Xiao Yichen nodded, "It seems that the rumors in the capital are nothing but fabrications that have severely damaged your image. Don't think too much about it. If you really weren't Ji Baichuan's daughter, he wouldn't have let you occupy the status of the Ji family's legitimate daughter."
Ji Lingxue nodded. It was late, but none of them felt sleepy. Ruge asked someone to bring a pot of good tea, and the four of them sat around drinking tea and chatting.
Bai Mo complained that he was almost bored to death in the palace because there was no one to talk to. Fortunately, he was out now. It felt great to be free again.
Ji Lingxue told Xiao Yichen what had just happened when she and Ruge were trapped in the street because of a frightened horse.
Xiao Yichen smiled and said, "We won the previous two rounds, so Yuchi Gongru was naturally unhappy. Although I drew a picture of him sucking human blood and gave it to the Emperor of Dayan, Yuchi Gongru was very careful and killed only the servants in the mansion. He also suppressed the secret very well. The emperor would not believe it completely, so he warned Yuchi Gongru and asked him to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors and avoid the limelight."
Ruge said: "Yes, he targeted me and the princess this time. I'm afraid there will be bad rumors later. What should we do?"
Xiao Yichen smiled and said, "Ruge, if you find a prince's wife, nothing will happen to you."
Ruge held her forehead and said, "This prince is a little tired, you guys should have a good rest." After saying that, she turned around and left.
Ji Lingxue watched Ruge's back, then turned to look at Xiao Yichen who was smiling cunningly, "What are you laughing at?"
Bai Mo said, "Your Highness, Princess, I'm going down to rest as well. You guys can chat slowly." After saying that, he put on the oil on his feet and disappeared behind the shadows of the trees.
Xiao Yichen said, "I replaced the guards around Yuchi Ruge with my own people. I have received the news he spread. He was hinting that you and Ruge had a relationship. Although I believe you, it is difficult to resist the rumors. The only way to solve the rumors is for Ruge to find a suitable woman to marry."
Ji Lingxue was full of black lines, "So... Ruge will become the second you, and will be forced to take a concubine or something?"
Xiao Yichen shrugged, "This is Ruge's own business. He may be able to think of a better solution."
No words were spoken that night.
The next day, rumors spread in the capital that Ruge brought a woman in a carriage back to the mansion, which frightened the horses and disturbed the people. Later, another rumor spread that the woman Ruge liked was a maid in the mansion, and it was said that the maid was from Dongqi.
Ruge still went to court as usual. All the officials jointly wrote a letter to the emperor, emphasizing filial piety and asking the old emperor to select a girl for Ruge and grant her marriage on the grounds that she must be a woman from Dayan because of her noble royal blood. The war of words in the court was very fierce. Fortunately, Yuchi Gongru was put in solitary confinement and did not add fuel to the fire in the court.
After Ruge left the court, she locked herself in the study. Ji Lingxue brought a pot of wine to find her. The guards guarding the study door did not stop Ji Lingxue from entering.
As soon as the study door was opened, Ruge was seen leaning against the window sill, looking at the flowers in the yard. Hearing footsteps coming from the door, Ruge turned around and saw Ji Lingxue holding a plate of snacks and waving at him, "I was bored, so I borrowed your kitchen to study a plate of pastries. Do you want to try it?"
Ruge's eyes fell on the colorful cakes on the plate and she asked, "Is it not poisoned?"
Ji Lingxue twitched her lips, "Why would I poison you?" She picked up a piece of green pastry and took a bite, "You have a kind of grass in your Great Yan Kingdom called cactus, which can grow in the hot and dry desert. It can quench thirst and fill the stomach. So I used it to make pastries, and it tastes pretty good." She nodded, affirming her cooking skills.
Ruge smiled, stood up and walked to Ji Lingxue, picked up a piece of cake and put it in her mouth, curved her eyes and said: "Princess, you are the first one to use it to make cakes."
Ji Lingxue smiled and said, "The prince said he would be back in two days, so I have to make some more cakes for the journey."
Hearing this, the smile on Ruge's lips gradually faded. She knew that all good things must come to an end, and once Ji Lingxue left Dayan, they would not be able to meet privately like this.
Ji Lingxue said: "I heard that you were going to get married, and I was thinking of finding a matchmaker for you, but it's a pity..."
Ruge smiled and said, "Since we can't be master and servant, why don't we become sworn brothers and sisters?"
Ji Lingxue was stunned for a moment, then she smiled and said, "Okay, you being my brother is something I've been dreaming of. I have a brother who is good at martial arts to rely on, and no one can bully me in the future."
Ruge raised her lips and smiled, "Let's make a promise," she pointed to the laurel tree behind her and said, "This tree is the witness."
Seeing Ruge seriously extending her little finger, Ji Lingxue raised her head and looked in the direction of Ruge's finger, and suddenly smiled and said, "Wait a minute, I suddenly thought of a question."
Ruge raised her eyebrows and motioned Ji Lingxue to continue.
Ji Lingxue: "If I become your sworn brother, then I will be half a princess of Yan. I'm afraid my prince will be angry."
Ruge chuckled, "Well... follow me." As she spoke, Ruge pulled up Ji Lingxue's sleeve and walked out. When she reached the yard, she met Xiao Yichen who climbed over the wall.
Xiao Yichen patted the wrinkles on his clothes, looked at Ji Lingxue and then at Ruge, "Where are you going?" He had only been out for a while, did something big happen
Ruge said: "Your Highness, I want to become sworn brothers with Ling Xue. Do you have any objection?" This way all the problems would be solved, and he would not need to marry a woman to avoid being seen by others.
Xiao Yichen was stunned. Ruge actually called Ji Lingxue so intimately. Did he agree? He turned to look at Ji Lingxue and smiled, "I have no objection. As long as the princess likes it, I am happy. The princess has been asking me why she doesn't have a brother. Now you have become her wish."
Ji Lingxue looked at Xiao Yichen, a touch of emotion flashed across her eyes.
Ruge turned to look at Ji Lingxue and said with a smile: "In that case, please ask Your Highness to be a witness for us." After saying that, Ruge turned around and asked someone to bring a pot of wine and fill two cups.
He stretched out three fingers and swore to his head: "God, today I, Yuchi Ruge, and Ji Lingxue become sworn brothers and sisters. The clouds stop and the moon falls, and we will keep our promise despite the distance between mountains and rivers. We are like old friends, and the years have passed but each of us has remained firm in our resolve." After saying this, he turned and looked at Ji Lingxue.
Ji Lingxue also held up three fingers and repeated what Ruge had said. The two of them hooked their fingers together as an oath, smiled knowingly, picked up the wine glasses on the side and clinked them. Just as they were about to drink, Xiao Yichen said, "Wait a minute!"
Ji Lingxue and Ruge turned to look at Xiao Yichen at the same time. He curled his lips into a smile, reached out to take the wine glass from Ji Lingxue's hand and said, "The princess can't drink much, so let me drink it for you." After that, he snatched the wine glass from Ji Lingxue's hand, tilted his head back and drank it, then put the empty glass back into the dazed Ruge's hand.
Ji Lingxue looked up at the floating clouds in the sky speechlessly.
Xiao Yichen looked at Ji Lingxue with a smile, a hint of tenderness in his eyes.
Two days later, Ji Lingxue and Xiao Yichen returned to Dongqi, and Ruge prepared a carriage full of luggage to see them off.
Looking at the city gate of Dayan, Ji Lingxue smiled and said, "Ruge, ten miles is enough for me. If I walk any further, I will see the city gate of Dongqi. I have to send you back."
Ruge smiled, her eyes gleaming with gentleness, and nodded, "Okay, after a hundred miles of seeing each other off, we must finally say goodbye. Have a safe journey, and remember to write to me when you arrive in Dongqi."
Ji Lingxue nodded. Ruge had said similar words of advice many times before, and she waved at Ruge.
Xiao Yichen took Ji Lingxue's hand and got on the carriage without looking back, and ordered his guards to go forward.
The wheels rumbled away, and Ruge sat on the horse and looked into the distance, until the rolling smoke and dust turned the backs of you and your group into black dots and disappeared, then he withdrew his gaze.
The guard beside Ruge said, "Master, although the Third Prince is in seclusion, he is well-informed. If he hears the news that Prince Chen has left, he might take some action. Should we send more guards to protect him secretly?"
Ruge smiled, "That's why he left so blatantly."
The guard had a confused look on his face, and then he heard Ruge continue, "Yuchi Gongru has suffered losses again and again from Xiao Yichen, so he is naturally unwilling to accept this. He is a very competitive person, and he cannot be restrained by a closed-door reflection. The prince knew this, so he pretended to leave, with the purpose of giving Yuchi Gongru the final blow."
As for who will win, it all depends on their own abilities.
The guard nodded, "Then what should we do, master?" Now the Princess of Prince Chen is the master's sister, and the master will not let anything happen to her.
Ruge said, "Keep your troops still." After that, he turned his horse around, raised his whip and went back to the city.
At this moment, Yuchi Gong was hugging a bare-backed woman, sitting in a room with fluttering gauze curtains. If you just look at the scene, it seems quite ambiguous. If you look closely, the scene is very strange. There are different tooth marks on the woman's back, and traces of blood are oozing from the wounds.
A guard in black knelt in front of Yuchi Gongru and reported, "Master, Yuchi Ruge has escorted Prince Chen out of the city."
Yuchi Gongru pushed away the bruised woman beside him, stood up, and said sinisterly: "You made this prince so miserable, and now you want to leave?" As he said this, he clenched his fists, and the joints made a cracking sound.
Yuchi Gongru walked around the room and asked, "Have the things from Beiling been transported here?"
The guard nodded and said, "It has been delivered."
Yuchi Gongru nodded, "That's good, those are all good things. This prince prepared them specially for Prince Chen. Come with me." After saying that, he raised his hand and took the black cloak and sword hanging on the screen, and swept out like a gust of wind.
The guard blinked and immediately chased after him.
The sky gradually darkened. It was sunny in the morning, but became cloudy in the afternoon. It seemed that a rainstorm was coming.
"A-choo!" Ji Lingxue sneezed in the carriage heading south and raised her hand to rub her nose. Xiao Yichen handed her a handkerchief and said, "You went out to purchase early in the morning these two days. Did you catch a cold?" As he said that, he put a cloak on Ji Lingxue and stuffed a heater into her arms.
Ji Lingxue said: "I'm not as delicate as you think. I finally have a brother. As his sister, I have to prepare some poison pills and powder for him to defend himself."
Xiao Yichen twitched his lips. He regretted agreeing to Ruge and Ji Lingxue's sworn brotherhood. He, the legitimate husband, was completely ignored.
Ji Lingxue lifted the car curtain and looked out and said, "It looks like it's going to rain. Let's set up camp early and wait until the rain stops before we continue our journey."
Xiao Yichen nodded and immediately ordered the secret guards to set up camp. He then held Ji Lingxue's hand and took a rare walk nearby, admiring the scenery along the way.
(End of this chapter)