Chapter Sixty-Two
Suddenly, cheers erupted from a group of soldiers rushing down the mountain. "His Highness is safe! They're alive!" Overjoyed, Ning Fei immediately abandoned Feng Xiyang and sprinted toward the commotion.
In the hazel grove at the valley's base, the interlaced shrubs and tree trunks had weakened the torrent's force, allowing several figures to cling to the nearest trees.
"Your Highness," Xiao Weiran coughed violently before calling out, "Are you injured?" Xia Jingshi shook his head silently. Suppressing his frustration, Weiran finally chided, "Even if it was lost, she wouldn't have blamed you if you'd just explained..." A faint smile crossed Xia Jingshi's lips. "I never expected to fall in the first place. Save your strength." With that, he fell silent, leaving Weiran to attend to the other two military officers.
The downpour lasted over an hour before gradually easing. The raging yellow floodwaters showed signs of exhaustion. Ning Fei and several robust soldiers linked arms, wading through waist-deep mudflows to slowly approach the hazel grove and retrieve the exhausted Xia Jingshi and his companions.
Feng Xiyang stood nearby, her eyes red from crying, still hiccuping with sobs. When the bedraggled Xia Jingshi glanced her way, she burst into fresh tears. "Are you hurt... I didn't mean to throw the hairpin away..."
At the mention of the hairpin, Xia Jingshi's gaze turned icy. He slowly extended his hand toward Xiyang, revealing half of a shattered aqua-blue Glass Hairpin resting on his palm. "It's broken. Are you satisfied now?"
Xueying, who had been anxiously watching nearby, gasped in disbelief. "All this for a hairpin?!" Xia Jingshi offered no reply, withdrawing his hand as the crowd escorted him away.
The annual Martial Arts Tournament of Vermilion Sand Country.
Spectator stands were adorned with various canopies. Those nearest to Lord of the Nation Feng Qishan were reserved for imperial relatives and nobility, while state ministers sat in descending order of rank.
"I truly detest these occasions," Feng Suige remarked with a sardonic smile, watching the sweat-drenched herald struggle through the Lord's proclamation under the blazing sun. He turned to the disinterested Yixiao beside him. "That herald's voice grates like sawing wood every single time."
"Why must we hold these tournaments? Why force me to attend when it's unbearably dull?" Yixiao grumbled. The answer came simply: "Because I'm the Regent Imperial Son."
To Yixiao, the event's significance lay not in martial competition but in his mandatory presence. The meteoric rise of Fu Yixiao meant his every move drew public scrutiny. Absence would invite accusations of defying orders or cowardice...
As horns sounded across the arena, the Martial Arts Tournament commenced with participants filing in. Following Vermilion Sand tradition, the victor—regardless of weapon—would be appointed as a first-class General.
Feng Suige solemnly pointed at a young general entering the field. "That's Marquis Dengxin, Ye Duanfang." After a single glance, Yixiao grew serious. "You mentioned him before. What's the issue?"
Suddenly reverting to his playful demeanor, Feng Suige asked, "Do you want to defeat him?" "No," Yixiao answered without hesitation. "I won't train archery units for Vermilion Sand."Feng Suige immediately put on an expression of deep anguish, clutching his chest as he lamented, "You tell me not to let go of you, yet you're about to push me straight into someone else's arms."
Yixiao froze for a moment before suddenly shuddering with visible disgust. "If you take a Male Consort, don't you dare lay a finger on me again," she retorted.
Feng Suige nearly toppled from his chair. Ignoring the astonished gazes around them, he pointed at Yixiao between laughter and exasperation. "What on earth goes through that mind of yours?!" Yixiao glared back. "Didn't you say I was giving you to him?"
Feng Suige choked on his words, taking a deep breath before enunciating slowly, "I said giving me to others." Yixiao stubbornly argued, "You were talking about him earlier, then said if you lost, you'd be given away—isn't that giving you to him?"
At this moment, Guyu chuckled from the side. "C-could give him... to his sisters." Both Feng Suige and Yixiao turned to stare at him in unison. "Guyu?" Though Feng Suige sounded surprised, Fu Yixiao's reaction was outright shock.
Delighted by the attention, Guyu happily continued, "Or the maidservants... or the cooks..." Yixiao had already collapsed into laughter, sliding off her chair, while a vein pulsed on Feng Suige's forehead. Suppressing Guyu's further suggestions, he dragged Yixiao to a secluded corner outside the pavilion.
"Idiot!" Feng Suige growled before capturing her lips in a fierce kiss. Between breaths, he murmured, "I hadn't planned... to tell you this... but seeing you so... heartlessly oblivious... I feared you'd truly auction me off without noticing..."
Yixiao's clumsy reciprocation disrupted Feng Suige's rhythm, his hand settling possessively at her waist as his expression softened. "Once this matter concludes," he whispered, "I'll properly compensate you with a new wedding night." Flushed but clear-eyed, Yixiao glared. "Can't you think of anything else?—You hadn't finished speaking earlier. Don't change the subject."
"Listen, Yixiao. Father's intention is... if Marquis Dengxin wins the archery competition, I might—" "Another political marriage," Yixiao completed steadily. "Is that it?"
Feng Suige nodded, flashing a roguish grin. "If you don't want to see me entangled with another woman, you'll have to win this match for me. I protected you before—now it's your turn to protect me."
Yixiao studied him intently before suddenly baring her teeth. "Don't even dream of it." Without waiting for his reaction, she laughed and pushed him away, darting off.
During the tournament's intermission, a burly warrior approached Feng Suige's pavilion and knelt thunderously before it, his voice echoing across the grounds. "This subject, Huan Xiang, seeks instruction from the Minor Imperial Concubine!"
The arena erupted in uproar. Even Feng Qishan turned in surprise—Huan Xiang, demoted and stripped of wealth after the wedding banquet due to Xia Jingshi's influence, saw this Martial Arts Tournament as his chance for redemption. Yet none anticipated his direct challenge to Fu Yixiao.
As Yixiao moved to rise, Feng Suige seized her wrist. "Guyu," he commanded sharply, "you go." Guyu stepped forward obediently and began his characteristically slow march toward the arena.Huan Xiang was taken aback for a moment but dared not contradict Feng Suige. Hesitantly, he said, "Your subordinate..." Feng Suige smiled faintly, "If you can defeat Guyu, then challenge Yixiao!"
"Guyu should be fine, right?" Yixiao asked with slight unease. Feng Suige crossed his legs and leaned back against the chair with ease. "Don't worry, with his bravery, handling Huan Xiang will be effortless for him."
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