Chapter 41: My brother's child should follow her
Princess Mansion, Study.
After a few days, no news about Yun Ye came from the palace. Ever since everyone knew about this matter last time, the rumors have become smaller and smaller, and there is not much discussion about it in Chang'an.
Yun Xi had gradually calmed down over the past few days, reading in her study as usual. She had a good memory, and with some effort, she was beginning to understand the deeper meanings of the books. She completed all her homework herself and then sent it to Zhou Changsheng.
After being confined by her, the sour scholar became well-behaved. He usually either went to the Imperial Academy to work or stayed in his own residence. He never stepped out of the boundaries she set.
Perhaps it was because Zhou Changsheng had given her good evaluations of her homework recently, so Yun Xi now found his name somewhat pleasant to the ear.
Study until noon and then take a break.
The pile of books was removed and replaced with a cooling perilla ice drink and some delicious snacks, including Yun Xi's favorite honey apricots.
"Is Ji Xun back? Ask him to come and eat together."
"Your Highness, Guard Ji has not returned yet." Yuan He said.
"oh."
Yun Xi lowered her eyes and bit off a piece of mung bean cake with no taste in her mouth.
Ji Xun has been going out more and more frequently recently.
A few days ago, he said he would go and find out information about the Yunye case for her. Since then, he often left early and came back late, and sometimes he would not be seen for a whole day.
Although the mansion had been quite safe recently, Yun Xi would always think of him. Eating breakfast, reading, doing homework... whenever he was not around, she always felt like something was missing.
He was completely integrated into every aspect of her life. Sometimes when she encountered some difficult words in a book, she would subconsciously call out his name.
Yun Xi could no longer imagine a life without him, so she could only bury herself in the study, trying not to think about it.
"Did he leave any message for me when he left this morning?" Yun Xi pricked up her ears.
Yuan He shook her head: "Guard Ji has been in a hurry lately. If Your Highness wants to know, you can ask me to ask him this morning."
Getting up before dawn was too difficult for Yun Xi, so Yuan He had to do it for her.
"No need. I'll stay up late tonight and wait for him to come back."
Yuan He smiled softly: "Now the relationship between Your Highness and Guard Ji is getting better and better. Guard Ji will definitely be happy to know that Your Highness cares so much about him."
“…”
Yun Xi always felt that she had misunderstood something.
"Actually, I just think of him as a brother," Yun Xi explained. "Like family. Just like you, Yuan He, you're my sister, too."
"But I am a girl after all, unlike Guard Ji." Yuan He smiled and took away her finished plate. "Perhaps it's because you don't have a brother that your Highness thinks so."
Besides, is there any brother in this world who is so close to his sister that he can take a bath in the same room with her?
"I wish I had a brother."
When this topic was brought up, Yun Xi couldn't help but feel sad.
"If I really had a brother, there would be no need to give birth to an heir."
Although she lived two lives, she only lived to the peak of her youth. She always felt that she was still young and had never considered such realistic problems at the moment.
But Yuan He didn't understand. She said, "What's wrong with giving birth to an imperial heir? All women in the world hope that their sons can become emperors. Your Highness, you are a royal family. Even if you have a prince consort, you can still keep other concubines you like."
"You like Guard Ji, and it's the same if you give birth to a royal heir with him."
Hearing this, Yun Xi was shocked.
...and Ji Xun, have a baby?
She had never thought about such a thing.
Not to mention that Ji Xun can remain calm in the face of any woman, it is a mystery whether this stupid dog has the same function as a man.
Besides, how could a simpleton with a straight head like him give birth to a smart child? Moreover, his face without the mask could stop a child from crying at night, as the child would be scared silly by him.
It would be better for her to see his true appearance alone.
However, Yun Xi was very curious about what he looked like before the disfigurement. If there was a child who looked like him, perhaps she could guess what he looked like before. It would be best if it was a girl.
Yun Xi couldn't help but be lost in thought: "..."
"Come to think of it, Your Highness should have had an elder brother back then." Yuan He told the story with a hint of nostalgia in her eyes.
"When Your Highness was born, the late Empress Yixi was still the Princess of Jiangnan. Your Majesty had not yet ascended the throne at that time, and there was indeed a young prince."
"Is there such a thing?"
Yun Xi had never heard her father mention it.
"My mother was with the late queen at the time, so she knew a thing or two about these past events. It's said that the late queen gave birth to a prince, but unfortunately, that prince was frail and fell into the water while playing in a lotus pond in Jiangnan. His body was never found. He was only four years old."
"The late Queen only had His Highness the year after the little prince's death, so she loved him especially dearly."
Yun Xi did remember that she wasn't born into the imperial palace. When she was very young, she lived in a large courtyard. It wasn't as grand as the palace in Chang'an, but it had the warmth and stability of a small home.
Later, when she grew up, not long after her mother's death, she returned to Chang'an and lived in the best palace. Even so, she was still not used to life in the palace, so she asked her father to grant her another residence.
At that time, she did not understand what power struggles were. She only knew that her father was often away for long periods of time. She and her mother missed him and waited for the return of this supreme ruler who was above everyone else.
Unfortunately, my mother was already terminally ill at that time and died without ever enjoying a single day of being a queen.
From then on, my father became taciturn and immersed himself in state affairs most of the time. He never refused any of her requests, but he rarely really paid attention to her.
Yun Xi never understood why her father wanted her child to inherit the throne in the future, but after hearing Yuan He mention it today, she began to understand a little.
Perhaps it was the obsession of having lost his wife and son at a young age, that the emperor believed that the person who should be the crown prince must have the bloodline of the late Empress Yixi.
"What was the name of my brother who died young?"
"I don't know. I just heard there's a 'Chuan' in the name."
Yun Xi thought for a moment. She never remembered hearing her father mention it, and she guessed that he was unwilling to tell her.
Yun Xi couldn't help but wonder, what would happen if her brother were still alive?
Perhaps the Queen Mother would not die of depression, she would have someone who loved and cared for her, and the current situation would not be so serious.
Thinking about it, Yun Xi was lost in thought.
Yuan He quietly removed the small table and stopped disturbing her, leaving only a plate of candied apricots.
After an unknown amount of time, steady footsteps were heard outside the study. A large hand with pale joints lifted the bead curtain. Standing at the door with a bloody aura, it stared at Yun Xi in front of the desk without any expression.
Yun Xi smelled blood and turned, just in time to see the black-robed man behind the beaded curtain. Her eyes lit up slightly. "Back so early today? Tsk, are you hurt again? Why do you smell like blood?"
Ji Xun, holding a scimitar, stood still, his expression grim. "I met a few scoundrels outside today and took care of them. Has Your Highness had your meal yet?"
"I've eaten." Yun Xi moved aside to make room for him. "Did you find anything this time? You probably haven't eaten outside yet, have you? I saved some honey apricots for you to fill up first. I'll ask the kitchen to prepare them later."
"There is no news about Yun Ye yet... I have too much blood in my body to be contaminated by the study." Ji Xun said, "I will go take a bath first."
Yun Xi: "Okay, then I'll wait for you."
Yun Xi was very surprised that he came back early today as she hadn't seen him for the past few days.
The first thing he did when he came back was to visit her in the study. Although he had previously felt a little resentful of her for leaving early and coming back late, that feeling had now vanished in an instant.
When Ji Xun finished his shower, changed into clean clothes and came to the study, Yun Xi had already concentrated on reading again.
"Your Highness."
When Ji Xun sat down next to her, Yun Xi was immediately distracted. She smelled the faint fragrance on his body as if he had just come out of the bath. He came in such a hurry that he had not had time to tie up his hair, and the hair on his forehead was slightly wet.
Yun Xi glanced at him and asked, "You're wearing a mask while bathing? You can take it off now."
"I don't want to pick it in front of Your Highness." Ji Xun said in a flat tone.
Yun Xi: "...Do you treat me as an outsider now?"
Ji Xun was silent, his dark eyes staring at her, as if saying "What do you think?"
Yun Xi didn't understand. She said, "Today I was discussing with Yuan He whether this appearance would scare children if you have children in the future."
On second thought, she realized that it seemed like she hadn't seen Ji Xun take off his mask for a long time.
Ji Xun: “?”
He fell silent again.
The last time she was repeatedly interrupted, she didn't ask any more questions after she came back. Ji Xun thought she didn't want to be honest with him yet.
After not seeing her for a few days, she actually thought of this matter.
A woman's heart is as unfathomable as the sea.
But Ji Xun still thought about this question seriously: "So easily scared, like you."
Yun Xi: “???”
"What do you mean by like me?" Yun Xi protested, "I was only scared by you once."
"So, Your Highness did dislike me, right?" Ji Xun looked at her dimly.
Yun Xi was speechless for a moment: "..."
Did she ever dislike him?
It seemed like she never did. The sense of security he brought her far outweighed his own terrifying nature.
Yun Xi knew that he had a bad reputation in the eyes of the other people in the Princess's Mansion. His coldness, harshness, the twisted appearance hidden behind his golden mask, and the reek of blood that he would occasionally smell when he returned home each day all made others avoid him.
But in Yun Xi's eyes, she didn't see any of these horrors at all. She thought they were just some insignificant minor flaws. Everyone has flaws.
However, Yun Xi's silence had a different meaning in Ji Xun's eyes.
Almost the moment she didn't answer, his eyes immediately darkened, his fingertips hidden under the table clenched, his jaw tightened, and he didn't say a word.
"After I leave, Your Highness can go find other good-looking guards." He said coldly.
Yun Xi just came back to her senses when she heard him say he was leaving. She was immediately startled and grabbed his sleeve: "Why are you leaving? Where are you going?"
"...No. I was just making an analogy." Ji Xun paused for a moment, but ultimately chose not to tell her.
Yun Xi: "Oh."
Ji Xun's forehead jumped: "..."
If he doesn't leave, does this matter become unimportant to her?
"I saw Your Highness was in a daze earlier. So you've been thinking about this?"
"I wasn't thinking about you. I was thinking about my brother."
“…”
Hearing this, Ji Xun fell silent again.
As far as he knew, Yun Xi had no biological royal brother, so where did this wild brother come from?
"Is your Highness's brother... a serious one?"
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