Chapter 92: Unparalleled

Xiao Ji had served by the Crown Prince's side for several years and naturally knew that, although his master lived amidst the intrigue and deception of the imperial palace and had witnessed scheming, hypocrisy, and pretense from a young age, at heart he was genuinely kind and valued loyalty deeply.

The Crown Prince and Princess Danqing were cut from the same cloth. When others treated them well, they returned that kindness, even toward their servants, always sincere and heartfelt.

Xiao Ji himself was a recipient of this, just as Jasmine, who served the princess, was. These siblings were truly good to their attendants, and for this, Xiao Ji felt immense gratitude, along with a deep sense of fortune and emotion.

“Your Highness, the princess is favored by heaven and has come through her hardships. I believe that someone as selfless as General Chang’an will surely be blessed as well,” Xiao Ji said. He was not well-versed in scholarly phrases and could only offer these simple, heartfelt words of comfort.

“Let us hope so,” the Crown Prince sighed, nodding. “Right now, my only wish is for Gu Li to awaken soon. Perhaps when she wakes, if she could visit General Chang’an herself, she might give him renewed hope and strength to weather this ordeal.”

“She certainly will, she certainly will,” Xiao Ji replied earnestly. Having long attended the Crown Prince, he was well aware that the princess also cared for General Chang’an. Thinking of the hardships they both had endured in love, he could not help but sigh, “Truly, they are a pair of star-crossed lovers. Your Highness, is there really nothing you can do to help them?”

The Crown Prince shook his head with a weary sigh. “Do you think I don’t wish to help? You were outside the room that day and heard what the Empress said. My mother’s resolve is unwavering, and my father’s views are even harder to predict. For them to approve of this union—it's simply impossible.”

Recalling the Empress’s words from that day, Xiao Ji was overcome with sorrow, a tumult of feelings rising within him.

“My father and mother are deeply entrenched in notions of family status. Otherwise, my mother would not have chosen Zhou Siyuan as Gu Li’s future husband since childhood. Think about it—Lie Chang’an and Zhou Siyuan are equals in appearance, character, and talent, but Zhou Siyuan has the powerful Duke Dingguo as his backing, while Lie Chang’an comes from humble origins, with neither power nor influence. In comparison, if you were the Empress, whom would you choose?”

Xiao Ji could not agree. “But General Chang’an’s devotion to the princess is unmatched.”

The Crown Prince smiled wryly. “My mother doesn’t see it that way. In her eyes, it’s only because Zhou Siyuan is thousands of miles away and could not return in time. Otherwise, she believes he would have done no less than Lie Chang’an.”

Xiao Ji shook his head again. “I don’t see it that way, Your Highness. In my eyes, no one could do what General Chang’an has done.”

The Crown Prince let out a long, melancholy sigh. “That is why, so often, people refuse to believe what they see with their own eyes and instead cling only to what they already believe at heart.”

The Empress was a case in point.

The Crown Prince, unwilling to linger on this sad topic, remembered something else and asked, “I heard that General Chang’an still has an elderly grandmother at home?”

“Yes,” Xiao Ji confirmed. “I have already sent someone to the Lie household with a message, but for now we are keeping news of the general’s grave illness from her, lest the old lady worry.”

“Very good. The old lady is already advanced in years, and I’ve heard that General Chang’an is her only grandson. Should anything happen to him, she would not survive the blow. Keep it from her for now, and have the imperial physicians continue to do everything possible to save him. We must not give up—he must survive.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Xiao Ji replied, bowing his head resolutely.