Меn аre prоnе tо lеаving shadows in their hеаrts—whether it's thе first persоn thеу еvеr likеd or somеone they yeаrnеd for but сould nеvеr hаvе, such figurеs еаsilу оcсupy a рlаcе within them, transforming intо a purе, bright moonlight. Тhе vibrаnt реорle theу еncоuntеr lаter аre likе frеshly bloоmеd flowеrs, captivаting them with their fragrаnсе and bеauty, stirring their hеаrts with а desirе tо роssеss аnd spеnd thе rest оf their livеs with them.
Evеn somеоnе as сlеvеr аs First Prince Yin Gеzhi could not escаpe this fatе of men. Сlutching thе lеtter in his hаnd, he nearly crushed it as he stepped into Zhaowu Palace.
"Brother, why are you standing outside the door?" Nan Ping, who was chatting with Feng Yue, glanced over and saw the figure at the entrance. She chuckled, "What's wrong? You look lost."
Yin Gezhi’s expression remained impassive. After glancing at Feng Yue, he finally crumpled the letter in his hand and shoved it haphazardly into Guan Zhi’s grasp.
"It’s nothing."
Nan Ping gave him a puzzled look before turning back to Feng Yue, eagerly asking, "Are there really people on the streets who can breathe fire?"
"Of course," Feng Yue replied, delighted to have found a peer she could chat with. She smiled brightly, "They can even walk on blades and dive into boiling oil! Those who wander the martial world rely on such skills to make a living."
Eyes filled with envy, Princess Nan Ping sighed, "I really wish I could go out of the palace to see it all!"
"If Your Highness wishes to go out, why not seek His Majesty’s permission?" Feng Ming chimed in immediately upon hearing this, "The Emperor has always doted on you, so he’s sure to agree!"
"But..." Nan Ping hesitated, twisting her handkerchief nervously. "Father often says there are many bad people outside, and it’s dangerous. When Second Brother went out of the palace before, he was nearly assassinated. He almost got hurt."
"If you truly wish to go out, request permission to visit the Prince of Filial Piety's Mansion. I’ll take you to the streets then," Yin Gezhi murmured softly.
Her eyes lit up, and Nan Ping immediately brightened, leaping up to throw herself into Yin Gezhi’s arms. "Brother truly dotes on Nan Ping the most!"
Gently stroking her hair, Yin Gezhi said calmly, "Who else would I dote on if not you? You’re almost of marriageable age. Soon, someone else will take over doting on you."
At this mention, Nan Ping blushed slightly, glancing shyly at Feng Ming.
Feng Yue followed her gaze and raised an eyebrow.
Feng Ming’s face turned pale, and he said solemnly, "This humble officer also hopes the princess will find a suitable husband who will willingly care for her for the rest of her life."
Hearing this, Yin Gezhi frowned and shot him a displeased look. Nan Ping was taken aback, feeling a bit hurt.
What was wrong with her? Why could Feng Ming accompany her in playing chess and taking walks, yet not marry her?
The atmosphere grew awkward for a moment. Feng Yue remained silent, then suddenly clapped her hands together with a crisp sound!
Everyone turned to look at her, only to see her beaming brightly as she said, "Since the princess wishes to go out of the palace, and it’s still early, it’s a good time to seek permission. Let’s hurry. There’s a market on the streets today, much livelier than usual!"
Her straightforward way of lightening the mood left the others momentarily stunned. Then Feng Ming quickly chimed in, "Right, Your Highness and Your Highness should go seek permission first."
Yin Gezhi pursed his lips, took Nan Ping’s hand, and stood up to leave. Glancing at Feng Yue, he said, "Wait at the North Xuan Gate."Feng Yue nodded, then stood up with Feng Ming, remaining in place until everyone else had left before following the palace attendant toward the North Xuan Gate.
"How did you end up in the palace?" Feng Ming muttered in a hushed voice along the way. "The palace is so dangerous. What if someone recognizes you..."
"Do you think I wanted to?" Rolling her eyes, Feng Yue replied irritably, "It's all because you two made such a huge scene. Guan Zhi dragged me into the carriage without a word, not even giving me time to put on a fake beard."
Scratching his head, Feng Ming shrugged. "Don't blame me. He's been in a foul mood lately. In the past, no matter how you provoked him, he wouldn't get angry. Now he's like an inflated leather bag—prick it, and it bursts."
"General," Feng Yue shook her head. "From what I know of you, your words aren't just a prick—they're like hacking with a knife. Even a stone would crack under your blows, let alone a leather bag."
Feng Ming paused, his eyes welling up with emotion. "You actually understand me so well?"
Feng Yue: "..."
She blew a puff of air upward from her lower lip, wiped her face, and couldn't help but say, "I used to think Yin Gezhi was truly difficult to deal with—deep-minded and fond of scheming. But after returning to the country and meeting you, General, I realized that some people are hard to handle even without using their brains."
Feng Ming's face darkened. "Are you calling me stupid?"
"Oh, you actually understood that?"
"If I couldn't even understand that, I'd be an idiot!" Angrily raising a hand, Feng Ming pretended to hit her. Feng Yue reacted swiftly, darting forward and grabbing the leading eunuch, winking and saying, "Run! The general's gone mad!"
The palace attendant, bewildered and frightened, immediately ran with her! Feng Ming, behind them, chuckled but then put on a stern face, chasing after them angrily while shouting, "Don't run!"
If she still had her martial arts skills, she wouldn't run. But now she didn't. Anyone who didn't run in this situation would be a fool! Grinning, Feng Yue dragged the eunuch by his collar and ran far ahead until they encountered Imperial Guards patrolling an intersection.
"Halt! Who dares to act recklessly in the palace?"
Startled by the halberd, Feng Yue shrank her neck and immediately backed down, stopping and pushing the panting eunuch forward from behind.
"This servant... from Zhaowu Palace, under the orders of Princess Nan Ping and Prince Xiao, is escorting someone to the North Xuan Gate," the eunuch gasped, his face drooping as he glanced back.
The Imperial Guard frowned. Seeing Feng Yue still wearing a veil and acting suspiciously, he stepped forward to investigate closely.
"What are you doing!" Feng Ming caught up, grabbing the guard's hand, his expression truly darkening. "You dare to offend a guest of Princess Nan Ping?"
Startled, the guard quickly knelt. "General Feng, we were merely performing our duties. This person..."
"I don't care about your duties," Feng Ming said displeased. "This person is under my protection by the princess's order. If you touch her, you touch me. If you really want to act, why not fight me? If you beat me, I'll let you pull off her veil!"
Cold sweat beaded on their foreheads. The guards exchanged glances, fell silent, and finally obediently stepped aside.
Feng Yue almost laughed. Someone like Feng Ming, who didn't follow rules, could be a headache at times, but he could also be refreshing—shattering all constraints with his fists, and if anyone disagreed, they could just fight again. Unrestrained, free-spirited, and untamed.
So much like her former self.Finding him somewhat agreeable, Feng Yue continued walking and said, "Didn't you say last time you wanted a piece of clothing? I can't make clothes, but I can embroider a handkerchief for you. Since you sweat a lot, how about an embroidery of a mountain monster that cures sweating?"
Feng Ming nodded without hesitation. "Alright, if there's no clothing, a handkerchief will do. I'll take good care of it."
Feng Yue nodded, thinking she might as well go to the street to buy a plain handkerchief and some embroidery thread to take back.
After waiting at the North Xuan Gate for a while, Yin Gezhi and Nan Ping came out. Nan Ping had changed into casual clothes and was bouncing around, looking extremely happy and even forgetting her royal demeanor. She ran over and grabbed Feng Yue's hand, her eyes shining brightly. "Father agreed! I can go out!"
"That's good." Feng Yue smiled and nodded, glancing at the elegant Prince Yin walking behind them. Without waiting for him, she took Princess Nan Ping's hand and left the palace gate.
However, the carriage would wait for him. Yin Gezhi leisurely boarded the carriage, glanced at Feng Yue sitting with Nan Ping, narrowed his eyes, and sat on the other side with Feng Ming, looking somewhat disdainful.
"Where should we go first?" Nan Ping asked excitedly. "I want to see fire-breathing, visit the market, and see how ordinary people live their daily lives!"
Yin Gezhi nodded calmly. "Let's see the fire-breathing you mentioned first. It happens to be in the market, surrounded by commoners, so you can see enough."
Having grown up in the palace, the princess was completely unaware of the world outside, only hearing from her father and palace attendants about how prosperous and peaceful the Wei Kingdom was. Now that she finally had the chance to see it with her own eyes, she naturally had high expectations.
However, the streets outside were completely different from what she had imagined.
"Why are these people... all dressed in rags?" Nan Ping lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside, puzzled. "If their clothes are torn, why don't they change into better ones?"
Feng Yue followed her gaze and said, "They are refugees displaced by the war. With frequent battles at the border, people are bound to flee to other places. It's not that they don't want to change their clothes—they simply don't have the money to buy better ones."
Nan Ping opened her mouth in surprise and looked at her royal brother. "Didn't Father say the people live in peace and prosperity? Aren't refugees considered people?"
Yin Gezhi looked at Nan Ping with a complicated expression, thought for a moment, and then closed his eyes. "Refugees are naturally also people. Whether Father's words are credible or not, you might as well see for yourself."
Biting her lip, Nan Ping continued looking outside. Many people were crouching or lying by the street, dirty and emitting a faint, unpleasant odor. Up ahead, where it was livelier, government officials stood guard, specifically preventing these people from passing through.
"That area is the market," Yin Gezhi said. "If you want to see the excitement, we can go to the teahouse nearby."
"...Alright."
Half of her initial excitement from leaving the palace had faded. Nan Ping pursed her lips and followed them out of the carriage and upstairs to the teahouse. Then, she leaned against the windowsill and looked outside.
There were indeed fire-breathing performers in the market, and she was mesmerized. Many commoners gathered around, cheering and applauding, but the copper gong placed beside the performers held only a few copper coins.
"Those people are cheering, so why don't they give more money?" Nan Ping turned back curiously and looked at her royal brother. "With just this little, the fire-breathing performers won't even have enough to eat."Reaching out to take some broken silver, Yin Gezhi handed it to her: "Then you go down and give it."
Her eyes lighting up, Nan Ping immediately took the silver and ran downstairs, with the guards nearby quickly following. Seeing the crowd below and knowing Nan Ping was naive and innocent, Feng Yue felt a bit uneasy and simply followed her down, leaving the two men upstairs to drink tea.
Pushing through the crowd, Nan Ping carefully placed the broken silver into the copper gong, seeing the stunned look in the money collector's eyes. She sincerely praised: "You all are truly amazing!"
Crouching beside the copper gong was a white-haired old woman. Upon hearing these words, tears welled up in her eyes, and she knelt down to kowtow to her: "Thank you, honored guest!"
"This won't do!" Nan Ping was so frightened she hid behind Feng Yue, pointing at the old woman with wide eyes and saying: "She's so old, how can she kneel to me?"
Feng Yue couldn't help but laugh. In her heart, she found this princess adorable and quickly helped the old woman up for her.
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