Chapter 67: The Fake Princess and His God of War Prince (Part XXIV)
When Xiao Ji cleaned himself up and arrived at the flower hall from the bedroom, Xiang Yinnian and Xiang Siyou were sitting opposite each other.
The first sentence he heard was Xiang Siyou saying listlessly with his head down:
“I hold no title. If I hadn’t been born in the Wangfu and held the name of the Beichen Wang’s own brother, I would be just a commoner. I am not worthy of the grassland princess.”
Xiang Siyou had been unable to eat or sleep well for a long time.
At first, he thought he just liked girls who were cold, gentle, and demure, which was why he couldn’t help but look at Xiao Ji a few more times.
But later, seeing Xiao Ji in black riding gear, looking valiant and heroic, he felt even more moved.
Northern Border women were mostly valiant and passionate, yet he just couldn’t move his eyes away from Xiao Ji.
Every day when Xiao Ji and Xiang Yinnian rode out of the manor together, he would stand in an empty corner and watch silently for a while.
That was the most fulfilling time of his day.
The rest of the time, he would sink into endless fantasies about Xiao Ji.
Xiang Yinnian knew nothing of Xiang Siyou’s thoughts. He simply ordered someone to bring him a cup of tea:
“You’ve been useless since you were small. With your temperament, if you were born in a noble family in the Imperial City, you might have achieved high rank. But born in the Northern Border, in the Beichen Wang’s manor, you are a waste.”
“You’ve read all the poetry and songs, your head full of wind and moon, but you can’t read a single military book, can’t swing a sword, and don’t understand the art of war. Now asked to marry a water-spirit of a princess, you make excuses.”
“Xiang Siyou, have I cared for you too little over these years?”
Xiang Yinnian suppressed the urge to flare up and spoke to Xiang Siyou as calmly as possible.
Xiao Ji remained silent. He simply walked to Xiang Yinnian’s side, draped an outer robe over him, and sat beside him.
Xiang Siyou raised his brows. Seeing Xiao Ji in plain brocade, long hair casually pinned up, wearing no makeup or gold and silver, only a wooden hairpin loosely worn—that lazy appearance made his heart start pounding again.
He opened his mouth, then lowered his head: “Why doesn’t Big Brother take a concubine? That is probably the Khan’s intention too.”
Xiang Yinnian let out a “Hey”: “You bastard, speaking such nonsense in front of your sister-in-law. Can’t you stand to see your brother live a comfortable life?”
Xiang Siyou was absent-minded:
“Subject Brother dares not.”
Xiang Yinnian had no special affection for his brother Xiang Siyou. Their interests had been vastly different since childhood. Xiang Siyou was also heavy-hearted and liked to lament the passing of spring and autumn; Xiang Yinnian felt annoyed just seeing him like that.
But they were full brothers after all, so he just raised him like this, serving him good food and drink, never forcing him to do anything for the Northern Border or the Wangfu.
Now that the situation was tense, he, Xiang Yinnian, could agree to a marriage alliance before he knew Xiao Ji; why couldn’t Xiang Siyou?
He lost patience and said tyrannically: “It is decided. Ben Wang is informing you, not discussing with you.”
“Your sister-in-law and I went through the same thing. Aren’t we treating each other with respect and loving harmony now? That Khan’s eldest princess isn’t some shrew with a crooked mouth and slanted eyes. What do you have to be picky about?”
Xiang Siyou knew Xiang Yinnian’s temper. Since childhood, whenever Xiang Yinnian got angry, Xiang Siyou would involuntarily tremble with fear.
This moment was no exception.
He stopped speaking. More importantly, he had no standing to say to Xiang Yinnian that he seemed to have someone else in his heart and ask Xiang Yinnian to let him off.
If Xiang Yinnian knew his head had been full of Xiao Ji these days, Xiang Yinnian would definitely break his legs and send him out of the city to feed the wolves.
Xiang Yinnian took Xiang Siyou’s silence as acquiescence and said to him:
“Go back. Your sister-in-law will arrange the wedding. You’d better cooperate obediently.”
With that, he stood up and led Xiao Ji by the hand toward the bedroom.
Turning the corner of the flower hall, Xiao Ji stopped and pulled his hand out of Xiang Yinnian’s grasp:
“Wangye go back first. I am a bit hungry; I’ll go to the kitchen to get some food.”
His expression was natural, and having just performed hard labor, Xiang Yinnian didn’t suspect anything. He just said a word and went back to the bedroom first.
Xiao Ji watched Xiang Yinnian enter the bedroom and close the door. Only then did he turn around, passing the path Xiang Siyou must take to return to his room, and walked toward the kitchen.
His steps were very slow. Sure enough, after a short while, he heard Xiang Siyou’s voice coming from behind:
“Sister-in-law.”
Xiao Ji turned back, looking at Xiang Siyou, signaling him to speak his mind.
The moonlight was bright, shining on Xiao Ji like a deity descending to the world.
Xiang Siyou met Xiao Ji’s gaze, his Adam’s apple moving:
“If my brother were not the Beichen Wang, but just a commoner, an ordinary man, would you still be so loving with him?”
Hearing this, Xiao Ji knew that Xiang Siyou had indeed harbored other thoughts about him.
And these thoughts, at this critical juncture, were a sharp blade. If used well, Xiang Siyou would inevitably walk down his destined path toward self-destruction.
So he began to equivocate and avoid the heavy to pick the light:
“Maintaining peace between the Northern Border and Great Yue is the meaning and mission of my coming here. As a wife, is it not natural to be loving with one’s husband?”
Xiang Siyou gazed into Xiao Ji’s dark eyes:
“What if this Beichen Wang were someone else, and not my brother?”
Xiao Ji didn’t answer directly, only saying: “I never make meaningless assumptions. It is late; go back and rest early.”
With that, he paid no more attention to Xiang Siyou and went straight to the kitchen, casually took some pastries, and returned to the bedroom.
He hadn’t said anything substantial. How the meaning was understood depended entirely on Xiang Siyou himself.
If Xiang Siyou felt that Xiao Ji was currently congenial with Xiang Yinnian because of his identity as the Beichen Wang, and that if anyone else were the Beichen Wang, Xiao Ji could also treat them with respect, that was Xiang Siyou’s own business.
It had not half a copper coin’s relation to him, Xiao Ji.
The Khan was in a hurry about the marriage, and so was Xiang Yinnian.
Once all the etiquette and regulations were finalized and an auspicious date selected, the Beichen Wang’s manor soon welcomed its second wedding banquet on the day of Grain Rain.
The Khan’s eldest princess, Na Ren, lived up to her name as the moon of the grassland; she was indeed a stunning beauty.
It was just that Xiang Siyou showed no joy on his face from beginning to end, his gaze never once landing on his new wife.
Conversely, Xiang Yinnian seemed very happy. having drunk too much, he kept clinging to Xiao Ji, acting sticky and smiling foolishly at him incessantly.
Seemingly ordinary days flowed by silently.
The two couples in the Beichen Wang’s manor both seemed harmonious and beautiful. In reality, only Xiang Yinnian and Xiao Ji were true, while Xiang Siyou and Na Ren were merely keeping up appearances, their spirits estranged.
Xiang Yinnian knew nothing of the fact that Xiang Siyou and Na Ren had not yet consummated their marriage.
But Xiao Ji knew it clearly.
Since the weather warmed up, Xiao Ji no longer went to the drill grounds daily. He returned to the Lake Heart Pavilion in the backyard of the Wangfu, removed the rattan chair, and had servants spread bamboo mats on the pavilion floor. When no one was around in the afternoon, he would lie straight on the bamboo mat.
A small brown shrike flew over, landed on Xiao Ji’s head, and flapped its wings.
Xiao Ji closed his eyes:
“Well? Any movement?”
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