A piece of Japanese incense

For a moment, there was no sound in the room. I pretended to flip through the papers carelessly, not daring to speak to anyone.

"Dong! Dong! Dong!" Zhi Yian knocked on the table.

Zhi Siqi's chest rose and fell rapidly, and he exhaled deeply, as if trying to suppress the emotions surging in his heart.

I smiled calmly and said jokingly, "Oh! Dad, don't be so serious. We are a family, there is no right or wrong. Which brother has never pulled his sister's hair, and which sister has never bit her brother's ear?"

Zhi Siqi licked his lips and said, "Sorry, I was wrong." As he spoke, he stood up and forced a decent smile.

I waved my hand nonchalantly and said with a smile: "Okay, okay, it's not worth mentioning. I don't take it to heart at all."

Zhi Yian spoke earnestly, "Siqi, your father warned you when you were young that your duty was to protect your sister. Now that your sister has entered the palace and your father is alone, you are her only support. You are only three years younger than your sister, so you should start planning for the future and protect your sister from the wind and rain."

Zhi Siqi's eyes were red and he sat on the chair trying to stay calm.

"Dad, Siqi doesn't need to be responsible for my life. He has his own destiny."

I looked at Zhi Siqi's stiff expression and slowly raised his eyes. He was a little dazed and his eyes were a little confused.

"It's getting late. Siqi, remember what I said and take your sister back." Zhi Yian seemed not to hear me. He rubbed his temple and sat back in his seat.

"Dad, your headache comes back again?" Zhi Siqi stood up with the help of the chair and asked worriedly.

I walked behind my father and massaged his head. "Dad, you are already amazing. Your health is the most important thing. Everything else is just icing on the cake."

He tilted his head to look at me, patted my hand gently, closed his eyes, and said in a calm tone: "Go back."

Seeing me and Zhi Siqi leaving Luomeng Hall together, the princess immediately came up to us, surrounded Zhi Siqi, handed him a hand warmer, put on clothes, and gently touched his cheeks and forehead. In the candlelight, the tip of her nose was red.

"Your Highness, it's getting late. I'll take my leave first." I bowed.

The princess was still asking Zhi Siqi with concern whether he was feeling unwell. I glanced at Yu Yi, nodded, and walked outside.

"Sister He!" Zhi Siqi called me, "Mother, my father ordered me to send Sister He back. You should rest first."

The princess smiled and gave me a warm look.

Zhi Siqi and I walked along the palace path in the deepening dusk. The palace lantern in his hand intertwined with the moonlight, and the spots of light sprinkled on the bluestone paved road, like a poem and a painting.

Zhi Siqi suddenly said, "My sister and I can always please everyone."

By the candlelight, I looked at his indifferent face and smiled: "So why was I kicked out today?"

"I hate you!" He stopped and looked at me firmly.

There was a gentle breeze, mixed with a hint of coolness in the night.

"Oh. I know." I put my hands into my sleeves and couldn't help laughing.

"How can you be so shameless! Don't you feel ashamed at all?" He caught up with me and grabbed my sleeve.

"Then if I'm ashamed, you won't hate me anymore?"

He remained silent. I shook my head helplessly, shook off his hand and continued walking forward.

"Then you don't want to know why I resist you?"

I stopped and raised my chin, motioning for him to continue.

I stared down at him and he pursed his lips together, looking up at me directly, pouting.

"Little brat, if you don't tell me I'm leaving!"

"Why are you all his children, but he only loves you!" he shouted emotionally.

"Can't you keep your voice down?"

"I can't accept this! I have clearly been studious, humble and polite, and tried my best to please him, but he still favors you, is close to you, and spends holidays with you! My mother is obviously his first wife, but she is always alone and studying alone! You and your mother are not good people!" He pointed his finger at me, angrily accusing him of his dissatisfaction.

I reached out my hand and poked his forehead hard, responding sternly, "Hey! No wonder you took me for a walk around the palace on my first day in the palace, causing me to almost be late?!"

He screamed and dodged me. Rubbing his head, he retorted without any shame: "I just want everyone to see your miserable state!"

"You are so childish! You will hurt the enemy by one thousand while you will hurt yourself by eight hundred."

"I want everyone to know that only I am worthy of being my father's child! Only I can inherit his glory!"

"Okay, okay! That's enough, stop it! Stop getting so passionate here. Come over here." I pulled him to the side of the palace wall, stood in front of him with my back to the wind, put the hood of his cloak on him, and tied the ropes of the cloak tightly.

"First of all, my father didn't love me very much, and he didn't just celebrate holidays with me. I only saw him a few times a year. Secondly, my mother had divorced my father, and they hadn't seen each other for seven or eight years. Even on my birthday, my father just had a quick meal and left. So the princess was alone in the empty room, and it had nothing to do with my mother. So, I can only say that my father doesn't love anyone, he only loves himself."

"you're lying!"

"There is one more thing. You think your father is too great. What is there for him to inherit? Your mother is a princess, and your grandfather is the emperor! You don't respect him, but you worship a father who is his son-in-law. Tell me, what do you think?"

"Shut up! How dare you slander my father like that!"

"Little brat, I'm going to teach you a lesson. First, it's cruel to accept that your father doesn't love you that much, but that's the truth. A valley without an echo is not worth jumping into. Second, being loved doesn't require excellence. You are born worthy of love, there is no doubt about that. You have seen how people who truly love you treat you, so you should focus your attention on them and cherish their love as if it were your life. Third, you must learn to disenchant your father, be true to yourself, love yourself, you are you, and as for how your father sees you, it is neither necessary nor important. Fourth, how you and your mother live depends on you and has nothing to do with anyone else. Apples cannot grow on vines. When you can't find the answer, look for yourself first. Fifth...well...that's all for now, I'll add more later~"

Zhi Siqi looked at me blankly, with a complicated look in his eyes.

I patted his head gently, kneading his little face like I was touching Fuguier, and said, "Little friend, let's just send him here. You can leave now. I will go back by myself."

"that……"

I turned around and frowned, "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told father that you and Brother Zhixu sneaked into Wenyuan Pavilion."

"Oh, it's okay. Father didn't blame me."

"I shouldn't... kick you out in front of so many people..."

"So you got sick because you told on me and your father punished you?"

Zhi Siqi nodded, "He blamed me for not hiding it from you, but instead spreading it widely. Fortunately, you were not discovered, so he only beat me with ten imperial guards." He stretched out his hands, palms facing up.

Yu Yi approached with the lamp in hand. His two red and swollen hands were particularly eye-catching.