Chapter 97 "Such a delicate and charming imperial sister, he..."

Yingxue was about to give her a few more instructions when, before she knew it, she had already gotten out of bed and run far away.

Yingxue was taken aback, sensing something was amiss. A glimpse of the gold-leaf cloud-patterned shoes on the ground caught her eye, and she realized what was happening. She quickly called out to Yingxue's retreating figure, "Little ancestor, you're not wearing shoes yet!"

Yan Jiarou stopped abruptly, then quickly pulled up her skirt and turned back, her little face scrunched up, looking like she was about to cry, muttering urging, "Oh, Yingxue, hurry up, hurry up..."

Yingxue comforted the little princess while bending down to help her put on her shoes.

As soon as she put on her shoes, the little princess lifted the hem of her skirt and hurriedly ran towards the door, just like a bouncy little rabbit that was impossible to catch.

Today, in order to see Xiao Che, she specially wore a light gauze pleated skirt, the hem of which was decorated with embroidery of peacock feathers and adorned with pearls. With each movement, she swayed gracefully, light and elegant, like a fluttering butterfly.

In the blink of an eye, Yingxue, just like a butterfly, flew away.

She shook her head with amusement, thinking, "Is it really that urgent?"

She had known for a long time that her little princess truly loved the Third Prince, but she didn't know when it started, that she had fallen for him to this extent.

She probably doesn't even realize it herself.

——

That day, Xue Zhi knocked on the door and came in, saying that the Empress Dowager had sent someone to invite the Third Prince to Anren Hall for a chat.

Xiao Che looked up from the files: "What's wrong? Is something wrong with her?"

"They said they've been feeling mentally exhausted lately and have been having many dreams at night. One of them dreamt about Your Highness's childhood, so they wanted to invite you over for a chat."

Xiao Che didn't think much of it and nodded, saying, "I understand." He closed the dossier in his hand and tossed it aside. "Prepare some nourishing and calming herbs later, and come with me to Ren'an Palace."

"Yes, Master."

——

When Xiao Che went to Ren'an Palace to see the Empress Dowager, he found that she was in good spirits and full of energy, not at all like someone who was mentally exhausted or had many dreams at night. He immediately noticed something was amiss and became more cautious.

After the palace maid served the tea, he lifted the lid of the cup and brushed away the floating tea foam. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a corner of a lotus-pink gauze dress faintly visible behind a screen opposite him, with pearls adorning the hem emitting a lustrous sheen.

Xiao Che curved his lips into a smile, placed the teacup on the table, raised his eyes, and said with a half-smile, "Grandmother, there seems to be a figure hiding behind your screen, acting suspiciously. Could it be an assassin?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the pinkish-white figure paused and quickly shrank back, looking guilty.

Xiao Che raised an eyebrow, his teasing mood intensifying. He said lazily, "She really is an assassin. As soon as she heard us mention her, she hid back inside. An assassin infiltrating the palace is no small matter." He deliberately called out loudly, "Guards! Catch the assassin—"

Yan Jiarou was startled and forced to reveal herself: "No...it's not an assassin..."

The girl emerged from behind the screen, standing awkwardly before the two of them. She nervously twisted her fingers, head bowed, her voice barely audible: "It's...it's me...Jiarou..."

In this awkward situation, she felt utterly ashamed, yet she still couldn't help but steal glances at Xiao Che.

The Empress Dowager rubbed her forehead and quickly reached for her teacup to cover up her mistake, pretending she hadn't seen anything.

Xiao Che looked her up and down, a playful smile playing on his lips:

"Oh? So, it's the imperial sister."

Yan Jia responded softly, "Mmm, Third...Third Brother..."

Seeing her good-for-nothing granddaughter completely captivated by Xiao Che, staring blankly at him and oblivious to everything else, the Empress Dowager had to step in to smooth things over: "Che'er, it's like this, little Jia Rou heard that I haven't been sleeping well these past few days, so she came to visit me and brought me some calming incense..."

"She just arrived, and you arrived right after. Xiao Jiarou said that she said something that angered you recently, and she was afraid that you were still angry and wouldn't want to see her, so she thought she would hide behind the screen first, and wait for me to act as a peacemaker and put in a good word for her with you. Once you are willing to see her, she will come out..."

"Who knew our Che'er was so observant, discovering that our little Jia Rou was hiding behind the screen not long after we came in... It's good that she found out, so we can just talk things out face to face."

"If you ask me, you two are siblings who grew up together. How can siblings hold grudges overnight? Che'er, you too, Jia Rou is only fifteen years old, still a child. You are a few years older than her, much more mature and sensible. Why are you still arguing with your younger sister?"

"She's your youngest sister, unlike your other sisters. She's a princess from a different family, so as her older brother, you should care for her even more. In the future, you should be more accommodating to her, understand?"

Xiao Che calmly picked up his teacup and took a small sip: "Understood, Grandmother."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager smiled and said, "This is it."

"Today, I will bear witness for you both. Our little Jia Rou and Che'er, you must reconcile and live happily ever after."

"Speaking of which, Jia Rou has already come of age, and Che'er has also come of age. It's time for them to consider marriage. If you ask me, you two are a perfect match. You've grown up together since childhood, know each other well, and are both good children that I like. If you could give me a great-grandchild in the future, I would be happier than ever..."

"The child you two have will surely be incredibly cute and beautiful..."

The Empress Dowager grew increasingly pleased as she spoke, rising to take their hands and placing them together: "After some time, I will personally ask the Emperor for a favor, so that he may bestow a marriage upon you..."

He then turned to Yan Jiarou with a smile and asked, "Little Jiarou, what do you think? Are you willing to marry your third brother?"

Yan Jiarou's cheeks flushed red, and she said reproachfully, "Grandmother, how can you ask such a question..."

"Oh, our little Jia Rou is shy, she's blushing..."

When the Empress Dowager turned to look at Xiao Che again, he had already subtly withdrawn his hand.

Yan Jiarou's heart sank slightly, and she asked anxiously, "Third Brother, have...have you forgiven me?"

Xiao Che glanced at her casually and smiled slightly, "Royal sister, you've already brought up the Empress Dowager, what can your third brother say?"

“You are indeed still young. Grandmother is right. As your older brother, I should give way to my younger sister and not hold it against you.”

"Let bygones be bygones. Let's not dwell on the past. Let's go back to being harmonious and courteous siblings."

Yan Jiarou blinked. She wasn't very bright and didn't quite understand Xiao Che's implied meaning. She simply assumed "letting bygones be bygones" meant turning the page, and was overjoyed. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Xiao Che and took his hand: "Brother, I knew you were the best! Don't worry, I'll definitely be good from now on..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Che flicked his wrist and broke free from her warm hand.

Yan Jiarou was stunned, staring blankly at her empty palms, then looked up at him somewhat helplessly: "Brother..."

Xiao Che glanced at her, his tone still very polite, but with a hint of distance: "Royal sister, let's go back to being ordinary siblings and live in peace. We have no blood ties or old friendships, so there's no need for us to be so intimate."

Yan Jiarou was stunned. When she realized what Xiao Che meant, her eyes instantly reddened.

Xiao Che had already withdrawn his gaze, stood up and looked at the Empress Dowager, saying calmly, "Grandmother, it is natural to forgive and forget with Jia Rou. After all, how can an elder brother hold a grudge against his younger sister? Grandmother is right to reprimand me."

"As for the matter of bestowing a marriage, I beg Your Majesty not to play matchmaker. Jia Rou and I are merely siblings. The one she truly loves has always been the Crown Prince. Even now that the Crown Prince is seriously injured, she remains devoted and her love is truly admirable. If Your Majesty were to bestow her upon me, wouldn't that be breaking up a loving couple? Although I may not be a gentleman, I do have the virtue of helping others achieve their goals, and I never want to force anyone."

"Alright, I just remembered that I still have some important matters to attend to. Since Jia Rou is here with Grandmother, I won't stay any longer. I'll visit you another day. I'll take my leave now."

After speaking, he bowed to the Empress Dowager and then turned and left.

The Empress Dowager glanced at Yan Jiarou, who was already crying her eyes out but was biting her lip to keep herself from crying out loud. She was quite annoyed. She wanted to call out to Xiao Che, that little rascal, and scold him so that he would comfort her younger sister. But when she looked up, he was nowhere to be seen.

That scoundrel! How could he bear to make his delicate little sister cry?

The Empress Dowager sighed softly. These two children are such a worry!

——

After Xiao Che left Ren'an Hall, he had only stepped onto the corridor a short while when he suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps behind him, indicating that someone was chasing after him.

Xiao Che smiled and slowed his pace. Sure enough, he heard footsteps approaching, and Yan Jiarou's voice, slightly choked with tears, came over: "Brother... wait for me, I have something to tell you..."

Xiao Che raised an eyebrow slightly, but continued walking forward without stopping.

He was tall and had long legs, so he naturally walked much faster than her. Yan Jiarou saw that he didn't stop to wait for her and kept walking forward. Afraid that she wouldn't be able to catch up with him, she became anxious and ran a little faster. Before she knew it, she tripped over the hem of her skirt.

She fell heavily to the ground. Although it didn't hurt too much, after a moment of shock, she suddenly broke down and cried. Perhaps the emotions that had been building up for so long could no longer be suppressed and burst out completely.

She was so heartbroken. Why was Xiao Che so cold to her, saying those things and refusing to stop and listen to her? Did he really not want her anymore...?

He never really liked her that much. All those claims about liking her for so many years were lies. He's a liar! Xiao Wenqi is a big liar!

How could there be such a bad person in the world… She couldn’t help but curse out loud: “Bad person, Xiao Wenqi is the worst, he’s always been like this since we were little, I will never forgive him this time…”

Suddenly, she heard faint footsteps approaching. Yan Jiarou was startled and saw a pair of brocade boots embroidered with silver cloud patterns.

She paused slightly, her gaze slowly moving upwards along the brocade boots.

The newcomer was tall and elegant, exceptionally handsome—who else could it be but Xiao Che?