Chapter 105 "Yan Yan, come here."...
The autumn wind was bleak, and the copper bells under the eaves of the palace in the distance jingled in the wind.
It was only early autumn, but the autumn wind made her feel a bit chilly.
Her lips trembled slightly, and she heard her own voice, hoarse and strained, echo in the autumn wind: "No, it can't be. He said he only loves me, he won't marry any other woman..."
Xiao Jue sneered, "Like? He's just using you. All he wants is the position of crown prince. Besides, you can't always trust what men say in bed, so how can you believe everything you hear?"
"Wasn't he deeply devoted to Xiao Yan like a brother before? Yet, for the sake of the crown prince position, he was willing to frame even him. Tell me, what else is genuine?"
"No!" Yan Jiarou suddenly raised her head and looked straight at him.
She was usually mild-mannered and almost never argued with Xiao Jue, so she rarely spoke so firmly: "It wasn't him who harmed Second Brother. Xiao Che wouldn't do such a thing, and he wouldn't harm you either. You and Second Brother have always been at odds, so it's not surprising that he would plot against you. Why blame Xiao Che for this?"
Xiao Jue sneered, "You believe him so easily? Do you really understand him? Has he ever told you about his plans or his ambitions? I'm afraid he hasn't."
"In his eyes, you're nothing more than a foolish, naive, and beautiful plaything with only a pretty face. He took you to both break my mind and to amuse himself. He only had physical pleasure with you; there was never any real connection between you. You know nothing about his actions in court. Am I right?"
Yan Jiarou's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she bit her lip in a helpless manner, her small face turning pale instantly.
Xiao Jue glanced at her: "Jiarou, I heard all of this with my own ears. Would I lie to you? From childhood to adulthood, when has your Crown Prince ever lied to you?"
"And my third brother, how long have you been seeing him? And you trust him so much already?"
“You keep asking me for evidence, and I don’t have any right now. But I’ve already analyzed this matter with you from beginning to end. No matter what, the facts are there. Xiao Che is now the biggest beneficiary. Isn’t that enough to explain everything?”
"During your trip to Huaizhou, you must have been inseparable from him. If you insist on so-called evidence, you might as well think back carefully and see if he gave any clues during that time?"
Yan Jiarou was startled. The image of the day they had been intimate flashed through her mind. She had fallen asleep exhausted and, in a half-dream state, overheard a conversation between Xiao Che and Xue Zhi.
That was what Xiao Che instructed Xue Zhi to say to the Cui family in order to help Xiao Yan settle the matter of murder. However, as Yan Jiarou listened, she sensed that something was amiss.
He was trying to help Xiao Yan resolve that matter, but judging from his conversation with Xue Zhi, his words didn't seem to express any remorse; instead, they seemed to be subtly provoking him.
She simply trusted Xiao Che too much and never thought things through.
And why did she find the two people Xiao Jue mentioned, "Jiang Yan and Jia Wei," who have been closely associated with Xiao Che these past few days, so familiar?
It's as if I've seen these two names somewhere before? It's understandable that she knows Jiang Yan, since she's a concubine, but Jia Wei is an official from the previous dynasty. How could she have heard of his name?
She has never cared about matters of the court.
Besides, Jia Wei was a low-ranking official from a humble background; how could she possibly know him?
She had a vague feeling that the reason she felt these two people were familiar might be related to Xiao Che.
But when I tried to think about it more carefully, I couldn't make sense of it.
She shook her head, instinctively wanting to avoid the matter. Perhaps she was just overthinking it. These two people had nothing to do with Xiao Che. As for the matter in Huaizhou, she was half-asleep and her mind was not clear. How could she take what she heard at that time seriously?
Thinking of this, she seemed to have made a decision. She looked up at Xiao Jue, her tone more resolute than ever before: "Crown Prince, please stop talking. No matter what you say, I will not believe it. I love Third Brother, so naturally I will believe him. I promised him that no matter what happens, I will believe him and will never be swayed by others."
Upon hearing this, a crack finally appeared in Xiao Jue's expression: "A bystander? Instigating? Who is the bystander? Who is instigating?"
He gripped her shoulders, leaned closer to her, and said, "What? We've been childhood sweethearts, promised each other our lives for so many years, and now I'm someone else? Who isn't someone else? Xiao Che? You've become one with him!"
Yan Jiarou raised her small face and gently frowned: "Crown Prince, of course I want to believe both of you, but I don't believe you that Xiao Che only used me and my second brother from beginning to end and harmed you. He is not the kind of person who would do anything to achieve his goals. I know I am not smart and I can't tell the difference in many things, but I know that since I promised Xiao Che to believe him, I must keep my word."
“He said he likes me. Every time he says that, I’m so happy, so I’m willing to believe him, and I want to believe him. I believe he’s sincere towards me, and that he likes me.”
Xiao Jue tightened his grip on his fingers and gritted his teeth, saying, "I think you've really been bewitched by him and lost your mind!"
"Wake up, Jiarou, you're acting this way because you have a strange illness, not because you really like him!"
As Xiao Jue spoke, he took a deep breath and tried his best to suppress the frenzied anger growing within him.
He realized that this wouldn't solve the problem at all, and he needed to calm down.
"Jiarou," he spoke again, his emotions much calmer, his voice gentle, as if he had returned to the gentle and refined prince of the past: "I know that you are only temporarily bewitched by him. The reason is still the strange illness. Don't worry, I have almost caught up with the whereabouts of the mute doctor you mentioned before. Soon, very soon I will be able to cure your illness. At that time, you will definitely wake up."
"It's okay if you don't believe me now. I'll say it again: time will tell. You'll understand everything then."
“I’ve thought it through. I don’t mind what you have with him now,” he gently stroked her cheek and said tenderly, “My Jiarou is just sick and needs him to cure her. I don’t see him as a man, but as a medicine. Once you’re cured, you can kick him aside, and I’ll pretend nothing happened and we can continue our loving life together. What do you say?”
Yan Jiarou frowned slightly, looking at him with a complicated expression. In the end, she didn't say anything, only saying, "Crown Prince, I always hope you are well. You need to take good care of yourself. We can talk about anything after you recover."
She wanted to go back as soon as she finished speaking. She was in a lot of turmoil and needed to be alone to calm down.
Unexpectedly, just as she turned around, Xiao Jue suddenly called out to her from behind.
"Jiarou,"
His voice sounded somewhat ethereal in the wind: "Speaking of which, do you really feel nothing about Xiao Che trying to take my position as crown prince?"
Yan Jiarou was taken aback, and after a moment, she said softly, "He wouldn't. The position of Crown Prince has always belonged to you, my brother Crown Prince."
"But what if he really also desires this position? Don't forget, he has now cleared his name of the bloodline controversy and is now qualified to vie for the throne—if he really intends to do so, Jiarou, whose side will you take?"
Yan Jiarou slowly clenched her fists, her mind a jumbled mess: "Crown Prince," she said, "I naturally hope that you can firmly hold onto the position of Crown Prince." She had already chosen Xiao Che, and she didn't want Xiao Jue to lose even the position of Crown Prince in the end.
"Okay, Jiarou, I feel relieved to hear you say that."
He curled his lips into a smile, a strange light gradually appearing in his eyes: "Don't worry, what's mine can't be taken away by anyone. Neither you nor the position of Crown Prince."
"Even a cornered dog will jump over a wall. Do they really think I'll just sit here and wait to die? Ha."
“As for you, Jia Rou,” he said softly behind her, “if you already have any doubts, then go and ask Xiao Che.”
Yan Jiarou's body suddenly stiffened.
After leaving Chang Le Gate, Yan Jiarou wandered aimlessly along the palace path, Xiao Jue's earlier words echoing repeatedly in her mind—
"If you already have doubts, then go ask Xiao Che."
...
When I came to my senses, I found myself unknowingly walking to the entrance of Hanguang Hall.
She stood before the palace gate, her clenched hands loosening and then tightening again. After hesitating for a long time, she finally went inside.
When Xue Zhi led her to the study, Xiao Che was discussing matters with Yan Xiao.
She wanted to leave, but Xiao Che's hearing was exceptional; he had already heard the noise: "Who's there?"
Left with no other choice, Yan Jiarou braced herself and went inside: "...Third Brother, it's me."
Xiao Che looked up, his eyes immediately lighting up with a smile: "Yan Yan?"
She stammered, "I...I don't have anything urgent to do. If you have other important matters to attend to, I'll come over later."
Yan Xiao then turned around, looked her up and down, and a teasing smile appeared on his lips: "So you're the little princess."
Yan Jiarou was a little shy around people she didn't know well, so she just nodded slightly and said, "...General Yan."
Xiao Che then turned to look at Yan Xiao, tapping his fingers lightly on the edge of the table: "Alright, I've said what I needed to say. You can go back now."
Yan Xiao was stunned and looked at him in disbelief: "...No, as soon as the little princess arrived, you sent me away?"
"I'm telling you, Xiao Wenqi," he was almost laughing in exasperation, "you've really mastered the phrase 'forgetting righteousness for the sake of beauty' perfectly."
Xiao Che: "Otherwise what? Are you more important than my heart and soul?"
He curled his lips into a smirk and lazily lifted his eyelids: "Alright, stop humiliating yourself."
"You little brat, Xiao Wenqi, don't come to me next time you need something." Yan Xiao pretended to be angry and punched him lightly. "Alright, I won't disturb you two siblings' reminiscing and sweet talk any longer. I'm leaving."
After saying that, he walked around the table toward the door, but when he passed Yan Jiarou, he suddenly stopped and said with a grin, "Hello, sister-in-law."
Yan Jiarou paused for a moment, blinked somewhat helplessly, her cheeks visibly flushed, and after stammering for a while, she didn't know what to say, so she could only reply, "Hmm... General Yan is fine too."
Yan Xiao was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing: "Little princess, how can you be so cute?" It has to be said, the little princess is fair and soft, with a natural timidity towards strangers, and so easily embarrassed, she really is like a little rabbit.
He wanted to tease her a bit more, but Xiao Che couldn't sit still any longer. He grabbed an inkstone and threw it at him, saying, "That's enough. Stop teasing her and get lost."
Yan Xiao dodged to the side and said with an embarrassed smile, "Alright, alright, I'll go. I don't even dare to say another word to your darling."
After saying that, he touched his nose and went out, muttering to himself as he walked: Xiao Wenqi is such a petty person.
He practically adored Yan Jiarou, like the apple of his eye. Honestly, any man would be jealous, but was it really necessary?
Thinking this, he slammed the door shut in a huff as he left.
With a loud bang, only Xiao Che and Yan Jiarou remained in the room.
Xiao Che bent his fingers and tapped them lightly on the table, a smile gradually spreading across his lips: "Yan Yan,"
He said, "Come here."
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