After the ghost-hunting master descended the mountain, his fame spread throughout the capital.

Chu Mingzhu looked at his face, which turned pale instantly, and his bitter smile.

She closed her eyes, tears streaming silently down her face, her voice trembling, "General, if you have any regrets, I can go to Father Emperor..."

Xie Dai suddenly squatted down so that he could look her in the eye while she was sitting in the chair.

He reached out and carefully took Chu Mingzhu's cold hand, enveloping it in his warm palm.

Xie Dai raised his head, looking directly into her tear-filled eyes, his voice hoarse, "It's the Crown Prince... isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Mingzhu suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief through her tear-filled vision.

The color drained from her face, and her lips trembled slightly. "How...how did you know?!"

How could he possibly know the secret that tormented her day and night, the shame that filled her with fear and despair?!

Could it be... could it be that those filthy things have already been spread?

Looking into her terrified eyes, Xie Dai felt as if an invisible hand was clenching his heart tightly. His voice was dry as he said:

"Three years ago, at the Royal Hunting Grounds, I overheard it outside your tent..."

"I..." His Adam's apple bobbed, his voice growing hoarse with self-reproach and helplessness, "I have fought desperately on the border for the past three years, accumulating merits, all so that I could return and ask His Majesty for your hand in marriage with dignity."

"I thought that as long as I was strong enough, I could rightfully protect you and take you away from that cage..."

His gaze fell on her flat stomach, and the pain in his eyes deepened.

"But I forgot that three years is neither a long nor a short time, but it is enough for a heartless beast to do anything to you."

Xie Dai gazed at her pale, fragile face. "I'm sorry. I failed to protect you."

Chu Mingzhu stared at him blankly, forgetting to shed tears and feel ashamed, her heart filled with overwhelming shock.

So... he went to the battlefield, risking his life, all for her?

These simple words, "I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you," were like a blunt knife, slowly and deeply dissecting her already numb heart, bringing a sharp, unfamiliar sting and warmth.

Chu Mingzhu looked at Xie Dai's undisguised regret and self-blame, but there was no contempt or disgust in his eyes as she had expected.

She suddenly smiled.

It wasn't the reserved aloofness or forced smile of the past, but for the first time, a genuine smile appeared on his face.

"But..." She smiled, but tears flowed even more fiercely, her voice choked with sobs, "How could someone like me, with a body like mine, be worthy of a man as radiant as the moon?"

Her hand unconsciously stroked her still flat stomach.

Although this was not what she wanted, she could not bring herself to kill this innocent life that had not yet been born.

"There's no such thing as being worthy or unworthy." Xie Dai interrupted her decisively, his tone leaving no room for argument.

He remained crouched in front of her, looking up at her with eyes as bright as the sun, as if trying to dispel all the gloom in her heart.

"In my heart, you will always be that red-clad girl who captivated me at first sight on the hunting grounds. You are a treasure worth protecting with everything I have."

Xie Dai took a deep breath, his voice softening but becoming even more resolute, "This child is my child, Xie Dai's child. I will treat him as my own, and do everything in my power to love and educate him, to keep him away from all filth, and to let him live uprightly in the sunlight."

Xie Dai gazed at Chu Mingzhu with focused and fervent eyes, as if trying to etch her image into the deepest recesses of his soul:

"Now, I only ask you one question: Will you marry me?"

Chu Mingzhu was completely stunned.

His words were like thunder, yet also like a warm current, washing over her already battered soul again and again.

Reason told her she should refuse; she couldn't drag such a good person into this abyss.

But... she was too tired, too eager to escape that suffocating cage, too longing for a sliver of real warmth and support.

She looked into Xie Dai's eyes, which were filled with sincerity and passion. There was no charity or calculation in them, only a heart as pure and fiery as his own.

That light pierced through the heavy gloom in her life, as if it were the only ray of light she saw when she reached the end of darkness.

It was blazing and bright, with an unrestrained, scorching heat.

For a long time, so long that even the shadows of the sun outside the window seemed to shift slightly.

Chu Mingzhu finally nodded slowly, tears streaming down her face like broken beads. Her voice was as soft as a sigh, yet crystal clear:

"I do."

Memories shift and time flies.

The month-long period is almost over.

The atmosphere in the Imperial Study was solemn.

Xie Dai knelt on the gold brick floor, his back straight as a pine tree.

The late emperor, seated high behind his desk, looked at him with a complex expression, his fingers unconsciously stroking a jade thumb ring, revealing that his inner peace was far from what appeared to be.

A month is enough time for a lot to happen, and enough time for some deliberately concealed truths to be clearly presented to all those involved.

"Your Majesty, the one-month period has passed." Xie Dai raised his head, his gaze clear and resolute, without any hesitation. "My mind has never changed. I humbly request Your Majesty to grant me and Her Highness the Princess a marriage!"

The late emperor looked at him, remained silent for a long time, and finally let out a long sigh:

"I should have known long ago that your Xie family, from your grandfather to your father, and then to you, are all the same. Once they've made up their minds, nothing can change their minds. They're as stubborn as rocks."

He shook his head. "Enough, enough. A forced marriage is never sweet, and a marriage forcibly broken up will never be happy. Since that's the case, let's get this marriage done as you wish, as soon as possible. I will order the Ministry of Rites to prepare it according to the highest standards."

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness!" Xie Dai kowtowed deeply, his forehead touching the ground.

However, after kowtowing, he did not immediately stand up. Instead, he hesitated for a moment before speaking again, his voice lowered slightly:

"Your Majesty, I... still have one question that I do not understand. I humbly request Your Majesty to enlighten me."

The late emperor seemed to have anticipated his question, a bitter smile appearing on his face as he waved his hand:

"I know what you want to ask. You want to ask why, since I already knew about the Crown Prince's actions, about the inhuman and beastly things he did, I didn't punish him severely? Why did I still regard him as the heir apparent, and even... cover for him, is that it?"