Huang Baozhai and Huang Yiming exchanged a meaningful glance, the depth of their understanding hanging in the air—unspoken yet palpable.
“What? You think I can’t protect you?” Li Jie exclaimed, a subtle defensiveness evident in his voice.
Huang Yiming sighed, fully cognizant of Li Jie’s intricate emotions concerning matters of power. Some truths, regardless of attempts to conceal them, inevitably come to light—especially for those who truly know the individuals involved.
Carefully selecting his words, Huang Yiming sought to express his concern without bruising Li Jie’s emotions or ego. “It’s not a matter of incapability… It’s just…”
Similarly aware of this situation, Huang Baozhai decided it was time to cease the charade, no longer wanting to feign ignorance like her brother. Throughout the preceding years, she had pondered repeatedly on how to broach the subject, waiting for the elusive perfect moment that never seemed to materialize.
“You need someone to care for you as well,” Huang Baozhai declared. The sudden shift in the conversation caught her off guard, but she saw it as an opportune moment to convey what had been on her mind for an extended period.
Anticipating Li Jie’s defensive response, Huang Baozhai braced herself for a barrage of words. To her surprise, Li Jie simply shrugged, wearing a bitter smile. “I’m aware that I’ve been shielded in various ways, but that doesn’t mean I can’t extend my protection to my friends.”
Huang Yiming regarded Li Jie, his expression unreadable, before sighing and affectionately patting his head, all the while casting a subtle warning glance at his sister. “You’re correct. In that case, we’ll both entrust ourselves to your care.”
With this revelation, something within Huang Baozhai clicked—a suspicion that had lingered for months about the unspoken dynamics between Li Jie and Huang Yiming. From the subtle shifts in Huang Yiming’s expression when she approached them to the softened demeanor he adopted in Li Jie’s presence, the puzzle pieces started falling into place.
And even when the topic of their love lives finally surfaced during a discussion, albeit briefly due to the presence of prying ears, it all fell into clarity for Huang Baozhai.
With her mouth slightly agape with disbelief, Huang Baozhai locked eyes with her brother, realizing what she had inadvertently disregarded all this time.
Not really disregarded, she admitted. Rather, she had simply not cared enough about this facet of their lives, never analyzing their interactions with such thoughts in her mind. And Huang Yiming, it seemed, was a master at concealing everything.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Huang Baozhai was snapped out of her musings when Li Jie raised his head slightly, his gaze fixed on his peculiar friend as he playfully nudged her with his foot. “What’s happening in that head of yours?”
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Li Jie and Huang Yiming exchanged a knowing glance. It was a well-established fact among the trio—and anyone else subjected to Huang Baozhai’s previous schemes—that her ideas, irrespective of the context, often resulted in nothing but chaos.
Catching sight of their shared understanding, Huang Baozhai eagerly continued, determined to present her plan without interruption. “Just hear me out!” she exclaimed.
Li Jie winced at her resonant voice, then smirked as he eased the tension in his neck, allowing his head to fall back onto Huang Yiming’s lap.
“Yiming-ge, did you catch that?” Li Jie dismissed Huang Baozhai, a playful smirk gracing his face. “I think the maids have heard her and are now running for their lives.”
Meeting Li Jie’s gaze, Huang Yiming couldn’t help but return the small smile. Right at that moment, his supposedly ingenious sister pounced on both of them, tackling Li Jie, who was already on the ground, and toppling Huang Yiming from his seated position.
“Just hear me out,” Huang Baozhai smiled, undeterred. “Considering Li Jie’s harem and all, I think—”
Before she could continue, Li Jie interrupted her, his voice laced with amusement. “First of all, you’re so heavy with that damn armor! Get off!” Despite his seemingly harsh words, there was no malice in his tone, and he chuckled intermittently.
“Second of all, I don’t need—”
Huang Baozhai, however, disregarded Li Jie’s words and carried on as if nothing had happened, sprawling herself across both of them.
“Even the strongest people need protection,” she flicked the crown prince’s forehead. “And hear me out first!”
“So, the harem will be filled with men whose true intentions are unknown, BUT—” She pointed at her brother, sporting a mischievous smirk.
“What if Yiming disguises himself and enters the harem as a way to be your eyes and ears, as well as your protector?”
Li Jie paused for a moment, and Huang Yiming also fell into silence, though their pauses were motivated by different reasons.
Shit…
Li Jie was the first to shatter the silence, his face adorned with a feigned delight that masked the turmoil within. “That’s a brilliant idea!” His grin stretched widely, but then his expression shifted to solemnity. “But it would only benefit me… I can’t ask Yiming-ge to do something like that…”
Huang Baozhai couldn’t help but find Li Jie’s perspective naive, shaking her head at his misguided understanding.
Huang Yiming remained silent, leaving his older sister increasingly anxious. The opportunity was there for him to seize, so why wasn’t he taking advantage of it?
He could only hope that Huang Yiming wouldn’t follow through with it. If Huang Yiming were to agree, Li Jie would feel compelled to go along as well, knowing that the Li Jie familiar to the Huang siblings would likely be swayed.
“Don’t worry,” Li Jie reassured Huang Yiming, attempting to manipulate the situation with a forced smile. “I would never ask you to do such a thing for me.”
Huang Yiming, suddenly jolted out of his thoughts by Li Jie’s words, struggled to articulate his thoughts, torn between wanting to seize the opportunity and unsure of how to navigate the situation smoothly.
“No, no, I… It’s…” Huang Yiming faltered, his uncertainty palpable.
Li Jie gulped nervously, hoping to avoid another scheme. The court meeting had already muddled his judgment, and he couldn’t endure another one at the moment. Please, no.
Observing her brother’s awkwardness, Huang Baozhai decided to take matters into her own hands. Unable to confirm or deny the matter herself, she chose to employ her tried-and-true strategy: ignore any obstacles.
“Yiming wouldn’t mind, or else he would have said something by now, right?” Huang Baozhai chimed in, adopting a carefree yet convincing tone. “We’re friends, right? We always have to protect each other. If you were attracted to women and in the same situation, I would have done the same.”
“But not in that way…” Li Jie bit his lip, his gaze shifting between the smirking older sister and the now distracted younger brother. “It’s just-”
“A genius idea, right?” Huang Baozhai cut off Li Jie’s train of thought, intentionally diverting his attention and giving her brother more opportunities to reveal himself.
“That’s right,” Huang Yiming finally composed himself, catching on to Huang Baozhai’s game. “I think it’s a great idea. We should do it. I’ll personally speak to Father and the Emperor.”
Just from the way Huang Yiming suddenly blurted out those sentences, Huang Baozhai felt the urge to smack him. At least, she reassured herself, she had more of her mother’s brain unlike him which was one less thing to worry about.
Li Jie’s anxiety heightened, his distress palpable as he grappled with the complexities of his emotions. “What about social status?” he blurted out, his words betraying a sense of urgency. The turmoil within him seemed to surpass even that of the two siblings. “I… I mentioned that I might develop feelings for someone, and if I choose the main concubine… Yiming-ge… I can’t ask you to do that… I can’t bear being the reason for your sacrifice…”
Say no, say no, please say no, say no, say no…
In response, Huang Yiming, though appearing calm on the surface, felt the weight of his brother’s turmoil. “And I can’t bear doing nothing,” he uttered in a hushed tone, his sister alone catching the nuances by skillfully reading his lips.
No…
“I have a plan,” Huang Yiming declared, taking a moment to clear his throat, his words carefully crafted to project confidence. “Just… let me be a part of it, and I’ll handle everything.”
How do I fix a mess I made all by myself…?
