Chapter 106 "Ancestor, why do you cry so much..."

Yan Jiarou lowered her head, twisted her fingers, pursed her lips, and slowly moved over.

When she reached Xiao Che's side, just as she was about to speak, he pulled her into his arms.

He had her sit on his lap, one arm gently hooking around her slender waist from behind, his hand slowly roaming over her waist. He rested his chin on her shoulder, gently nuzzling her cheek: "Yan Yan, did you need something?"

"I..." Yan Jiarou hadn't decided whether to ask Xiao Che about what happened in court today, or about Xiao Jue's suspicions about him. If she were to ask, how should she begin?

He could only say softly, "Actually, I'm fine..."

"Oh? Nothing much, yet you came to see me..." Xiao Che: "Missed me?"

Yan Jiarou couldn't think of any other excuse for a moment, so she could only nod and softly say "Mmm".

Xiao Che chuckled softly, turned her face towards him, pinched her chin, and asked, "What do you miss about me? How much?"

"I……"

Yan Jiarou frowned slightly. She had only given a random answer in the first place, and now her mind was in turmoil. How could she calm down and think of an answer? Besides, how could anyone answer Xiao Che's question... So she could only lower her head and remain silent.

"What?" Xiao Che raised an eyebrow: "Not going to talk?"

A playful smile played on his lips: "Then I'll have to take a look."

Before Yan Jiarou could even process what he meant by "check it out," she was suddenly lifted into the air.

Xiao Che swept all the items on the table aside, grabbed Yan Jiarou by the waist, and placed her on the table.

Yan Jiarou cried out, "Brother, what are you doing..."

Xiao Che chuckled softly, his finger hovering over the rope tying her chest: "What do you think?"

Today she wore a high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with the sash tied in a knot at the chest. After untying the knot, the two pieces of the ruqun would loosen, and then the waistband could be loosened to take off the entire dress.

In other words, untying the knots is the first step in taking off the ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).

At this moment, Xiao Che's finger hovered over the series, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Yan Jiarou's snow-white earlobes were tinged with rouge, and she said shyly, "No... it's daytime now, and we're in the Han Guang Palace..."

Xiao Che placed his hands on either side of his waist, leaned closer to her, and asked with a faint smile, "So what if it's daytime? So what if it's Han Guang Palace?"

"Isn't it perfect to indulge in lewdness during the day? Otherwise, how could it be called 'indulging in lewdness during the day'?"

"As for Hanguang Palace, we've already done Chenghuan Palace, what's one more Hanguang Palace?"

“Baby, since it’s called Hanguang Palace, it should be filled with something.”

His thumb massaged her cherry-red lips, probing slightly inside, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Do you want this mouth on top to hold you, or the bottom..."

Yan Jiarou's chest heaved slightly, her breathing a little erratic, a thin layer of pink flushing her fair cheeks. She turned her face away and said, "How can you use 'profanity' like that? You...you always have so many twisted arguments. You're just taking advantage of my lack of intelligence and education, deliberately teasing me...I don't want to talk to you anymore..."

Xiao Che leaned in and kissed her, chuckling softly, "Baby, you can ignore me. Be good and don't move."

As soon as she finished speaking, Yan Jiarou felt a loosening of her body. Looking down, she saw that the ties had been untied and Xiao Che was slowly peeling off her ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). By the time she realized what was happening, she was only wearing a small garment, barely covering her exposed breasts.

Her skin, exposed to the air, stirred a subtle shiver. Although it wasn't the dead of winter, autumn had arrived, and a chill hung in the air. She couldn't help but shiver, instinctively snuggling closer to Xiao Che's embrace: "Ugh, brother..."

Xiao Che gently stroked her body; her fair and smooth skin felt like milk, with an excellent texture. "Is my royal sister throwing herself into my arms?"

Yan Jiarou looked up and glared at him, "...It's all your fault. You ruined my ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), that's why I feel cold..."

“It was my fault,” Xiao Che lowered his head, kissed her forehead, and said meaningfully, “I will apologize to my sister right now.”

The words had barely left his mouth when his hand swept across her chest. (Delete all...)

Yan Jiarou's long, thick eyelashes suddenly trembled violently, like butterflies resting on branches after the rain.

A pair of clear, black and white eyes gradually became misty, the corners of their eyes turned red, and their gaze began to lose focus.

She nestled against Xiao Che's chest, clutching his belt tightly, her breathing becoming labored, repeatedly calling his name: "Xiao Che, Xiao Wenqi... uh..."

In a short while, all the commotion was silenced again.

Yan Jiarou nestled against Xiao Che's chest, breathing weakly and feebly.

Xiao Che withdrew his hand, rubbing the glistening droplet on his fingertip, and slowly curled his lips into a smile: "I've checked—it seems the baby really misses me."

Yan Jiarou's eyelashes trembled slightly as she realized that the "examination" Xiao Che had mentioned was actually this kind of examination...

Suddenly, she felt her face burning even hotter, so she buried it deep in her face, unwilling to see anyone.

Xiao Che picked her up and placed her on the table, then slowly leaned over her: "Since my royal sister misses me so much, I should naturally do something in return."

He curled his lips into a smile and said in a hoarse voice, "Little Rabbit, this time you've delivered yourself right to my doorstep."

...

The desk shook violently, and tears welled up in Yan Jiarou's eyes from the overwhelming grief. She tightly covered her mouth to prevent any sound from leaking out, lest the palace servants walking outside the hall hear the commotion.

Xiao Che pressed her down and pounded her several times, and seeing that Yan Jiarou was about to faint again, he finally let her go.

As Yan Jiarou lay dying, she suddenly recalled what Xiao Jue had told her before: "If you continue to be so indulgent, one day Xiao Che will kill you in bed." She had always thought it was an exaggeration, but now it seemed that it might not be true.

Xiao Che was clearly not satisfied yet, but she was already exhausted.

After it was over, Xiao Che pulled Yan Jiarou, who was like a lump of mud, into his arms and rubbed against her affectionately, kissing her earlobe and cheek from time to time. However, he still let her sit on his lap, but did not remove himself from her seat.

Yan Jiarou was about to cry.

The people of Lanling possessed terrifying energy, and Xiao Che knew in his heart that even ten Yan Jiarous might not be enough to satisfy his appetite.

What can we do?

There is only one little rabbit.

It's because he likes her so much, and he likes her too.

If there was only one little rabbit, he could only tease her, but he didn't dare to be too unrestrained. Yan Jiarou had been spoiled since she was a child, like a porcelain doll. He was afraid that if he wasn't careful, he would break the only little rabbit.

Who should we ask for compensation from then on?

He enjoyed doing this with Yan Jiarou. Besides the fact that he couldn't help himself whenever he saw her and wanted to take her with him to Jile, there was another reason: only in those moments, when he was completely immersed in her, with each other in the other, could he truly feel that she belonged to him.

It belongs only to him.

He rested his chin on the side of her neck, inhaling her scent, enjoying the tenderness between them.

Yan Jiarou felt that Xiao Che was in a good mood at the moment.

...That makes sense, he always felt good after teasing her.

If he's in a good mood right now, then even if she said something wrong, he probably...wouldn't hold it against her, right?

If that's the case, that previous thought resurfaced from the depths of my heart.

Perhaps she could take this opportunity to ask Xiao Che some questions she wanted to know.

She peeked her head out from Xiao Che's embrace and inadvertently glanced at the mess on the table, where a large puddle of warm, damp water glistened.

Her face flushed, and she quickly looked away, but out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of the files and letters that Xiao Che had previously swept aside, and Xiao Jue's words suddenly echoed in her ears again—

"Do you really understand him? Do you know his plans, his ambitions? He probably hasn't told you anything, has he?"

"He only had sexual relations with you, never truly confided in you. You know nothing about his actions in court. Am I right?"

"He's just using you to amuse himself; in his eyes, you're nothing more than a plaything."

Yan Jiarou slowly frowned.

"Yes, every time Xiao Che sees her, he only does this kind of thing with her, forcing her to release her pent-up desire, or teasing her like a cat or dog, just to amuse her. If he truly harbors ambitions to seize the throne and genuinely loves her, why does he never tell her about his plans?"

Could it be true, as Xiao Jue said, that his feelings for her were merely a passing fancy, and that from beginning to end he only treated her as a plaything?

No, if that were the case, why would he be so eager to marry her?

She had promised him that she would trust him and not doubt him so easily...

She clenched her fists tightly, struggling with her inner turmoil, when Xiao Che suddenly leaned in and gently licked her earlobe: "What are you thinking about, little bunny, hmm?"

“I…” Yan Jiarou looked up at the official documents and letters that Xiao Che had swept aside, hesitated for a moment, and tentatively reached out her hand: “Xiao Che, what do you usually look at in your study? May I take a look?”

But just as her hand reached halfway up, before it could even touch the letters, a large hand suddenly appeared from the side, completely enveloping her hand and pulling it back.

"Why look at those things? They're so boring," Xiao Che lowered his head and kissed the back of her hand. She looked up at him, smiled slightly, and remained as handsome and captivating as ever: "Isn't it better to look at me?"

Yan Jiarou was taken aback, but this time she was not easily swayed by beauty.

He had used this tactic more than once in my memory.

Whenever he wanted to distract her, he would smile at her and make her look at him.

He knew that once she was mesmerized, she would forget everything.

But this time is different.

The more Xiao Che tried to distract her, the more it proved Xiao Jue's words true.

But she didn't want to assume such malicious thoughts about the person she liked; she wanted to believe him, so she had to ask him directly.

She lowered her head, gently fiddling with her fingers. After a moment, she closed her eyes, as if making a decision, and finally murmured as she spoke:

"Xiao Che, I've heard about what happened in court this morning."

Xiao Che's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly. After a moment of contemplation, he asked casually in a joking tone, "Oh? When did our Yan Yan start caring about matters of the court?"

“I don’t care about what’s going on in the court,” Yan Jiarou looked up and stared intently at him. “I just want to care about you.”

"Caring about me?" Xiao Che smiled enigmatically, his hand slowly moving upwards from her waist, and said in a hoarse voice, "Then you should visit Hanguang Palace more often in the future, and you'll be able to care about me properly."

Yan Jiarou, suppressing the throbbing sensations from Xiao Che's fingertips, said seriously:

"Xiao Che, I'm serious... Why is this all you know..."

Xiao Che paused for a moment, then leaned over and kissed her, gently coaxing, "What's wrong, baby?"

"I..." Yan Jiarou's face flushed. She removed Xiao Che's hand from in front of her, calmed herself down a little, and then raised her head to look at him and said, "I heard that you have cleared up the bloodline controversy in court today. So Consort Jiang is your mother, is that right?"

Xiao Che's expression shifted slightly, and he swallowed hard. He simply said, "Who is my mother? Does that matter? Why are you such a child worrying about so much?"

"I'm not a child anymore!" Yan Jiarou's chest heaved as she frowned and said, "Why...why didn't you tell me anything?"

Xiao Che's expression froze for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and said with a faint smile, "I only found out this morning in court. How can I explain it to you?"

"You...you didn't know beforehand? I thought it was your doing...how could you not be from Lanling? You were born like this, and you..."

"What about me? Yan Yan, don't you think my appearance is somewhat similar to Jiang Yan's? As for being good at riding and archery, or other outstanding qualities, it's not necessarily only people from Lanling who can do them, is it?"

Yan Jiarou was stunned for a moment: "I..."

What Xiao Che said did seem to make some sense.

Could it all really just be a coincidence?

She recalled what Xiao Jue had said to her: "If you can't wait, why don't you go back and ask him if he's actually interested in that position?"

Yes, that's the key question. If he has no intention of vying for the throne, then naturally he won't be involved in other matters.

Thinking of this, she pursed her lips, raised her eyes and looked directly at him, saying, "Xiao Che, I want to ask you, have you ever coveted the position of crown prince?"

Xiao Che suddenly raised his eyes and stared intently at Yan Jiarou. His beautiful brown pupils shimmered with an unusual light, a mixture of surprise and contemplation that followed.

The room was silent.

On the table, incense sticks burned, their lingering fragrance curling into grayish-white snakes in the incense burner. White smoke billowed from the mouth of the lion-like creature, drifting between the two.

Through the wispy smoke, Xiao Che's handsome and charming face appeared even more unreal.

"Little Rabbit," he suddenly chuckled, his voice as faint as smoke, "Do you want to be the Empress?"

Yan Jiarou's heart skipped a beat, and her heart sank straight down.

She thought, "Oh no, he wants to be the crown prince."

The first thought that came to mind was: What should we do about Xiao Jue?

Thinking this to herself, she actually asked, "But that belongs to my brother, the Crown Prince... How could you..."

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Xiao Che's face suddenly turn cold and stern.

"What, does my royal sister think that only Xiao Jue is worthy of the position of crown prince, and that I am not worthy? Or do you, like everyone else, believe that I was born lowly?!"

"I...that's not what I meant. It's just that the position of Crown Prince originally belonged to Xiao Jue. If you covet it, wouldn't you be trying to snatch it from him by force?"

"So what? The position of crown prince was obtained through scheming. Does Xiao Jue have to be the crown prince for life just because he was once? I am also one of my father's sons. In what way am I inferior to him? Besides, he is now a cripple. There is no reason in this world for a eunuch to be the crown prince."

“Xiao Yan was deposed, and Xiao Jue became a cripple. Shouldn’t I be interested in the position of Crown Prince? This position should have been mine originally.” There was an almost pathological possessiveness in his eyes as he said, word by word, “Just like you, you can only be mine.”

“Of course I’m yours,” Yan Jiarou said urgently, clinging to Xiao Che’s arm. “But Xiao Che, my brother the Crown Prince is already so pitiful. I love you so much, I definitely won’t go back to him. He’s been seriously injured, and I’ve already left him. If I lose my position as Crown Prince, I’m afraid… I’m afraid it would be too cruel to him…”

Hearing Xiao Tu say she liked him, Xiao Che's expression finally softened, and his voice also softened: "Fool, if I'm not cruel to him, and he succeeds to the throne, what good will I do? And will he allow you to stay by my side?"

He said, "He'll only take you away from me."

"No, the Crown Prince is gentle by nature, he wouldn't..."

She stopped mid-sentence, frowning. The Xiao Jue she remembered had always been gentle and refined, but lately, perhaps due to the series of blows that had affected him, his temperament had indeed changed a lot. Sometimes he was quite eccentric, and he always vowed that he would definitely bring her back to his side... If what Xiao Che said was true, it wasn't just a temporary inability to let go, but rather a scheme to make her leave Xiao Che.

So, isn't this the first thing he'll do once he takes office?

That won't do!

No one in this world can separate her from Xiao Che.

Seeing that her expression had softened, Xiao Che raised his hand to stroke her cheek, looked at her deeply, and said, "Yan Yan, if you truly love me, you should stand by my side, think what I think, and wish what I wish. I am your husband, and we are one. No matter how close you and Xiao Jue were before, now that you have chosen me, he is an outsider. You cannot side with an outsider, understand?"

Yan Jiarou nodded blankly.

If she had to choose between Xiao Che and Xiao Jue, she would naturally only choose Xiao Che.

She reflected on herself and realized that Xiao Che was right.

She can't keep hurting Xiao Jue's feelings for him. If he wants that position, she can't stop him just to avoid hurting him.

Even if she were to show favoritism, she should have favored Xiao Che.

Having figured this out, she looked up at Xiao Che, gently cupping his face in her warm, soft palms, her eyes more resolute than ever before: "Xiao Che, you are very good, you are good in every way. There is nothing about you that is inferior to your brother, the Crown Prince. Whether in the past or now, whether you are the son of the Imperial Concubine or the son of Consort Jiang, whether you are from Wei or Lanling, I have never thought of you as lowly. A person's nobility or baseness is never determined solely by bloodline."

"I only know that I like you, so I must respect your wishes, support your decisions, and stand with you through thick and thin. Therefore, if you want to compete for the position of crown prince, I will no longer stop you."

She cupped his face in her hands and reverently placed a kiss on his lips: "Brother, I'm willing to stay with you."

Xiao Che stared at her in a daze, seemingly not expecting Yan Jiarou to suddenly say such a thing. His brown eyes suddenly brightened, and a look of joy flashed across his face: "Yan Yan..."

Like a spring stream breaking through ice, a surge of warmth welled up from the bottom of my heart. My heart felt as if it were immersed in melting snow in spring, with a touch of warmth, yet also a faint heat, making my heart tremble slightly.

Yan Jiarou nestled obediently in his arms, wrapping her arms around his waist and nuzzling against his chest: "There's just one thing, I trust you so much, so please don't lie to me..."

Xiao Che gently rubbed the top of her head and chuckled, "When have I ever lied to you?"

"Then... Xiao Jue's fall from his horse, and your second brother's crippling, are all unrelated to you?"

Xiao Che paused.

He swallowed hard, and said calmly and detachedly—

"Xiao Jue's fall from his horse was caused by Xiao Yan, and Xiao Yan's downfall was due to the exposure of his crimes. There was nothing that could be done to reverse the situation, so what does it have to do with me?"

Yan Jiarou immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and then asked, "Then... will you marry another woman in the future? Like that Cui Lingyi..." When she asked this question, Yan Jiarou felt a dull pain in her heart. The thought of such a possibility made her feel as if she was about to die from sadness.

Xiao Che, however, seemed to have heard a joke. He flicked her forehead with his finger and said, "What are you thinking, little rabbit? Me and Cui Lingyi? What are you talking about? Is it that arrogant, eldest daughter of the Cui family, the eldest Miss Cui?"

Recalling Cui Lingyi, he couldn't help but scoff: "I don't know what I did to offend her. Even not saying anything when I see her is like a crime. Ha, every time she sees me, she has to say a few sarcastic things. As the eldest daughter of the Cui family, she is of noble birth and high bloodline. The people she looks down on the most are lowly people like me from Lanling."

"...But haven't you already cleared up the controversy over your bloodline?"

"So what? Just because I'm not from Lanling doesn't mean she'll like me, right?" He chuckled nonchalantly, looking down and playing with her fingers. "Besides, I only like you, Yan Yan."

Yan Jiarou pursed her lips, ultimately deciding not to reveal that Cui Lingyi had always liked him. For some reason, she simply didn't want him to know.

She lowered her eyes, her expression somewhat forlorn: "...But I have no family to rely on, so I can't help you with anything..."

Xiao Che's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he tenderly cupped her hand in his. His little rabbit had something on her mind, he thought.

He lifted her chin, looked down to meet her gaze, his beautiful brown eyes staring straight into hers, and said with utmost seriousness, "I never intended to use you."

“Yan Yan, since my mother died, I have carried a heavy burden.”

"You say I won't tell you anything, but Yan Yan, I don't want you to carry these burdens like I do. I can bear these heavy things alone. You just need to enjoy the beautiful moments with me."

"I only want to bring you joy and pleasure. You don't need to know anything else. I think you've always been innocent and naive, a little rabbit that I've protected very well, you know?"

“I don’t consider myself a gentleman. In my life, I’ve used many people to achieve my goals, but I will never use you. So, you don’t need to do anything. Just stay by my side, love me, and believe in me forever. That will be the greatest help you can give me, understand?”

Yan Jiarou stared at him blankly.

She leaned back into Xiao Che's arms: "Brother, I believe whatever you say."

Xiao Che said he would not marry Cui Lingyi, and that the matter between Xiao Yan and Xiao Jue had nothing to do with him.

He said he didn't tell her much or confide in her because he didn't want her to bear too much burden.

So she believed everything he said.

People tend to believe what they want to believe, and Xiao Che is someone she likes, so there seems to be no reason to doubt him.

She chose to believe him.

Xiao Che smiled and gently stroked the top of her head: "Good girl."

"If you become the crown prince and inherit the throne in the future, will you let Xiao Jue go?" Yan Jiarou raised her eyes and asked him one last question.

"No matter what, he is still my brother. Don't worry, I won't do anything to kill him. At the very least, I will spare his life and let him live out his life with dignity."

"That's good," she said, relieved by the satisfactory answer. Her last bit of worry was gone. She tilted her head back and kissed him happily, smiling sweetly, "Brother, I know you have the kindest heart."

Actually, her wish is very simple: that all the people she cares about can live well, that she can stay with the man she loves forever, and that her beloved can have his wish fulfilled. That would be enough for her.

After opening her heart, the girl was in a good mood. She sat on his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and stared at him without blinking. Her dimples were shallow, and her innocent charm was tinged with a kind of bewildered allure, making her even more captivating. However, she was completely unaware that her two snow-white legs were swinging in mid-air.

As she looked at it, she grew increasingly delighted and couldn't resist kissing it again.

Xiao Che was mostly dressed, but Xiao Tu was completely naked, and yet she still recklessly teased him again, setting him aroused once more. Moreover, his belongings hadn't been removed at all.

He pinched her slender waist with one hand and lifted her chin with the other, a smug look on his lips: "You just said that you don't have a family to rely on and can't help me. Judging from your tone, it sounds like you feel a little guilty?"

Yan Jiarou's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her mood visibly sombered. "Yes... I'm sorry, brother. Unlike Cui Lingyi, I don't have a prestigious family background. Although I am a princess, I only have the title. I have no real power or support, and I'm not even as good as an ordinary noblewoman... You could marry any noblewoman and she would be more helpful to you than I am... I'm not smart enough to offer you any advice. I can't help you with anything..."

As she spoke, her voice became choked with sobs. She was prone to crying, and her eyes instantly reddened. As soon as she finished speaking, tears began to fall in a steady stream.

Xiao Che regretted it almost instantly.

I was just trying to tease the little rabbit, how did I end up making it cry again?

He leaned in and licked away her tears, quickly coaxing her, "Okay, baby, don't apologize. Didn't I say I don't need you to do these things for me?"

"Your willingness to love me is already a great blessing to me."

"Stop belittling yourself, understand?"

The little girl nodded, obediently stopping her tears, but her eyes were still red and she looked at him pitifully, just like a bullied little rabbit.

Xiao Che clicked his tongue, his thumb stroking her rosy lips, a low, husky laugh escaping his throat, a mixture of helplessness and doting: "My dear, why do you cry so much?"

"You're not allowed to cry anymore."

"I don't like seeing you cry, you know?"

He leaned close to her ear, his warm breath tickling her neck, his tone tender and lingering: "If you want to cry, you can only cry on the bed."

The little girl blushed and nodded, giving a soft "Mmm".

Xiao Che's lips curled up: "Good girl, there's no need to feel guilty towards me, but if you really feel bad—"

He abruptly changed the subject, lifting his eyelids and smiling with a flirtatious and suggestive tone: "Want some compensation?"

"I want to!" The little rabbit blinked and asked innocently, "But... how can I make it up to you?"

Xiao Che struggled to suppress his laughter: "Baby, how come you never learn even after being fooled a hundred times? When will our Yan Yan finally become a little smarter?"

The little rabbit looked at him blankly: "Brother..."

Xiao Che raised an eyebrow, his smile fading, his eyes darkening. "Now, do you understand?"

The little white rabbit instantly turned into a red apple, and Yan Jiarou buried her face in his chest, refusing to see anyone.

Xiao Che patted her, and said in a hoarse voice, "Go to the bed... delete everything."

The little rabbit blushed and obediently did as instructed, calling out softly, "Brother..." (The entire text is deleted.)

...

As night fell over the glazed tiles of Hanguang Hall, a copper bell under the eaves suddenly trembled, shattering the sandalwood incense that filled the hall.

Inside the hall, a bronze sparrow platform held a candlestick. After an unknown amount of time, the sound of flickering candlelight was suddenly heard, and the candle flame leaped and danced, illuminating two intertwined figures on the bed through the layers of gauze curtains.

A room filled with the warmth of spring.

On the surface, this trust crisis between the two seems to have passed.