What did it mean that the First Young Miss of the Ji Family would rather die than marry Prince Yanbei?
Everyone knew in their hearts that the reason why the Emperor bestowed this marriage to Prince Yanbei was to deal with the woman he did not want to marry. This marriage was just to prevent Ji Yunkai, to whom he had annulled their engagement, from dying of old age alone. If she were to do so, it would reflect badly on the Emperor; however, if the the bestowal of marriage from the Emperor were to be broken, it would be a seen as a disgrace to Prince Yanbei's Mansion, publicly humiliating the latter.
If they could not bear it, they would have to rebel against the Imperial Government.
Therefore, Ji Yunkai cannot die, at least, not by committing suicide. Otherwise, with the "affectionate and unrepentant" cloth placed upon her, the Emperor and Prince Yanbei's Mansion, both would not look good. Even if Prince Yanbei's Mansion did not have any ulterior motives and endured this humiliation, the Emperor would still not believe it.
"The First Young Miss of the Ji Family is not in any life-threatening danger right now, but this subordinate guesses that the other party would definitely not let her go. If their plan fails, then they will definitely do it again. I implore Your Highness... do we send someone to protect her?" The steward was anxious, but his tone remained calm, and did not show a single trace of unease.
"No need!" A moment later, the rumored Xiao Jiu'an, whose life and death was unknown, ordered from behind the curtains in the bed.
She wanted to be Princess Yanbei, but she did not even have the ability to protect herself. It would be better to just die early.
"Yes, Your Highness!" Although the steward was anxious, he did not dare doubt Xiao Jiu'an's orders.
The steward then asked, "Your Royal Highness, should we continue the investigation?" The mastermind was obviously after their Prince. There was a high probability that he was on the same side as the person who had plotted against him previously.
"You won't find anything!" Xiao Jiu'an did not say that he would investigate, nor did he say that he would not investigate. Just when the steward did not know what to do, Xiao Jiu'an spoke again, "Have someone keep an eye on Ji Yunkai. This King wants to know any information about her."
"Yes, Your Highness." He heaved a long sigh of relief.
He was not afraid of things getting out of hand, but he was afraid of not knowing what to do.
After reporting the news, the steward carefully asked: "Prince, in five days time it will be the wedding day between you and Miss Ji. Do you want to wake up early?"
"Is she worthy?" Xiao Jiu'an said in a cold voice. There was no contempt, nor ridicule.
Ji Yunkai was unworthy of letting him, Xiao Jiu'an, "wake up".
"Yes, Your Highness. This lowly one knows what to do." The steward's heart skipped a beat. Even though he knew that Xiao Jiu'an was not looking at him, he still had his head lowered. He did not dare to move even an inch.
His Royal Highness had never been a good-natured person, and he had talked a little too much today.
The steward backed away and opened the door. The wind blew through the layers of curtains, revealing a handsome, resolute face that did not seem like a mortal's. Unfortunately, other than the sunlight that shone through the window, no one could see him.
When Ji Yunkai woke up again, it was already dark. She did not know how long she had slept, but she knew that she was very hungry. Hungry enough to eat a bear.
However, Madam Ji was unlikely to be afraid. Prince Yanbei did not have many days to live, which was confirmed by dozens of imperial doctors. Even the number one genius of the Apricot Forest, Elder Hua, had said that there was no need to spend so much effort to save Prince Yanbei.
Of course, even if Prince Yanbei did not die, Madam Ji would still not be afraid of her, the Princess Yanbei.
Although the Ji Family was not a big noble clan, she was still highly regarded by the Late Emperor. She was also an important subject for the current emperor, and the power in her hands is not small. Furthermore, Ji Lan is about to enter the palace as his consort, so Madam Ji's status had risen greatly.
"Heaven helps those that help themselves. By hoping for the opponent's sympathy and pity to live on, what's the difference between this and gambling?" Ji Yunkai moved her left hand, making sure that the wound did not open. Seeing that there was no more blood coming out of the wound, she nodded her head in satisfaction.
With the wound stable, Ji Yunkai clenched her teeth and got off the bed.
After her feet landed on the floor, a dizzy spell suddenly overcame her. Ji Yunkai lost her balance and almost fell back.
After recuperating for a moment and making sure that she could stand without falling, Ji Yunkai supported her weak body and walked out.
From time to time, she would bump into tables and chairs. It was unknown if it was due to her body was too weak or if there was a problem with her physique, but Ji Yunkai felt extreme pain even though she only bumped into the them lightly: "Could it be that because this body is weak, the pain will increase as well?"
Ji Yunkai could not understand, but she did not have the strength to think about it right now. She was very hungry, and only wanted to eat.
Outside, the moon was high in the sky, and the stars were twinkling. The light was not bright, but it was enough to see through the darkness.
"Finally, I don't have to be in the dark anymore." Ji Yunkai secretly heaved a sigh of relief.
Not to mention herself, even the original owner was not very familiar with the Ji Mansion. If she wanted to go to the kitchen at night, she would have to take countless detours. With her current physical condition, she really did not want to take a single step.
By using the moonlight, Ji Yunkai found the kitchen according to the original owner's memories. Seeing the tightly locked door, Ji Yunkai quietly took out a small hairpin from her head. She looked around, to the left and right, to confirm that there was no one around. Then, she lightly fiddled with the lock a few times, until she heard a *ka* sound. The lock opened!
As a beautiful woman who had no one to rely on, playing the bandit and unlocking doors were essential skills. Even if she was given a safe, with such a simple lock she would be able to open it within minutes.
As long as it was a lock, there was no lock that she could not open!
Similarly, cooking was one of the most basic of skills. She had lived by herself for twenty-five years, and it would be too unreasonable to say that she could not cook.
Ji Yunkai always knew how to take care of herself. Not only could she cook, but her cooking skills were not that bad.
Not long after, the alluring smell of food wafted out from the kitchen. The guards who were ordered to watch over Ji Yunkai could not help but gulp down a mouthful of saliva after smelling the food.
Their future princess seemed to be very skilled. Not only could she protect herself from thieves and wounds, but she could also pick locks and make food. If it wasn't for that…. *Sigh*, if it wasn't for her face being ruined, she really would have been worthy of their Prince.
Yet, not only had the face of their future princess been ruined, it had also been ruined for the sake of another man. Not only their Prince, even his subordinates felt uncomfortable in their hearts.