Li Huailin clenched his fists tightly, trembling uncontrollably all over.
If… if he had told her earlier, expressed his true feelings earlier, would she have not taken her own life? Or if he hadn’t sent her to the other courtyard, would there have been a chance to save her?
Jiang Xuanjin was right. It seemed he hadn’t done anything right. One misstep led to another. The Eldest Princess left him, and now Ning Wanwei had left him too. The predicament he found himself in now was entirely of his own making!
Was it too late for regrets now? He was willing to give up everything to bring her back to consciousness.
Feeling a lump in his throat, Li Huailin gently lifted her body, just as she had done countless times for him, softly taking her hand and turning to lift her onto his back.
“Your Majesty!” The handmaiden exclaimed in shock. “What are you doing? Please put down the Consort!”
As if not hearing, Li Huailin lifted Ning Wanwei onto his back and said hoarsely, “I’m taking her back to the palace.”
He had built the Huanxi Palace for her; it was her place, and she had to return there.
“Walk back?” Jiang Xuanjin spoke indifferently.
His body stiffened. Li Huailin turned his head, his expression complex. After serious consideration, he said, “I will decree to abdicate in favor of the Eldest Princess’s son.”
Jiang Xuanjin raised an eyebrow, looking at him.
With no light in his eyes and a face as gray as a corpse’s, Li Huailin seemed to have lost all his thoughts, muttering softly, “As long as you and her are sent back to Huanxi Palace, I won’t miss a single thing I should do.”
Originally, Jiang Xinyu had been anxiously waiting in the room after having an early meal, eagerly looking towards the door. After half an hour, Jiang Xuanjin returned, and she immediately averted her gaze, casually asking, “How did it go?”
Jiang Xuanjin widened his clothes as soon as he entered, disdainfully tossing his outer robe outside, and wearing his inner garments, he lifted the bead curtain separating the room and walked towards the inner chamber. “His Majesty has settled in the other courtyard. In two days, he will return to the capital with us.”
Xinyu stood up and followed him. She grabbed the swaying bead curtain and peeked inside, asking, “Are we going back to the capital too?”
“After all, the capital is the capital of the country.” With his hand on his waist belt, Jiang Xuanjin turned his head, “I need to change and bathe. Can you leave for a while?”
“No!” Xinyu answered quickly and loudly, raising her chin. “Is there anywhere on your body that I haven’t seen?”
Carrying a water bucket, Xuexu was about to come in but paused upon hearing Xinyu’s words. Turning around immediately, he tried to leave.
“Stop.” Jiang Xuanjin gritted his teeth and stopped him. “The water.”
The stench in the other courtyard was too strong, and he was contaminated all over. He didn’t care about anything else; bathing was essential.
“Yes.” Xuexu pretended not to have heard anything and brought the water into the room, pouring it into the bathtub behind the screen.
Xinyu made a petal shape with her hands resting on her cheeks, watching Jiang Xuanjin undress, and couldn’t help but make a “tsk” sound.
Jiang Xuanjin’s eyelids twitched, turning his head to ask, “Didn’t you see Miss Xu doing something with Chi Jin earlier? Do you want to go and check?”
“No.”
“Lu Jingxing has acquired another treasure and hidden it in his tavern. Do you want to go and snatch it?”
“No.”
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Xuanjin asked, “Then what do you want to do?”
With a hint of a smile in her eyes, Xinyu looked at him with narrowed eyes and mouthed word by word: “Watch, you, take, a bath, ah!”
“…!”
Facing away from her, Jiang Xuanjin was pouring water, completely oblivious to what she was saying. But facing Jiang Xuanjin, his handsome face turned red, then pale, then green, embarrassed and colorful.
“Master, the water is ready.” Testing the temperature, Xuexu bowed his head and reported before leaving. He also closed the door on his way out.
Hearing the sound of the door closing, Xinyu pounced on Jiang Xuanjin, reaching out to undo the buttons of his inner robe, and pulling down his garment from his shoulders.
Jiang Xuanjin was slightly annoyed. “Being a hooligan?”
“You teased me with the lamp last night, and now you won’t let me tease you in broad daylight?” Li Huailin poked at his fair shoulder and couldn’t resist squeezing it. “So sturdy!”
Blushing, Jiang Xuanjin brushed away her hand and gestured for her to turn around before removing the last piece of clothing and stepping into the tub.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Huaiyu quickly turned her head, but it was too late. Water splashed everywhere, and steam filled the air. In front of her, only Jiang Xuanjin’s slightly flushed face remained above the waterline, his jaw tense and lips pursed.
Unable to hold back, Huaiyu burst into laughter and bent over, holding onto the edge of the tub. “We’re an old married couple, what are you so shy about?”
“No peeping.” Jiang Xuanjin gritted his teeth, squeezing out each word through clenched teeth.
“This saying works with other people, what’s the use with a hooligan?” Li Huaiyu casually rolled up her sleeves and grabbed a handful of bathing beans, smearing them on his body. “Hurry up and come out; I’ll help you wash your back.”
“According to the rules of the Jiang family, women are not allowed to serve in bathing!”
“I know, I know, come on, lift your hand.”
“This is licentious!”
“Mm-hmm, that’s right, okay, switch to the other hand.”
“Li Huaiyu!”
Water splashed, and Jiang Xuanjin was furious. “Are you even listening to me?”
With a smile, Huaiyu continued to apply the bathing beans to his hand, lowering her head to peck his cheek. “Your voice is so nice, how could I not listen to you? Even when you’re not speaking, I still love your voice.”
The first half sounded reasonable, but what about the second half? What voice was there when he wasn’t speaking? He scanned her coldly, but then remembered something.
As the red curtains billowed, the scene of passion unfolded. Some things couldn’t be controlled, and some couldn’t resist as they leaned against her ear and groaned.
Jiang Xuanjin: “…”
“Hey, you, why is your face so red after just taking a bath?” Li Huaiyu innocently asked, “Is the water too hot?”
Covering his eyes with his hand, he said softly, “Yesterday was my fault. It was a reunion after a long time, and I didn’t handle it well.”
Being with smart people was good. She hadn’t said anything yet, but this man had already realized that she was seeking revenge for his teasing yesterday. With a smile, Li Huaiyu patted his chest boldly. “I forgive you.”
“But?” Lowering his head, he looked at her sinful claws, then at her, indicating that she should let him go.
“You’re too late with those words.” Huaiyu continued to rub him regretfully. “If you had said them earlier, I would have left. But now that I’ve run into you, I can’t move my hands. Look, your skin is so smooth and irresistible…”
Standing guard at the door, Chengxu suddenly heard a splash inside, followed by his wife’s laughter like a string of silver bells. “Hahaha…”
Could taking a bath be this enjoyable? Chengxu couldn’t understand.
As the mist dissipated, Li Huaiyu wrapped a large towel around the man’s body, gently drying him off. Then she brought a clean robe and helped him put it on.
Jiang Xuanjin sat silently on the soft couch, letting her massage his wet hair.
“Thank you.” With a smile in her eyes, Huaiyu suddenly became more serious and said softly, “I thought I would never have the chance to see Huailin again.”
Jiang Xuanjin softened his eyebrows slightly. “You miss him a lot?”
“How could I not miss him? He was the one I grew up with.” Huaiyu rubbed his hair earnestly. “I changed his diapers when he was little. His first word was ‘sister,’ and every year on my birthday, he would make something for me. There were wood carvings, knots, and even one year he gave me a pair of clay figures, saying the bigger one was you and the smaller one was me. It made me so happy.”
“…?”
“Don’t look at me like that. I liked you back then, and he knew it. He knew and sent things that would please me. You know, they were quite realistic. They’ve been hidden in the Feiyun Palace all this time. When I went there with you last time, those things were still on the bookshelf.”
Her hand, which was holding the towel, slowed down, and Huaiyu sighed softly. “If Li Shan wasn’t his father, maybe I’d still be sitting quietly in the Feiyun Palace
, watching him usher in a prosperous era for Northern Wei.”
Unfortunately, there were no ‘ifs.’
Jiang Xuanjin asked softly, “Do you want him to continue sitting on the throne?”
Li Huaiyu shook her head. “It’s not about what I want or don’t want; it’s about the reality that’s already here. He’s not suitable to be the ruler of a country. The Li family’s royal family is probably finished.”
With a touch of admiration in his eyes, Jiang Xuanjin reached out and pulled her into his arms. “When we return to the capital, you’ll see many familiar faces.”
Li Huaiyu flicked his semi-dry ink-black hair and raised an eyebrow. “Everyone is going back?”
After some thought, her expression turned somewhat serious. “Are your family members also returning to the capital?”
Jiang Xuanjin asked, “Afraid?”
“Joke, what do I have to be afraid of?” Huaiyu scoffed. “It’s just… they don’t know yet that I’ve given birth to a little rascal and a little troublemaker. When they find out, they won’t come to compete with me, will they?”
“Who can compete with you?” Jiang Xuanjin sighed. “The little tyrant of Chang’an, dominating the market.”
This was a slogan Qing Xian often shouted. Whenever he saw Jiang Xuanjin looking worried before going to battle, he would shout to reassure him not to worry about His Highness. Over time, it spread throughout the entire Ziyang Army.
Hearing this, Li Huaiyu couldn’t help but smirk. “I think they’re just itching for a beating.”
“That’s good, very imposing.” Jiang Xuanjin said seriously, “Marching and shouting along the way, everyone feels energized.”
About to punch him with her small fist, Jiang Xuanjin gently caught her hand and whispered, “I’m here.”
With me here, you don’t have to be afraid of anything.
Huaiyu was momentarily stunned, blinked, and looked at his determined expression, feeling a sudden warmth in her heart.
Yes, she was now someone protected by someone else. Even if the sky fell, he would bear the brunt of it! Why should she worry about anything? With a smile, Huaiyu kissed his hand. “Thank you for taking care of me, Your Highness!”
“Your Highness is too polite.” He squinted his eyes, pinched her chin, leaned down, and gave her a firm salute.
…
Liu Yunlie fled to Fodu Pass, keeping an eye on the situation within a hundred miles. Once Jiang Xuanjin brought his troops over, he would continue to retreat in the direction of Xiliang. However, there had been no movement around him all along. When he learned that Jiang Xuanjin had withdrawn his troops, it was already a month later.
The capital was guarded by the Changlin Army. Li Huaiyu originally thought they might encounter some trouble, but unexpectedly, not only did no one stop them, but when the carriage entered the city, the people on the street even cheered.
“Ziyang Jun is back! Ziyang Jun is back!”
“The Jun’s military skills are godlike! His reputation is unparalleled!”
“Is the Princess of Chang’an back too?”
Listening to the discussions ahead, Li Huaiyu was still smiling happily, feeling proud. But when she heard the last sentence, she was startled and instinctively shrank her head back.
“What are you doing?” Jiang Xuanjin glanced at her sideways and asked.
Huaiyu muttered softly, holding her head. “I’m afraid someone will throw eggs at me!”
He gave her a white look. “Do you think it’s still the eighth year of Daxing?”
In the eighth year of Daxing, when the Princess of Chang’an passed away, everyone rejoiced. But by the end of the year to the ninth year of Daxing, war broke out, and the Princess’s name had been cleared. Plus, with the rise of the Yixiancheng and the merits of the Danxiang Army in resisting Xiliang, no one would curse her as a calamity anymore.
Huaiyu hesitated for a moment and tentatively lifted a corner of the carriage curtain.
The people on the street all had smiles on their faces, without any hostile expressions. When the Princess was mentioned, they discussed, “After so many years of injustice, it’s finally cleared. It’s said that she has come back to life, but who knows if it’s true or not.”
“It must be fake. How can people come back to life after they die? Most likely, the Princess was clever back then, knowing she was going to be framed, and played a trick to escape.”
“The Princess is amazing!”
It was completely different from the curses that filled the streets in the past. Listening to the praises, Huaiyu perked up her ears, blinked, and slowly lifted the corners of her mouth.
“They’re praising me!” She turned her head, eyes shining.
Jiang Xuanjin nodded. “Indeed.”
Feeling very cheerful, Li Huaiyu asked with a smile, “Then tell me, where am I amazing?”
When others praise them, they usually modestly say “I don’t dare to be” or “It’s too much praise.” But this person was different. Not only did he feel that the praise wasn’t enough, but he also came to him for compliments. Jiang Xuanjin shook his head and said expressionlessly, “I won’t discuss other things, but there’s one thing Your Highness is truly amazing at.”
“What?” Huaiyu clasped her hands to her heart, looking at him expectantly.
The person in the carriage adjusted his sleeve cuffs and said objectively, “Becoming the wife of Ziyang Jun.”
Li Huaiyu: “…”
People say that couples who have been together for a long time will become more and more alike. Leaving other matters aside, in terms of thick-skinnedness alone, he was indeed becoming more and more like her.
The long convoy wound its way for half a mile. In the middle of the procession, there was a strange carriage. Six wooden wheels supported a long board, and it seemed like there was something resembling a coffin on top of it, covered by curtains supported by the surroundings. Whenever the wind blew, it brought a strange smell.