Spring arrives and the land smiles

Chapter Forty-Four: Yinghua

The old general and his entourage soon arrived at the princess's tent.

Because Ning Yuan had always been responsible for the Princess's safety, most of her personal guards were former members of the Ning family army, and they were naturally very respectful to the old general. The Princess's personal maid, Zhui'er, had been reassigned to serve Princess Yina, so it was Si You and Si Wu, dressed as maids, who were greeting the old general and Li Zhangwu outside the tent. Over the past few days, the two men had become familiar with them.

The old general explained his purpose, and Siyou and Siwu went into the tent to report.

"Please, Generals." Siyou Siwu led the two into the tent.

The air inside the princess's bedchamber was filled with the sweet scent of medicine. Qingyan, looking sickly, sat leaning against the couch, her long hair obscuring half her face. She occasionally took a sip of the medicine fed to her by the palace maids, waving her hand to have it removed after several sips. Her brows were deeply furrowed, and she only relaxed slightly after popping a candied fruit into her mouth.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Eldest Princess," the two said in unison.

"Generals, you may dispense with the formalities." Qingyan's voice was hoarse, and she coughed several times in succession. Her beautiful hair fell from her shoulders and trembled violently with her body.

The palace maids around her quickly brought water and knelt down by the bed to feed the princess. Another maid calmly took a handkerchief to wipe the princess's mouth, while another maid stood in front of the princess's bed with a medicine bowl and a soup bowl.

A chaotic scene of caring for a patient.

"Do you two ministers have something to discuss?" Qingyan asked weakly.

Seeing the chaos, Li Zhangwu put his previous guesses aside, bowed his head and stood behind the old general. With the Duke of Ningguo present, it was naturally not his place to reply.

"It's nothing. I heard the princess was ill, so I came to visit her." General Ning bowed.

"Thank you both..." Qingyan only managed to say one sentence before she started coughing violently.

General Ning frowned, looked at the flustered maids, and shook his head.

"Princess, please take care. This old minister takes his leave."

"This humble general takes his leave," Li Zhangwu quickly followed, fearing that the princess might cough up something bad while talking to him.

After everyone left, Qingyan jumped off the couch, leaving the maids around her flustered.

"Tell me, tell me, was my acting good or not?" Qingyan excitedly pulled Siwu next to her for praise, while the head maid Linlang beside her was speechless.

"Of course the princess acted very well." Linlang had to put on a fawning expression, otherwise the princess would definitely not let it go.

“I knew it,” Qingyan said smugly. “When we get to Suizhou, I’m going to ask Sister Qingyan for credit. By the way, I’ve wanted her pair of bright moon earrings for a long time. I must ask her to give them to me.”

"Princess, please keep your voice down, or all your efforts will be wasted." Seeing that she was too excited and happy, Siyou was afraid that she would be discovered if she made too much noise, so she quickly reminded her.

Qingyan was taken aback for a moment, then shrank her neck and quickly lay back down on the couch.

After leaving the princess's bedchamber, General Ning discussed with Li Zhangwu that they should wait until the princess was feeling better before setting off again. This was exactly what Li Zhangwu wanted, as a slower pace of travel would naturally benefit him. So he found an excuse to part ways with General Ning.

General Ning returned to his main tent and, remembering the princess's excessive coughing, summoned his personal guards and gave them a few instructions. The guards nodded and left the main tent.

After feigning illness in the tent for several days, Qingyan couldn't stand it any longer and decided to go outside for some fresh air.

"Princess, if you're leaving the tent, your current makeup probably won't do. You'll need to change it," Siyou said cautiously, afraid of upsetting Princess Yinghua, who looked seven-tenths like Princess Qingyan. Princess Yinghua was known for her strict, almost demanding, requirements regarding makeup.

"What should I change it to? Will it look good? I don't want to be dressed up as an ugly monster." Sure enough, Princess Yinghua pouted.

“How could you be an ugly monster? What I meant was to dress you up to look more like Her Highness the Princess,” Siyou quickly explained.

"Sister Qingyan is quite a beauty, so I'll reluctantly let you dress me up." Princess Yinghua raised an eyebrow, looking like she was bestowing a favor. Her head maid, Linlang, had already twitched her lips several times.

Princess, if it weren't for Her Highness the Eldest Princess sending you to impersonate her, who would dare to bring you out of your fiefdom? What do you think you were doing in your fiefdom before? You were being kept in solitary confinement, okay? Linlang felt utterly humiliated.

Princess Yinghua, Qingrong, who impersonated Qingyan in the imperial procession, is Qingyan's half-sister. Yinghua is the daughter of Consort Xi, who passed away when Yinghua was five years old. As Consort Xi's biological sister, Empress Shangguan naturally raised her under her own name. She is two years younger than Qingyan, and their bond is deep; even Empress Shangguan is quite fond of this lively daughter. However, not long ago, after attending Qingyan's wedding, she sneaked out of the palace to see the young master of the Su family, who might become her consort. Dissatisfied with him, she even injured him. Emperor Longqing, in a fit of anger, punished her by confining her to her quarters for three months. However, after three months, she showed no remorse and went to provoke him again, finally being sent to her fiefdom for three months of reflection, followed by another three months.

Princess Yinghua's fiefdom was in Xianghuai, a county in Yongzhou. Qingyan needed someone to help her deceive everyone, so she secretly took Yinghua out of her fiefdom where she was confined to her residence. Yinghua had always been simple-minded, and Qingyan had no trouble manipulating her. Qingyan told her that she had important business to attend to and needed to leave for a few days, asking Yinghua to impersonate her and blend in during the Princess's procession. Yinghua, being lively and carefree, happily agreed, as she was happy to be out of her fiefdom.

That's why we have this whole situation today.

Empress Shangguan and Consort Xi are sisters, so Qingyan and Yinghua naturally resemble each other by about 70%. With Siyou and Siwu's superb makeup skills, Qingyan isn't worried about being exposed in appearance; her real concern is that Yinghua, being naive and easily manipulated, will be tricked. Leaving Siyou and Siwu behind is not only to protect and monitor Yina, but also to keep an eye on this impulsive younger sister and ensure she doesn't cause any trouble before arriving in Suizhou.

All she needed was Yinghua to help her buy ten days.

“Princess, it’s getting late, you should have your dinner,” Linlang said.

"Hmm, I am a little hungry. Linlang, call Lord Ji in to have dinner with me." Yinghua jumped off the couch.

"Yes." Linlang sighed inwardly. After leaving the capital, Princess Yinghua's intentions towards Lord Ji became increasingly obvious.

"Princess." Ji Xian entered from outside the tent. His austere imperial guard uniform made him look dignified and unapproachable.

"Has Lord Ji eaten yet? If not, why don't you join me for a meal?" Yinghua looked at Ji Xian with a smile, waiting for his reply with a noble and elegant expression.

"This humble servant has already eaten, Your Highness, please make yourself at home." Ji Xian said coldly, his words chilling to the bone, and then prepared to leave.

"Stop!" Yinghua was furious at Ji Xian's tactlessness. She immediately abandoned her noble and elegant demeanor and adopted the airs of a princess, ordering, "Eat some more after you've already eaten. I just wanted you to keep me company. Otherwise, if you affect my appetite and make me starve, all the blame will fall on you."

Ji Xian shook his head helplessly, unable to figure out when he had offended Princess Yinghua. Since being promoted to Imperial Guard Commandant by the Emperor a year ago, he had been solely responsible for protecting Princess Yinghua. Although his official rank had been raised, his real power had been reduced. Protecting a princess was not something that required such a heavy hand. However, as a powerful clan, the Emperor would inevitably start by targeting his collateral branch if he wanted to suppress the Ji family. The apparent promotion but actual demotion was a reminder to the Ji family to behave themselves in court.

However, since he came to Princess Yinghua's side last year, the princess initially disliked him, and then she began to pester him in every way. He was a guard captain in the Imperial Guard, not the princess's bodyguard, much less her maid. So why did the princess always seek him out to eat, laugh, play, and even sleep with him, no matter how uncooperative he was? The princess was still happy to do it and always found a way to force him to comply.

The thought of sleeping with her made Ji Xian's face flush slightly. Ever since she was reprimanded by the Emperor and sent to her fiefdom to reflect on her actions, Princess Yinghua needed Ji Xian's company to fall asleep at night; otherwise, she would sit there until dawn. Previously, Ji Xian had cruelly used official duties as an excuse to ignore her, but for two days in a row, Princess Yinghua simply wouldn't sleep and insisted on waiting for him.

He still remembered that night; Princess Yinghua had been waiting for two days and one night, sending someone every hour to ask if he was done. He couldn't hide any longer, so he went to see the princess with a cold face.

In the dim light, the princess's smile was clearly exhausted, but upon seeing him, she seemed to instantly become radiant.

"Ji Xian, you've been busy for two days, you must not have rested well. Have you been eating properly? If you don't rest well and don't eat properly, your health will suffer." The princess smiled and reached out to touch his face. He was stunned and was about to pull away when the princess's hand moved away.

"I've been keeping this soup warm all night, drink it quickly." Princess Yinghua presented it to him like a treasure, her eyes filled with longing, gazing at him with watery eyes, biting her lip cutely, her eyes sparkling, her brows slightly furrowed, clearly very concerned about his attitude.

Ji Xian was completely stunned by her charming appearance. He had seen many delicate and pretty young ladies from noble families, but none of them had ever been as pitifully charming as the princess. The flickering candlelight shone on her small, palm-sized face, making her look like an abandoned little pet waiting to be taken home.

Ji Xian couldn't help but feel a pang of regret for treating the princess that way. Actually, the princess simply liked him by her side before she fell asleep; she said seeing him made her feel at ease. His refusal was merely improper—well, very improper—and he was right to refuse; it was the only correct thing to do. But why, when he thought of the princess's eyes, brimming with autumn water, did he unconsciously feel that what he had done was utterly heinous?

Well, Ji Xian shook his head inwardly again, looking miserably at the princess across from him, who had gone from a warm invitation to an angry order. His princess just loved to act up, especially loved to act up towards him. Sigh—

"You may all leave. I'll stay with the princess," Ji Xian said resignedly, waving his hand.

Linlang led Siyou and Siwu to retreat outside the tent immediately. Having served the princess for many years, she naturally knew that only Lord Ji could control the princess when she acted up. Others might become cannon fodder if they were not careful. It was better to escape.

“Princess.” Ji Xian sat down opposite Princess Yinghua.

“Rong’er. Ji Xian, you promised to call me by my name. Otherwise, you can call me Qing Rong or Ying Hua.” Seeing that Ji Xian had given in, Ying Hua immediately smiled and shamelessly pressed herself against him, looking incredibly charming.

"Yinghua." Ji Xian was stimulated by the girl's enthusiasm, but he called out her name awkwardly.

Well, it's better than being called a princess, Yinghua was still very happy. She simply moved from opposite him to sit next to him, reached out and grabbed his large hand, pressing it against her face, and said, word by word:

"Lord Ji, I like you, I like you the most."

Princess Yinghua confessed her feelings to him so directly.

Ji Xian was slightly taken aback, but quickly came to his senses. Well, the princess's daily confession was about to begin again.

“Lord Ji, do you know? I’ve never liked anyone before. You’re the first. My first love. By the way, Sister Qingyan said that this is called first love, and it’s extremely precious.” Yinghua tilted her head to watch his reaction.

Ji Xian's eyebrows twitched.

Seeing that he didn't react, Yinghua continued, "Brother Jixian, tell me, am I your first love?"

Princess Yinghua drew closer, her alluring fragrance, like a serpent, subtly wafting into Ji Xian's senses. The soft, intermittent touch on his arm grew clearer with her approach. Ji Xian suppressed the rising heat in his body; a thin layer of sweat broke out on his back. He clenched his fist to his side, trying to minimize his senses, but as a martial artist, his senses were naturally sharper than most. Even with his efforts to suppress them, he could still feel them clearly. Only at times like this did Ji Xian truly hate his own superior skills.