As long as this man doesn’t speak, he is unquestionably the most elegant and noble handsome man in Zhan Country.
He turned his head to look at Princess Xinyang, smiled faintly, and said, "Get in the carriage."
Princess Xinyang still didn’t look at him, her tone indifferent as she said, "I have my own carriage."
Xiao Ji glanced towards her carriage and said, "Are you sure?"
Princess Xinyang furrowed her brows in confusion and turned to look at her carriage, nearly choking on anger at what she saw!
Long Yi’s charcoal pencil had rolled under the wheel, and to retrieve it, Long Yi had directly taken off the wheel of the carriage...
Xiao Ji calmly stated, "Or you can ride in Chang Jing’s carriage if you prefer."
Just at that moment, Chang Jing arrived driving a majestic carriage.
Princess Xinyang wordlessly got on that carriage.
She had just sat down when the curtain of the carriage was lifted. She thought it was Yujin, but upon closer inspection, it was actually Xiao Ji!
Princess Xinyang’s face fell: "Don’t you have your own carriage?"
Xiao Ji grinned: "This is my carriage."
Princess Xinyang coldly replied, "You just said it was Chang Jing’s!"
Xiao Ji sat down beside her, lazily dusting off his robe, and said, "It’s mine too."
Princess Xinyang didn’t want to deal with him anymore!
The people at the post station were skilled at judging the situation; whether she was the real princess or not, the fact that she could ride with Marquis Xuanping meant she couldn’t be offended.
They hurriedly arranged a new carriage for Yujin.
Long Yi didn’t need a carriage; he leapt across rooftops.
The carriages at the border pass may have looked fierce, but that didn’t mean they were luxurious inside.
The carriage didn’t even have a charcoal brazier. Cold wind entered through the unclosable windows, making Princess Xinyang’s hands and feet icy cold. She tightened her cape around her shoulders with raised hands.
Xiao Ji handed her a warm hand muff.
Xiao Ji took back the hand muff without any change in emotion, as if her indifference and refusal were the most normal things in the world to him.
The carriage fell silent.
Princess Xinyang was still upset, and after walking for a while, remembered she hadn’t said where she wanted to go and asked, "Where are we going?"
"To the military camp," Xiao Ji replied.
"I want to return to the Capital City," Princess Xinyang said flatly.
Xiao Ji leisurely leaned against the window behind him, gave her a playful glance, and teasingly said, "What’s wrong? Feeling aggrieved? Just now you were pretty fierce when bullying people, weren’t you?" Fresh chapters posted on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝※𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖※𝕟𝕖𝕥
Princess Xinyang glared at him coldly.
Xiao Ji squinted and said, "Qin Fengwan, can I interpret your behavior now as... jealousy?"
Princess Xinyang rebutted without thinking, "I am not! Who would be jealous of you? Whoever you marry or provoke outside is none of my business!"
Xiao Ji raised an eyebrow: "Oh."
Princess Xinyang turned her face away, looking cold.
Afterwards, neither of them spoke again, leaving the carriage silent except for the howling cold wind.
Xiao Ji was thinner than when he was in the Capital City, his lips somewhat pale.
The scroll sent back to the Capital City didn’t mention how difficult this battle was, but since they had reached the point of negotiating peace, Princess Xinyang understood that the military officers at the border pass must have endured terrifying exhaustion and warfare.
Xiao Ji... had he been hurt?
As they traveled, snow began to fall, and Princess Xinyang worried about Yujin. She lifted the carriage curtain to look back and saw not only Yujin’s carriage but also Little Princess Dongyi’s.
The words "Are you hurt?" that she was about to say were swallowed back.
The heavy snow slowed their progress, the journey of one time unit took until nightfall.
The convoy stopped at the gates of the military camp.
Chang Jing jumped down from the carriage: "We’re here!"
Xiao Ji looked at Princess Xinyang, seeming to wait for her to disembark first.
Princess Xinyang didn’t move: "You get off first."
Xiao Ji glanced at her before removing the cloak from his shoulders and draping it over her.
Before she finished speaking, Xiao Ji suddenly leaned down, wrapped his arms around her, and lifted her into his embrace.
Xiao Ji said, "Chang Jing, fetch some hot water."
"Okay," Chang Jing obediently agreed and went.
Xiao Ji wrapped her securely in the cloak, even her feet weren’t exposed.
But the moment he stood up holding her, she still saw the big hole in the carriage window.
Had he leaned against the window to block the hole with his back all this time?
After leaving the carriage, the cold wind rushed in, making him tilt his chin downwards to press the cloak’s seam, enveloping her face in the fabric.
She leaned against a firm chest with a pounding heart; his clothes were cold, but his breath was warm, and it permeated through the layers to her cheeks.
The military officers were stunned to see Marquis Xuanping carrying a... person back.
"Who is the Marquis carrying? Little Princess Dongyi?"
Another soldier replied, "Probably, other than her, no one could get close to the Marquis recently."
Princess Xinyang’s heart was chilled as she raised her stiff, cold arms and pushed him: "Put me down!"
Xiao Ji didn’t put her down but carried her into his barracks.
The border pass was harsh, and the barracks were much simpler than those in the Capital City; Xiao Ji never burned charcoal fire, saving it for the wounded soldiers.
Chang Jing brought the hot water.
"Out." Xiao Ji said to Chang Jing.
"Okay," Chang Jing resignedly went out.
Xiao Ji placed her on his bedchamber, knelt on one knee, and pulled up her skirt.
Her expression changed: "Xiao Ji, what are you doing!"
Xiao Ji quickly removed her shoes and stockings, his strength was great, and she had lost feeling from the cold, unable to resist.
The fear of men surged in an instant, her face turned pale as a sheet.
Xiao Ji brought over the wooden tub, rolled her pants up high, and tested the water temperature with his hand before placing her numb feet inside.
After doing this, he looked up, his gaze landing on Princess Xinyang whose complexion was gradually recovering, his expression nuanced: "Qin Fengwan, what did you think I was going to do to you?"
Princess Xinyang lowered her gaze: "Nothing."
Marquis Xuanping sneered: "It’s no use thinking, I’m not an easy man to get."
Princess Xinyang: "...!!"
A moment later, she calmed down and also sneered: "Indeed, your heart is only with your Little Princess Dongyi."
Marquis Xuanping got up, took a towel, and sat next to her: "Tsk, jealousy runs deep."
Princess Xinyang was about to refute when she saw him bend down, and lift her wet legs from the now-cool water to place them on the clean, dry towel, and also on his leg.
Princess Xinyang’s eyes trembled and she hurried to pull her leg back.
"Don’t move." He pinned her pampered foot down, she was a princess, didn’t need to bind her feet like poor girls in the countryside, but her feet were delicate, resting in his rough, scarred hands, presenting a stark contrast with a cruel beauty.
"You have chilblains," he said, "The medicine is under the pillow beside you."
Princess Xinyang found the chilblain ointment: "I’ll do it myself."
"The negotiation was real, I suggested it." Xiao Ji suddenly mentioned, "But I’m not in the kind of relationship with Zhenzhen you think."
Princess Xinyang quickly realized that Zhenzhen was Little Princess Dongyi’s name, and coldly tugged the towel away!
Xiao Ji said, "Zhenzhen is my brother’s daughter, my niece."
Princess Xinyang was taken aback: "Isn’t she... Little Princess Dongyi?"
Xiao Ji looked at her and said, "Her mother is indeed from Dongyi, but her father isn’t Dongyi King, it’s Xiao Ming. The Dongyi King unintentionally learned her background, adopted her as his goddaughter for negotiations with our army."
He smirked at this, "Qin Fengwan, still feeling jealous?"