Chapter 4 Chapter 4 "Daddy, why don't you marry her...
It was late at night, but the lights in the east corridor were still on.
Ji Yang stood in the corridor with his hands behind his back. The night wind blew the corners of his black cloak. A group of guards stood on both sides, and no one dared to make a sound.
"Have you searched the whole house?" he asked.
A maid came forward to answer. She stood aside with her head lowered, nodding softly, "East Courtyard, West Wing, Study, Storage Pavilion... None of them have been seen."
Ji Yang's expression grew even colder, his eyes sharp. "Have you checked the poolside, the back garden, and the hidden well?"
A personal guard immediately responded, "Yes, I have personally checked and found no trace of the young master."
Zhu Niang knelt on one side, already panicking: "General, this servant deserves death, please punish me."
Ji Yang ignored her and whispered:
"Don't alarm Mother about this for now."
"If she finds out, you won't be able to have a peaceful night."
His eyes turned and his tone paused: "Jiang Ci's yard... have you checked it?"
Everyone was stunned.
Zhu Niang hesitated for a moment and said, "That's... unlikely."
Ji Yang narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Unlikely? Who knows what the Jiang family's intentions are in coming to Fengdu?"
After he finished speaking, he swung his robe and turned around with big strides:
"Let's go and see for ourselves."
At this time, in the inner courtyard on the east side.
Jiang Ci was wearing pajamas, leaning on the bed. Her hair was not completely tied up, and a strand of it hung by her ear, swaying slightly in the night wind.
On the bed, Ji Yunfan was hugging the small pillow she gave him, curled up in the corner, his eyes half open and half closed, his eyelashes fluttering.
Jiang Ci placed one hand on his forehead and gently stroked it, his voice as low and gentle as the night fire:
"...Later, the young general sent the stray fawn back to the mountains and never let anyone disturb it again."
Ji Yunfan grumbled, tugged at the corner of the quilt in his hand, and finally fell into a deep sleep.
He breathed deeply, his cheeks showing a softness and innocence that only a child could have.
Yin Shuang sat in the outer room and said in a low voice, "Miss, he's asleep."
Jiang Ci hummed softly, lowered his eyes to look at the sleeping child in his arms, a hint of emotion in his eyes.
Just then—
"Bang."
The courtyard door was suddenly pushed open, and a roar of anger fell:
"Jiang Ci."
Yin Shuang stood up suddenly, her expression suddenly changed: "It's the governor!"
He kicked the door open, making it bang loudly. Ji Yang strode in, his black robe sweeping the floor, looking imposing.
Jiang Ci was so frightened that he looked at him. Ji Yang had his hair tied up high. He was standing at the door, looking as if he had just returned from the battlefield and still had a murderous aura.
The night poured in through the door, making him look as heavy as cold iron.
His eyes were like a knife, quickly sweeping across the room and finally landing on the bed.
The red candles were still burning on the couch, the curtains were half drawn, and a man and a woman were lying on the bed together, separated only by a small pillow.
Ji Yunfan was sleeping very soundly, his cheek buried in Jiang Ci's hand, breathing evenly.
Jiang Ci had already raised his eyes to look at him, his expression had returned to calm, with a slight coldness in his eyes.
She sat up straight and said in a calm tone, "He woke up from his dream and came to me for shelter."
"I can't stop it."
Ji Yunfan, who had just fallen asleep, woke up because of Ji Yang's movement. He rubbed his eyes and stood up, calling out softly, "Second Uncle..."
Ji Yang stood in front of the couch, his dark shadow cast on the ground, as heavy as an iron curtain.
His eyes were cold as he stared at Jiang Ci, his lips curled up in an almost mocking arc, his voice low and filled with anger:
"You've only been in the mansion for two days, yet you've managed to coax my nephew into being so close to you."
"Jiang Ci, what are you thinking?"
"Do you really think I don't know?"
The tone was getting closer and closer, and every word seemed to be wrapped in frost.
But as soon as he finished speaking, memories flooded back into his mind.
That was his second winter as a hostage.
The Xiliang military camp was covered in snow. He was imprisoned in the baggage camp, wearing only a torn old jacket, his feet bare and blue from the cold.
That day someone threw a steamed bun, which rolled around in front of him.
He was so hungry that he felt dizzy. Just as he was about to reach out to pick it up, he was kicked away by someone, who burst into laughter.
"Tsk, even a member of the dignified Dongyang Ji family is no more than this."
"They're worse than dogs. They even have to snatch steamed buns."
They surrounded him, cursing him as a "bastard" and a "bastard son". One of them came over with rice soup, looked down at him, and poured the whole bowl of soup into his mouth. The dirty soup poured down from his head, down his neck and into his clothes.
It was freezing cold and humiliating.
When he looked up, he saw a Xiliang general in military uniform standing on the camp platform not far away.
Jiang Huaice.
He looked down at her, without moving, without stopping her, and without even frowning.
Ji Yang was only fourteen years old that year and was captured by the Xiliang people and sent to the camp.
Three years.
He had eaten the leftovers from the animal basin, been tied under a tree and left in the rain all night, and was forced to kneel under a flag while listening to people insult the Ji family's ancestors for eighteen generations.
At night, he curled up in the corner of the stable, his limbs stiff with cold, but his eyes never dimmed.
He knew that as long as he was alive, he would come back one day.
He will wash away all the shame he has suffered with the blood of his enemies.
At this moment, Jiang Ci in front of him actually had some of Jiang Huaice's shadow in his eyes and eyebrows. The look of standing upright in the cold wind with clear eyes seemed to nail him back to that dirty and embarrassing winter night again.
Ji Yang gripped the hilt of the sword, his knuckles trembling slightly.
His chest heaved, and his eyes almost turned into tangible sharp blades. He wished he could draw his sword and stab her to death with one blow.
Hang her on the city gate and expose her to the sun for three days to relieve the old hatred.
But he never drew his sword.
Ji Yang stood in front of the couch, leaned over and grabbed Jiang Ci's neck. His eyes were dark, and his aura was like a glacier pressing down on him. His throat rolled, and he whispered through gritted teeth:
"None of you Jiang family is clean."
His force was so strong that Jiang Ci's breath was choked and his face turned pale instantly.
Yin Shuang screamed and was about to rush forward, but was frozen in place by the evil spirit from him, not daring to move.
At this tense moment, Ji Yunfan on the couch suddenly got up, rushed over and pushed away Ji Yang's hand that was pinching him.
"What are you doing!" He opened his arms with an unhappy look on his face, got down from the couch, stood in front of Jiang Ci, his small body stretched straight.
"I had a nightmare. I missed Mom. I came here to sleep with Sister Jiang!" He tilted his head back, his tone full of adult reproach. "Uncle, could you please not be so fierce?"
Ji Yang stared down at the childish face that looked somewhat similar to his elder brother, and gritted his teeth and said:
"Is your last name Ji or Jiang? She is just an outsider. You are young and cannot see clearly. She will only confuse people."
"She is not your mother."
But Ji Yunfan was not afraid at all. He wrinkled his nose, turned his head and looked at Jiang Ci, and said seriously:
"Sister Jiang, Second Uncle is too fierce. Don't marry him."
"Marry my dad."
Those words spoken in a childish voice were particularly clear in the night.
"My dad has a very good temper. He always smiles and tells me stories. He never yells at me."
As soon as these words were spoken, the air seemed to freeze instantly.
Ji Yang's face suddenly became extremely ugly, his lips were tightly lined, his eyes darkened, and he rushed forward, picked up Ji Yunfan, and held him under his armpit like a cat.
"Come with me," he said in a cold, hard voice. "If you don't leave now, you'll be sold and have to count the money for others."
Ji Yunfan was being carried, his hands and feet moving around, his little face flushed, his eyes reddened, and he suddenly burst into tears.
"Second uncle, you are so mean! I want to sleep with Sister Jiang! She smells so good, just like my mother... I miss my mother..."
He suddenly burst into tears. Ji Yang paused, his expression slightly frozen. He was still holding Ji Yunfan in his hand, but he did not take another step.
He recalled that year when his brother Ji Xu fell ill in bed. Many doctors were consulted but none of them could cure him. A heavy sentence was passed overnight.
Ji Yunfan was only three years old that year and had no mother. It was Madam Ji who raised him single-handedly.
Ji Yang looked down at Ji Yunfan who was crying, and his grip gradually loosened, but he didn't say anything.
After a long while, he just said coldly:
"It's up to you tonight, but from tomorrow onwards you are not allowed to set foot in her courtyard again."
He put the child back in front of Jiang Ci and turned away with a cold face.
The curtains moved slightly, and the night wind blew. Jiang Ci looked down at Ji Yunfan who had thrown himself into her arms, sobbing and clutching her sleeves tightly.
She reached out and patted him on the back gently, her voice as gentle as water:
"It's okay, my sister is here."
After Ji Yang walked out of Jiang Ci's yard, he paused for a while and said unhappily:
"You really know how to choose the right time... to tame people's hearts."
The night is getting deeper.
Zhu Niang came running over and stopped outside the yard. Her voice was very low but filled with urgency:
"Commander, have you found the young master?"
Ji Yang turned from the shadows of the corridor, nodded, and said in a steady tone:
"Found it."
"He's at Jiang Ci's place, sleeping soundly, nothing's wrong."
Zhu Niang immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and her slightly hunched body finally stretched out.
Ji Yang continued, "Go back and tell your brother that Afan is staying with me tonight. Send him back tomorrow morning."
Zhu Niang nodded repeatedly, and before leaving, she looked at Ji Yang cautiously. Seeing that his expression remained unchanged, she left briskly.
Ji Yang stood there for a moment, looking at the lights in front of him, without saying a word.
After a moment, he turned around, dismissed the night patrol soldiers who had not yet retreated, ordered them to rest, returned to the inner house, and went to the ancestral hall in the mansion alone.
The night was dark, the candlelight was dim, and incense was curling in the ancestral hall. Ji Yang was still wearing armor. He stood in front of his father's spirit tablet and did not speak for a long time.
He recalled the snowy night in the Xiliang camp that year.
He knelt in the damp, cold mud, with heavy iron shackles on his feet and his wrists already bleeding.
That night, someone secretly untied the shackles on his feet. Without time to think, he gritted his teeth, grabbed a horse, broke through the camp wall, and galloped away.
Arrows rained down from behind him, one of which pierced his shoulder. He endured the severe pain and held on tightly to avoid fainting. He tightened the reins of his horse and headed east while hiding in the snow.
He returned to Fengdu after almost escaping death.
But all I saw was white banners fluttering on the long street, thousands of people attending the funeral, my father's coffin moving slowly forward, bells and drums ringing sadly, and gongs pounding the sky.
He knelt in the crowd, his vision blurry.
My mother stood at the front of the funeral procession, as if she had aged ten years overnight.
His elder brother Ji Xu was still healthy at that time. When he saw him return, he burst into tears, rushed forward and hugged him, unable to speak.
"Zisu...you're back alive...we thought you..."
He knelt on the ground and kowtowed to his father's coffin until blood oozed from his forehead.
The wind rustled, and he whispered:
"The child...is back."
The funeral procession moved forward beside him. Ji Yang said nothing, but stepped forward silently, took over the man's position, and slumped his shoulders.
He stood at the front of the team, gritted his teeth, and carried the entire coffin steadily, walking in the snow without losing his pace or taking a single stray step.
The candlelight in the ancestral hall flickered.
Ji Yang slowly raised his head and looked at his father's spirit tablet. There were no tears in his eyes, only the bottomless dark night.
He whispered:
"The child is still walking that path...but this time, I'm carrying more than just a coffin."
"It's the Ji family and the future of the world. I will definitely fulfill my father's wish and let the entire territory be filled with the Ji family's flags."
Ji Yang spoke in a flat tone. After he finished speaking, he reached out to put the incense in the right place, stood up, slowly took a step back, leaned over, and bowed deeply.
The next day, the sky was slightly bright and the morning glow had not yet fully appeared.
Jiang Ci got up early, straightened Ji Yunfan's clothes, and called Yin Shuang to bring him warm water for a wash. Although the young master was only eight years old, he already understood etiquette and behaved like a little adult.
"My father hates people with untidy clothes the most." He said to Jiang Ci.
Jiang Ci couldn't help but smile, took his little hand, and led him to the west.
That was the courtyard of Ji Xu, the eldest son of the Ji family.
The courtyard was covered with verdant bamboos. The drizzle had just subsided, and the leaves were still dripping with wet dew. Fine moss grew between the cracks in the stone slabs of the path, and a few clumps of tall bamboo swayed in the wind, their cool fragrance lingering far away.
When they reached the corridor, Ji Yunfan suddenly turned around and looked at her with a look of expectation in his eyes, as if he was worried that she would refuse.
"Sister Jiang, why don't you come in and meet my dad?"
Jiang Ci originally wanted to decline, but looking at those clear and bright eyes, she nodded after all.
"good."
Ji Yunfan happily ran into the house holding the corner of his robe.
Jiang Ci slowly stepped onto the steps. As soon as he reached the door, he heard a gentle and slow male voice coming from inside the house:
"Afan, did you go and bother your second uncle again?"
The voice was neither hurried nor slow, with a smile, and had the lazy and hoarseness of someone who had just woken up in the morning, but it was very gentle.
A moment later, a slender figure walked out slowly from the inner room.
He was about thirty years old, tall and slender, with a face as white as jade. His hair was a little messy, not yet tied up with a crown, but only loosely tied with a plain belt. His face showed the weariness of waking up in the morning, and his eyebrows and eyes were gentle, but there was a hint of the thinness of a long illness.
His skin was extremely white, with a barely perceptible sickly paleness, but his eyes were extremely clear, the kind that gave one a reassuring look at first glance.
He saw Jiang Ci and paused slightly.
In an imperceptible moment, his gaze seemed startled by something and fixed on her face.
This glance was neither frivolous nor passionate, but contained a hint of appreciation.
Jiang Ci's heart tightened, and he quickly bowed: "Greetings, Master."
Ji Xu also came back to his senses, calmed down, nodded slightly, and returned the greeting: "Miss, there is no need to be so polite." His voice was gentle, and the corners of his lips were slightly curved.
Jiang Ci wanted to say goodbye and leave, and just as he was about to turn his back, he heard his gentle voice behind him:
"Is it Miss Jiang from Zichuan? I just learned yesterday that my mother had brought someone into the mansion, but I didn't go to greet her in person. It was my fault."
Jiang Ci was a little surprised for a moment, then he said softly, "Young Master, you are too kind."
"I hope you won't blame me for coming here presumptuously."
He shook his head and smiled: "Ah Fan is naughty and talkative. Miss, you are willing to take care of him. I should thank you."
Jiang Ci didn't know how to respond for a moment, so he could only stand sideways, his eyelids slightly lowered, his expression as clear as water.
And at that moment, she suddenly understood that in the Ji family, there were people like Ji Yang, who were cold and strong, and there were also people like Ji Xu, who were the cool breeze and bright moon.
Just as the atmosphere in the house was quiet, the morning light reflected in the shadows of the bamboo, and Ji Xu and Jiang Ci's first greetings had not yet been concluded, Ji Yunfan, who was standing nearby, suddenly jumped forward, looked up at his father, and said in a clear childish voice:
"Dad, I see that Second Uncle is very cruel to Sister Jiang. Why don't you marry her?"
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