"Тhere's асtuаllу аnother questiоn I dоn't quite understаnd," Feng Yue sаid whilе sеrving riсе. "Аlthough Zhu Laiсai tried to kill you, therе аre mаny wауs уоu cоuld hаvе killеd him. Whу go thrоugh all this trouble?"
Yin Gеzhi glаncеd at her but said nоthing, his eyеs filled with moсkеrу. Fеng Yuе shivеrеd at the sight аnd рoutеd, "I wаs just аsking!"
"Arеn't yоu invеstigating Shan Wеnhе?" he sаid. "Stop prеtending to be ignоrаnt whеn yоu alreadу knоw."
Тhat silvеr ingоt hаd fаllеn intо his hands, sо nаturallу he knеw she was invеstigating Shаn Wеnhе. Hоw соuld shе have forgоtten about that? She hаd just given him a chаnce tо laugh аt hеr!
Gritting her tеeth, Feng Yue smiled compliantly. "I'm just very interested in Lord Shan, after all, he's the current Three Judicial Commissioners. He controls money and grain, but I don't know what you're thinking."
Planning to use Zhu Laicai to lure out Shan Wenhe? That won't be easy. If Shan Wenhe abandons his pawn to save his king, what use would Zhu Laicai be left with?
She had targeted Shan Wenhe precisely because this man didn't get along well with the Crown Prince. Previously, a drunken patron had said that when the Crown Prince's orders conflicted with Shan Wenhe's, subordinates had to obey both, which was truly difficult.
Given this, the Crown Prince must also be somewhat interested in Shan Wenhe. If she could provide some clues, Ye Yuqing should value her more.
But she never expected this man before her to intercept her!
Watching Feng Yue serve herself a third bowl of rice, Yin Gezhi fell silent for a moment. He nonchalantly picked up his tea and took a sip, then said, "Just do what you need to do. There's no need to know what I'm thinking."
Then can I kill you?—If she borrowed a hundred more guts, she might have said those words out loud.
However, unfortunately, she didn't have enough courage. Feng Yue could only obediently agree and then eat her meal.
After the meal, Feng Yue returned to the guest room with Lingshu. Stroking Lingshu's little head, she said, "While staying here, behave yourself. Don't run around, understand?"
With innocent eyes wide open, Lingshu asked, "This courtyard is so big and empty, you could even do somersaults here. Why can't I run around?"
Children are so naive! Feng Yue led her to the guest courtyard gate, picked up a stone, and threw it toward the wall!
"Swish!" A figure flew out, paused in confusion, then vanished without a trace.
Lingshu stared in astonishment. "So amazing!"
"What do you think this place is?" Holding her, Feng Yue said with a forced smile, "A den of fierce ghosts, how could it lack sinister figures?"
Lingshu couldn't understand such words, but she remembered her mistress's warning not to run around. She obediently went to fetch water and helped her mistress settle down for the night.
"Your Highness," kneeling in the main room, Guan Zhi said with great grievance, "My hand is just sore, not useless. I can still serve you."
The man sitting by the bed read a letter by lamplight and replied casually, "One person serving is enough."
"Then..." Why was it Miss Feng Yue who went, not him?
Thinking it over, Guan Zhi realized a serious problem: she could cook, was beautiful, and could warm the bed. As for him, aside from fighting, he couldn't do anything!
"Master!" Tears welled up in his eyes as Guan Zhi said, "I'll never dare to anger you again. Please let me continue serving you."
His tone was so pitiful, like a woman about to be abandoned.Yin Gezhi finally looked up and said to him, "I'm just not taking you tomorrow, why are you so worked up?"
Just tomorrow? Guan Zhi was stunned. "And after that?"
"After that, she'll return to her Dream Return Pavilion, and we'll go about our business as usual." Yin Gezhi looked at him with confusion. "What else did you think would happen?"
After giving his master a surprised glance, Guan Zhi fell silent.
This was the first time someone else had stayed in the Envoy's Mansion. He had thought his master would redeem Feng Yue and live with her from then on. Who would have thought...
If Feng Yue knew, how heartbroken she would be! She had already moved in, yet his master still intended to send her back. Giving someone hope only to disappoint them—that’s even crueler than leaving them in despair!
Sighing inwardly for a moment, Guan Zhi obediently got up to help his master settle in for the night. Whatever his master said went—he certainly didn’t want to carry that huge vase through ten streets again.
As dawn broke, heralding a new day, Yin Gezhi had just opened his eyes when he saw a respectable-looking woman smiling at him.
"Young master, this servant will help you rise."
Dressed in an apricot-red high-waisted ruqun with her hair styled in playful double buns, Feng Yue wore light makeup. Her eyes sparkled, and without the usual seductive tilt at the corners, they appeared exceptionally clear.
Yin Gezhi sat up, studying her for a moment. His voice, still hoarse from sleep, rasped, "Not bad."
"Didn’t you buy me back precisely because I look 'not bad'?" The prim little maid from a moment ago instantly winked at him, clutching a handkerchief and whimpering, "Poor me, at the tender age of sixteen, you’ve already taken my innocence. Now I’ll never find a good match, oh woe—"
The theatrical flourish at the end made Yin Gezhi’s eyelids twitch. He took the tea she offered to rinse his mouth, then spat it aside. "Speak properly!"
"Yes!" Immediately adopting a serious expression, Feng Yue clasped her hands at her waist and curtsied. "The congratulatory gift has already been sent ahead to the Anguo Marquis’s residence. Judging by the distance, if we take the carriage leisurely, it will only take half an hour to get there. So you can rest a little longer."
She truly was a natural-born actress, changing her demeanor in the blink of an eye. Yin Gezhi snorted lightly and rose. "Help me change."
"Yes." Feng Yue smiled, fetched a set of bluish-gray robes, and placed them nearby. Then she reached out to undo the clothes on Yin Gezhi’s body, her fingertips mischievously tracing patterns over his chest.
Yin Gezhi watched her expressionlessly.
If it were anyone else, seeing such a look, she would have stopped. But with a scoundrel like Yin Gezhi, as long as there was no physical resistance, his expressions could be completely ignored—they were all just an act, damn it!
And so, while helping him out of his clothes, she took every opportunity to cop a feel. Pinching here, stroking there, she marveled once again at how solid his physique was. Judging by his bone structure, he could probably take on three men like Gan Jiang at once.
"Had enough?" Glancing at the hourglass in the room, Yin Gezhi’s expression darkened. He grabbed her arm and, as if handling some object, hauled her out to the waiting carriage.
"Ouch!" Tumbling into the carriage with a whimper, Feng Yue said, "Shouldn’t maidservants stay outside the carriage?"
"If I say you can, then you can." Yin Gezhi slowly lowered the carriage curtain.Before setting off, Feng Yue was still marveling at how even the Great Demon King had a human side. He couldn’t bear to let her trot along outside with her small, hurried steps.
But once they were on the road, her face turned pale.
"Master, this is inside the carriage!"
"Hmm."
"We’re going to the Marquis of An’s estate!"
"Hmm."
"No… don’t… there are people everywhere outside!"
The coachman’s face flushed with heat as he drove the carriage swiftly. Seeing they were about to reach the Marquis of An’s estate, he deliberately took a longer route to give the two in the back some time to tidy up.
An Shichong was waiting at the entrance of the estate. Strictly speaking, he didn’t need to come out to greet them, but since Yin Gezhi was coming, the respectful little disciple had been standing there since early morning.
"The carriage from the Envoy’s Mansion," Xu Huaizu, sharp-eyed, spotted it and patted his shoulder.
An Shichong snapped back to attention and immediately went forward to greet them.
"Master!"
Lifting the carriage curtain, Yin Gezhi seemed to be in a rather good mood. After nodding slightly to them, he turned back and said, "The maid gets off first."
Tears welling in her eyes, Feng Yue extended a trembling finger in silent accusation at the beast before her. Then, gritting her teeth, she forced a smile, climbed down from the carriage, and stood to the side.
"What’s this?" At first glance, he didn’t recognize her. After a closer look, Xu Huaizu took a small step back in shock. "Miss Feng Yue?"
"This is my maid, Yue’er," Yin Gezhi alighted from the carriage, not sparing her a single glance, and followed An Shichong straight into the estate. "Let’s first pay our respects to the Marquis."
Feng Yue struggled to walk normally. With a smile on her face, she followed, head bowed, eyes fixed on Yin Gezhi’s heels, wishing she had the courage to step on them.
Last night, she had tried to please him, but he insisted she sleep in the guest courtyard, claiming it was to ensure she was in better condition for today’s visit to the estate. So what was that just now? A sudden fit of passion? Even though she was a courtesan, she had never done anything so thrilling!
It was still early, and there weren’t many people in the estate. An Shichong smoothly led them to the main courtyard.
"Father, Prince Yin has come to offer birthday congratulations."
Hearing the voice, the Marquis of An turned around and smiled upon seeing Yin Gezhi. "A rare guest."
"May the Marquis live as long as the Southern Mountains," Yin Gezhi, as a junior, bowed respectfully to him, unusually well-behaved.
Feng Yue didn’t dare to look up. With many people around, all she could see were pairs of boots.
The gold-black boots addressed the tea-white brocade boots: "Your Highness’s presence brings great honor to this humble abode. Shall we proceed inside?"
The tea-white brocade boots responded, "After you, Marquis."
The two pairs of black boots beside them, which had eagerly come to show off their master, were left bewildered. They hadn’t even introduced him yet—how did the two seem so familiar, just walking inside like that?
Feng Yue was also puzzled by this. Before she could think further, the black boots beside her stepped on her foot. "Yue’er, go inside and attend to your master."
"...Yes."
The door closed, and with no other boots inside, the gold-black boots stood facing her direction for a moment before asking curiously, "And this is?"
"My personal maid," the tea-white boots replied.
With the word "personal," the Marquis didn’t inquire further. Smiling, he invited Yin Gezhi to take a seat. Feng Yue obediently stood behind Yin Gezhi, pouring water for him and attending to other tasks."It's rare for you to come to my residence," Marquis Anguo said. "No reservations this time?"
"With proper justification, what is there to fear?"
"Hahaha!" Marquis Anguo laughed, sighing as he said, "I truly admire your composure. You're not like other young people at all."
Listening to this, why does it sound as if they are quite familiar? Feng Yue was astonished, staring at Yin Gezhi's boots, unable to speak.
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