95: The Quiet Decade Begins

The careful preceding small private morning after the wedding, Su Yan and Cang Xueyi — by their preceding mutual preference, by the careful preceding small private King's preceding standing courtesy — moved into the careful preceding small private *small careful preceding small private private pavilion* the King had — by his preceding preference, on the careful preceding small private morning of the announcement — quietly prepared at the careful preceding small private rear of the eastern wing of the eighth-district compound.

The careful preceding small private pavilion was, by Cang Xueyi's preceding preference, *small*. It had — by her preceding preference at the careful preceding small private hour of three months of preceding small private private preparation under the King's standing tailor — *the same small careful preceding small private precise unhurried preceding hour of one princess's preceding small private private writing room*: a small writing-table by the eastern window, a small careful preceding small private cushion at the foot of the writing-table, a careful preceding small private small careful preceding sleeping-mat against the western wall — *thicker* than the careful preceding small private one Su Yan had been preceding-time using since the courtyard ceremony two and a half years ago — and a careful preceding small private small bronze incense burner at the corner.

She did not, by her preceding preference, bring any of the kingdom's preceding small private royal furnishings.

She brought, by her preceding preference, *one* careful preceding small private small private object: a small folded square of pale-blue palace stationery, sealed with the small private violet wax of her preceding small private private cipher, which she set on the small writing-table at the careful preceding small private hour of the morning after the wedding's first hour past dawn.

She unsealed it — by her preceding preference, in front of her husband — and unfolded the contents.

It was the careful preceding small private *original of the third draft of the careful preceding small private letter she had written before the extraction*. The version with the three "I love you"s. She had, by her preceding preference, kept the careful preceding small private original at her preceding small private writing-room's small careful preceding small private second drawer for the careful preceding small private hour of two years.

She laid it, very gently, on the small writing-table beside her own writing brush.

She inclined her head — small, formal — to her husband.

"By my own preceding preference," she said, in her low even voice, "the careful preceding small private letter is, by my preceding small private private bookkeeping, *the careful preceding small private formal record of two columns having become one*. By my own preceding preference, *I will keep it on this small writing-table for the careful preceding small private hour of the next several decades, where you will, by your own preceding preference, *also* be permitted to read it whenever your preceding preference requires*."

Su Yan inclined his head — small, formal.

"By my own preceding preference, Cang Xueyi. *Thank you*."

The careful preceding small private morning after the wedding closed.

The careful preceding small private kingdom of Beicang's preceding small private *quiet decade* — by the careful preceding small private hour of one princess's preceding small private private letter set on a small writing-table — *began*.

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The careful preceding small private hour of the next ten years would, by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping of Su Yan's column-keeping, *not* be quiet in the careful preceding small private hour of preceding small private events.

The careful preceding small private next ten years would include — by his careful preceding small private private bookkeeping at the careful preceding small private hour of one wedding's preceding small private close — *the second extraction of the careful preceding small private eleven thousand four hundred pages from the central facility's preceding small private central archive*; the careful preceding small private *retrieval and recovery of the careful preceding small private surviving members of the Bai-jing clan and the Ye-cao lineage*, by Master Qing's preceding small private private courtesy at the Royal Academy of Eastern Yan; the careful preceding small private *consolidation of Eastern Yan's preceding small private internal succession crisis* by Han Yifeng's preceding small private private operations; the careful preceding small private *coronation of Han Yifeng as the King of Eastern Yan*, by the careful preceding small private hour of approximately five years from the wedding; the careful preceding small private *coronation of Su Yan as the King of Beicang*, by the careful preceding small private hour of King Cang Yuan's preceding small private formal abdication at approximately six years from the wedding; and — by the careful preceding small private hour of approximately ten years from the wedding — the careful preceding small private *first preceding small private formal expedition of the kingdom of Beicang and the kingdom of Eastern Yan, conducted in concert with the Frost Lotus Sect's preceding small private substrate scholarship office, the Royal Academy of Eastern Yan's preceding small private senior cultivators, and the Northern Iron Cult's preceding small private elite combat detachment, into the careful preceding small private *Lower Immortal Realm's preceding small private boundary* — the careful preceding small private *first preceding small private formal preparation* for the careful preceding small private rise to the upper tiers*.

The expedition, by Lin Wanyue's preceding read at the careful preceding small private hour of ten years from the wedding's preceding small private close, would — by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping of the cellar's preceding small private history books — be *the careful preceding small private most important preceding small private operational beginning of the Aleph-line's preceding-time hour in this preceding small private mortal-tier cosmos in the careful preceding small private hour of thirty thousand years*.

It would be, by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping of one mother's preceding small private nine years of central facility custody and one substrate-cultivator's preceding small private two-and-a-half years of careful preceding small private quiet preceding small private patient preceding small private preparation, *the careful preceding small private opening of the careful preceding small private hour at last*.

In his chest, the ember pulsed — slow, considered, *gentle*, *grave*, and *gentle* twice more.

The dry voice — by the careful preceding small private hour of one quiet morning's preceding small private letter on one small writing-table — said, very quietly, the careful preceding small private precise unhurried preceding sentence the will-fragment of one preceding-time Aeon had been preceding-time waiting thirty thousand years to say:

*Begin.*

Su Yan inclined his head, in the careful preceding small private spring morning of the careful preceding small private small careful preceding private pavilion at the rear of the eastern wing of the eighth district of Cloud Sky City of the kingdom of Beicang of the Azure Cloud Continent, in the direction of the ember.

The careful preceding small private *quiet decade* — by the careful preceding small private precise unhurried preceding hour of one wedding's preceding small private close, by one mother's preceding small private private blessing, by one Heavenly Immortal's preceding small private quiet acknowledgment, by one Crown Prince of Eastern Yan's preceding small private quiet courtesy, by one Northern Iron Cult Master's preceding small private public acknowledgment, by one Frost Lotus Sect senior elder's preceding small private quiet courtesy, by one wood-spirit companion's preceding small private growing tree-mother on one foundation platform, by one *Voiceless Inheritance's* preceding small private seventy-three quiet members, and by one ember of preceding-time will-fragment in one Mirror of the Caged Sky — *began*, at last.

The careful preceding small private fourth quarter of his preceding-time first arc — by the careful preceding small private hour of one quiet decade's preceding small private opening — *closed*.

Arc 1 was, by the careful preceding small private hour of one wedding's preceding small private close and one ember's preceding small private *Begin*, by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping, *thirty chapters from its preceding small private formal close*.

The careful preceding small private hour of the next thirty chapters — by Su Yan's careful preceding small private bookkeeping — would, by his preceding preference, *describe* the careful preceding small private *first major preceding small private operation* of the careful preceding small private quiet decade: the careful preceding small private *second extraction of the eleven thousand four hundred pages from the central facility's preceding small private central archive*, by the careful preceding small private hour of approximately two years from this morning, in concert with the careful preceding small private full coordinated alliance the careful preceding small private past two and a half years had — by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping — *built*.

Su Yan inclined his head, in the careful preceding small private morning of the small careful preceding small private private pavilion, in the direction of the ember.

He stood.

He walked, at his unhurried pace, to the careful preceding small private small writing-table where his wife's preceding small private original letter sat unfolded.

He laid his hand, very gently, on the careful preceding small private letter.

He kept it there for the count of perhaps three breaths.

Then, by his preceding preference, he turned to Cang Xueyi — who was, by her own preceding preference at this morning's preceding small private hour, sitting at the careful preceding small private cushion at the foot of the writing-table with a fresh cup of tea — and inclined his head — small, formal.

"Cang Xueyi."

"Su Yan."

"By my own preceding preference, the careful preceding small private hour of the next ten years will, by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping of mine, be — *with you*."

She inclined her head — small, formal.

"By my own preceding preference, Su Yan. *Yes.*"

The careful preceding small private hour of the *quiet decade* — by the careful preceding small private precise unhurried preceding hour of one careful preceding small private morning's preceding small private mutual courtesy — *opened*.