Chapter 65. Who else could it be but Yan Jiarou?
After Yan Xiao left, Xiao Che sat alone in the study.
Xue Zhi then came in to report that Princess Qinghe had left: "According to the nanny, she woke up not long after you left and insisted on seeing you. When she heard that you were discussing matters with General Yan in the study, she gave up and left in a huff."
Xiao Che hummed in agreement: "Understood."
Thinking of how she left in a huff, I couldn't help but smile.
“The pastries and candies I bought from Rongjizhai outside the palace are all her favorites. Pick a few and send them over to her to appease her.”
"yes."
He added, "Have Yingxue keep an eye on her and don't let her eat too much at once, or she'll get rotten teeth."
"yes."
Xue Zhi agreed to everything and was about to take his leave when Xiao Che suddenly called out to him, "Xue Zhi,"
He said, "Go and fetch four pouches."
Xue Zhi was taken aback. Although he was puzzled, he still respectfully agreed.
——
Four pouches were neatly arranged on the table, each seven inches long and three inches wide. They were usually used to hold water, but could also hold blood.
Yan Jiarou didn't take much blood each time; four pouches were enough to have a surplus.
Xiao Che drew his dagger, the scabbard slipped off, and a cold glint appeared on its blade.
He unbuttoned his sleeve, placed the sharp blade on his wrist, and slowly sliced through the flesh. Wherever the snow-white blade passed, blood gushed out.
Xiao Che frowned, and although he didn't say anything, cold sweat had already seeped from his forehead.
People from Lanling have an exceptionally high sensitivity to pain, with a perception capacity several times greater than that of ordinary people.
Ordinary skin injuries were like torture to him.
He endured the excruciating pain, picked up a pouch, opened it, and caught the flowing blood.
As one pouch after another was filled, his face grew paler and paler.
Finally, after the last pouch was filled, he stopped, enduring waves of dizziness, and leaned against the table to rest for a while.
After waiting for about half an incense stick's time, he called Xue Zhi in.
——
Xue Zhi carried four pouches on a lacquered tray as he went out, and bumped right into Ji Le.
He nodded slightly to her and called out "Sister Ji Le" as a greeting. As they passed each other, he suddenly heard Ji Le call out to him, "Wait."
Xue Zhi stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her: "Sister Ji Le, is there anything you need?"
Ji Le frowned, her gaze fixed on the several pouches on the lacquer tray, and asked, "What's inside these?"
Xue Zhi was taken aback, and subconsciously wanted to answer: "The pouch naturally contains water." But then he thought of his master, who had specifically instructed him to hide it in the ice cellar and to inform Yingxue that if the princess fell ill, she should retrieve it from the ice cellar.
That must be more than just water; if it can cure diseases, it must be medicine.
Thinking this, he replied to Ji Le, "It seems to be medicine that Master prepared for Princess Qinghe."
"Medicine?" Upon hearing this, Ji Le frowned even more deeply.
A familiar scent lingered around his nose: the desolate smell of withered flowers and trees, mixed with a very faint smell of blood. This smell of blood was different from the usual smell of blood from the Wei people; it was so faint that ordinary people could hardly smell it.
She had only ever smelled this unique scent on one other person—Jiang Chenyu.
She only smelled it when Jiang Chenyu was injured or coughing up blood.
Yes, that's the smell of Lanling people's blood!
Ji Le suddenly opened her eyes wide, as if she had suddenly thought of something. Her expression turned very bad. She ignored Xue Zhi and turned around and hurriedly went in the direction of Xiao Che's study.
Xue Zhi scratched his head, somewhat unsure of Ji Le's intentions, and ignored him, continuing to walk forward.
——
When Ji Le pushed open the study door from the outside, Xiao Che was bandaging his wounds.
Hearing the noise, he looked up and immediately frowned. "Ji Le," he said coldly, "you came in without permission. You're becoming more and more unruly."
Ji Le swallowed hard, staring at him intently as she heard his words. She then turned and closed the door, walking towards him step by step. "Your Highness, I have overstepped my bounds. As for how to deal with this, I will do as Your Highness commands. However, I have an important matter that I must ask Your Highness for confirmation in person."
Xiao Che frowned, suppressing his impatience: "What?"
Ji Le walked to the desk and stood there. Just as she was about to speak, she caught a glimpse of his wrist wrapped in gauze. It seemed that the wound was too deep, or that the bleeding had not been stopped in time. Fresh blood was slowly seeping out of the wound, soaking through the gauze.
Upon seeing this scene, she immediately understood everything. Her expression changed drastically, and even her voice trembled: "It really is your blood! You actually gave so much blood, filling four pouches to the brim..."
She felt an indescribable heartache and cried out, "Your Highness, have you gone mad?!"
Xiao Che's Adam's apple bobbed. Compared to her loss of composure, his expression was much colder. He simply said, "This is my own business, and it has nothing to do with you."
"None of my business? Xiao Che, I've watched you grow up since you were a child. Do you expect me to just watch you die?!"
“Sister Ji Le, you’re exaggerating,” Xiao Che laughed. “It’s just a little blood, how could it take my life?”
"A little blood? Four full pouches, is that just a little blood?" Ji Le took a deep breath and looked at him, saying, "Who is it? Is it that Princess Qinghe? Is it for her that you're willing to degrade your body like this?"
She should have realized it sooner; she knew he liked her, but she didn't know it had gotten to this point!
That time she came to Hanguang Palace to find him, saying that she was sick and had to see him immediately. He always thought that was just an excuse, but now it seems that it was probably true. Even later, when he saw her face full of lust, he thought that she had been drugged and that Xiao Che should be asked to cure her, but he was wrong.
It turns out that what she wanted was Xiao Che's blood!
How could he degrade his body like this for a woman?!
She couldn't tell whether she was more jealous or heartbroken.
Her feelings for him were too complicated. There was lust between them, but also the tenderness of an older sister for her younger brother, having watched him grow up. How could she not feel heartbroken to see him not taking care of his body for another woman?
"What kind of strange illness does she have that requires your blood to feed on? You'll die from this, do you know that?! Doesn't she feel any remorse for letting you..."
"Enough," Xiao Che's voice deepened, "This has nothing to do with her, I gave it to her voluntarily."
"Voluntary?" Ji Le seemed to be severely provoked by these two words, and her usually serene and beautiful face began to twist in pain: "If she wanted your life, would you give it to her too?!"
"Yes, if it requires a life for a life, I am naturally willing to give my life to her."
“I will give her anything she wants, as long as I have it, let alone a little blood.”
Ji Le simply found it absurd: "She has never done anything for you. She even used to revolve around the Crown Prince. What has she done for you? How can she deserve to be treated like this by you!"
Xiao Che merely glanced at her indifferently: "Between her and me, it has never been a business transaction. She doesn't have to do anything for me, she doesn't have to do anything at all, and I have never needed anything in return from her. Everything I have done for her has been entirely voluntary."
Ji Le just murmured absentmindedly, "Why..."
However, she also knew that not all questions had answers. Just like Xiao Che hadn't done anything for her, she was willing to give everything for him. Love is never about reason.
But how could she just stand by and watch him debase himself like this for that Princess Qinghe?
The four pouches were almost half the blood volume of an adult male. An ordinary person would probably be dead by now. It was only because Xiao Che was young, in good health, and had half Lanling blood that he was spared any major harm.
But what if something goes wrong? She couldn't even imagine the consequences. How could he do something so risky for that woman!
Today it's about drawing blood, but what about in the future? Will they try to kill him again?
It is not easy to completely kill a Lanling person; compared to the Wei people, they are more resilient.
Only by knowing their Achilles' heel can one deliver a fatal blow.
The Achilles' heel of the people of Lanling has always been a secret.
However, judging from Xiao Che's current state, if Yan Jiarou were to ask him, he would probably tell her everything.
She had a premonition that he would be ruined by this woman in the future.
Unfortunately, there's nothing she can do now. He won't listen to her. She can only watch him sink deeper and deeper, tearing out his heart and soul, scraping off his flesh and blood inch by inch to offer as a sacrifice to that woman.
With tears welling in her eyes, Ji Le could only question him: "Have you forgotten the Empress's dying words? She was a Wei person, and there is not a single good person among the Wei people! Have you forgotten the hatred of your clan's extermination?!"
"I haven't forgotten."
Xiao Che closed his eyes tightly, his hand on the table slowly tightening: "I promised my mother, and I will definitely keep my promise."
“I will ensure that the Wei royal family will have the blood of our Lanling clan flowing through their veins for generations to come. I will ensure that our surviving clansmen will no longer have to hide and eke out a living.”
“I will fulfill my mother’s last wish. I know very well what I am doing. I have never forgotten my mission. I know what I bear on my shoulders.”
"But throughout history, without exception, all wars and conflicts have been instigated by men. What does it have to do with women?"
"The so-called 'femme fatale' is just men shifting all the blame onto women. So what if she's from Wei? She's simple-minded, has never had blood on her hands, and is just a little girl who doesn't understand anything. Why are you being so harsh on her?"
“So, Ji Le,” he said coldly, “I don’t want to hear this kind of thing again.”
Ji Le gave a bleak smile and nodded blankly, "Yes."
“In your eyes, she is just an innocent, naive, and harmless little white rabbit. You won’t believe anything I say. Since that’s the case, why should I make you angry?”
Xiao Che frowned, his tone already very impatient: "Get out."
Ji Le clenched her fists, her eyes reddening as she looked at him, her chest heaving with anger. Forgetting all about etiquette, she turned and stormed out the door.
——
The next morning, when Xiao Che set off, he thought Yan Jiarou would come to see him off, but he waited for her for a while and she never came. In the end, he could only get into the carriage.
Although he felt a pang of sadness, he thought again that Yan Jiarou hadn't experienced many separations. They had just reconciled and should have been inseparable. But in the blink of an eye, they would be separated for more than a month. Judging from how clingy she was yesterday, she would definitely hide under the covers and cry when she got back.
Even if I saw you today, I would still shed a few tears.
He thought, "Never mind, it's better not to meet."
——
After the excessive blood draw yesterday, he took a nap and was almost fully recovered, but he was still a little dizzy. After getting into the carriage, he sat back and closed his eyes to rest.
On their journey to Huaizhou, he and Xiao Yan traveled light, without bringing many people—just two carriages and a few attendants.
Xiao Che only brought Xue Zhi with him, while Xiao Yan's side had slightly more attendants, about three or four, plus two beautiful maids. The carriage slowly moved forward, and the group gradually moved away from the palace.
After leaving the city gate, Xiao Che felt a little tired and was about to go to sleep.
Suddenly, the light in front of me brightened, and even with my eyes closed, I could feel that someone had lifted the curtain and tiptoed into the carriage.
He thought it was Xue Zhi, so he didn't open his eyes, but said in a low voice, "I don't need you to serve me, go down."
The person paused for a moment, but did not get out of the car.
Instead, he deliberately softened his movements, tiptoed around a small rosewood tea table in the center of the carriage, and when he got close, he held his breath and reached out to pounce on Xiao Che.
Although the movement was extremely light, there was still a subtle change in the airflow. Xiao Che's ears twitched slightly, and he accurately pinpointed the location of the person approaching.
The newcomer, completely unaware of what was happening, was about to throw himself into his arms with smug satisfaction when suddenly his fate was seized by the throat.
A faint scent of perfume lingered around his nose, and the person who came was not Xue Zhi, but a woman, who was disobeying him.
Xiao Che subconsciously tightened his knuckles, his voice icy: "You're courting death."
He wearily lifted his eyelids, his glassy eyes revealing a deathly coldness, like a frigid winter morning after a snowfall, the vast expanse of snow carrying a sense of desolation.
The person who came wore a veiled hat, completely obscuring their face.
He was dressed in the clothes of a servant of the Prince's mansion, which were loosely draped over his body. Although he felt that the man looked somewhat familiar, the clothes were so loose that his figure could not be seen and his face was completely covered, so it was impossible to tell him apart.
He only knew it was a woman. He had noticed it before he left, but Xiao Yan was always absurd. It was common for him to have a woman dressed like that accompany him and flirt with her. He was already used to it, so he didn't pay any attention.
Unexpectedly, she got into his carriage.
Unfortunately, he was never one to show mercy to women.
He didn't intend to kill her, but out of disgust and the shadow of the past, he naturally wouldn't hold back.
Only when the person in front of him struggled to pry his hand off, and found that he couldn't budge it an inch, did he finally manage to utter a weak "...woo...brother..."
Xiao Che seemed to snap out of a daze, and as if he had done something wrong, he hurriedly and helplessly let go of her hand: "Yan Yan?!"
He immediately ripped off her veil, revealing a beautiful face with tears in her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed red from being choked, and her brows were tightly furrowed, clearly indicating that she was in great pain.
She was panting heavily, looking up at him with tearful eyes, looking utterly pitiful.
Who else could it be but Yan Jiarou?
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