Inside the tent of the Princess of Ning, after paying respects to his mother, Ji Lingchuan stayed with the princess for a short while, chatting with her. Before long, he left Song Nanxin alone and took Song Yixuan out of the tent.
Watching the tall figure and the small one leave the tent with her own eyes, the smile on the Princess of Ning's face softened even more. She said to Song Nanxin, "Look, he's getting better at taking care of others. It seems that Chuan'er really likes children. Now all I'm looking forward to is the birth of your child. He's bound to be a good father."
Song Nanxin forced a smile and put on a shy look. "I've been working hard on that, too."
At this, the Princess of Ning showed a meaningful smile. "Counting the days we've been stationed in this camp, Chuan'er has summoned you to his bed twice. That's even more frequent than when we were in the capital. You must have had a tough night last night, right?"
Song Nanxin's smile was almost frozen. Her heart was burning with anxiety, but she had to act as if nothing was wrong. "It's all my duty as a daughter - in - law."
The Princess of Ning nodded. "It seems that a change of environment is good for the two of you. You should take this opportunity to strengthen your relationship with him."
After bidding farewell to the Princess of Ning, Song Nanxin realized something was amiss. She walked around the camp, and her face grew more and more solemn.
Song Yihuan had taken her place to accompany Ji Lingchuan in the camp twice, leaving only in the early morning the next day.
Now many people knew that the Heir of the Prince of Ning and his wife were deeply in love, a perfect couple. But only she knew that the one who had spent the whole night with him in the tent was not her at all, but Song Yihuan!
And all this was of her own doing!
Since childhood, Song Nanxin had been the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's Mansion, showered with love and adoration. Wherever she went, she was held in high regard. Only in the Prince of Ning's Mansion did she live on tenterhooks.
She had thought about accompanying Ji Lingchuan herself, but that time, Ji Lingchuan had avoided her like the plague and had always been lukewarm towards her.
It was said that she had been favored by him all night last night, but in fact, when she was burned, he just gave her some medicine without even saying a kind word.
Song Nanxin was extremely aggrieved. She squatted in a deserted corner, crying with her face covered in tears. She missed Cui Muyuan, who had always obeyed her, even more.
...
Outside the tent, Ji Lingchuan and Song Yixuan walked away hand in hand.
"Brother - in - law, where are you taking Xuan'er?" Although Song Yixuan liked to be close to Ji Lingchuan very much, he was very clear in his mind that if there was nothing special, Ji Lingchuan wouldn't have deliberately spent time with him.
Ji Lingchuan looked down at him. The child and Song Yihuan were siblings of the same mother, both with a pair of innocent deer - like eyes.
"Do you want to ride a horse?" Ji Lingchuan asked.
Song Yixuan's eyes widened instantly, looking very excited. "Really? Can Xuan'er ride a horse?"
Ji Lingchuan said, "I'll take you. If we go slowly, it should be okay."
After leaving the camp, Ji Lingchuan found a gentle horse and took Song Yixuan on it. Then they slowly rode towards the nearby grassland.
Song Yixuan was firmly held by Ji Lingchuan. Sitting on the horse, he could see the vast world. He stared intently, constantly exclaiming at the beautiful scenery. His little face was flushed, looking even more adorable.
The horse stopped at a certain place. Ji Lingchuan asked, "Do you like it?"
Song Yixuan replied crisply, "I like it! Brother - in - law, Xuan'er likes it here!"
After this, Ji Lingchuan fell silent. After a while, he said, "You once mentioned at the banquet that your fourth sister has a sweetheart who disappeared for a long time and just reappeared recently. Is that true?"
Song Yixuan blinked his eyes. "It's true. She also said that that person once made fun of her poor handwriting, so that's why she worked hard on calligraphy."
Make fun of her handwriting? Indeed, when she first started learning to write, her handwriting was extremely immature, and he had teased her about it in a letter. In every subsequent letter, he could see the improvement of her handwriting.
It turned out that she had feelings for him too.
Ji Lingchuan's lips curled up into a faint smile, which stunned Song Yixuan.
"Brother - in - law, I didn't know you could smile."
"Brother - in - law, you don't look fierce when you smile. You should smile more often in the future." Song Yixuan said seriously.
Ji Lingchuan reached out and rubbed his head. "I've sent people to look for a divine doctor who can cure you. After he cures your illness, I'll teach you how to ride a horse, shoot an arrow, and wield a spear, so that you can have a strong body and never be afraid of illness again."
The man's voice was steady and powerful, making people believe him. Song Yixuan believed that he was a man of his word, so he nodded vigorously. "Yes, Xuan'er will definitely live hard and make a name for himself in the future to bring honor to my fourth sister."
After a pause, Song Yixuan asked carefully, "Brother - in - law, do you like my fourth sister?"
If he didn't like her, why would he ask about her sweetheart?
Ji Lingchuan's hand paused for a moment and then replied, "Yes."
Song Yixuan was a bit anxious. "My... my fourth sister won't be a concubine."
Ji Lingchuan said, "She won't."
She won't. He won't let her be a concubine.
The position of the Heir's wife of the Prince of Ning should never have belonged to Song Nanxin. Song Nanxin's achievements in the Imperial College were actually obtained by Song Yihuan for her. He would make everything return to its rightful place and let Song Yihuan get what she deserved.
The Lesser Fullness four years ago was the day when the two of them lost contact and everything got out of control. If it hadn't been for the accident, he would have met her long ago, known her identity, and found a way to marry her.
He would make sure that what happened on that day of Lesser Fullness would no longer be an obstacle between them.
He would also protect this child well and let him grow up safely to make up for the regret of their missed encounter on that day of Lesser Fullness four years ago.
...
After capturing the rebels, they stayed in the camp for another five days. These five days were nerve - wracking for Song Nanxin. However, after that night, Ji Lingchuan never summoned her to his bed again. Instead, he was busy dealing with the rebels. Not only was there no bed - sharing, but she couldn't even see Ji Lingchuan when she went to pay respects.
Song Yihuan hunted a lot of prey in the mountains. Those prey were skinned and the furs were handed to her. Thinking that the weather would get colder and it would be almost winter when they returned to the capital, she had been staying in the tent for these five days, dealing with the furs.
Perhaps the experience of being burned by Song Yihuan that day made Song Nanxin more vigilant towards her. Although the two sisters lived in the same tent these days, they kept to themselves and lived in peace.
On the fifth day, the Prince of Dun, who had instigated the rebellion, and the leaders of the rebels were taken to the grassland and executed on the spot. Their heads would be escorted by an elite unit of the Black Armored Army to the king of the Northern Di.
The rest of the rebels would be escorted back to the capital and imprisoned.
This autumn hunting finally came to an end, and it was time for the convoy to return to the capital.