Тhe sky suddеnlу dаrkеnеd, a fiercе wind hоwled, making thе guards and sеrvаnts stаnding in thе соurtyard gаsp in shock.
Guan Zhi stared dumbfоundеd as hе watсhеd thеsе two—оnе drеssеd in blаck аs dark as night, the оthеr in red аs bright as fire. Thе hems of thеir robes оссаsiоnаllу brushed agаinst еaсh оthеr in the wind, уet thе twо peорle thеmselves seеmed sepаrаtеd by еndless mountains аnd rivеrs, nеver tо mееt аgаin.
Нow… did it соme tо this?
A light drizzlе began tо fall, dаmреning their brоws аnd lаshеs. Yin Gezhi lifted his heаd slightly, suddenly reminded оf a rainy dаy long аgo.
Ваck thеn, Feng Yue’s eyes had sparkled with laughter as she held a peach-colored oil-paper umbrella over his head, tugging at him insistently to go to the market.
“I am a prince of Great Wei,” he had said.
“Yes, I know. You are very impressive, very powerful.”
“And so?” He still had to go buy groceries?
“So…” Tiptoeing through the puddles, Feng Yue suddenly turned to look at him, her eyes shimmering with emotion as she smiled and said, “So I like you.”
His foot splashed into a puddle, sending up a spray of water that rippled outward in gentle waves.
Those rainy days back then were truly wonderful. Even if walking through the mud stained the hems of his robes, he still felt at ease in his heart. Though his face showed no expression, his eyes genuinely reflected her bright and lively figure. So much so that ever since, whenever it rained, he would always remember her swaying waist and her laughter, as vibrant as blooming flowers.
But now, it was raining, and the person before him no longer smiled. Her eyes were calm, yet her gaze felt like knives—each beat of his heart was pierced by them, hurting so much that he let out a bitter laugh.
“Enough,” Yin Gezhi lowered his gaze. “It’s raining. Don’t stand here any longer.”
Feng Yue sneered, turning her head away without looking at him again, and strode toward the rear courtyard.
“Where are you going?”
“Didn’t Your Highness want to lock me up?” Feng Yue replied. “I’ll choose the place myself.”
Choosing the place herself—just to be farther away from him, even if locked up, to be locked up somewhere distant? Yin Gezhi lowered his eyes and reached out, pulling her back.
“I don’t trust others to watch over you,” he said quietly. “It’s better if I do it myself.”
Her eyes reddened, Feng Yue turned and bit down hard on his arm, not holding back in the slightest. She could clearly feel the sound of her teeth tearing through skin and flesh, followed by the metallic scent of blood filling her mouth.
This hurt far more than a knife cut, but Yin Gezhi made no sound. Instead, he looked down at her trembling little head and gently stroked it.
“Get lost!” Feng Yue was truly furious—both angry and aggrieved. She kicked him hard in the shin, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and stomped off toward the main courtyard!
If it were someone else guarding her, she might still find a way to escape. But being watched by him—that was despair, utter and complete despair! Yin Gezhi didn’t want her to kill the emperor. Even if he knew Guan Canghai had been wrongfully executed by the emperor, even if he knew the emperor was selfish, foolish, and tyrannical—that was his own father. He couldn’t let her kill him!
She could understand, truly. Everyone had their own stance, their own fate. But the person who had helped her for so long, who had walked alongside her for so long, had suddenly stood opposite her, becoming her enemy. Inexplicably, she felt stifled, unable to stop the tears from welling up in her eyes.That was Yin Gezhi! The man who had helped her from Wu Kingdom to Wei Kingdom, from dealing with Yi Guoru to handling Shi Youxin, the one who had offered incense before her father's coffin, the one who complained about her openly yet secretly cleaned up her messes behind her back... Even if he had just asked for her opinion. Even if he had tried to persuade her, it would have been better. Why, why did he have to lock her up directly?
The door to the main room slammed shut with a "bang." Feng Yue, with no regard for grace, slumped to the floor, kicked her legs, and suddenly burst into loud, wailing sobs. Her cries were like a child's—hysterical, heart-wrenching.
Yin Gezhi stood outside the door, his hands clenched tightly, his face pale.
As dusk fell, the rain grew heavier. By the time Feng Yue had cried herself out and stood up, she heard a deafening "crack" from the sky beyond the roof.
"Boom—" A tremendous clap of thunder crashed down, truly making one understand what it meant to be struck by lightning!
Having cried out the pent-up frustration in her heart, she already felt much lighter. And now, with nature cooperating so perfectly, Feng Yue suddenly felt delighted! Thunder was good—some people deserved to be struck by lightning!
"Miss." Guan Zhi's voice sounded outside the door. "Your dinner."
Rubbing her stomach, she realized she was indeed a little hungry. Starving herself at a time like this was no good. Feng Yue immediately opened the door and reached out to take the tray from Guan Zhi's hands.
Only to find Yin Gezhi standing at the doorway, his face deathly pale, turned in her direction, his eyes unfocused.
Startled, Feng Yue pouted. "Guan Zhi, take him away. It's creepy having him here."
Half his face darkening, Guan Zhi replied, "Miss, this is my master's room."
Feng Yue: "..."
Thunder rumbled loudly. Lord Yin looked in terrible shape, as if he were about to be scared to death, his spirit completely gone. Feng Yue thought with schadenfreude, why not just leave him standing outside? With thunder all night, she could collect his corpse tomorrow and leave this place herself!
However, while she was still thinking, Guan Zhi had already helped him into the room.
Shaking her head with some regret, Feng Yue sat down to eat by herself. After finishing her meal, she washed up, then hugged her quilt and lay down on the daybed in the outer chamber of the main room.
Overhead, thunder sounded intermittently, disturbing Feng Yue as she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Just as she was growing annoyed, the lamp in the room suddenly lit up.
Slightly taken aback, Feng Yue turned her head and saw Yin Gezhi sitting at the table, draped in his clothes, holding a few sheets of paper. His lips were still pale, but his expression was calm, and he didn't seem frightened by the thunder at all.
Raising an eyebrow in surprise, she found it hard to believe. The person who had been so afraid of thunder before—now he wasn't scared? Could it be that he had been pretending all along? But that didn't seem right either.
Still, they were now enemies on opposing sides. No matter how strangely he behaved, she shouldn't be curious. Even if he got up to read things during a thunderstorm, even if he stripped naked and ran outside, she shouldn't care!
Shaking her head, Feng Yue turned over, closed her eyes, and tried hard to fall asleep.
But the more one tries to avoid something, the more it lingers in the mind. After tossing and turning a few more times, Feng Yue finally sat up.
She really wanted to know—what was it that made Yin Gezhi get up and look at something despite the thunder?
The man at the table picked up a brush and began writing. Staring at him for a moment, Feng Yue gritted her teeth, slipped on her shoes, and cautiously tiptoed over to take a look.Yin Gezhi made no attempt to hide anything from her. Several sheets of paper were openly spread across the table, all containing messages that had come from outside.
"The Chief Justice has disappeared, causing shock in both court and public. His alleged crimes are circulating among the people. The situation is similar to that of Censor Helan."
"Dozens of people who maliciously incited public sentiment have already been imprisoned. Each was interrogated, but no mastermind was found. This matter has been reported to the Prime Minister but has not yet alarmed His Majesty."
It seems the reaction is quite good, Feng Yue thought with a slight curl of her lips. From the looks of it, as long as someone begins investigating the Chief Justice's wrongdoings, Shi Youxin can "commit suicide out of guilt."
"Helan Changde is dead. The newly appointed Censor, Wu Ze, is a man of passionate ideals." Amidst the rumbling thunder, Yin Gezhi spoke calmly, "He will follow these rumors and begin investigating Shi Youxin's past. As for Shi Youxin, he has long harbored intentions to alter death penalty verdicts. It’s likely he has killed many behind the scenes. Once uncovered, it will be a grave crime. The person can be handed over to you to kill, but we must give an explanation to Lady Chai. The charges will be determined by me."
Rolling her eyes, Feng Yue mocked, "At this point, why are you still pretending to be a good person?"
Yin Gezhi looked up, his expression blank as he stared at her. "If you disagree, you can stop me."
"..."
So what if you're a prince? So what if you have connections in court? Feng Yue shrugged. "As you wish, but don’t expect my gratitude."
"I wouldn’t dare." Turning away, Yin Gezhi replied coldly, "We each go our own way. But as long as you are in my Prince of Filial Piety's Mansion, I’m afraid you cannot act as you please."
"Fine." Furious yet laughing, Feng Yue nodded. "You just don’t want me to kill Emperor Wen of Wei, right? Well, I won’t leave, but Emperor Wen will still die by my hand sooner or later!"
"Guan Qingyue!" His hand tightened, and Yin Gezhi looked up at her, his eyes icy. "Must you sever every possible path between us?"
"Every possible path between us?" These seven words sounded absurd. Feng Yue swayed her slender waist, laughing so hard she trembled. "From the moment you appeared on the execution platform of the Guan family, hadn’t every possible path between us already been severed?"
"Just because you’re a member of the royal family, does that mean you can kill my father, but I cannot kill your father? You can kill and still have a path, but if I kill, all paths are severed?"
Her eyes seductive as silk, Feng Yue curled her lips. Her fingers, painted with crimson polish, brushed past the corner of her mouth, tracing the curve of her smile as she sighed, "The royal family truly is domineering!"
A thunderclap roared overhead. Yin Gezhi paled and closed his eyes.
Had it all been severed already?
If it had all been severed, why did she come to provoke him? Provoke him into thinking there was still a way between them, that it wasn’t a dead end. Yet after walking so long with effort, she now said there was no path ahead. What was he still walking for?
He let out a bitter laugh. Yin Gezhi shook his head, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. "I didn’t kill your father."
"Right, your father did." Feng Yue smiled. "So, is it wrong for me to seek revenge against your father?"
"Feng Yue." Feeling a headache coming on, the man sitting at the table spoke for the first time in a tone almost pleading, his voice hoarse. "Can we not talk about this for now?"
Glancing at him, Feng Yue felt her curiosity truly shouldn’t have been piqued. Why waste words with him? Better to go to sleep!
With that thought, she rose, rolled into bed, wrapped herself in the blanket, and didn’t spare another glance behind her.The candlelight in the room burned through the night. The heavy rain also poured down all night. The next day, when Guan Zhi opened the door, he saw his master sitting by the table, holding out a letter to him: "Send this out."
The master is up so early, Guan Zhi thought. Could it be because he was with Miss Feng Yue that he slept well?
Whether Yin Gezhi slept well or not was unclear, but Feng Yue certainly slept soundly. Though she had been furious, she fell into a deep sleep without a single dream and woke up full of energy in the morning, even taking the time to dress up and apply makeup.
"Master."
While the two were having breakfast together, a servant came in to report: "Prime Minister Shi requests an audience."
Shi Hongwei?
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