Long talk
"Not to mention that I am currently imprisoned in the mansion by my father and cannot leave, what else do you think someone who has climbed all the way to the position of the head of Yuling Pavilion is a simple person? Jiang Yi, you underestimate me. In your heart, do you really think I am such a petty and vindictive person?"
As Qi Junxu spoke, he curled his lips into a sarcastic smile: "While you look down on me, you also underestimate He Lin."
Jiang Yi sighed, "It's all the better that you think this way. I don't want you brothers to continue fighting each other after I leave. If that happens, how sad He Lin will be."
Qi Junxu accurately caught the key words in her words and couldn't help but frown: "Leave? Where are you going?"
Jiang Yi shook her head silently, and after a long while, she finally uttered a few words: "Not going anywhere."
A few seconds of silence filled the room. Qi Junxu, through the gauze curtain, focused his gaze on her neck, which was wrapped in gauze. In fact, he had already noticed it when Jiang Yi came in. Back then, in the Taiji Hall, he was distracted and accidentally pierced her skin with a hairpin. He never expected that it hadn't healed yet. Women care most about their appearance. If a scar were left in such an obvious place, it would be his fault.
"……sorry."
Qi Junxu suddenly said something to her, and Jiang Yi didn't react for a moment, so she just said "Huh?" in confusion.
He asked in a low voice, "Is the injury on your neck any better?"
"Ah, you mean this?" Jiang Yi pointed to her neck, which was wrapped in gauze, with a faint smile in her eyes. Then she reached out and untied the white gauze, revealing her fair neck.
"Completely healed! There's nothing wrong!"
"and you……"
Jiang Yi picked up where he left off, saying, "I'm only wrapping this thing up so you'll feel a little bit guilty towards me! If you don't agree to my request, at least I can use it as an excuse to scold you."
Qi Junxu: "..."
He held back for a long time, but finally couldn't help himself and asked, "Do you know what you brought that you didn't bring with you when you came to see me?"
Jiang Yi folded the gauze in her hand a few times and put it back into her sleeve, asking suspiciously, "What?"
"You're cunning! You're more cunning than others!"
Hearing his helpless and exasperated tone, Jiang Yi paused for a moment, then threw her head back and burst into a burst of tractor-like laughter. The laughter was hearty and unrestrained, without the slightest hint of affectation, and it was genuine happiness from the bottom of her heart: "Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment to my intelligence."
"Oh, by the way, I ran into Miss Yang on my way here. She's quite beautiful and a good match for you. I heard from He Lin that His Majesty will bestow a marriage upon you two in six months. Congratulations! It's clear that Miss Yang is a very sentimental person; she didn't forget to visit you even while you were in confinement. She's very loyal and devoted to you. Treat her well in the future and don't let her down..."
Qi Junxu scoffed ambiguously, "Are you an old woman? Why are you telling me all this? Besides, what happens between her and me is none of your business."
"I……"
Jiang Yi was furious. He was like a dog biting Lü Dongbin, not recognizing a kind heart! She had kindly told him so much, hoping he and Yang Ningyan would be happy, and he actually turned around and said it was none of her business!
"Hey, Qi Junxu, can you stop acting like someone owes you money all the time? Is it so hard to accept other people's kindness? By seniority, I'm at least your sister-in-law! What's wrong with family members showing some concern for each other?"
"Whose sister-in-law are you? I don't recognize you! Don't try to claim kinship with me!"
"Ha, He Lin isn't your brother? Or are you not his older brother?"
"you……"
"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'I don't want your concern'? Do you want He Lin's concern? Fine, I'll talk to him tonight and ask him to come and take good care of you tomorrow, okay?"
Qi Junxu, his face flushed red from Jiang Yi's retort, raised his voice in an attempt to regain his composure in his own territory: "Stop trying to pull any tricks! I don't want to see him at all right now!"
"oh."
Jiang Yi got up and poured a glass of water. She turned around and took a step or two toward the bed. Qi Junxu's large, well-defined hand was already sticking out of the gauze curtains when Jiang Yi took a sip from the glass herself.
Qi Junxu was speechless for a moment, then slightly curled his fingers and slowly withdrew them, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"What's there to congratulate about this? I don't even like her. Marrying me would just be a waste of her life."
Jiang Yi held up a finger and shook it: "No, no, no, you can't say that. Look at me, He Lin and I didn't even know each other before we got married, but now we still like each other. I've seen plenty of examples of marriages of convenience that lead to love. Maybe you two will develop feelings for each other after spending some time together. You should at least have some confidence in yourself. Besides, if you don't like him, why did you agree to His Majesty's decree for marriage? It means you still care a little, you just haven't realized it yet!"
Qi Junxu choked up: "I agreed to the Emperor's arranged marriage because..."
"Why?"
Qi Junxu pursed his lips and turned his face away: "It's nothing."
Jiang Yi shrugged.
As if thinking of something, he gave a wry smile and continued, "Aren't you afraid that after I marry Yang Ningyan, I'll use the power her family holds to deal with He Lin?"
Jiang Yi had heard about Yang Ningyan's family background. Her grandfather was a veteran of three dynasties. Although he had long since retired, he had many followers in the court and had close relationships with many ministers. Her father was the Prefect of Jingzhao, who held the power of the capital's military and was responsible for protecting the safety of the capital. Her mother was the Empress Dowager's cousin and was also a third-rank lady personally appointed by the Emperor.
As the only precious daughter of the Yang family, Yang Ningyan was naturally the apple of their eye and received all the love and pampering. With such a powerful background, she was definitely not someone to be trifled with. Not to mention the marriage between Qi Junxu and her, it would probably benefit both parties greatly, and could even be described as a powerful alliance, enough for Qi Junxu to gain a foothold in the court. If he had any interest in the throne, it wouldn't be impossible for him to compete with the crown prince Qi Junyuan in the future.
Jiang Yi turned around and placed the teacup she was holding on the table. She walked step by step closer to Qi Junxu, squatted down by the bed, stared into his eyes, and asked, "Can you do it?"
Qi Junxu met her gaze, his eyes sharp, as if trying to see through her to the depths of her heart, and asked, "What makes you think I wouldn't?"
Jiang Yi sighed softly, "I don't know, maybe it's just my intuition. I always felt that you wouldn't take advantage of Yang Ningyan's feelings for you, nor would you specifically target He Lin."
Qi Junxu slightly shifted his gaze away from her, a light smile playing on his lips: "Yes, I've long been tired of this scheming life. If possible, being a carefree prince from now on wouldn't be so bad..."
"No way, Qi Junxu, is your ambition just to be a carefree and wealthy prince?"
You don't believe me?
"No, what I mean is, even if you are just a prince, you shouldn't be so indifferent to the people of the world. Some things can't be achieved only by sitting on the throne. How can a real man stand between heaven and earth and only seek to live in a corner of the world? Shouldn't he travel around and witness the prosperity and peace of the Great Liang Dynasty?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Junxu froze on the spot. After a long while, he shook his head.
"Jiang Yi, you are really... audacious! How dare you discuss the throne with me here? If someone with ulterior motives overhears this and it reaches Father Emperor's ears, be careful your life will be in danger."
Jiang Yi got up and sat back on the stool, patted her skirt, and showed no fear of these words.
"Hey, I just said it casually, and you just listened casually. Everyone can just order whatever they want. Besides, there's no one else here, just the two of us. You wouldn't want to harm me, would you?"
These words, though seemingly casual, actually contained an element of threat and scapegoating. The implication was that if she were to get into trouble with Emperor Liang or anyone else because of this matter, it would be his fault. After all, this was in his residence, in his private quarters, and the content of their conversation tonight was unknown to anyone but the two of them.
Qi Junxu nodded: "...However, even if I don't have that intention, how can you be sure that He Lin isn't interested in that position? He's quite favored by the Emperor right now. I think if he's willing, even though Qi Junyuan is already the Crown Prince, with the Emperor's support, he might pass the throne to He Lin in the future."
Jiang Yi laughed: "He won't want it."
"What?"
“I told him that even if His Majesty were to pass the throne to him, he wouldn’t want it.”
What makes you so sure?
"Once I become emperor, I will have to establish a harem, with three palaces and six courtyards, and three thousand beauties. I can't even tolerate my concubines and mistresses. Do you think I would allow so many women to share my husband with me? I'm afraid I would have to divorce He Lin with a letter of divorce. So he won't agree. Faced with the choice between the country and the beauty, he will definitely choose me."
Hearing this absurd theory that he had never even heard of before, Qi Junxu's jaw nearly dropped: "Are you kidding me?"
Jiang Yi chuckled: "Okay, it really was just a joke."
"I told you he would never give up the throne that was within his grasp!"
"Then you really don't understand him. Like I just said, there are some things that can't be done only by sitting in that position. The emperor is the supreme ruler, seemingly ruling the world and deciding the life and death of countless people. He stands at the pinnacle of power, but if you think about it carefully, while he holds power, he is actually bound by it. He is not free at all. Dealing with all sorts of things must also generate a lot of troubles."
"...Your father is a perfect example! He gained supreme power, but lost the woman he loved most forever. The higher a person stands, the more they will feel the loneliness that others cannot understand. I don't want to see He Lin end up as a lonely person. I hope he is free, happy, at ease, and healthy... In short, that all the good things in this world come to him."
After listening to her finish speaking, Qi Junxu remained silent for a long time.
After a long silence, he said, "Jiang Yi, you really like He Lin."
Jiang Yi smiled and sighed, "Yes!"
Hopefully, He Lin, this bitter gourd, will turn into a sweet gourd in the future.
...
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