Chapter 53 The Worrying Young Lady.

As they sped toward Huaiyang Villa, Ji Yujing was filled with a myriad of thoughts.

What kind of girl did he meet?

She was delicate and sickly, and could not withstand a single blow from him.

But she possesses immense energy and wisdom; she can always find the core from the smallest details, act one step ahead of everyone else, and then smooth things over.

She grew up pampered, and as long as the sky doesn't fall, she will continue to be so for the rest of her life.

But what she wanted was more than just affection.

She said she not only wanted to be Ji Ci's most beloved, but also his sidekick.

He guessed that Dai Dai might have guessed his decision, and that she was just saying these things to ease his psychological burden. She chose to bear the pressure from the royal family and the future fate of her family alone.

She's very sensible.

If he hadn't been moved by her if she weren't Lin Qingdai, then this statement would undoubtedly suit his wishes.

But now, her actions only make him feel sorry for her.

She was his wife; her joys and sorrows were all connected to him. How could he bear to let her bear it all alone?

Just like how she, with her delicate body, attempted to revitalize the entire Lingdong region.

If she didn't have feelings for him, she wouldn't have done all this.

Ji and Jing rushed into Huaiyang Villa, and after a short while, they stopped in front of a separate tea room.

I pushed open the door and entered. The tea room was brightly lit, with many lamps burning.

Song Qinghuai was sitting in the center of the room, next to a low, long tea table.

The warm breath, infused with the aroma of tea, swirled around him, rising and falling. The sudden noise didn't startle him, only slightly lifting the corners of his mouth.

"I thought you wouldn't come."

Ji Yujing removed his mask and nodded slightly: "Your Highness dotes on Dai Dai so much, this humble general cannot avoid it this time."

"sit."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

After Ji and Jing were seated, Prince Jingxian personally poured him tea.

As she pushed her towards him, he asked, "Is Dai Dai adapting well to life in Lingdong?"

Ji Yujing: "It's great, much better than I expected."

Song Qinghuai chuckled, "Her health is much better now. When she was little, she was sick every other day. Whenever she was sick, the Marquis would be all gloomy and wouldn't even bother to hide it when he went to court."

"After a while, His Majesty and all the court officials will be able to tell Dai Dai's physical condition just by looking at her expression."

That's something Lord Lin would do.

Ji Yujing couldn't help but imagine the scene, and a smile spread across her face.

Seeing this, Song Qinghuai's smile deepened.

After a brief pause, he steered the conversation back to the main topic: "General Ji, do you know why I bypassed Dai Dai to meet you in private?"

Ji Yujing's smile vanished: "I don't know."

Song Qinghuai: "Really?"

"I would like to ask you to help the fourth prince enter the Eastern Palace."

Jingxian Wang's directness stirred up Ji Yujing's heart, and his face remained cold and indifferent, as if covered with frost and snow.

"The fourth prince is neither the eldest son nor the legitimate son, and his maternal family has no military power to rely on. How easy is it to help him ascend to the throne?"

"That's true in theory. But the emperor's four sons are quite powerful without Wu Tingshan."

Or it should be said that, "Without Wu Tingshan, the fourth prince, whose mother is still favored and whose family is low-key and wealthy, would be the one with the most obvious advantages."

Ji Yujing: "Your Highness means..."

Song Qinghuai: "Eliminate Wu Tingshan."

Ji Yujing had heard of Prince Jingxian's name before.

Rumor has it that he is a very easy-going person with little desire for power.

Why is it like this now?

Ji Yujing was puzzled, but at this moment, he could hardly find an answer.

"Your Highness has come to the martial arts tournament this time to recruit masters for your use and assassinate Wu Tingshan?"

"yes."

Song Qinghuai was frank and open.

"But hearing that you and Dai Dai have come here, I feel there is no need to go to such lengths. Dai Dai and the Fourth Prince grew up together and have a deep bond. The Fourth Prince taking over the Eastern Palace will be good for both the Lin family and Lingdong."

Song Qinghuai had thought things through quite thoroughly, but he had overlooked one thing: Ji Yujing was no longer willing to entrust his and Lingdong's fate to anyone else. He trusted no one but himself.

Song Yunyan is doing well now, but who can guarantee that he won't become the next Song Qingwu in a few years?

Wu Tingshan may have made many mistakes, but his military achievements are real, and to this day he still firmly holds the western border.

But the royal family still wanted him dead, showing him no mercy.

Ji Yujing cannot guarantee that he will do better than Wu Tingshan in the future.

To put it bluntly, if he fails to rise to power, he and Dai Dai's future child will not be able to be raised by his side.

"Your Highness is absolutely right, but this humble general cannot kill Wu Tingshan."

Song Qinghuai raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Why?"

Ji Yujing only revealed half of his true feelings: "As fellow border generals, if I were to actually assassinate Wu Tingshan, I fear it would leave me with a lingering resentment and an unstable state of mind."

Are you worried that you'll end up like Wu Tingshan in the future?

Ji Yujing did not answer the question.

Song Qinghuai stared at him for a moment, then smiled.

"Let's go back."

"Take good care of Dai Dai."

Ji Yujing rose to take his leave: "If Your Highness sees Dai Dai, please do not mention what we discussed tonight, or she will worry."

Song Qinghuai: "That's natural."

Ji and Jing left the villa without anyone noticing.

After he left, Ning Xian walked from the shadows behind Song Qinghuai.

"Your Highness, what should we do next?"

Song Qinghuai subtly curled his lips: "Give Ji Yujing and Wu Tingshan a reason why they have no choice but to kill each other."

Isn't that enough?

How can Ji and Jing avoid this situation?

...

When Ji Yujing returned to the inn, he found that Lin Qingdai was not in her room.

But the girl was always thorough in her dealings, so she didn't leave him a separate note.

In the tea room

The tea room, as Ji Yujing remembers, was on this floor, a place for guests staying on this floor to drink tea and have fun. It had all kinds of chess and card games.

Ji and Jing arrived quickly.

There was a knock on the door, and Mingqian opened it.

"Son-in-law."

Mingqian and Ji greeted each other, and the noise mixed with the smell of alcohol spread out at the same time.

"The Doctrine of the Mean".

"Hypocritical and sanctimonious."

"And then...that was it."

"Hahaha, Young Master Xiao, drink up!"

Mu Qinghuai, Leng Jialan, Lin Qingdai, and Ye Xiao were sitting by the window of the tea room, where a large bamboo mat was laid out. The window was wide open, and a cool night breeze rushed in. Several jars of wine were scattered around them, and they smelled similar to what they had drunk at dinner, so they must have been from the inn.

"General Ji, you're back."

"Come on, you take over for your wife. She's amazing, she hasn't touched a drop of alcohol all this time."

Mu Qinghuai was the first to notice Ji Yujing's arrival, and as soon as she saw him, she shouted loudly.

He possessed none of the sharp arrogance that would make the far north wary.

Ji and Jing strode toward the four people.

Lin Qingdai, who had her back to the door, turned around when she heard Mu Qinghuai's shouting.

Seeing Ji Yujing approaching her, she couldn't help but smile, her beauty as pure and radiant as a new moon in the mountains, untouched by any dust.

Ji Yujing saw this and felt at peace.

He sat down next to Lin Qingdai as if it were the most natural thing in the world and asked softly, "Is it fun?"

Lin Qingdai laughed: "It's fun."

Seeing that his brother couldn't see him at all, Ye Xiao couldn't help but complain, "Brother, why don't you ask me if it's fun?"

Ji Yujing: "No need to ask."

Ye Xiao: "Why?"

Ji Yujing: "This kind of game is definitely not fun for people who haven't read many books."

Ye Xiao: "..."

It must have been so painful to have my own brother betray me.

Hahahahahaha.

Seeing Ye Xiao's reaction, Mu Qinghuai laughed mercilessly.

Ye Xiao glanced at him and said, "Young Master Mu, you've had your share of drinking. You need to study hard when you get back to the far north, understand?"

Mu Qinghuai: "..."

Leng Jialan couldn't stop laughing when she saw Mu Qinghuai's rare moment of speechlessness.

If it were anyone else, Mu Qinghuai would have definitely disciplined them. But what else could he do but spoil his beloved wife?

He chose to ignore this matter and looked at Ji Yujing, "Are you coming or not? My knowledge is inferior to that of Miss Lin, but it may not be as good as yours, Ji Yujing."

Ji Yujing: "Come on, don't cry if you lose."

Mu Qinghuai: "Grandpa hasn't cried since he was six years old."

With Ye Xiao joining the fray, the three of them began their battle.

Poetry, lyrics, and songs clamored, each with its own winners and losers; the tea room was noisy, and even the night breeze couldn't dampen the din.

As night deepened, everyone returned to their rooms.

After a quick wash, I returned to bed.

Lin Qingdai turned to look at Ji Yujing and asked softly, "What did you talk about with your uncle?"

Ji Yujing: "Didn't Madam say that we each have our own studies to complete?"

Lin Qingdai paused for a few moments, then chuckled softly, "Then I won't ask anymore, but remember to discuss any trouble with me."

"One person cannot defeat two wise men."

A meddlesome young lady.

A smile welled up in Ji Yujing's eyes: "Mmm-hmm."

"Are you just giving me the runaround?"

Every word comes from the heart.

Song Yunmian didn't get to see Ji Yujing, but this time it wasn't entirely fruitless.

Zhang Qiyuan has arrived.

Deep within the villa, all was as still as water.

Song Yunmian and Zhang Qiyuan each occupied a low table, on which were placed several kinds of tea and snacks. The table was elegant, but it did not appear extravagant at first glance.

Song Yunmian is the emperor's eldest son and is now over twenty-six years old.

Perhaps because he had always lived in a beautiful, secluded place, he looked to be only in his early twenties, with a gentle and refined demeanor. Dressed in white, he exuded no trace of hostility.

As soon as they sat down, before even touching their tea, Zhang Qiyuan went straight to the point: "What brings the First Prince to Lingdong by surprise?"

Song Yunmian curled her lips into a smile. "What does Young Master Zhang think?"

Zhang Qiyuan: "It's nothing more than that."

Who wouldn't want the supreme throne?

All the powerful warlords had their eyes on it, not to mention the imperial princes and their offspring.

A laugh escaped from Song Yunmian's throat: "Young Master Zhang is indeed a remarkable person."

"Would Young Master Zhang be interested in joining Yunmian's scheme?"

Zhang Qiyuan didn't answer whether it was okay or not, but simply asked, "What does the Crown Prince plan to put on the table?"

Song Yunmian: "How about I give you Ji Yujing's life?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qiyuan was deeply moved.

On her face, a faint smile played on her lips.

"Everyone wants Ji Yujing dead, but if I may be frank, he has only ever killed others up to this point."

He's incredibly resilient, and his martial arts skills are astounding.

Aside from Lin Qingdai, who was unguarded and could get close to him at any time, he couldn't think of anyone who could take his life.

But seeing how protective Lin Qingdai was, it was best for her not to get involved.

Song Yunmian picked up his cup and took two sips of tea.

As the aroma of tea lingered on his lips and teeth, he smiled and said, "In Lingdong, no one can do anything to him."

"But what if we go beyond Lingdong? Young Master Zhang, have you heard the story of the snipe and the clam fighting, and the fisherman reaping the benefits?"

"The vast west is the most suitable place to bury the bones of generals."

The vast west is home not only to the war god Wu Tingshan, but also to the Zhang family, the most powerful and influential family in Xun Kingdom.

If Ji Yujing and Wu Tingshan had fought first, Ji Yujing would have been exhausted even if he hadn't died.

At that time, Zhang Qiyuan was the most powerful man in the west, and there was a very high probability that he would kill Ji Yujing there.

Since Ji Yujing was unwilling to be used by him, then he could only die.

Song Yunmian didn't utter a single word during this planning process.

But Zhang Qiyuan understood, and his dark eyes brightened slightly: "How do we lead Ji Yujing to Tianyun City?"

Ji Yujing is not an obedient person.

Song Yunmian smiled, "That's not something for Young Master Zhang to worry about."

"Young Master Zhang only needs to decide whether to follow or not this time."

After several breaths of silence, Zhang Qiyuan sat down and touched his teacup for the first time.

He raised his cup towards Song Yunmian and said, "Since the Crown Prince has come prepared, Qi Yuan, you may also join in and have some fun."

"It's a pleasure to work with you."

Upon hearing this, Song Yunmian's smile deepened.

However, his eyes were cold.