Whу sау "again"? Bесause Yе Yuqing cleаrlу rеmеmbеrеd that the lаst time, Yin Gezhi had also kickеd thе doоr oреn in thе sаme mаnnеr.
Тhе wеathеr in March wаs suсh that thе wind blowing in from outsidе felt ineхplicаblу biting. Fеng Yuе shivеrеd, smаcked hеr liрs, clоsеd hеr eуes, аnd fеll asleер.
Ye Yuqing stоod up, clоsed her cоllаr, аnd loоked at the dооrwаy with а hаlf-smilе. "Тоdаy dоеsn’t seеm to bе Your Highnеss’s daу."
Ехprеssiоnlеsslу stepping insidе, Yin Gezhi didn’t even glancе at the bed аnd walked strаight to thе flоwer stаnd. In a cold voice, he said, "I happened to uncover some unspeakable secrets about Miss Feng Yue and came to confront her. I didn’t expect Your Highness to have such fine taste, even in broad daylight."
The room reeked of alcohol, and it was unclear how much had been drunk. The person on the bed hadn’t made a sound since he entered. She must have already passed out from drunkenness. To be so seductive in broad daylight—truly impressive.
He hadn’t come to do anything, just to see whose shop the mung bean cakes on her stand came from. He wasn’t here to ruin anyone’s fun, nor did he have any interest in doing so. After all, she was a frivolous courtesan, doing what she was supposed to do. Nothing wrong with that.
Though he said this, he stared at the box on the flower stand for a long time without carefully examining whose emblem was printed on it.
"Master," Guan Zhi exclaimed softly, reaching out to take down the mung bean cake box. In a low voice, he said, "This is from the shop on Xiangyu Street."
His expression sharpened, and Yin Gezhi turned around. His gaze shot like lightning toward the person on the bed.
Feng Yue clenched her fists, trying her best to play dead.
Who knew why Yin Gezhi had come? She was in the middle of important business, just about to reach the critical part, and here he was causing trouble!
Mung bean cakes? What about the mung bean cakes? She refused to believe they could find anything suspicious in that shop! Her information network had been carefully set up over two years, and any potentially suspicious details had been thoroughly covered up. Now they were trying to scare her with a mung bean cake box? Impossible!
Though she cursed inwardly, she felt the Crown Prince beside her get off the bed and walk over to Yin Gezhi. Glancing at the box, he smiled and said, "I thought it was something serious, but it’s just about these mung bean cakes? This box was something I had someone buy for Miss Feng Yue earlier. Is there something wrong with it?"
Yin Gezhi frowned. "Your Highness bought it?"
"Yes, I brought it along when I came to see the lady earlier," Ye Yuqing nodded gracefully. "Miss Feng Yue is probably the easiest to please in the entire Dream Return Pavilion. Just buy her some pastries or snacks, and she’ll be delighted. What a little glutton."
Guan Zhi nodded slightly and whispered, "The lady does indeed enjoy buying these dried fruits and snacks in her daily life. Her maidservants are also fond of them."
"In that case, I must have overthought it." Expressionlessly returning the mung bean cake box to its place, Yin Gezhi turned to leave but was stopped by Ye Yuqing.
"Did Your Highness really come here for something else?" Ye Yuqing narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly, revealing a hint of teasing. He unfolded his fan, covering half his face, and said with a half-smile, "Hasn’t Miss Feng Yue always been a favorite of Your Highness? Now that she’s serving me, Your Highness doesn’t seem to mind?"
Turning his head to glance at him, Yin Gezhi said indifferently, "She’s just a mere courtesan. Why bother?"
What a way to say "why bother"! Ye Yuqing chuckled and stepped aside. "Then, Your Highness, please go ahead."He continued walking out, but just as he reached the door, Yin Gezhi suddenly stopped. Turning his head slightly, he spoke with an exceptionally gentle expression, “Your Highness is the future of the Wu Kingdom. You must take good care of yourself.”
Ye Yuqing enjoyed seeing Yin Gezhi’s face turn ashen. It brought him immense satisfaction. However, correspondingly, what he least wanted to see was Yin Gezhi looking composed and speaking with such a gentle demeanor.
It wasn’t that he was twisted, but rather that when this man turned gentle, it made people deeply uncomfortable.
Yin Gezhi stepped out and closed the door, restoring silence to the room. Feng Yue pretended to be sound asleep, turning over slightly.
It was still early, and the sky hadn’t yet darkened. Ye Yuqing actually had many matters to attend to. Although he was never one to appear busy, he couldn’t afford to idle away the entire day.
However, Feng Yue had said she wanted Yi Guoru’s life.
That statement alone was enough to make him sit quietly by her bedside, waiting for her to wake up, without stepping even half a foot outside the door.
Being interrupted while pretending to be drunk was an awkward situation. Continuing the act would inevitably seem unnatural, so Feng Yue decided to genuinely fall asleep. Although she had a high tolerance for alcohol, drinking truly did aid sleep.
Thus, two hours later, as dusk approached, Feng Yue stretched lazily, smacked her lips, and woke up.
Ye Yuqing was still sitting beside her, watching her with an inscrutable expression.
“Young Master, what’s wrong?” Her eyes brimming with innocence, Feng Yue propped herself up, pressing a hand to her head. “Why does my head feel so heavy…”
“The lady has an impressive tolerance for alcohol, only succumbing after two catties of strong liquor.” Handing her a cup of tea, Ye Yuqing curved his lips into a smile. “But when drunk, you were utterly adorable, babbling nonsense that nearly frightened me.”
Her expression tightened, and Feng Yue immediately grew flustered, her eyes darting about. Clutching his sleeve, she said, “This humble one has always been prone to speaking nonsense when drunk. Much of it isn’t true, Young Master, please don’t take it to heart!”
“I know, you must have been talking nonsense.” Gazing at her gently, Ye Yuqing lightly grasped her hand. “But there is one matter I’ve been pondering until now and still can’t make sense of. Might the lady enlighten me?”
“Wh… what matter?” Feng Yue stammered.
“Don’t be nervous, it’s nothing major.” Looking into her eyes, Ye Yuqing smiled. “I merely wish to ask how the lady came to know General Yi’s full name.”
In principle, commoners would avoid using the names of their superiors out of respect. General Yi was a figure of immense stature in the Wu Kingdom, second only to the king. Naturally, his name wouldn’t be circulated among the common folk; at most, he would be referred to as “General Yi.” Even the common people of the Wei Kingdom shouldn’t know it.
Yet this woman before him, while drunk, had uttered Yi Guoru’s full name.
This was a moment that truly tested one’s acting skills. The Crown Prince of Wu himself was a master of performing under a gentle facade. In his presence, Feng Yue naturally summoned every ounce of her focus, meticulously controlling every nuance of her expression.
“This…” Shrinking back in fear, trying to withdraw her hand, tears welled in Feng Yue’s eyes as she murmured, “This humble one learned it by chance… I… I deserve death for daring to disrespect General Yi. I beg Your Highness for forgiveness!”
She addressed him as “Your Highness,” not “Young Master” anymore.Ye Yuqing straightened his expression, still holding her hand, his gaze suddenly sharpening: "You've done more than offend General Yi. With that statement alone, you could be charged with harboring assassination intent."
Who was he trying to scare? If he really wanted to charge her, would the Crown Prince of Wu have nothing better to do than wait this long in a brothel?
Rolling her eyes inwardly, Feng Yue put on an even more terrified expression, biting her lip as tears streamed down her face: "Your Highness, spare me! I was merely drunk and spoke nonsense. It wasn't serious!"
"There's a saying: 'Truth comes out when drunk,'" Ye Yuqing glanced at her, his eyes suddenly turning cold. "There must be a reason for this. Either you tell me today what connection you have with General Yi, or you'll come with me to the magistrate's office."
Feng Yue trembled like a flower withering in the wind, shaking so much she couldn't speak.
Softening his expression, Ye Yuqing gently patted her back: "No need to be so nervous. As long as you tell the truth, no one will harm you."
After sobbing for a long while, Feng Yue finally let out a long sigh, its lingering note filled with sorrow—just that sigh alone seemed to tell a story.
Ye Yuqing watched her intently.
"I am from Wei Kingdom. Life was peaceful, my family harmonious—simple yet incredibly happy days," she began, her eyes nostalgic, a faint smile on her lips.
Scenes from the Guan estate flashed before her eyes: maids running in the courtyard, Guan Qingyue blindfolded, catching them one by one, laughter and joy filling the air.
"But during the war between Wu and Wei, my family, living close to the battlefield, was captured by General Yi along with other civilians and held as hostages to force General Guan to retreat ten li."
The Battle of Dongkuang was also the battle that made Guan Qingyue famous. The esteemed General Yi had taken civilians hostage to force a retreat. Guan Canghai withdrew, but she led a battalion in a midnight assault to rescue the hostages.
Who could have known that upon breaking into the enemy camp, they would find three hundred innocent civilians already buried in a mass grave? The reason: Wei Kingdom was short on provisions and did not keep prisoners.
Eyes slightly red, Feng Yue clenched her hands, trying to speak calmly: "My family were simple, honest folk—rising with the sun, resting at dusk. They had done nothing wrong and had no connection to that battle. Yet General Yi captured them and buried them all in that pit. Over three hundred civilian bodies were buried there. Even if I wanted to retrieve my loved ones and give them a proper burial, I couldn't."
Ye Yuqing was shaken.
Such a thing had happened? The battle reports never mentioned it... and they never would.
Frowning, he relaxed his guard slightly, looking at the young woman struggling to suppress her anger, and asked softly, "How did you escape?"
"I happened to be gathering herbs in the mountains when they came to capture people," Feng Yue said. "When I returned, no one was left at home. Everything was smashed and scattered on the ground. I thought bandits had come."
"But five days later, news arrived that the battlefield had shifted, and those who wished to collect bodies could do so. That was when I learned my family had been taken by General Yi, and none had survived."
"Later, I followed Wei refugees to Wu Kingdom, seeking refuge since most of the battles were fought on Wei soil."Snapping out of her memories, Feng Yue smiled at the person before her. Choking back sobs, she pointed at herself: "Shouldn't I hate him? The name Yi Guoru—I went through all kinds of trouble to find someone who could tell me that name. Even if I can't avenge this blood feud in this lifetime, can't you at least let me mutter about it when I'm drunk?"
"It's just muttering, after all—I can't possibly kill him!"
Tears streamed down her face. Feng Yue herself didn't know whether she was truly crying or just pretending, only that her heart felt unbearably heavy and her eyes stung fiercely.
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