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If he was willing to bring Ji Xun in, she wouldn't mind, but she was afraid that Ji Xun's health might not be good. It was too stuffy in the palace, which would be detrimental to his condition.
She asked Young Master Rong to inquire about Ji Xun's feelings, and he only said one thing, "Wherever she is, I will be there."
San Chun felt helpless; she couldn't leave for the time being and could only bring him in first.
Ji Xun was brought into the palace by someone sent by Uncle Qi. She was somewhat surprised by his generosity in bringing someone in. She had once asked him why, and he simply replied, "As long as he is here, you won't leave."
She smiled bitterly; he really understood her well.
Ji Xun wasn't arranged to stay in the Crown Prince's quarters; Uncle Qi wasn't that generous. How could he possibly send his rival right next to her?
He had Ji Xun stay in a side chamber of his own quarters and arranged for a Eunuch's room for him. Uncle Qi didn't like having anyone around him; whether it was day or night, his palace only housed him alone. There were plenty of empty rooms available, but it puzzled her how someone with such a solitary personality would be willing to live with Ji Xun.
For Ji Xun, sharing a hall with Uncle Qi was no big deal; San Chun's brother was like his own brother in his eyes. After all, would you really nitpick over trivial matters with someone who is like your own brother? If he shot him a glance, he would just pretend not to see it; if he didn't give him a good expression, he would just assume that was how his face looked; if he dared to curse at him, there was no need for politeness—he could just curse back; and if he didn't bother with meals, that would be even better—he would have the perfect opportunity to go complain to San Chun and share a meal with her.
Uncle Qi would never make such a mistake; he rejected all opportunities for the two of them to be together and naturally wouldn't deliberately send someone right next to her.
Along with Ji Xun into the palace was Yuzhen, who didn't mind staying in the royal palace at all. He had lived in five palaces of the Seven Kingdoms and had only yet to stay in Yan and Wei Kingdoms. This time, he was benefiting from her presence.
San Chun grinned; did this mean he wanted to visit the Wei Kingdom palace again?
She had been somewhat worried about how Ji Xun and Uncle Qi were getting along, but after waiting for a few days, it seemed they were getting along quite well—at least there hadn't been any incidents of injury or bloodshed.
Ji Xun had always had a good temper; he didn't object to where Uncle Qi let him stay. If it were Zhong Xue, she would probably have dragged him over and beaten him until he agreed to let Ji Xun go.
She finally met Ji Xun four days after he entered the palace. It was only after her strong insistence that they were able to see each other.
Uncle Qi personally accompanied him over and immediately said upon meeting, "You can exchange three sentences, but you must leave afterward. Think about what you want to say."
Ji Xun smiled and said, "No need for three sentences, just one will do."
He softly asked San Chun, "Are you doing well?"
"Very well," she nodded.
"I'm also doing well."
Just a few words surpassed thousands of sentences; she was concerned about Ji Xun's health, and Ji Xun was worried about her situation. As long as they were both well, they could rest assured.
Ji Xun was taken out, with Master Yuzhen by his side. With so many palace maids and Eunuchs taking care of him in the palace, his life should be fine. What worried her was his mood; in this unfamiliar place, without anyone to rely on, she wondered if he would adapt.
When Ji Xun was invited out of the palace gates, San Chun hurried after him and softly said, "Take care."
Ji Xun smiled, "Don't worry, I'm fine."
He had become very perceptive about everything now; even Zhong Xue couldn't anger him, and her brother's skills were even less of a concern. If he wasn't annoyed by him, it would be a bargain.
Uncle Qi thought that someone as elegant as Ji Xun surely wouldn't have many worries, but who would have thought he couldn't take it for long.
In the middle of the night, he hugged a blanket and sneaked into San Chun's room at the Crown Prince. Has anyone ever seen a guest drive the host away? He was truly one of a kind.
San Chun, still half-asleep, opened her eyes to see Uncle Qi standing in front of her, which startled her.
"What happened to you?"
"I can't sleep."
"Why can't you sleep?"
"That has to be asked of Young Master Ji Xun," he said angrily.
In the middle of the night, this Zhao Country Prince was still awake, playing the piano today, reciting poetry tomorrow, making it impossible for anyone to sleep. He usually preferred silence and couldn't sleep with even the slightest noise.
San Chun found it somewhat amusing; as the saying goes, "one thing overcomes another." She never expected that Uncle Qi would be subdued by him.
It wasn't appropriate to send him back in the middle of the night, so they had someone set up a bed outside for him to stay the night.
But once this started, he couldn't be driven away. No matter what San Chun said, he refused to leave, and sometimes he wouldn't even go to court, fearing she would move the bed away.
San Chun found his childlike mentality quite funny; in her eyes, he was like a younger brother who would never grow up and always needed others' affection.
It was hard to believe that a king would leave his own palace to stay with the Crown Prince, even giving up his own quarters for a prince from another country. This situation sounded unbelievable. The ministers in court were left speechless upon hearing this.
They hadn't even resolved the issue of marrying a divorced woman, and now this was happening?
Many ministers submitted memorials to impeach him; comparatively, those who were unhappy about him making San Chun his consort were fewer.
As memorials flew into Crown Prince, Uncle Qi didn't even look at them but simply pushed them in front of her, saying, "You take a look; if you wish, you can read them aloud for this king."
San Chun opened a few and saw that each memorial involved her—either expressing dissatisfaction with the king marrying her or complaining about him giving up his palace. Some lamented that this was a sign of a nation’s downfall, while others cursed Uncle Qi, calling him a foolish king.
San Chun felt somewhat touched by this and wrote a few words in response to the memorials: "What the officials say is true."
Later, when more memorials came in cursing him, she only wrote two words: "So it is."
If they were right in their criticisms, then good; let them continue to curse him. The more they cursed, the better—hopefully, they could wake this foolish king up.
But alas, alas, the foolish king paid no attention at all. Uncle Qi watched from the side as she scribbled on the memorials haphazardly. It seemed that national affairs were not national affairs in his eyes at all. No wonder many ministers thought he was hopeless; at this rate, it was impossible for him not to be foolish.
One time, she couldn't hold back any longer and said angrily, "As the king, could you at least act like one?"
Uncle Qi casually pushed the memorials all over the place and replied impatiently, "Why don't you become the king? This country is yours anyway. If you were in this position, would you still need me?"
San Chun sighed; she really didn't feel at ease handing this country over to him.
She wasn't very knowledgeable about state affairs either, but learning was necessary. It wasn't just for her sake; Uncle Qi needed to learn how to be a good king.
After discussing this with Ju Rong, she had him find many teachers for Uncle Qi, including ministers from the court and various talented individuals skilled in strategies. Yuzhen was one of them.
Each of these people would teach for two hours, and she learned alongside him, trying to change his lack of ambition in thought.
As long as she was by his side, Uncle Qi could still endure anything. Moreover, seeing her diligently handling everything for him made him feel touched. He even began to read and review the memorials submitted to him and started paying attention in class.
He especially enjoyed Master Yuzhen's lessons; the master had a humorous personality and spoke with great philosophical insight, which suited him well.
San Chun had also pleaded for a long time and promised to teach Yuzhen the art of frying tea leaves. She even promised to build him the largest school in the future so that his disciples could spread far and wide before he agreed to help teach Uncle Qi.
He believed that to be a good king, Uncle Qi needed to be pragmatic, serve the people by doing real work, take on his historical responsibilities, and abandon all emotional concepts.
Uncle Qi strongly disagreed with this notion; he absolutely couldn't abandon his emotions. His obsession with feelings sometimes scared even himself. However, he could practice what it meant to take responsibility.
He asked, "Master, what does it mean to have a sense of responsibility?"
Yuzhen replied, "A king's sense of responsibility means being accountable for the people's daily needs—food, clothing, shelter, and their lives. If a ruler like that emerges, the common people will indeed be happy, but happiness won't last long; the king will definitely become depressed. It's simple: there are too many matters to manage and too much pressure; it's no wonder people go crazy."
Uncle Qi found it somewhat amusing. "So what does the master mean? Should I take responsibility or not?"
Yuzhen blinked and said, "That depends on you. If you want someone to feel at ease, then you should have a sense of responsibility. If you want your country to perish, then you can be irresponsible."
Uncle Qi naturally knew that the person he was referring to was San Chun, who had exhausted herself for his sake and worried endlessly.
He had once told her that if she wanted him to govern the country with dedication, she should marry him and follow his lead in everything. However, San Chun clearly disagreed, and no matter how much he pleaded, she refused to listen. He didn't want to force her, so he set the matter aside. Now, as they remained at an impasse, he realized that he had been too stubborn; even for the sake of their feelings, pressuring her like this must have been difficult for her.
Because of Yuzhen's words and for her sake, he began to learn how to take responsibility.
Watching Uncle Qi gradually return to the right path and slowly take an interest in state affairs made San Chun genuinely happy. She did not want the Yan Kingdom to fall into decline under his rule, nor did she wish for him to become a king who would lead the country to ruin.
However, she also knew that with the current strength of the Yan Kingdom, even if Uncle Qi became a wise ruler, it would be difficult for him to compete with Zhong Xue. Unfortunately, all she could do was guide the Yan Kingdom onto the right track as best as she could; regardless of the outcome, she would have no regrets.
Sometimes when she discussed the fate of the Yan Kingdom with Master Yuzhen, she asked him to divine whether it would perish in this generation.
Master Yuzhen smiled at her and said, "Everything has its own conclusion. Why must you be so troubled by the outcome? Do you really need to choose between your country and your lover to be satisfied?"
This was exactly what she feared; Yuzhen had spoken her thoughts aloud. Yet he was right—did she really need to choose one over the other to find satisfaction? But where in this world could one find a solution that satisfies both? Perhaps Uncle Qi simply did not want to be king, or maybe Zhong Xue would eventually spare the Yan Kingdom for her sake, thus resolving this dilemma.
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