Chapter 69: The Fake Princess and His God of War Prince (Part 26)
For Xiao Ji, as long as life remained stable and followed a predictable rhythm, and as long as Xiang Yinnian was by his side, whether or not he restored his true identity was of little consequence.
However, Xiang Yinnian was willing to stir up trouble, and it was an undeniable fact that the Great Yue dynasty could no longer tolerate the existence of the Northern Frontier as it stood.
Rebellion would inevitably give the world something to gossip about, but that was a minor issue. The real danger lay in the labor and wealth it would consume, and the massive mobilization of troops; one wrong move could lead to disaster.
Xiao Ji’s identity as a Prince was the only legitimate excuse Xiang Yinnian had to justify his cause.
Thus, Xiao Ji simply said, “You decide. I will cooperate.”
Xiang Yinnian pondered for a moment, keeping his exact plans to himself.
He understood that while Xiao Ji claimed not to care, if he truly didn’t care, he would have been content to live a life of mediocrity. He wouldn’t have spent so many years hiding his light under a bushel, enduring life under the guise of a princess.
Setting aside his mastery of manipulation and military strategy, his martial arts skills alone were proof enough; who knew how much suffering he had endured in private to achieve such prowess?
Xiang Yinnian wanted to hold a grand Capping Ceremony for Xiao Ji. In the future, he wanted Xiao Ji to stand at the very pinnacle of power, upright and dignified, in his true male form.
But no matter how much he planned, no matter how meticulous his schemes, when the day finally arrived, events spiraled like a wild horse slipping its reins, deviating completely from the expected track.
Xiang Yinnian accepted Xiao Ji’s suggestion and allowed Xiang Siyou to enter the military camp.
The result, however, was vastly different from what Xiang Siyou had imagined.
Xiang Yinnian did not allow him access to any core military secrets, nor did he permit him to interfere in any arrangements, big or small. He simply assigned him to follow a subordinate commander under Lin Heng to join the drills and do odd jobs. Xiang Siyou was worked to the bone every day, yet managed to glean absolutely no useful information.
Xiang Siyou remained low-key. He didn’t complain, nor did he demand to be involved in official business. He appeared innocent and pure, as if he had truly seen the light and simply wanted to contribute to the Northern Frontier.
Just when Xiang Yinnian began to think that perhaps he and Xiao Ji were being too paranoid and had misunderstood Xiang Siyou, he suddenly noticed a clue—and finally realized why Xiao Ji had been so wary of his brother.
After stewing in suffocating frustration for a full day, Xiang Yinnian finally exploded just before bed that night.
“You knew early on that he harbored such treasonous thoughts! Why didn’t you tell me directly?”
Xiang Yinnian had been pulling a long face since he returned. He hadn’t eaten dinner and hadn’t spoken a word to Xiao Ji all evening. Just as Xiao Ji was drifting off to sleep, Xiang Yinnian suddenly flipped over and sat bolt upright in bed without warning.
It nearly frightened Xiao Ji out of his wits.
Xiao Ji raised a hand to shield his eyes and sighed. “How did you find out?”
The more Xiang Yinnian thought about it, the angrier he became.
“From the beginning, I noticed he was always looking at me. I’m his older brother, so that seemed normal. But damn it all, why was it that some days he would stare at me constantly, other days he wouldn’t look at me at all, and then two days later, he’d be back to staring?”
“I thought it over, back and forth, and realized that the days he was staring at me were the days you were there!”
When Xiao Ji was at the training grounds, he was always by Xiang Yinnian’s side.
“I thought it was strange at first, assuming he just admired you—after all, plenty of people in the army watch your expressions these days. But do you know what I saw?”
Xiao Ji raised an eyebrow. “What?”
Xiang Yinnian raised his hand and punched the air in frustration. “That son of a bitch! That bastard! Today, he actually picked up a date pit you spit onto the ground! And after picking it up, he tucked it into his robes!”
“It’s insane! Utterly twisted! If not for the grand plan, I would have smashed his mouth full of dog teeth right then and there! He’s really lived long enough—he dares to covet anyone!”
The date pit had appeared in a corner of the high platform on the training grounds. Very few people were allowed up there, and among those who were, absolutely no one but Xiao Ji would be eating, drinking, and spitting out date pits.
Xiang Yinnian grew more agitated as he spoke, his language becoming increasingly foul.
“Look at the state of him! If you were to take a piss, I bet he’d be eager to take a… take a motherfucking teacup to catch it and enshrine it!”
Xiao Ji had a vague suspicion that Xiang Yinnian hadn’t originally intended to say “teacup.”
Perhaps because the words on the tip of his tongue were too vulgar, or perhaps he feared grossing out both himself and Xiao Ji, he had forcibly swallowed them back.
Xiao Ji didn’t know how to soothe Xiang Yinnian’s emotions at a moment like this, so he stuck to the facts.
“There is absolutely no possibility of anything happening between him and me.”
Xiang Yinnian froze. He was just about to continue his tirade when Xiao Ji suddenly pulled him down, flipping him over. Xiao Ji pinned both of Xiang Yinnian’s wrists with one hand and pressed the other against his lower abdomen, whispering into his ear:
“But between you and me? Anything is possible.”
…
The fury Xiang Yinnian hadn’t been able to vent verbally was consumed by Xiao Ji in other ways.
However, having learned the truth, Xiang Yinnian clearly lost all patience with Xiang Siyou.
From that day on, the relationship between Xiang Yinnian and Xiao Ji changed drastically in the eyes of everyone else.
It started at breakfast.
Xiang Yinnian, in a moment of carelessness, knocked over a bowl of cold soup onto Xiao Ji. He offered a lukewarm apology.
Xiao Ji’s expression didn’t seem to change, but the words that left his mouth caused the hearts of every servant present to leap into their throats.
He looked at Xiang Yinnian and, with perfect composure, simply asked, “Are you blind?”
After speaking, he didn’t wait for Xiang Yinnian’s reaction. He turned and went back to his room to change.
Xiang Yinnian was stunned for a moment, then exploded in rage. He overturned the entire table of food and roared, “Over such a trivial thing, you dare show This Prince attitude?”
All the servants hurriedly knelt, begging Xiang Yinnian to quell his anger.
Xiang Yinnian flung his sleeves and stormed off, heading to the training grounds alone.
Consequently, Xiao Ji did not step out of his room for the entire day.
Xiang Yinnian did not speak a word for the entire day.
When he returned to the manor that night, he slept directly in the study.
The next day, the two sat together again and ate breakfast as if nothing had happened. Xiao Ji even took the initiative to serve Xiang Yinnian some food, appearing to seek reconciliation.
But Xiang Yinnian gave Xiao Ji no warm welcome.
The two went to the military camp together. When discussing the Rong Di threat, everything seemed normal; Xiao Ji spoke a few sentences, and Xiang Yinnian offered no objections.
But when the conversation turned to the Great Yue Imperial Family, Xiao Ji suggested that anyone who stood in the way should be completely exterminated.
Xiang Yinnian glanced at Xiao Ji and asked, “And the Crown Prince?”
Xiao Ji didn’t speak, but his attitude was a silent affirmation.
Xiang Yinnian then accused Xiao Ji of being cold-blooded, asking if, after seizing the throne in the future, the first thing he would do was execute him, Xiang Yinnian.
Xiao Ji remained indifferent. “I am discussing the matter at hand. You are you, and he is he. Being soft-hearted will only lead to endless trouble.”
As a result, Xiang Yinnian exploded again. “By your logic, isn’t This Prince your biggest future trouble?”
Xiao Ji frowned. “If you are unwilling, I will not force you. I am of one mind with you; why must you question me so?”
Xiang Yinnian sneered. “Hypocrisy.”
They argued for only a few sentences before Xiao Ji lost patience and turned to leave.
Xiang Yinnian, seemingly not done venting, reached out to grab Xiao Ji, only to be blocked by a backhanded elbow strike from Xiao Ji.
At this, the two actually came to blows. They fought from inside the tent to the outside, fighting until the sky turned dark and the earth spun. Swords clashed with sabers, terrifying the burly soldiers into silence. They stood as still as quails, not daring to make a sound.
Xiang Yinnian swung his great saber and, with a single strike, split the hair crown atop Xiao Ji’s head.
Ink-black hair cascaded down, flying in the wind, and a wooden hairpin fell into Xiao Ji’s palm.
Xiao Ji looked down at the wooden hairpin, sheathed his sword with a backhand motion, raised his hand, and threw the hairpin. It embedded itself deeply into a wooden stake not far behind Xiang Yinnian.
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