Promise you
The clanging sounds of swords and spears still lingered in his ears. Jing Yao suddenly woke up, only to see darkness and loneliness all around him. The candlelight flickered, and thunder roared outside the window. The pale light illuminated the scene in the palace, which turned out to be the prince's bedroom in his previous life.
Looking back, Si Pei, who was sick and weak in qi and blood, was lying on the bed with his eyes closed.
"Little pear!"
Jing Yao sobbed in despair and burst into tears.
Could it be that all this was just a dream of hers?
She had never experienced a second life; she was just imagining death...
There were screams outside the door, and there seemed to be a familiar female voice calling her:
"Help! Don't kill me! Please, don't kill me!"
"Sister! I don't want to die... I don't... ah!"
Jing Yao was so scared that he couldn't move. Was that the voice of Bo Yue and Zhi Yue just now?
She didn't dare to think anymore and held Si Pei's hand tightly.
"Xiao Li, what should I do?" Jing Yao tried to wake up the terminally ill Si Pei with her tears. Even though she knew that he was beyond help, she still wanted him to stay with her.
The sounds of fighting were getting closer and closer, and blood was splattered everywhere, covering the long steps of the East Palace.
Jing Yao felt unwilling and filled with resentment and anger, and he even spat out a mouthful of blood due to anger.
"Si Pei...we died together again after all."
Jing Yao covered his heart with his hands. As a dying man, he couldn't help but have some wild thoughts. This way of dying should be more comfortable than committing suicide, so why was it still so painful?
She was in so much pain that she couldn't speak, and she didn't have the energy to look at Si Pei's expression.
She also didn't know that Si Pei, who was also heartbroken, had his black hair turned completely white in an instant.
"Si Pei, if there is an afterlife..."
We must never live like this again.
At the moment when his consciousness was about to fade away, the door of the palace was suddenly kicked open. In the wind, rain and thunderstorm, a young man covered in blood appeared from the shadows, like a ghost.
"Ling Yi!"
Si Jue's eyes were bloodshot, and his scarlet eyes stared unwillingly at Jing Yao who was lying in a pool of blood.
"ah!"
What is that... sound?
Jing Yao was attracted by the boy's roar and turned her head with difficulty, but she could only see a blurry figure running towards her.
Si Jue?
Why does he look... so anxious?
"Yaoyao? ...Yaoyao!"
Hearing the call from the person next to her, Jing Yao suddenly woke up from her dream. The slightly dazzling light warmly illuminated the familiar Yilan Palace. She took a few deep breaths as if she had survived a disaster.
Sure enough, those scenes just now were just a dream.
"Yaoyao, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
Si Pei understood everything, took the wet towel from the maid's hand and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead and neck.
He himself often had nightmares and was therefore very familiar with the symptoms. When he saw Jing Yao with a terrified expression and cold sweat in her sleep, and her tense body, he knew that she was probably trapped in a nightmare and couldn't get out, so he tried to wake her up.
"Yeah." Jing Yao was exhausted after having this inexplicable nightmare. He leaned in Si Pei's arms with a listless expression and let him help him wash up.
"Your sisters will also be at the banquet today, so be happy."
Si Pei has already figured out what to do to make her happy. Yao Yao likes to hang out with her friends and have fun. Although he doesn't want her to be interested in someone else, he doesn't want to do anything that will make her unhappy.
As long as Yaoyao is happy, he can endure anything.
Jing Yao finally became interested after being listened to, and broke free from Si Pei's arms and ran to the dressing table.
Si Pei wanted to say something but stopped himself. Looking at his empty arms which he felt reluctant to leave, he could only smile helplessly.
The clothes for Chun Shuyan were decided in advance with Huo Zhuxin and others, but Jing Yao came here not just for this.
"Hey, Xiaoli! Is this the first gift you received today?"
Jing Yao handed over the "gift" he had carefully selected, but he didn't look at Si Pei's expression, with an air of indifference.
"Why, you don't like it?"
Seeing Si Pei remained silent for a long time, Jing Yao turned her head away unhappily. This was a good thing she had thought of after a long time of hard thinking. The Xuantan Flower was a legendary extinct divine flower. More importantly, this flower was the symbol of her Jing family. Couldn't Si Pei see how profound the meaning behind it was?
She's so sincere...
"you……"
Jing Yao was still angry and just looked at Si Pei in confusion, who was standing in a daze in front of him.
Si Pei stared intently at the Xuantan flower hairpin in his hand. The exquisite patterns and flowing calyx were still as gorgeous as the flowers themselves.
"If you don't like it, give it back to me."
Jing Yao was about to grab it when Si Pei took the hairpin into his arms and said anxiously, "No, Yaoyao, I like it very much."
"That's more like it."
Jing Yao was very happy in his heart but pretended not to care: "I was just about to say that if you don't like it, I will send it to Zuo Yuanwu."
"No! I can't give it to him!"
Si Pei hurriedly called out to him, and Jing Yao raised her eyebrows slightly, deliberately teasing him: "Okay, how about giving it to Baili Wenfu?"
Si Pei choked for a moment, as if remembering Jing Yao's pursuit of Baili Wenfu in the past, and suddenly his momentum softened: "That guy doesn't lack girls to give him gifts, so it's useless for you to give him any."
"Haha, so you just need my share?"
Jing Yao laughed: "You are the Crown Prince, what can't you get?"
"Yes." Si Pei lowered his eyes, and Chu Er stepped forward to embrace Jing Yao: "I am so lucky that the one I want most is already by my side."
The young man's embrace was warm and strong. Jing Yao was stunned for a moment, then obediently burrowed into his coat.
"...Then you are really lucky." She said in a muffled voice.
"Yes, I am so lucky. God was especially kind to me and gave me Yaoyao."
Si Pei smiled and rubbed Jing Yao's cheek, but found that the girl's eyes had been filled with tears without him noticing.
Idiot, this is not a good life.
Jing Yao rarely gave Si Pei gifts. Just as Si Pei said he wanted to keep the hairpin as a treasure, Jing Yao stopped him and said, "No, I gave it to you so you can wear it. Put it behind your bun. Hurry up!"
Si Pei would definitely not dare to go against Jing Yao's words, not to mention that Yao Yao was going to put it on him personally. Even if he had previously scoffed at men wearing flowers in their hair, he forgot all that at this moment and turned his back obediently.
"Yeah, it's done."
Jing Yao withdrew his hand with great satisfaction, and even circled around Si Pei twice. He had thought that such a large flower would be too gaudy or eye-catching, but the Xuantan flower was a faint blue, and its petals were ribbon-like, which looked like a tassel when inserted into the back of the bun.
The first few flower buds are not yet fully grown, so they are placed on both sides of the bun as embellishments.
Si Pei was originally extremely handsome, and the ice-blue flower decoration on his head made him look even more handsome and elegant, with less solemnity and more otherworldly clarity.
"Sure enough, this flower suits you very well." Jing Yao was very satisfied with his work. He put his hands on the back of Si Pei's neck and intertwined them, smiling arrogantly and coquettishly: "If you wear my flowers, you will be mine from now on."
"Well...I'm yours."
Si Pei knew her feelings, and from now on they would be each other's only remaining family in the world, and they would be even closer.
He always wanted to be Jing Yao's retreat, wanted her to be free and unrestrained, as long as she didn't forget to go home, as long as she had him in her heart, that would be enough.
Jing Yao slowly sensed what kind of feelings were behind Si Pei's unbridled indulgence that did not require any bargaining chips.
She couldn't guarantee that she could give Si Pei the same love as him, but she was willing to make him a promise in exchange for his peace of mind.
Jing Yao thought to herself that she had finally done the thing she had said she would never do.
And this time she was the one who brought it up.
She lost this round of game to Si Pei, and she only hoped that the future that she feared so much would not make her lose too badly in the future.
"Your Highness, I lost."
"Um."
Jing Yao was surprised. She rarely saw Si Pei smile so happily, with only his teeth showing and his eyes curved.
Si Pei rubbed her head: "You lost, what do you want to give me?"
Jing Yao's eyes rolled around, and he said meaningfully: "What do you want me to do?"
"I think...I should have a princess."
"ah!"
Before Jing Yao could finish laughing, the man picked her up. She was startled by the feeling of her body suddenly floating in the air.
Jing Yao was so angry that he leaned over and bit Si Pei's shoulder: "Why are you so mean?"
"I was just too excited just now." Si Pei blinked, "Your Highness the Crown Princess is so kind, could you please forgive me this time?"
Jing Yao didn't even raise his eyelids: "Humph, I see that you have repeatedly refused to change your stubborn temper. Let's discuss this matter later."
Jing Yao pretended to be fierce and made faces in an attempt to scare Si Pei. He clearly wanted to appear ruthless, but in Si Pei's eyes, he ended up being cute and pretending to be cruel.
It was getting late, Jing Yao stopped fooling around with him and changed into her necessary clothes. Si Pei also changed into a blue outfit to match her.
"How is it? We look like a good match."
Si Pei's face was filled with smiles, and he couldn't contain them.
Eunuch Ming, who was standing by, had also watched the two grow up. He was filled with emotion, but ultimately, he was more happy. He also smiled and congratulated: "Madam Jing and His Highness are destined to be a match made in heaven. There is no other pair of such a talented man and beautiful woman in the world."
Si Pei loved hearing people praise his and Jing Yao's deep love and how well-matched they were. Besides him, who else in the world was worthy of his precious Yao Yao?
"Then give the order to put this matter on the agenda as soon as possible, but not in a perfunctory manner. I want a wedding that Yaoyao will never forget."
"yes."
Eunuch Ming received the order and immediately withdrew and went straight to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Jing Yao, who had changed her clothes, walked slowly towards Si Pei from the dressing table.
"Is it beautiful?" Jing Yao couldn't help laughing when he saw Si Pei staring at it in a trance. "Aren't you tired of it yet?"
"How could I get tired of her? In my heart, Yaoyao is the most beautiful girl in the world."
Jing Yao got goosebumps from hearing his crazy compliments, but he still found them quite satisfying. The girl poked the man's chest maliciously, "You only like my looks? Then when I'm old and ugly, I'm afraid I'll be left with nothing but tears and sorrow for the rest of my life."
Jing Yao leaned in Si Pei's arms and tentatively mentioned the scenario that he was most worried about in a joking manner.
"No." Si Pei kissed her hair gently, "Everything about Yaoyao is the best. Even without me, Yaoyao is still the best girl in the world."
"Hmph, you're so sweet."
Jing Yao released his arms from hugging Si Pei and put the other gift into his sleeve.
"Who is that for?"
"Zuo Yuanwu's."
Si Pei's tone, which had originally been nonchalant, immediately became nervous: "What are you going to give him?"
"Why are you so curious about other people's things?" Jing Yao waved his hands, "You already have it anyway."
Si Pei knew Jing Yao was a person with her own ideas. If he pushed her too hard, it would only annoy her. Although he was annoyed, he still gently promised: "Yao Yao is right. I am too petty."
Jing Yao nodded with satisfaction. Such a gentle and obedient man is the best.
The main venue for the Chunshu Banquet was the Imperial Garden in the imperial palace and the nearby Hengshui Palace.
People who come to enjoy the flowers and socialize usually gather in various places in the Imperial Garden. Now that it is just past noon, there are not many people coming to the banquet.
Si Pei and Jing Yao went to Hengshui Palace first, and the dinner was held in the main hall and the left and right side halls of Hengshui Palace.
As usual, Queen Dowager Xuan sat to the right of the main seat, and the seats to the left were for the Emperor and Empress.
The emperor was ill and Empress Yue died early. Si Pei did not stay for the spring banquet last year, so this year was the first time for him to sit at the head seat at such a banquet.
"The prince is here really early."
Queen Dowager Xuan fiddled with the flowers in her hands. She always liked to study flower arrangement and did not like to walk outside when visiting the garden. She would stay in the palace to arrange a few flowers and give them to the children she liked when the young people came back.
"Grandson pays homage to the Imperial Grandmother."
Jing Yao followed Si Pei and knelt down to pay her respects, thinking that Queen Dowager Xuan probably didn't want to hear her voice. Talking too much would only lead to mistakes, so it would be better to say nothing and just be a vase quietly.
However, she was such a conspicuous person that even if she stood there without saying anything, she would attract all the attention of the people around her. As soon as Queen Dowager Xuan raised her eyes, she saw the girl hiding beside Si Pei.
Upon seeing Jing Yao, Queen Dowager Xuan subconsciously frowned, her dislike for her growing. But remembering Si Jue's instructions, she forced a faint smile: "Ling Yi is here too. Would you like to sit for a while or walk around the garden?"
Jing Yao was horrified and turned his puzzled gaze to Si Pei, who was also a little surprised.
"What's going on?"
Did the Queen Dowager Xuan's brain get damaged after living in the Western Suburbs Palace for a while?
Not only did he change his behavior and stop scolding her, but he also inexplicably acted like a gentle elder. The way I looked at him made me feel uncomfortable and terrified.
Jing Yao wanted to communicate with Si Pei in a low voice, but she found that Queen Dowager Xuan in front of her was staring at her intently, as if waiting for her answer.
Jing Yao stopped pretending and forced a smile, politely replying, "Her Majesty, there are many women I know well in the Imperial Garden. I would like to catch up with them first."
She did not dare to speak in the same harsh tone as usual, and she used honorifics politely, for fear that the Queen Mother would find fault with her.
"That's fine." Queen Dowager Xuan nodded. "What about the Crown Prince?"
"Grandmother, I also want to go to the Imperial Garden."
"Then go ahead. We're all young people, and we'll have more topics to talk about than staying with me."
Jing Yao was so surprised by the considerate look of Queen Dowager Xuan that he couldn't close his mouth. Is the sun rising from the west?
"What's wrong with her...is she sick or recovered?"
Only after leaving Hengshui Palace did Jing Yao dare to ask about his doubts. What was wrong with the old empress dowager today? I wonder if she really thought that the empress dowager and the prince were just grandparents enjoying the family happiness.
Tsk.
Jing Yao sneered at the Queen Dowager Xuan's hypocritical appearance, and took Si Pei's arm and went straight to the imperial garden.
As luck would have it, he ran into Wen Renyou and Jiang Min who were confessing their love to each other face to face in Huating with blushing faces.
"Ling Yi, you're here!...Your servant pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince..." Jiang Jing, who was still excited, bowed awkwardly to the cold-faced Yan Luo who was following behind her, and carefully pulled Jing Yao over to watch together.
"They've been hesitating for a long time. I'm so worried about them."
Jiang Jing looked so disappointed that she wanted to go up and push them one by one.
"What's so difficult about this? Just hug each other and say 'I love you', and that's it."
Jiang Jing clapped her hands, looking as if she was very experienced.
"You've experienced this before, so what?"
Jing Yao was deliberately teasing her. After all, she knew Jiang Jing had never been in contact with a boy, let alone confessed her feelings. She probably learned all these tricks from storybooks.
"No!"
As usual, he denied it hastily, but unexpectedly, Jiang Jing's cheeks suddenly turned red and her eyes glanced around guiltily.
"You're hiding something from me!"
Jing Yao knew this good friend next to him who had grown up with him. When she lied, her eyes would dart around like this!
"There's definitely something wrong..."
"No, you're overthinking it!"
Jiang Jing pointed frantically and suddenly said excitedly, "Look, they're hugging!"
Jing Yao immediately looked up and saw the young boy and girl shyly hugging each other.
The movement was extremely gentle, as if he was afraid of scaring the other person away.
“That’s great…”
Jing Yao couldn't help but sigh as he watched. Looking at the Fifth Young Master and Xiao Wen, two handsome men and beautiful women of similar age standing together, it was really pleasing to the eye.
Moreover, the innocent and youthful heartbeat in them and the genuine attraction between the two young people are the most precious things.
Alas, there was no such process between her and Si Pei.
Although Si Pei liked to say that they had met and fallen in love when they were young, Jing Yao didn't quite agree. Si Pei was four years older than her, and when Si Pei decided to fall in love with her, she really just regarded him as an older brother.
If Si Pei heard these words now, he would inevitably be sad again.
Jing Yao shook his head, thinking that these young people were still more fun.
But Si Peiying won because he was shameless enough to stick to Jing Yao relentlessly and unconditionally give in to her in everything.
Jing Yao felt that if she really met a man of the same age and as noisy as Wen Renyou, she would definitely not be able to bear it.
Seeing that Wen Renyou put on Jiang Wen another flower hairpin that he had picked out in the jewelry store that day, it matched perfectly with the hairpin with a mixture of purple eagle orchid and chrysanthemum that Jiang Wen had specially put on, and it didn't look messy at all.
"That's just right."
Wen Renyou couldn't suppress a smile in his words, and he said something deliberately as if trying to find a topic to talk about.
Jiang Wen raised her eyes, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes curved into a smile: "Yeah, just right."
The double entendre made Wen Renyou couldn't help but smile foolishly.
"Indeed, they are a perfect match."
Huo Zhuxin smiled with satisfaction and turned his head to look at the people next to him: "They still have to talk for a while, should we still keep an eye on them?"
"That's fine, let them develop their relationship alone."
Jing Yao playfully stuck out his tongue and smiled, then turned back to look at Si Pei, who looked thoughtful.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I was wondering why I was so stupid and didn't prepare a special and meaningful hairpin for you."
Jing Yao knocked his head, which was unconsciously comparing himself with others: "Don't think about these messed up things. I like all the gifts you prepared...well, except for that knife."
If it weren't for the mess that happened later, Jing Yao would definitely like the jewel dagger that Si Pei specially sent from the Western Regions to make.
It’s a pity that whether in the past life or this life, it was given the meaning of hurting her and Si Pei by the thief.
Especially in the previous life...
Jing Yao vaguely recalled the dream she had this morning. Her heart skipped a beat, and she was embraced by Si Pei again.
Leaning against the warm, solid chest, Jing Yao felt much more at ease. But he was still vaguely worried: "By the way, have you really gotten rid of all the poison in your body?"
"Well, wasn't he taking medicine before? The imperial physician said there was nothing wrong with his pulse."
"That's good."
Jing Yao breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that these were just sudden worries of hers.
As it was getting close to afternoon, more and more people came into the Imperial Garden. Since Crown Prince Si Pei was right beside him, everyone who came to pay their respects had to pay their respects to Jing Yao again.
Everyone in and out of the palace knew that Jing Yao would soon become the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace.
Among these people, there are those who have a good personal relationship with Jing Yao, and naturally there are those who have a very bad relationship with her. If Si Pei had not been by Jing Yao's side, I'm afraid that vicious mouth would have been unable to hold back and started talking nonsense.
Jing Yao smiled and said nothing. They were just a bunch of unimportant people anyway.
The girl smiled sweetly and looked up, suddenly meeting a pair of damp and cruel eyes across the crowd.
She almost vomited.
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