Chapter 39: He took the blame for her

My mind went blank.

After a long moment of daze, Yun Xi regained consciousness to find the unconscious person had been kicked away, and a pair of large hands pulled her up. Her legs went weak, and she leaned against the person, almost unconsciously.

Ji Xun quickly put his arms around her waist and covered the back of her head with his palms to prevent her from falling.

"Your Highness?"

He called softly.

He saw what had just happened at a glance.

Initially, Yun Xi headed towards the Imperial Garden, but he followed her instructions and returned to the Qiankun Hall. After waiting for a moment at Yun Xi's location, he saw the Emperor of Wei and the King of Nanzhao returning, both of whom looked unhappy.

But he didn't see Yun Xi.

From then on, Ji Xun realized that something was wrong and hurried to the Imperial Garden.

Amidst the dazzling array of flowers, two bodies embraced each other, seemingly lovers at first glance, but in reality, they were more than just lovers. Yun Xi was stunned, her hands and feet sore and weak that she had no strength to push Yun Ye away. Even in her unconscious state, Yun Ye clung to her and refused to let go.

"Don't be afraid."

Ji Xun calmed Yun Xi down.

"I am here."

Although Yunye was the first to have bad intentions, she had never hurt anyone before. This was the first time she had caused someone to bleed so much, and she was scared.

Ji Xun took out a clean handkerchief, let her go, and carefully wiped the dirt between her fingers, his eyes serious and focused.

Yun Xi finally calmed down a bit, breathing heavily. She didn't want to cry, but the tears kept falling. She hugged Ji Xun's waist tightly until he isolated her from behind with his machete. Then she finally spoke: "Is he dead?"

Ji Xun took a glance and saw that he was still breathing.

"Not dead."

However, with such a severe head injury and so much blood loss, he probably won't live long.

Yun Xi's voice trembled: "This madman has set his sights on me..."

He comforted her, thought for a moment, and covered her eyes: "Your Highness, I will handle it."

Yun Xi grabbed his sleeve and asked, "How are you going to handle this by yourself?"

"He can't survive, let's get rid of him first." Ji Xun said, "I will take care of the funeral. Your Highness, please return to the banquet first."

Although killing people and disposing of corpses was a bit dirty, he also knew a lot of techniques. After all, in the Jin Dynasty palace, palace fighting and death were common, and he got used to it and became proficient in the techniques.

Yun Xi was worried, thinking he was going to take the blame alone: ​​"No, I can't leave you alone. I can help."

His dark eyes stared at her for a long moment before he said, "Your Highness, aren't you afraid?"

"I'm not afraid when I'm with you." After all, she was the one who hurt this man, and she couldn't leave the mess to him alone to deal with.

The two sides were deadlocked for a while, and finally Ji Xun compromised: "Your Highness, please keep watch and don't let anyone else come over."

Yun Xi nodded, lifted her skirt and walked outside.

She was still timid and didn't dare to watch the scene of the corpse being dealt with. She stood not far away and heard a man's muffled groan from behind, like a struggle before suffocation.

It was unknown how long it had been before Yun Xi dared to look back, and found that the bodies of Ji Xun and Yun Ye had disappeared, and the ground was clean, without even a drop of blood left.

Ji Xun killed someone for her.

This fact kept hammering at Yun Xi's heart, making her feel guilty and powerless. She couldn't help but wonder, what would Ji Xun do if he was blamed for the murder?

He was just an unknown guard who plotted to murder the son of a prince. If he was found out, he would definitely be beheaded.

Yun Xi regretted it.

She shouldn't have hit Yunye with the stone.

…

"Help, someone fell into the water!"

“Someone’s dead!”

A few screams of fear alarmed everyone in the Qiankun Palace.

A crowd gathered in front of the pond in the Imperial Garden, where several eunuchs were fishing in the pond. They found a piece of clothing floating in the pond, and when they pulled it out, they found a pale, stiff figure.

The women covered their faces to hide the horrifying scene.

The Emperor of Wei frowned: "Who is this? Why is he seeking death today?"

Eunuch Xu led his men forward to search, and found a dirty handkerchief from the man's arms, and used it to push aside his wet hair.

After Yun Li saw the man's face clearly, his expression suddenly darkened: "Royal brother, this is my son Yun Ye."

As soon as these words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent for a moment. The Emperor of Wei's expression also turned somewhat grim.

The King of Nanzhao just returned to Chang'an today. His relationship with the Emperor of Wei was not good to begin with. They seemed to have had an argument during a private meeting just now, and both of them looked unhappy when they came back.

Now that he has not yet left the palace, his only son has died in the imperial garden, which inevitably arouses suspicion.

Eunuch Xu quickly stepped forward to smooth things over: "Since Prince Yun entered the palace, he has been clamoring to come to the Imperial Garden. He previously told me that he wanted to come here to see the koi. Perhaps he accidentally fell in. Your Highness, I offer my condolences."

Everyone knew that Yun Li's son was born mentally retarded and would go crazy without warning from time to time, which was why Yun Li didn't let him into the banquet. It was understandable that a fool playing by the pond accidentally fell in.

To be precise, this was Yun Li's fault. The prince himself didn't even bother to send someone to guard him, and just let him go and lose his life.

But Yun Li sneered, "I know my son best. Although he may be foolish, he never does anything that disregards his own life. There must be something else going on this time."

His expression was stern, his eyes revealing no trace of pain. Instead, he seized upon this opportunity and demanded, "Brother Emperor, I have come back to Chang'an after so much hardship, and this is the gift you have prepared for me?"

The Emperor of Wei pursed his lips, remained silent for a moment, and said, "Are you saying that I deliberately harmed your child?"

Yun Li: "I dare not. But I do not believe that Ye'er would fall into the water. If your Majesty still cares about me as your younger brother, please investigate this matter thoroughly."

"Hey, what happened to Prince Yun's head? It looks like it was hit."

"Maybe there were rocks under the pond, and they hit me when I fell."

"Even so, could Prince Yun still plant it in this pond several times?"

Yun Li's expression grew increasingly gloomy. "Did anyone leave the banquet just now?"

There was complete silence.

In fact, they all clearly remembered that Yun Xi was the only one absent. If someone else had left without permission, it wouldn't have attracted much attention.

But that person happened to be Yun Xi, the first person sitting under the emperor, and it was hard not to notice him.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Wei's eyes flashed with majesty and anger, and he said sternly, "How can you be sure that it was done by the person who left the table? There are many people in this palace. I will send people to investigate this matter. Your Majesty, you have suddenly lost your beloved son and need to calm down. Come, send the King of Nanzhao back to his palace to rest."

Yun Li said coldly, "Okay, then I will wait for news from my royal brother."

The banquet ended in a bad mood, and the remaining guests and concubines were also dismissed.

After everyone had left, the Emperor of Wei looked at Eunuch Xu with a serious expression and gave him a look.

Eunuch Xu showed the handkerchief in his hand. The Emperor of Wei took a glance and almost immediately knew who it belonged to.

Yunjiangtian brocade is worth a fortune, and only three pieces are offered as tribute every year. One piece goes to the emperor, one piece is given to the harem, and the last piece is delivered to Princess Roujia's mansion every year without fail.

The small embroidery above is Yun Xi's favorite style.

The Emperor of Wei was silent for a moment, his eyes becoming increasingly heavy.

"Burn them, leaving no trace. As for the cloud brocades I saved from previous years, give them to all the palace maids who work in the imperial gardens."

…

At the same time, on the carriage back to the princess's mansion.

Yun Xi was fidgeting, lifting the curtain to look back from time to time.

"Do you think they will suspect us?"

Ji Xun held her hand and said, "If Your Highness had no previous contact with him, he would definitely not suspect you."

Yun Xi took a deep breath, thought for a moment, and looked at Ji Xun solemnly: "If we are really found out, I will give you some money and you leave Chang'an as soon as possible. Father has always loved me and will definitely not punish me."

The only thing she was worried about was Ji Xun.

"I will not leave." Ji Xun said calmly.

At least he won't leave until Yun Xi is safe.

Yun Xi glared at him: "Are you stupid? If our affair is exposed, you will definitely die."

In the final analysis, Ji Xun is different from her. She has her father to protect her, but she may not be able to protect Ji Xun from Yun Li.

"I feel that I am at least smarter than Your Highness." Ji Xun said, "After all, Your Highness's homework was taught by me."

Yun Xi: “…”

It's still dry humor at this time, not funny at all.

She lowered her eyes, and suddenly a thought came to her mind. After hesitating for a moment, she finally asked the question in her heart: "Ji Xun, why do you do so much for me?"

He could obviously do things for money and just fulfill his duties. Two hundred taels of silver a month was not enough for him to risk his life for her.

“…”

After a brief silence, Ji Xun finally changed his expression: "Your Highness, do you want to know?"

Yun Xi nodded, then added: "...Don't be so blunt."

It sounds so hurtful to say that he is just trying to get more benefits from her.

She waited quietly for his answer, and the car fell into a brief silence.

The bright moonlight shone through the gaps in the curtains, like a layer of pure white frost, and the golden face was also reduced in its coldness, with its outlines softened.

"If you want to know, close your eyes first."

They were too close and everything was quiet. Being stared at by her like that, Ji Xun found it difficult to speak.

A broad palm covered Yun Xi's eyes, covering half of her face. Yun Xi subconsciously closed her eyes, and her soft eyelashes brushed against his palm.

She didn't understand. What words had to be said with eyes closed?

"Ji Xun..."

The darkness in front of her eyes made her feel a little uneasy. Just at this moment, the carriage ran over a stone and shook uncontrollably.

She grabbed his arm for stability.

"Can I tell you now?" she asked.

Ji Xun stared at the face of the girl in front of him. Her hand gently tugged at her sleeve as she sat obediently in the dim light, waiting for him to answer. Although her eyes were covered, he could guess what kind of eyes were beneath her palms.

A strand of black hair hung beside her cheek, blown by the wind, brushing across her lips, and she pursed her lips.

Don't be too straightforward.

Then express it through actions.

Ji Xun understood the meaning of her words and slowly leaned forward——

A warm breath gradually approached.

"Yun Xi, I know you..."