Нmm, thе аge to mаrrу. Yin Gеzhi nоddеd: "Then we must саrefully find а suitable fаmilу fоr уоu."
Нearing his wоrds, Yi Zhangzhu's face fell, her liрs trеmbling slightly аs teаrs quiсklу wеlled uр in hеr еуеs: "Brоther Yin, you..."
"Нmm?" Yin Gеzhi was uttеrly confusеd: "What? Did I saу something wrоng?"
Нis stаtеmеnt сlеarly shоwеd he hаdn't еvеn cоnsiderеd mаrrying her himsеlf! Yi Zhаngzhu felt еxtremelу wronged, standing thеrе sоbbing, pulling оut a handkerсhiеf tо cоvеr hеr сhin аs tеars strеаmed dоwn her fаce.
Lоoking аt hеr, Yin Gеzhi's first thought wаsn't whу shе wаs crying agаin, but—why was she covеring her chin to сry agаin, without а singlе droр of snot? It looked pretty, yes, but not moving at all. If one was going to cry, they should cry shamelessly like Feng Yue, with tears and snot all over their face. That looked truly heartbroken, and it would be easier for him to be moved.
Shaking his head, Yin Gezhi remained silent for a moment before finally reaching out to hand her a handkerchief, saying softly: "Don't cry. Marriage is a common affair; it's good as long as you find a suitable husband."
The suitable husband I want is you! The more Yi Zhangzhu listened, the harder she cried. She couldn't understand why Brother Yin was always so oblivious, no matter how many hints she dropped. She didn't know whether he truly didn't understand or was pretending not to, but it was truly hurtful!
Furious and wanting to leave, but thinking of how differently he usually treated her, Yi Zhangzhu felt he must not have understood. Too embarrassed to say more, yet unwilling to give up, she sighed deeply and gritted her teeth to ask: "Brother Yin, do you like Zhu'er?"
"I do."
Frowning at him, Yi Zhangzhu's tears kept falling: "Do you know what liking someone means?"
What does liking someone mean? Yin Gezhi paused slightly, looking at her with confusion.
Yi Zhangzhu cried as she said: "Putting everything else aside, if someone you liked was going to marry someone else, you would never stand by idly and wish her to find a suitable husband!"
Is that liking someone? Yin Gezhi scoffed; it was merely a man's simple possessiveness. He wouldn't stand by idly if Feng Yue were to marry someone else either—did that mean he liked her too?
At the thought of that little vixen possibly one day wearing a wedding dress and being carried into someone else's home, Yin Gezhi narrowed his eyes, a sudden flash of ferocity appearing in his gaze.
"Brother Yin?" Yi Zhangzhu asked discontentedly: "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing." Lowering his eyes, Yin Gezhi said: "Don't overthink things."
With that, he turned to leave.
Yi Zhangzhu's expression suddenly turned strange as she watched his retreating figure, asking softly: "Is it really because of Miss Feng Yue?"
His footsteps halted, and Yin Gezhi turned back, baffled: "Because of her what?"
"Ever since she arrived, Brother Yin has completely changed toward Zhu'er." Yi Zhangzhu frowned: "Zhu'er doesn't like her; she doesn't seem like a good person."
Indeed, she isn't a good person. Yin Gezhi nodded seriously: "I don't like her either."
"Then why do you keep her by your side?" Yi Zhangzhu asked indignantly.
"She's useful."
"What use could a mere woman possibly have?" Yi Zhangzhu laughed bitterly in anger, wiping away her tears, her eyes burning as she said: "How could she compare to me? If you married me, Brother Yin could return to the Wei Kingdom, and our marriage would serve as a union between two nations. That's much more reliable than being a hostage."
Return to the Wei Kingdom? Yin Gezhi frowned, glancing at her.Yi Zhangzhu felt she had hit upon something he cared about, and immediately gained some confidence. "Father said, if we were to marry, we could return to the Wei Kingdom. From then on, there would be no war between Wu and Wei, and we could even join forces against common enemies."
Yi Guoru truly doted on this daughter. For the sake of her lifelong happiness, he was willing to offer such favorable conditions. If he were an ordinary hostage, he would have happily agreed by now, embracing the beauty and returning to his homeland.
However, when he would return to the Wei Kingdom was for him to decide. There was no need for others to worry about it.
"Something must have happened in the mansion recently," Yin Gezhi turned his head away and abruptly changed the subject. "I noticed the guards have tightened security again."
Yi Zhangzhu was stunned, completely unable to understand why he was no longer discussing marriage. Didn't he want to return to the Wei Kingdom?
After a moment of confusion, she pursed her lips and still replied, "We have guests in the mansion. Father said it's for safety, so he increased the number of guards."
"Guests from where?"
"I don't know, and Father didn't say. He only forbade anyone from approaching the West Courtyard."
The West Courtyard. Yin Gezhi nodded and continued following the servant toward the courtyard where he would be staying, leaving Yi Zhangzhu standing alone in place, her eyes filled with bewilderment.
Based on the map Feng Yue had provided and the guard situation in the mansion, Yin Gezhi quickly planned the time and route for his departure. Stealing someone from the West Courtyard wouldn't be difficult, but this time, leaving the mansion would likely alert Yi Guoru, making it a considerable risk.
Accustomed to acting alone, he never considered leaving himself a way out, even in the most difficult situations. So, sitting in the room until nightfall, Yin Gezhi removed the white robe Feng Yue had sewn for him, obediently put on his night attire, pushed open the window, and vanished into the darkness.
The guards in the General's Mansion changed shifts every half hour, with handovers at intersections throughout the grounds. Yin Gezhi skillfully timed his movements, moving silently all the way to the West Courtyard.
Yi Zhangzhu truly seemed sent by heaven to help him, each time thoroughly betraying Yi Guoru. The child of the Yang Fengpeng family was indeed in the West Courtyard. As soon as he approached, he could hear the heart-wrenching cries.
Without even needing to search, Yin Gezhi directly infiltrated the room where the crying was coming from, knocked out the nanny accompanying the child, picked up the child, and left.
However, there was one problem he hadn't considered—the Yang family's young master had been crying incessantly, his wails echoing loudly. Carrying him out like this was equivalent to beating a drum and clanging a gong to alert all the guards: "Come quickly, I'm stealing a child!"
His face turning ashen, Yin Gezhi looked at the infant in his arms and instantly felt a headache coming on.
The Yang family's young master was already frightened, and seeing Yin Gezhi's face only made him more terrified. He cried so hard that his tonsils were visible, tears streaming down his cheeks.
What to do? With such a young child, it was hard to control the force if he tried to knock him out—he might end up killing him outright. Yin Gezhi frowned, his expression stern as he reached out and pinched the child's mouth shut. "Stop crying!"
The young master of the Yang family widened his eyes, whimpered twice, and howled even louder.
The illustrious First Prince Yin, who had never flinched in the face of thousands of troops, had now been defeated by a mere infant. His arms stiffened as he held the child, and he tried rocking him gently, but the baby showed no appreciation.There was no time to worry about that anymore; if he kept crying, others would surely come to investigate. Taking a deep breath, Yin Gezhi covered the boy's mouth and swiftly dashed outside.
Once they were airborne, the young master of the Yang family was stunned. He stopped crying and stared in astonishment at the courtyard below.
Yin Gezhi breathed a huge sigh of relief and hurriedly carried him across the rooftops, treading lightly. After two mid-air somersaults, he landed steadily beneath the wall of the General's Mansion!
Finally, they were almost out. Yin Gezhi felt relieved and was about to clear this last obstacle when, unexpectedly, the little master in his arms let out an earth-shattering wail: "Waaah—"
In an instant, lights lit up throughout the General's Mansion. The First Prince gritted his teeth and, without a second thought, immediately leaped over the city wall.
"Seize him!" The guards of the General's Mansion reacted swiftly, some leaping over the wall, others rushing out through the gates, all heading straight for him.
Yin Gezhi clenched his teeth and couldn't help but growl fiercely, "If you keep crying, I won't take you to see your parents!"
The young master of the Yang family paused. Thinking it had worked, Yin Gezhi quickly ducked into a nearby alley.
But in the next moment, the little brat let out an even more ferocious howl.
After all, children weren't like Feng Yue—scaring them wouldn't work. But the First Prince didn't know how to coax a child, so he could only grimace and tuck the boy under his arm as he continued to flee.
The silent Shadowless City was illuminated by the child's cries. Wherever the wailing went, lights flickered on. For the first time, Yin Gezhi felt somewhat powerless—there was nowhere to hide, and he couldn't shake off the people closing in from all directions.
Just as he was considering whether to knock the child unconscious, he noticed a carriage parked by the roadside, its curtain lifted.
"Your Highness, come up quickly." Feng Yue's face looked especially beautiful in the darkness of the night. She smiled warmly and extended her hand toward him.
Yin Gezhi was momentarily stunned, then quickly handed the troublesome child to her before climbing into the carriage himself.
Ganjiang drove the carriage, speeding toward the eastern city gate.
"Little darling, don't cry anymore," Feng Yue gently patted his back, soothing him softly. "We'll take you to see your mother and father soon, and there will be delicious candied hawthorns. Sister isn't a bad person."
Her eyes were lowered, and her movements were gentle. Yin Gezhi, sitting across from her, was momentarily captivated.
The young master of the Yang family actually stopped crying, though he still sniffled and looked at her with a pitiful expression. His small hands clutched her clothes tightly, unwilling to let go, and he glanced warily back at Yin Gezhi.
Feng Yue chuckled softly and patted his head, whispering, "This big brother isn't a bad person either. He just looks fierce. He saved you, didn't he?"
The little master nodded blankly and stopped crying. Without hesitation, he nestled into Feng Yue's arms, holding onto her tightly.
Yin Gezhi narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
Why was he so unruly in his arms but so well-behaved and quiet in a woman's embrace?
"Your Highness is too fierce," Feng Yue blinked and said. "Children can't handle being scared."
Yin Gezhi looked up at her and suddenly realized something. "Why are you here?"
"This servant knew you wouldn't be able to handle a child, so I had Lingshu prepare a way out of the city earlier and waited here for you," Feng Yue smiled. "This task isn't easy. General Yi is suspicious and decisive. You must get off at the next intersection and return to the General's Mansion. This servant will take responsibility for escorting the young master out of the city to ensure everything goes smoothly."Frowning slightly, Yin Gezhi was somewhat displeased. "Did you already think I couldn't accomplish this alone?"
"It's not shameful if one person can't do it," Feng Yue shrugged. "Didn't the goddess Nüwa put so many people in this world precisely so we could help each other survive?"
But Lord Yin was very dissatisfied—it made him seem incompetent.
"Alright, you should go now," Feng Yue smiled. "General Yi still needs you to handle him carefully."
As she spoke, she reached out, pinched his collar, and pulled him close, planting a firm kiss on his lips.
The young master of the Yang family was still in her arms, looking up in confusion at the two elegantly shaped chins.
OpenNovel