Yan Yiming woke up very early. When it was still light, she sat for a long time hugging the quilt.
Little Apple woke up in a daze, curled up quietly at the foot of the bed, stared at her for a long time, then dozed off and fell asleep. Yan Yiming caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye, wrapped it in a quilt, put on his clothes and got out of bed.
I dreamed for the whole night, and when I woke up, my mind was still filled with the facial features and voices of Jiang Yi and the others, as if they were coming faintly from the void and could not be shaken off.
Yan Yiming has always felt that dreams can reflect a person’s true inner world. Good or bad, things that one often thinks about in daily life, things that one cares about in this life but deliberately avoids, will all be played out unscrupulously in dreams.
The dawn of early autumn was a little chilly. Even though he was wearing a coat, he still felt a little cold. Yan Yiming touched his arm, curled up on the stool and sat in a daze.
Yan Yiming was unwilling to think carefully about what had happened between her and everyone in the past. Sometimes she would even deliberately remind herself that this world was fake, everyone was fictional, and everything that had happened between them would eventually shatter into pieces after she left.
But why do I still have this dream? Why do I still feel a tightness in my chest and a sense of fear when I wake up?
Yan Yiming lowered his eyes.
Because even if the person is fake, the feelings are real.
Whether the feelings are selfless or selfish, whether the memories are happy or sad, they are all real.
He had dreamt about everyone, but Nangong Ye and Jiang Yi appeared a little more often than the others, because the guilt that she deliberately ignored was also real.
He could deceive Nangong Xuan again without any pressure, he could play Jian Yuyan around, and he dared to be self-righteous in front of Shao Jingyu, but for Jiang Yi who was wholeheartedly devoted to her and the innocent Nangong Ye who was dragged into it by her, the condemnation from his conscience would always make it easier for him to compromise, and it was this guilt that made her a little scared.
The scene of Jiang Yi gently stroking the coffin appeared in his mind again. Yan Yiming shook his head vigorously, stood up and pushed open the window. The cool breeze that hit his face immediately froze all his thoughts in his mind.
Yan Yiming heaved a long sigh of relief. Being sentimental and hesitant was not her style. This was a game and she was an excellent player. So she could play the game but she could never be played by the game.
No matter what it is, it is nothing compared to winning the game and returning to the real world.
But after having this kind of dream, Yan Yiming was really a little worried. He put aside his previous complacency and took the next plot more seriously. He was also much more serious than usual when discussing business with Wei Xiongjie.
Wei Xiongjie was a little surprised, but in the end he just thought it was near the end. The princess could hardly suppress her excitement, so he advised Yan Yiming to stay normal so as not to be discovered by others.
Yan Yiming smiled and said don't worry.
Wei Xiongjie saw that she was in a better mood and more talkative than usual, and was reluctant to leave, so he talked to her about things related to the Mid-Autumn Festival.
"The Queen Mother likes lively occasions. Your Majesty is filial and will attach great importance to this Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner. The princess is not a member of the royal family, but she was invited to the Queen's birthday family dinner last time. I think the princess will be invited to this family dinner again. Moreover, the Queen seems to want the princess to get closer to the prince."
Yan Yiming remembered that the queen had said before that she was alone in the capital and felt miserable, so she would often summon her to the palace to talk, and would mention the prince from time to time. How could Yan Yiming not understand what the queen meant.
Now it is Mid-Autumn Festival, a good day for reunion. The Queen will certainly not forget her part, or she may take the opportunity to bring her together with the Prince.
"It's only natural that the Queen would try so hard," Wei Xiongjie thought of the many rumors he had heard in recent days, and thought that perhaps Yan Yiming would be interested.
"The Crown Prince has been unwilling to marry a principal wife for so many years, and the King of Yue doesn't even want a concubine. The Queen is inevitably anxious."
Suddenly hearing the name "King of Yue", Yan Yiming suddenly remembered Nangong Ye's stubborn eyes when he wrapped the thin silver chain around his hand. Yan Yiming frowned slightly and answered perfunctorily,
"indeed."
Wei Xiongjie didn't feel Yan Yiming's rejection, and was still telling Yan Yiming the gossip he had heard recently, "The Crown Prince and the King of Yue are both born to the Queen. I heard that they even look 70% similar, but the brothers are not close. Princess, do you know the reason?"
Yan Yiming raised his eyelids, then lowered his eyes and said lightly, "I don't know."
I don't want to know either. Please go away. Yan Yiming was upset. Unfortunately, Wei Xiongjie was used to Yan Yiming's cold words. He did not feel Yan Yiming's rejection again. He was a little excited and said,
"I heard that the Crown Princess was stunningly beautiful. At that time, countless noble sons admired her and went to ask for her hand in marriage. Even the Fifth Prince, who had not yet been crowned the King of Yue, did the same. However, the Crown Princess declared that she would only marry the Prince. Later, the Crown Princess was assassinated while trying to save the Prince. The Prince felt extremely guilty, but the King of Yue hated the Crown Princess for her death because of him..."
"Alright, alright." Yan Yiming waved his hand and said, "Why do you believe these rumors? Let's talk business."
Wei Xiongjie's face darkened for a moment but he recovered very quickly. "During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Queen Mother was thinking of the King of Yue and ordered Your Majesty to summon the King of Yue back to the capital for a reunion. Since the King of Yue has returned to the capital, it is a good opportunity to eliminate future troubles and catch him in one fell swoop. As for you, Princess..."
Wei Xiongjie paused for a moment before continuing, "For the princess's safety, please find a way to postpone the Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner."
"This is a simple matter," Yan Yiming tapped his fingers on the table twice, "Send a message in a few days that Princess Lin'an has caught a cold and is ill. You can handle the rest."
She is sick in bed, and His Majesty and the Queen will send the imperial physician to come. The Queen may be sincere, but the Emperor will definitely be testing her.
However, there is no problem in leaving such a small matter to Wei Xiongjie.
Wei Xiongjie had no objection, nodded, and then said goodbye and left.
Half a month later, Princess Lin'an caught a cold and was bedridden. The Queen was very worried and ordered the Imperial Physician to take her pulse. The Imperial Physician came back to the palace and said that Princess Lin'an had caught a serious cold and had gone to a pharmacy to rest. It would take a while for her to recover.
The Queen knew that her two sons had never married, so she was more obsessed with Princess Lin'an than others, because she looked somewhat similar to the Crown Princess.
Since the crown prince was unwilling, perhaps the youngest son would be willing. But who would have thought that at this critical moment Princess Lin'an fell ill. However, the illness was like a mountain falling, and there was nothing that could be done about it. They could only order the imperial physician to take good care of her.
Now that the weather is getting cooler, Yan Yiming is happy to stay at home and not go out. He plays checkers and Go with Xiaopingguo, plays shuttlecock with the maids, and is happy to open the condolences that have been sent to him.
As soon as Princess Lin'an fell ill, countless supplements were sent by people inside and outside the palace. Many people took the opportunity to get close to Princess Lin'an and sent her many rare treasures.
Jian Yuyan and Jiang Yi also sent gifts, but compared to Jian Yuyan's perfunctory jewelry, the exquisite snacks made by Jiang Yi were particularly pleasing to her, especially since they were delivered every day without any repetition.
Yan Yiming used to like beautiful jewelry very much, but no matter how much he liked it, he couldn't take it home, so it was useless to like it. Over time, Yan Yiming became too lazy to look at them anymore.
In this world, nothing belongs to her except the delicious food she eats.
Jiang Yi sat at the desk, listening to the housekeeper say that Princess Lin'an liked it very much. He waved his hand to let the official go. After a while, a bodyguard in tight clothes appeared in the study and whispered a few words in Jiang Yi's ear.
The pen in his hand fell on the snow-white paper, leaving mottled marks.
The guards retreated silently again. Jiang Yi slumped down on the chair and slowly closed his eyes.
That day, when Jiang Yi learned about Jian Yuyan's past from Jian Yuer and thought of the days when he was fooled, for a moment, he wished that Jian Yuyan would disappear from this world.
It was extremely easy to make him disappear. His identity as an orphan of the previous dynasty was enough to ensure his death. As long as he concealed the fact that Jian Yuyan had once offered advice, and as long as he did not plead for mercy in front of His Majesty, Jian Yuyan would definitely die, and Madam Jian and others whom he wanted to protect would also die.
But in the end, he still saved him, and told His Majesty when His Majesty asked him that Jian Yuyan was not a traitor like Prime Minister Jian.
There is no other reason, it’s all because of Yan Yiming.
At first, Jiang Yi was not sure whether everything Jian Yuyan did in private was deliberately guided by Yan Yiming, but now that he knew Yan Yiming's identity, Jiang Yi could be completely sure that Yan Yiming took advantage of A Ming's identity and deliberately let Jian Yuyan tell him the secret of Prime Minister Jian, deliberately finding a way out for him.
She played a big game just to save Jian Yuyan's life, and how could he bear to let her down.
So he still didn't make things difficult for Jian Yuyan, even though he was already so sad that he was about to collapse.
For so many days, whenever Jiang Yi calmed down, he would think of Jian Yuyan and Yan Yiming. He wondered why she tried every means to save Jian Yuyan. Was it because she was reluctant to do so because of the feelings they had in the past? I still want to save his life and renew our relationship in the end.
When Jiang Yi first learned that the Crown Princess was A Ming, he did not feel much, because Yan Yiming was too cold towards the Crown Prince, and there were no unforgettable memories between the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess.
But Jian Yuyan is different.
Yan Yiming was protecting him, she cared about him. Jian Yuer said that A Ming once said that she loved Jian Yuyan so much that she was willing to destroy her face for him. She said that she had painted for Jian Yuyan, and she would never have left if Jian Yuyan had not deceived her.
He was jealous and angry, but more than that, he was afraid.
He was afraid that even if it was an encounter that she never took to heart, there was someone who left a deeper mark in her heart than him.
He was afraid that Yan Yiming didn't care, and he was even more afraid that Yan Yiming cared more about others.
No one could have imagined that Jiang Yi, who was now ranked third, would be afraid. He would read Yan Yiming's handwriting over and over again at night to try to numb and convince himself, but in the end he could no longer bear it and sent his personal guards to investigate.
He heard that Yan Yiming was ill, but the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, and Jiang Yi guessed that she was pretending to be ill. He was actually very sad, but he still asked someone to send her favorite snacks. Hearing from the official that she liked them very much, he was also happy.
Until the words of the personal guard just now.
He said that after Jian Yuyan met the actor, he often went to the Plum Garden, and finally he even stayed in the Plum Garden every night instead of returning to the Prime Minister's Residence.
A full six months.
The owner of the Plum Garden was full of pride when he mentioned Yan Yiming. Perhaps in his opinion, it was his credit that the Plum Garden had such a woman who made Jian Yuyan infatuated. The man with powder and rouge on his face laughed ambiguously in an androgynous voice, "What happened? Oh, young master, you are really interesting. A man and a woman, sleeping in the same bed every day, what do you think will happen?"
Jiang Yi suddenly lost control again. His heart seemed to be bleeding and he was in so much pain that he couldn't utter a word.
It turns out that they are not the same. She even gave her body to Jian Yuyan, but he was so stingy that he was reluctant to even have the last meeting with her.
Jian Yuyan, why should he do that?
Jian Yuyan should just die since he has been in so much pain.
The moon on the first day of the new year is only a thin arc. Tomorrow may be cloudy, and there will not even be many stars. The night seems to be darker than before. After taking a bath, Yan Yiming put on a single piece of clothing with half-wet and half-dry hair. Then he picked up a book as a pastime before going to bed. Suddenly, there was a slight noise in the courtyard. Little Apple raised her head sharply, and then stood there in a daze as if she had seen something she couldn't bear to look at.
Yan Yiming was stunned for a moment, put down the book in his hand, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"...A guest has arrived."
As soon as he finished speaking, someone slowly pushed open the door. Yan Yiming was startled, and when he saw who was coming, he was even more confused.
Jiang Yi's snow-white clothes were covered in dirt for some reason, his hair crown was a little loose, and a few strands of long hair fell to one side, making him look a little disheveled. His eyes, which were always clear, were now a little confused, and he staggered slightly as he walked towards her.
Yan Yiming was so shocked that he hurried forward to support the man, and Jiang Yi took the opportunity to hug him tightly.
A maid outside the door heard the noise and asked her what happened. Yan Yiming said it was okay and asked them to rest early. Jiang Yi, who was holding her tightly, moved her to the bed with difficulty and asked in disbelief, "Why are you here? No, how did you get in?"
Jiang Yi buried his face in her neck, "Climb over the wall."
She could believe what Shao Jingyu said. Jiang Yi was so weak that he couldn't even beat her. Yan Yiming laughed at her mercilessly, "Can you climb over a wall with your body?"
Jiang Yi was silent. Suddenly, he tightened his grip on the man as if he was angry. After a while, he whispered, "There are hidden guards."
I knew it. Thinking of the scene of the secret guards carrying Jiang Yi over the wall, Yan Yiming really wanted to laugh. When he lowered his head, he seemed to smell a faint smell of alcohol.
Yan Yiming had seen Jiang Yi drunk before. At that time, he was only sixteen years old. After passing the imperial examination, he went to the Luming Banquet. When he came back, his face was red and his eyes were hazy, and he looked at her and acted coquettishly.
No wonder he found this place for no apparent reason. No wonder he was more childish than usual. Yan Yiming suddenly felt soft-hearted. Being held like this, Yan Yiming was feeling a little uncomfortable with his waist bent. His breath felt a little itchy on his neck. Yan Yiming patted Jiang Yi's back helplessly and said softly, "Let me go first. I'll go get a cup of tea..."
Jiang Yi obediently let go of his hand. Yan Yiming had just stood up when he was held tightly around the waist again. The two of them were immediately closer. Jiang Yi put his face against Yan Yiming's waist with satisfaction.
That was Jiang Yi's favorite action, and it was also the familiar intimacy that the two of them used to do.
"I don't drink tea," Jiang Yi said.
Then don't drink it. Yan Yiming patted Jiang Yi's shoulder and his hands naturally fell on him. After a long time, when Yan Yiming thought he was asleep, he suddenly heard his slightly hoarse voice,
He said, "Are you a fox fairy who shouldn't exist in this world? That's why he can't forget you so much." Yan Yiming's heart trembled slightly, but he continued,
"Are you a fox fairy who came down to earth to experience hardships? That's why you are just passing through my world for a short time. To you, I am just an insignificant past..."
The hands on his shoulders were a little stiff. Yan Yiming wanted to stop him from saying the next word, but Jiang Yi spoke so quickly and naturally.
"I am your dispensable past, but to me, you are everything I have been pursuing all my life."
So I humbly request, if possible, can you pass by me again like we did before, can you stay a few days longer than that time, then when you leave, I can still remember you for the rest of my life, and I will have no regrets in this life.
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