Chapter 101

After hearing Ji Yanming, Tao Sheng couldn’t help but fall into memories again.

It wasn’t her fault she believed in the story. They had lived together for so many years, and she knew what kind of person Ji Yanming was.

She had never thought of him as someone who would be attracted to anyone, especially not her, as she was now.

That’s why she thought Ji Yanming was just being polite and didn’t mean anything special.

Her feelings toward Ji Yanming had changed, though she kept it to herself.

When passing by his favorite bakery, she’d unconsciously glance inside. When she went out for dinner, she’d order his favorite dishes. When reading official documents, she’d imagine him writing in his study. When playing the zither, she’d think of him listening beside her.

Even someone like King Huan could see her feelings had changed since leaving Ji Yanming.

But if she misunderstood him and confessed everything, they might not even be able to remain as siblings.

Ji Yanming, after saying this, had also thought about Tao Sheng’s reaction.

She might be surprised, resistant, or happy… but her sudden deep thought and struggle were something he hadn’t expected.

He knew Tao Sheng well after all.

“Are you saying the relationship between cousins is normal and unremarkable?”

“Tao Sheng, it’s not like that.” Ji Yanming felt he needed to clarify, “I’ve missed you for a long time.”

“Since I heard about Chu Xun’s situation through letters, I’ve been pretending to be calm in front of my mother, but I was actually panicking. I’ve been patrolling, urging the King of Chu to establish himself quickly. I also wanted to settle down with you as soon as possible under stable conditions.”

He had been clear enough. She wouldn’t think it was just ordinary longing, right?

After hearing Ji Yanming, Tao Sheng’s brain seemed to stop, but she still managed to say: “But you don’t seem like the type of person who’d be attracted to an ordinary woman.”

“But you are not ordinary.”

Ji Yanming felt helpless. Why did she think she was just “ordinary”?

He had said so much to get her response: “What about you? What do you think? Do you want to get closer?”

Tao Sheng started coughing violently in surprise.

Ji Yanming sighed softly, walked over, and patted her back.

Tao Sheng’s coughs were so bad, tears started to form. “Are you always this direct when you’re on duty?”

The relationship hadn’t even started, yet he skipped the dating process and proposed straight away?

“In order to return to Beijing earlier, there’s no other choice.”

It had always been his style.

Tao Sheng now understood why so many in the original story hated and resented him.

Such “efficiency” would probably exhaust not just his enemies but even his own people.

Though Tao Sheng felt helpless, she admired his courage in facing the needs of a relationship. But she couldn’t help pointing out: “Actually, I don’t like things to develop too quickly. Let it happen naturally.”

There has to be a process, right?

Ji Yanming understood this as her agreeing.

He took her hand and sat her down, calming her. “Okay, I’ll go slower.”

_

On a sunny afternoon, the King of Chu arrived in Luoyang City.

A few days ago, Prince Rui had set a big trap for him in front of his father, but the King of Chu had cleverly avoided it.

He felt great progress recently and wanted to share it with Ji Yanming first.

At this time, the Emperor had gone to Yichun Garden on the outskirts of the capital to escape the summer heat. He was bored staying in the capital, so he asked permission to come to Luoyang and return with Prince Huan and Ji Yanming’s teams.

The King of Chu didn’t just want to share his joy, but also discuss an important matter.

It was about Chu Xun.

The King of Chu didn’t know that Madam Chu still had doubts about Tao Sheng’s career. But the information he received showed that Tao Sheng was the most promising candidate among all the options.

They were originally engaged, but later the Luo family of Qin County thought it wasn’t suitable, so they took the initiative to cancel the engagement.

Now that Tao Sheng had become the granddaughter of Grand Master Luo, the Luo family had raised the matter again.

What started as a simple marriage had become more complicated because of past events, making the relationship between the two even more special. This was a case of “an extraordinary fate,” like in the opera.

Just as the King of Chu was contemplating how to ruin the marriage, his father suddenly appeared and asked Tao Sheng to accompany King Huan on a diplomatic mission to the State of Ling. This was a golden opportunity for Ji Yanming.

The King of Chu found Ji Yanming’s attendant and asked him to lead the way to Ji Yanming’s study.

Although the attendant looked uncomfortable, he did as instructed.

After rushing to Ji Yanming’s study, the King of Chu saw two familiar figures through the half-open window.

Tao Sheng had found Ji Yanming before him.

The two sat facing each other, and although it was impossible to hear what they were saying, their eyes were so affectionate that it felt like threads connected them. Their body language showed an inexplicable intimacy. At that moment, it was clear that their love was at its peak, and even in such a large study, one more person would make it feel cramped.

It was not important to discuss Chu Xun with Ji Yanming right now.

The King of Chu happily retreated and suddenly realized a very serious problem.

Ji Yanming had said that because he was uncertain about his future, he couldn’t bring himself to tell Tao Sheng. He had even hinted that he should work harder.

Looking at the way the two were looking at each other, it was obvious that they had probably already talked things over.

Does that mean I’m close to making a comeback?

The King of Chu could never have imagined that this seemingly ordinary trip would bring so many rewards.

The King of Chu became more and more excited.

He strode out of the garden and headed to drink with King Huan.

“I won’t go home until I’m drunk tonight.”

_ 

Ji Yanming’s mission was nearing its end, so even though major events like confessing love and confirming their relationship had occurred, as an inspector sent by the central government, he was still busy.

Ji Yanming had just agreed with Tao Sheng to go to Qi Feng Lou for dinner. In order to have a relaxing and comfortable meal later, he needed to catch up on his work.

Tao Sheng was still immersed in Ji Yanming’s sudden confession of love to her. Sitting beside him, she said little, but was slowly processing this incident she had almost dared not even dream of.

Maybe it was due to his personality, but Ji Yanming didn’t like having someone serve him closely. He liked to do small things himself, such as pouring tea and grinding ink.

Therefore, even though more than an hour had passed, there was still no servant in the room to disturb them, which allowed Tao Sheng to sit quietly and reflect on her thoughts.

After some time, Tao Sheng had accepted that she liked Ji Yanming.

After thinking for over an hour, she accepted that Ji Yanming liked her as well.

After accepting the reality, Tao Sheng felt much more relaxed. However, it was a bit boring just sitting there drinking tea.

She looked around and thought the peaches on the fruit plate next to her looked very good. She took out a fruit knife and prepared to peel one.

Unexpectedly, Ji Yanming had been paying attention to her every move. Without waiting for her to ask, he put down the red brush in his hand, took the peach and knife from her hand naturally, and lowered his head to peel the fruit.

Ji Yanming’s fingers were long and beautiful. Perhaps because he had been writing for many years, his hands were always strong. The wrist holding the peach seemed steadier than that of an ordinary man.

But even so, Tao Sheng still felt that peeling fruit wasn’t quite in line with Ji Yanming’s usual image.

Tao Sheng hesitated and asked, “Cousin, do you peel the skin yourself?”

“What else?” Ji Yanming raised his eyebrows slightly. “I don’t like eating fruits with skins.”

He seemed to be quite skilled at peeling fruit, likely something he did often when studying.

Tao Sheng withdrew her hand, which had been about to grab the fruit knife.

Well, she didn’t like it either.