Chapter 119 Yan Jiarou stayed by his side, beginning...
Ji Le's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, but she forced herself to remain calm and asked, "What does Your Highness mean by this?"
"What, Miss Ji Le, are you still wary of me? Are you afraid that my sudden summons and the unexpected words I just said might be part of a scheme to harm you, Third Prince?"
Having her secret exposed, Ji Le's expression immediately became unnatural: "This servant...this servant dares not presume to know..."
Xiao Jue looked her over and gave a light, ambiguous laugh: "It's alright. Your master and I have never gotten along. It's normal for you to have these concerns."
"However, the reason I summoned you here today, although it involves my third brother, is not about court intrigue or the struggle for the crown prince position. I simply want the woman who wants me to return to my side."
Ji Le was taken aback, her gaze still showing some doubt: "Your Highness, you...are you referring to Princess Qinghe?"
"Who else could it be but her?"
Xiao Jue said as he got up and walked past her toward the inner hall: "Very well, I'll show you something, and you'll understand." A moment later, he brought a rosewood box inlaid with the characters for "Fortune, Prosperity, and Treasures" and walked up to her.
After opening it, he took out a picture book and handed it to her: "Take a look."
Ji Le didn't understand why, but she still reached out and took it.
Turning to the first page, one is greeted by a beautifully sculpted little girl, around five years old, with an adorable appearance, like a porcelain doll.
As she looked at him, she felt that his features looked somewhat familiar.
Turning the page further, there are still portraits of girls, but as the pages go on, the girl's appearance changes—she seems to be growing up.
Ji Le paused, as if she had thought of something. To verify her guess, she immediately turned to the last page of the picture album, and sure enough, there was Yan Jiarou's delicate appearance! Exactly the same as the one she had seen yesterday.
Looking at that face, a flash of jealousy crossed her eyes. When she flipped through the album again, her fingers swept across the pages, and all the portraits together showed the changes in Yan Jiarou's appearance over the past ten years, from age five to fifteen.
Watching her grow from a tender little girl into a beautiful and graceful young woman.
Every stroke of the brush is imbued with the love of the artist.
A hint of emotion flashed in Ji Le's eyes. She only knew that Xiao Che loved Yan Jiarou more than his own life, but she didn't expect that Xiao Jue's love for her was just as deep: "Your Highness... this is... a painting you made?"
Xiao Jue hummed in agreement, his gaze falling on the portrait, and his expression softened abruptly: "From the initial brotherly and sisterly affection, the childhood sweetheart friendship, to the increasingly uncontrollable desire between men and women after she came of age. I have liked her for ten years."
"Do you know that she used to say she wanted to marry me, following me around like a little tail all day long? At first, I just thought it was childish talk and didn't dare to take it seriously. But I couldn't stop her from telling me again and again how much she liked me and that she would definitely marry me when she grew up. After hearing such words so many times, I started to believe it."
"She has loved me for a full ten years."
"We are mutually in love."
Even at her coming-of-age ceremony, she still said that she had finally grown up and could marry me. Now that she had passed the coming-of-age ceremony, she should have grown up. Couldn't she have realized her own feelings? At least at that time, she still loved me wholeheartedly.
"When did things start to change?" Xiao Jue murmured, as if he were lost in some painful memory.
Suddenly he looked up sharply, his eyes filled with gloom: "It was that trip to Mount Li!"
"It all started with that trip to Mount Li."
"She was accidentally bitten by a wild fox, and from then on, she contracted a strange disease that only Xiao Che could cure. She was then forced to become entangled with Xiao Che, and it was from that time that she gradually changed her heart."
“Although you are not a member of the Lanling clan, you have been serving by the side of the Consort before she entered the palace. You have been with her for so many years, so you should know the methods of the Lanling people. Jia Rou is young and has little self-control. It is understandable that she would lose control when she encountered a Lanling person for the first time.”
"In this world, the relationship between men and women is nothing more than love giving rise to desire, or desire giving rise to love. Love and desire are not easy to distinguish. It is perfectly normal for Jia Rou to mistake physical intimacy with him for true love. I do not blame her."
"The only thing I need to do now is to help her cure this strange illness."
"Once she recovers from her strange illness and is no longer bound to Xiao Che, she will remember my kindness and will naturally return to my side."
"I have now found a way to cure that strange disease, but unfortunately Jia Rou has been bewitched by Xiao Che and is indulging in male beauty, so she refuses to be cured of the strange disease. Therefore, I need Miss Ji Le's help."
Ji Le frowned: "Me?"
"Yes, I would like to ask Miss Ji Le to help me put on a play, a play that, after Jia Rou sees it, will surely make her give up on Xiao Che and be willing to cure her strange illness. From then on, the two of them will have no more ties and will be like strangers. This should be something Miss Ji Le would like to see, isn't it?"
She was naturally happy to see it happen, and even hoped it would happen. Indeed, Xiao Jue's words were very tempting to her.
If she could get rid of Yan Jiarou from Xiao Che's side simply by agreeing to his conditions and putting on a show, why wouldn't she agree!
But she still harbored some doubts and hesitated before saying, "Your Highness, you..."
Xiao Jue seemed to see through her thoughts and smiled, "Miss Ji Le, is there anything you're worried about? I've said it before, the things I ask you to do are only for Jia Rou, and will never involve political struggles, so naturally I won't do anything to your beloved."
“My feelings for Jia Rou are no less than your feelings for Xiao Che. Isn’t that picture album enough to explain everything?”
"She was always the one who provoked me first. I've waited for her for ten years, how could I possibly let her go now?"
"For her, I am willing to pay any price. As you can see, the situation in the court is not optimistic for me. How long I can remain in the position of Crown Prince is still unknown. I might wake up one day to find that the decree to depose me has already been issued."
"I'm afraid that I will have to hand over the position of crown prince to Xiao Che sooner or later."
"I have now come to terms with the situation and have no desire to make any more futile struggles. If he wants the position of crown prince, let him have it."
“I can give up everything, but not Jia Rou. She can only be mine, and she is all I have left. That’s why I want to ask Miss Ji Le to do me this favor.”
“I think that Miss Ji Le has watched her third brother grow up since he was a child. Even if we set aside romantic feelings and only consider the bond between master and servant, as well as the affection between you two siblings, you must also want the best for him.”
“What benefit would it bring to my third brother to be with Jia Rou? Jia Rou is an orphan with no one to rely on. Moreover, she has been spoiled by us since childhood and has a spoiled temper all her life. She is also naive and innocent, and knows nothing about court affairs. At times, she is overly clingy and needs you to accompany her and make her happy. With this kind of personality, she can not help him at all in important matters. On the contrary, he will have to spend his energy to coax her. To put it bluntly, she will only hold him back.”
"If my third brother can break off his relationship with her, he can save a lot of effort in marrying any noblewoman."
"A few days ago, I overheard Zhen'er mention that Cui Lingyi asked her for help, asking her to find a way to help her meet Xiao Che. She has something to say to him. I think Miss Ji Le is aware of her feelings for Xiao Che, isn't she?"
“If my third brother could get in touch with the Cui family, he wouldn’t have to work so hard.”
"Miss Ji Le, there's no need to look at me like that. It's true, in the past, I certainly wouldn't have been so kind. But as you know, Cui Lingyi has always favored the next crown prince. Now that Xiao Che is at the height of his power, it's only a matter of time before he replaces me. She has secretly admired Xiao Che, but due to her status as the eldest daughter of the Cui family, she has been burdened with a mission since childhood, which is why she has always suppressed her feelings. Now that such a good opportunity has presented itself, how could she miss it? Moreover, I was seriously injured in a fall from my horse. Even if she doesn't choose Xiao Che, she won't help me succeed. Having said all that, does Miss Ji Le still doubt me?"
"I said, I only want Jia Rou."
"You and I both know Xiao Che's personality. He never forces anyone. As long as Jia Rou gives up and asks to break free of the bond and cure her strange illness, he will agree."
"Whether for public or private reasons, Miss Ji Le, you should help me."
Ji Le slowly clenched her fist, a strange light flickering in her eyes.
The scene of Xiao Che embracing a woman and flirting intimately under the red plum tree seemed to reappear before his eyes. He said something that made the woman shyly hide in his arms.
The touch of rouge on her cheeks was even more vibrant than the two red plum blossoms in her hand.
It was extremely glaring.
He used to cherish the red plum trees he planted himself, but because of a few coquettish words from Yan, he kept plucking them.
His current attitude towards her is one of unbridled pampering; he gives her almost anything she wants.
She had noticed a long time ago that he treated her differently.
Whether it was during the hunt at Lishan when Yan Jiarou's horse went berserk and he risked his life to chase after her into the dense forest to save her, or before leaving the capital, he bled almost half of his body to leave her enough antidote.
Later, she betrayed him for Xiao Jue, ruining his plans and putting him in danger. But in just a few days, he forgot the lesson. Yan Jiarou only needed to shed a few tears, put on an act, and say a few light "sorry" words, and he would forget the pain he had suffered that day and turn around and make up with her as before.
After they reconciled, they remained as loving and devoted to each other as ever.
During sleepless nights, she would toss and turn, wondering why Xiao Che was like this, and finally couldn't help but ask him directly that day.
The only response I received was: "She is simple-minded. She was just being used that day. I don't blame her, and she has been punished."
It turned out that they were simply making excuses for her, which Ji Le found laughable.
"Does Your Highness truly not blame her? Even if you forgive her, how can you be so completely unperturbed? Ji Le really doesn't understand."
Xiao Che glanced at her indifferently, his voice as faint as smoke: "I do not blame her, but there was a moment when I did not want to continue. In fact, rather than hating her, I hate myself. Even when I am completely clear-headed, I cannot help but feel heartbroken for her, because she is in turmoil. She keeps pestering me, threatening suicide, and I am completely helpless, so I can only give in to her wishes."
He lowered his eyes and said softly, "To grant her wish... and to grant myself wish as well."
"Since you've chosen to forgive, then you should naturally reconcile. If you still harbor resentment, wouldn't such forgiveness be torture for her?"
“I won’t do that.”
"I was the one who promised to forgive her. Since I chose this path myself, it has nothing to do with her. Whatever happens in the future, it is no one else's fault."
Upon hearing this, Ji Le stood there stunned for a long time before finally reacting.
He loved her, and was hopelessly, like a moth drawn to a flame.
This realization sent chills down her spine.
Today he can pluck plum branches for her, ride a mad horse for her, and take half his blood, disregarding the consequences and having no bottom line. What about tomorrow?
What would he do for her?
Yan Jiarou staying by his side will always be a source of trouble.
She will not only ruin his career, but also harm him.
Xiao Jue is right. Now that things have come to this, she can no longer sit idly by, both for public and private reasons.
Since he has a way to get Yan Jiarou to leave Xiao Che, why not give it a try?
If she was still wary of him before, after seeing his picture book, most of that wariness had disappeared.
— Xiao Jue's feelings for Yan Jiarou were truly deep; every stroke of his brush was filled with love, and this could not be faked.
The remaining half also vanished after he told him that Cui Lingyi had completely abandoned him after he fell from his horse.
Yes, given his current situation, he has no chance of becoming the crown prince. He should have given up completely and stopped thinking about it.
Thinking of this, she looked up at Xiao Jue and said firmly, "Your Highness, if Your Highness really has a way to make the two of them fall apart, this servant is willing to cooperate with Your Highness to put on a show."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jue slowly smiled and said, "Okay."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
