It turns out it was my heart that fluttered.
In June of the first year of the Taigan era, Prince Qi Hui of Pingshou led over 200,000 men in a rebellion. The Crown Prince of the Iron Tartars, also leading over 200,000 men, seized the opportunity to try and marry Empress Li Xingyi. Empress Li Xingyi revealed her true identity as the leader of the martial arts alliance and led various sects to defeat the rebels. Prince Qi Hui of Pingshou died in the battle, and his wife committed suicide in grief. Considering the greater good, the Emperor released the Crown Prince of the Iron Tartars to return to his country, thus forming an alliance with the Iron Tartars.
Ji Xi fled to the east with his mother, Dou Niang, and Princess Qi Min. After settling them in, he ran around frantically, crying, "Help! Help! I need to find someone to save her!"
Qi Min watched him fall, get up, and keep running from behind, feeling a pang of resentment. She ran up to Ji Xi and stopped him, saying, "Enough! How long are you going to stop this madness?!"
Ji Xi was stunned for a moment, then pushed her away and shouted, "It's none of your business! Xingyi is still there! She's waiting for me to find someone to rescue her!"
Qi Min tried to snap him out of it, saying, "She's the Empress! No matter what you do, she's still the Empress! She's the Emperor's first wife! She'll be buried with the Emperor after she dies!"
“No matter what happened before, shouldn’t you be sober now, Ji Xi?” she said.
Ji Xi said, "Yes! She is the Empress! But I only wanted to save her! What's wrong with that?!"
Seeing this, Qi Min slapped him hard and said, "Your mother is still here! I'm here too! Are you going to abandon us?!"
Ji Xi was stunned, and murmured, "Mother... Mother is still here."
Qi Min felt a pang of pain in her heart and shouted, "Ji Xi, you big idiot! Why can't you just look back at others?!"
She then turned and ran away, crying as she ran.
This princess has never... suffered such an injustice before, you... you big idiot!
Ji Xi stood there, stunned, not knowing what to do. Thunder rumbled in the sky, dark clouds gathered, and a heavy rain began to fall in an instant.
Upon seeing this, Ji Xi remembered that Qi Mingang had run off somewhere, so he quickly went after him.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and Qi Min ran to a cave to take shelter from the rain. She curled up and cried bitterly. In the days she had spent with Ji Xi, she had already given her heart away without realizing it.
Even though I knew he liked someone else, I still couldn't help but feel jealous when I saw him like this. When I talked to him, he only thought of his mother, but what about me?
Qi Min cried as she asked, "What about me? What about me?"
Just then she heard footsteps and instinctively exclaimed, "Who's there?!"
When she looked up, she saw Ji Xi standing at the entrance of the cave, completely soaked and panting heavily!
Qi Min was stunned for a moment, then threw a tantrum and said, "What are you doing here?! Didn't you say you didn't care about me?! Get out! Get out!!"
Knowing he was in the wrong, Ji Xi stepped forward and knelt down, saying, "Princess, I have been impolite today."
Upon hearing this, Qi Min cried even harder, saying, "You're just like them! All the same! It's all because of my princess status! I hate you all!"
Ji Xi didn't know what to do, so he could only continue kneeling. After an unknown amount of time, Qi Min's crying subsided a little. Ji Xi looked up and saw that Qi Min was about to fall down, so he quickly stepped forward to catch her.
Ji Xi said, "I apologize, Princess."
He then touched Qi Min's forehead and found that she had a fever.
She got caught in the rain, her clothes were still wet, and she cried for a long time, so it's natural that she would easily get a fever.
Seeing this, Ji Xi could only put her down and go out to find herbs. Qi Min vaguely saw him leave through the cave entrance.
It's me again... all alone.
Fortunately, Ji Xi found the herbs he needed and rushed back immediately. There was some dry firewood in the cave, so Ji Xi used it to start a fire and boil the herbs into water.
Ji Xi found a bowl from somewhere, scooped up the medicine, gently helped Qi Min up, and slowly fed her the medicine.
However, Qi Min was very reluctant to drink the medicine, and kept her mouth tightly closed. Ji Xi looked at her and said softly, "Princess, open your mouth and drink the medicine."
Qi Min remained unmoved, and Ji Xi sighed and said, "Forgive me, Princess."
He then pinched Qi Min's nose with his hand. Qi Min frowned, and soon opened her mouth. Seeing this, Ji Xi slowly fed her the medicine.
This trick was quite effective; the bowl of medicine was finished in no time. However, there was still a problem: Qi Min's clothes were wet.
Ji Xi watched her struggle internally for a moment before saying, "Princess, please forgive me."
Then Qi Min's outer garment was taken off, and Ji Xi took off his own outer garment as well, and put them on the fire to dry.
The rain was still falling outside, pattering down. Ji Xi sat by the fire, watching the rain outside the cave.
I wonder how you are doing now?
At this moment, Qi Min curled up and said, "It's so cold."
Upon hearing this, Ji Xi stepped forward and silently hugged Qi Min, saying, "I have truly offended you this time, Princess."
Qi Min unconsciously wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against him. Surprisingly, Ji Xi did not resist and gently patted her back, saying, "Go to sleep."
After a long while, Qi Min woke up on Ji Xi's body. Her face was flushed, and she quickly pushed him away, saying, "You...you dare to do this!"
Ji Xi had fallen asleep without anyone noticing. Suddenly nudged, he looked bewildered and asked, "What's wrong?"
Qi Min looked at him and said, "What, what did you do to this princess?"
Ji Xi stood up, picked up Qi Min's clothes from the fire, and threw them to her, saying, "You have a fever, and your clothes are wet, so I took them off and dried them for you."
Upon hearing this, Qi Min suddenly remembered that she vaguely saw him leave through the cave entrance and said, "Didn't you leave? Why did you come back?"
Ji Xi put on his clothes by himself and said, "I went to find herbs for you."
Qi Min put on her clothes, her face slightly flushed, and said, "Thank you."
Upon hearing this, Ji Xi said to her, "Princess, your subject..."
Qi Min knew what he wanted to say; it was nothing more than an apology and asking her to forgive him.
She said, "Alright, this princess isn't that petty. Anyway, you were rude, but you also saved this princess, so we're even."
Ji Xi bowed and said, "Your Highness, I thank you."
The rain outside had stopped. Ji Xi glanced around and said, "Princess, we should go back now."
Qi Min said, "Okay, let's go."
Back in Dongcun, Ji Xi's mother, Dou Niang, had been waiting at the village entrance for a long time. Dou Niang asked, "Is the princess alright after not returning all night?"
Qi Min smiled and said, "I'm fine. We're outside now, so there's no need to call me princess or anything like that. Just call me Min'er."
Upon hearing this, the damselfly quickly said, "How can this be? This won't do!"
Qi Min smiled and said, "It's alright, this way it's more convenient, so that others won't find out my identity."
Dou Niang thought about it and agreed that her identity still needed to be kept secret. She said, "Alright, Min'er, let's go have our meal first."
Ji Xi pointed to himself and said, "Mother, what about me?"
The Bean Maiden smiled and said, "Mother knows you'll be alright, Min'er is the most important."
Ji Xi sighed and said, "Alright then."
Dou Niang pulled Qi Min to sit down at the inn, and the waiter immediately stepped forward and said, "Oh, Aunt Dou, your son and daughter-in-law are back?"
Upon hearing this, all three were stunned. Dou Niang coughed, and Qi Min glanced at Ji Xi, blushing slightly, and said, "I..."
Seeing this, Ji Xi sat down and said, "Hmm."
The main reason is that they need to have an identity when they are out in public. The three of them look like a couple and a mother. Moreover, Qi Min did not refuse and Ji Xi did not object, so they agreed.
Qi Min paused for a moment, then smiled and said to Dou Niang, "Mother."
For Qi Min, even if it was just a lie, it made her happy for a while.
The damselfly was a little confused.
This is absolutely outrageous!
The waiter asked, "What would you like to eat?"
Ji Xi suddenly remembered the dishes Qi Min ate at Li Yanzhang's birthday party and said, "Something light."
Qi Min lowered her head and smiled after hearing this. The waiter, seeing this, laughed and said, "Alright!"
After the meal, the waiter led Ji Xi and Qi Min to a room and said, "Sirs, this is your room."
Ji Xi asked, "Why is there only one room?"
The waiter chuckled, "Sir, you're clearly newlyweds! Since you're a couple, of course you'll share a room."
He then left, saying, "Sir, I wish you a speedy arrival of your healthy baby boy!"
Qi Min's face instantly turned red, and Ji Xi watched his departing figure speechlessly.
Ji Xi opened the door, picked up a quilt, laid it on the floor, and began to make it. Qi Min asked, "What are you doing?"
Ji Xi said, "Let's sleep on the floor tonight. I'll sleep on the floor, and you can sleep on the bed."
That night, Qi Min lay in bed unable to sleep. She suddenly asked, "Ji Xi, are you asleep?"
Ji Xi, lying on the ground, asked, "What's wrong?"
Qi Min said, "I want to ask you a question."
Ji Xi asked, "What's the problem?"
Qi Min asked, "Are you planning to live alone from now on?"
"..."
After a long silence, Ji Xi said, "I...don't know."
Qi Min then asked, "So what do you think of me?"
Ji Xi said, "Your Highness is naturally a beauty of unparalleled grace and elegance, a dragon among men, and is beyond our reach."
After hearing this, Qi Min turned over, rested her face in her hand, and looked at him with a smile, saying, "Then do you like me?"
Ji Xi's heart tightened, and he looked at her as well. He saw that Qi Min's eyes were full of expectation, and the moonlight made her eyes shine as well.
Ji Xi confessed, "I never disliked Her Highness. To me, Her Highness is actually a very soft-hearted person, even though she can be short-tempered at times."
Qi Min was a little disappointed that she didn't hear what she wanted to hear, but then she smiled and said, "Ji Xi, if we can go back, I'll choose a consort."
Ji Xi was taken aback for a moment, then blurted out, "Isn't the selection process supposed to start from the top down?"
Qi Min laughed and said, "Yes, my eldest sister is already engaged, my second brother is already married, and I am the third, so it's naturally my turn."
Upon hearing this, Ji Xi said, "Then... Your Highness, I would like to offer my congratulations."
Just as Qi Min was about to say something more, Ji Xi turned his back to her and said, "Go to sleep."
Qi Min smiled wryly, then lay down and said, "Mmm."
It seems that as soon as Ji Xi says "Let's sleep," she can really sleep peacefully.
That night, Ji Xi was in a state of turmoil. He even dreamed about Qi Min choosing a husband, watching her choose a husband, get married, and live a harmonious life together after marriage.
After waking up, Ji Xi lay on the floor, looking at Qi Min on the bed, feeling agitated.
What... is wrong with me?
That day, Qi Min twisted her ankle while going down the stairs. "Ouch!"
Ji Xi hurriedly carried her to the bed and sat her down, then went to fetch a doctor to take a look.
After the doctor finished bandaging her, he smiled and said to Ji Xi, "Young master, there's no need to be nervous. Madam is fine; she just needs a few days of rest."
Ji Xi asked, "Am I... nervous?"
The doctor and the waiter both said at the same time, "Yes!"
The waiter smiled and said, "Sir, you really love your wife very much."
Qi Min was somewhat surprised. She looked at Ji Xi and smiled slightly, saying, "Thank you, husband."
Seeing this, the doctor and waiter sensibly left. Ji Xi felt as if his heart had been struck by something, and he was stunned for a moment.
This is... a flutter of the heart.
In fact, Ji Xi's feelings for Li Xingyi had already unknowingly transformed back into the feelings of a brother for his sister.
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