Nаn Рing аlso had this feеling. Аfter all, thоugh her eldеr brоthеr hаd аlwаys beеn cold and exprеssiоnless in thе pаst, аnd hаd еven rеsistеd thеir fаthеr—such аs in the matter оf сhoоsing his own consоrt—the currеnt Crown Рrinсе sееmеd tо have соmplеtеlу lost fаith in their fаthеr. Therе wаs no lоnger even а trace оf thе fоrmer rеspect in his tоnе.
Сurious аbоut thе rеаsоn, she quiсklу tugged аt her еlder brothеr’s sleеvе аnd askеd with а sеriоus exprеssion as they walkеd, “Has somеthing hapрenеd bеtweеn you and Father?”
Princess Nan Ping was also born of the former empress and had always been close to Yin Gezhi, so his attitude toward her was gentle.
“What kind of person do you think Father is?” he asked.
Princess Nan Ping clenched her fists, her face filled with reverence. “He distinguishes clearly between good and evil, upright and incorruptible. Father is a wise ruler of his generation!”
Seeing her expression, Yin Gezhi let out a soft laugh.
“Elder… elder brother?” Nan Ping was startled, shrinking her neck nervously. “Though your smile is beautiful, what are you laughing at?”
Shaking his head lightly, a stray lock of hair fell across his temple. Yin Gezhi closed his eyes and whispered, “I’m laughing at myself.”
Once, someone had asked him the same question, and his expression when answering must have been as foolish as Nan Ping’s now. No wonder Grand Academician Ji had smiled without speaking at the time—he had even thought the man disrespectful toward their father. Now, looking back, perhaps he should go to his grave and kowtow a few times.
Why would he be willing to deceive those closest to him? Had Father never considered that if one day his sons and daughters discovered the truth, they would hate him?
Or perhaps he thought that, as the emperor, those who obeyed him would prosper, while those who opposed him would perish—hatred or not, it didn’t matter.
“Elder brother…” Seeing his expression, Nan Ping’s voice trembled slightly, and her pink palace dress swayed along with her. “Don’t be like this…”
“It’s nothing.” Coming back to his senses, Yin Gezhi said, “Don’t think too much about it. Stay quietly in the palace. If you get bored, go to Prince Xiao’s residence to find your elder brother. The rest is not something a young lady should worry about.”
Nodding with partial understanding, Nan Ping obediently held onto his sleeve as they walked together toward the imperial pharmacy.
The emperor woke half an hour later. Upon learning he had been poisoned, he flew into a rage! Zhao Xu hurriedly brought his men into the palace, kneeling outside Emperor Wen of Wei’s bedchamber and kowtowing.
“Your Majesty, all the pastries I presented had been tasted beforehand! The poison Your Majesty ingested must have nothing to do with the Grand Commandant’s Mansion!”
While Zhao Xu was still shouting outside, the imperial physician examined the emperor’s ink-stained hands, washing the ink off with water to test it.
“Found it. The poison was in the ink,” the physician sighed. “With ink on your hands, how could you eat?”
The Crown Prince sighed. “Father is refined and loves literature. He has always believed that ink is not dirty. When writing in the imperial study, he never washes his hands even if they are stained with ink. But such a habit… I’m afraid only someone very close to him would know and use it to plot against him.”
Upon hearing this, Emperor Wen of Wei flew into a rage. Without even putting on his shoes, he struggled to get out of bed and, supported by a eunuch, walked out of his bedchamber. “Zhao Xu!”
“Your Majesty!” Zhao Xu’s face was full of grievance. “How could I possibly harbor any intention to harm Your Majesty? How could I?”
“The poison was in the ink from your mansion, and the assassins were also from your mansion. How can you expect me to believe you!” Clutching his stomach in anger, Emperor Wen of Wei’s face grew even more unpleasant. “I trusted you so much, yet if I hadn’t brought Prince Xiao with me today, would I have died right there in your mansion?”
“I am wronged, Your Majesty! Those assassins…”"Did you catch the assassin?"
"..." Zhao Xu buried his head, knocking it against the ground.
"Then what face do you have to speak to Us!" Stomping his foot, Emperor Wen of Wei said, "Guards! Take Zhao Xu to the Grand Commandant's office and have the three judicial departments investigate the Grand Commandant's Mansion thoroughly for Us!"
"Yes!"
Yin Gezhi stood to the side, watching Zhao Xu below, who was filled with anger and grievance as he knocked his head against the ground, and suddenly understood Feng Yue's meaning.
What a petty person she was—unwilling to let Zhao Xu die under the charges he deserved, she insisted on framing him, wronging him, making him taste the same bitterness Guan Canghai had endured back then.
Isn't kicking someone when they're down quite satisfying? Then let him experience how it feels to have stones thrown at him!
A dark glint flashed in his eyes. Yin Gezhi smiled, finding it quite amusing—much more interesting than exhausting his words trying to persuade the emperor to act justly. Look how furious Emperor Wen of Wei was now.
Suddenly, he missed Feng Yue terribly, wanting to pinch her slender waist, press her into his embrace, watch her fox-like eyes dart around, and see her smug smile after her schemes succeeded. Or perhaps she would lift her chin proudly and say, "This time, I won."
That expression would surely be captivating.
Shifting slightly to conceal an awkward reaction, Yin Gezhi turned his head and calmly asked his father, "May I leave the palace now?"
Considering his merit in protecting the emperor this time, Emperor Wen of Wei stared at him for a moment before waving his hand. "Go ahead."
After bowing, Yin Gezhi left quickly. Initially mindful of etiquette and decorum, he didn't even take a carriage once he exited the palace gates, heading straight for Feng Yue's courtyard.
What would the scene in the courtyard be like now? Would a group of people be celebrating, drinking? With pleasant imaginings, Yin Gezhi stepped through the courtyard gate.
Instead, he saw Feng Yue sitting quietly in the courtyard, looking at something, with Feng Ming standing beside her, his gaze fixed intently on her. The scene, the atmosphere—it was like a beauty admiring a painting, while the hero regarded the beauty as the painting, watching even more intently.
A person's mood can sometimes change drastically with just a little stimulation. For instance, just now, Prince Xiao, whose eyes had been shining brightly, now stood at the entrance, his face as dark as if smeared with charcoal.
Noticing someone's arrival, Feng Ming turned his head and raised an eyebrow. "Your Highness? You're unharmed?"
Taking a deep breath, Yin Gezhi stepped inside with a composed expression. "General Feng, are you hoping something happened to me?"
Feng Yue also saw him, her eyes lighting up as she covered her mouth with a sly smile. "I thought Your Highness was too embarrassed to come after losing."
Indeed, she was as smug as he had imagined, but why did this smugness irritate him so much? Yin Gezhi closed his eyes. His hands inside his sleeves clenched and relaxed repeatedly as he slowly walked to the table and sat down. "I helped you, and all I get in return are these few words of mockery?"
"Hehe," Feng Yue chuckled twice. She had naturally heard about what he said to the emperor at the Grand Commandant's Mansion. The story of Emperor Song Hui and Lei Yi—truly ruthless. It had perfectly set the stage for the assassination and framing she arranged later. Otherwise, the emperor's trust in Zhao Xu wouldn't have wavered so quickly.
"Your Highness exaggerates. Come, have some tea." She quickly handed him a teacup and casually poured one for Feng Ming as well. "General, why are you still standing? Sit with us."
Feng Ming smiled, stroking his chin. "At least you have a conscience. I thought once His Highness arrived, you'd ignore me.""Did you eat sour plum cake today?" Feng Yue rolled her eyes at him. "A grown man, yet your words are so sour."
"Indeed." Yin Gezhi picked up his teacup, his tone sinister. "Utterly lacking the demeanor a soldier should have."
Feng Ming gritted his teeth, sat down, took the tea, and drank it in silence.
"But speaking of which, the success of the Grand Commandant's Mansion affair owes much to the General." Feng Yue said, "I'll send you a gift tomorrow. What would you like?"
Feng Ming curled his lip. "What help did I offer? I just took you to see the Grand Commandant's Mansion."
Feng Yue blinked, smiling meaningfully. "I'm not talking about that favor. I mean the help you gave Lord Yanqing half a year ago, getting a few servants into the Grand Commandant's Mansion."
Yin Gezhi was taken aback. He set down his teacup and looked at her. "You planted people half a year ago?"
"Otherwise, how could it have succeeded?" Feng Yue shrugged. "Even though I left the Wei Kingdom three years ago, I still know what's happening here. Hasn't Your Highness ever wondered how that came to be?"
His expression changed slightly. Yin Gezhi lowered his gaze. "It's a pity you were born a woman."
"Being born a woman isn't a pity. After all, there are still opportunities to go to the battlefield and kill enemies." Grinning, Feng Yue tilted her head and stared at him. "Being wronged is the real pity. Unable to show your face, you can only hide in the shadows, scheming how to take revenge."
Three years after leaving the Wei Kingdom, she had taken a group of people with her, but another group remained in Wei. Those who stayed held low-ranking positions—some were teachers, others stewards in various households. Following her plan, they lurked where they needed to be, methodically carrying out their tasks, waiting for the day they would be of use.
Among them, the few servants in the Grand Commandant's Mansion had been placed there half a year ago, thanks to Feng Ming's recommendation.
Feng Ming was completely unaware of this, thinking he had merely done Lord Yanqing a favor. Little did he know it was part of her web.
Feng Ming was stunned. His brown eyes fixed on Feng Yue, unmoving, his lips slightly parted. After a long pause, he finally said, "...For such a big favor, I want clothes made by your own hands."
Yin Gezhi slammed his teacup onto the table. The bottom of the cup clattered against the saucer, startling Feng Yue into shrinking her shoulders.
Meeting Yin Gezhi's deep, dark eyes, Feng Yue instinctively swallowed and forced a dry laugh toward Feng Ming. "I... I don't know how to make clothes."
"I won't mind." Feng Ming smiled. "Make them however you like, I'll wear them."
"Hahaha... How about I get you a different gift?"
"Why?" Feng Ming frowned. "I just want clothes made by you."
It was a custom among the women of Lidu to make clothes for the ones they loved. He and Feng Yue had known each other for so long, yet she hadn't even given him a handkerchief, let alone clothes. Of course, she used to dislike him, so he couldn't ask for anything. But now, hadn't their relationship improved?
Feng Yue smiled stiffly, wondering how to explain it to him.
Just then, Yin Gezhi's hand slipped, and a full cup of tea spilled all over himself.
"..." Feng Yue looked at him as if he were insane, while Feng Ming was startled. "Your Highness?"
"My clothes are wet." Yin Gezhi stood up, looking at Feng Ming. "If the General has nothing else to attend to, would you escort me back to my residence to change?"Feng Ming's face darkened, thinking, "Why would you need an escort just to change clothes?!"
Yin Gezhi glanced at his empty surroundings, indicating that he hadn't brought a single guard with him.
Even without guards, if there were assassins, wouldn't it be the assassins who needed protection? Huh? Feng Ming frowned, stubbornly refusing to leave. Yin Gezhi sighed, reached out to grab his collar, and dragged him out of the bookstore.
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