He turned his eyes slightly and pointed to the withered tree in the backyard. "Have you seen the leaves beneath that tree?"

Mingxi followed his gaze and nodded.

"If you go and clean up those leaves, I will give you a marriage fate token."

Hearing him say this, Ming Xi's eyes lit up, and she uncertainly asked, "Really...really?"

The little child raised their hand behind their back, furrowing their eyebrows and said, "I said it, so it is."

Mingxi was afraid that he would get angry, so he hurriedly replied, "I... I'll go pick it up right away..."

He had worked in the Ming government for so many years, doing all sorts of dirty and tiring work. Picking up leaves like this was nothing difficult at all. He walked up and bent down, carefully picking them up.

The little child gazed at his actions, revealing a faint smile.

After Ming Xi finished picking up the leaves, she turned around, but no matter how much she looked, she couldn't find his figure.

"Where...where did everyone go..."

As he thought he had been deceived, he looked gloomily at the withered tree and fell into a daze. Suddenly, he noticed a piece of red plaque under the tree, emitting a golden glow in the reflection of the sunlight. It was precisely the marriage fate slip that the little child had just taken.

"He didn't deceive me... didn't deceive me..."

Mingxi was both surprised and delighted. She ran all the way to the red silk tree, about to tie the marriage token onto the branch, when she heard an urgent shout from behind.

Young master... wait for me... why are you walking so fast?

Upon seeing someone approaching, Mingxi immediately hid inside the imitation mountain rock and peered out.

"I'm in a hurry to hang up this marriage fate sign and go back to the theater to listen to you sing."

The familiar sound made Mingxi's eyes widen instantly.

It was him...

At this time, the visiting hours had already passed and there were not many people in the temple. Everyone hung up their own marriage fate signs and returned to the imperial city contentedly.

Sandalwood shrouded the air, encircled by green trees. As Ming Xi watched that person gradually approach, she gazed from afar at his heroic brows and eyes, feeling a hint of infatuation.

"This marriage destiny token must be hung by both individuals together. If you don't wait for me, it will lose its effectiveness."

A man dressed in green clothes, with delicate eyebrows and bright eyes, walked up to the person's side and looked at the ancient tree with a joyful expression on his face.

Huo Lin heard these words and playfully pinched Lou Ling's nose tip, saying, "If it weren't for you, I, the prince, wouldn't have come here."

His face showed doting affection, causing the young man in the green robe to blush instantly.

Mingxi watched their affectionate gestures, unsure of the mixed emotions brewing within her heart.

The sensation of acid, swelling, pain, and bitterness that I felt was something I had never experienced before, even when being scolded and tormented by the servants or punished by Qin Mama.

"Lou Ling knows the young master the best."

The man in the green robe handed the red plate in his palm to the other person, saying, "Hurry up and hang it up."

He is really good-looking... Mingxi couldn't help but stare at Lou Ling's face, his clean and clear eyes and brows, along with his robe adorned with blue cloud patterns, making him appear like a celestial being descended to the mortal realm.

He lowered his head and saw his feet, stained with frozen blood. With the hand gripping the marriage fate stick, he suddenly trembled.

"Is it hung up properly? Are you satisfied now?"

Huo Lin pointed to the red card on the tree branch and said to Lou Ling, "This one is for you, and this one is for me."

Lou Ling nodded, her face turned crimson and her eyes filled with joy.

When Ming Xi raised her head again, the man in the green robe was already leaning in the arms of another person, as they walked away from under the tree and gradually disappeared inside the temple.

He nervously gripped the red card, taking slow steps as he approached to find the marriage destiny slip that the person had just hung up moments ago.

After searching for a while, he saw the characters "Lou Ling" and beside it was another name...

"Huo Lin..."

He read slowly and deliberately, the two marriage divination plaques engraved with golden characters firmly tied together with red silk, leaning on each other affectionately. This scene made Ming Xi's eyes reveal a deep sense of envy.

He doesn't know many characters, his father has never hired a tutor for him. The only characters he knows are the ones taught by Grandma Xiang. Just learning to write his own name took him nearly half a month of effort.

He picked up a small stone and carved his name on the red signboard. Although his movements were careful and cautious, the characters turned out to be crooked and twisted.

Mingxi carefully examined the marriage fortune-telling sign for a moment before feeling satisfied, and then she hung it on the red cloth.