"Your Majesty, I believe the Second Prince's words are absolutely right," an old minister suddenly spoke up.
He had previously sided with the Third Prince, but who knew the Third Prince would suddenly fall into an ice hole and lose his mind, catching him completely off guard.
Later, he sided with the Fourth Prince, only for the Fourth Prince to break his legs.
This time, he chose to stand with the Second Prince. The Second Prince had numerous supporters, so surely nothing would go wrong this time.
A minister standing on the right side also spoke up, "Your Majesty, I believe the Seventh Prince's suggestion is more reasonable."
He didn't support the Seventh Prince for any profound reason, but simply because the old fool next to him had chosen the wrong side twice already. He felt that old man's luck was truly atrocious, and he dared not stand on the same side as him.
The royal court was now divided into three factions: one supporting the Second Prince, a neutral faction leaning toward Xiao Yanchen, and a faction that fully supported Xiao Yanchen.
However, those who supported Xiao Yanchen only did so because they thought he would be easy to control.
The late Empress had already passed away, and Xiao Yanchen had no strong backing. If he were to become the Crown Prince, they could naturally manipulate him as they pleased.
Fine bamboo blinds hung over the windows of the Ruhui Palace. The sunlight scattered softly across the floor, and the sheer veils in the room fluttered with the breeze.
Ji Zhaoxi lay on her stomach on the soft couch, earnestly reading a storybook. She never tired of reading detective stories.
She had even followed Eunuch Liu and solved several cases in the Department of Punishment, all using the knowledge she had learned from reading.
Today, she was wearing a plain-colored summer dress. It was made of cicada-wing silk sent by the Internal Affairs Bureau. Although she was wrapped tightly in layers, the fabric was exceptionally light.
The sunlight filtered through the gaps in the bamboo blinds and fell upon her, casting a hazy white halo around her figure. The silk garments clung to her, outlining the curves of her body.
Xiao Yanchen's gaze lingered on her the entire time. He cautiously approached her and buried his face in her embrace.
"Xixi, did you miss me?" He breathed in her scent with an almost obsessive fascination.
"Mm-hmm."
It was highly perfunctory.
Xiao Yanchen let out a soft hmph and buried his face in her neck, rubbing against her continuously. Ji Zhaoxi was forced to lift her neck due to his nuzzling, but Xiao Yanchen only grew bolder, constantly rubbing against her skin.
"Why are you even more clingy than when you were little?" Ji Zhaoxi couldn't help but pat his head.
Actually, she wanted to ask why he was even more annoying than when he was little.
But if she said that, he would definitely start crying again in a moment.
Xiao Yanchen pretended not to understand her meaning and lightly bit her neck. "When Xixi was little, you promised you would protect me."
Ji Zhaoxi felt a bit breathless under his weight and gave him a gentle push, but Xiao Yanchen only clung to her even tighter.
Ji Zhaoxi was speechless.
"Don't you have anything else to do?"
Xiao Yanchen's eyes instantly turned red, and he looked at her with a wronged expression. "Is Xixi tired of me? But Xixi is the only one who plays with me. I don't have any other friends."
Seeing that Ji Zhaoxi had stopped talking, Xiao Yanchen continued to lean against her.
"Xixi, my birthday is coming up soon."
At the mention of this, Ji Zhaoxi put down her book, looking somewhat proud. "Whatever you want for your birthday, I'll buy it for you. My salary is really high now."
She used to be very poor, so the gifts she gave weren't very expensive. But this year, her investigative skills had improved by leaps and bounds, and her salary had skyrocketed!
Xiao Yanchen's eyes were filled with a smiling warmth. He looked at her for a long moment. "Will Xixi really give me whatever I want?"
His fingertips rested lightly on the edge of the bed, slowly inching forward. Finally, using a cushion to hide his movement, his hand loosely settled on her waist, feeling her warm curves.
Ji Zhaoxi nodded. "Really!"
Looking at her bright eyes, Xiao Yanchen couldn't help but let out a low chuckle.
"That's wonderful. There is a gift I would love very much, and it just so happens that only Xixi can give it to me..."
