Ji Xinglan’s face was covered with tears as she stared blankly at Ji Xinglou.
“Wife? Like Mom and Dad?” She was too young to understand, her teary eyes filled with confusion.
“Yes, yes!” Ji Xinglou suddenly knew how to explain, “Look, Mom and Dad are together all day long! Not just during the day, but at night too, they can hold hands and sleep together!”
Ji Xinglan stared at Ji Xinglou through her tear-filled eyes, forgetting to cry. She stammered, “But…but…I’m your sister, I can’t be your wife!”
Ji Xinglou frowned and said impatiently, “How can you say that! You just said I’m not your brother anymore! If I’m not your brother, how can you be my sister? I don’t care, you have to choose between being my sister or my wife!”
Ji Xinglan repeated dumbly, “I have to choose between being your sister and your wife?”
“Yes, yes!”
Ji Xinglan blinked gently, and as she blinked, tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. She looked at her brother and asked, confused, “But I’m not your sister, it’s either true or it’s not. I’m not your sister, it’s not something I can choose!”
Ji Xinglou declared decisively, “Then choose to be my wife!”
Ji Xinglan tilted her head, her little brows furrowing. After thinking seriously for a while, she asked, “If I become your wife, can I always be with you?”
“Yes, yes!” Ji Xinglou’s eyes lit up, “If you’re my sister, you can’t always be together! Look at Mom, ever since she became our mom, her sisters and brothers haven’t visited at all! She only sees them once in a long time! If you’re my sister, when we grow up and I get married, and you marry someone else, we’ll only see each other occasionally, not always together!”
Ji Xinglan was frightened, her little face turned pale.
“We can’t always be together in the future?” Tears welled up in her eyes again, she shook her head vigorously, crying sadly, “Brother is lying! Brother clearly promised Lanlan that we would always be together and never be apart!”
Ji Xinglou feared most when his sister cried.
He clumsily patted Ji Xinglan’s back, coaxing her with a mix of frustration and heartache, “I already told you, we will always be together! When have I ever failed to keep my promise to you? You don’t believe me! Hmph!”
“I believe brother…” Ji Xinglan blurted out, her voice choked with sobs. Her fair and soft little face seemed washed by tears, wet and glistening.
“Don’t worry. Now I’m the emperor, my word is law, I absolutely won’t lie! If I promise we will always be together, we will always be together! When we grow up, I’ll buy you a red wedding dress! Make you my wife! We’ll be together every day!”
Ji Xinglan reached out her little hand to wipe away the tears on her face, and then her eyes. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be able to see her brother clearly!
“Really?” Ji Xinglan asked dumbly, looking a bit dazed.
“Of course! Let’s make a pinky promise!”
Ji Xinglou extended his little finger, hooking it with his sister’s small finger, and shook it.
“Pinky promise, hang it on a hook, no changes for a hundred years!”
Ji Xinglan blinked her eyes, gradually stopping her tears. Yes, her brother never lied to her. Even if she was no longer his sister, she could marry her brother and continue to be with him every day!
Ji Xinglan’s eyes curved into a smile, her tear-filled eyes twinkling.
Her little hands were already wet with tears, making them damp.
Ji Xinglou, feeling disgusted, grabbed her hand and wiped it dry on his own dragon robe.
Watching this scene unfold, Gu Jianli was dumbfounded. Initially, she thought it was just childish talk, amused by the deep bond between the siblings. But as she listened, the smile on her face slowly faded, turning into bewilderment. Though they were young and their words innocent, Gu Jianli couldn’t help but notice their serious expressions as they made their pinky promise.
Gu Jianli turned her head, looking confusedly at Ji Wujing.
Ji Wujing, however, seemed indifferent, instructing Nanny Lin to pack Ji Xinglan’s things as they would soon return to the palace. Now that Ji Xinglou had become the emperor, he couldn’t stay outside the palace for long.
Back then, Gu Jianli had taken the unconscious Ji Wujing and fled to the depths of the snowy mountains. Later, they went straight to the palace after leaving the mountains. They also needed to pack their things and bring them to the palace. Although their status made it unsuitable to live in the palace, Ji Xinglou had just ascended the throne, and the formal coronation ceremony had not yet been held. The political situation was uncertain, and foreign princes were still in the capital, so Ji Wujing naturally had to stay in the palace, accompanying Ji Xinglou.
Suppressing the strange feeling that flashed through her heart, Gu Jianli walked up and hugged the sweet little girl in her arms.
“Mother,” Ji Xinglan smiled at Gu Jianli, obediently nuzzling her face against Gu Jianli’s neck.
“Your father and I have come to take you home.” Gu Jianli took a handkerchief and carefully wiped the tears from Ji Xinglan’s eyes and face. It was freezing cold, and the snow had not melted. If the tears were left on her face and blown by the wind, it wouldn’t look good if her skin got chapped.
When they left the snowy mountains, not everyone returned.
Ji Xia had broken his leg and stayed in the village. Yuanping and Yuan’an hadn’t fully recovered and stayed behind as well. The village was full of vicious people, so Gu Jianli didn’t feel safe leaving the three girls there, so she had Changsheng stay to protect them.
According to the timeline, Yuanping and Yuan’an should be back soon. However, Ji Xia would need to wait a little longer.
Gu Jianli asked Yuanshun, “Where is Yansui? She hasn’t returned yet?”
“I was just about to tell you! Since we returned from the snowy mountains, there’s been no sign of Yansui! I even sent some household servants to look for her, but there’s no news…” Yuanshun frowned, deeply worried.
The day before yesterday, Gu Jianli had asked Chen He, but he hadn’t seen Yansui. He inquired with the people at the Western Depot, but none of them had seen her either.
That night, after receiving Xiao Liuzi’s message, Gu Jianli had fled to the snowy mountains in a hurry and had sent Yansui to the Western Depot for reinforcements. But Yansui never reached the Western Depot and had disappeared without a trace.
Gu Jianli knew that not just anyone could freely enter and exit the Western Depot. It was usual that Yansui couldn’t get in. But if she didn’t succeed, shouldn’t she have returned? Why was there no news at all? Could something unexpected have happened?
Gu Jianli sent more people to search for her.
Although it was cold outside, the fire inside the room was burning well, making it warm and cozy. Listening to Nanny Lin talk about Ji Xinglan’s recent activities, Gu Jianli began to feel drowsy. She leaned softly on a small table beside the beauty couch, her eyelashes drooping and her eyes half-closed.
Seeing her drowsiness, Nanny Lin suggested, “Madam, why don’t you take a nap? Fifth Lord is in the back yard talking with the Little Prince… with His Majesty, he won’t be returning to the palace for a while.”
Gu Jianli nodded absently but didn’t move, still leaning tiredly against the small table.
Nanny Lin stopped speaking and quietly stepped out.
When Ji Wujing entered, he saw Gu Jianli looking sleepy. He walked up to her, bent down, and slipped his arms under her knees, lifting her up and carrying her inside.
Gu Jianli squinted at him, “When do we leave?”
She lazily yawned as she finished speaking.
“Whenever you want. There’s no set time,” Ji Wujing replied, carrying her to the bed. He hesitated slightly. In the past five years, Ji Wujing had often felt sleepy due to poisoning, spending most of his waking hours asleep. Now that the poison was cured, he no longer had that problem and needed less sleep than most people.
Nevertheless, Ji Wujing took off his shoes, climbed onto the bed, and nestled beside Gu Jianli, pulling her into his arms.
Gu Jianli also snuggled closer to Ji Wujing, her eyes closed, her voice lazy and soft, “In another month, my sister will return to the capital with the troops from Xiangxi. By then, we can finally relax a bit.”
Ji Wujing responded with a soft “hmm.”
Gu Jianli yawned again and continued, “I wonder how my father is doing. Although Batur is held hostage, it’s still dangerous to go to the Western Regions. I hope nothing goes wrong…”
Her voice trailed off as she fell asleep.
She had been extremely busy these past few days. Reports were sent to the palace, but Ji Xinglan was too young to read, and Ji Wujing had no patience for the dense text, so Gu Jianli had to handle them herself.
Ji Wujing, wide awake, watched Gu Jianli’s face intently. His long fingers played with the decorative ribbons on her sleeve, winding them around his finger, slowly passing the time.
“Is it really this exhausting? If I’d known taking the throne was such a hassle, I might not have done it…” Ji Wujing muttered to himself.
No, he had to think of a way.
Gu Jianli woke up at dusk, got into a carriage, and headed to the palace.
Three days later, the guards at the villa hurriedly and anxiously rushed to the palace to report the sudden disappearance of Ji Yan. However, they couldn’t deliver the message to Ji Wujing immediately because, earlier that day, Ji Wujing had taken Ji Xingluo to the imperial tombs for Ji Xingluo to formally pay respects to his father.
Naturally, Gu Jianli went along, and Wen Jingshan accompanied them as well.
Following Ji Wujing’s instructions, Ji Xingluo solemnly paid homage to Ji Chong. Known for his mischievousness, Ji Xingluo was unusually quiet, staring intently at the tomb before him. Curiosity welled up within him—was his real father truly lying beneath?
Having never met him, Ji Xingluo felt little sorrow, as blood ties alone seemed too tenuous a connection.
Wen Jingshan turned her face aside, covering her mouth with a handkerchief as she continuously coughed in soft, broken fits.
Ji Xingluo quickly glanced back at her, then swiftly looked away, pretending not to care.
“How are you? Are you feeling any better?” Gu Jianli took a water pouch from a maid and handed it to Wen Jingshan.
“It’s nothing serious.” Wen Jingshan thanked Gu Jianli and walked a few steps forward, squatting down before Ji Chong’s tomb.
For five years, she had been hiding and wandering, and this was the first time she had come to Ji Chong’s tomb. She wanted to speak to him but was reminded of how terrible her voice sounded now. She didn’t want Ji Chong to hear what had become of the voice she had once been so proud of. She fell silent, quietly gazing at his tombstone, as if Ji Chong had come to stand before her once more.
Meanwhile, Ji Yan, who had disappeared from the villa, stealthily infiltrated the imperial tombs. Being a prince, he was intimately familiar with the layout of the tombs and the hidden mechanisms within.