The Ji family is as harmonious as the warm sun.
At this moment, Li Yanzhang suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "Ji Xi, why have you never told me about this? We're best brothers!"
Ji Xi slapped him on the back and said, "You're the first person to ruin the atmosphere! I can't say anything about this. Who would call a palace maid brother and sister? If others found out, she would die. After all, you know our statuses are different."
After hearing this, Li Yanzhang said, "Oh, okay, then I forgive you."
Ji Xi said angrily, "You've forgiven me, but I haven't! You clearly took advantage of me just now!"
Li Yanzhang laughed and said, "No, I was just trying to comfort you. How could I possibly take advantage of you?"
Ji Xi turned his head and said, "Alright, I'm not talking to you anymore. Let's go! Otherwise we'll be sleeping on the streets."
Li Yanzhang laughed and said, "Don't worry! How could I let you sleep on the streets!"
After saying that, he started walking quickly.
On the way, they heard the people praising Li Xingyi: "The Empress is so approachable!"
"Yes! Even when Her Majesty the Empress was still in her boudoir, she would always send people to distribute porridge!"
"Yes! Back then, whenever there was a disaster or something, Her Majesty the Empress would always send people to help."
"Your Majesty the Empress..."
Li Yanzhang said, "See? I told you you were overthinking it."
Ji Xi said, "We must not be careless; people's hearts are unpredictable."
Li Yanzhang sighed and said, "Alright, Young Master Ji, let's hurry back!"
Finally, they arrived at the Ji residence. Ji Xi's father, Ji Shao, saw Li Yanzhang carrying Ji Xi back and asked, "Yanzhang, why didn't you come back in a carriage?"
Li Yanzhang and Ji Xi exchanged a glance; neither of them had expected to take a carriage back!
To save face, Li Yanzhang could only say, "Uncle Ji, Ji Xi is injured and can't ride in a carriage, so I carried him back."
Upon hearing this, Ji Shao immediately understood. He said, "So that's how it is. Please come in quickly. I've already called the physician to be on standby. His mother is also extremely worried."
Ji Xi was the only son in the family, and his parents doted on him. The relationship between the Li family and the Ji family was very harmonious. Not long after Li Yanzhang was born, Ji Xi was born, and not long after that, Li Xingyi was born.
The three got along very well, but Li Yanzhang had his own biological sisters, and Ji Xi also hoped that he could have other brothers and sisters, but his mother could no longer have children due to health reasons, which is why that palace maid was so important to Ji Xi.
After the two entered, they saw Ji Xi's mother, Dou Niang, sitting in a chair looking worried. Upon seeing them, Dou Niang hurriedly went up to Ji Xi and said, "Xi'er, how are you? Are you in pain? How could you provoke Princess Huimin?"
As she spoke, tears streamed down her face. Ji Xi said guiltily, "Mother..."
Dou Niang slowly looked at Ji Xi's wounds, not daring to touch them, and anxiously said to Ji Shao, "What should we do? Xi'er is beaten to a bloody pulp!"
Ji Shao quickly hugged Dou Niang and comforted her, "It's alright, it's alright, let the physician take a look first."
Upon hearing this, Dou Niang immediately said, "Yes, quick, Yan Zhang, take Xi'er to the bed and let the physician examine her."
After hearing this, Li Yanzhang walked towards Ji Xi's room. Once inside, Dou Niang carefully helped Ji Xi down and made him lie down obediently.
After Ji Xi lay down, Dou Niang hurriedly called the royal physician to take a look. The physician said, "Young master, please take off your lower garments first so that I can examine you carefully."
Ji Xi glanced at the damselfly and said, "Mother, why don't you go out first?"
The damsel was so anxious that she stepped forward to help him take off his clothes, saying, "Xi'er, I'm your mother, don't be shy, come on, let me help you."
Ji Xi sat up instinctively, and immediately cried out, "Hiss! Mother... you don't need to help me."
Seeing this, Dou Niang said with heartache, "Xi'er, how are you? Mother won't help you anymore, don't move around."
Ji Shao pulled Dou Niang and said, "Dou Niang, let's go out first, otherwise Xi'er won't let the doctor examine her."
The damselfly said with tears in her eyes, "I... I was just too hasty. I'll go out now."
Ji Shao looked at Ji Xi and said, "Xi'er, let's go out first and have the family physician come and tell us about the situation later, so that your mother won't worry."
After saying that, they went out together.
Ji Xi didn't know what to say, but he felt very uncomfortable.
Li Yanzhang said, "Then Ji Xi, I'll help you take it off now. The physician is waiting!"
Li Yanzhang helped Ji Xi take off his lower garment. The physician examined him and said, "Although it's already a bloody mess, fortunately the young master knows martial arts. He'll recover in a few months. I'll prescribe some medicine, three times a day, and also some external medicine, to be applied every two hours."
Ji Xi nodded and said, "Okay, go down and report to my parents first."
After the physician left, Li Yanzhang said, "You should avoid provoking Princess Huimin in the future. I don't know why you were drinking last night, and you even ran into Princess Huimin who had just returned."
He scratched his head and said, "Oh dear! I just can't figure it out!"
Ji Xi explained, "I... I probably drank to drown my sorrows last night, Her Majesty the Empress..."
It goes without saying that Li Yanzhang already knew why; it was definitely because the meaning of the jade pendant made Ji Xi unhappy.
Ji Shao and the others, who had rushed to see Ji Xi outside the door, stopped in their tracks upon hearing this. They never expected that Ji Xi was there because of Li Xingyi.
Li Yanzhang said, "You know... Xingyi knows your feelings, but she won't reciprocate. She understands matters of love later than others, and besides, she's already married to His Majesty."
Upon hearing this, Ji Xi smiled bitterly and said, "Yes! She doesn't understand, and besides, she's already the Empress. I... I have no chance anymore."
Dou Niang had noticed Ji Xi's feelings for Li Xingyi before. She thought that since the two families were on good terms, she would go to the Li family to propose marriage on Ji Xi's behalf once Li Xingyi had recovered at home. However, an imperial edict changed everything.
Back then, Ji Xi drank every night, and Dou Niang was heartbroken and helpless. In the end, she let Ji Xi take up a post in the palace. But no one expected that after he met Li Xingyi once, he would become like this.
Dou Niang hugged Ji Shao and cried, "Don't you think I should have arranged a marriage for Xi'er sooner, so he wouldn't be like this?"
Ji Shao patted her on the back and said, "It's all about timing and fate. Perhaps Ji Xi and the Empress are destined to be apart. You don't need to blame yourself."
Li Yanzhang said, "Fine, you just need to quit drinking from now on, so you don't cause any more trouble."
Ji Xi agreed after hearing this.
Ji Shao said to Dou Niang, "Alright, wipe your tears, don't let the children see."
Dou Niang obediently wiped away her tears, then smiled and said into the house, "Xi'er, your mother and father are coming in."
Upon hearing this, Li Yanzhang quickly covered Ji Xi with a blanket. After Dou Niang and Ji Shao came in, Ji Xi looked at Dou Niang and said, "Mother, you don't need to force a smile. Were you crying again just now?"
Dou Niang thought she had made a mistake and was wondering what to say when Ji Shao covered for her, saying, "You know your mother loves you dearly. Whenever you get injured, no matter how minor, your mother cries. Just now, I heard from the family doctor that your injury will take several months to heal. How could your mother not cry?"
Dou Niang chimed in, "Xi'er, you'd better not drink anymore. Look at the state you've made of yourself."
After saying that, she cried again. Seeing this, Ji Xi said with remorse, "Mother... I'm sorry."
The damselfly fought back tears and said, "It's alright."
Ji Shao glanced out the window and, seeing that it was getting late, said to Li Yanzhang, "Yanzhang, it's getting late. Why don't you stay and have dinner with us?"
Li Yanzhang asked expectantly, "Then can I have Uncle Ji's braised pork?"
Ji Shao sometimes cooks, and Li Yanzhang fell in love with Ji Shao's braised pork after eating it when he was a child.
Ji Xi rolled her eyes at him and said, "All you ever think about is eating!"
Then he said to Ji Shao, "Father, don't make it for him!"
Li Yanzhang laughed and said, "Food is the most important thing for people, so it's normal for me to eat! Besides, Uncle Ji's braised pork is really delicious."
Upon hearing this, Ji Shao laughed and said, "Haha, you can have as much braised pork as you want, as much as you want!"
Li Yanzhang exclaimed happily, "Really? That's wonderful!"
Ji Shao smiled and said, "Really."
Ji Xi curled his lip and said, "Hmph, I'll eat you to death. Oh well, you won't be able to eat any more soon anyway, so it's fine if you eat more."
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