Chapter 499: Extra 14: Whose Girl? The Twins' Tacit Understanding

Chapter 499: Chapter 495: Extra 14: Whose Girl? The Twins’ Tacit Understanding

The young lady’s voice trailed off in a soft, sweet lilt, her words sweeter than even malt sugar.

Zhao Yuanheng, however, didn’t wait for her and strode forward quickly.

“Mother.”

Ji Qingwu smiled and nodded. Then, covering her mouth, she whispered, “Does this mean that young lady will be calling me Mother soon, too?”

Seeing her teasing expression, Zhao Yuanheng said helplessly, “Mother, let’s talk inside.”

Inside the room, Empress Chenzhao had not yet arrived.

A large, square table was covered with a coarse indigo cloth, and wisps of steam rose from celadon teacups.

A few rays of the setting sun slipped through the carved wooden window, landing perfectly on the frosting of the osmanthus cakes.

An earthenware pot beside Ji Qingwu still gave off a medicinal aroma. She and Zhao Mingyan sat in the hosts’ seats, directly facing the entrance.

Xiu Ningchuan sat to the left, and Zhao Yuanheng to the right. The young lady had intended to sit next to him, but he stopped her with a look.

The young lady could only sit on the opposite side, looking rather forlorn.

Ji Qingwu said warmly, “Please, have some pastries and tea. There’s a soup still simmering for dinner; it will be ready shortly.”

The young lady didn’t dare move, turning her head to sneak a glance at Prince Yu’s expression.

Zhao Yuanheng gave a slight nod, and only then did she dare to act. She picked up a sweet osmanthus cake and took a crescent-shaped bite.

The young lady’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise, and she began to eat it in large, happy bites.

Her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel hoarding nuts. A grain of sugar clung to her upper lip, and little dimples appeared on her cheeks. She looked like someone blessed with good fortune.

Ji Qingwu didn’t press the issue, not asking who the young lady was or what their relationship was. She simply treated her as a friend Yuan Heng had brought home.

Xiu Ningchuan, meanwhile, seemed slightly distracted, as Empress Chenzhao had yet to make an appearance.

Zhao Mingyan had been silent ever since Prince Yu arrived. Aside from their initial greetings, the father and son hadn’t exchanged another word.

Zhao Mingyan said suddenly, “Come with me.”

Beneath the table, Ji Qingwu reached out and touched Zhao Mingyan’s thigh. After so many years as husband and wife, they knew what the other’s gestures meant.

Zhao Yuanheng rose and followed him through the door to the west wing. He gazed at his father’s back, who stood with his hands clasped behind him.

“Father.”

Zhao Mingyan asked in a low voice, “Have you thought this through? This isn’t a game. If you regret this later, it will be very difficult.”

Yuan Heng’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Yes,” he said. “I want to marry her and make her my Princess Consort.”

From outside the door came the sound of a tray crashing to the floor.

The corners of Zhao Mingyan’s lips curved into a smile, and his oppressive aura softened. He turned and pulled the door open.

Caught eavesdropping, Ji Qingwu sheepishly began to pick up the fallen tray and dishes.

“I was just worried you two would get thirsty from all that talking, so I brought some fruit to soothe your throats. Haha, this tray is just so slippery.”

Zhao Mingyan stepped aside. “Come in,” he said.

Ji Qingwu immediately tossed the tray onto the windowsill.

Once inside, she pulled Prince Yu over to a chair and sat him down, asking urgently, “Yuan Heng, which family is she from? Have her parents consented?”

Zhao Yuanheng looked at her and replied, “She is from the Hu Family. Her father is the Vice Governor of the Northwest Army.”

‘The Hu Family?’

Ji Qingwu blinked, then slowly confirmed, “The Hu Family with the three brothers?”

When Prince Yu nodded, her joy instantly turned to worry.

“That girl has three unreasonable fathers! Son, are you sure you can handle that?”

‘They didn’t seem like a sweet, loving couple at all,’ Ji Qingwu recalled, thinking of his interaction with the young lady just moments ago.

She frowned. “Yuan Heng, if you’re in some kind of trouble, just tell your mother.”

Zhao Yuanheng said gently, “Mother, who could possibly force me? I want to marry Hu Yiyi. It is my own choice.”

‘So the girl from the Hu Family is named Hu Yiyi,’ Ji Qingwu realized. ‘Come to think of it, I was the one who delivered her back when I was with the Northern Border Army.’

Zhao Mingyan spoke up. “Since you’re already aware of the stakes, your mother and I won’t stand in your way.”

Zhao Yuanheng breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Father, Mother,” he said respectfully. “I wish to marry her in three months, which is why I brought her to meet you.”

Ji Qingwu looked up at him. “Getting married so soon?” she asked.

Zhao Yuanheng nodded.

Ji Qingwu asked again, “Yuan Heng, have you been to the Hu Family’s home? Have you met her three fathers?”

“Not yet,” Zhao Yuanheng replied, shaking his head.

The worry that had just subsided in Ji Qingwu’s heart came rushing back.

‘Those men from the Hu Family are not easy to deal with. She’s their only daughter; they must dote on her like the apple of their eye.’

After Prince Yu left the west wing, Ji Qingwu also hurried back to her room.

She sat for a moment before she began to pack. Zhao Mingyan pushed the door open, saw the bundle on the table, and said, “Ah Wu, this is Yuan Heng’s own affair. He can handle it.”

Ji Qingwu already had her excuse ready. “I just miss Baocheng,” she said.

At the thought of Princess Baocheng, Zhao Mingyan’s gaze softened considerably. He thought for a moment, then said, “We can go and stay for a few days.”

Ji Qingwu put down the clothes in her hand. “That won’t do,” she said. “Your medicinal baths need another fourteen days to be complete. You’ve already soaked for thirty-five days; you can’t give up halfway.”

Zhao Mingyan’s brow furrowed deeply. “Can’t we just—”

Ji Qingwu said sternly, “Not even for a single day.”

*

Empress Chenzhao arrived under the moonlight. By then, the dinner hour had long passed, and everyone had retired to their rooms to rest.

A figure stood on the bluestone steps near the wooden door.

“You’ve come.”

They spoke at the same time, then smiled at each other.

Empress Chenzhao said, “Imperial Brother, have you been practicing your martial arts? You look even more robust.”

Zhao Yuanheng smiled. “Is Your Majesty troubled by matters in the Northwest?” he asked.

A small smile played on Empress Chenzhao’s lips. He had guessed correctly.

She could have come at noon, but she was delayed by an urgent report from the Northwest. She had been in the Diligent Governance Hall until nightfall before she was finally free.

The Empress pushed open the unlatched wooden door, ascended the steps to his side, and said with a sigh that was half complaint, “Imperial Brother, calling me ‘Your Majesty’… you’ve truly grown distant.”

Zhao Yuanheng readily obliged. “Zhaozhao.”

Empress Chenzhao’s eyes narrowed in contentment. “It’s been a long time since I’ve heard anyone call me that,” she said.

The night wind carried a chill, and Zhao Yuanheng’s voice grew cold as well.

“Although the Northwest Eighteen States are under my jurisdiction, the Death Warriors planted by Xijin have not been completely rooted out. King Xijin may seem to have surrendered, but he’s still making trouble behind our backs.”

“I know,” Empress Chenzhao said. “I know all about it. And I know why you went to the Northwest.”

On the surface, Prince Yu had gone to the Northwest to live as an idle, carefree prince. In reality, he was there to help her stabilize the Eighteen States.

His presence there was enough to intimidate King Xijin and keep him from acting rashly.

Zhao Yuanheng said gravely, “Zhaozhao, King Xijin cannot be allowed to live. Do you truly have feelings for him?”

The end of his sentence dissipated into the mountain wind, but the words reached the ears of someone hidden in the bamboo grove behind them. The hidden figure tightened his grip on the cloak in his hands.

But Empress Chenzhao changed the subject.

“I hear, Imperial Brother, that you’ve brought back the young lady from the Hu Family.”

Zhao Yuanheng paused, then said, “The Hu Family has had past dealings with Xijin’s spies. Now, they also command a powerful army. They are the perfect bait for luring out the enemy.”

Empress Chenzhao said, “So, that is your reason for marrying the young lady of the Hu Family?”

Their eyes met, each seeing straight into the other’s heart.

Such was the tacit understanding between twins.