"Whеrе dо уou think she's gоing?" Yin Gеzhi аskеd.
Тhe cold vоiсe suddenlу sounded bеhind hеr, stаrtling Lingshu intо а уelp аs she reflexively lеаpеd into Fеng Yuе's аrms.
Sеeing hеr роunсе towаrd her, Feng Yue didn't еvеn havе time to crу out befоre being flаttеnеd bу thе humаn рrojeсtilе.
Yin Gezhi раusеd, loоking at thе рerson оn thе divan with а rare hint of sуmpathy in his еуеs.
"...Lingshu." It toоk Feng Yue a whilе tо сatсh hеr brеаth. Wеаkly lооking at thе pеrson on tоp оf hеr, shе said in а trеmbling vоiсe, "I've treаted you well. Evеn if I die, the silver in mу vanity bоx is уоurs, but yоu can't be in such a hurry to kill me!"
Lingshu was bewildered, scrambling up in a panic and pouting with grievance. "I didn't mean to, Mistress. Are you alright?"
"Not alright at all, I'm dying!" Moaning in pain, Feng Yue looked at her with sorrowful eyes. "But I think I can still cling to life for a bit—if you make me a bowl of your specialty taro soup."
"I'll make it right away!" Nodding hurriedly, Lingshu lifted her skirt and rushed out, completely forgetting why she had been frightened in the first place.
The door opened and closed, the simple and adorable maid sent away without a clue. Feng Yue sighed in relief, moving her painfully throbbing hand as she turned her head to look at the person by the divan.
Yin Gezhi was still staring at her, his gaze like the night sky, enveloping her in deep darkness.
"A courtesan climbing the social ladder is common enough," Feng Yue spoke up, explaining sincerely. "So when Grand Preceptor Li's mansion is hosting a birthday banquet, this humble servant naturally planned to go and make an appearance."
Grand Preceptor Li was one of the Crown Prince's three preceptors, granted imperial permission to build a mansion outside the palace. His fortieth birthday was approaching, and naturally, there would be a banquet at his mansion, but...
After calmly watching her for a moment, Yin Gezhi said, "You plan to dance that same dance at his birthday banquet?"
Feng Yue chuckled lightly. "How could I? Grand Preceptor Li has always been known for his integrity. This humble servant merely planned to work as a temporary maid, helping to entertain guests."
"Oh?" Slowly sitting down beside the divan, Yin Gezhi looked at her, his eyes filled with mockery. "Being a maid doesn't pay much—not as much as you'd earn by taking clients. Who are you planning to seduce through the Grand Preceptor's mansion?"
A cold sweat broke out on her back. Feng Yue withstood the overwhelming pressure, smiling coquettishly. "Is the young master jealous? Don't worry, that was a job arranged earlier. Now that I'm serving you, I naturally won't go."
What a cunning woman. Yin Gezhi grew increasingly suspicious. Ordinary brothel women would turn pale with fright at a little intimidation, but she remained unfazed—no matter how fiercely he pressed her, she kept this unbreakable, fox-like smile.
Something was off.
"I'll cover your business for the next few days," Yin Gezhi said, lowering his gaze. "Why not accompany me to Zhaoying Mountain tomorrow for an outing?"
Zhaoying Mountain? Feng Yue was startled, looking at him with disbelief. "It's so far. Can we make it there by tomorrow?"
A glint flashed in his eyes as Yin Gezhi leaned closer, his slender fingers slowly tracing the side of her face. "Have you been to the Wei Kingdom?"
A shiver ran through her entire body, and Feng Yue's vision darkened.Oh no, oh no, she knew Yin Gezhi was a cunning man, every word he spoke was a trap. She had been careful to avoid him, but still couldn't escape.
If she couldn't avoid it, what could she do? Then she'd just make something up!
Taking a deep breath, Feng Yue sighed: "That was a long time ago. To be honest with you, sir, I grew up in Lidu of the Wei Kingdom, so I know about Zhaoying Mountain. It's east of Lidu."
Why the hell would you want to go from Shadowless City in the Wu Kingdom to Zhaoying Mountain in the Wei Kingdom for a stroll? Are you insane?
"You're from Wei?" Yin Gezhi frowned.
"Exactly." Feng Yue's eyes welled up with tears, looking pitiful: "But three years ago, my whole family came to the Wu Kingdom. Shortly after we arrived, my parents fell seriously ill and passed away. I couldn't survive on my own, so I had to sell myself into prostitution just to get by."
Three years ago? His pupils contracted slightly. Yin Gezhi suddenly tightened his grip on her chin, lifting her face to examine it carefully: "What's your real name?"
Her throat tightened. Feng Yue struggled a bit, pretending to be scared as she closed her eyes and timidly said: "My real name... I come from a lowly background and never attended school. What proper name could I have? Usually, people just call me Er Ya."
It's not her.
Shaking his head, Yin Gezhi released his grip, thinking to himself how foolish he had been. What good would knowing her name do? He didn't even know the name or appearance of the person he was looking for, so why had he developed the habit of questioning anyone from Wei?
Moreover, the person before him reeked of the brothel, more lowly and lacking in self-respect than any courtesan he had ever seen. Her body was soft and boneless, without a hint of toughness, completely unlike that stubborn and unyielding person who was as headstrong as a little donkey.
Rubbing his temples, Yin Gezhi suddenly felt in a terrible mood. He sat on the soft couch, lowered his gaze, and after a long while, asked hoarsely: "Did your family leave Wei because of the war?"
"Yes!" Freed from his grip, Feng Yue seemed to relax a bit, her tone full of disdain: "Wei is always at war, it's so annoying! If they could win, that would be one thing, but General Guan betrayed the country and colluded with the enemy! My father said that if even General Guan had turned traitor, Wei was surely doomed, so he took my mother and me and left Wei. Hey, he wasn't wrong, was he? Two years later, Wei was defeated!"
His body stiffened. Yin Gezhi's gaze became extremely complex as he slowly turned to look at her.
As if she hadn't noticed his expression, Feng Yue continued mockingly: "When I was little, I thought General Guan was the most loyal minister in the world. Folks said he was devoted to protecting his lord, rushing a thousand miles to rescue the king, and surrendering his military seal right at the gates of Lidu upon returning victorious—all sorts of exaggerated tales. But in the end? He was just a selfish liar, willing to sacrifice his ruler and the people for wealth and glory!"
"If I ever see him again, even though I don't know martial arts, I'll definitely kill him!"
Perhaps she got too worked up, tugging at the wound on her hand. Feng Yue hissed in pain, tears instantly streaming down her face as she cried out: "It's going to split, it's going to split, it hurts so much..."
Staring at her for a moment, Yin Gezhi asked softly: "Do all the common people in Wei hate General Guan so much?""Exactly!" Feng Yue said indignantly. "It's because of him that the Wei Kingdom has been reduced to this pitiful state where it can only survive by ceding territory and enduring national humiliation!"
Yin Gezhi remained silent.
The Guan family had been loyal and heroic for generations, serving as generals. Guan Canghai had been a war god who served under the King of Wei for ten years, rarely losing battles and achieving illustrious military merits. Yet who could have expected that during the Battle of Pingchang, he would leak military secrets, leading to the deaths of fifty thousand Wei soldiers in Shan Gui Valley. Yin Gezhi also wanted to believe that General Guan would not do such a thing, but at the time, only he and General Guan knew the marching route and strategic deployment.
If it wasn't him, then it could only be Guan Canghai.
After that devastating defeat, upon returning to camp, he received letters exchanged between Guan Canghai and General Yi of the Wu Kingdom, sent by someone. The contents of those letters fully explained why those fifty thousand soldiers had died. Furious, he confronted Guan Canghai face-to-face. The weathered man looked at him in panic:
"Your Highness, how could this old minister collude with the enemy? And with what means?"
His pale explanation offered no rebuttal or evidence. The First Prince, Yin Gezhi, who had crawled out from a pile of fifty thousand corpses, looked at him with bloodshot eyes and waved for him to be escorted back to the capital, along with the letters of treason, to be handed over to the emperor for judgment.
Knowing he could not remain calm, he wanted to entrust the matter to an outsider for objective handling, which should have been fairer than his own judgment.
But by the time he returned to the capital after the campaign, Guan Canghai had already been convicted, with solid evidence, and the criminal had committed suicide in the imperial prison.
Everything seemed right, yet something felt off. In his confusion, he received the imperial decree and personally went to the Guan residence to arrest all remaining family members. The entire clan was executed, while household servants and maids were either exiled or forced into prostitution.
Though doubts lingered, he still sought out the second young master of the Guan family and asked, "Is the Guan family wronged?"
The disheveled youth, dressed in rags but standing tall with pride, looked at him and said word by word, "My father is dead, his passion has cooled, and the complete extinction of the Guan family is the best outcome. Since a hundred years of loyalty cannot withstand half a day of slander, what does it matter if we are wronged or not?"
With that, he knelt before him in shackles and kowtowed three times forcefully: "May His Majesty, the Great Wei Emperor, reign supreme, with no more loyal ministers!"
Those four resounding words struck Yin Gezhi's heart with pain. He questioned the court's verdict, but wars followed one after another, with the Wei Kingdom attacked from all sides and military secrets continuously leaked. Yin Gezhi donned his armor and went to battle, leaving him no time to attend to other matters. The fate of the Guan family was thus sealed amid his busyness.
Now, recalling these events, Yin Gezhi suddenly felt a chill.
Did Guan Canghai truly betray the country? What if he didn't?
"Feng Yue!"
A sharp, piercing voice sounded outside the door, like a needle scraping against iron, startling both people in the room back to their senses.
Yin Gezhi glanced at the door with great annoyance, while Feng Yue wiped away her tears and responded, "Mama Jin, I'm here."
The door was pushed open, and Mama Jin entered, waving her handkerchief. Seeing Yin Gezhi, she finally lowered her voice a little and said with a smile, "Young master, you're still here. I apologize for the disturbance. The thing is, our Dream Return Pavilion will have a performance in a few days. We previously agreed to perform a play called 'The Tragic Fate of a Beauty,' and there's a general's role in it for Feng Yue. The costume has already been delivered."The maid following behind carried in a white suit of armor, lined with a silver-gray robe inside, looking quite imposing.
Yin Gezhi frowned, glanced at the armor, then looked at the half-dead seductress on the soft couch, and said, "Even if it's just a performance, she shouldn't play the role of a general."
"Why not?" Mama Jin gave him a puzzled look, walked over to Feng Yue, and said, "Her hand is fine. I don't need her to fight or kill anyone—she just needs to stand there wearing the armor."
"It's not because she's injured." Recalling those days of blood and sand, Yin Gezhi's eyes turned cold. "It's because she is too lowly and filthy. Wearing the armor would be an insult to the countless heroic souls who died for their country!"
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