Who else could you love besides me

Chapter 92

That day, the atmosphere was strange. Third Brother was indifferent, as if what she had said that night was just a dream. Fourth Brother, however, was uncharacteristically silent and coldly observed, sometimes staring at a certain place, sometimes staring at her, as if he saw another person through her.

Her elder brother, Xi'en, asked her if she knew the art of disguise.

Xi Ri nodded and answered yes.

Her second brother, Nalan, asked her if she really slept with the five of them at the Wan Hua Lou that night.

Back then, I answered with embarrassment, "Yes."

Third Brother also came to ask her who was impersonating her and teasing him at the Tian residence.

After hesitating for a long time, she glanced at Tian Shuang, who was pouring tea, and her gaze drifted over intentionally or unintentionally. Finally, she answered that it was Tian Shuang and secretly begged Tian Shuang not to blame her. She had no choice but to do so. At this time, she should wait and see. If she did not confess honestly in order to get a lighter punishment, she would probably not be able to get through this.

Despite repeated questioning, she answered honestly, except for her relationship with Long Ming. Her brothers smiled, but she was already drenched in cold sweat.

Finally, it was time to see the four older brothers off. Just before leaving, the eldest brother, Xi'en, patted Xi'ri on the shoulder, then suddenly realized it was inappropriate and quickly withdrew his hand, giving an awkward smile. Xi'ri smiled encouragingly at his eldest brother, indicating that it was alright, and Xi'en nodded.

Before leaving, Third Brother Minglu turned back and looked at her deeply. He saw a large bead of sweat rolling down her forehead and couldn't help but chuckle.

Fourth Brother Fu Jin left as if in a dream, swaying unsteadily, not knowing where he was going. In the end, he was helped onto his horse by the attendants who came with him.

Second Brother Nalan was the last to leave, whispering in Xiri's ear, "Fifth Sister, I actually knew you were a woman all along." He then departed with a smile, leaving Xiri stunned. She forgot to ask her second brother when he had found out.

Just as Xi Ri was about to turn around and go back inside, a kind old woman who lived in the alley grabbed his arm. Xi Ri turned around in confusion and, seeing that it was an elderly woman, smiled warmly and said, "Grandma, what can I do for you?"

The old woman's eyes narrowed into slits with laughter, and the wrinkles on her face deepened. She asked, "Young lady, among those gentlemen who just left, who was the one in the blue robe?"

Xi Ri replied affectionately, "He's my third brother."

The old woman's somewhat hazy eyes lit up, and she asked again, "Where does your third brother live? Is he married? How old is he? What does he do? How many rooms does he have? How many servants does he have? What kind of girl does he like?"

"This..." Xi Ri was at a loss for words when she suddenly realized that a group of people had appeared behind her. Turning her head, she saw that she was surrounded by so many women. She saw pairs of longing eyes... Xi Ri trembled and looked to Tian Shuang outside the circle for help. Tian Shuang looked helpless and deliberately stood by, clearly still resentful about being forced to betray her.

Xi Ri had no choice but to bite the bullet and say stiffly in a low voice, "He is Prince Ming Lu."

"Huh?" Everyone was shocked and immediately started whispering among themselves. Some said, "Those four must be the Four Young Masters of the Capital." Others said, "That tall and imposing young master must be Young Master Xi'en. He's so dashing." Still others said, "That young master in white robes must be Young Master Nalan. He looks refined and seems quite approachable." Still others said, "Who is Fu Jin? Wasn't he supposed to be a domineering and tyrannical figure? Why do we only see a trembling, ill-tempered boy being helped along? Did Fu Jin get beaten up just now?"

Xi Ri seized the opportunity to escape back into the house. As the twins were closing the door, they heard the last sentence and couldn't help but burst into laughter. Xi Ri heard it too and sighed deeply, thinking to herself: "Fourth Brother, it's all my fault for provoking you. I've caused your image to plummet in the eyes of all the women and common people. I'm so sorry."

The Four Young Masters of the Capital are still the Four Young Masters of the Capital, except they now have a younger sister.

Not only that, this younger sister has been recognized and acknowledged by the elders of several young masters' families, which makes her quite different.

Xi Ri, reminded by Ming Lu, decided to choose a day to visit her elder brothers' homes to pay respects to their elders and to worship at their ancestral halls, so that she could officially become their adopted sister.

Unexpectedly, by a twist of fate, the misfortune turned into a blessing in disguise.

From then on, Xi Ri's identity was settled, except for her third brother. Because she was engaged to her third brother, she could not rightfully become his adopted sister. Although no one ever mentioned it, it was still undeniable that there was an engagement between the two of them.

When Lord Tian learned of this, he was overjoyed. That evening, he specially summoned Xi Ri back to the Tian residence, prepared a sumptuous dinner, and praised her at the table, taking great pride in her. Although the other concubines and siblings were also there, smiling and congratulating her in every way, Xi Ri knew in her heart that they might not be truly happy. Her younger sister, Tian Xi Yun, had changed her attitude towards her drastically in recent days. She no longer mocked her when she saw her, and her previous hostility had disappeared. Although there was still no deep sisterly affection, and they were only lukewarm towards each other, their interactions were at ease, with much less gossip. This made Xi Ri think of Long Ming again.

Because of this incident, the Empress Dowager and her elder sister, Consort Shu, also summoned her to the palace.

The day she was summoned happened to be the same day Long Ming was to return to the capital.

Unfortunately, she had no choice but to send Tian Yong to the outskirts of the capital to see Long Ming first. She then went to the palace with Tian Shuang.

She first went to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager noticed that she had lost weight and inquired about her well-being. She also asked her what she had been busy with lately.

She laughed and replied that she had nothing to be busy with; naturally, she was reading, writing, playing the piano, and cultivating her mind and character.

The Empress Dowager strongly agreed, saying that since she was about to get married, it was crucial for her to cultivate her character and temperament. After marrying Prince Ming, she would need to be a good wife and mother, manage the household, and take care of affairs, all of which required a good temperament.

Xi Ri listened in silence.

The Empress Dowager, for some reason, became sentimental and suddenly began to tell her about her past: She said that when she was young, she only wanted one loving husband for her entire life. Like Xi Ri, she was of noble birth, talented, and beautiful, and naturally had very high standards, looking down on many young men from prestigious families.

As the Empress Dowager reminisced, her eyes were misty. Finally, after a sigh, she said that when she learned she had been summoned to the palace, she didn't want to go. She even secretly left home, nearly committing a terrible mistake she would later regret, endangering over a hundred members of the Tian family. Ultimately, she was forced by circumstances and couldn't bear the pangs of her conscience, so she reluctantly entered the palace. From willingly accepting loneliness to receiving favor and then vying for it, she had walked step by step to where she was today. In her life, she had lost much and gained much, and it wasn't without regrets. But now, in her old age, looking back, even if she could do it all over again, she would still choose to enter the palace. Perhaps she didn't have the courage to face the deaths of over a hundred people because of her, nor the courage to face a life of anonymity and constant wandering. She told Xiri: "Life will never adapt to you; only by striving to adapt to life can you survive."

After the Empress Dowager spoke so much, Xi Ri had already discerned the unspoken meaning in her aunt's words. Her aunt probably already knew about her actions, so how could she possibly say she wanted to call off the engagement at this moment? Not only would it backfire, but she also didn't have the courage to utter the slightest word, not even a tentative one.

She nodded deeply, indicating that she had learned something.

The Empress Dowager was satisfied and dismissed her.

Actually, her aunt's words didn't entirely apply to her. She didn't mind wandering the world; if she had a beloved person by her side, that was happiness in her eyes. Furthermore, she wasn't marrying the emperor or a prince; she was marrying a county prince. Given the Tian family's current power in court, the emperor would never kill the entire Tian family. However, she would bring shame upon the Tian family, and they would sever all ties with her. In other words, she would be abandoned by everyone.

Betrayed by everyone... If that day really comes, will she really have that kind of courage? Will she?

Distracted, she arrived at her elder sister Consort Shu's palace. Just as she was about to enter, she faintly heard a man's voice inside. Asking a eunuch in the corridor, she learned the Emperor was there. She could only wait in a side hall until the Emperor left before going in herself. Upon seeing her, Consort Shu warmly pulled her to sit beside her. While not overwhelmed by her sister's favor, she still felt somewhat uneasy. Although her sister had always treated her well, she hadn't been this affectionate; a sense of foreboding crept into her heart.

Sure enough, after some casual conversation, Consort Shu mentioned that preparations for her dowry would begin before the new year. She said the Emperor had just specifically instructed her to personally arrange her sister's dowry, explaining that the marriage of a daughter to several prominent families in the capital was a major event. She also mentioned that because Prince Ming had performed admirably in overseeing the grain transport, the Emperor intended to promote him to a princely title, granting him a wealthy region in the southeast. The grand promotion ceremony would be held before the new year. If she married into that family, she would become Princess Ming. The Tian family would be extremely favored.

My sister said a lot more, but Xi Ri became increasingly silent, only managing a forced smile.

Unconsciously, it seemed as if two hands were squeezing her tighter and tighter, making her increasingly unable to move.

When I saw Long Ming again, it was already noon.

Although he had been traveling for many days and had been rushing on his way, when Xi Ri saw him again, he was still full of energy, even though he was now surrounded by enemies.

On the street, the crowd moved slowly, as if something had happened ahead. Xi Ri's sedan chair was moving very slowly because of the large number of people on the street. Xi Ri was feeling a little annoyed sitting in the sedan chair when she heard Tian Shuang outside the sedan chair exclaim in surprise, "Miss, look who that is!" A very strong premonition made her suddenly lift the sedan chair curtain and look towards the place with the most people. Sure enough, she saw him at a glance.

I lamented: "Looking like that, he still swaggers into the bustling city center. Is he deliberately causing traffic jams? People who look like that should just stay home and behave themselves. Instead, he insists on going to crowded places, clearly trying to create chaos!"

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but chuckle.

Seeing him looking at a beautiful woman's hand that had climbed onto his sleeve with the same disgust he showed for dog poop, she really wanted to laugh out loud, disregarding her image. Her mood suddenly improved. All her previous worries, anxieties, and constraints vanished in that instant. She smiled, quickly beckoned Tian Shuang over, and whispered a few instructions, which Tian Shuang immediately understood.

The sedan chair slowly moved towards Long Ming, and Xi Ri grew increasingly nervous. This time, she had to seize the opportunity perfectly; she couldn't afford to end up harming herself like she had with Suo Ge. Although this time the difficulty was much lower, there was still a certain degree of danger, especially since timing was crucial.