Prince Chen's Palace.
Ji Yuqing and Yiyun sat opposite each other in the hall. There was a heater in the room, and the hot air was curling up with a faint fragrance of tea. Ji Yuqing held the teacup, but her eyes kept drifting towards the door. The person she was waiting for had not shown up, and she couldn't help feeling a little restless.
Ji Yuqing said: "Sister Yiyun, where did the prince and Ji Lingxue go on New Year's Eve? Today is New Year's Eve, didn't he remember to stay up with us?"
Thinking of Ji Lingxue, Ji Yuqing's eyes were filled with envy, jealousy and hatred. She had been learning etiquette since she was a child, and was better than Ji Lingxue in everything. She was obviously the well-deserved Princess Chen, so why did Xiao Yichen only have Ji Lingxue in his eyes and heart now
Yiyun calmly stroked the jade bracelet on her wrist and said with a smile: "Maybe something delayed us. Let's wait patiently."
Ji Yuqing stood up and began to pace in the room. When she turned the third circle, Zi Ye hurried in covered in frost and snow and reported: "Two concubines, this servant has found out."
Ji Yuqing and Yiyun turned to look at Zi Ye at the same time, waiting for her answer.
Zi Ye said, "I just asked the gatekeeper, and he said that the prince and princess rode out on a horse half an hour ago and have not returned yet. The prince left a message, telling the two concubines not to wait for them to come back, and to do as they please."
Ji Yuqing felt as if she heard the sound of a broken heart. Are these two people really showing off their affection like this? They are not even willing to stay up all night with them
Yiyun smiled calmly. It was understandable, but she didn't expect Xiao Yichen's love for Ji Lingxue to be so... so enviable.
Ji Yuqing waved her hand to signal Zi Ye to go out, and Zi Ye bowed and quickly retreated.
As soon as Zi Ye left, Ji Yuqing walked up to Yiyun and waved her hand to knock the teacup out of Yiyun's hand. "Why are you still in the mood to drink tea? Why don't you think of a solution?"
She just couldn't bear to see Xiao Yichen being nice to Ji Lingxue. She was also his woman, so why couldn't she be treated the same
"Pah!" The ceramic teacup fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. Yiyun raised her legs to avoid the flying porcelain pieces and looked up at Ji Yuqing, whose face was distorted with anger. She smiled slightly.
Yiyun said: "Instead of letting hatred cloud your mind, it is better to learn to be calm and think carefully about the next step."
Ji Yuqing sat down on the chair and snorted, "You always have more ideas than me, so you should think of a solution. If this continues, the prince will only see Ji Lingxue but not us."
Yiyun nodded and turned to look out the window. Soon, there was a slight clicking sound from the window. Ji Yuqing straightened her back nervously and turned to look at Yiyun. Yiyun smiled and walked to the window and opened the door. She saw a white dove landed on the windowsill, pecking at the window edge with its pointed beak.
Evian put one hand in front of the pigeon, and the pigeon walked to Evian's palm with its short legs. The pigeon was not afraid of strangers, and it seemed that Evian raised it personally.
Ji Yuqing raised her eyebrows and continued to look at the pigeon in Yiyun's hand calmly. She saw a small bamboo tube tied to the pigeon's leg. Yiyun untied it, opened it and took a look, with a faint smile on his lips.
Ji Yuqing became curious and asked, "What good news did you see?"
Yiyun turned around and smiled, "I have some clues about what you asked me to investigate last time."
Ji Yuqing's eyes lit up, "Is Ji Lingxue a Dayan?"
Yiyun nodded, "It seems that I have to tell the prince this news as soon as possible."
Ji Yuqing applauded. Dongqi now had some personal grudges with Dayan. The third prince of Dayan killed people wantonly in the Dongqi imperial city, creating panic and angering the emperor. He might send troops to attack Dayan next year. Ji Lingxue was from Dayan, and not everyone could kill her. Even if Xiao Yichen came forward this time, he could not protect Ji Lingxue.
The more Ji Yuqing thought about it, the more excited she became. Ji Lingxue, your death is approaching!
"A-choo..." Ji Lingxue, who was in Xiao Yichen's arms, suddenly sneezed. She rubbed her nose and looked up at Xiao Yichen and said, "It's New Year's Day, and someone is scolding me behind my back?"
Xiao Yichen tightened his arms that were holding Ji Lingxue's slender waist and said, "Who dares to scold you while I'm here?" As he said that, he bent down and rested his chin on Ji Lingxue's shoulder, enjoying this rare time together.
They were waiting, waiting for the arrival of midnight. After staying up all night, they would quietly leave Dongqi, so neither of them felt sleepy.
Xiao Yichen said: "Xue'er, I am very happy that you are by my side at this moment."
Ji Lingxue turned her head and glanced at Xiao Yichen, and then she heard Xiao Yichen continue, "This prince has always felt that I have been living in a marriage of convenience in my life, and I will never meet a woman I like."
Ji Lingxue raised her eyebrows, "So, you were originally planning to let me leave the palace and remarry?"
Hearing this, Xiao Yichen's face darkened. He expressed that he didn't like the flowers that Ji Lingxue mentioned. He lowered his head and pecked Ji Lingxue's red lips. Xiao Yichen said, "The princess has always loved me. How could I let you go?" He had never thought about it before, and he has never thought about it now.
After the noon watch drum sounded, the sky above the capital was lit up by fireworks, and then darkness enveloped the earth, and the night was quiet and silent.
The sound of horse hooves on the official road was particularly loud. Ji Lingxue fell asleep in Xiao Yichen's arms in a daze. Xiao Yichen's warm hands massaged Ji Lingxue from time to time to relax her muscles and bones. Ji Lingxue murmured with satisfaction and fell into a deep sleep.
There was a gust of wind outside the carriage, and a black-clad secret guard standing on the shaft of the carriage bowed respectfully to the person in the carriage and said, "Your Majesty."
Xiao Yichen pressed Ji Lingxue's sleeping point, then hummed, "Has everything been arranged in the palace?"
He had started planning long ago and had found two secret guards with similar builds to him and Ji Lingxue for training. Now they had returned to the palace wearing human skin masks.
The secret guard said, "In reply to your Highness, Concubine Qing and Concubine Yun have been waiting in the hall for you to return. When Concubine Yun returned to the room, she handed me something, and I rushed to deliver it."
Xiao Yichen took the small bamboo tube handed in by the secret guard, opened the small paper scroll inside and took a look, then immediately said, "Go back and make Concubine Yun sick. Her illness can only be cured when I come back."
The secret guard looked completely bewildered. Although confused, he did not dare to ask more questions and immediately did as Xiao Yichen said.
The carriage returned to silence, with only the sound of its wheels being heard.
Ji Lingxue had a good night's sleep. When she woke up, the carriage was still moving. She opened her eyes and looked around. She was wrapped in a fluffy blanket and did not feel cold at all. Xiao Yichen was no longer beside her. She sat up, stretched, moved her arms and wrists, lifted the curtain and looked outside the carriage.
It was all white outside, and I didn't know where I was. Suddenly the carriage stopped, and Xiao Yichen lifted the curtain and walked in, "Are you awake?"
Ji Lingxue nodded, "I slept for a long time?"
Xiao Yichen handed the clothes in his hand to Ji Lingxue and said, "Change your clothes, we will get off the car and have breakfast later."
Ji Lingxue took it and looked at the jacket with big red and green flowers in her hand. The corner of her mouth twitched, "Where did you get it from?" This dress was so tacky that it didn't suit her status at all.
Seeing Ji Lingxue's thoughts, Xiao Yichen said, "We are leaving Beijing secretly, so we can't be too conspicuous. It's more down-to-earth to dress like ordinary people."
Ji Lingxue twitched her lips, but she still changed her clothes obediently. Seeing Ji Lingxue wearing a pigtail and a flowery green skirt, and not looking ugly, Xiao Yichen couldn't help but sigh in his heart that some clothes should be worn according to one's appearance.
Just now they passed by a village and the floor below was rotten, so they went in to get two sets of clothes. It was New Year's Day and the shops had already closed, so the clothes were not good, and the guards bought them from a village woman at a high price.
Ji Lingxue spread her hands towards Xiao Yichen and said, "I'm hungry..."
Xiao Yichen opened the coffee table placed on the wall of the car, took out the food box that had been prepared long ago, and placed the porridge and fried dough sticks in front of Ji Lingxue.
Xiao Yichen said, "I just bought it when I passed by the village. I didn't wake you up because I saw you were still asleep."
Ji Lingxue picked up the shriveled fried dough stick and took a bite, then wolfed down the porridge.
Ji Lingxue burped and leaned against the car window to look at the scenery along the way, while Xiao Yichen cleaned up Ji Lingxue's mess.
Not long after, the carriage suddenly stopped. Ji Lingxue lifted the curtain and looked over. There was an avalanche not far away, and the official road was blocked. Several guards were shoveling snow with shovels.
Ji Lingxue jumped off the carriage to feel the cold wind, and Xiao Yichen followed her down. The farmlands and trees on both sides of the official road were all covered with snow. There was really nothing to see in the whiteness, and the official road was very quiet on the first day of the new year.
Xiao Yichen said: "Auspicious snow indicates a good harvest, this year's harvest will definitely be good."
The road was cleared quickly, and Ji Lingxue and Xiao Yichen returned to the carriage and continued on their way. The journey was quite peaceful. If they could pass by a post station, they could have a good meal. If not, they would hunt for game. Many animals were in hibernation, so the secret guards had to spend a lot of effort hunting.
At night, when Ji Lingxue was sleeping soundly in the carriage, Xiao Yichen was dealing with the news from the capital.
Ji Lingxue did not sleep well that night. She woke up from a dream and found herself in a cold sweat. There was no sign of Xiao Yichen beside her. Ji Lingxue lifted the car window curtain and looked out. Xiao Yichen was particularly eye-catching in white clothes under the starlight. There were two secret guards standing next to him. Due to the distance between them, she could not hear what they were saying, but Ji Lingxue had a hunch that Xiao Yichen was hiding something from her.
Ji Lingxue pretended to sleep and waited for Xiao Yichen to come back.
Half an hour later, Xiao Yichen got on the carriage quietly and sat beside Ji Lingxue, looking at her. Ji Lingxue pounced on Xiao Yichen like a hungry tiger and pressed him under her. The carriage was dark, and Ji Lingxue could not see the expression on Xiao Yichen's face, but she could hear her breathing was a little disordered.
Ji Lingxue smiled and said, "Why, are you frightened by me?"
Xiao Yichen's body stiffened, then relaxed for a moment, hugged Ji Lingxue tightly in his arms, bent down and kissed her forehead and said, "Princess, you have surprised me a little."
Ji Lingxue lowered her head and nuzzled into Xiao Yichen's arms, "How surprised are you?"
Xiao Yichen held Ji Lingxue's head and said with a smile, "Why aren't you sleeping yet?"
(End of this chapter)