Chapter 81

Chapter 81

"Or did you dream of him last night?" Ji Lingyue asked with a smirk.

"You... what nonsense are you talking about?"

A jolt of panic shot through her, but she tried her best to maintain a calm expression.

She absolutely couldn't let her brother see through her, or all their efforts would be in vain and ruin the plan.

"Did he really not come?" As Ji Lingyue spoke, his gaze fixed on her lips.

Ji Wanyuan's panic mounted. Last night, she and Wen Qiyan had kissed for a long time. Although she had secretly applied ointment in the middle of the night, she had no idea whether the swelling had completely subsided by now.

As she pondered this, Ji Wanyuan instinctively licked and pursed her own lips.

Even without a mirror, she knew the swelling hadn't completely gone down.

It was all Wen Qiyan's fault. He had shown no restraint, nibbling on her like she was a piece of cabbage.

She could not, under any circumstances, admit it. She had to pretend she knew nothing. Under the man's unwavering stare, Ji Wanyuan touched her lips with feigned confusion.

"Why... why are you staring at me like that?"

He couldn't tell, could he? Even if he could, she couldn't let him expose her.

Ji Lingyue was silent for a long moment before suddenly leaning in closer.

Ji Wanyuan instinctively wanted to retreat, but she was on the bed. It wasn't spacious enough for escape.

"We are siblings," she warned Ji Lingyue.

To get off the bed, she'd have to get past him, which was clearly impossible because he was blocking the way.

If she got too close, he would probably grab her. His gaze remained fixed on her, full of aggression and utterly dangerous.

"Yuan'er used to always cling to your brother. Now that you're older, you're suddenly mindful of ethics and propriety?" He said he didn't like her constantly avoiding him and hoped she would be as close to him as before.

Ji Wanyuan tightened her grip on the quilt. "Even if you don't like it, nothing can change it..."

She hesitated but then firmly added, "We're not children anymore. I am a wife and a mother. We really should maintain proper distance."

The man didn't respond. He chuckled and leaned in even closer. The young maids, including Xi'er, who were waiting on them, all lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound.

The moment the man reached out and touched her, Ji Wanyuan began to struggle violently.

But no matter how much strength she used, she was no match for Ji Lingyue.

With one hand, he pressed down on her wrist through the quilt, pinning her attempt to get up, while his other hand cupped her cheek.

Ji Wanyuan's heart almost leaped into her throat. "..."

Because the distance between them was too close.

The man's body loomed over her, his breath fanning across her face.

Unfamiliar and scorching.

What was more important was that the large hand cupping half of her face was burning hot and full of control. A sense of dread spread from her face to every part of her body, making her spine tremble slightly.

Ji Wanyuan panicked, and her belly began to stir.

But how could she dare to soothe it now? She wasn't a fool; she could see Ji Lingyue's dislike for the child in her womb.

Right now, he was smiling, but his eyes were filled with coldness.

What madness was he up to again?

Ji Wanyuan didn't dare to move a muscle. Her fingers unconsciously twisted under the quilt as she silently tried to calm the fetus in her womb.

It seemed to have some effect, as the baby stopped stirring.

But...

Ji Lingyue's thumb began to move. He stroked her cheek, feeling the smoothness of the young woman's skin. Seeing the tremor in her eyes, he felt both heartache and excitement.

The man's thumb finally landed on her lips.

He ground his thumb against her lips, causing her intense pain.

Seeing her frown, the excitement in his eyes grew even stronger.

Ji Wanyuan instinctively cried out in pain. She tried to twist her face away, but he still held her firmly, his grip tightening bit by bit. Ji Wanyuan was almost at her limit.

The man drew closer, inches from her own. Just as his kiss was about to land, Ji Wanyuan suddenly opened her mouth and bit his finger.

A sharp pain shot through him, and Ji Lingyue flinched back. Seizing the opportunity, Ji Wanyuan instantly broke free from his grasp. At the same time, she raised her hand and slapped Ji Lingyue across the face.

*Slap!*

The loud slap froze the atmosphere between them.

Ji Wanyuan was both panicked and afraid, but more than anything, she was furious.

She had used so much force that Ji Lingyue's face was knocked to the side. A clear palm print instantly appeared on his handsome face, and even her own palm felt numb and painful.

The young maids waiting outside, hearing the sound, were all trembling with fear.

Ji Wanyuan was furious, her entire body shaking with anger.

After regaining his senses, Ji Lingyue turned to look at her. The palm print on his face was so obvious, marring his features and even looking somewhat frightening.

Ji Wanyuan was startled when she saw it. Had she really used that much force?

After the anger came endless panic and fear. Ji Wanyuan began to shift the blame. "It... it was you who laid hands on me first!"

Ji Lingyue reached up and touched his face, feeling the swollen palm print. "Little sister, you hit me really hard. Do you see your brother as an enemy?"

"You tried to take liberties with me first!" She pulled the quilt from the side, covering herself and placing it between them.

"How can a brother being close to you be considered taking liberties?"

Ji Wanyuan was extremely angry at this moment, but she also knew she couldn't provoke him. So she forced herself to suppress her emotions, not arguing with him, just glaring at him.

Ji Lingyue looked at her lips and said, "Fine."

"Now that you cannot accept your brother, it is understandable. But Yuan'er, you'd better get used to it sooner rather than later, because we will eventually become husband and wife."

He stared at her.

Ji Wanyuan bit her lip. She wanted to argue but forced herself to hold back. It was at that moment that the child in her belly gave a forceful kick.

The movement was so intense that Ji Lingyue could see it even through the quilt.

She immediately covered her belly, watching him defensively.

Ji Lingyue's gaze instantly dropped to her swollen belly, making Ji Wanyuan feel as if she were sitting on pins and needles.

She kept retreating until her back pressed against the bed frame, with nowhere left to retreat. Her feet involuntarily curled up.

Ji Lingyue stared at her belly, the clear intent to destroy it visible in his eyes.

Ji Wanyuan warned, "If you harm my child, I will fight you to the death."

Ji Lingyue laughed, "Really? You'd fight your own brother to the death?"

"If that's the case, this child could be a link between you and me," he said meaningfully.

"Ji Lingyue!" She'd had enough of him.

The man chuckled darkly, "If the pregnancy weren't so far along, I would definitely kill him."

"But his months are already advanced. Acting rashly would endanger your life, and I won't do that."

"So, I will ensure he is born safely. But after he is born..."

Before Ji Lingyue could finish, Ji Wanyuan already understood his meaning—he would make his move after she gave birth.

"You... are you insane?"

"He carries Wen Qiyan's blood," Ji Lingyue said, making it clear that alone made him intolerable.

"But he is also my flesh and blood!" She couldn't help but argue with Ji Lingyue.

"You're so obsessed with killing Wen Qiyan's child, but have you ever considered that this is also the child I carried for ten months?"

They say 'love me, love my dog,' don't they?

Since you claim to love me, why can't you tolerate my child?

Ji Lingyue seemed to anticipate what she wanted to say, half-threatening, half-intimidating, "So, if you don't want this child to die, Yuan'er, you'd better behave."

"As long as you listen, I can consider letting him live."

Ji Wanyuan gritted her teeth in hatred. From the past until now, no one had ever dared to threaten her so openly.

Even Lin Nianxi, whom she loathed the most, only dared to be passive-aggressive due to her status. The princesses and noblewomen in the palace, because her father was the chancellor, remained polite on the surface even if they were displeased.

She never expected that the first person to treat her so disrespectfully would be her dear brother, the one who had always doted on her.

How could she not be angry?

She was beside herself with rage.

As the saying goes, you can know a person's face but not their heart.

And this despicable man, Ji Lingyue, was still provoking her, "Sister, don't get angry. It wouldn't be good if you harmed the baby."

Ji Wanyuan, "..." She choked back her anger.

Ji Lingyue came to have breakfast with her, but she didn't want to eat and simply refused to move.

Who would have thought that he was now completely dropping all pretense, saying that if she skipped this meal, she wouldn't get any more meals afterward.

If it were just her, not eating wouldn't matter much, but she had a child in her belly, so she had to eat.

Her face like ice, she allowed the maid Xi'er to help her with her toilette before sitting at the round table for the meal.

Ji Lingyue not only made her accompany him but even insisted on putting food on her plate.

Whatever he served, she had to eat it. He even demanded that she thank him like she used to in the capital, saying "Thank you, brother." Otherwise, he would start threatening again, saying he would kill the child in her belly.

When under someone else's roof, one has to bow their head.

What else could Ji Wanyuan do? She could only comply with a cold face.

After breakfast, Ji Lingyue still refused to leave.

Ji Wanyuan didn't dare to directly ask him to leave, because once she spoke, who knew what else he might say?

Moreover, she sensed that there were many more guards around. It seemed her brother had grown suspicious of her.

Wen Qiyan had fallen off a cliff and was missing. Seeing her swollen lips, her brother suspected he had returned.

With so many people openly stationed, who knew how many more were hidden in secret?

Her brother had already grown suspicious. Would the shadow guards Wen Qiyan had assigned to protect her be discovered by him?

Even though she knew worrying was useless, Ji Wanyuan couldn't help but feel anxious.

She wondered why Ji Lingyue hadn't left after breakfast. Was he staying to guard her, hoping to extract Wen Qiyan's whereabouts from her?

But she didn't even know Wen Qiyan's whereabouts herself.

Still... if his goal was to find out Wen Qiyan's whereabouts, why did he keep asking about family matters?

Ji Lingyue kept making small talk with her, bringing up things that happened in the capital.

He talked about their past together and her interactions with Chancellor Ji and Mrs. Ji.

Using past events to extract Wen Qiyan's whereabouts?

That didn't seem right.

If it wasn't for Wen Qiyan's whereabouts, was it to maintain the relationship between her and him?

Ji Wanyuan pondered to herself.

She felt something was off.

If it was to maintain their past relationship, why bring her father and mother into it?

When it came to the past, she only had sibling affection for Ji Lingyue, nothing more.

As she listened, Ji Lingyue mentioned the birthday gifts Chancellor Ji used to give her and asked if she remembered what Chancellor Ji had said to her.

This subtle probing suddenly sparked an idea in Ji Wanyuan's mind, and everything clicked.

She had figured it out.

Is he trying to pump her for info about Father's troops? Does he actually think she knows?

Ji Wanyuan couldn't help but wonder.

How could she possibly know? Father never let her in on such things.

She was tempted to tell him not to bother, but if she spoke up, her brother would surely wonder how she knew about the troops.

If he dug deeper, he might uncover that Wen Qiyan had been here.

So, Ji Wanyuan played dumb and humored him.

The truth was, Ji Lingyue had come to probe whether Ji Wanyuan might know where Chancellor Ji had stationed his troops.

All this time, his men had been investigating outside, but they still hadn't been able to pin down the location of the troops Chancellor Ji had amassed; they only found traces of military encampments.

This father of his had been on his guard against him all along.

Back then, his father had sent him to Youzhou under the pretext of taking care of his subordinates' kin to oversee mining operations.

In reality, the mining had already begun; he was merely there to supervise.

But 'supervise' was all it was—he was shut out from the actual mining process, let alone where the ore was traded or shipped off to.

Chancellor Ji had never regarded him as an heir.

The appearance of this adopted son seemed more like a facade, a shield against external threats.

His very existence led everyone to believe he was the successor, focusing their attention on him, while in reality...

Chancellor Ji didn't give a damn about him.

As soon as he left the capital, Father immediately began to rely heavily on He Xun. That was proof enough.

Now, thanks to his sister's fondness for him, even Wen Qiyan was in his father's good graces.

It cut him to the core.

If he could win his sister's affection, Father would have no choice but to value him.

Because she was the apple of his eye.

Therefore, Wen Qiyan must die.

But the man was still nowhere to be found.

Thinking of this, his gaze involuntarily drifted to Ji Wanyuan's lips.

Ji Wanyuan's heart skipped a beat under his gaze, and she did her best to suppress her emotions, not wanting to give herself away.

Over the next few days, Ji Lingyue stayed with Ji Wanyuan, talking to her and reminiscing about the past.

Because of his presence, Wen Qiyan did not appear.

Ji Wanyuan thought of Wen Qiyan saying he had secretly sent people to protect her. Even without news, her heart felt at ease.

One day, after lunch.

Ji Lingyue took her for a walk in the garden pavilion. Ji Wanyuan tightened her cloak, covering her belly.

"Tired?" Ji Lingyue asked her.

Ji Wanyuan glanced at him and said nothing.

Ji Lingyue wasn't bothered by her silence.

He led Ji Wanyuan to sit in the pavilion in the courtyard.

He'd wanted to take her hand, but she shied away, resisting at the slightest touch. Ji Lingyue let it be for now.

After sitting down, he poured a cup of tea.

Ji Lingyue spoke suddenly. "Did Wen Qiyan come here some time ago?"

The question, coming out of nowhere, made Ji Wanyuan's eyes widen. Fortunately, her eyes were lowered, and her thick, long lashes concealed her reaction, or else Ji Lingyue would have noticed.

Calming the panic in her heart, she looked up at Ji Lingyue. "What are you going on about now?"

"He didn't come?" the man asked.

"When did he come?" Ji Wanyuan retorted.

Ji Lingyue looked at her face. She hadn't been eating much these days, but due to her pregnancy, she had still gained some weight, looking increasingly soft.

Even though she had filled out, she still retained a girlish delicacy.

"What are you looking at?" she asked. Ji Lingyue suddenly fell silent, just watching her quietly.

Ji Lingyue suddenly smiled. "Trying to guess if my sister is lying."

Ji Wanyuan's heart was racing, but she kept her cool when facing him.

She sneered, putting her mockery on full display.

Unfazed by the young lady's provocation, the man wasn't angry. He poured her a cup of hot tea and moved the pastries brought by the servant in front of her.

"A few things have happened recently. Would my sister be interested to know?"

She remained silent.

Ji Lingyue's gaze shifted from her face to the tea and pastries.

He had been forcing her to eat these past few days, and Ji Wanyuan knew exactly what the man's eyes were conveying.

He wanted her to eat.

If she didn't eat, he wouldn't speak.

But she really didn't want to yield, so she simply didn't move.

Ji Lingyue said, "It's news about Mother and Wen's Son. Don't you want to know?"

Mother?! And Wen Qiyan?!

Ji Wanyuan instantly lost her composure.

Ji Lingyue raised an eyebrow toward the pastries and tea. She angrily picked up the cup and took a sip, then slowly began to eat.

"After the Empress got better, the Emperor took ill. Originally, Mother pretended to be sick to get out of going to the palace to nurse him, but... to keep the Ji family in check, the Emperor summoned Mother into the palace to have her examine him. Guess what happened?"

Ji Wanyuan's heart pounded with fear. "Did something happen to Mother?"

"Mother has been put under house arrest."

"What?!" Ji Wanyuan shot to her feet in shock.

Mother was actually under house arrest?

Why hadn't any news reached us?

"Are you worried, little sister?"

She truly couldn't stand Ji Lingyue using their family ties to get under her skin, especially in that dismissive tone of his.

"She's my mother, of course I'm worried!" After saying this, she glared fiercely at Ji Lingyue.

"Yes, she's my mother too. Though not by blood, she did raise me." Ji Lingyue acknowledged her barbed comment.

Ji Wanyuan sneered, "At least you still remember she's your mother too."

"You're angry."

Ji Wanyuan ignored him, her mind still in turmoil.

She wondered if Wen Qiyan knew about this, and whether he had sent anyone to rescue her mother.

"Don't be angry, little sister. I will naturally rescue our mother."

"Is Mother really alright inside the palace?" How could she be alright if she's already under house arrest?

She didn't know what to do. "What about Father?"

"Father is doing fine," Ji Lingyue replied.

Ji Wanyuan wasn't entirely convinced. She stared intently at Ji Lingyue, searching his face for any sign he was lying.

He met her gaze. "You think your brother's lying to you?"

Ji Wanyuan turned her face away, supporting her waist and belly as she sat down, having completely lost her appetite.

She was beside herself, heartsick with worry.

"Do you still want to hear the news about Wen Yunqin?"

Ji Wanyuan very much wanted to hear it, but her words remained defiant. "Say it if you want, don't if you don't!"

"It seems Wen Yunqin isn't as important to little sister as Wen Qiyan."

"You... you're talking about Wen Yunqin?" Wasn't it about Wen Qiyan's whereabouts?

"You went after Wen Yunqin too?"

"The Wen family has always been enemies with our Ji family. Getting rid of just Wen Qiyan isn't enough." Ji Lingyue swirled the tea in his cup. "Though Wen Yunqin is not quite as capable as his older brother, he is still quite outstanding in the capital. Moreover, he commands the Imperial Guard."

Ji Wanyuan pondered the meaning behind his words.

But Ji Lingyue refused to say more.

Thinking of how Wen Yunqin had helped her in the past, she argued with Ji Lingyue, "He was sent by the Emperor. If you kill him, are you planning to openly expose the Ji family's treasonous plans?"

"You're a clever one, little sister. That's exactly what your brother plans to do."

"Are you insane?" Ji Wanyuan was furious. "Mother is still in the Emperor's hands!"

How could he directly declare war on the court? If the Emperor, cornered, decided to make an example by killing her, the consequences would be unthinkable.

"Mother and Father have always treated you quite well. How can you, as the Ji family's adopted son, do this? Are you trying to push the Ji family over the edge?"

"This is all forced upon me by Father."

Ji Lingyue looked at her questioning little face, which was now showing disgust.

How could she feel disgust towards him? Couldn't she give him even a little of the affection she had for Wen Qiyan?

Thinking of this, Ji Lingyue couldn't help but say, "You really are Father's daughter. You're just as biased as he is."

"How has the Ji family wronged you?" Ji Wanyuan could no longer understand the meaning behind his words.

"Although Father took me in as his adopted son, he never trusted me. He adopted me merely to use me. Since that's the case, why can't I repay him in kind?"

"What did Father use you for?" Ji Wanyuan scoffed. "Father has always been good to you."

"Little sister is truly naive." How was he supposed to tell her how Chancellor Ji had used him?

To this day, he still hadn't handed over the military forces to him?

"Ji Lingyue, you are truly an ungrateful wretch," she cursed him.

Facing her accusations, he gave a careless smile. "If you want me to hold my troops in place and maintain the status quo to deceive the court, that can be arranged."

He looked at her. "Tell your brother, where has Father hidden the troops he trained?"

So, after his roundabout attempts to get information from her failed, he was now resorting to threats?

So, was any of it true? About Mother being under house arrest, about Wen Yunqin being dead?

Ji Wanyuan suddenly calmed down because of his words.

"I don't know," she threw the words at him.

"How could little sister not know? You are Father's most beloved daughter."

"Father wouldn't involve me in such matters, so I don't know. You're wasting your time asking me."

"Is that so?" He called for someone to bring ink and paper. "In that case, write a letter and ask Father."

"How can I ask?" The moment Ji Wanyuan took the brush, she threw it away, sweeping the inkstone, paper, and ink to the ground, splattering ink everywhere.

"It seems you are unwilling to help your brother."

Ji Lingyue looked at her cheeks, puffed up with anger, and suddenly changed the subject.

"Some time ago, Wen Qiyan came to see you, didn't he?"

Ji Wanyuan remained expressionless, but her hands hidden under her cloak clenched uncontrollably.

"He came in the middle of the night and kissed your lips until they were quite swollen. Did you think you could hide it from my eyes?"