Xie Jingxi, still cursing Ji Zizhao in the carriage, suddenly felt a surge of resentment from all around him.
He looked out of the carriage window, puzzled, and saw two thousand soldiers staring at his carriage in unison.
Though they dared not say anything, those eyes filled with resentment were enough to make every hair on Xie Jingxi's body stand on end.
Xie Jingxi finally understood what was wrong.
The talk of delivering medicine and making amends was all nonsense.
Ji Zizhao's true intention was to use him as a target, making her the object of everyone's ire, and then to win the hearts of the soldiers by example, making them all agree with her and direct all their anger towards him!
Ji Zizhao...
What a ruthless woman!
The eunuch was also disturbed by the resentment. "Your Highness, shall I speak to General Han and ask the army to resume their normal marching speed?"
"Speak of what! What are they, and what is my status!" Xie Jingxi would naturally not speak first. Wouldn't that be admitting that he had lost to that vixen Ji Zizhao?
The little eunuch could only shut his mouth in helplessness.
The resentment within the army only grew stronger due to the Second Prince's inaction.
During the midday break for meals, the soldiers were unusually silent.
It wasn't that they were in no mood to chat, but they were too busy glaring at the Second Prince.
Xie Jingxi, who had just put his leg out, was glared back by the soldiers' gazes before he could even step out of the carriage.
Huddled in the carriage, Xie Jingxi became angrier the more he thought about it, and could only ask the little eunuch to bring him his pastries.
However, he heard the little eunuch say, "Reporting to Your Highness, all the pastries we brought are... gone..."
Xie Jingxi, "..."
Xie Jingxi knew he was a prince, and no matter how much his father had exiled him, he was still superior to these guard dogs.
But facing the resentful stares of the soldiers outside, Xie Jingxi simply could not bring himself to step out of the carriage.
What Xie Jingxi did not expect was that when the army prepared to set off again in the afternoon, another person stood opposite him.
The two thousand soldiers were shocked to see the Seventh Prince dismount his horse and stand in their midst.
The entire camp fell silent.
Peeking from the carriage window, the Tenth Prince saw the Seventh Prince stand firm on the ground and gave him a thumbs-up, saying, "Seventh Brother is awesome."
Gritting his teeth and ignoring the Tenth Prince's thumbs-up, Xie Jingqi turned to Han Jingyu, whose eyes were unblinking, and said, "Riding the horse is too tiring, so... this prince intends to walk with you all."
Han Jingyu, "..."
Seventh Prince, your excuse is truly...
Impeccable.
At Han Jingyu's command, the army set off again.
Qing Zhu watched the Seventh Prince walking in front and said softly, "I didn't expect this Seventh Prince to be quite upright."
Ji Zizhao hummed, not surprised.
No matter the reason why the Seventh Prince looked down on her, it could not be denied that he had a very righteous outlook on life.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, even Ji Zizhao would not have believed that someone who grew up in the gilded cage of the imperial palace could nurture such an out-of-place anomaly as the Seventh Prince.
With the Seventh Prince's addition, the soldiers' resentment towards the Second Prince intensified.
Some bolder soldiers began to whisper among themselves.
Some even speculated that the Second Prince was faking his illness!
Otherwise, how could the medicine praised by the military doctor have no effect after entering the Second Prince's stomach!
The rumors outside were more dense than the falling snowflakes, overwhelming Xie Jingxi.
After an unknown period of time, Xie Jingxi finally couldn't help but say, "Go find Han Jingyu."
The little eunuch hurriedly stopped the carriage.
Seeing the Second Prince's carriage suddenly halt, the soldiers all looked on curiously.
General Han was seen galloping his horse to the Second Prince's carriage, and then it seemed the Second Prince was giving him some instructions...
A quarter of an hour later, Han Jingyu turned his horse around and looked towards the soldiers.
Amidst the silence, Han Jingyu's voice was exceptionally clear, "The Second Prince's health has improved, and he personally commands that the army may proceed at full speed to the next destination!"
As Han Jingyu's voice fell, the surroundings seemed to become even quieter.
Suddenly, the heartfelt cheers of the two thousand soldiers erupted into the sky, piercing the clouds!
Being able to proceed at full speed was something all the soldiers had long desired.
Therefore, they would not forget who it was that finally allowed them to stop enduring the cold wind.
Many soldiers, who were timid or even felt guilty towards Princess Ronghe, flocked to Ji Zixiu's side.
"Ji Zixiu, if you have the chance, be sure to thank Princess Ronghe for us."
"And us, apologize to Princess Ronghe for us. If Princess Ronghe doesn't mind, when we return to the imperial city, we'd be willing to host Princess Ronghe and you for drinks."
"Ji Zixiu, it was our fault, we misunderstood you and your sister..."
Ji Zixiu had been isolated by the other soldiers for the past few days in the military camp.
However, Ji Zixiu, who believed she had done nothing wrong, naturally had never thought of yielding.
In fact, Ji Zixiu had already decided that it would be fine even if she continued to be isolated by other soldiers in the future; she just needed to endure it. But then...
Her elder sister had, invisibly, integrated her into the military camp.
Five days, a full five days.
Every day, her elder sister endured the harsh journey with them in the wind and snow. Even now, she could clearly see her elder sister's hair disheveled by the wind and her skin chapped red from the cold.
Ji Zixiu's eyes welled up with tears.
She thought that as long as she remained silent, her elder sister wouldn't notice her.
But in reality, her elder sister's wings had always shielded her from the wind and rain.
As if sensing Ji Zixiu's gaze, Ji Zizhao turned back slightly.
In the fierce wind, she was so radiant with her resilient and firm spirit.
Their eyes met, and Ji Zizhao smiled, her lips moving slightly, "Don't be afraid. As long as I am here, I will ensure you soar high."
Ji Zixiu's eyes burned, her throat felt sore, and with a smile mirroring her elder sister's, she could no longer hold back the tears that streamed down her cheeks.
Accompanied by the soldiers' cheers, the army finally resumed its normal marching speed.
In the carriage, the Second Prince Xie Jingxi, hearing the persistent laughter, was so enraged that his liver and gallbladder trembled.
But what could he do?
What else could he do!
Was he really going to endure the soldiers' resentment indefinitely?
Even if he could bear it, his stomach probably couldn't!
The army, having resumed its original speed, reached a small town before nightfall.
Perhaps due to the sudden heavy snow, there were no people to be seen in the narrow and barren town.