The news that Ji Junye had woken up spread like wildfire throughout the capital. Civil and military officials shed tears of joy and all begged for an audience, but all they got were two words: "No audience!"
At this moment, Ji Qingshu's advantage of having backers behind her became apparent.
On the third day after Ji Junye woke up, she entered the palace with the greetings from the Grand Princess.
As soon as she entered the hall, she saw a sight that almost made her drop her jaw.
Her tall, magnificent, and wise elder brother was lying on the bed, reclined against the pillow like a woman in confinement. Sister Shen was holding a bowl of medicine and feeding him spoon by spoon, looking extremely gentle.
Ji Qingshu was so shocked that she even forgot to greet them.
Seeing her coming, Shen Qing quickly stuffed the medicine bowl into Ji Junye's hand. "Jingyang is here."
"I've already said that I won't see anyone," Ji Junye said with annoyance on his face for being disturbed. He gulped down the medicine in one go and threw the bowl aside.
Ji Qingshu felt a surge of acid rising from her stomach, which almost made her teeth ache.
Her elder brother was becoming more and more clingy!
It was still Shen Qing who looked at Ji Qingshu and smiled apologetically. "Jingyang is here. Sit down for a while."
Ji Qingshu took a step back. "No, no need. I just came to see how elder brother is. Now that he looks fine, I'll go back and report to aunt..."
"I'll take my leave!"
Without waiting to be dismissed, Ji Qingshu ran away in a flash.
Come on! Her elder brother's expression clearly showed that he didn't want her to stay at all. Why would she stay?
Look at his lovesick look. Isn't it just getting married? What's so great about it?!
Ji Qingshu gritted her teeth. She was going to the Nanfeng Pavilion to listen to music!
After leaving the palace, Ji Qingshu headed straight for the Nanfeng Pavilion and didn't forget to send someone to tell the Grand Princess that her elder brother was in good health.
In the Zichen Hall.
Shen Qing gave Ji Junye a reproachful look. "Jingyang came to see you out of good intentions, and so did the Grand Princess. They've been worried about you."
Ji Junye snorted. "She's already seen me."
With Jingyang's personality, she might drag Shen Qing out to play the next second.
During the days when he was in a coma, he vaguely saw some pictures.
All of them were about him and Shen Qing.
They separated because of various misunderstandings. She died a miserable death in the backyard of the Guangping Marquis Mansion, and after he heard the news of her death, he had no more attachments to the world. After destroying the Xiao family, he set himself on fire in the palace.
He hadn't seen these pictures for a long time. Different from before, which were just intermittent fragments, this time he saw a complete story.
He thought it was extremely absurd. How could he possibly hurt her?
But being in that situation, those misunderstandings, quarrels, and heart - wrenching feelings all told him that it wasn't just a ridiculous dream.
And some of her changes, such as the breach of the Jinming Lake, the escape route of the Empress Dowager on Wutai Mountain, and the things she gave him before his expedition...
Putting all these things together, it was hard not to let him think of a truth -
Perhaps, that was their past life.
And Xu Yanchi, who had been under his surveillance, suddenly slipped away like an eel to Xingshu...
All the unreasonable things put together became reasonable.
"What's wrong?" Seeing that he had been looking at her, Shen Qing couldn't help but ask.
She clearly felt that he had become even more clingy to her after waking up. He would ask about her as soon as he couldn't see her for a while, which made the servants around them snicker at them.
Ji Junye held her hand and kissed it piously. "It's nothing. I'm just thinking that after going through so many things, we've finally achieved happiness. This relationship is hard - won. Qingqing, I will cherish it very much."
If that was really their past life, and God had given him the chance to have her again, he would surely hold on to it tightly.
Shen Qing paused for a moment and directly hugged him. "Me too."
After a moment of sentimentality, Ji Junye remembered another thing.
"Jingyang is not young anymore. She still hasn't gotten married yet. It's made our imperial aunt's hair turn white with worry."
The Grand Princess's requirements for a son - in - law had changed from a young and promising nobleman to just an ordinary normal man.
Shen Qing also couldn't help but think of someone and couldn't help laughing. "Fourth brother has been working hard."
She hadn't forgotten that fourth brother had volunteered to be her envoy to send her to get married. He should have returned to Shengjing earlier, but it was delayed because of Ji Junye's coma. If he didn't succeed this time, he might not have another chance.
Ji Junye didn't care about all that. Jingyang had already started causing trouble in the Nanfeng Pavilion and the theater. If she wasn't married off soon, what if she led Qingqing astray one day?
Although his fourth brother - in - law was a bit older, he was a reliable person after all.
Little did they know that the two people they were discussing had already met in the Nanfeng Pavilion.
The Nanfeng Pavilion had only opened in the past two years. No one knew who the behind - the - scenes boss was. There were both men and women inside, and they were all chaste performers, selling their arts but not their bodies.
The young male performers were also very popular among noble ladies.
Being criticized?
Their husbands were also meeting prostitutes inside. What was wrong with them coming to listen to music?
Being scolded by other ladies? It was because they hadn't tasted the benefits!
The Nanfeng Pavilion, which was once boycotted by everyone, now had many women sneaking in.
As soon as Ji Qingshu arrived, she ordered the top performer in the Nanfeng Pavilion, the Gentleman Xiaoxiang.
True to his name, the Gentleman Xiaoxiang was wearing a gauze robe, with his hair half - tied and half - loose. He also had a natural scholarly air about him, elegant but not vulgar.
Ji Qingshu felt that she had drunk too much wine today and was a bit hot. "The Gentleman Xiaoxiang's piano skills are truly unparalleled. Reward him."
The Gentleman Xiaoxiang smiled, then walked out from behind the piano stand and knelt down beside Ji Qingshu to pour wine for her.
"Thank you, Princess, for the reward."
Ji Qingshu was stunned for a moment, and then her face changed. "What are you talking about? I'm not a princess! Where is there any princess?"
The Gentleman Xiaoxiang chuckled and offered the wine. "Princess Jingyang is straightforward and unrestrained, and she is also very generous. Everyone in the capital knows this."
"The princess has shown great kindness to me. I have nothing to repay. Could the princess redeem me from here? I'm willing to serve the princess as a slave, attending to the princess personally."
As he said this, his robe slowly opened, and he even boldly grabbed Ji Qingshu's hand and guided it towards his collar.
Ji Qingshu's mind was a bit muddled until she felt the warm and firm touch under her hand.
It felt quite good.
"I..."
"She's not willing!"
Just as Ji Qingshu was about to say something, the door was suddenly kicked open from the outside. Shen Sizhi's face was ashen, and his anger reached its peak when he saw Ji Qingshu's hand and the Gentleman Xiaoxiang's open robe.
He strode forward and directly grabbed the Gentleman Xiaoxiang by the collar and threw him out.
The others also left tactfully.
"Shen Si, why are you here?" Ji Qingshu looked dazed.
Seeing her like this, Shen Sizhi got even angrier. Clearly, two years ago when they were in the south of the Yangtze River... He had originally planned to propose marriage on this occasion, but then he heard that she wanted to redeem a young male performer?
Shen Sizhi suppressed his jealousy. "Do you really want to redeem him and let him serve you personally?"
Ji Qingshu didn't really have that intention at first. Being questioned like this, she instantly felt annoyed. "So what? I'm a princess. It's just keeping a male favorite. What's the problem? I can afford it!"
"Heh..." Shen Sizhi suddenly stepped forward, grabbed her wrist, and leaned in, starting to untie his belt.
Ji Qingshu instinctively leaned back, with her whole body pressing against the low table. She couldn't help but swallow. "What, what are you doing?"
Shen Sizhi had already grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest. "Since the princess lacks someone to serve her, why don't you take a look at me?"
Ji Qingshu thought she should push him away, but in fact, she not only didn't push him away but also grabbed a few times.
It also felt good.
As a member of the royal family, Shen Sizhi was naturally good - looking. Moreover, the aura of a prince cultivated by the royal family was far beyond that of a young male performer.
Seeing that she wasn't completely unmoved, Shen Sizhi patiently said, "I need to do business and won't stay in one place. If you marry me, I'll take you around to see the local customs and cultures. If you want to settle down somewhere, we'll stay there. It'll just be the two of us, and you can do whatever you want."
"All you need to do is tell me if you're willing or not."
Ji Qingshu thought for a while. It seemed that what he said was quite good, and she suddenly found that he was quite attractive to her today.
Ji Qingshu got excited and kissed him.
"Of course... I'm willing."
She had made a great deal!