It was almost noon when Ye'er Gōngzhǔ and Xin'er were preparing to set out for the tasked that Tàizǐ diànxià had given to the three of them.
She was looking for a perfect place to hang the painting that Tàizǐ gifted on her, it was his first gift to her.
Tàizǐ personally painted her in that scroll. Though the caption of that painting is quite abstract because he painted her facing the moon while her hair and dress swayed in motion.
However, one could actually identify her even it was just her back and it was not the painting or the scenery that captured her heart, it was Tàizǐ's effort and memory of her.
He just saw her once, standing there on the night before she was attacked by an assassin but he painted the exact moment on that night.
"I think this place is perfect!"
She said to Xin'er excitedly. Remembering the moment she had shared with him, makes her face blushed. she had never seen him for quite sometimes now and she missed him terribly.
He was probably preoccupied since the visits of the neighboring kingdoms. She never had a chance to meet him due to the tasked he had intrusted into them.
"Gōngzhǔ. .
Xin'er pulled her thought back, but before Xin'er could finished her sentence she heard a faint sound of the steel coming towards them.
She turn arround and impulsively pushed Xin'er, she dashed awkwardly in the removable curtain with a loud "ahhgg!" as she was not aware of it.
It was just half a heart beat away when the blade pass through half an inch of her face.
She cough the sword hand of that someone and turn it above their heads. They both yanked as the blade pass through above them. .
"You're too bold to attack me,huh?"
She then kick his sword's hand and the blade stuck up in the ceiling. As she was about to give him a final blow the boy said,
"I yelled. .I yelled!" While giggling. "You still as fast as before jiě.?"
" jiě,?" She asked blankly. "Who is this?"
"What. ?" The boy exclaimed in shocked, while scanning her face. " jiě. .did you really forget me?"
"Gōngzhǔ. .he's Yan Xin your younger brother.!"
"Yan Xin.?" She suddenly widened her eyes when she remembered. "Why you became so manly and tall.?"
"jiě.!?" He blushed in embarrassment. "Its been a long time. .I haven't seen you and you too!"
He said looking to Xin'er which the latter give him a discreet smile. Indeed, its been a long time and she almost forgot how her younger brother look, ever since she got an accident she keeps on forgetting somethings.
Its like her memories were slowly fading and ever since she woke up no one of her family members mention about her accident.
"You. !" She said while looking at him."you were just a chubby little boy back then, but now. .I almost did not recognized you!"
Indeed the boy that she'd remember before was a chubbly one with adorable reddish check everytime the sun touched his skin.
But the one that stood in front of her now is a younger version of her father, he handsomely grown up, from a chubby little boy into a fine looking young man.
"What's wrong jiě.? No need to compliment me. .I know im handsome!"
"Handsome my butt!"
She said sourly, but reach out her hands and squeeze his little brother's face.
"You're not allowed to grow up that fast, you're still my little brother!"
" jiě . .Im grown up now!"
He said while hiding away.
"If someone saw us like this it will be embarrassing!" He complaint.
They were still playing like hide and seek when they heared a footsteps of someone coming towads them.
"Fùqīn. !"
They exclaimed in chorus and immediately fixed evrything back to normal. Their father's brows furrowed when he saw them, he suspected something is off.
"Fùqīn.!"
She suddenly come to great her father when she recovered. The sword was struck right above where Duke Yan was standing.
The three of them occasionally take a glance towards it.
"What happened to the three of you?"
Duke Yan asked them suspiciously,
"It seems like you've all seen a ghost!"
"Fùqīn . .I just come to visit jiějiě.!"
"You.!"
He said with a trace of resentment in his voiced.
"Been a long time since you're gone but the first one you visited is your sister!"
"It not like that Fùqīn . .
"How could that be Fùqīn . .Xiao Xin probably didnt see you when he arrived right, San'dì.?"
She said widening her eyes to inform him to go with the flow.
"Yeah. .its like that!"
"Fùqīn. .I want to see older brother lets go and find him!"
She did not wait his father answer, she drag him outside as she saw the sword was about to fall down.
Right when they turned arround the steel fell, she catch it at her back with her left hand, right on time. While smiling to her father.
When she reach in their main hall she runs towards her older brother who was surprise to see her. His brother's grey eyes widened as soon as he saw her.
"Jing'gē!"
She throw herself into his brother who doesn't know how to react, looking at her one could see that she was no less than a child on her gesture.
"I missed you so much!" she sniff.
"You.!" Yan Jing give her a discreet cough.
"Ye'er are you trying to kill me!"
He said while acting as if he was running oit of air. "I just missed you a lot gē!"
"You were already a married woman but yet you still act like a child!"
"Am I not your sister now because Im already married?"
She felt hurt and let go of his brother, she doesn't like the idea. It hurts to know that his brother affection towards her change just because she's already married.
"Don't be silly.!" He said pulling her closer and give her a hugged."Its just that someone else would like to crushed me, when he saw us like this!" He chuckled.
"How could that be?" She said widening her eyes in disbelief. "You're my brother and you were always dear to me!"
"A man is always a man, Ye!" He said while squeezing her hair."But if I knew he's going to break his promised, Im going to kill him!"
"Don't you dare!" She snort. "Anyway when are you going to give me a cute little nieces and nephews?"
He was rather flushed with her blunt question. Yan Jing looked at her in astonishment, his face was slightly red as he wasn't prepared to hear such question from her.
"I think its none of your concerned. .
"Ye'er is right.!" Their father said as soon as he stepped inside."You're not getting any younger beside giving me an offspring is your filial pity!"
"Fùqīn.!" Yan Jing muttered in protest."Im not stable yet for taking such plan, the boarding is not yet. .
"Forget about the boarder.!" Duke Yan interrupted him that makes Ye chuckle. "It won't run anywhere, I will asked his Majesty to relieved you until you find a suitable wife!"
Ye'ers eyes was delighted with her father's idea, pushing her brother into something like this would probably makes him think to hurry up instead of slowing down.
"Indeed!" Ye winked at her older brother."Fu qin. .did you know that someone had told me that she's no longer gets any younger and she's waiting for that dead log to propose to her!"
"You. !"
Yan Jing said blushing that makes her father frowned, both of the men knows she was clearly teasing her brother but her father as a man himself had already guess what she meant.
"Then proposed to that girl as soon as possible!"
It was not a request but rather a command and it was the one that she knew his brother could not disobeyed.
The only thing their father doesn't knew is the girl that she meant because he's not the type who would like to middle in the affair of his children unless necessary.
Ye heard his father said that made his brother throw an angry squint towards her for putting him into a very awkward situation but she return it to him with a teasing smile.
She passed by into his brother who was still stunned and secretly give him a note that nevertheless he accepted and keep with out their father's knowledge. She then leaved the two men talked before heading into the palace.
"Mission completed!"
She giggled. This is the helping hands that she had promised to Xiang but now that she had done her part, it was all up to Xiang on how she would managed to make her next move.