There was an extra person in the room, and it was a man at that. It just met what the Taoist Yuan Zheng had said about having enough "yang energy", which made Jiang Mian feel much more at ease.
Especially after lying down, she could hear the sounds of the man turning over and breathing from behind the green gauze partition, which dispelled the stillness of the night.
Xiao Jingcheng was secretly happy that they could be in the same room, but he was also a bit puzzled as to why she suddenly asked him to come over.
Could it be simply because she was worried about his injuries?
But it didn't take long before he guessed the reason.
Although there was an extra person in the room, neither of them spoke. Jiang Mian closed her eyes and intended to go to sleep, but after a while, she opened her eyes nervously and called out:
"Xiao Jingcheng."
"I'm here," Xiao Jingcheng replied. "What's wrong?"
Jiang Mian let out a breath. "It's nothing. I just wanted to make sure you're here."
Xiao Jingcheng smiled silently. So clingy?
Not long after, Jiang Mian called out again, "Xiao Jingcheng."
Xiao Jingcheng continued to respond, "I'm here. I'm right next to you."
Jiang Mian was obviously feeling sleepy, and her voice was a bit slurred. She mumbled, "Oh... You're still here. That's good."
She did this several times. Combining this with the Taoist Yuan Zheng's look, he vaguely guessed her worry. "Jiang Mian, you're not... afraid of ghosts, are you?"
Jiang Mian gave a start, and most of her drowsiness instantly vanished. She stubbornly said, "I... I'm not! Who's afraid of ghosts? The Taoist priest has already exorcised all the wronged souls today. There are no ghosts here."
"Moreover, these are all my ancestors of the Li family. Even if they are ghosts, they won't hurt me. I'm not afraid."
If you're not afraid, then why did you put aside your concerns about gender propriety and ask me to come and accompany you?
Xiao Jingcheng didn't say this out loud, lest the girl get angry and drive him out.
"Okay, you're not afraid. You just care about my injuries," he coaxed. "I misunderstood you."
Jiang Mian snorted and moved a bit closer to the direction of the sound, as if this way she could stop being afraid.
"Let's have a chat," Xiao Jingcheng guessed that she was still probably afraid and voluntarily proposed to chat with her.
"Anyway, neither of us can fall asleep now."
Jiang Mian said, "Oh. What shall we talk about?"
"Just talk about whatever you want. If you have any questions you want to know, you can also ask me."
Jiang Mian couldn't help but recall the softness her lips had brushed against just now. She tightened her fists, hesitated for a moment, and finally asked, "Xiao Jingcheng, you're already this old. Why haven't you gotten engaged yet?"
Xiao Jingcheng almost choked on his own saliva.
What did she mean by "already this old"? He was in the prime of his life, okay!
He cleared his throat and then said, "There's no set age for a prince to get married. Among my brothers, only Wuchen has gotten married and had children so far."
"Let's not mention that scoundrel Xiao Yixuan. As you know, I was the crown prince before. My marriage was related to the entire court. The woman I was going to marry naturally had to be carefully selected so that her family could be a help to me. However, perhaps my mother had already noticed that my father's attitude towards me was abnormal. She never mentioned arranging a marriage for me until I left the capital on a 'southern tour'."
Hearing this, Jiang Mian's heart skipped a beat.
Carefully selected...
It made sense. The woman who could be the crown princess naturally had to have an outstanding family background and appearance. Those with a slightly lower family background might only be able to be a concubine or something like that.
His marriage was related to the court, and there would surely be many women around him in the future.
But for some reason, just thinking about this made her feel a bit uncomfortable.
"However, that was all in the past," Xiao Jingcheng said. "Now it's my uncle who is in power. I'm the flesh and blood of my mother and father. He definitely won't let me continue to be the crown prince."
"My father doted on Xiao Yixuan, and my mother has passed away. Now, no one cares what kind of woman I will marry, right?"
He said this intentionally.
Of course, he would do his best to give the woman he wanted to marry an unforgettable wedding, so that she could marry him in style.
Just like how Uncle Li treated Aunt Li.
"Oh," Jiang Mian didn't notice that the corners of her lips were slightly upturned. She immediately changed the topic. "I've also heard about the Queen's matter. After we return to the capital and you've fully recovered, do you have any plans?"
Xiao Jingcheng replied, "I want to see her alive or find her body if she's dead. I'll think of a way to enter the palace, get my mother's body, and give her a proper burial."
"Enter the palace?" Jiang Mian was shocked. "What if your uncle wants to kill you?"
Xiao Jingcheng said, "That depends on why he seized the throne in the first place and what kind of king he wants to be."
Jiang Mian bit her lower lip and said, "After we return to the capital, I should go and see my master. I'll ask my master to also inquire about... your mother's news in the palace."
"Okay. Thank you in advance then."
The two of them talked back and forth for quite a while. Jiang Mian's voice gradually became softer until it completely disappeared, and her breathing became steady. Only then did Xiao Jingcheng stop talking and close his eyes.
But the next moment, when he opened his eyes again, he was back inside Dahuang's body. He controlled Dahuang's body, leaped onto Jiang Mian's bed, and his furry body burrowed into her embrace.
Subconsciously knowing that there was someone in the room to accompany her, and hugging her most familiar yellow dog in her arms, Jiang Mian slept very soundly this time. She didn't have any dreams and slept until dawn.
She opened her eyes, sat up on the bed, and stretched a big yawn.
Beside her, the yellow dog was also woken up by her movement. It lazily curled up there and licked its paws.
Jiang Mian suddenly remembered that there was still someone else in the room only when she walked behind the screen to change her clothes. She was so scared that she quickly gathered her clothes, poked half her head out and looked behind the green gauze partition, softly calling out:
"Xiao Jingcheng? Xiao Jingcheng?"
There was no sound from behind. She had a vague guess in her heart. She stepped forward to check and found that the man who had been full of energy in front of her last night had fallen into a coma again.
It seemed that the purple qi that had gathered on his body had been exhausted again.
Jiang Mian silently sighed. She propped her hands on the bed board, and with the skylight shining in from outside the window, she leaned down and carefully looked at the man's eyebrows and eyes.
Xiao Jingcheng looked truly handsome when he was asleep.
Uncle was also very handsome. In terms of appearance, the two were on par. But there was an indescribable aura about Xiao Jingcheng.
When he didn't say a word and just looked at people coldly with his head down, he was so cold and aloof that it made people shiver from the bottom of their hearts. But when he smiled and threw a tantrum with her, he was so unrestrained and high-spirited.
Her gaze stopped on his slightly pursed lips.
Was this place really so cold and soft?
Jiang Mian tightened her fingers. She lowered her head and, with the intention of verification, gently touched it.
She didn't notice at all that not far away, the yellow dog was looking at her in shock.