Chapter 64 Temporary Reconciliation | "You choose me, I..."
The little girl looked up at him expectantly, her bright black eyes misty, and said aggrievedly, "But we just made up, and you're leaving... Can't you stay with me a little longer, just a little while?"
Xiao Che raised an eyebrow: "How can I keep you company? Just talking isn't enough." He then reached out and touched the deleted page.
A smile played on his lips as he looked up at her, his gaze carrying a strong suggestive meaning as it slowly moved across her face. Just one look was enough to make her blush and her heart race.
Yan Jiarou's ears turned red: "Um... Brother, delete it all..."
The young girl's breath trembled slightly, her thin red eyelids lifted, revealing a flirtatious glint in her eyes: "It's not just talk, it's not like I'm telling you not to delete everything..."
Xiao Che teased her in a hoarse voice, "You can touch, but you can't delete everything."
Yan Jiarou's face showed a hint of embarrassment, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "I...I didn't..."
“Alright, I’ll stay with you and we can talk, or…” He suddenly remembered something, pinched her cheek, and a hint of interest flashed in his eyes: “Yan Yan, how about I make a painting for you?”
"Painting?"
Xiao Che responded with a natural "Mmm": "I'm about to leave the capital. What will I do if I miss you? I'll take your painting with me as a comfort."
“Actually, you don’t need to bring the painting. I…” Yan Jiarou thought for a moment, and finally said, “But if you want my painting, of course you can.”
Xiao Che brought out brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, but when he was painting, he wouldn't let Yan Jiarou wrap herself in a brocade quilt: "Baby, how can I start painting if you're wrapped up like a caterpillar like this?"
Yan Jiarou cupped her chubby little face in her hands, blinked, and said, "No... can't we just draw my face?"
"Just draw faces?" Xiao Che chuckled. "Just a head on a piece of paper, Yan Yan, don't you find it creepy?"
"Then...I'll get dressed..."
Xiao Che, however, refused: "But I like the way you don't submit."
"But...but...I..."
"What are you shy about, baby? Your body is beautiful, I like it very much."
He walked over and hugged her, resting his chin on the side of her neck, gently stroking it, and said in a hoarse voice, "Yan Yan, I want to paint your nude portrait, is that alright?"
"Why...why do you have to draw that...a portrait with clothes on can also serve as a memento..." That would be like drawing a picture of Tsubaki Palace, it's too embarrassing.
Xiao Che buried his face in the crook of her neck and chuckled softly, "Because I want to do naughty things in front of your portrait."
"Wha...what bad thing happened?"
Xiao Che looked up at the innocent-looking little rabbit and smiled meaningfully, "Baby, you don't want to know."
Yan Jiarou eventually gave in to his coaxing and agreed. She wasn't really good at refusing Xiao Che. From the beginning when she was clear-headed and only regarded him as her brother, to the later when she gradually crossed the line, to the point where she had fallen to this state, naked and at his mercy... it was clear from that.
As long as he is willing to go along with her a little and coax her a little, she is powerless to resist—her will is hardly firm when facing him.
In the end, she didn't see the finished product because she was afraid that Xiao Che would take a long time to paint. So she chose a comfortable position and fell asleep without realizing it.
After Xiao Che finished painting, he went over to take a look. The little girl was sleeping soundly, seemingly having a dream. She was calling someone's name indistinctly. He bent down and listened carefully.
She was calling out two words, a person's name: Xiao Che.
What she said was: "Xiao Wenqi... don't ignore me... brother, I like you so much..."
Xiao Che's fingers, which were resting on her eyebrows, curled slightly, and he smiled with pleasure: "You even call my name in your dreams, so you like me that much?"
However, the voice eventually faded into the distance, like dust and smoke, gradually dissipating into the void: "What do you love, my person or my blood?"
He leaned down and placed a kiss he cherished dearly on her: "You chose me, and I will never let you down."
——
Xiao Che covered Yan Jiarou with a light blanket, then sat by the bed and watched her quietly for a long time until there was a light knock on the door, saying that General Yan had arrived and was waiting in the study. Only then did he get up and leave.
Inside the study, the two sheets of watermark paper that Yan Jiarou had just picked up were now lying quietly, overlapping each other, on the desk.
The one placed on top is the one with Xiao Jue's name written on it, marked with a shocking circle and cross by the pen that pierced through the paper.
Xiao Che placed his hand on it and lightly tapped it with his index finger: "Go tell Xiao Yan that he has been placing that person in the Shayuan Prison for some time now. The time is right, we don't need to wait any longer, we can take action."
"In a few days, the seasonal banquet will be held, and the horses presented by the Hu people should arrive. If nothing unexpected happens, Father Emperor will reward Xiao Jue with the imperial horse at the next seasonal banquet. I personally taught the junior officer I placed in the Shayuan Supervisory Office. His horsemanship is second to none, and he is also very good at raising horses. He will definitely be selected."
“Tell Xiao Yan that Xiao Jue himself selected the horse from the Shayuan Supervisory Office. If the horse had an accident, the investigation would not be able to trace it back to him. Moreover, he had already left the capital at that time. Since he was not in the capital, no one would suspect him. If we miss such a good opportunity, we don’t know where the next one will come from.”
"Xiao Yan should have some experience from the last trip to Mount Li. You can have him do the same thing and tamper with the fodder for the imperial horses."
"Just tell him that. I think he doesn't have any other ideas right now, so he should listen to me."
"But the amount of medicine put into the fodder last time was still too much. After all, we are brothers, so there is no need to kill him."
"Be careful, the dosage of the medicine must be carefully controlled. After all, Xiao Jue is a good-for-nothing with no fighting skills. If we are not careful, we might kill him."
"Just a token gesture, breaking one of his legs or crippling him would be enough."
“When the Wei Dynasty selected its heir, in addition to the eldest son of the legitimate wife, it also placed great importance on appearance. A disabled prince could not inherit the throne.”
"Tell Xiao Yan that I will do my best to help him do a good job in Huaizhou to raise funds for disaster relief, both for public and private reasons."
"When he does his job well, Father will be pleased, while Xiao Jue will be crippled and completely out of favor. Not to mention Father, even the officials will not be willing to support a crippled crown prince. When that time comes, the position of the emperor will naturally belong to Xiao Yan. Don't miss such an opportunity."
After hearing his words, Yan Xiao nodded: "Okay, I will convey your message when I leave the palace later."
He glanced at him again as he spoke, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
Xiao Che raised an eyebrow and smiled: "What, do you have something else to say?"
“You must have your reasons for leaving the palace this time, and you have no choice but to go,” Yan Xiao said, frowning. “But what will happen to your pampered little princess once you leave?”
"Yan Yan? What's wrong?"
Yan Xiao said, "Isn't she inseparable from you? Now that you're leaving, what about her?"
"It's alright, I'll arrange it." She narrowed her eyes, frowning as she scrutinized him: "Why are you so concerned about her?"
Yan Xiao: "No, what do you mean by looking at me like that? You don't think I... "
He was so angry he almost laughed: "Don't worry, I'm not like you, and I don't have the habit of stealing other people's partners. Besides, she's so delicate, and she talks like she's being affectionate. If you really get together with her, she'll definitely cling to you all day long, and I can't stand it."
Xiao Che chuckled and said casually, "You're just being jealous. You want it but you don't have it yet."
Yan Xiao looked disgusted: "Ugh, what happened to you? I can't stand you."
After thinking for a moment, she finally decided to tentatively ask, "Um, has she been acting strangely lately?"
"Something's wrong? What?"
Yan Xiao coughed and asked, "For example, has she become unusually enthusiastic towards you?" Seeing that Xiao Che didn't understand, he gritted his teeth and asked directly, "Has she been aroused by you recently?"
Xiao Che was taken aback, then chuckled: "Why would she be aroused by me?"
He shamelessly said, "I'm more like I'm lustful towards her."
"...Ahem, you know what you're thinking, so there's no need to tell me everything."
Yan Xiao said, "Seriously, what's the current situation with your heart's strange illness? A month has passed and there's been no progress?"
"Progress? Aside from the blood draws becoming more frequent and the intervals shorter, there hasn't been any other progress. What, is there anything else?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Xiao murmured softly, "That's not right. The mute doctor said that if we don't take the medicine he prepared to slow down the process, the progress will be achieved in the next few days. Shouldn't he be dissatisfied with just taking blood..."
Xiao Che didn't hear clearly: "What?"
Yan Xiao coughed: "It's nothing. I just remembered the mute doctor's advice that this strange illness might improve after a while. You've been away from Princess Qinghe for so long this time, I'm afraid something might happen."
As he spoke, he tore two brocade pouches off his belt and threw them to him: "Here, the mute doctor gave them to me. Open them when Princess Qinghe's condition improves. Open the blue one first, and if that doesn't work, then open the red one. Don't get the order mixed up."
Xiao Che raised an eyebrow, reached out and picked up the two brocade pouches in his hand, looking thoughtfully at them: "Why not just say it directly? Why put them in two mirror pouches, making it so mysterious?"
Should he just say it directly? Yan Xiao thought to himself that he really couldn't bring himself to say it. Unlike Xiao Che, he still had a sense of shame.
Blood won't work, we need his semen.
Even though he and Xiao Che were both grown men, it was still a little difficult for them to say such things to each other's faces.
Besides, given Xiao Che's shamelessness, we shouldn't let him get his way with his words later.
Tsk, forget it.
However, on the other hand, although Xiao Che was shameless in some ways, given his personality, he might not actually be happy after learning the truth.
He is the one who least respects coercion.
Especially for women.
Of course, to be fair, he really didn't need to force him.
Yan Xiao thought that in all his years, Xiao Che had probably only ever run into trouble with that delicate little princess.
He knew what she was thinking. He had liked her for so many years, yet he wouldn't even stoop to using her kindness for personal gain, let alone anything else.
It was during the trip to Mount Li that the little princess was accidentally bitten by a wild fox and contracted that strange illness, which forced the two of them to stay together. Otherwise, given Xiao Che's personality, he would not have bothered to force the issue and might have actually let go of her.
But the situation is different now. Because of that strange illness, he was forced to meet the little princess. Perhaps because he needed her help, the little princess's temper was much milder. Xiao Che is the kind of person who always responds better to gentleness than force.
Coincidentally, he guessed that the little princess was the same.
When Xiao Che is willing to soften and coax someone, what a scene that is! The people of Lanling have an innate advantage: their outstanding looks and innate flirting skills can absolutely make any woman fall in love with them.
Both sides are responsive to gentle persuasion but not force, thus creating a virtuous cycle.
After a while, the two became inseparable.
He had seen the two of them together from afar in the Han Guang Palace. The little princess was incredibly clingy, and Xiao Che indulged her.
He had tasted the intense, surging love he had always dreamed of, but he didn't know if he would be able to let go so easily in the future.
On the other hand, because he disdained coercion, when he learned that Princess Qinghe had contracted such a strange disease, his first thought was not to use it to blackmail her into being with him, but to find a way to cure her. It seems that he did not consider at all that once the disease was cured, he would no longer have any use for her, and he would no longer have any leverage to blackmail her.
Therefore, he deduced that Xiao Che probably wouldn't be happy after learning what Princess Qinghe needed to progress her illness.
Not only that, they would even help her find ways to avoid it.
Tsk, this is not something he would like to see.
As Xiao Che's childhood playmate and best friend, he knew all too well how much Xiao Che loved Yan Jiarou. He had adored her since she was a baby, and the first thing he did after school was to return to the palace to see his precious little princess, hold her in his arms, and hear her call him "brother."
He even slept by her side at night, and he probably spent more time looking after her than her personal nanny.
They raised them with utmost care, as if they were afraid of dropping them or melting them in their mouths, until they were four or five years old.
Later, he even risked his life to save her from the pool.
What happened afterward is unnecessary to recount.
He thought that Xiao Che would never go to such lengths for another woman in his life.
So, as a close friend who had witnessed his deep affection for Yan Jiarou all along, he naturally wanted to help him.
It's true that it's awkward to say it to his face, but it's also true that I want to help him. If I say it now, it might cause unforeseen problems. It would be better to wait until Yan Jiarou's condition has indeed improved, and then let him open the brocade pouch himself to find out the solution. At that time, the arrow will be on the string and there will be no choice but to release it. Naturally, he can only take action to help the little princess cure her illness.
However, Xiao Che is about to leave the capital, and it is unknown when Yan Jiarou's condition will progress. If it progresses during Xiao Che's absence, it will be quite difficult to handle.
Does that mean we have to send her to see Xiao Che? Well, that's not impossible...
However, according to Xiao Che, there are no obvious signs of an attack yet. If Xiao Che bleeds a little more here, he should be able to hold on until he returns.
To be honest, since Xiao Che had never been with a woman, he naturally didn't know what the unity of spirit and flesh was. If the spirit was lacking, it could be made up for by the flesh.
Women are different from men. He's used to being a womanizer, always fickle and unfaithful, passing through a sea of flowers without ever getting attached to them.
When it comes to women's thoughts, he naturally understands them much better than Xiao Che.
If a woman does that kind of thing with a man, as long as it's not out of absolute coercion, she will naturally develop different feelings for him.
The little princess contracted a strange illness after being bitten by a white fox. The white fox wasn't released by Xiao Che. She had so much blood drawn from him, so in a way, he was also a victim. She had no choice but to seek help from Xiao Che to cure her illness. It wasn't Xiao Che who forced her, so it can't be considered coercion.
Xiao Che wanted all her affection, so making her infatuated with his body was another shortcut.
Lanling Ren has a certain advantage from birth. Xiao Che's several aunts all had several Lanling male concubines and doted on them so much that they didn't even want their own husbands anymore. He didn't believe that the little princess would not like him after trying him. Once she liked his body, she would naturally like him as a person as well.
When that time comes, won't he be able to attend their wedding?
Hmm, I'll have to make sure Xiao Che gives him a big red envelope as his matchmaker.
"Yan Xiao," Xiao Che tapped the table, frowning as he looked at him, "What are you thinking with that lewd smile?"
"Hey," Yan Xiao snapped out of his daze upon hearing this, and said with displeasure, "I'm so handsome and dashing, how could I possibly be associated with the words 'lewd' or 'cheap'?"
"Sorry," Xiao Che smiled, "I didn't realize."
"You!" Yan Xiao glared at him irritably, his eyes darting around, and suddenly he wanted to say something sarcastic to him.
He leaned down, placed his hands on the table, looked down at Xiao Che, and smiled mysteriously:
"I say, do you still remember the legend of the white fox from Mount Li? White foxes are inherently lustful, why do you think it would bite your heart?"
"It's because even a fox can see that you like her. What it can't do, it can only do through her."
"Yan Jiarou was bitten by it and implanted with a 'y' sex drive. She's only attracted to you and can't control herself. It could take effect anytime soon—"
He looked at him meaningfully, then smiled mischievously: "You'd better watch out so she doesn't drain you dry... hahaha..."
“Yan Xiao,” Xiao Che said in a slightly deep voice, frowning, “If you’re sick, go get treatment.”
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