Every two or three months, the village would send someone to buy supplies from outside. Last time, they bought a lot of New Year’s goods, including some fireworks for the children in the village. The villagers dutifully delivered various New Year’s items to Ji Wujing, which also included some fireworks.
Ji Xinglou loved these. After dinner, he was setting off fireworks in the courtyard.
Ji Xinglan, who was timid, still insisted on accompanying her brother. She stood far away at the door, watching her brother play.
Inside the house, Gu Jianli was tidying up the bedding while saying, “Jixia, Yuanping, and Yuan’an can’t move, so it’s better for them to stay in the village to recuperate. At worst, we can leave Changsheng here to look after them. We can’t stay any longer, though.”
Gu Jianli’s movements slowed as she recalled how, during the incident, she had regretted not discussing things properly with Ji Wujing beforehand. She put down the bedding, straightened up, and looked at Ji Wujing, saying, “Wujing, I have something to tell you.”
Ji Wujing inexplicably felt an itch in his ear. He tilted his head slightly and rubbed it.
“Go ahead.”
Gu Jianli sat next to Ji Wujing and started talking to him about Batur.
“…Now, Father is escorting Batur to Xifan. Although I don’t know how my sister will persuade Lord Xiangxi, I believe she can do it. With the troops of Xifan, Duke Xiangxi’s soldiers, my father’s reputation in the army, and the evidence we have of the Emperor harming his siblings…” Gu Jianli grasped Ji Wujing’s hand, “We are rebelling.”
Ji Wujing looked at her with a blank expression.
Gu Jianli hurriedly explained, “The current Emperor has just ascended the throne, and the court is unstable. After much thought, I believe this plan is feasible. Hiding and constantly being on guard against harm from all sides is extremely tiring. Instead, we should set things right and help Xinglou ascend the throne.”
“Alright.” Ji Wujing replied casually.
His easy acceptance left Gu Jianli a bit stunned. She slowly blinked, leaned closer to Ji Wujing’s face, and asked, “Did you hear what I just said? I wasn’t asking if you wanted grilled fish or fried fish tomorrow.”
Ji Wujing gave a nonchalant smile. He lowered his head, their foreheads bumping together. Gu Jianli let out an “Ouch” and backed away, gently rubbing her brow with her palm and giving Ji Wujing a playful glare.
“I heard you,” Ji Wujing laughed.
“So, you agree, right?” Gu Jianli leaned closer, her eyes shining.
Ji Wujing didn’t say anything. He turned his face to the side, presenting his cheek to Gu Jianli. She paused for a moment, then leaned forward slightly, her soft pink lips brushing against his cheek.
Ji Wujing smiled.
He pinched Gu Jianli’s chin, his thumb brushing over her soft lips. The cracks had healed, becoming soft again.
He wanted to taste, so he lowered his head and kissed her.
Gu Jianli quickly pushed him away, saying seriously, “We’re discussing important matters!”
“Go on, I’m listening,” Ji Wujing said lazily, his hand resting on Gu Jianli’s waist, gently kneading her slender waist.
“So, we can’t stay here any longer. We need to go back.”
Ji Wujing responded with a casual “Mm,” and said, “We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
Gu Jianli was confused again. She tilted her head, carefully observing Ji Wujing’s expression. Suddenly, a suspicion arose in her heart. Could it be that Ji Wujing had long harbored intentions of rebellion?
As this thought flashed through her mind, Gu Jianli frowned instantly, feeling somewhat unhappy. She said, “Doesn’t Ji Zhao have anything to say?”
Ji Wujing raised his eyes and glanced at her slightly puffed, snow-white cheeks. He said, “Call Xinglou and Xinglan over.”
After a pause, he added, “Never mind, I’ll call them. You go fetch Madam.”
Gu Jianli’s eyes flickered, quickly guessing Ji Wujing’s intention. She asked in disbelief, “You’re going to tell them now?”
Ji Wujing had already gotten up and walked out.
In the courtyard, Ji Xinglou had already set off all the fireworks the villagers had sent. He and Ji Xinglan were sitting side by side on a bench, looking up at the starry sky and chatting.
“Daddy!” Ji Xinglan turned her head and looked at Ji Wujing, her eyes curving happily.
“I’m not your daddy,” Ji Wujing said expressionlessly.
Ji Xinglan was stunned, her smile frozen on her face.
Ji Xinglou looked at his sister, then at Ji Wujing. He quietly patted his sister’s hand, frowning, and spoke up, “Dad…”
“I’m not your dad either.”
This time, Ji Xinglou was also stunned.
“Both of you, come inside,” Ji Wujing turned around and said casually, “I’m not going to be this convenient father anymore.”
Ji Xinglou and Ji Xinglan looked at each other, holding hands, and followed Ji Wujing inside.
Gu Jianli had already brought Wen Jingshan over. Wen Jingshan had learned of their plan from Gu Jianli and felt flustered and nervous. She frequently glanced towards the door, worried that Ji Xinglou would throw a tantrum and refuse to accept it. It wouldn’t matter if he didn’t accept it or call her “Mother.” What Wen Jingshan feared was that he would be hurt.
As Ji Xinglou stepped into the house, he barely perceptibly frowned when his gaze swept over Wen Jingshan.
Gu Jianli and Wen Jingshan were racking their brains, trying to figure out how to explain to the two children. But Ji Wujing didn’t give them the opportunity to explain patiently.
Ji Wujing lifted the kettle from the fire basin and poured the boiling water into the teapot. As the water flowed, he explained to Ji Xinglou and Ji Xinglan. As the water stopped, so did his explanation.
“Xinglou, your father’s name is Ji Chong. When he was murdered, I took you in and raised you. Madam Wen is your biological mother. You are the son of the former Crown Prince and the future Emperor. Tomorrow, I’ll take you back to seize the throne.”
When the water stopped, Ji Wujing stopped speaking, and the room fell into a sudden silence.
Ji Wujing gently swirled the teapot, pouring the hot tea into the cups. He put down the teapot, turned around, and looked at Ji Xinglan, adding, “Oh, you are neither my daughter nor Xinglou’s sister. Your father and Xinglou’s father were murdered together. When I took Xinglou in, I brought you along too.”
Ji Xinglan blinked and blinked again. What was Daddy talking about? She couldn’t understand.
Ji Xinglou stood there with his mouth slightly open, looking dazed and motionless.
Not only did the two children not react, but even Gu Jianli and Wen Jingshan didn’t know how to respond for a moment.
Gu Jianli got up, squatted down in front of Ji Xinglou, and gently held his small shoulders, speaking softly and tentatively, “Xinglou, did you understand?”
Ji Xinglou finally came to his senses and looked blankly at Gu Jianli in front of him.
Gu Jianli then held Ji Xinglan’s small arm and hugged her soft body into her arms, gently patting her back, and said tenderly, “Lanlan, it doesn’t matter if you’re not your daddy’s biological child. Our relationship won’t change. We will always love you.”
Ji Xinglan’s eyes suddenly reddened, and she buried her face in Gu Jianli’s embrace.
Wen Jingshan stood up with the support of her crutch. She was anxious and wanted to walk over to Ji Xinglou, but she didn’t take a single step forward, forcing herself to sit back down. She didn’t mind if Ji Xinglou didn’t acknowledge her. If Ji Xinglou, like Ji Xinglan, would be cared for and loved by Ji Wujing and Gu Jianli, she would be very happy.
The room was very cold, and in just a short time, the tea Ji Wujing had poured was no longer scalding but drinkable. Ji Wujing held the teacup and squatted in front of Ji Xinglou, handing the teacup to him.
He rarely looked so serious and said, “Boy, offer a toast to your father.”
He flipped his wrist and spilled the tea in his hand.
Ji Xinglou stared at him blankly, then belatedly mimicked his actions, also spilling the tea in his cup. He clutched the empty teacup, staring at Ji Wujing in a daze. After a while, he suddenly threw a tantrum, forcefully throwing the teacup to the ground.
Ji Xinglan, in Gu Jianli’s arms, turned around and looked at her brother with red eyes. She reached out to Ji Xinglou, tightly gripping his hand.
Despite having tears welling up in her eyes, she held back from crying and even managed to pull out a big, bright smile. She tightly held her brother’s hand and, in a childish voice, comforted him, “Brother, it’s okay. Even if Mother isn’t our real mother, she’s still very good to us. So even if Daddy isn’t our real daddy, he will still treat us well just like before. We’re still us…”
As she finished speaking, the tears that had been welling up finally rolled down her cheeks.
Hearing Ji Xinglan’s words, Gu Jianli felt a sharp pang in her heart, her eyes also turning red. She smiled brightly like Ji Xinglan and said, “Yes, we will always be a family.”
Ji Wujing lifted his foot and gave Ji Xinglou a light kick on the buttocks, looking down at him, and said, “Why are you throwing a tantrum? There’s no reason to get upset over such a small matter.”
Ji Xinglou looked up at Ji Wujing, and the anger in his heart slowly dissipated. He seriously thought about why he was throwing a tantrum. He looked down at the broken teacup he had thrown and suddenly found it a bit funny.
“That’s right, you never treated me well before. You never acted like a real dad, so it’s true you aren’t my real dad. Forget it, having Gu Jianli is enough anyway…!” After saying this, Ji Xinglou immediately pounced into Gu Jianli’s arms.
Gu Jianli was taken aback, her eyes still red, but she couldn’t help laughing as she hugged both children gently.
Ji Wujing sneered, not bothering with him.
Ji Xinglou secretly glanced at Wen Jingshan and saw her looking at him with gentle eyes. Ji Xinglou quickly averted his gaze.
Wen Jingshan stood up with her crutch and said, “It’s late. We need to get up early tomorrow. We should rest now.”
She gently shook her head at Gu Jianli.
Gu Jianli hesitated for a moment, looked down at Ji Xinglou, who was still somewhat upset, and finally nodded slowly.
There’s plenty of time in the future, no need to rush.
On this New Year’s Eve, Ji Yan did not sleep all night. He paced back and forth in the hall, feeling both nervous and excited. Tomorrow, at the state banquet, he would, according to the plan, join forces with his allies in the court to expose Ji Lan’s misdeeds, usurp him, and reclaim everything that rightfully belonged to him!
After pacing for a long time, Ji Yan finally stopped. He stood beside the Eight Immortals table and lifted the lid of an embroidered box. His hand caressed the fabric inside the box with a mixture of caution and reverence.
Inside the box, neatly folded, was a dragon robe.
Ji Yan’s fingertips brushed over the fierce, clawing dragon embroidered on the dark robe, his excitement growing more intense. Tomorrow, after tomorrow, he could openly wear this dragon robe and become the emperor of the Great Ji.
He had waited for this day for far too long…