"The grasslands..." Xia Yixin recalled the place from the original owner's memories. "Our people are very free. We live by following the water and grass. Every year there is a period of rest in the east. The weather is very cold, but it is very warm when the whole family gathers together. When I was a child, I had my own little colt, which has now grown into a magnificent steed. It's a pity that I didn't bring it with me when I came to the capital..."
After she finished speaking, she must have touched a nerve with Qi Yu, because he suddenly burst out laughing, leaving Xia Yixin completely bewildered.
"What's wrong?"
Perhaps because he was drunk, Qi Yu's tense face relaxed a lot, and he remembered what Xia Jingfeng had said to him that night.
"The foal you're talking about, is it the one that knocked out your front tooth when you were six years old?"
Xia Yixin searched the original owner's memories and it seemed that she really did have the question, "How did you?"
Looking at Qi Yu's mysterious expression, she suddenly remembered that Xia Jingfeng had invited Qi Yu for drinks before, and her face darkened. "What else did my father say to you?"
Qi Yu smiled slightly. "You said you chipped your front tooth when you were six, and you'd fight anyone who dared to laugh at you. You practically beat up everyone in the tribe. And you even raised a wolf, only to almost get bitten. Oh, and you threw a tantrum and rolled around on the ground, only to be appeased by him with a roast suckling pig?" He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips. "I never imagined Wan'er would be so obsessed with food since she was little."
Even Xia Yixin, with her thick skin, blushed a little. She snorted and said, "Don't be so smug. I'll ask the Empress Dowager about you one of these days."
Her words pleased him, and Qi Yu's smile deepened. He enjoyed being with her because he didn't need to pretend when he was with her.
He took out the black and gold dagger and placed it on the table, explaining to Xia Yixin's surprise.
"Sirius, the Cold Palace, you should know all of these. This black gold dagger is something I found on a corpse when I was seven years old. That was also the year I killed someone for the first time. It was because some prince, I don't know, dared to spit on my mother's food. I followed him for three days, and finally, when he passed through the Imperial Garden, I kicked down a hornet's nest from a tree. It landed right on the boy's head, and he was stung to death. That was the first time I tasted honey; it was very sweet."
Xia Yixin belatedly realized that he was talking about his own affairs.
"So you like honey because of this?" She felt a chill run down her spine.
"Scared?" He raised an eyebrow.
Xia Yixin shook her head. "I was just a little surprised. What happened next?"
Her attitude put Qi Yu at ease. He poured himself a glass of wine and smiled gently. "After that prince died, everything in the palace went back to normal. No one cared about the life or death of a prince. So at that time, I vowed to take my mother away from that cannibalistic place. But Wan'er, I now understand that hiding anywhere is useless. I can only survive by standing at the top and stepping on everyone's heads. Otherwise, I will be despised for the rest of my life."
Xia Yixin knew that she had aroused his ambition, but looking at the young man who drank it all in one gulp, she wondered if she had really done the right thing.
Qi Yu said a lot, and she realized how difficult it was for the seemingly simple boy to survive with his mother in the besieged city of the palace. The prince's mockery, the old emperor's indifference, his feigned madness to win favor, and his step-by-step killing of those who harmed them.
At seventeen, he was still a high school student in modern times, yet he had already experienced all the joys and sorrows of life. The fact that he could still retain the heart of a young man made him all the more precious.
He drank one glass of wine after another, and before he knew it, he was drunk and passed out on the table.
By the time Xia Yixin realized what was happening, her hand was already touching the top of his head. Although he had been smiling, she felt as if he were crying.
The Empress Dowager's actions today are tantamount to tearing open Qi Yu's already healed wounds.
Honestly, if she were in Qi Yu's position, she might not be able to do better than him. Currently, he still has only a few people in the court who support him, and most officials are in a wait-and-see state. Although he sits on the throne, he is no different from before.
At this moment, the system that hadn't appeared in her mind for a long time popped up: "Host, don't forget your mission, and besides, Qi Yu is destined to be the emperor!"
"I know, but things have changed now. Will Qi Yu still commit suicide in the future?" She felt it was such a pity. Qi Yu was actually very talented. Why did he have to sit in that cold and aloof position? He was kind at heart.
"Host, although you can change Xia Jingfeng's fate, Qi Yu is a character closely related to the main storyline. You cannot change his ending; that's the rule," the system replied coldly.
Xia Yixin frowned. "What main plot is involved in the story of a deposed emperor like him, who committed suicide after entering the palace as Shen Shaoyang?"
"..." The system pretended to be dead.
Xia Yixin sighed helplessly, looking at the drunken boy slumped on the table. She secretly decided that she would at least try to make him happy before the main plot officially began three years later. Perhaps she could find a way to give him a way out.
There would be no hope if she didn't do it, but she couldn't bear to watch him destroy himself.
Fortunately, she had brought guards from Beiwu with her this time, and Qi Yu was safely sent back to Fengqi Palace. She originally wanted Cao De to help him change and wash up, since the young man had become a drunkard. Unfortunately, when she turned around, she found that he was gone, so she had to do it herself.
She finally managed to take off his outer robe and shoes, cover him with a quilt, wipe his face with a wrung-out handkerchief, and then she went to wash herself and went to sleep outside.
She fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, unaware that after she fell asleep, the boy slowly opened his eyes. His obsidian-like eyes, when looking at the woman beside him, were like melting snow, turning into shimmering affection, without a trace of drunkenness.
He found that the more time he spent with her, the easier it was to break down his defenses.
The sweet fragrance in their breath intensified the familiar feeling.
The family banquet for the Ghost Festival arrived as scheduled. Because we had to observe three years of mourning for the late emperor, there was no grand celebration in the palace. We simply gathered together for a meal at Cixi Palace, just like any other festival.
Empress Dowager Xiaode seemed to have completely forgotten about what had happened before, and happily ate a meal with them.
Before leaving, Empress Dowager Xiaode kept him behind for a private talk. No one knows what she said, but Qi Yu came out looking very unnatural.
Xia Yixin asked Qi Yu, completely bewildered, what was going on.
The young man calmly said, "My mother said that our child will be the crown prince in the future, and she also gave us a prescription, saying that... cough, it's for having a son."
Xia Yixin looked at the prescription in her hand, her face slowly turning red.
"Then, you can keep that, haha, you might be able to use it later." She quickly stuffed this hot potato into his hand, but before she knew it, he had grabbed her hand.
"Let's go." Qi Yu led her away from Cixi Palace.
Xia Yixin was led along, and seeing that he seemed unaware of anything amiss, she was too embarrassed to speak. However, the warmth from his hand made her heart skip a beat.
Perhaps he did this to put Empress Dowager Xiaode's mind at ease?
She thought she had found the answer and stopped thinking about it, but she didn't notice that Qi Yu's gaze towards her had changed over the past few days.
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