu Xiang looked down at her.

Su Qing lowered her eyes, her eyelashes casting a small shadow under her eyelids. The faint scent of rouge mixed with the unique fragrance of foxes wafted into his nose.

"What are you looking at? Look again and I'll gouge your eyes out and soak them in alcohol."

Su Qing patted his chest and straightened his slightly crooked official hat.

"No... I didn't see anything."

Gu Xiang chuckled foolishly, but in his heart he felt that if he could live like this forever, he would be willing to give up all his righteous spirit.

"Alright, get out of here and go to court."

Su Qing shoved him. "Remember to bring back a roast chicken from Juxianglou when you come back. If it's missing a leg, I'll break it."

"Okay, okay."

Gu Xiang walked out the door with his hands behind his back, his back view exuding a blissful "henpecked husband" vibe.

The aunt next door was carrying a basin of water out to splash it. When she saw this, she smiled and shook her head.

"This young couple has been married for three years and they're still so lovey-dovey. It's truly enviable."

……

The atmosphere in the Golden Palace was somewhat subtle.

Li Yu, now the Crown Prince Regent, sat on a brocade stool below the dragon throne, holding a memorial in his hand, looking helplessly at Gu Xiang below.

"Minister Gu, this matter... can we discuss it privately?"

Gu Xiang stiffened his neck and raised his scepter high.

"Your Highness, propriety cannot be disregarded! The Fifth Princess is of noble birth, and to marry a country bumpkin like me is like casting a beautiful flower on a... no, it's like casting a pearl on a silver platter! I already have a virtuous wife at home, and I would never dare to ruin the princess's life!"

Li Yu rubbed her temples.

The fifth sister, Li Qingge, was also very stubborn. Ever since Gu Xiang was raised by Su Qing over the past three years, she had become extremely beautiful. Combined with her extraordinary temperament and noble spirit, she had completely captivated Li Qingge, who was obsessed with good looks.

Despite being rejected by Gu Xiang eight hundred times in the past three years, he still wouldn't give up and insisted on getting a marriage decree.

The old eunuch beside him pleaded in a shrill voice, "Lord Gu, this is an immense favor! Your wife... she's not officially married yet, so having her as a secondary wife is..."

Before he could finish speaking, Gu Xiang suddenly turned his head, his eyes wide open.

"A secondary wife? Who would dare make her a secondary wife?"

In that instant, what erupted from Gu Xiang was not a righteous aura, but a chilling killing intent.

The old eunuch was so frightened that he almost wet his pants.

He suddenly remembered the scene three years ago when the woman in red sent the Second Prince flying with a fan at Zuixianju.

That's a taboo in the capital, a ruthless character even the Imperial Advisor has to give some face to.

Should that one be made a secondary wife?

Perhaps they find the palace too quiet and want to hear the sounds of demolishing the buildings.

Li Yu quickly waved his hand to interrupt: "Alright, alright, we can discuss this later. Since Minister Gu has someone she loves, I can't force her."

He was genuinely afraid that Su Qing, that crazy woman, would storm into the palace and tear down the Golden Palace.

After court, Gu Xiang carried two roast chickens wrapped in oil paper and hummed a little tune as he walked back.

Back in the courtyard, Su Qing was sitting cross-legged on the soft couch, gnawing on a pig's trotter, her mouth covered in oil, completely lacking any semblance of decorum.

"You're back?"

Su Qing glanced at him. "I heard things were quite lively in court today? The Fifth Princess is insisting on marrying you, no matter what?"

Gu Xiang's heart skipped a beat.

This news spread way too fast!

He quickly went over, offered the roast chicken, and looked at him with a fawning expression.

"That was just wishful thinking on her part. I rejected her on the spot! I told Your Highness that I belong to the Su family in life and in death, and no one but you can change my mind!"

Su Qing took the roast chicken, tore off a leg, stuffed it into her mouth, and mumbled, "Good-for-nothing."

She chewed twice, swallowed, and then slowly added a sentence.

"Actually, marrying her wouldn't be bad. She's a princess, her dowry must be huge. We can pack up the dowry, run away to Jiangnan and buy a piece of land, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Gu Xiang panicked: "How can that be! As the sage said, 'A wife who has shared hardship should not be abandoned...' No, you are not a wife who has shared hardship, you are..."

"What am I?"

Su Qing narrowed her eyes, looking at him dangerously.

"You are...you are a fairy!"

Gu Xiang has an extremely strong will to survive.

Su Qing chuckled and tossed the bone into the plate.

"You're smart to know what's good for you. But that Fifth Princess is really annoying. I'll go to her bedside another day and tell her a story from 'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio' so she'll know what it means to 'a fox spirit eats a human heart,' and see if she still dares to covet my people."

Gu Xiang was secretly delighted to see her so possessive of her food.

Is she... jealous?

She's definitely jealous!

……

As night fell, the capital city was brightly lit.

Today is the Lantern Festival, and there is no curfew.

The lanterns illuminating the streets made the night sky as bright as day, and the moat was filled with lotus lanterns, twinkling like the Milky Way falling from the heavens.

Gu Xiang changed into casual clothes, took Su Qing's hand, and squeezed into the bustling crowd.

Su Qing held a string of candied hawthorns in her hand, looking at them from left to right, her eyes reflecting the myriad lights.

She has been in this world for so long that such liveliness has become somewhat unfamiliar to her.

Back in Qingqiu, all I did was cultivate and sleep; I'd never seen anything like this, so full of life.

"Miss Su, look at that!"

Gu Xiang pointed to a lantern riddle guessing stall in front of him, as excited as a child.

Su Qing followed his finger and saw a lantern hanging on the stall, on which were painted several adorable little foxes.

"childish."

Su Qing complained, but her feet betrayed her and she followed.

The stall owner, an old man, greeted the two with a smile as they approached: "Young master, how about a riddle? If you guess it correctly, this lantern will be a gift for your wife."

Your wife.

These three words made Gu Xiang's face turn red to the roots of his ears instantly, but he did not refute them. Instead, he straightened his back even more.

"Guess! We have to guess!"

Gu Xiang rolled up his sleeves and guessed ten riddles in one go, emptying the stall owner's entire stock.

Finally, he held the lantern and handed it to Su Qing as if presenting a treasure.

"Give."

Su Qing took the lamp, looked at the silly little foxes on it, and couldn't help but smile.

"Silly girl."

The two continued walking and passed a small stall selling jewelry.

Gu Xiang suddenly stopped in his tracks.

His gaze fell on a hairpin.

It was a white jade hairpin. The jade was not of the highest quality, and it was even a bit grayish, but the carving was very unique. It depicted a little fox curled up and sleeping.

"Boss, how much is this?"

Gu Xiang asked.

"Five taels of silver." The shopkeeper held out a hand.

Five taels.

In the past, Gu Xiang would have been heartbroken.

But now, without saying a word, he squatted down and began to take off his shoes.

Su Qing was taken aback: "What are you doing?"

Gu Xiang pulled out a few crumpled silver notes from the lining of his shoe, then took out a few pieces of silver from a hidden pocket in his sleeve, and finally pulled out a cloth bag from his bosom, which was full of copper coins.

He piled all the money on the stall and counted it for a long time; it was exactly five taels.

"Bought it!"

Gu Xiang pushed the pile of money, still warm from her body and even smelling a little, to the shopkeeper, picked up the hairpin, and vigorously wiped it on her clothes.

Su Qing's eyes suddenly stung as she watched this scene.

This fool, a high-ranking official of the fourth rank, entrusted his entire salary to her for safekeeping, yet he didn't even have a single copper coin on him. I don't know where he scraped together this money from.

"Don't move."

Gu Xiang turned around and clumsily inserted the hairpin into Su Qing's hair bun.

"nice."

He took a step back, grinning foolishly, his eyes full of satisfaction.

Su Qing touched the hairpin in her hair; the cool jade texture made her heart burn with warmth.

"Fool, this jade has impurities, and you still like it?"

"Jade may have flaws, but a person may be without flaws."

Gu Xiang suddenly quoted a literary phrase, looking at her earnestly, "In my eyes, only the best things in this world are worthy of you."

Su Qing's heart skipped a beat.

She turned her head away to hide the burning sensation on her face.

"Glib-tongued."

The two walked to the banks of the Luo River.

Many people were releasing lanterns along the riverbank. Gu Xiang found a quiet corner and placed the revolving lantern on the water.

He watched the lights drift downstream, then suddenly took a deep breath, turned around, and faced Su Qing.

"Miss Su... Miss Su."

Gu Xiang's voice trembled slightly, even more so than when he faced the bandits at Black Wind Village three years ago.

"What's wrong? Do you need to pee?"

Su Qing is still being stubborn.

Gu Xiang ignored her teasing and took out a small cloth bag from his pocket, opening it layer by layer.

There was a piece of broken silver lying inside.

That was three years ago, in a teahouse outside Qingniu Town. After Su Qing paid for his meal, she casually tossed him some money as travel expenses.

Actually, that piece of silver had already been spent.

He later found a silversmith to have it made according to his memory, and he always carried it with him.

"As the sage said... Cultivate oneself, regulate one's family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world."

Gu Xiang stammered, "I've cultivated myself, and the country... is under control. All that's missing is... a home."

He raised his head and stared intently at Su Qing, his eyes devoid of their usual dullness, filled only with the courage of someone willing to take a desperate gamble.

"Su Qing, would you... would you be willing to... marry me?"

The surrounding noise seemed to disappear at that moment.

Su Qing looked at the man in front of her.

Three years ago, he was a poor scholar who couldn't even afford to eat, and when he encountered bandits, he would only hide under the table and tremble.

Three years later, dressed in a scarlet robe, he stood in the center of the capital and dared to curse the prince to his nose.

But the way he looked at her never changed.

Su Qing suddenly laughed.

That smile was more radiant than the fireworks that filled the sky.

She reached out, her fingertips gently tracing Gu Xiang's cheek, finally stopping at his lips.

"You idiot, are you proposing to me?"

Su Qing leaned close to his ear, her breath sweet as orchids.

"Where's the betrothal gift? I'm a nine-tailed celestial fox, very valuable. This little bit of silver can't even buy a single hair of mine."

Gu Xiang panicked and stuffed the silver into her hand.

"From now on... from now on, my entire salary will be yours! My life will be yours too! If you want to eat human hearts, I'll rip mine out and give it to you! Anyway... anyway, I don't want anyone but you!"

This is probably the most corny, clumsy, yet most sincere love confession in the world.

Su Qing grasped the silver coin, still warm from his palm, and the playfulness in his eyes finally faded, turning into a pool of spring water.

"Fool."

She muttered a curse under her breath, then reached back and grabbed Gu Xiang's fingers, their fingers intertwined.

"This money was originally given to you by me. You're trying to marry me with my money; you've got a pretty clever plan."

Gu Xiang was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed surged into his heart.

"You...you agreed?"

"It depends on my mood."

Su Qing raised her chin arrogantly, "If you ever dare to make me angry in the future, I'll take all your belongings and run away, leaving you nowhere to cry."

Just then.

"boom--"

A loud bang shattered the night sky.

The two looked up at the same time.

A gigantic firework rose from the direction of the Imperial Preceptor's residence.

The fireworks exploded in the air, not scattering into a sky full of stars, but instead coalescing into a huge, bright red character—

"happiness".

The characters are so large that even the entire God could see them.

Immediately afterwards, there were several more loud explosions.

"Early", "birth", "noble", "son".

Five large characters, lined up in a row, hung in the night sky of the capital city, lingering for a long time.

The people on the street were dumbfounded.

"This...this was placed by the Imperial Preceptor's residence?"

"Whom is the Imperial Advisor congratulating?"

Gu Xiang stared at the words in the sky, his mouth agape wide enough to fit an egg.

"This...this is..."

Su Qing looked at the "precious son," her cheeks slightly flushed, and she cursed the old hag for meddling in her affairs.

Just then, the system that had been dormant in her mind for a long time suddenly came back to life with a "ding".

[Main Quest Triggered: The Wedding.]

[Task Description: Now that the atmosphere has been built up to this point, it would be difficult to end things without a wedding. Please complete the wedding ceremony with Gu Xiang.]

[Task Reward: Unknown (Perhaps a litter of fox cubs?)]

Su Qing looked at the reward and her lips twitched.

A nest of... fox cubs?

She turned to look at Gu Xiang, who was still grinning foolishly at the fireworks, and a sense of powerlessness suddenly rose in her heart.

That's it.

Well, if we've already lost, so be it.

This fool may be a bit slow-witted and poor, but he has one advantage...

Su Qing looked down at their tightly clasped hands.

The advantage lies in the warmth of my palm.

"fool."

"Hey!" Gu Xiang immediately turned around.

"Go home."

Su Qing pulled him back, her steps light and quick.

"Let's go back and discuss whether the wedding dress should be red or gold."

Gu Xiang stood there stunned for several seconds before reacting. He then jumped up and let out a cheer that startled half the street.

"Red! I want red! The prettiest kind!"

The night wind carried laughter into the dimly lit depths.

Only atop the Star-Picking Tower in the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion, the black cat, watching the fireworks in the sky, lazily flicked its tail and spoke in human language:

"It's so sour."

"West River Moon - A Night Visit to the Divine Capital"

The Milky Way is silent as the jade disc turns; the scholar pours out his heart to Chang'an.

My pockets are empty, only my anger remains; the deep affection in my eyes surpasses all others.

Fireworks light up the sky, urging couples to be together; amidst the red bridal procession, they share joys and sorrows.

From now on, let go of worldly fame and fortune; I only envy the mandarin ducks, not the immortals.