Chapter 50: The Fake Princess and His God of War Prince (Part 7)
Xiao Ji had teased the man enough. He didn’t push his luck further, but he also stopped talking to Xiang Yinnian. The two leaned against opposite ends of the carriage, resting their eyes.
After a long time, Xiang Yinnian suddenly spoke, asking softly:
“The people from the Imperial City, although not your confidants, once they arrived in the Northern Border, would at least be grasshoppers on the same rope as you. You disposed of them just like that—will you regret it?”
Xiao Ji didn’t open his eyes, nor did he respond.
Just when Xiang Yinnian thought Xiao Ji had already fallen asleep, he heard Xiao Ji speak:
“Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog. Starting from today, my husband, whom I have never met, and I are the grasshoppers on the same rope.”
From the moment Xiang Yinnian agreed to marry the Emperor’s daughter, he had adopted an attitude of bringing her back and ignoring her, leaving her to sink or swim. He had even prepared to lock her in the dungeon forever if this Ninth Princess dared to cause trouble.
At this moment, although he didn’t know if Xiao Ji’s words were sincere or deliberately spoken for him to hear after weighing the pros and cons, undeniable compassion arose in him. A hope sparked that Xiao Ji might actually be of one heart with him after marrying into the Northern Border.
He looked at Xiao Ji’s profile, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “It’s late. Rest.”
With Xiang Yinnian beside him, Xiao Ji inexplicably felt a bit more secure. Before long, drowsiness truly surged, and he drifted into a hazy sleep.
Half-asleep, he sensed Xiang Yinnian getting off the carriage. A moment later, he returned from somewhere with a blanket, tip-toeing to cover Xiao Ji with it.
During this, he seemed to accidentally pull at his wound, secretly sucking in a breath of cold air and grimacing silently in pain.
The next day, when Xiao Ji woke up, Xiang Yinnian was already nowhere to be found.
The procession continued forward. Lianqiu returned to Xiao Ji’s carriage, looking heavy-hearted.
“Who gave you grief?”
Xiao Ji raised a brow, glanced at him, and asked.
Lianqiu shook his head. “The closer we get to the Northern Border, the more uneasy my heart becomes. I fear if something goes wrong, I won’t be able to protect you.”
There were too many things he was afraid of.
Afraid that Xiao Ji killed the Emperor’s people, and once the Emperor found out, he would be questioned.
Afraid that Xiao Ji’s identity would be exposed, and the Beichen Wang would fly into a thunderous rage.
His master had a bad fate. Despite possessing heavenly beauty and intelligence near-demonic, he had embarked on such a point of no return less than a year before he could restore his male identity.
Xiao Ji looked at Lianqiu’s face full of worry. Although he didn’t understand why there were people in the world who, without blood ties or being a beloved partner, could be so loyal as to give their lives, he still reached out suddenly. Like petting a dog, he patted Lianqiu’s head and comforted him:
“Relax. I won’t die, and neither will you.”
From this day on, Xiang Yinnian mingled in the northbound team, walking near Xiao Ji’s carriage—neither too far nor too close. When no one was paying attention, he would come over to chat a bit, saying some meaningless nonsense.
At first, Xiao Ji would ask him, “How is your brother’s appearance? Does it match the rumors? Fierce and evil? Leopard head and round eyes? Rat-like features? Murderous?”
Xiang Yinnian would become exasperated. “Bullshit! My brother has a magnificent stature, is a man of talent, immensely learned, as graceful as a jade tree in the wind—he is a peerless handsome man in the Northern Border!”
Xiao Ji would also ask, “Does your brother truly have no concubines? Then what about chamber maids? Mistresses? Does he like to go to the willow lanes and flower streets to display his prowess?”
Xiang Yinnian would grit his teeth. “My brother keeps himself clean and has never liked women getting close. Let alone chamber maids or mistresses, even the servants sweeping the courtyard are damn men.”
Xiao Ji asked further, “If it is so, is it because your brother has the cut-sleeve fetish, a preference for men?”
This time, Xiang Yinnian was suddenly stunned. Then, images of the brothers who fought alongside him in battle floated into his mind.
Not bathing for half a month, full beards, spraying rice particles when eating and talking, picking their feet while drinking wine.
Rough and thick, big waists and round shoulders, each tanned dark, laughing like slaughtered pigs, saliva flying everywhere when they got excited.
Xiang Yinnian’s scalp tingled, and he instantly grew angry.
“I’ve only cared about swinging my blade on the battlefield since I was a teenager. I don’t even look at fragrant, soft girls—how could I fancy those rough goods!”
After saying this, he immediately realized he had slipped up and quickly added:
“I’m talking about my brother.”
Xiao Ji didn’t expose him, only saying thoughtfully:
“You speak up for your brother like this; it seems you two have a good relationship.”
Just now, when he spoke, Xiang Yinnian had clearly frozen. Then he suddenly broke defense and refuted, but the point of concern was the words “rough goods.”
Xiao Ji pondered internally: Xiang Yinnian hasn’t experienced romance and hasn’t had his awakening yet. His orientation, currently, doesn’t seem indestructible.
Xiang Yinnian spoke freely about these harmless superficialities.
He seemed to have no schemes, quite an honest person. But in reality, whenever anything related to the internal affairs of the Northern Border was mentioned, Xiang Yinnian’s brain spun faster than anyone else’s; not a single word that shouldn’t be said ever left his mouth.
Xiao Ji didn’t intend to pry into the Northern Border’s situation; he was merely concerned about how to deal with Xiang Siyou, so he asked a few more questions.
Seeing Xiang Yinnian so cautious, he stopped asking to avoid making Xiang Yinnian feel he was fishing for information and raising his guard.
So for the following days, Xiao Ji and Xiang Yinnian’s topics basically revolved around the series of events regarding how heroic Xiang Yinnian was on the battlefield.
Xiang Yinnian was willing to strut like a peacock and say a few more words, so Xiao Ji indulged him, praising him with lukewarm, half-true words.
At first, Xiang Yinnian was delighted by Xiao Ji’s praise. But as time went on, Xiao Ji used the same few praising words every time, and Xiang Yinnian suddenly didn’t love chatting with him as much, feeling he was being perfunctory.
However, Xiang Yinnian could understand this point. After all, Xiao Ji hadn’t seen his true face, nor had he seen his heroic figure on the battlefield. It was excusable for Xiao Ji to be perfunctory.
During the month-plus journey north from the capital, Xiao Ji and Xiang Yinnian gradually became familiar. They chatted idly during the day, and at night, Xiang Yinnian slept in Xiao Ji’s carriage. The two maintained a reasonable distance from start to finish.
Until, nearing the seventeen cities of the Northern Border, everyone stopped at an inn in a city to rest and regroup.
Xiang Yinnian’s shoulder wound was mostly healed. After escorting Xiao Ji into the inn room, he took Lin Heng and a few subordinates to a riverside tavern for a drink.
Passing a jewelry shop, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Seeing Xiang Yinnian lag half a step behind, Lin Heng turned back and asked, “Master, what are you dazing off for?”
Xiang Yinnian glanced at Lin Heng. “Wait for me a moment. I’ll go take a look.”
With that, he stepped directly into that jewelry shop.
Recommended Reads
