r18novel Chapter 474 Extra: Not Wasting Youth, Only Regret for You
Chapter 474 Extra: Not Wasting Youth, Only Regret for You
The two returned to the hall. Li Yuanke saw that the little peach blossom spirit was no longer crying, but was all smiles. He said in an annoyed tone, "You little thing, are you lying to me?"
He managed to run so fast he almost lost his life.
Shen Shixi lay down on the tatami mat, her stomach bulging from eating, barely able to breathe. "No, I'm really scared!"
Li Yuanke had no choice but to believe her. "Xi'er, if Prince Wei invites you again, will you go?"
He was terrified that she would say yes.
Shen Shixi said, "No way, I'm a girl, how could I just go with anyone? I'll only be with Brother Yuan Ke, even though I'm not familiar with him. I only went to the palace because of Brother Yuan Ke, I wouldn't bother with anyone else."
She sat up and leaned against Li Yuanke's back. "Girls need to learn to protect themselves, and handsome boys need to learn to protect themselves too!"
Li Yuanke said, "Then I'll start teaching you martial arts tomorrow!"
"No way! I won't learn that! Brother Yuan Ke, study hard so you can protect me in the future!"
"good!"
In the dead of winter, with snow falling heavily outside, the palace was warm and cozy. This was the first New Year's Day he had ever experienced that was warm and cozy.
As the sun rose on a new day, its rays shone on his face. He woke up to find a weight pressing on his stomach. He touched it and felt something furry—it was Shen Shixi's head.
We stayed up all night to welcome the New Year, and by the end, we were both asleep, curled up in a ball on the tatami mat.
Three years of such happy times passed, and the little girl grew to five years old on his back, still needing to be carried everywhere.
Li Yuanke's body grew stronger and stronger. At first, it would be difficult for him to carry her for a long time, but later he could walk from the palace gate to Qianyuan Palace without any effort.
He's going to the frontier to make a name for himself.
Over the course of two years, the two wrote many letters. He learned about everything that happened in the capital through Shen Shixi's letters. He knew that she was using this method to ensure that he was never absent from life in the capital.
Until he was granted a title of king for his meritorious service and was summoned back to the capital, his father bestowed upon him Lady Du from the Duke of Xin's mansion as a concubine.
At that moment, Li Yuanke felt an indescribable sense of dread.
From emperors to nobles, everyone had multiple wives and concubines. Even commoners and peddlers would buy a concubine if they had a few extra bushels of grain. They called it "carrying on the family line," but in reality, it was just to satisfy their lust.
But he always felt something was wrong; he felt guilty, afraid, and instinctively resisted.
He didn't understand what was going on.
When he saw the little peach blossom spirit and met her clear, bright eyes, he realized that the only person he wanted to give everything to was her!
However, she is still too young.
They are facing a test of life and death, experiencing a life-or-death war. He doesn't have time to wait for her to grow up. The only thing he can do is to wade through this dangerous situation and fight for a future so that she can live with him.
There will always be sacrifices in war!
Li Yuanke felt as if his heart was being torn apart.
In the quiet of the night, he would reflect on whether he was too greedy. The Shen family had already helped him seize the throne, and behind him lay an abyss, yet he still had the mind to worry about his own gains and losses.
But he couldn't help but care.
But the little peach blossom spirit acted as if nothing had happened and even asked him how Du was doing.
In that instant, Li Yuanke's heart shattered. "Xi'er is happy that I'm taking a concubine?"
"Du is the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Xin's family. The Emperor's move is intended to bind the Duke of Xin's family and Brother Yuan Ke together. The more people in the army who support you, the better our chances of winning."
Li Yuanke knew that what she said made sense, but he couldn't say it. When faced with a life-or-death situation, personal feelings were not important.
He thought that even if she disliked him in the future, it wouldn't matter; he would still protect her and ensure her peace and happiness for the rest of her life.
She should live a happy and carefree life.
The palace was a dangerous place, and he couldn't bear to see her get hurt.
On the Lantern Festival, Shen Shixi asked her brothers to take her to see the lanterns, but none of them wanted to take her. The main reason was that every time they took her out, she would cause trouble and get into trouble all the time, which they couldn't handle.
Since she had no older brother to take care of her, and her elders at home wouldn't allow her to go out, she had no choice but to seek help from Li Yuanke.
"Brother Yuan Ke, thank goodness you're back. If you hadn't come back, I wouldn't have been able to go out for the Lantern Festival this year." She said it so pitifully.
Li Yuanke said, "Ling Menghui has just returned to the capital. We've arranged to have drinks at Fanqinglou, and we'll go there after we see the lanterns, okay?"
"Great! I also have something I need to ask him."
The two went shopping together. Li Yuanke had grown very tall, while Shen Shixi was much shorter than him. She held Li Yuanke's hand as they weaved through the crowd.
There were riddles to solve, but unfortunately, the two of them couldn't come up with many no matter how hard they racked their brains. In the end, Li Yuanke took out some money and bought her a rabbit lantern.
Carrying a lantern, they went to Fanqing Tower.
Cen Yin had already arrived, along with Han Hua. He brought a boy who was a few years older than Shen Shixi. The boy always hid behind his older brother and secretly watched her.
Shen Shixi thought the boy was fairly good-looking, so she reluctantly allowed him to look at her.
"Second Miss is here too!" Ling Menghui said with a smile, giving Li Yuanke a teasing look, as if to say, "You really take her with you wherever you go."
Shen Shixi saw this, tilted her head, and sized up Ling Menghui. "General Ling, are you still unmarried?"
Ling Menghui was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Why hasn't your brother Yuan Ke gotten married? When will your brother Yuan Ke get married?"
Shen Shixi said, "I can't answer this question. Yuan Ke's marriage is decided by the Emperor, but it's different for you. No one is helping you with that. Should I find you a suitable candidate in the capital?"
Ling Menghui could not regard her as Li Yuanke's strategist because she was too young.
Ling Meng smiled and said, "You also like playing matchmaker?"
Shen Shixi said, "I mainly think you can fetch a good price!"
Han Hua burst into laughter and asked, "Whose daughter do you plan to marry Meng Hui to?"
Shen Shixi said, "I think the daughter of the Duke of Wei's family is quite good. Both families are military families, so you'll have something in common. Moreover, I've heard that Miss Xue loves to read. If you two become husband and wife, you'll definitely get along well and live in harmony. It's simply a match made in heaven!"
She coaxed Ling Meng into replying, "So, I definitely wouldn't lie to you. For the sake of you being Yuan Ke's senior brother, I wouldn't cheat you!"
Ling Meng shook her head. "I don't believe it. You've tricked me before!"
Shen Shixi decided to stop wasting her time. She turned her head and saw the boy rolling his eyes.
She was furious and asked Han Hua, "General Han, who is this child?"
Han Hua was amused. "He's my younger brother, his name is Han Xiao!"
"Oh!" Shen Shixi asked, "A sibling from the same mother?"
Han Hua nodded.
"He doesn't look like it to me! General Han looks like Xiang Yu reincarnated or Huo Qubing reborn, brave and invincible in battle. But why does he look so shifty-eyed? Could he be someone your mother picked up?"
Han Hua knew Shen Shixi's temper, so he remained silent.
"You're the one with the shifty eyes!" Han Xiao was furious. He clearly didn't understand Shen Shixi. He said, "You're the one your family picked up. I'm my mother's biological daughter."
Han Hua glanced at his younger brother with sympathy, shook his head helplessly, and thought to himself, "Of all people to mess with, you had to mess with her!"
Shen Shixi wasn't angry. She said, "You rolled your eyes at me just now. Most people couldn't pull off that shifty look. How did you do it?"
Han Xiao blushed, feeling extremely uncomfortable. "You...you're a young lady, and you're thinking of becoming a matchmaker? Aren't you ashamed?"