Song Yihuan placed her hands against Ji Lingchuan's chest, trying to push him away. But she underestimated the man's persistence. The hands that Ji Lingchuan had on her waist tightened even more.
"Song Yihuan!" Ji Lingchuan gritted his teeth. "Do you think I'll let you go just because you said so? Don't even dream about it!"
"A noble heir of the Prince of Ning pestering a woman like this. How shameless!" Song Yihuan struggled, annoyed. "Aren't you afraid of being laughed at by the world for such a breach of etiquette, Your Highness?"
Etiquette?! It was precisely because of that so - called etiquette and so - called face that he had lost her back then. To keep her by his side, so what if he became a despicable person?
"Then let the world laugh at me." Ji Lingchuan said. "I've long since stopped caring about how the world views me. I only want you—only you, Song Yihuan."
Song Yihuan felt as if she'd been struck hard in the chest. Her eyes grew hot. She said, "Your Highness may not care, but I do. Gossip and baseless speculation can kill a woman."
"Then, what about Xiangxiang?!" He uttered Xiangxiang's name.
Song Yihuan was taken aback for a moment, then immediately reacted, "Xiangxiang is the child of me and... Big Brother Feng. It has nothing to do with you!"
"Humph." Ji Lingchuan sneered. "He's already three years old now. Judging from the time, you were already pregnant when you left the capital back then. And you still say he has nothing to do with me?"
"He looks seven or eight parts like me, and you still say he has nothing to do with me?"
He pressed his forehead against hers, his voice trembling. "You're the best at telling lies. I have to take every word you say the opposite way. When you say Xiangxiang isn't my child, then he precisely is my flesh and blood. When you say you have no feelings for me, it precisely means you do. If you didn't have me in your heart, why would you have given birth to the child despite the world's criticism?"
"You clearly knew that doing so would invite gossip and that you'd be accused of secretly hiding the offspring of the Prince of Ning's Mansion, yet you still did it."
"I..." Song Yihuan was rendered speechless by his words.
Did she not have him in her heart?
If she didn't have him in her heart, why would she always like to stand outside teahouses and taverns, listening to storytellers talk about his great achievements? Why would she subconsciously inquire about his whereabouts when she learned that she was going to Sucheng?
Why would she feel a momentary burst of joy the moment she heard his voice?
His kisses gently landed on her forehead and nose. Ji Lingchuan said hoarsely, "Yihuan, stop pushing me away. It's always been what you thought. I've never thought of asking you to be my concubine. You should be my wife from the very beginning. From the first letter we exchanged on the hill behind the Imperial College, it should have been you and no one else."
Tears wet Song Yihuan's cheeks. She sniffled, "But the Princess..."
Ji Lingchuan reached out to hold her face, using his thumb to wipe away the tears on her face. "If you're worried about status and boundaries, there's no need to worry."
His voice softened. "You exposed the Northern Di's conspiracy and made great contributions back then. The Emperor originally wanted to reward you, but you left so quickly that everyone was caught off - guard, so the imperial edict of reward was put on hold."
"You should try to trust me. I'll handle everything you're worried about. I won't take away the freedom and happiness you desire. By my side, you can still be yourself."
The high wall that Song Yihuan had built in her heart all this time suddenly collapsed. Her tears flowed more and more fiercely. "Aren't you angry with me for using you, deceiving you, and making a fool of you?"
Grabbing her hand and pressing it against his chest, Ji Lingchuan looked at her intently. "I've never been angry. Because my heart is full of you. It can't bear to let you suffer the slightest bit of grievance."
Despite this, Song Yihuan still retained a bit of clarity in her heart. After thinking for a while, she still withdrew her hand.
"Yihuan is grateful for Your Highness's concern. I admit that I can't be indifferent to Your Highness, but I have something I must do now."
"Last March, my father suddenly fell seriously ill. This disease is rare in the world. Big Brother Feng has tried all the medicinal materials in the State of Yu but still couldn't cure my father. He remembered that there was a medicinal herb in Yanyun that might save my father. For my father's illness, we must go to Yanyun. Every day of delay puts my father in more danger."
As she spoke, her eyes grew moist again. "I failed to save my mother back then. It's a regret in my heart. I don't want my father to be seriously ill like this. He's the person who loves me the most in this world besides my mother."
Pulling her into his arms, Ji Lingchuan gently patted her back. "I know. Xuan has told me everything. I also promised him that I would surely find the life - saving medicine for Uncle Qi. Leave this matter to me, okay?"
Song Yihuan lowered her eyes. Her nose was extremely sour. She said in a muffled voice, "Your Highness, there are some things I must do myself. If I let others do it for me, I'll feel uneasy in my heart. You should have seen how good my father was to me, my mother, and Xuan. Looking for medicine for him is the responsibility of a daughter like me."
Biting her lip, she said, "Can you give me a little more time? Right now, I have no mood to think about love. I just want to cure my father."
Ji Lingchuan was not at all surprised by her choice.
She was such a person who clearly distinguished between love and hate. Those who were good to her would be firmly engraved in her heart. He also wanted to be the one she cared about. So since this was her insistence, he would fully support her.
"The reason I'm not at ease letting you go is that I'm worried no one can protect you. Now that I see his skills, I'm relieved."
Taking out a dagger and a crossbow that he had specifically found yesterday from his waist, Ji Lingchuan carefully fastened the crossbow to her wrist and taught her, "Press here, and an arrow will shoot out from here. If you're in danger, this can protect you."
After doing this, he whistled. A soldier walked towards them with a bow and arrow in his hand.
That bow and arrow was precisely the jasper curved bow that Song Yihuan had been rewarded with during the autumn hunt a long time ago. In order to escape from the capital smoothly back then, she had left many things in the Ding'an Marquis Mansion, including this curved bow.
The fact that Ji Lingchuan could find this curved bow at this time meant that he had always carried it with him and never left it.
Why? Did he miss her when he saw this object?
Watching her hold the bow and arrow in her hand with a look of nostalgia on her face, Ji Lingchuan asked, "Do you still remember how to shoot an arrow?"
Song Yihuan looked at him. Her heart was both sour and astringent. "I remember."
"Good." Ji Lingchuan looked at her deeply. "When you get to Yanyun, be careful about everything."
Looking up slightly at this man who was of great importance in her life, Song Yihuan clearly heard all the palpitations and love in her heart.
Suddenly, she took a step forward, hooked the man's neck, and stood on tiptoe to place a kiss on the man's lips.
"You should also be careful in battle. Wait for me to come back."