Chapter 32 Conditions for Marrying the Princess of Wei
His tone was serious, as if he really wanted to get an answer from her.
Yun Xi didn't understand his persistence: "I can't explain it. But, to me, there is no difference between you before and you are now."
"If I have to choose, I would still choose you as you are now," Yun Xi said.
At least now she won't say anything shocking. He has made some progress by being with her.
Hearing this, Ji Xun seemed to have gotten the answer he wanted. His expression relaxed and he returned to his calm demeanor: "Yeah."
Yun Xi: “…”
She often felt that Ji Xun had a kind of indifferent temperament that was detached from the world. As long as she did what he wanted, he would be quiet and act as if he didn't care about anything, and even refused to admit that he cared.
But if she doesn't do what he wants, he will stare at her strangely until she says what he wants to hear.
In fact, he still cares a lot about what others think of him, right?
Looking at him, Yun Xi inexplicably thought of the animal "cat".
"Sultry and reserved."
Yun Xi couldn't help but say.
"What?"
Ji Xun caught her whisper.
Yun Xi: "Nothing, I'm just praising you. Get out of the way, the bed is almost soaked."
She was originally feeling depressed and didn't know where to hide, so she huddled in bed. Now that he coaxed her with "cold words", she remembered to get up and wipe her hair.
It was already late, and she didn't want to bother Yuan He, so she did it herself. She sat in front of the bronze mirror and wiped her hair dry with a dry towel.
The bronze mirror reflected a beautiful face with fair skin and fragrant cheeks. She was naturally beautiful and she would admire herself every time she looked in the mirror.
"Your Highness, do you have anything else to say?" Ji Xun stopped and asked, holding the knife.
He was standing here with nothing to do. Yun Xi thought for a moment and threw the handkerchief to him, hitting him on the chest: "Come and help me wipe it. Go change a handkerchief. My hands are a little tired."
She had learned to order him around efficiently, no longer as polite and respectful as when they first met.
Ji Xun picked up the handkerchief, which was a little wet and had the refreshing scent of a young girl's hair. He had a keen sense of smell and could smell that she had used pear blossom scented water in her bath today.
She should smell the same way.
He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw two dry handkerchiefs draped over the screen, so he went to get them. He picked out a royal blue one, and when he took it down, he found a pink and white dress underneath.
It's new.
Ji Xun paused and looked towards Yun Xi who was standing at the dressing table. She was only wearing a thin inner lining, which seemed a little transparent in the candlelight, revealing her snow-white shoulders, which looked empty.
"Can you go faster? I want to sleep."
"……Um."
His wet black hair was covered with a dry towel, and a pair of large hands carefully rubbed the hair through the soft cloth. He was not good at such delicate tasks, so his movements were light and slow, and he controlled the strength clumsily.
The fragrance of pear blossoms fills the air.
"Meow--!"
As they were wiping, a soft cat's meow suddenly broke into their ears. It was the black cat from that day. Seeing that the bedroom window was ajar, it came in and ran to rub against Yun Xi's feet.
"Xiao Xun." Yun Xi picked up the black cat with both hands and held it in her arms.
It was also washed clean and became a member of the princess's mansion.
The black cat liked Yun Xi very much. It lay on her and purred, its green eyes wide open.
Ji Xun paused for a moment, thinking she was calling him, but when he looked down he found that the black cat had crawled into Yun Xi's arms.
The soft black fur stuck to the lining, arching the collar open a little, looking down from above, revealing a spring scene. The contrast between black and white made it difficult to tell which side was softer.
He paused, frowning, "...it's dirty."
"Yuan He washed it before." Yun Xi rubbed the black cat's head. It was furry and felt very good. "Xiao Xun, you come to me now. Do you want to sleep with me?"
The black cat rested its head on Yun Xi's snow-white shoulders, squinted its eyes, looked up and saw Ji Xun behind it, its pupils suddenly shrank and it breathed silently.
Ji Xun: “…”
Because he sneaked into Yun Xi's bedroom that day and was chased by Ji Xun on the beam, Black Cat had become subconsciously wary of him.
Ji Xun was speechless and looked at him coldly.
Two-faced little bastard.
However, he never took such playthings seriously. To treat them like animals was simply lowering his status.
"It really looks like you." Yun Xi held the black cat in front of him, "You used to be so stupid too."
Ji Xun: “…”
He didn't want to talk anymore, and even his hair-brushing movements became faster. Yun Xi sensed his haste and asked curiously, "Is there something urgent?"
"No."
After wiping her hair, Yun Xi said mercilessly, "Okay, go back and rest. You've worked hard today."
Ji Xun reached out to take the black cat away, but Yun Xi hugged him tightly: "What are you doing? Xiao Xun and I will sleep tonight."
“…”
He pursed his lips and could only withdraw his hand. Yun Xi watched him walk to the door of the bedroom. Ji Xun stopped and kept his hand on the door without moving.
After a while without hearing the door close, Yun Xi looked up and saw that he was still standing at the door, wondering, "Why aren't you leaving yet?"
He stared at her quietly, as if waiting for her to continue speaking, but Yun Xi didn't understand why, and the two of them just stared at each other from a distance.
In the end, it was Ji Xun who admitted defeat first and said coldly, "Good night, Your Highness."
Yun Xi just remembered and said quickly, "Good night, Ji Xun."
After closing the door and leaving, a short while later, the maids came in and took away the bathtub.
Yun Xi climbed onto the bed holding the cat and got under the quilt again. The black cat found a place to nestle next to her.
As she covered herself with the quilt, Yun Xi suddenly remembered something. She had been so angry that she had crawled into bed, wearing only her undershirt and not even her innermost layer.
So he got out of bed and walked to the screen, searching under several handkerchiefs for a while.
After a moment, Yun Xi looked around in confusion.
Her small dress disappeared. How could she remember it was draped over the screen?
Maybe it was accidentally taken away by Yuanhe.
After some speculation, Yun Xi decided to wear it tomorrow and just sleep on it tonight.
…
Prince's Mansion.
In the brightly lit hall, Duan Song sat in the main seat, and next to him was General Xie in casual clothes.
Perhaps the two had discussed something before, and now the atmosphere was very solemn and they both fell into silence.
Half an incense stick later, the appointed time arrived. A servant outside the door announced the time, and the two men stood up together.
"Xie, I didn't know that you are the rumored exiled prince of Jin."
A stern young man in black walked steadily into the hall. His golden face reflected a cold light under the lamplight, half of his face was cold and solemn, his thin lips were pursed in an indifferent arc, and his dark pupils were calm and peaceful.
General Xie smiled faintly. "When I first met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince that day, I felt that he must be of a distinguished background. I was a little surprised to learn that you were from the Princess's Mansion, but it seems it wasn't my illusion. I've heard that Crown Prince Ji is handsome and talented, but unfortunately I've never heard his real name."
"Thank you for the compliment, sir." Ji Xun nodded slightly, "Now that everyone is here, let's get down to business first."
General Xie's eyes darkened slightly, and the three of them sat down. Duan Song didn't dare to take the main seat, so he gave it to Ji Xun and sat next to him.
As soon as I got close to him, I could smell the sudden pear blossom fragrance on his body, which was like the body fragrance that girls often use in their boudoirs and only light when taking a bath.
Duan Song: "?"
Looking at his cold and noble face, Duan Song couldn't imagine that after regaining his memory, he would continue to entangle with Princess Roujia.
Let’s not talk about him now. Even when he was the crown prince of Jin Dynasty, he was notorious for not being interested in women. Even when he was over sixteen, he didn’t even have a personal maid.
Moreover, Ji Xun used to be disdainful of a woman like Roujia, who was almost vulgar in appearance. He didn't even bother to look at her when she threw herself into his arms.
"In the early days, Jin and Wei were allies as close as lips and teeth, and for generations, they respected and loved each other. However, Liang State has risen suddenly in recent years, like a wolf and a tiger, causing the Great Jin to lose its territory. Now, if the lips and teeth are gone, the Great Wei is also in danger."
"The fighting on the border is intense. Although our army has returned victorious this time, it has been severely damaged. The northeastern border has also been invaded by Daliang. That area was originally the territory of the Great Jin, and our army is not very familiar with it. If Liang breaks through from the northeast, I am afraid our army will not be able to cope."
"I came here today to discuss this matter with Prince Ji. If Your Highness is willing to use the knowledge of the Jin State to help our Wei army, I will definitely repay this favor."
Ji Xun: "General Xie is devoted to the country and is truly a rare and worthy minister. If the Great Jin had a general like you, I'm afraid we wouldn't have fallen to this point. I sincerely hope to help you."
He had come here with a plan, anticipating that General Xie would seek his help. After all, he was probably the only one who knew the details of the current Liang-Wei northeastern border.
"That's very good. When does Prince Ji plan to join the Zhenxi Army?"
Ji Xun thought for a moment and said, "I heard that Princess Roujia of the current dynasty wants to marry General Xie's nephew."
"It is true."
"If General Xie is willing to persuade the Emperor of Wei to rescind his order, I have a map of the ancient Jin Dynasty's border defenses, which records most of the military roads built by our dynasty. I would like to give it to you. As for the date, you can decide."
"This..." General Xie frowned and hesitated for a moment, "May I ask why Prince Ji made this request?"
Ji Xun said calmly: "This is none of General Xie's business, you just need to consider whether it is yes or no."
"...This matter still requires Xie to go back and discuss it with the clan members. I will give Your Highness a reply in a few days."
General Xie neither directly agreed nor refused, which shows how important the war with Wei was to him.
"Wait for the general's reply."
After discussing the important matters, General Xie left Prince Yan's Mansion first on the pretext of being busy with work.
Only Ji Xun and Duan Song were left.
An irresistible bargaining chip easily reversed the offensive, causing General Xie to have some concerns. Before this, Duan Song had spent a lot of time and effort to invite him to the Prince of Yan's Mansion.
"When you left the Jin Palace, did you bring a border defense map with you?"
"No."
Duan Song: "..."
He just knew it.
At that time, his brain was damaged and he was unconscious. How could he have the time to do that?
"What if he agrees? How are you going to hand over the map?" Duan Song couldn't help but feel a little worried. General Xie wasn't someone you could easily fool.
"I'll make a quick sketch. I'll remember all the military routes and fortresses along the border between Jin and Wei."
"That's good."
Duan Song breathed a sigh of relief, then hesitated for a moment. He wanted to ask him about the fragrance on his body, and why he didn't mention other conditions, but had to do with Yun Xi.
The marriage with the royal family of Wei would not affect their plan to restore the country. Instead, it would be more beneficial for the Xie family to consolidate power and help them.
However, before he could open his mouth to ask, he heard Ji Xun speak in a condescending and cold tone.
He pondered for a moment and asked:
"What are the conditions for marrying a princess from Wei?"
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The author has something to say: I’m here, it’s a little late today [covering my face and laughing and crying]
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