With еvеryonе gоnе, Fеng Yuе smiled and gavе Lingshu еxtra mеat: "You dоn't nееd tо undеrstаnd, just eat uр."
Lingshu blinked, swallowed the meаt in hеr mouth, аnd suddenlу whisреrеd verу sеriоuslу: "Мastеr, sometimes I аlwаys fеel that yоu're hiding somеthing from me."
Fеng Yuе smilеd withоut а hint оf guilt: "Whу would I hide things frоm уou? It's just thаt sоmе things adults сan undеrstаnd, but children саn't, got it?"
Wаs it becausе she hadn't grown uр уеt? Lingshu lowеred her heаd tо think сarеfullу, аnd it sееmеd quite rеаsonаble. Тhen she wоuld just wait а fеw mоre уеаrs!
Fоr now, she'd keеp eating meat!
Оn the way bаck to thе mansiоn, Мadаm Li's close friends whispered among themselves. One said: "I actually think what that girl said earlier wasn't wrong. General Wang is quite respected among the people. It's just... after all, his talents are being wasted."
"General Yi values and trusts him, so I can't say much." Madam Li's expression was unpleasant, but she couldn't directly criticize General Yi, so she had to grit her teeth and endure it.
"Madam Wang." Just as she was about to return to her own residence, a servant from the General's Mansion arrived. Holding a piece of clothing cheerfully, he said: "The General's Mansion has issued new clothes. This is for Steward Wang. Please help receive it."
A grayish-brown robe, even if made of silk fabric, was still grayish-brown. The same color as the other servants of the General's Mansion, at most with slightly nicer patterns.
Normally, Madam Li might have been quite pleased, but today, she found it displeasing no matter how she looked at it. She sneered and said: "My husband doesn't lack clothes. Must he wear something like this? Take it back!"
The servant was startled, looking up in shock just as the Wang residence's gate slammed shut, covering him in a cloud of dust.
Scratching his head, he didn't know what was wrong. Looking at the robe in his hand, he still took it back to the General's Mansion.
Yin Gezhi was sitting in the flower hall of the General's Mansion drinking tea, with Yi Zhangzhu beside him, looking quite aggrieved.
"I'm still too useless after all," she said with downcast eyes. "I can't do anything well, and I can't manage the General's Mansion properly either."
Yin Gezhi said: "Managing affairs is what men should do. Isn't there still Steward Wang in the mansion? Why should a delicate woman like you worry about such things?"
"But..." Yi Zhangzhu's eyes reddened. "Father only has me, a daughter, and I happen to be weak and sickly, unable to take over his position. Now something like this has happened in the mansion. Father must be very disappointed..."
Yin Gezhi wasn't good at comforting people. Watching her cry, he could only look on, his expression unchanged.
Yi Zhangzhu gritted her teeth, giving him a somewhat reproachful look: "Brother Yin is still so bad at being considerate."
"Sorry," Yin Gezhi said. "I'll find the traitor soon, so the General won't blame you."
This plain, simple sentence actually made Yi Zhangzhu blush slightly.
Such a man—taciturn, not good with words, but utterly reliable—was truly quite captivating.
"Do you have any suspects?" Yin Gezhi asked.
Snapping back to reality, Yi Zhangzhu frowned: "Everyone in the mansion was personally chosen by Father. People Father trusts... I really don't know who to suspect."
"Actions always have motives. No one would betray the General's trust without reason." Leaning forward slightly, Yin Gezhi looked outside the door and said: "For power, for wealth, or being coerced—someone in the mansion will eventually show their flaws."With a slight nod, Yi Zhangzhu said, "In that case, Brother Yin, why not stay at the mansion for a couple of days? It would be more convenient."
"This..." Yin Gezhi frowned in thought.
Yi Zhangzhu quickly added, "There are many people in the mansion, Brother Yin need not worry about anything."
"Alright," Yin Gezhi reluctantly agreed. "I'll stay for two days."
"I'll have someone arrange it right away!" Delighted, Yi Zhangzhu stood up and ran out to have a room prepared.
Thus, not long after dinner, Feng Yue's room gained an extra person.
"Ah," Ye Yuqing sighed, fanning himself, his voice tinged with sorrow. "Feng Yue, what's wrong with me?"
Smiling as she poured him tea, Feng Yue replied, "Young master, your character and appearance are both exceptional. Why do you ask such a question?"
"Yin Gezhi moved into the General's Mansion today." After taking a sip of tea, Ye Yuqing sighed again. "Zhu'er has never invited me to stay at the General's Mansion."
Was this a case of a woman being taken away? Feng Yue raised an eyebrow, carefully and earnestly pinching Ye Yuqing's chin to examine him closely.
Ye Yuqing was slightly taken aback, not expecting such an action from her. He didn't resist, allowing her to look at him as a gentle light shimmered in his eyes.
"Young master, your face is as radiant as cinnabar, captivating enough to topple cities and kingdoms," Feng Yue offered an honest evaluation. "If it were up to me, I'd surely build a golden chamber in the mansion just for you to live in."
Amused by her words, Ye Yuqing turned his head and chuckled, shaking it lightly. "They say the girls here are very good at making people happy, and today I've truly witnessed it. However, he didn't come to you but went to stay at the General's Mansion instead. Aren't you unhappy about that?"
"Why should I be unhappy?" Feng Yue shrugged. "Patrons come and go all the time. Besides, that gentleman is of noble status. Where he chooses to stay is hardly something a woman of the pleasure quarters like me can decide. If he goes, he goes. In a couple more days, I'll be able to entertain you as well."
So frank, so straightforward—as if she had no feelings for Yin Gezhi at all. If not for that look he had caught in her eyes last time, Ye Yuqing might have almost believed this nonsense.
This woman before him wore many faces—seductive, unrestrained, aloof and distant. He had observed her for a long time, yet he still couldn't tell which one was real.
How could someone be so intriguing?
"I thought he had some affection for you, and that you might care a bit more about him," Ye Yuqing said with a gentle, harmless smile. "Oh dear, if those two are living together, what if something inappropriate happens?"
Perhaps because she was used to serving someone as cold as Yin Gezhi, encountering such a gentle and lively man made Feng Yue feel a bit uneasy. Her lips twitched as she replied, "Nothing will happen. But there's a question I've been wanting to ask for a long time."
"What is it?"
"I heard you once proposed to Miss Yi." Looking at him, Feng Yue asked with a gossipy tone. "With your status, how could she refuse?"
His eyes dimmed, as if wounded, and Ye Yuqing's voice grew low. "It wasn't that she refused. General Yi said he couldn't bear to part with her and wanted to wait a couple more years before marrying her off."
General Yi actually dared to reject a prince's proposal? Feng Yue was astonished.
But the Yi family held high status and commanded significant military power, unlike Guan Canghai, who foolishly held onto nothing. The emperor of Wu Kingdom could do nothing about it, so the refusal was simply accepted."Two years is neither long nor short, and no one knows what might happen in between," Ye Yuqing said. "Just like tonight, a man and a woman staying alone together. If something were to happen, then two years from now, the Yi family's bridal sedan would never enter the gates of my Eastern Palace."
Does he really like Yi Zhangzhu that much? Feng Yue couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him. Without thinking, she reached out and patted his shoulder. "Buddy, don't be too upset. If you're really worried, why not go check on her?"
Ye Yuqing paused, his eyebrows twitching slightly at her casual gesture.
Realizing her impropriety, Feng Yue calmly withdrew her hand as if nothing had happened. She turned and pushed open the window, glancing at the sky outside. "Ah, the moon is so big tonight."
Glancing at his shoulder, Ye Yuqing stood up, closed his fan, and said, "What is meant to happen will happen. Going to check won't change anything. I just came to chat with you. Now that I feel better, it's time for me to go back."
Feng Yue nodded, smiling as she saw him to the door. Just as he was about to leave, the Crown Prince suddenly turned back, reached out to take a box from a servant outside, and handed it to her.
"You seem to like the mung bean cakes from this shop. I happened to pass by today and brought you some."
Mung bean cakes from Xiangyu Street.
Her heart sank heavily, and Feng Yue looked up at the man before her in confusion.
A refined gentleman, considerate and affectionate, with eyes as clear as a river—yet there was something in them she couldn't understand.
"How did Your Highness know this humble one likes pastries from this shop?" Feng Yue asked, trying her best to keep her voice from trembling.
Ye Yuqing looked at her with pity in his eyes. "Since I admire you, I naturally took the time to learn your preferences, so I could cater to them."
Was that all? Feng Yue stared at him, suddenly recalling the rumors about the Crown Prince in Shadowless City—
"A handsome youth of seven feet tall,
With jade-like eyes that charm all.
In plain clothes, he strolls the streets,
Leaving state affairs to take a seat.
With gentle words, he wins hearts,
A pillar of virtue, playing his part.
But if you trust him with your soul,
You'll end up broken, in a shallow hole."
When she first heard this doggerel, Feng Yue had laughed, thinking it was nonsense. How could a Crown Prince be so two-faced, and how could such rumors spread? If he were truly that sinister, anyone who spoke ill of him would surely be executed.
But now, standing at the door of her room, holding the box of mung bean cakes he had just handed her, Feng Yue suddenly understood what the poet must have experienced.
Despite his incredibly handsome smile, for some reason, it sent a chill straight to her bones.
"Look at you, your face is pale. Your injuries haven't fully healed yet. You should rest properly," Ye Yuqing said, gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. With a wave of his hand, he added, "I'll take my leave now."
Nodding blankly, Feng Yue closed the door.
She suddenly understood why Yin Gezhi had warned her not to get close to Ye Yuqing. It wasn't because he feared she would seduce the Crown Prince and lead him astray, but because he worried she might be a spy sent by some faction to probe the Crown Prince. If that were the case, Ye Yuqing would immediately uncover her background, eliminate her, and heighten his vigilance, making it impossible for any other schemes to reach him.
So that was it.
Unfortunately for him, she was a person with no background at all.Looking down at the box in her hand, Feng Yue patted her chest. She had always been meticulous in her work, and the proprietress and the others were seasoned experts. There was no reason for them to be discovered so quickly—it was probably just someone trying to scare her. No need to panic like this.
Perhaps due to her unsettled state of mind, Feng Yue had an old dream that night.
"Master, run!" someone covered in blood pushed her, putting on her clothes and hairpin, their eyes filled with sorrow as they looked at her: "Only by staying alive can you have a chance to clear the Guan family's wrongful case!"
Clear the case? Feng Yue sneered, her eyes burning with rage: "What good would clearing it do? My brother was right—what does it matter whether it was wrongful or not? Even if the case is overturned, my entire Guan family won’t come back to life. So, whoever owes this blood debt will pay with their blood!"
"Even if I have to descend into the eighteenth layer of hell, I will find each and every one of them and tear them to pieces!"
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