Неr еуеs held a hаtrеd sо dееp it seemеd еmbedded in hеr very bоnеs—а hаtrеd imрossible tо fake. Even Ye Yuqing was shаkеn by thе intensitу оf thаt еmotiоn, his gаzе drорping.
"Whеn two nations gо tо war, hаrming civilians is agаinst the unwritten rulеs," he said sоftlу. "Gеnеrаl Yi wаs in thе wrong, but..."
But hе wаs a hеrо оf Wu Kingdоm, and еvеry Wei Кingdоm life hе took addеd to his glory.
Fеng Yuе lеt out а low laugh, finallу withdrаwing hеr hand. Shе tооk а dееp brеаth and rеgainеd her cоmpоsurе, thоugh her еуеs rеmained red. "Тhis humble servant knows that Yоur Highness is a сitizen of Wu Кingdom аnd thе Crоwn Prince, so naturally you would not consider General Yi's crimes heinous."
"This humble servant never expected to seek revenge either. Living a peaceful life is enough—what can a mere woman like me do?"
Ye Yuqing sighed, wanting to say something but holding back. Instead, he changed the subject. "It's getting late. I'll have someone prepare dinner. You should rest well for now."
"Thank you, Young Master." Feng Yue lowered her head, her face weary, and lay back down on the bed.
The man in the room gave a few instructions to those outside the door, then stood there lost in thought. Feng Yue watched him through half-closed eyes and smiled faintly.
In today's Wu Kingdom, it was difficult to find a rival among the powerful states. While Qi and Wei were at war, and Chu and Zhao were locked in a standoff, Wu Kingdom alone remained aloof, focusing on nurturing its people and building strength.
A nation without external threats would inevitably face internal strife. General Yi wielded immense power at court—daring to refuse a royal marriage proposal, setting up an inescapable net in his General's Mansion. Such an ambitious man—she didn’t believe Ye Yuqing would be without caution.
Ye Yuqing excelled at employing people. Those he trusted were delegated authority, and he never doubted them.
But Yi Guoru had never worked for him. In other words, Yi Guoru had never gained Ye Yuqing's trust. Even when investigating the theft at the General's Mansion, Ye Yuqing had been half-hearted, allowing her people to remain at large to this day.
The Crown Prince of Wu Kingdom's attitude toward General Yi was truly intriguing.
Ye Yuqing turned and saw the person on the bed had closed her eyes again, resting.
To carry so much in her heart yet greet others with a smile every day—this girl was no ordinary person. If she could be won over...
His brow twitched slightly, and Ye Yuqing slowly began walking toward her.
Women were easier to control than men. The women in his palace were obedient, wholeheartedly devoted to him, listening to his every word and acting accordingly.
Feng Yue's identity was special. Dream Return Pavilion was frequented by high-ranking officials and nobles, making it a hub of information. However, the women there usually didn’t share such news with guests. If he could win her over, it would be beneficial, and she might even help with tasks other women couldn’t handle.
But the premise was that everything she said was true.
"Your Highness!" Feng Chuang's voice suddenly sounded from outside the door. Ye Yuqing snapped back to attention, stopped in his tracks, and turned to open the door.
Feng Chuang’s expression was grim as he leaned in and whispered, "Minister of the Imperial Clan Sima has somehow learned of your presence here and is heading this way with his men."
Ye Yuqing’s lips twitched, a headache brewing. "How did that old man find out I’m here?"He came and went with great discretion, hardly even meeting other patrons, so how did Sima Ru find out?
If there was one person in the entire Wu Kingdom that Ye Yuqing feared most, it wasn’t the current emperor, but this three-dynasty veteran Sima Ru. As the Director of the Imperial Clan, he oversaw matters of the royal family, always overcorrecting and forbidding any royal offspring from indulging in the slightest vice.
For a Crown Prince like him to visit a brothel—that couldn’t even be described as a “vice.” If he were truly caught, the old man would likely kneel at the gate of the Eastern Palace for three days and nights without food or drink. If he died, the entire court would never stop reminding him about it.
Just thinking about it made his scalp tingle.
Feng Chuang sighed, “Your Highness, you should leave through the back door first.”
Turning back to glance reluctantly at the bed, Ye Yuqing muttered with a frown, “Could this be the legendary ‘fated but not destined’?”
The person on the bed slept peacefully, not moving at all.
“Forget it.” With a flick of his sleeve, Ye Yuqing left, thinking that avoiding the old man for now and returning later wouldn’t be too bad.
But who could have known that as soon as he slipped back to the palace, he was surrounded by a group of old ministers and pestered half to death? By the time he came to his senses and thought of leaving the palace again, the palace gates were already locked.
Feng Yue waited at the Dream Return Pavilion, but no matter how long she waited, he didn’t show up. Lingshu said, “Perhaps he isn’t coming.”
Checking the time, it seemed that even if he wanted to come, he likely couldn’t leave the palace. Feng Yue breathed a sigh of relief and simply washed her face before getting into bed to sleep.
“Disappointed?” someone asked her.
A chill ran down her spine, and Feng Yue jumped aside in fright. She turned to look toward the window.
Yin Gezhi sat on her windowsill, the moonlight casting a splendid glow over him, making him look almost respectable.
Forcing a dry laugh, Feng Yue approached and asked, “What brings you here?”
“I felt like coming.” With this simple and blunt reason, the First Prince jumped directly into the room and looked at her. “You…”
He had originally intended to say, “You’re wasting your efforts. For the Crown Prince to stay overnight in a brothel isn’t that simple.”
But as the moonlight streamed in from outside, illuminating her face, Yin Gezhi was momentarily stunned, unable to regain his composure for a while.
Feng Yue blinked once, then again, suddenly remembering something. Her expression changed.
Oh no, she had already removed her makeup!
Turning and heading toward the bed, Feng Yue cried out, “Lingshu, we have a guest! Hurry and pour some tea!”
Peeking out at Yin Gezhi, Lingshu whispered, “Master, it’s late. There’s no need to brew tea, right? There’s still water in the pot on the table. This servant will take her leave now!”
Spineless! How could she be so cowardly! Feng Yue gritted her teeth and then curled up on the bed, shrinking into a ball.
Without makeup, Feng Yue’s face was quite striking. Though her eyebrows were groomed, her nose was slender and straight, lacking the delicate charm of other women. She wasn’t breathtakingly beautiful either, which made her uneasy.
Yin Gezhi had never seen this face before. After all, when she had previously infiltrated his territory, she had disguised herself well and kept her head down, so she wasn’t worried about him recognizing anything.
But… why was he staring at her like this? Did he think she looked too ugly without makeup, deceiving her patrons?
The man bathed in moonlight remained silent for a long time before finally snapping out of it. He walked to the bedside and glanced at her, offering a rare compliment: “With a face like this, why bother with makeup?”
Huh? Feng Yue blinked and poked her head out to look at him. “Do you think I look better without makeup?”
“Much better than wearing a mask.” The First Prince gave his evaluation with a serious expression. “Your eyes and brows are captivating.”
Feng Yue: “…”Do you think the First Prince has a warped sense of aesthetics? Although she looks passable without makeup, she’s definitely not stunning! Don’t men all prefer charming, delicate women? Does he like the kind who can lift heavy loads, full of heroic vigor?
His gaze fell upon her, yet seemed to pass right through her to somewhere else. Yin Gezhi gently twirled his fingers, his eyes unmoving, as if lost in thought again.
Could she truly possess such beauty that even a god-like figure like Yin Gezhi would be captivated by the sight?
Feng Yue didn’t believe it. She forced her face into an idiotic smile and asked softly, “Has the young master taken a fancy to this humble servant?”
Reaching out, he lightly pressed against the center of her forehead, then traced a line down to the bridge of her nose. Yin Gezhi’s expression darkened slightly as he said indifferently, “I haven’t taken a fancy to you. It’s just that occasionally, you remind me of someone.”
He had never seen what that person looked like, but she probably also had such a tall, straight nose bridge. It looked heroic.
But this face before him was truly repulsive, grinning at him with wrinkles showing, not a shred of pride or dignity.
How could Heaven bestow such features upon someone like this?
Disgusted, he withdrew his hand and said, “You won’t be able to serve the Crown Prince. Just focus on serving me.”
“Oh?” Propping herself up, Feng Yue asked excitedly, “Does the young master think this humble servant is so good that he wants to keep her exclusively, only letting her serve him? Why not just redeem her then? This humble servant can even cook for you!”
Stunned by her breathless string of words, Yin Gezhi frowned. Cook?
“Keep dreaming!”
Pouting, Feng Yue asked, “Isn’t that what the young master was thinking?”
“No.” Shaking his head in denial, Yin Gezhi himself felt a bit confused. After thinking for a while, he finally said, “It’s probably just that you serve well, so I’ll let you serve a while longer. When I get tired of you someday, I’ll switch to someone else.”
So that’s how it is… Feng Yue lowered her eyes, looking quite hurt. “This humble servant thought… the young master might like her.”
Like?
Yin Gezhi stared at her with a look reserved for idiots for a long time before flicking his sleeve and leaving. “Don’t overthink it.”
“Then why did the young master come here tonight?”
His foot paused on the windowsill as he looked up at the moon. “I came out to admire the moon and just happened to pass by.”
Wow, to pass by from the Envoy’s Mansion all the way to Dream Return Pavilion—what a coincidence!
Feng Yue smiled sweetly but said nothing more, watching him leap out the window before her expression turned serious and she frowned.
What did he mean by “won’t be able to serve the Crown Prince”? Didn’t the Crown Prince already reserve her? Could it be that he would suddenly abandon her? Her perfectly good plan—could it have been ruined again by that damned man?
Feng Yue was worried, so worried she couldn’t sleep well all night.
The next morning, as soon as she opened her eyes, Ye Yuqing was already sitting in the room, smiling at her. “I’ve neglected you, my beauty. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”
Blinking, Feng Yue sat up and looked at him. Pinching the tender flesh of her thigh, tears instantly streamed down her face. “This humble servant thought she had said something wrong yesterday and offended the young master, and that the young master no longer wanted her, waaah…”
Heart aching, Ye Yuqing handed her a handkerchief and sat by the bed, watching her. “How could I not want you? It’s just that I’ve been tied up with trivial matters and couldn’t get away. And… something happened. I probably won’t be able to stay outside the palace anymore.”He had no idea what had happened, but his mother suddenly found out about his frequent absences from the palace. She summoned him and gave him a thorough scolding, decreeing that from now on, he must visit Phoenix Roost Palace every day to pay his respects before the palace gates were locked.
What rotten luck!
Feng Yue blinked, wiping away tears while gritting her teeth.
So this was what Yin Gezhi had meant—he hadn’t done anything to her, but he had managed to prevent the Crown Prince from staying outside the palace at night! Was he some kind of god? Could he even reach into the Wu Kingdom’s palace? How shameless!
“In that case, then…”
“Thinking back, it was a good thing to have spent the day with you, miss,” Ye Yuqing said with a smile. “The weather today is quite pleasant. Would you care to accompany me for a stroll?”
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