It had been a long time since they last returned to the capital of Nanyan.
They still remembered that when they left home, they were all innocent teenagers. But now, they all looked travel-worn.
After several days on the road, Li Jiuge was in a rather low mood, as if the capital were a den of tigers and dragons.
Ji Yunxi also felt bad. She didn't know what fate awaited Li Jiuge, but she could guess a thing or two. Li Jiuge wouldn't have a good outcome.
A dynasty was not only about the power of the royal family but also about the noble ministers. Their relationships were intricate and far from being as simple as they seemed.
And they women were like commodities, passed around among these relatives to bridge their relationships.
No one would ask whether they were willing or not. Even Li Jiuge, a princess, was no exception. None of these people truly wanted to marry her; they were more interested in her status.
When they reached the border of Nanyan, Li Jiuge was even more eager to run away. However, the sense of responsibility weighing on her heart forced her to stay.
Feng Xingzhi didn't know what to say. He looked at his sister seriously and said, "I'll tell the emperor brother that what you're worried about won't happen."
The general guarding the city saw their carriage and stopped them first. "Who are you? Do you have any official documents?"
Feng Xingzhi stretched out a hand, on which was his token as the Prince Feng.
The general quickly knelt down. "Your subordinate didn't know the prince was coming! Forgive my rudeness!"
Feng Xingzhi naturally wouldn't blame him. He waved his hand to signal the general to get up. The general then rushed inside, shouting as he ran, "Quickly open the city gate!"
The carriage entered the imperial city, and a troop of soldiers followed behind, escorting them to the capital.
They quickened their pace and reached the capital in just a few days.
Feng Xingzhi originally planned to take everyone directly back to the palace. But Ji Yunxi thought that after all, they were in the mortal world, and there were so many people in the capital watching. If she and her second brother directly followed him into the palace, it might not be good for Feng Xingzhi and Li Jiuge.
It would also easily invite gossiping.
Although Feng Xingzhi was a bit reluctant, he respected Ji Yunxi's idea and let her and Ji Yunyi return to the Ji Mansion first. Then he and Li Jiuge were received into the palace.
The Ji Mansion was still located where the former prime minister's mansion was, but now there was only a plaque with the words "Ji Mansion" on it.
The guards outside the mansion were stunned when they saw the two of them. Then they hurriedly went inside to report.
Before they reached the main hall, they were met by their elder brother who came out to greet them. Ji Yunxi was very excited to see her long - lost elder brother. "Big brother! We're back!"
Ji Yuchen was naturally very happy to see his younger siblings back. Although his sister was no longer a little girl, he still reached out and hugged her. Then he patted his younger brother on the shoulder. Seeing that he looked a bit thin, he joked, "What's this? Are you weaker than your sister now?"
Ji Yunxi and Ji Yunyi knew that Ji Yuchen didn't know what had happened before, so they didn't explain much and just smiled.
Qing Xuan followed behind Ji Yunxi. It was his first time meeting Ji Yuchen in his own body.
But Ji Yuchen recognized him at a glance. "Qing Xuan? You actually have a body now? You're no longer ethereal!"
Qing Xuan nodded with a smile. "Yes, young master. The mistress helped me retrieve my body. From now on, I can protect the mistress."
They had all changed a lot. But seeing that they were tired from the journey, Ji Yuchen didn't say much more. He led them inside and ordered the servants to prepare meals.
Sitting at the table, he began to ask about their recent situation.
Ji Yunxi knew that her elder brother would be worried about what had happened before. But if she didn't tell him clearly, he would only be more worried when he found out later.
So she told Ji Yuchen all her grievances one by one. "Big brother, we've encountered a lot of things since you left. Jiang Yaoji kidnapped Luxu and changed his memory. She threatened Azhi to go with her, and of course, Azhi fell into her trap."
Ji Yuchen's heart was already in his throat.
"Then the amnesiac Azhi hurt me and took away Jiuge and second brother. In Jiang Yaoji's hands, second brother suffered a lot and still hasn't fully recovered. As for me, I've already found out a lot about the former subordinates of Yunqi Palace, but this matter has to be dealt with slowly."
Ji Yuchen understood most of it. His main concerns were his sister's injury, his second younger brother's suffering, and Li Jiuge's injury.
"Was Jiuge seriously injured? How is she now?"
Ji Yunxi shook her head. "Jiang Yaoji considered Azhi's feelings, so she didn't harm Jiuge in the early stage. But later, she took her anger out on Jiuge, so Jiuge was naturally injured to some extent."
Ji Yuchen couldn't sit still immediately. His sweetheart was injured. How could he sit here calmly?
"I'll go and see..."
"Wait!" Ji Yunxi interrupted him. "Big brother, there's a more important thing to tell you. Actually, the reason we rushed back this time is that the emperor wrote a letter to Jiuge, asking her to return to the court as soon as possible."
Ji Yuchen, who had once been the prime minister, immediately understood what Ji Yunxi meant. "You mean..."
"Jiuge said that the forced marriage must be the doing of the court ministers. She has to resist, but..." Ji Yunxi didn't finish her sentence. She just looked at her elder brother meaningfully. "Big brother, what do you think?"
Ji Yuchen nodded as if he wasn't surprised at all. "I understand. I'll go to the palace to propose marriage early tomorrow morning."
Ji Yunxi and Ji Yunyi were both shocked. Qing Xuan didn't know what to do for a moment. He looked at Ji Yunxi. Since he lived with them on a daily basis, he naturally knew that Ji Yunyi also had special feelings for Li Jiuge.
Ji Yunxi was also very clear about this. She subconsciously looked at her second brother, not knowing what to say.
For a moment, no one said a word. After a long time, Ji Yunyi stood up. "Yunxi, you and Qing Xuan go and rest first. I have something to talk to big brother alone."
Ji Yunxi knew that she couldn't say much at this time, so she nodded and stood up. Qing Xuan stammered as if he wanted to say something, but was pulled away by his mistress.
"Mind your own business!" Qing Xuan could only shut up awkwardly.
Ji Yunxi and Qing Xuan didn't go far. They were afraid that the two of them would fight, so they could only sit in the yard and watch from a distance.
Unfortunately, they were too far away to hear what the elder and second brothers were talking about. They only knew that neither of them slept that night. The lamp in the room was lit all night, and it seemed that they were about to open the door and come out when it was almost dawn.
Afraid of being discovered, Ji Yunxi quickly pulled Qing Xuan back to the room and pretended that they had never been there.
However, she didn't know who came out when the door opened.
This kind of uncertainty made her itch with curiosity. After a while, Ji Yunxi took the opportunity to stop a servant in the mansion and asked, "Did anyone go to the palace this morning?"
The servant replied, "Reporting to the young lady, the eldest young master has already gone to the palace this morning."
Ji Yunxi took a deep breath. She and Qing Xuan both sighed at Ji Yuchen's quick action. Although they were very curious about what the two had talked about last night, they didn't dare to ask. After thinking about it, they could only go back to their rooms to rest.