Xiao Yun couldn’t recover from that line for a long time.
Jiang Huaiyi said: “I originally planned to raise him all his life, never let him leave my side. Who would’ve thought…”
He let out a self-mocking laugh. “But then, he grew up. He has his own thoughts now. I don’t even understand what he’s thinking anymore, and even if I do—I can’t relate.”
As he spoke, he looked at Xiao Yun—clearly still bewildered, even now. Despite raising Jiang Huaichu with such care, in the end, he chose someone completely different—even opposite—to him.
There was deep frustration in his eyes.
Xiao Yun, who’d seen countless people, easily understood that look. He suddenly smiled.
“Brother-in-law, it’s because I’m a particularly great person.”
“…..” Jiang Huaiyi froze. The heaviness he felt was suddenly disrupted. Then he realized—“Who are you calling brother-in-law?!”
But awkwardness had never been a problem for Xiao Yun. He laughed, crossed his long legs, and leaned against the bookshelf.
“Have you ever thought,” he said, “maybe he chose me exactly because I’m not like you?”
Jiang Huaiyi frowned, looking at him.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you’re bad,” Xiao Yun said. “Quite the opposite—he’s placed you very, very high. So high, you’re untouchable.”
Jiang Huaiyi’s hand froze around his teacup.
“Did you know,” Xiao Yun continued, “when he first came to Great Ning, he overheard the locals saying the Southern Huaiyi wasn’t as handsome as the Northern Xiao Yun?”
Jiang Huaiyi glanced at his striking, flirtatious face with a wary look, and said coldly: “Idiotic, pointless nonsense.”
“Yes, it’s nonsense,” Xiao Yun said, “but even someone as calm and tolerant as Huaichu—he defended you right in front of me, on my own turf, over something so trivial. That’s the first time I met him.”
Jiang Huaiyi’s heart trembled.
Xiao Yun laughed. “You say he’s devoted to me, but even now, he’s never admitted… never said I’m more handsome than you.”
Jiang Huaiyi stared at him, momentarily lost in the hidden meaning of those words.
Xiao Yun continued slowly: “He loves me not only because deep down, we’re the same kind of person—but also because in his heart, you’re sacred. Even I can’t desecrate that. You are unique. He wouldn’t want someone who’s a mere imitation. Not even a little bit.”
Jiang Huaiyi’s gaze shook. In those usually calm and composed eyes, the ripples quietly began to spread.
Xiao Yun smiled. “Brother-in-law, I’m not here to fight you over anything, nor do I want to replace you or force him into a difficult choice. We’re not children anymore. At our age, we understand the world isn’t just black and white—your gain doesn’t have to mean my loss. I just want… one more person to love him.”
His voice was always lazy and casual, but those final words landed with the weight of a thousand pounds.
Like an eagle that had soared for years, suddenly choosing to land—causing a thunderous upheaval.
Jiang Huaiyi’s eyes trembled as he looked at him.
“I have no reason not to love him.”
That man, who always seemed to look down on everything and everyone, now smiled as if completely admitting defeat—yet in his eyes remained unwavering clarity and certainty, as if he held the universe in his hands.
“Other than me, no one else is capable of loving him.”
Jiang Huaiyi pressed his lips together, momentarily speechless, simply watching him.
Xiao Yun said: “With his identity and the means he uses, who else but me would dare to trust him? Who else could afford to support him? In this entire world, only I would dare to marry him openly and honorably. Only I could withstand the judgmental stares of the world and spare him and our child from a lifetime of gossip and whispers. Only I could let him bear children if he wants, without hiding, without shame, without suffering—just to avoid staining the reputation of Nanruo.”
“Jiang Huaiyi, only I dare, only I can, and only I will protect him, protect our child, let him escape the nightmares of the past, and make every tomorrow happier than today. I am destined to be his, just as he is destined to be mine.”
Jiang Huaiyi suppressed the strong urge to retort.
He had anger—but no grounds to argue.
Because everything Xiao Yun said… was true.
Arrogant to the extreme, overbearing to the point of madness—yet every word was right.
Jiang Huaiyi took a deep breath, clutching his hand.
For a long, long time, neither of them spoke. They just stared at each other, eyes deep as the ocean.
One held back surging emotions; the other had spoken outrageous, infuriating words—but his gaze burned with absolute sincerity.
Without question, it was a promise.
In the silence, something teetered on the brink—splintering, cracking apart.
Finally, Jiang Huaiyi slowly closed his eyes.
Maybe… it was all fate.
A terrible beginning that had somehow led to a near-perfect ending in the eyes of the world.
And he, as the older brother, what right did he have to stand in the way? To play the villain?
After all… he too wanted his wonderful little brother to be loved—by more people.
The moment Jiang Huaiyi closed his eyes, Xiao Yun knew he had won. And when Jiang Huaiyi opened them again, the proud, aloof, and domineering Emperor of Great Ning was gone—replaced by a man sitting across from him with a grinning, mischievous face.
“Come, come, brother-in-law—have some tea.”
He lifted the teapot, poured a cup, and offered it to Jiang Huaiyi with a bright smile.
“…?” Jiang Huaiyi had still been scowling a moment ago—but now, unbelievably, he smiled at Xiao Yun.
Xiao Yun blinked, thinking, Jiang Huaiyi really is all bark and no bite. But then he heard Jiang Huaiyi say coolly: “Are you marrying into our family?”
“…” Xiao Yun’s hand jerked, and he nearly spilled tea all over Jiang Huaiyi’s lap.
He forced his face into a composed expression: “…Brother-in-law, are you serious?”
Jiang Huaiyi took the tea offered by the future prince consort and sipped it. “I’ve only agreed to let you be with him. Everything else must still be negotiated. Even blood brothers keep accounts clear—let alone you, the Emperor of Great Ning. I must consider things for Huaichu.”
“…” Xiao Yun sat across from him, silent for a while, then ground out the words: “Must I marry in?”
Jiang Huaiyi sipped his tea calmly: “You said it yourself, right in front of me—that you’d be willing to marry in.”
“When did I…”
Xiao Yun choked.
He remembered. That day, Jiang Huaiyi had stormed into his camp with soldiers, and as they left, Xiao Yun happened to return. He was afraid Jiang Huaiyi would take Huaichu away, so he had blurted that out.
Who would’ve thought Jiang Huaiyi would ignore all the rest and remember just that one line.
Jiang Huaiyi glanced at him coolly: “What? Regretting it now? Then why say it in the first place?”
His tone turned cold.
Xiao Yun wanted to slap his past self. He grimaced for a few seconds, then forced a smile:
“I… marrying Huaichu… sure, sure. But I’m such a tall, strapping man—being Duan Wangfei just feels a bit off, doesn’t it?”
Jiang Huaiyi replied: “Then Empress of Great Ning is good?”
Xiao Yun: “But Chuchu is so beautiful—it fits perfectly!”
Jiang Huaiyi didn’t respond. His face remained stone-cold.
Xiao Yun’s heart turned to ash. He clenched his teeth for a while, then steeled himself and leaned closer: “Then… can the child at least have my surname?”
Jiang Huaiyi sipped his tea, and with rare generosity said: “The first one will bear the Jiang name. The rest can have yours.”
Xiao Yun’s face instantly darkened like a scorched pot bottom.
He’d only ever planned on having one kid.
There was no way he’d force Chuchu to go through pregnancy and childbirth again just to win some surname argument.
Besides, what he really wanted was Chuchu. The child… the child… taking the uncle’s surname isn’t that big a deal, right?
“That’s… that’s not unacceptable,” Xiao Yun forced a grin. “Then, he’s coming to Great Ning with me, right?”
Jiang Huaiyi gave him a pointed look: “Do you understand what ‘marrying in’ means?”
Xiao Yun took a deep breath, on the verge of exploding. His stiff hair almost seemed to rise with static. He gripped the edge of the table, like he was about to flip it and dump the tea all over Jiang Huaiyi’s maddeningly calm face.
Jiang Huaiyi stared at Xiao Yun’s tense, vein-popping hands.
“…” Xiao Yun smiled through gritted teeth. “Brother-in-law, talking about all this really damages our relationship. Chuchu is a person, not some object. Why don’t we talk instead about the amazing love story between me and Chuchu—full of twists, tears, and cosmic destiny, hmm?”
Jiang Huaiyi: “?”
Xiao Yun immediately added: “Or how about I tell you about Great Ning’s natural beauty and culture? Our lands are rich and fertile—great for raising people. Especially suitable for Chuchu. Really, really. We’ve got amazing local delicacies, beautiful scenery, perfect weather, kind and honest citizens—no one steals, no one lies…”
“Marry into the family.”
“….” The man who had just been animated instantly deflated, sinking back into his chair with the air of someone defeated, and said in anguish, “Is it absolutely necessary for me to marry in?”
Jiang Huaiyi replied loftily with a single sound, “Mm.”
Seeing not even a hint of compromise in his expression, the pain on Xiao Yun’s face vanished abruptly. He suddenly stood up and decisively said, “Fine. I’ll agree for now. I’ll handle the situation. Let me think how I’m going to explain to my ministers that their emperor is marrying into Nanruo.”
Jiang Huaiyi looked at the man who had seemed utterly miserable one moment and was now filled with determination. Someone usually so restrained and composed was now openly incredulous.
This man… Could he really accept something so outrageous, something so unthinkable, without even needing time to process it?
Jiang Huaiyi asked, “Why?”
Xiao Yun blinked. “Why what?”
“Why did you agree?”
“Because I want to marry Chuchu. Otherwise, what were we just negotiating about?”
“Just because you want to?”
Xiao Yun seemed even more puzzled. “…Isn’t that enough?”
Jiang Huaiyi, usually someone who considered all angles carefully, fell further into confusion. “…That’s really enough?”
Xiao Yun looked at him like he was the strange one. “…Didn’t you say this wasn’t up for discussion? I want that person no matter what. If I don’t go solve the problem, what else am I supposed to do here? Or do you have more conditions?”
Jiang Huaiyi couldn’t refute that. The man was irrational, yes, but not entirely wrong. He tamped down his disbelief. “…Aren’t you suffering?”
Xiao Yun looked more annoyed than anything. “Can suffering solve anything?”
“…No, but shouldn’t you at least feel a little miserable?”
“…Brother-in-law, I’m not wasting time with you—I’m going to fix this.”
Jiang Huaiyi: “…”
Just as the man was about to walk out, Jiang Huaiyi opened his mouth to call him back—but the man had already turned around.
Jiang Huaiyi assumed he was having second thoughts. Internally, he sneered—it didn’t surprise him. Calmly, he asked, “What is it now?”
Xiao Yun grinned, “If I get everything handled, when can we have the wedding?”
Jiang Huaiyi: “…”
Xiao Yun’s eyes were gleaming with excitement.
Jiang Huaiyi stared at him in disbelief. “You really don’t mind at all?”
Xiao Yun replied, “It’s not a big deal. Life is about choices. You can’t have both fish and bear paw. Nothing matters more than Chuchu right now. Everything else can be earned again later.”
Hearing the phrase “nothing matters more than Chuchu,” Jiang Huaiyi’s heart shifted slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he said—rather reluctantly, “…I was testing your bottom line just now.”
Xiao Yun paused, then suddenly beamed as if he was about to pounce and hug him. After a few seconds, he barely managed to contain himself and sighed, “So you found out I don’t have one, huh?”
Jiang Huaiyi: “…”
He thought, If this guy were my little brother, I would’ve beaten him to death before he even grew up.
Looking into those sincere and fervent eyes, Jiang Huaiyi suddenly felt his tightly wound nerves relax a bit.
An emperor—at this age—was actually willing to marry in for Huaichu.
Then again, Xiao Yun had never cared much for societal opinion. He had always done whatever he wanted.
He had originally intended to probe, expecting the man to argue, to bargain, to come to some middle ground through intense debate. But unexpectedly, he now fully understood what Jiang Huaichu meant to this man.
Xiao Yun was eager to go back and see Huaichu. He didn’t want to waste time.
“Brother-in-law, if there are any other conditions, just tell me. I’ll resolve them quickly. Sooner or later, we’re going to be family. A few more or fewer conditions don’t matter to me. I just don’t want to drag this out. The child is already so big—dragging this on isn’t good for Chuchu.”
Jiang Huaiyi was momentarily moved. Suddenly, he didn’t find him quite so annoying anymore.
He had thought over this for ten days—what must be negotiated, what should be negotiated, what could be let go—and he had it all straight in his mind. But just a few words from Xiao Yun—“we’re family” and “for Chuchu”—had completely disrupted it.
The sharp, calculated words at the tip of his tongue suddenly softened. All the elaborate conditions vanished, leaving only one non-negotiable point. He sighed and, with complicated emotions, said coldly, “Huaichu must stay somewhere within my reach. No marrying far away. As for the rest—if Huaichu agrees, I won’t interfere.”
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