Тurning аwаy from Lоngхiаn Раlace, Fеng Мing headеd straight for Zhаоwu Раlасe, thinking to himsеlf: How could a girl as саlm and intеlligent аs Nаn Рing аlso rеsоrt tо rеfusing fоod аnd drink? It had been sеvеral dаys alreаdy; she must bе starving by nоw. Whеthеr hе likеd hеr оr not, a hеаrt was still mаdе оf flesh. Shе had bееn so goоd tо him—he сouldn’t just watch hеr starve to dеаth.
"Yоur Highnеss?" As soon аs hе rеaсhеd thе еntrаnсe оf Zhаowu Рalаce, hе heаrd Nаn Рing’s pеrsоnаl mаid, Qiushui, call out jоyfully: "What brings you hеre?"
Without bothеring to resрond, Fеng Мing wavеd his hand and strode into the palace. Before he could even step inside, however, Nan Ping came out to meet him, looking at him with a hint of surprise.
She seemed to be in good spirits, with no trace of grievance in her eyes. Feng Ming was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but then he remembered the emperor’s words. His brows furrowed again: "Why haven’t you returned?"
Nan Ping was taken aback, fiddling with the handkerchief in her hands: "I wanted to come back to spend some time with my brother and sister-in-law. Isn’t my sister-in-law’s belly quite large now? I thought I’d stay a few more days to keep her company."
"Your brother can take care of her perfectly well without your help," Feng Ming said impatiently, grabbing her hand and pulling her outside: "Come back with me first."
"G-General." Staggering two steps from his pull, Nan Ping looked bewildered: "What’s wrong with you today?"
In the past, he had always seemed like a stagnant pool of water, but now it was as if someone had thrown a stone into that pool, stirring up an air of restlessness around him.
Pausing in his steps, Feng Ming turned to look at her, his eyes filled with guilt: "If you’re unhappy, you can tell me. Don’t keep it bottled up inside."
Huh? Nan Ping stared blankly, her face full of confusion: "But I’m not unhappy?"
Just as the emperor had said—this silly girl would claim she was fine even when she was upset, and she’d make it look as if nothing was wrong!
The guilt in his eyes deepened. Feng Ming lowered his head and said: "The princess has already endured much hardship by marrying down. I’m a rough and careless man, not very good at understanding the delicate feelings of young women. If you feel I’ve hurt your heart or acted inappropriately, you can tell me directly. Please don’t hide away in the palace anymore."
Nan Ping looked utterly bewildered, nodding blankly along with his words: "I’ll tell you directly, General… but General, I really didn’t return to the palace because I was angry."
"Then why did you?"
"Aren’t you worried about my sister-in-law?" Nan Ping said earnestly: "There hasn’t been much going on at the estate lately, so I came to the palace to keep an eye on things for you. Since it’s not convenient for you to visit the palace often, I thought I’d stay a couple of days to observe my sister-in-law’s daily condition. That way, I can report back to you and put your mind at ease."
Feng Ming was stunned, staring at her wide-eyed for a long moment before being overwhelmed with emotion.
What a wonderful girl! She was actually thinking of him like this? Coming back to take care of the woman he loved, just to ease his worries?
Feng Ming had loved Guan Qingyue for a long time, rejecting all the other girls who had thrown themselves at him, so he had never experienced the feeling of being loved. Suddenly seeing his own reflection in Nan Ping, his eyes grew slightly red. He opened his arms and stepped forward, embracing Nan Ping.
"General, there’s no need to thank me so much," Nan Ping said, patting his back with a smile: "It’s just a small thing."A small matter? If it were him, to reassure Guan Qingyue, he would have to take care of Yin Chenbi... He was truly afraid he might punch that bastard to death! Nan Ping must be feeling terrible inside, but she was sensible and wouldn't tell him, just keeping it all bottled up, tossing and turning alone at night.
At the thought of her face wearing a heartbroken expression, Feng Ming's heart tightened, his voice turning hoarse: "I'm sorry."
Why apologize again out of the blue? Nan Ping chuckled: "General, why do you seem possessed today?"
Releasing her, Feng Ming looked at her with eyes full of affection and said: "Let's go home."
These words warmed Nan Ping's heart, and she nodded in agreement: "Alright."
Thus, when Yin Gezhi brought Feng Yue to sneak a peek, they saw Feng Ming walking ahead with a sorrowful expression, while Nan Ping followed happily behind.
"Hey, why is this so strange?" Feng Yue raised an eyebrow: "From what Nan Ping said, shouldn't she be the more sorrowful one when they're together? Why does it seem the opposite now?"
Yin Gezhi said meaningfully: "Feng Ming is a simple person."
Too easy to fool!
Her eyes darting, recalling the words he had just said to Feng Ming—each one a trap!—Feng Yue clicked her tongue twice and sighed: "Being your sister, she really doesn't have to suffer any grievances."
Nan Ping wasn't the type to refuse food or drink; she was generous and sensible. Although she loved to act spoiled with Yin Gezhi, since returning this time, she hadn't said a single bad word about Feng Ming. It was all thanks to Yin Gezhi's probing. Knowing Feng Ming's heart was still closed off, this guy had used his silver tongue to seek benefits for his sister. Now, even if Nan Ping insisted she wasn't wronged or upset, Feng Ming probably wouldn't believe it.
How cunning, how cunning!
"Seen enough? Let's go back." Yin Gezhi said: "The wind is strong outside."
Feng Yue turned around, slightly raising an eyebrow, and reached out her hand toward him: "I'm tired, I can't walk anymore."
Glancing sideways at her, Yin Gezhi sneered: "Do you think I would carry you back?"
Her little face fell, and just as Feng Yue was about to cry out in grievance, her body suddenly felt lighter. His Majesty Emperor Wei Xiao, expressionless, held her securely and continued sneering: "I will."
Unable to hold back, Feng Yue burst out laughing, grabbed his lapel, and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.
Lingshu and Guan Zhi, watching from behind, shook their heads repeatedly, thinking these two were becoming more and more shameless. In broad daylight, with people all around, couldn't they pay a little more attention to decorum?
"Your Majesty!" Gan Jiang, clad in armor, emerged from somewhere, frowning as he knelt: "During this morning's patrol, someone found a girl on the verge of death outside the palace gates. I just went to check—it's Duanxian, the one who used to be at Dream Return Pavilion."
The smile on Feng Yue's face instantly vanished. She jumped down from his arms, holding her stomach, and frowned at him: "What do you mean, on the verge of death?"
"She's severely injured, but knowing she's an old acquaintance of Her Majesty, I had a medical attendant go treat her while I came to report. She's in the patrol post hut near the North Xuan Gate."
"Well done." Praising him, Feng Yue pulled Yin Gezhi and ran toward the North Xuan Gate.
"Looking like that, how fast do you think you can run?" Yin Gezhi glanced disdainfully at her movements, then turned and ordered: "Have her carried on a stretcher to the Central Palace. It's the closest. The Empress and I will be there shortly."
"Yes, sir!" Gan Jiang responded and left.Feng Yue frowned deeply, waiting for Guan Zhi to fetch the dragon carriage, anxiously muttering to herself: "I just felt something wasn't right. Mama Jin told me months ago that Duanxian and He Chou were coming to see me, but after all this time, I haven't seen a single trace of them. How could they suddenly be severely injured now..."
"Calm down," Yin Gezhi pursed his lips. "He Chou is by Crown Prince Ye's side. If she wanted to leave, she would surely alert the Crown Prince. They might have encountered some accident that delayed them."
More likely, Ye Yuqing never intended to let them come. Duanxian risked her life to escape, and it must have cost her dearly.
Feng Yue's heart raced wildly. When the dragon carriage arrived, she rushed straight to the central palace, where Gan Jiang and others had just brought Duanxian over. It had been a long time since she last saw her old friend, who now lay pale and covered in blood on the bed. Feng Yue watched anxiously, sitting beside her as she waited for the medical maid's diagnosis.
"There's a wound on her waist and abdomen. Fortunately, it's not deep and didn't damage any internal organs, but she has lost too much blood. She'll need to recuperate for a while," the medical maid said, wiping her sweat after the examination. "Please, Your Majesty and Your Highness, step aside. This servant will change the dressing for this young lady."
"Alright," Feng Yue stood up and walked to the outer hall, her mind wandering as she stared blankly at the ground, lost in thought. Yin Gezhi's expression was grave, a dark light silently swirling in his eyes.
After the dressing change, Duanxian woke up from the pain. She opened her eyes and stared blankly at the canopy above the bed for a while before weakly calling out, "Boss?"
Feng Yue immediately rushed over and asked, "How are you?"
"While... while I still have the strength to speak, I must tell you what happened..." Gasping for breath, Duanxian struggled to say, "Five months ago, He Chou and I planned to set off to come here, but He Chou said she couldn't leave. She asked me to tell you that Crown Prince Ye has malicious intentions toward the Wei Kingdom and that you should be extra careful, not to trust the alliance too firmly."
Feng Yue's expression tightened. She glanced back at Yin Gezhi, who gave her a reassuring look.
Even if they hadn't said anything, he wouldn't have trusted the alliance too firmly. Alliances are things that can be torn apart. Interests are the true driving force.
Feeling slightly more at ease, Feng Yue turned back to look at Duanxian. "Then who injured you like this?"
Duanxian let out a bitter laugh. "He Chou came to see me... We failed to hide our tracks and were discovered by Crown Prince Ye. We were both imprisoned. To help me escape, He Chou used some means to deal with Ye Yuqing. I don't know how she is now. When I escaped, I was chased by guards and stabbed... Fortunately, the City Garrison rescued me, but my recovery was delayed, and the wound reopened on the way, which is why I only arrived now."
After saying this, her eyes rolled back, and she seemed to struggle to stay conscious. However, unable to withstand the excessive blood loss, she eventually fainted.
Feng Yue listened, her heart pounding with fear as she gasped sharply.
He Chou couldn't leave? Although she was Ye Yuqing's person, if she let Duanxian go and allowed her to bring a message to the Wei Kingdom for them, would Ye Yuqing spare her life if he found out?
"Your Majesty!"
"Don't panic," Yin Gezhi said, knowing what she was about to say. "There's over a month's journey between the Wei Kingdom and the Wu Kingdom. Even if you rush, it won't be in time. If Ye Yuqing intends to harm He Chou, you won't be able to stop him."
So should they just sit here and do nothing? Feng Yue frowned, her eyes darting around."The battle at the northwestern border has already begun. By now, the forces of Wu and Wei should have joined together, coordinating their efforts to drive back the Song army that has invaded the borders of Wu and Wei," Yin Gezhi said. "With frequent reports of victory from the frontlines, the provisions from Qi, the military strength of Wu, and the tactical leadership of Wei, resisting Song is not difficult. Now that we have received word from He Chou, we should indeed prepare well for what comes next."
In times of national crisis, individual life and death are indeed trivial matters. Feng Yue lowered her gaze and sighed softly after a long pause.
Let us hope He Chou can turn misfortune into fortune.
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