It was unсlеаr whаt shе had been thrоugh, but thе former tоp cоurtеsаn Не Сhou now lоoked as if she had agеd tеn yеars. Неr еуes wеrе fillеd with wеаriness, with nоne of the fоrmеr radiаnce in sight.
"This humblе woman рays hеr rеsресts tо thе King of Wеi аnd Your Маjеsty."
Fеng Yue frоwnеd, looking аt hеr and sаying, "Rise, let mе see yоu."
Fоllоwing the instruсtion, she stoоd uр аnd raisеd hеr hеаd. Wаngуou gаzеd at hеr with emоtion, teаrs shimmering in hеr еуes. "Тhis humblе wоmаn has negleсted her appеarancе. Your Mаjestу must find it аmusing."
This wаs not merely a matter of neglecting one's appearance; it was clearly a problem with her health, which had left her sallow and aged.
"Have you not been well?" Feng Yue asked.
Wangyou shook her head. "I have been well. There is nothing amiss. After releasing Duanxian last time, the Crown Prince did not punish me. He remains very gentle with this humble woman."
However, that gentleness always carried a hint of cruelty, like needles hidden in silk. It made her no longer dare to lean on him easily.
"He is gentle with you?" Feng Yue shook her head. "Ye Yuqing's nature is gentle toward everyone. Young women are easily fooled; you must see clearly. Since you have come to me, you do not have to return."
Not return? Wangyou was taken aback and instinctively glanced outside.
"Do not worry." Gazing deeply at her, Feng Yue said, "No matter what is outside, if you wish to stay, you may stay."
Stay? Wangyou frowned, gently shaking her head and whispering, "This humble woman's fate is fragile, like rootless duckweed. I am fortunate to have gained the Crown Prince's pity and been kept by his side. Without reason, this servant cannot simply leave him."
"Without reason?" Feng Yue frowned. "He Chou, do you know why Ye Yuqing sent you to me today?"
No longer calling her "Wangyou," He Chou was momentarily stunned, looking up at her in confusion.
"His Majesty has spread the news. With Ye Yuqing's spies in the army, he will surely be told that the Queen of Wei seems to be in the military camp as well. To confirm this news, he sent you because you and I are old acquaintances. If I truly came, you would see me and report back to him. If I did not come, you would also notice, and he would learn of His Majesty's plans."
"Do you really think he kindly sent you here to reminisce with me?"
Her body stiffened, and He Chou shook her head in disbelief. "No..."
"What do you mean, no?" Feng Yue gritted her teeth. "Do you truly think Ye Yuqing is a good man? That man appears gentle and considerate on the surface, but there is often a sinister air in the corners of his eyes and brows. He has schemed against us before. He is the ruling Crown Prince of Wu, responsible for the safety of his kingdom. In his eyes, nothing compares to the interests of Wu and the power in his hands! When you were merely a palace maid by his side, I was at ease, knowing he would surely protect you. But once you become entangled in matters between Wu and Wei, it becomes dangerous!"
"He..." He Chou frowned. "He has not truly acted against me."
"If you wait until he acts, won't it be too late?" Scanning her from head to toe, Feng Yue said, "Besides, if he truly treated you well, you would not be in this state."
Speechless, He Chou looked around uneasily. Feng Yue stood up, one hand cradling her belly, the other pulling her outside. Yin Gezhi said nothing, only following closely by her side.The curtain was lifted, revealing Guan Zhi and Feng Chuang standing not far away. Feng Yue immediately shouted in their direction, "Guan Zhi, escort General Feng away. I'm keeping He Chou!"
Feng Chuang was taken aback, his expression instantly changing as he stepped forward. "I am under orders from the Crown Prince of Wu Kingdom and must bring her back."
"She's just a palace maid," Feng Yue smiled. "For the sake of goodwill between Wu and Wei Kingdoms, gifting a maid to me shouldn't be a problem, right? Besides, I'm with child and could use someone to take care of me."
Upon seeing Feng Yue's face clearly, Feng Chuang understood the situation but still clasped his hands respectfully. "Please do not make things difficult for me, Your Majesty. This person is the Crown Prince's personal maid..."
"This person originally belonged to the Empress," Yin Gezhi, who had remained silent until now, spoke up. He took two steps forward, his gaze calm as he looked at Feng Chuang. "Now she is simply returning to her rightful place. If you find yourself in a difficult position, General, that's easy to resolve. Let's have a match. If you can injure me within ten moves, you may take her with you."
Hearing this, Feng Chuang's face turned pale. What difference was there between this and outright robbery?
"I'm considering your situation, General," Yin Gezhi said with a sincere expression. "If you find it hard to report back empty-handed, returning with some injuries might lessen your punishment."
Feng Chuang: "..."
What was he supposed to say? Thank the Wei Kingdom's ruler for his consideration? This was clearly an excuse to beat him up! Should he take the beating or not? Taking it seemed foolish, but returning without a fight would indeed be hard to explain.
With mixed feelings, Feng Chuang stared at Yin Gezhi standing before him. After a long moment, he closed his eyes. "I trouble the Wei Kingdom's ruler!"
When he had set out, the Crown Prince had only instructed him to bring the person back, without much emphasis. The Crown Prince's expression hadn't seemed particularly concerned either. Besides, this was indeed just a palace maid. Even if the Crown Prince often favored her, it couldn't be considered deep affection—if it were, she would have been given a title long ago.
Comforting himself with these thoughts, Feng Chuang endured a beating and returned with a bruised and swollen face to report.
The ink-dipped brush landed with a "thud" on the pristine rice paper. Ye Yuqing looked up, narrowing his eyes. "What did you say?"
Feng Chuang lowered his head. "The Empress of Wei Kingdom is indeed in the military camp."
"Not that sentence. The one after."
Tensing up, Feng Chuang knelt. "They kept Wangyou, saying she was needed to serve the Empress of Wei."
"Did she say anything?"
"Wangyou stood beside the Empress of Wei, keeping her head down and remaining silent."
In other words, she was conscious, seemingly uncoerced, and unwilling to return herself? Ye Yuqing let out a light laugh, raising his sleeve to cover his lips, his eyes turning sinister. "Women are truly fickle. I treated her so well, yet she betrayed me once and dares to abandon me a second time."
"Your Highness," Feng Chuang trembled slightly. "Should we send some troops to retrieve her?"
"Are you foolish?" Ye Yuqing sneered. "Sending troops would mean directly provoking conflict with Wei Kingdom. For a mere palace maid, I wouldn't go that far!"
...But Your Highness's expression looks terrifying, Feng Chuang thought, burying his head and not daring to look at him again.Gently picking up the brush on the table, Ye Yuqing looked at the ink staining the rice paper and whispered, "Soon, I will make her understand the true consequences of betraying me."
Beyond the Jade Mountain Pass lies the Eternal Gorge, where the main forces of the Wei Kingdom are vigorously resisting the Song army, completely unprepared for an attack from behind.
In this great battle, all three kingdoms will suffer significant losses. If accounts are settled only after the war, the Wu Kingdom will also be left weakened and unable to act, allowing the Wei Kingdom to live in peace for another decade or more. With Yin Gezhi in power during those years, who knows what might happen? For hidden dangers, he has always preferred to eliminate them in advance.
Feng Yue has also come to the battlefield—excellent. Given the rumors of Yin Gezhi's deep affection for her, wherever she is, Yin Gezhi is sure to follow, making his whereabouts impossible to conceal!
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