Two days later, the Fourth Prince accidentally brought pollen that attracted bees into the horse-riding arena. While practicing his horsemanship, he was startled by the sudden appearance of bees and fell into the herd of horses. His leg was broken by the trampling horses, and he narrowly escaped with his life.
The copybooks had been proofread. The tutor checked them several times before presenting them to the Emperor.
"Which of my princes proofread this? Not bad." A hint of a smile finally appeared on the Emperor's face.
The tutor said cautiously, "It was the Seventh Prince and Xiao Xizi."
He observed the Emperor's expression. "Your Majesty, the Seventh Prince has been working very hard on his studies lately. I thought it would be good to let him practice."
The smile on the Emperor's face faded. "I rarely hear you mention the Seventh."
The tutor wiped the sweat from his forehead. "To answer Your Majesty, the Seventh Prince has indeed made a lot of progress recently after building a solid foundation."
The Emperor gave a low hum of acknowledgment but said nothing more.
The old locust tree in the Ruhui Palace was particularly large, shattering the sunlight directly. The cicadas on the tree chirped incessantly, and a gentle breeze blew past, carrying a faint fragrance.
Ji Zhaoxi wore a lotus-root-colored training outfit, her hair tied up with a single bamboo hairpin, and pointed her wooden sword straight at Xiao Yanchen opposite her.
Xiao Yanchen sparred with her, his face full of smiles. But his eyes held none of those sword techniques; they were filled entirely with her reflection, constantly clinging to her side.
The warm wind continued to blow. After practicing for a while, Ji Zhaoxi felt a bit sleepy and lay down alone on a hammock not far away.
Seventeen had long since fallen asleep with his sword in his arms on a branch of the old locust tree. He had learned to completely ignore the other two.
Xiao Yanchen ran over to Ji Zhaoxi, squatted in front of her, and watched her for a while. After she fell asleep, he poked her cheek before continuing to practice his swordplay.
He practiced very earnestly, his figure moving quickly under the shadows, yet cleverly holding back his strength whenever the wind approached the hammock.
The shadow of the youth cast by the setting sun grew longer and longer. The bark of the old locust tree was rougher than a few years ago, the leaves more lush. The hammock on the tree had been replaced with a sturdier one, and the chirping of the cicadas was louder than before.
Xiao Yanchen put away his sword and carefully picked up Ji Zhaoxi from the hammock. He stepped steadily on the ground, carrying her toward the house. He held her more securely than he had a few years ago.
Lying on the tree, Seventeen looked at the reddening sky and let out a huge yawn. He had grown some whiskers on his jaw, making him look quite weathered.
"Holding her for so many years, and he still hasn't had enough."
Seventeen muttered, turning over.
The room was filled with basins of ice. Feeling the presence of the cool bed, Ji Zhaoxi couldn't help but nuzzle against it, her consciousness still trapped in dreamland.
She groggily felt a weight on her body as a head burrowed directly into her embrace, gently nuzzling her neck.
She instinctively patted his head, but just as she tried to pull her hand away, he grabbed it.
Xiao Yanchen buried himself deeply in Ji Zhaoxi's embrace, inhaling her scent. His hand casually wrapped around her waist, pulling her entirely into his arms.
"Xixi..." Xiao Yanchen's voice was full of grievance.
He buried himself in Ji Zhaoxi's embrace, his lips accidentally brushing past her neck. But when he lifted his head, there was not a hint of grievance in his eyes—only a dark abyss.
Ji Zhaoxi rubbed her eyes, finally waking up a bit.
"I don't want to eat dinner. I'm so sleepy." Ji Zhaoxi rested her head against Xiao Yanchen's chest.
Xiao Yanchen's heart softened at once, and he whispered, "Then Xixi can tell me when she's hungry."
He couldn't resist gently biting her earlobe. Ji Zhaoxi opened her eyes and glared at him angrily.
Xiao Yanchen's face showed some grievance. "Xixi, you've been ignoring me a lot lately. You know you're my only friend, the only one who plays with me."
Seeing his pitiful look, Ji Zhaoxi's heart softened a bit, but she still complained, "But you always bite me, and I've never bitten you."
She was so good to him!
Xiao Yanchen coaxed her softly, "Don't be angry, Xixi. I won't bite next time, okay?"
But he still had to bite this time.
He tentatively kissed her ear, then gently bit it again.
Ji Zhaoxi hadn't been used to Xiao Yanchen's touch from the beginning. Over the years, Xiao Yanchen had been constantly testing Ji Zhaoxi's boundaries.
He had known since childhood how strong his possessiveness over her was. As he grew older, this desire didn't weaken; instead, it grew explosively.
He wished he could stick to her every moment, provided she didn't reject him.
Every aspect of Ji Zhaoxi's life was handled solely by Xiao Yanchen. There were maids in the palace, but he wouldn't let anyone touch her things.
All her clothes could only be washed by him.
There were also many versions of rumors regarding their relationship in the palace, but whenever it was mentioned, the tone would become peculiar.
However, Xiao Yanchen's presence in the Emperor's eyes was growing stronger, so the others in the palace only dared to discuss this matter in private.
Xiao Qin looked at the tightly closed palace doors and exchanged a glance with the person next to her.
"Xiao Xizi looks just like a woman," Xiao Qin whispered.
The maid beside her made a silencing gesture.
When she first entered Ruhui Palace, she was startled by the intimate actions of the two. But the Seventh Prince showed no intention of hiding it from them, the servants.
Inside the Golden Throne Room, the atmosphere was much heavier than usual.
The Emperor sat calmly on the dragon throne, holding a secret memorial in his hand.
"Refugees in the southern borders are attacking the official granaries. The local officials want the imperial court to release grain, but they also fear the refugees will cause trouble. Tell me, should we release it or not?"
The Second Prince was the first to step forward. After the Noble Consort was sent to the cold palace, his situation had become very difficult, but a large number of officials still stood by his side. However, he didn't know if these officials would switch allegiances.
"To answer Imperial Father, I believe we should release it, and send an imperial envoy to supervise, supplementing it with Buddhist teachings to civilize the commoners, and the refugees will naturally disperse."
The Emperor gave a hum, not saying whether it was good or bad. The Second Prince tensed up all over.
The Emperor's gaze fell on Xiao Yanchen beside him.
Xiao Yanchen took a step forward. "To answer Imperial Father, I believe that if the imperial court merely opens the granaries, it will be showing weakness. We should strictly control the food rations and provide relief through labor."
The ministers below listened, not thinking about the grain release, but observing the Emperor's expression and considering whose side to take.
Should they side with the Second Prince, or the Seventh Prince...
