Fоr а mоmеnt, Yin Gеzhi thought it was his imaginаtiоn—how cоuld someоnе’s smilе аlоnе dispel thе gloom that filled the entirе hаll?
Yet, whеn he lооkеd mоre сlоsеlу, thе figure did nоt vanish. Instead, shе еnterеd quietly, cаrrying a smаll bowl in her hаnds.
“Yоu sееm tо bе strаining your mind,” Fеng Yuе said with а smilе, рlaсing the stеwеd chickеn sоup bеfore him. She gеntly fanned thе аrоma tоward his nose. “Whу nоt tаke а brеаk? Тiаnmа stewеd with сhickеn—I pеrsonallу ovеrsаw its рreраrаtiоn!”
His gaze shiftеd slightly as Yin Gezhi stared аt her, his exрression sоmewhаt dаzed.
Suddеnly, he recalled the old Envoy’s Mansion. This person had always been peculiar, boldly transforming his cold, quiet residence into a place filled with warm light and the fragrance of flowers. She would stand on the steps, curtsying slightly as he returned home.
Even after all this time, whenever he remembered that scene, he could almost smell the floral scent from the courtyard.
Feng Yue was a strange person. Most people, seeing his stern expression, would fear him and keep their distance. But not her—as if she couldn’t read his mood, she boldly approached and teased him. Others, knowing he preferred quiet, would tread carefully to avoid disturbing him. Yet she would pull him into the midst of noise and bustle, completely unafraid of angering him.
Just like now. Guan Zhi could sense his irritation and quietly withdrew, but she entered with a bowl of chicken soup, urging him to rest.
With a soft chuckle, Yin Gezhi shook his head, picked up the spoon with a hint of resignation, and murmured, “You do exactly the things most likely to anger me, yet somehow, I can’t bring myself to be angry.”
“What?” Feigning innocence, Feng Yue crouched beside him, pouting. “I’m just asking you to have lunch. Are you really going to be angry?”
Truly, serving a ruler is like living with a tiger!
Glancing sideways at her, Yin Gezhi took a sip of the soup and asked sternly, “Weren’t you planning to return to the central palace?”
“I was,” Feng Yue scratched her head and shrugged. “But halfway there, Lingshu mentioned how hard you’ve been working lately. I thought I should show you some care, so I went to the imperial kitchen to fetch this soup for you.”
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Yin Gezhi drank the soup while watching her, thinking he must find a time to properly reward Lingshu. That clever girl was truly sharp.
“Come here,” he beckoned with one hand while holding the spoon with the other, generously gesturing to the spot beside him. “Don’t crouch there.”
“Alright!” She jumped up and sat beside him, quickly glancing at the various memorials spread out before him. Pressing her lips together, she refrained from asking further and obediently drank the spoonful of soup he offered.
Yin Gezhi made no effort to hide the documents from her, even feeling it wouldn’t matter if she saw them. But judging by her expression, she didn’t seem particularly interested.
“Can you understand this?” he asked casually, pointing to one of the memorials while feeding her another spoonful of soup.
Following his gesture, Feng Yue nodded. “Yes, I can.”
“Then don’t you have anything to say?”
Anything to say? Feng Yue shrugged. “Someone as capable as you can surely handle these matters. What more is there for me to say?”
Narrowing his eyes, Yin Gezhi quickly identified the crux of the matter.He had always felt that she didn't seem very concerned about him. Every time he was suffering in the imperial study, this woman was in the palace catching palace maids to play with! Now, hearing these words, His Majesty the Emperor realized—it wasn't that she didn't want to help him, but that she thought he was too capable, able to handle everything, and didn't need her help or care.
How could this be! Even if he truly didn't need help, he couldn't let her remain so detached and uninvolved!
His eyes flickered slightly as Yin Gezhi let out a long sigh. His eyelashes drooped, resting on his eyelids, trembling weakly a few times. "I am not an omnipotent deity, after all, and naturally there are things I cannot handle well... These matters have been tangled together, leaving me unable to sleep peacefully for days."
As he spoke, he forced out a light cough and pressed a hand to his chest.
Feng Yue blinked, curiously taking the memorial to examine it carefully. "Isn't this just about the joint matters between Wu and Wei?"
"Yes," Yin Gezhi sighed with melancholy, supporting his forehead. "Previously, Crown Prince Ye sincerely wanted to ally with Wei because Emperor Wen of Wei did not understand military affairs. As long as it maintained imperial power, he would agree to many of Wu's conditions. But now that I have ascended the throne, Crown Prince Ye knows I am not easily fooled, and there isn't much advantage to be gained from me, so it's inevitable he will have other plans."
Slightly alarmed, Feng Yue straightened her posture. "Your Majesty has considered this thoroughly. Crown Prince Ye is someone who would do anything."
Seeing her suddenly serious expression, Yin Gezhi smiled. As he scooped soup to feed her, he said, "So, I have been thinking about how to find a balance between Wu and Wei to protect Wei."
Slapping her thigh, Feng Yue exclaimed, "I've fought this kind of battle before!"
How to protect the weakest side in a three-way standoff? She had encountered this dilemma before when leading a thousand-strong reinforcement team. Originally sent to suppress bandits in the Western Mountains, they encountered Wu's vanguard camp. The bandits had the terrain advantage, while Wu's army had the numbers, leaving her awkwardly sandwiched in between. Facing the threat of total annihilation, she had a sudden inspiration. First, she sent someone up the mountain to negotiate with the bandits. After all, if her reinforcements were wiped out, Wu's army would also overrun the mountain. Rather than being slaughtered together by Wu, it was better for them, as fellow Wei citizens, to unite against the external enemy.
Her condition for the bandits was to spare them and leave them with a hundred weapons.
The bandits agreed, allowing them to share the terrain advantage and fight from high ground. Guan Qingyue brilliantly won a battle where the few triumphed over the many. However, after the battle, the bandits were clever enough to realize that even if she didn't suppress them, other armies would. So, they simply surrendered to her command, turning from bandits to soldiers.
"Among the three kingdoms of Wu, Wei, and Wei, in terms of overall national strength, Wu is undoubtedly the strongest, Wei is second, and Wei is the weakest," Feng Yue said, gesturing while drinking chicken soup. "But the people of Wei are not skilled in warfare. Didn't they suffer a major defeat from the troops led by Feng Ming before? Their national strength lies in abundant provisions, much like that nest of bandits, whose strength lay in terrain. If Your Majesty truly seeks balance, it would be better to send someone to build closer relations with Wei. Then, find a way to make Wu feel threatened by Wei, and an alliance can be formed."If both sides form alliances, then once one side takes action, the other will not stand idly by, leading to a three-kingdom melee. No one would be able to reap the benefits. The rulers of the other two kingdoms are not fools either; in such a situation, any attempt to attack Wei would require careful deliberation for a year or two.
In that year or two, Wei would at least recover twenty percent of its national strength.
Appreciatively feeding her the last spoonful of soup, Yin Gezhi nodded. "My empress is truly well-suited for warfare."
"Of course!" Proudly lifting her chin, Feng Yue wanted to strike a strongman pose. However, upon seeing her hands, she listlessly gave up and snorted, "Even if I can’t fight anymore, I can still talk about it. If Your Majesty finds this feasible, I would like to recommend someone to you."
"Who?"
"Mama Jin." Looking at him very seriously, Feng Yue said, "If you want someone to negotiate with the ? Kingdom, she is the most suitable."
Hmm? A bit surprised, Yin Gezhi raised an eyebrow. "I know Mama Jin is from the ? Kingdom, but if she were to negotiate... in what capacity?"
"As a consort of the ? Kingdom, of course." Smiling meaningfully, Feng Yue blinked. "You’ve collected quite a bit of intelligence on the ? Kingdom, haven’t you? Haven’t you heard about the incident five years ago when a beloved consort of the ? Kingdom’s emperor suddenly died, causing internal strife in the royal family and nearly sparking a civil war?"
His body stiffened, and Yin Gezhi narrowed his eyes.
There was indeed such an incident five years ago. When he received the news, he marveled at how much influence a woman could have. But... Mama Jin?!
Recalling the slightly plump, loud-voiced brothel madam, Yin Gezhi shook his head. "You must be joking with me."
"Are you looking down on Mama Jin?" Feng Yue glared. "She looks quite beautiful once she washes her face. When I first met her, I thought I’d encountered a fairy! It’s just that her voice is a bit loud. At the time, she was nearly kidnapped and sold. I had Madam Qiu rescue her, and it took quite a while for her to regain her spirits."
Back then, Mama Jin’s eyes held little light, clearly someone who felt life was meaningless. Feng Yue smiled at her and said, "I need someone like you—someone who doesn’t want to live anymore. Only those who don’t want to live can be fearless. And only the fearless are suited to work for me."
After that, Mama Jin saw all kinds of women filled with resentment. She sat dazedly among them, listening to their stories. The more tragic tales she heard, the more her own suffering seemed insignificant.
One night, Mama Jin went to Feng Yue’s room and tearfully recounted her own story.
She had entered the ? palace as a consort, originally a songstress. She had admired the ? Kingdom’s emperor and believed that with his protection, she could survive in the depths of the palace. However, she never expected that the ? Kingdom’s emperor feared the empress dowager and couldn’t protect her at all. She struggled in the palace for years before finally giving birth to a child. Thinking her days would improve, she instead discovered that due to her lowly status, her child had to be taken away to be raised by another consort.Mama Jin was utterly devastated, and the emperor could do little to help her, only watching as she grew increasingly gaunt. A kind-hearted consort in the palace suggested sending her out to find her family. Mama Jin also felt there was no point staying in the palace—her son was gone, and the man she loved seldom visited her. So she left the palace. Hearing that her family had fled to the Wu Kingdom, she followed them there, only to discover it was all a deception. Her family had long been dead, and the kind-hearted consort had merely tricked her out of the palace to get rid of her.
After recounting these events, Mama Jin actually felt relieved, a smile appearing on her face. She playfully winked, imitating the girls in the courtyard: "That's the end of the story, Master. I can work for you now."
And so, later on, the Dream Return Pavilion had a madam with an incredibly loud voice and thick makeup, hands on her hips, shouting at the girls, her voice echoing far and wide.
Yin Gezhi listened in stunned silence, gently rubbing his temples. Finally, he couldn't help but remark, "This Dream Return Pavilion of yours really dares to hide anyone!"
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