Extra 1: The Prince in the Palace
At noon, the sun was shining brightly, its white light tinged with gold, shining through the dense branches and leaves and falling into the window, casting a mottled light and shadow on the goose yellow dress.
The child was sitting on a small couch by the window, his back leaning against a soft pillow, holding a book in his hand and moving it up and down and left and right to read.
Her eyes were dark and lifeless, her lips pursed, her face expressionless and cold, and it was unknown what she was thinking. "Swish, rustle..." If she hadn't been constantly turning pages and moving the book around in her hands, it would have been impossible to tell whether she was distracted or paying attention.
"Ding-ling-ling--" The wind blew through the tree branches and eaves, and in the palace, a sound of golden bells shaking and colliding was heard. The crisp sounds became louder and louder as they got closer.
From far behind, a voice was heard softly, a door slowly opened and closed, and familiar footsteps approached cautiously.
Jiang Jingyuan didn't even turn his head, as if he didn't notice anything at all. He sat on the small couch by the window in a leisurely manner. He suddenly put the book aside, stretched his sore fingers, and picked up the book with an expressionless face to turn the pages.
From the side and back, a fourteen-year-old boy was dressed in a white layered robe embroidered with gold. His clothes were neat, neat and noble, but he was very shy, with a conflicted and awkward expression on his face, and he stepped forward cautiously.
"Tap." He suddenly placed his hands on the small couch, mustered up his courage, and squeezed forward, looking at her eagerly, "Jiang Jingyuan!"
Jiang Jingyuan, wearing a goose yellow dress with silver ornaments, was immediately pushed to the wall by him. She frowned slightly, without raising her head or saying a word, but raised one hand to push him out.
Jiang Jingjian moved to give her some space and adjusted the pillow behind her. Jiang Jingyuan sat back down. He pursed his lips and blinked, then leaned his head closer to hers, looking at the book in her hand. He asked, "What are you reading?"
"..." Jiang Jingyuan had a blank expression on his face, his eyes were heavy, and he closed the book with a "click".
Jiang Jingjian shut up instantly, his eyes widened, his gaze slowly wandered, and he slowly moved away from her guiltily.
Jiang Jingyuan picked up the book again and continued reading.
After a few moments, the young boy next to her silently turned his eyes to her again.
This time he didn't come closer. He supported himself on the couch with one hand and sat on the edge of it. With the other hand, he slowly reached over and touched her small braid hanging in front of her shoulder with his index finger.
After touching her twice and seeing that she ignored him, Jiang Jingjian's eyes lit up, and his right index finger quickly moved up and gently stroked her black hair.
Jiang Jingyuan was reading and ignored him.
However, Jiang Jingjian moved closer and closer, and unknowingly snuggled up to her. He put down his right hand, opened the five fingers of his left hand, and touched her head hard!
In an instant, Jiang Jing gradually became satisfied. He squinted his eyes, raised the corners of his mouth, and made a vague snoring sound, "Jiang Jingyuan, Jiang, Jiang, Jingyuan..."
Jiang Jingyuan paused, not turning the pages of the book. She lowered her head slightly, remaining motionless for a long moment.
Suddenly, Jiang Jingyuan raised his hand and slapped his hand away, then put one hand on his shoulder and pushed him away, turning his head to stare at him.
I hadn't wanted to bother with such a small matter, but the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. Jiang Jingyuan had a blank expression on his face, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled down.
Jiang Jingjian froze in an instant, blinking his eyes as he looked at her innocently. He silently withdrew his hand and slowly moved away from her shoulder, following the force she was holding on his shoulder. "Look, just keep reading..."
Jiang Jingyuan withdrew his hand, turned his head, slowly pursed his lips, calmed down for a while and then started reading again.
"Jiang Jingyuan..." After a while, Jiang Jingjian came closer and asked in a low voice, "Shen Shi, are you going with me?"
Jiang Jingyuan remained silent.
"Then come with me!" Jiang Jingjian's eyes sparkled as she agreed casually.
Jiang Jingyuan said nothing and turned a page of the book in his hand.
Afternoon.
On a reclining chair in the shade of a tree, a child held a book with an expressionless face, but her eyes were not reading. Suddenly, she threw the book aside, picked up the cup on the small table next to her, and slowly drank tea.
"Your Highness..." A few young men gathered around, smiling and calling out before retreating. Suddenly, one of them suddenly approached, carrying a brocade box. He quickly approached her like a puppy, raised his head, and said with a smile, "Your Highness, my father just brought back a treasure from the southwest yesterday. Take a look at this. Do you like it?"
The smiles on the faces of the three or five young men around, and even those farther away, froze. They took a deep breath silently, and each took out the brocade box that had been prepared in the storage space for a long time. Then they came forward and smiled widely: "Your Highness! Your Highness! My father just came back too!" "My, my mother! My mother is back from Yu Country!"
They had bright smiles on their faces, but in the blink of an eye they all gritted their teeth and glared at the young man in the front.
Troublemaker!
There were always a lot of things going on with the Chi family. They laughed and cursed inwardly. God knows how shocked they were when they first saw this kid suddenly appear and flatter them half a year ago. They weren't shocked by his flattery, nor were they angry at his flattery. It was...
"You're using us as stepping stones?!"
Half a year ago.
The teenagers were shocked, angry and panicked. This was too wicked. If this guy wanted to give it to them, he should at least tell them the truth!
Without giving it much thought, they hurriedly found the gift box that they had kept for years in the storage space and presented it.
Although they had been prepared for many years, the things they presented were still far inferior to others. The young men held their breath and cried until they left the palace and went home.
They thought that was the end of it, but they didn't expect that this person would never stop and would show his affection every few days, which made them subconsciously rush to catch up.
But the gifts he gave them were strange and bizarre, sometimes rare and sometimes interesting gadgets, which always caught them off guard and made them serve as mere accompaniment.
That month, the Chi family's house was filled with carriages and horses.
All of them are parents of the companion students who gritted their teeth and came to discuss, to at least give us a glimpse of when your children will give gifts, and how high or low and complicated or simple the gifts will be!
The old thief from the Chi family smiled but said nothing. Despite much persuasion, he only agreed to show his courtesy by letting her know the night before.
The parents returned home with a grudge and immediately dragged their children to scold them: "Whatever he gave you, couldn't you take a closer look and find something similar?!"
The child also cried: "It's different! It's the same when I hold it in my hand, but it's different when I give it away!" Then he made a fuss: "I just don't have the same thing here! None of them are good!" The family hurried out to search for it.
But otherwise how can we call the Chi family thieves? Giving something expensive to His Highness in the palace is expensive, but His Highness in the palace is just a child. Between children, if it is expensive, it cannot be too direct, otherwise it will look stupid and clumsy. It also has to be interesting!
After one or two months of silence, the parents of each family discussed it and decided that he would just be a foil anyway, so we won’t play with him anymore!
It's okay for them to be just about right, not looking for excellence, just making no mistakes. The young man smiled and looked at the person squatting in front of him like a dog, wanting to kick him.
The young men thought to themselves, "What a busybody!", then smiled, presented the things, and stepped aside not far away.
Only the young man from the Chi family was circling around the crowd, calling out "Your Highness Jing Yuan" and "Your Highness" in a sweet voice.
On the recliner, Jiang Jingyuan drank his tea slowly, looking straight ahead with an indifferent expression, without reacting or paying any attention.
In the distance, Jiang Jingjian, Jiang Jingzong, and Jiang Jinghui looked over there, their surroundings empty. It was obvious that the other boys, distracted by the commotion of the Chi family boy, had focused their attention on Jiang Jingyuan and forgotten about them.
Jiang Jinghui smiled and said, "Xiao Yuan is really popular."
Jiang Jingzong nodded in agreement.
Jiang Jingjian pursed his lips and said nothing, feeling unhappy and thinking that he should not have brought Jiang Jingyuan here earlier. He raised his head and strode over, looking aggressive and trying to drive him away.
In the shallow shadows of the trees.
Jiang Jingyuan held the cup, expressionless, sensing the young boy spinning around and getting closer.
The young boy leaned against the edge of the recliner unconsciously, with a smile on his face, and squirmed his whole body to get closer to her, his face flushed and his eyes dodging and wandering. As he spoke, he raised his left hand and touched her cheek with his index finger.
"Bang!!" His eyes went dark and his face hurt as he was hit. The warm tea splashed all over his face and the porcelain cup flew out and broke into pieces on the ground.
The young boy's smiling face froze in an instant, tea slid down his cheek and dripped down his chin. He froze in place, motionless, with only his raised eyes staring blankly at the person in front of him.
For the first time, the prince turned his head to look at him, but his expression was cold, and his eyes staring at him were dark and mysterious, like the abyss.
The young boy was stunned, and his whole body felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave, with his eyes gradually covered with mist.
In an instant, the teenagers around were so scared that they opened their eyes wide and stared at this side blankly, unable to react for a while.
The palace maid waiting behind screamed, quickly stepped forward to pull the young boy away, and looked nervously at the person on the recliner.
Jiang Jingjian, who was walking nearby, also paused, froze for a moment, blinked blankly, then quickly trotted forward and asked in panic, "Jiang Jingyuan, how are you?!"
Jiang Jingzong and Jiang Jinghui's pupils shrank as they followed, "Xiao Yuan?!"
On a recliner deep in the shadows, Jiang Jingyuan sat steadily with a cold expression and pursed lips, only her hands and dress were wet.
"Then, then this is, how...what happened?"
Jiang Jingjian was stunned. He slowly stood still and looked at the person in front of him. He didn't understand and his mind was stuck.
Yes, you don’t like people getting close to you?
If you didn't like them, you should have kicked them out early on. If you didn't kick them out, you tolerated them, so why did you kick them out all of a sudden? Isn't this... a bit contradictory? It's impossible that this little distance could make a difference, right?
The two people chasing from behind were also stunned.
Jiang Jingyuan took the handkerchief from the palace maid and slowly wiped his hands, remaining silent.
Half an hour later.
The palace servant who hurried over greeted Jiang Jingyuan with warm regards and concern, then said to the young men with a cold face:
"Your Highness and Madam have granted you permission to study in the palace. You have earned this privilege through your own diligent examinations. Now that you are in the palace, you must study diligently with your teachers. Don't let down the grace of Your Highness and Madam, and the years of instruction from your families..."
In front, a group of young people lowered their heads and responded "yes".
After the palace maids left, they raised their heads and looked at each other, then all glanced at the young man from the Chi family with mocking eyes.
The young boy from the Chi family had red eyes and pursed his lips in silence.
At dusk, when the palace gates opened, the young man from the Chi family finally couldn't help himself and ran out of the palace crying. The other young men followed behind him, slowly and leisurely walking out of the palace, their smiles curled, their expressions calm and composed.
"That guy from the Chi family loves to show off, and today he's being criticized!"
The young men said the same words happily when they got into their own carriages, and said them proudly again when they returned home.
The adults from each family were all stunned when they heard this.
That night, the Chi family asked for two days off for their child, saying that they knew their mistake and were being punished.
Two days later.
The young man from the Chi family entered the palace again to accompany the young prince in his studies. He admitted his mistake to the young prince, lowered his head slightly, and remained silent for a long time.
The young men glanced at him with mockery and contempt, and now they dared not show off anymore.
However……
"Your Highness Jingyuan, the teacher is teaching you and your study companions martial arts. It's not appropriate for you to just sit under this tree, right?" He followed Jiang Jingyuan silently, and suddenly found the right opportunity to speak out of the blue.
The young men were caught off guard and were stunned, their mouths hanging open in shock. Could this guy be crazy?!
Jiang Jingjian and the other two also looked at him in surprise.
He didn't hide or avoid them, nor did he look at them. He stood beside the chair, staring at the person on the chair with heavy eyes.
Jiang Jingyuan didn't even raise his eyelids and ignored it as if he didn't hear it.
When he got no response, the young man from the Chi family turned around calmly and walked away. Everyone stared at him in a daze as he walked away.
The next day.
"Your Highness, this is the training ground. Do you really have to sleep here?" The young man stood in front of Jiang Jingyuan. Jiang Jingyuan ignored him. He walked away again.
Jiang Jingjian and the other two walked up to him dissatisfiedly and spoke.
"Your Majesty and His Majesty have sent companions to the palace to help Your Highnesses learn." The young man bowed with a calm demeanor. "Your Highness is resisting learning, so you can go to Your Majesty and His Majesty and reprimand me. But since I'm here as a companion, I must fulfill the duties of a companion."
Jiang Jingjian and Jiang Jingzong couldn't help but open their mouths slightly, their eyes dull. Jiang Jinghui slowly fell into deep thought.
Day 3.
"Your Highness, Princess, even if you are a princess, you cannot disrespect your elders. The master is here, and you are his disciple. You must also learn martial arts from him, right?" The young man stood in front of Jiang Jingyuan. Jiang Jingyuan did not respond, so he walked away.
Day 4.
"Your Highness Jing Yuan, where are your books? Where are your homework? It's not proper to sleep in the daytime." He said coldly, and then walked away.
The fifth day, the sixth day, and countless days—
"Your Highness Jing Yuan..."
"Your Highness Jing Yuan..."
"Your Highness..."
Enough, enough, this is not going to end! ! The young men were the first to collapse. They had no idea what the prince was thinking after hearing this, but their heads were buzzing!
"You were 'His Royal Highness Jing Yuan' before, and you're still 'His Royal Highness Jing Yuan' now. Are you too idle?!" The young men's expressions were distorted and ugly, and they thought to themselves, "Are you going to make a fuss or not?"
They took deep breaths, and as if they couldn't bear it any longer, they raised their hands to cover their ears, their eyes full of annoyance.
And that Highness Jing Yuan is the same. She doesn't practice martial arts but insists on staying here. Even her schoolwork can be criticized by the Chi family. She gets into trouble for no reason! But she is so good, she sleeps peacefully in broad daylight, but she wants to disturb others' peace and tranquility!
The boys could no longer bear it and started to blame her out loud.
"Your Highness, Young Master Chi is right. If you don't want to practice martial arts, why don't you leave first!" They said, "This is where your Highnesses study."
They added, "We entered the palace as tutors, and we should fulfill our duties and responsibilities. If you are unhappy, you can go to His Majesty and His Majesty and reprimand us."
The complaints of the young men became more and more intense, and they didn't even notice that the resentment in their hearts was growing stronger. However, the one from the Chi family who came forward first disappeared without a trace.
This day.
Jiang Jingyuan lay in the recliner as usual, looking at the vast open sky and earth in front of him, his eyes blank, quiet and dazed, chewing pastries in his mouth.
Without even turning her head, she raised her hand to grab the tea beside her. Suddenly, as if realizing something, she slowly turned her head to look, her eyes still blank.
In front of him, the young boy from the Chi family was standing far away, staring at him with a gloomy face for an unknown amount of time.
It seemed like she could suddenly come over at any time, grab her pigtails and scold her.
Jiang Jingyuan was in a daze, his heart was calm and calm.
She couldn't muster any thoughts or emotions about people or things that couldn't affect her.
She brought the tea, turned her head back and drank it slowly.
"Princess."
Suddenly, the front went dark. Jiang Jingyuan blinked calmly. The man seemed to appear in front of her in an instant, blocking her view. He said coldly, "This is the martial arts training ground. It's where Your Highness and your companions study. You shouldn't be eating cakes here."
Jiang Jingyuan drinks tea.
Not far away, Jiang Jingjian and Jiang Jingzong were feeling rather troubled and shouted helplessly, "Let her eat!"
"Your Highness!" Without waiting for the Chi family to speak, the other young men frowned and said, "Your Highnesses, even if you love the Princess, there must be a limit."
They saluted solemnly and said in a firm tone, "As your highnesses' study companions, even if we are punished, beaten, or scolded, we must fulfill our duties as study companions! We will never let down your majesty's grace!"
Jiang Jingjian and Jiang Jingzong shut up instantly.
dusk.
Jiang Jingjian, Jiang Jingzong and Jiang Jinghui sat in the palace, all with thoughtful faces, staring at Jiang Jingyuan in front of them with dazed eyes.
Jiang Jingyuan ate the soup with an expressionless face.
After a long while, Jiang Jingzong couldn't help but say, "Xiao Yuan... Let's talk to them tomorrow..." After a pause, he added, "Especially the one from the Chi family."
Jiang Jingjian nodded with a heavy face, "Jiang Jingyuan, let's be with them tomorrow."
Jiang Jinghui's smile froze.
Why should she be with them? Jiang Jingyuan's face was expressionless, his hand twitching constantly as he thought to himself without saying a word.
Jiang Jingjian saw what she was thinking and came forward to whisper, "Those who can enter the palace to study with the emperor are all young masters from wealthy families."
Jiang Jingyuan was not happy and refused to listen. To put it bluntly, if he didn't need it now, he might not be able to help in the future.
"Jiang Jingyuan..." Jiang Jingjian stood up and leaned forward, raised his hands to hug her, then quickly withdrew his hands, crooked his eyes, and said softly, "Just like you, Jiang Jingyuan, you are also very good to me now."
Jiang Jingyuan looked down at his hands holding the bowl and the spoon, and remained silent.
"It's very simple, Xiao Yuan." Jiang Jingzong also said. He sneered as if recalling something and said, "That guy from the Chi family, he's very straightforward about what he's thinking. You can just say a few nice words to him tomorrow and it will be over."
Jiang Jinghui suddenly smiled inexplicably and said, "Just a few nice words will do."
Looking around at the two of them, Jiang Jingjian frowned and remained silent. After a moment, he opened his mouth.
"Hey." Jiang Jingzong raised his right index finger and shook it in front of him, then retracted his hand, looked at Jiang Jingyuan, and said:
"So what? He just likes Jiang Jingyuan, that's his business. What does it have to do with our Jiang Jingyuan? Doesn't our Jiang Jingyuan lack a few people who like him? It's just a few nice words. It's not mainly for him, it's just for simplicity. It's not a big deal."
Jiang Jingjian still frowned and pursed his lips in thought.
"So you like Xiaoyuan." Jiang Jinghui smiled at Jiang Jingyuan again and said something strangely.
Like... Jiang Jingyuan paused, then slowly opened his mouth.
Jiang Jingjian and the other two suddenly felt something and looked over carefully.
Jiang Jingyuan said calmly, "It's human nature to like me."
His voice was calm, like the clear water under the moon, unsatisfied and without the slightest emotion.
In an instant, Jiang Jingjian, Jiang Jingzong and Jiang Jinghui all opened their mouths little by little, their faces filled with daze.
ah?
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