Kang Xinglan knelt by the bedside, her small shoes hanging over the edge of the bed.
She was already eight years old, petite yet graceful. Her face was always adorned with a smile, revealing a pair of small dimples, making her look both gentle and pretty.
She bent down, curiously peering at her little sister sleeping soundly on the bed. Her little sister was so beautiful and well-behaved.
The little sister’s small hand was curled up by her face, and Kang Xinglan wanted to touch it. She reached out to touch her, but withdrew her hand before making contact.
She mustn’t wake her little sister.
Kang Xinglan tilted her head and smiled at her sister.
Gu Jianli walked up behind Kang Xinglan, took hold of her little feet that were on the bed edge, and removed her shoes.
Kang Xinglan was taken aback, quickly turning around. When she saw it was Gu Jianli, she immediately beamed and displayed her dimples with a sweet smile. Lowering her voice, she softly said, “Mother, I came to see my sister.”
“Go lie down on the bed and rest for a while.” Gu Jianli removed her other shoe.
Kang Xinglan then climbed up from the foot of the bed, circled around her little sister, and lay down on the inner side of the bed next to her.
Gu Jianli picked up a folded quilt, spread it out, and covered Kang Xinglan with it.
She then got on the bed herself, leaning against the headboard with a book in her hand. Occasionally, she glanced at her two daughters lying together.
“Sister is awake!” Kang Xinglan suddenly said joyfully. She finally got to touch her little sister’s hand, placing her thumb in her sister’s small curled hand, letting her grasp it.
Gu Jianli lifted her gaze from the book, set it aside, and gently bent down to check if her little girl was hungry or uncomfortable.
The little girl quietly looked at Kang Xinglan, then at Gu Jianli. Her eyes, resembling Ji Wujing’s long and narrow ones, were clear and bright, shining like stars.
She didn’t cry often, nor did she fuss. When awake, she was always calm, just using her bright eyes to look at one person and then another.
“My sister and I were planning to take a nap, but now you’re awake,” Gu Jianli said, lying on her side, gazing tenderly at her little girl.
The little girl blinked, grabbing her sister’s hand to chew on.
“You’re getting your sister’s hand all slobbery,” Gu Jianli said with a light smile.
Obviously, her little girl didn’t understand, playfully gnawing on her sister’s hand.
Gu Jianli, helpless, told Kang Xinglan, “If she bites you and it hurts, don’t let her.”
“It doesn’t hurt at all. Sister is just playing with me,” Kang Xinglan said seriously.
Gu Jianli smiled and asked, “The things on the table, did you bring them here? What are they?”
“I’ve been learning needlework with Nanny Song these past few days, so I made a small bellyband for my sister and embroidered lots of clouds on it.”
Gu Jianli made a surprised sound, “Oh? How did you know the size?”
“Uh-huh!” Kang Xinglan nodded enthusiastically, “I asked Nanny Song to bring me one of my sister’s bellybands, and I made it according to that size.”
She smiled shyly, a little embarrassed, “It’s my first time making this, so it might not be very good…”
“Nonsense. Nanny Song told me that my Xinglan is very smart and can learn all the patterns she teaches you. The bellyband you made for your sister must be both beautiful and suitable.”
Kang Xinglan’s eyes curved as she smiled.
The little sister looked at Gu Jianli and then at Kang Xinglan, her attention captured by whoever was speaking.
“When will she be able to talk? I want to talk to her and tell her stories.” Kang Xinglan gazed at her little sister without blinking, carefully wiping the drool from her mouth with a handkerchief.
Gu Jianli thought for a moment and said, “When the weather gets warmer, she’ll be able to call you sister.”
“Really?” Kang Xinglan’s eyes widened in surprise, her joy boundless.
Gu Jianli patted her head and nodded with a smile.
Gu Jianli remembered how Kang Xinglan used to run towards her with her little arms outstretched. In the blink of an eye, this child was already eight years old.
Gu Jianli asked Kang Xinglan about her studies and chatted idly with her. Kang Xinglan rubbed her eyes, starting to feel sleepy. She had taken an afternoon nap every day since she was little, a habit that hadn’t changed.
“Sleep now,” Gu Jianli gently stroked her little face.
Kang Xinglan drowsily nodded.
Worried that the little sister might disturb Kang Xinglan, Gu Jianli carefully pried the little sister’s hand off Kang Xinglan’s thumb and tucked her into the quilt.
The little sister blinked, unhappily looking at Gu Jianli.
Gu Jianli leaned closer and whispered, “Sister is going to sleep, don’t disturb her.”
The little sister blinked again and turned her head to look at Kang Xinglan, staring at her.
The room was warm, and Gu Jianli also started to feel drowsy. She placed her hand on the little sister, gently patting her to sleep so she could rest as well. However, before the little sister fell asleep, Gu Jianli dozed off first.
Ji Wujing entered, lifting the bed curtain to see Gu Jianli and Kang Xinglan asleep on either side of the little sister, who was wide awake and looking at him.
Seeing his daughter’s face that looked so much like his, Ji Wujing frowned awkwardly.
He bent down carefully, picking up Gu Jianli and carrying her to the luohan bed on the side. He moved the small table on the bed aside and placed Gu Jianli on the luohan bed for her nap, leaving the two daughters on the main bed.
When Kang Xinglan woke up, Gu Jianli and Ji Wujing were sound asleep, and even the little sister had fallen back to sleep.
A hint of confusion appeared in Kang Xinglan’s eyes. Was her father not sleeping on the bed because she was there?
She turned her head to look at her sister, gently moved the little sister’s hand off her body, then quietly got out of bed. Holding her shoes in her hand, she tiptoed out of the room without making a sound.
She only let out a sigh of relief after she reached outside, put on her shoes, and returned to her own room. Tilting her head in thought, she sat down at the small desk by the window, took out some letter paper, and began to write to her brother.
She wrote about how beautiful and well-behaved her little sister was, what poems she had learned in her lessons that day, and even what delicious snacks she had eaten.
It was like having a conversation.
Her neat handwriting filled the entire page.
When she finished, she puffed up her soft, snowy cheeks and blew on the ink until it was completely dry. Then she carefully folded the letter, placed it in an envelope, and opened the drawer under the desk to put the letter away.
The drawer was already full of unsent letters. Kang Xinglan wrote a letter to her brother almost every day, keeping them all to herself.
Her brother was now the emperor and had to read many memorials daily; he had no time to read about her trivial matters. She didn’t want to send these letters. Even if she did, he probably wouldn’t read them, and might even frown in annoyance.
Kang Xinglan lazily lay on the desk, feeling gloomy.
They had promised not to be apart, yet they were still separated.
They had grown up together, and when she first learned to talk, she had been used to chattering in his ear, from single words to complete sentences.
Now that her brother was no longer by her side, she had no one to talk to and could only write down what she wanted to say to him.
Her brother had said that once she grew up and married him, they could be together every day. But when would she grow up?
Kang Xinglan counted on her fingers. It seemed like it would be seven years.
Seven years!
“Wow, I’m eight years old now, and I still have to wait another ‘me’ to grow up…”
Kang Xinglan unhappily fiddled with a small walnut-carved boat on the desk. It was carved by her brother…
Gu Jianli was awakened by the little sister’s cries. The little sister usually didn’t cry much, only when she was hungry. Even then, her cries were more of a soft whimper rather than the endless crying typical of other children.
Gu Jianli got off the luohan bed, picked up the little sister, and unbuttoned her clothes to nurse her.
Ji Wujing, on the luohan bed, looked at Gu Jianli with a somewhat thirsty gaze.
“Gu Jianli, I’m hungry too.” he said.
Gu Jianli, her eyes tenderly fixed on her little daughter’s fair face, replied absentmindedly, “It’s still an hour and a half until dinner. Why are you hungry now? Was the lunch not to your liking? Should I ask Yuan’an to bring you some pastries, or do you have something specific you want to eat? I can have the kitchen prepare it.”
As she spoke, her gaze never left her little daughter’s face. Meanwhile, Ji Wujing had already moved to the side of the bed.
He sat down at the bedside, watching their daughter suckling. The sight made him feel even thirstier. He leaned down and went to the other breast.
“Ji Zhao!”
Startled, Gu Jianli instinctively pushed him away, her hand landing squarely on Ji Wujing’s face, almost like a slap.
Gu Jianli froze for a moment, then hurriedly rubbed his face, apologetically saying, “I didn’t do it on purpose, really!”
Ji Wujing sneered, licking the milk residue from his lips, and said slowly, “Whether it was on purpose or not, it’s not the first time you’ve slapped my face.”
Gu Jianli continued to rub his face, then pinched it gently, speaking softly, “Alright, don’t be angry.”
“Angry,” Ji Wujing turned his head to avoid her touch, “unless…”
But he didn’t finish his sentence.
Gu Jianli was silent for a moment before she reluctantly pulled open her freshly fastened collar.
Only then did Ji Wujing smirk and lean back in.
Gu Jianli frowned, feeling awkward and kept glancing at their little daughter.
Ji Wujing’s hair brushed against the little girl’s soft face, causing her to whimper and slap Ji Wujing’s face, trying to push him away.
Ji Wujing’s expression darkened immediately.
Gu Jianli couldn’t help but laugh. She suppressed her laughter and said, “Stop fooling around; you’re disturbing her.”
With a smile, she turned and focused on nursing their daughter.
Ji Wujing sat beside them, looking disgruntled, but didn’t lean in again.
“The day after tomorrow is our little one’s hundredth-day celebration, and we still haven’t decided on a name,” Gu Jianli said gently, looking fondly at the little girl who resembled Ji Wujing so much.
“I haven’t thought of one,” Ji Wujing admitted.
They were supposed to name her at her one-month celebration, but since they hadn’t found a suitable name, it was postponed until now.
In fact, Ji Wujing had considered many names even before she was born and had consulted fortune tellers about the best ones.
However, although some names had good meanings and sounded nice, none seemed to fit well with the surname “Ji.”
Gu Jianli said, “Didn’t you mention ‘Xiao’ last time? To signify a carefree and unrestrained life.”
Ji Wujing glanced at the little girl in Gu Jianli’s arms, his face darkening, “Don’t you think ‘Ji Xiao’ sounds bad? It sounds like ‘joke,’ always mocking someone.”
“Oh, I hadn’t noticed the homophone…” Gu Jianli nodded, realizing the issue. “It does seem challenging to find a good name with the surname Ji.”
Ji Wujing’s eyes lit up with an idea. He smiled, “Then she won’t be surnamed Ji. Let her be Gu Xiao!”
Gu Jianli was stunned, “Surname Gu? Is that allowed?”
“Of course. What does a surname matter? She can be whatever surname she wants. Or, if Gu doesn’t sound good, pick any surname from the Hundred Family Surnames, or even use a non-surname character. It doesn’t matter if she has no surname.”
Gu Jianli glared at him, “Don’t be ridiculous. Gu is better than that.”
Ji Wujing stared at Gu Jianli, smiling.
Why did he love her? Perhaps it was because she was always so proper yet could accept his outrageous behavior. No matter how bizarre his actions, she would support him, though often surprised and disapproving. And he knew that her support and respect were genuine.
She was so wonderful.
Ji Wujing suddenly leaned in to kiss Gu Jianli’s lips.
The little girl in Gu Jianli’s arms kicked her short legs, trying to slap Ji Wujing’s face again. But this time, her tiny hand was accurately caught by Ji Wujing.
He looked at her coldly and said, “Bother me again, and I’ll pinch you to death.”
Gu Jianli was shocked. She wasn’t worried that Ji Wujing would actually harm their daughter but was concerned his words might scare her.
Ji Zhao’s notorious reputation could still silence crying children. His uniquely sinister face was indeed frightening.
Gu Jianli hurriedly checked on her daughter, but the little girl just blinked, curiously looking at Ji Wujing and meeting his gaze. She even reached out to grab his face, showing no sign of fear.
Ji Wujing stayed still, letting his daughter grab his face until she got bored and buried her face in Gu Jianli’s chest, sucking on her fingers.
Ji Wujing looked at Gu Jianli and said seriously, “Gu Jianli, I feel like I won’t be able to control her when she grows up.”
“Why control her?” Gu Jianli countered, “Just talk to her and reason with her.”
Ji Wujing thought for a moment and agreed, “You’re right. Just spoil her.”
Gu Jianli placed the now full little girl on the bed, tucking her in. She then turned to fix her disheveled clothes.
Watching her, Ji Wujing said, “Gu Jianli, I’m really hungry.”
How could he not be? He had been abstinent for a year.
Gu Jianli glanced at him, then quickly looked away. She lowered her head and whispered, “Tonight, let the wet nurse take care of the little one.”
“Send her away now!”
Gu Jianli glared at him, “Stop being ridiculous. I’ve been cooped up in the house for three months. Let’s go for a walk, okay? It’s still the New Year, and the streets will be bustling in a few days with the Lantern Festival approaching.”
Reluctantly, Ji Wujing accompanied Gu Jianli out the door.
Since her pregnancy progressed, Gu Jianli had rarely gone out, and after giving birth, she had been confined indoors for nearly half a year. She was feeling quite stifled. Though she wasn’t one for lively outings, she now especially wanted to go out.
Gu Jianli was right. Today the streets and markets were bustling with people. The weather was perfect, with clear blue skies.
A peddler pushing a cart passed by them. He held a rattle drum in one hand, and his cart was filled with various small toys. Colorful silk pinwheels spun in the breeze, catching the eye.
Ji Wujing stopped to pick out a pinwheel.
Gu Jianli shook her head, “Our little one is too young to play with this.”
Ji Wujing said casually, “It’s for you to play with.”
The peddler, originally eager to make a sale, was taken aback by Ji Wujing’s comment and found himself at a loss for words. Should he say, “Yes, adults can play with it too,” or “This young lady will surely enjoy it; she’ll smile when it spins”? It just didn’t sound right.
Lowering her voice, Gu Jianli said, “I’m not a child; I don’t play with this…”
“But you just looked at it.”
“I only looked because it’s colorful. Do I have to buy everything I look at?” Gu Jianli retorted quietly.
“We have room at home,” Ji Wujing replied.
“You…” Gu Jianli was stunned, not knowing how to respond.
It was a completely mismatched conversation.
The peddler, his dark eyes darting around, quickly smiled and asked which one they had chosen.
“Too lazy to pick,” Ji Wujing said lazily. The peddler was disappointed, but Ji Wujing added, “Forget it, send them all to the National Father’s Mansion.”
Gu Jianli, exasperated, said, “I’ve looked at everything in this market. Why don’t you just buy it all and take it home?”
“I can afford it.”
Gu Jianli quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him towards a teahouse across the street, “Please, National Father, have mercy and stop fooling around. Let the common folk enjoy their festival.”
“So what should we buy?”
“Lanterns. Although it’s not the fifteenth yet, people have already started renting boats to set off lanterns,” Gu Jianli suggested.
“Renting boats? Lanterns?” Ji Wujing frowned.
Gu Jianli guessed that Ji Wujing wouldn’t know about these things, so she explained. The Ningyang River in Yong’an City rarely froze. During the Lantern Festival every year, people would buy all kinds of lanterns and set them afloat on the river. The water carried the lanterns away, along with the senders’ wishes. The wealthy in the capital often rented pleasure boats to enjoy the sight of the gently swaying lanterns on the water.
After listening to Gu Jianli’s explanation, Ji Wujing asked, “Why rent instead of buy?”
Gu Jianli paused, then explained, “It’s only once a year, why buy?”
“Have you done this before?” Ji Wujing asked.
“Of course, I used to go every year with my sister.”
As they talked, Gu Jianli and Ji Wujing entered the teahouse and found a spot on the first floor to sit down.
The teahouse was bustling with activity, the aroma of tea mingling with the lively chatter of the patrons. Gu Jianli looked around, taking in the vibrant atmosphere. She smiled, glad to be out and about after being cooped up for so long.
Ji Wujing ordered tea for them and sat back, watching Gu Jianli with a thoughtful expression. “Tell me more about these lanterns,” he said.
Gu Jianli’s eyes lit up as she began to describe the different types of lanterns, their shapes, and the meanings behind them. As she spoke, Ji Wujing listened intently, his usual indifference replaced with a rare softness.
After a while, the tea arrived, and they sipped it slowly, enjoying the moment. Outside, the streets were alive with the excitement of the upcoming festival, and for a brief time, they allowed themselves to be part of the simple joy around them.
“Isn’t that Empress Dowager Zhengyi?” A woman dressed in luxurious attire asked uncertainly from a private room on the second floor of the teahouse.
Another woman nodded, saying, “Of course, that’s Empress Dowager Zhengyi and the National Father. There’s no other couple in the world with such striking appearances.”
The woman who asked earlier looked puzzled, “As an Empress Dowager, she goes to a common market without even a single guard? And I saw no one bowing or saluting her when she came and went…”
“You’re joking, Sister Hanhe. The National Father stands there, and it’s already remarkable that people don’t avoid him by a mile, let alone needing any guards. Sister Hanhe, since you just arrived in the capital, you might not know. Empress Dowager Zhengyi doesn’t put on airs. She issued a decree that, while court etiquette demands strict adherence, outside the court, people need not bow and salute her, treating her as an ordinary person. This is the first time she’s been out in months, as she just finished her confinement period.”
Another woman chimed in, “Empress Dowager Zhengyi is truly remarkable. The National Father used to be such a different person. After marrying Empress Dowager Zhengyi, he’s like a changed man, treating her so well.”
“Come on, changed man? Sister, you’re mistaken. He only seems like a different person in front of Empress Dowager Zhengyi. Anyone else who dares provoke him will see him revert to the terrifying master of the Xuanjing Sect, ready to skin you alive…”
Yue Hanhe listened to her friends’ discussions, stretching her neck to look downstairs. She wasn’t looking at Gu Jianli but at Ji Wujing.
She had long heard of Ji Wujing’s extraordinary looks, but seeing them in person was a shock. He sat on a long bench, lazily leaning against the backrest. His nearly otherworldly appearance made the entire first floor seem dull in comparison; everyone else faded into insignificance.
Before coming to the capital, she had heard of the grand wedding procession that stretched for miles, envied by many. Seeing Ji Wujing today left her even more astonished.
Ji Wujing suddenly glanced up at her, causing Yue Hanhe to quickly avert her gaze. When she looked up again, all she saw was Ji Wujing and Gu Jianli walking out, their bodies closely aligned, hands intertwined. As they walked through the broad street, passersby couldn’t help but be drawn to them.
By the time Gu Jianli and Ji Wujing left, it was already late. They didn’t stay long at the teahouse and soon headed to the Ningyang River. When they arrived, it was dusk, the sky dim but soft. Many children and young people were releasing lanterns by the river.
True to his word, Ji Wujing didn’t rent a pleasure boat; he bought one outright.
They boarded the boat, had some snacks in the cabin, and only came out when it was completely dark.
Before they boarded, there were only a few lanterns on the river. Now, the riverbank was bustling with people, and lanterns floated on the water. The starry night sky reflected in the river, creating a sparkling scene where water and sky seemed to merge.
“That one is beautiful! And so is this one!” Gu Jianli joyfully pulled Ji Wujing to look at the lanterns.
The cool night breeze gently stirred the white rabbit fur on her red cloak’s hood, brushing softly against her cheeks. It felt like the starry sky was at her feet.
Ji Wujing quietly gazed at her for a long time, his tongue running over his teeth with thirst. He drawled, “Gu Jianli, we’re not going back tonight, are we?”
“It’s so beautiful!” Gu Jianli said, her eyes curved in a smile, not paying much attention to his words.
Ji Wujing frowned, “How beautiful? As beautiful as me?”
Gu Jianli ignored him.
Ji Wujing was annoyed. He asked, “Can this river be bought?”