Chapter 53: With his departure, she lost the two most important people...
When Yun Xi woke up, it was already dark and Ji Xun still hadn't returned.
She asked Yuan He and found out that he had left home early that morning in casual clothes. Yuan He thought he was going to look for her, but he never came back.
Yun Xi thought he was busy outside, so she waited in his room for another two hours, until late at night.
She sat at the desk, looking out the window from time to time, but there was no figure she wanted to see.
In the past, no matter how late Ji Xun came home, he would never come home later than midnight, but today he made her wait for so long.
Seeing that the candle was about to burn out, Yun Xi looked at the cold gold mask beside her hand, and suddenly thought of something, and her heart skipped a beat.
Unable to believe it, she went to the wooden cabinet and opened it. The clothes she had made for Ji Xun were neatly arranged, and he hadn't worn a single piece. On top of the folded clothes lay a large amount of silver bills and gold coins, which was exactly the salary she had paid Ji Xun in recent days.
Yun Xi was a little dazed when she realized there was a letter under her clothes, with a corner of it just sticking out. She pulled it out and opened it.
The handwriting on it was very familiar, and the letter paper also exuded a cool fragrance:
"I have returned to my homeland, don't worry."
The short line of words was so powerful that it could be seen through the paper. Just like his usual speaking style, it was cold and boring.
There were some drops of ink on the paper, as if he had been thinking for a long time with the pen, and in the end he could only write down this sentence.
Yun Xi held the letter in her hand, looking down at it for a long time, her fingertips almost tearing the paper. After an unknown amount of time, she raised her head with red eyes and swallowed.
She knew he would leave one day, but she didn't expect that day to come so suddenly. It was so sudden that she couldn't even react, he was already gone.
He was in such a hurry that he didn't even come to say goodbye to her in person, nor did he leave any comfort.
"Your Highness, the lamp is almost burned out. Do you want to relight it?" Yuan He knocked on the door outside.
Not getting a reply, Yuan He was a little worried that Yun Xi had fallen asleep and would catch a cold at night, so she pushed the door open and entered, only to see her standing alone by the sandalwood cabinet, motionless.
Yuan He walked over and touched her sleeve. Yun Xi then turned around, crumpled the letter in her hand into a ball, and couldn't help but hug Yuan He, crying bitterly.
"Did he leave me no words?"
Yuan He was startled: "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
"Ji Xun is gone. He went home..."
She thought that after they had expressed their feelings, he might stay a while longer. At least not now.
"Guard Ji...left?" Yuan He realized belatedly, "How could that be..."
But as a slave, where could he go after leaving the princess's mansion? Unless he changed his appearance and fled to another country, as long as he was in the territory of Wei, he would always be a slave and could not live a normal life.
Yun Xi usually liked the guard Ji Xun the most. She even drove away her childhood sweetheart Ying Nanfeng for him. Now that he was gone, she was bound to be heartbroken, not to mention today...
"Yuan He, prepare the carriage. I need to go to the Prime Minister's Mansion."
Yun Xi finally calmed down and wiped away her tears.
Ji Xun had just left; he might still be serving under General Xie. She had been inquiring about the Zhenxi Army for some time, calculating the day Ji Xun might leave. Now that her father had suddenly passed away, General Xie must have had new plans, hence his haste.
Yun Xi wanted to find Ji Xun, not to stop him from leaving, but to ask him why he lied to her. He was clearly going to the border, but he lied to her and said he was going back to his hometown... She wanted to say goodbye to him properly.
…
Late at night, Xie Mansion.
At this time, the lights in the Prime Minister's Mansion were still on. The emperor's death had kept Prime Minister Xie very busy. Prime Minister Xie was not in the mansion now. The second son of the Xie family had already eloped with someone else, and the one who came to greet him was Xie Yan Ge.
Xie Yange was woken up in the middle of the night. Knowing that Yun Xi was coming, he went to greet her with a sour face.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw the pale face and wet almond eyes in the dark. He leaned against the door, and his habitual bad words suddenly got stuck in his throat.
"It's you."
Xie Yange didn't bow, but instead stared at her with a pair of slightly mean eyes. He knew Yun Xi didn't care about these things, and since there were no elders around, he didn't bother to pretend.
Even if their relationship was bad, Xie Yan Ge couldn't say anything hurtful at this moment. He had already heard the news from the palace. It wasn't just the emperor who passed away today, but also her father.
Yun Xi's face was expressionless as she raised her head: "Is General Xie here?"
The Xie family always valued kinship, and General Xie had yet to marry. When he returned to Chang'an, he still lived in the Prime Minister's Residence. Because he spent most of the year guarding the frontier, returning to Chang'an only a few days, he had no plans to establish his own residence.
"exist."
Xie Yange turned sideways, answered lightly, untied his cloak casually, and draped it over Yun Xi's shoulders when she entered the room. He did not hesitate to reveal his flat chest under the single garment, and his snow-white and slightly bulging pectoral muscles were faintly visible.
Yuan He's eyes widened immediately: "!?"
Xie Yange was always asking for a beating. Every move he made would leave Yun Xi speechless. She was in a bad mood right now, and couldn't help but glare at him: "It's so hot, don't you think I'm not angry enough?"
"..." Xie Yange was silent for a moment, then rolled his eyes at her, "Oh, you don't know how to appreciate kindness."
Yun Xi only cursed him, not having time to continue bickering with him, and walked straight inside. Xie Yange followed behind her slowly, looking at her from time to time.
General Xie hadn't rested yet either. He had just finished a duel with someone and was resting in the courtyard, polishing his sword. Seeing Yun Xi suddenly visit, he raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Your Highness Roujia?"
He stood up and saluted: "My condolences."
Yun Xi had heard this sentence countless times. She had already lost her father, and she didn't want to miss the last time to see Ji Xun.
She asked straight to the point, "General Xie, can I find someone here?"
General Xie was silent, "I had no idea there was someone else in the Xie Mansion His Highness knew. Who is it?"
"My guard, Ji Xun," Yun Xi said, "I know General Xie once wanted him to join the Zhenxi Army... But, can I see him again?"
General Xie's expression paused, then grew serious, as if he were lost in thought. After a moment's silence, he said, "I do remember such a person, but Your Highness may be mistaken. Your guards rejected me initially, and naturally there is no further discussion now."
Hearing this, Yun Xi was completely stunned: "...He didn't come to you?"
...Where else could he go except to join the Zhenxi Army?
"I can confirm that there is no such person in the Zhenxi Army. The dozen or so elite soldiers I brought back are all settled outside Chang'an. If Princess doesn't believe me, you can come with me to see it."
“…”
Yun Xi suddenly felt her mind go blank. At this moment, she realized that the plot seemed to have gone off track.
General Xie has said this much, there is no need to lie to her about this matter.
But……
In this way, she completely lost any clue about Ji Xun.
For the first time, Yun Xi felt that apart from her understanding of the plot itself, she seemed to know nothing about Ji Xun.
When he was willing to stay by her side, nothing could stop him, but as long as he wanted, he could disappear in the crowd in the blink of an eye, and she would not even be able to find a trace of him.
She didn't know where his hometown was, nor who he was before. They had a brief moment of tenderness, like a dream that suddenly woke them up.
Where should she go to find him, and will he ever come back?
Yun Xi was very sure before, but now she is not sure.
How could he be like this... He just left without saying a word.
At this moment, Yun Xi suddenly remembered what Ji Xun had said to her under the Tanghua tree yesterday. After thinking about it carefully, she finally understood the true meaning.
It turns out that he wasn't going to the frontier...but really wanted to elope with her.
She rejected him, and he must have thought that she rejected his feelings. But at that time, she only had the direction of the original plot in her mind and did not realize the meaning behind it.
It's too late to realize it.
Finally coming to her senses, Yun Xi felt a mixture of regret, anger, and helplessness. Why had he chosen today to leave, specifically to "retaliate" for her rejection?!
He is so smart, how could he not see that she likes him.
"...I understand. Thank you very much, General."
Now, even if he appeared in front of her again, she didn't want to say a word to him.
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