"Whаt аrе уou laughing аt?" Yin Gеzhi bеsidе hеr looked аt hеr disdainfully. "It hаs nothing to dо with уоu."
Тurning hеr hеad while сhewing melon seeds, Feng Yuе sаid, "Goоd deеds bring gооd rеwards, еvil dееds bring rеtributiоn. Isn’t it satisfуing to watch?"
Snоrting сoldlу, Yin Gezhi repliеd, "Do yоu think all goоd аnd еvil in this wоrld will rесеive the соnsequеnсеs theу desеrvе?"
Her hаnd, hоlding the mеlon seeds, рaused. Feng Yuе роuted unhаppily. "Мust уоu ruin my mооd likе this?"
"Расk up еаrly аnd go bаck to сoоk." Rising соldly, Yin Gеzhi sаid, "It’s timе fоr the meal."
Widеning her eyes, Feng Yuе instinctively grаbbed the tаble аnd аsked, "I still hаve to go back and cook?"
"Otherwise?" Yin Gezhi said calmly. "You helped me earlier, so I’m granting you the favor of returning to continue living there."
Who wants such a favor! She had so much freedom at Dream Return Pavilion—only a fool would want to be someone’s maid! Feng Yue frowned. But when she turned and saw the thick scent of blood on the bed, and remembered how that madman had crawled into her blankets and curled up, she gagged. After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to accept the "reward" and express her gratitude.
"I’ll go back and cook right away, but there aren’t many vegetables left in the courtyard. Let’s buy some on the way!"
Buy vegetables? Yin Gezhi frowned, looking disdainful. "You want me to buy vegetables?"
"Otherwise?" Glancing behind him, Feng Yue said, "You didn’t bring Guan Zhi with you!"
"..." Such a trivial matter was absolutely beneath the First Prince of Yin. He turned away with a huff and walked off! Whoever wanted to buy vegetables could do it themselves!
However, when he reached the ground floor, the light drizzle outside had turned into a heavy downpour. And he hadn’t brought an umbrella.
Gazing gloomily at the sky, Yin Gezhi felt he shouldn’t have come here on a whim. He should have sent Guan Zhi instead. Even idling in the courtyard would have been better than accompanying this woman in her madness.
"Let’s go!" Opening a peach-colored oil-paper umbrella over his head, Feng Yue cheerfully pulled him into the rain.
"I am a prince of Great Wei," Yin Gezhi said through gritted teeth, staring ahead at the road.
"Mhm, I know," Feng Yue nodded like a pecking chick. "You’re very impressive and powerful."
"So?"
And you want someone as impressive as me to buy vegetables?
"So..." Tiptoeing through the puddles, Feng Yue suddenly turned to look at him, her eyes sparkling as she smiled. "So I like you."
One foot stepped into a puddle, sending up a small splash and ripples across the water’s surface.
Yin Gezhi turned his head and looked at her deeply.
"Before the women of your Dream Return Pavilion are officially listed, do they all train in how to speak sweetly to please guests?"
Twisting her waist and laughing like a swaying flower, Feng Yue blinked, extremely pleased with herself. "So I’ve managed to make you happy? Ah, my skills must be improving."
The umbrella above them wobbled in her grasp, and rainwater dripped from the edge, landing on his shoulder. Yin Gezhi frowned, reached out to grasp her hand holding the umbrella, and pulled her closer to him.
Feng Yue was startled. Looking up, she saw his long, thick eyelashes and instinctively swallowed.
This man was really, really good-looking, damn it.
Rain pattered loudly against the umbrella, but beneath it felt like another world—quiet and enchanting.
After a long while, Yin Gezhi turned his head away and said, "I’ll hold the umbrella.""Alright." Lowering her eyes, Feng Yue obediently nestled against him as they headed toward the market.
The rainy-day market was nearly deserted. Vegetable vendors huddled under the eaves of nearby shops, packed so tightly that even the First Prince Yin Gezhi had a deep furrow between his brows.
Feng Yue, however, bounced ahead, thoroughly enjoying her shopping. Perhaps due to the simple honesty of Shadowless City's vendors, the prices for vegetables and meat were remarkably low. Some aunts even blushed and gave her an extra cabbage for free. A young girl stammered before finally waving off payment, gifting her a pound of beans.
"The produce here is such a bargain!" Clutching a large pile of items, Feng Yue didn't dare ask the master behind her for help. Only after leaving the crowd did she turn to him, proudly displaying her haul: "All this for less than a tael of silver!"
Gloomily glaring at her, Yin Gezhi said nothing and strode ahead, holding the umbrella.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Feng Yue hurried after him, struggling with her heavy load, and pitifully pleaded, "If you won't help, fine, but don't walk so fast! This is all for us to eat!"
His jaw tightening, Yin Gezhi glanced down at her and asked imperiously, "Can't carry it anymore?"
Feng Yue immediately nodded, blinking her eyes. "Could you... stoop to lend a hand?"
With a light snort, Yin Gezhi muttered "troublesome" under his breath and reached out.
Delighted, Feng Yue was about to hand him the items when he bypassed her outstretched arms, stuck the umbrella into the pile of vegetables in her embrace, bent down, wrapped his arms around her, and simply picked her up!
Water droplets from her shoes traced an arc through the air. The previously precarious meat and vegetables were now securely nestled in her arms. Stunned, Feng Yue freed a hand to grip the umbrella handle and blinked in confusion.
Expressionless, the First Prince treated her as nothing more than a vegetable basket, carrying her straight back to the Envoy's Mansion.
Guan Zhi was idly watching the rain at the entrance when he suddenly saw his master returning with a large pile of items. Looking closer, he realized there was a person buried beneath the heap.
"This... Miss Feng Yue?"
With a forced laugh, Feng Yue weakly said, "Lord Guan Zhi, if you don't help soon, I'll be crushed to death!"
Snapping out of it, Guan Zhi hurried to help unload the items. Picking up the banana leaves one by one, he realized, hey, it was actually meat and vegetables?
Shocked, he glanced at his master and asked, "Are you this happy because it's your first time at the market and everything feels novel?"
Brushing the rainwater from his clothes, Yin Gezhi ignored him and entered the room with a cold expression.
Watching his retreating figure, Feng Yue nudged Guan Zhi with her elbow and asked, "Where did you see that your master was happy? His eyes were flashing with thunder and lightning the whole way back—more terrifying than this storm!"
Shaking his head with a light chuckle, Guan Zhi said, "My master is very happy, not angry. You can rest assured, miss."
Really? So two-faced? Pouting, Feng Yue shook her head. She divided half the items with him, and together they carried the ingredients to the kitchen.
The sky was ominously overcast. Duanxian escorted Li Xun to the Li family gate and then stopped. Li Xun, drenched by the rain, shouted and screamed. Soon, someone emerged from the courtyard, staring in astonishment at the scene and asking softly, "What happened to the master?"
Li Xun had no official wife; the women in his courtyard were either prisoners of war or commoners he had forcibly taken.Duanxian smiled, beckoning the girl over to help carry him inside. Then she said, "The master had a little accident. I'm here to take care of him."
Roaring uncontrollably, Li Xun stared wide-eyed at the girl and shouted, "Drive her away! She's a ghost, a ghost!"
The voice was truly terrifying. It frightened the young girl so much that she turned and ran, screaming as she fled, startling the surrounding open doors to close one after another.
Not a single person came to see what was wrong with him.
Li Xun felt somewhat desperate, his gaze growing unfocused as he looked at Duanxian and said, "Just kill me."
With a light, mocking laugh, Duanxian asked, "Does the master no longer wish to live?"
Closing his eyes in pain, Li Xun's tears streamed down.
With a disdainful chuckle, Duanxian released the wooden wheelchair and turned to look around the house. The house wasn't large—five bedrooms, one front hall, and one study. She effortlessly found Li Xun's seal in the study, took out the letter Feng Yue had given her, and neatly stamped it. Then she went out and said with a smile, "The master is deeply suffering. This servant will send a letter for help on your behalf, hoping someone can rescue you from this misery."
Staring at her in terror, Li Xun broke down: "Can't you just disappear?!"
"No." Reaching out to pinch his bandaged wrist, Duanxian curled her lips. "This servant will take good care of the master."
A thunderclap boomed, and rain poured down, mercilessly drenching Shadowless City.
Inside the Envoy's Mansion, candlelight glowed softly, as if isolating the entire city's misty rain outside. Feng Yue had finished preparing the evening meal. Yin Gezhi set down his book, glanced at the fully laden table, and inexplicably felt a sense of peace.
But peace aside, he couldn't resist a jab: "So slow."
Pointing to her hand, Feng Yue said, "The physician told me to be careful on rainy days—it hurts. I endured the pain to make your evening meal, and you still complain I'm slow?"
His brow slightly furrowed. Yin Gezhi glanced at her hand, stood up, and rummaged through a nearby cabinet, pulling out a small bottle. "Take this."
She received the small porcelain bottle with both hands, feeling its warmth. Opening the stopper, she inhaled—the scent of medicine filled the air, a top-quality wound remedy.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Without a hint of hesitation, she accepted it, shamelessly adding, "The weather is so bad today. Can I sleep by your side?"
"What?" Yin Gezhi glanced at her sideways. "Are you afraid of thunder?"
Feng Yue shrugged. "Probably."
Yin Gezhi, the First Prince of Wei Kingdom, stood tall and accomplished, a hero of many battles, seemingly without weakness. But Feng Yue knew he had a secret that would be embarrassing if it got out—he was afraid of thunder.
Once, when they had slept together during a thunderstorm, he had stiffened all over, clinging to her and refusing to let go. When she later asked if he was afraid, His Highness had come up with a lame excuse: "No, I was just cold."
Remembering this, Feng Yue wanted to laugh out loud. However, Yin Gezhi was extremely concerned with face. Those who didn't give him face were mostly dead. Keeping this in mind, Feng Yue had to pretend she knew nothing, looking pitiful as she asked, "Is it okay?"
Yin Gezhi remained expressionless, hesitating for a long moment before reluctantly agreeing. "Fine."Stifling her laughter, Feng Yue quickly ate three bowls of rice, cleared the dishes, sent Guan Zhi to fetch Lingshu, and then obediently climbed into bed to warm the blankets for him.
Thunder rumbled, Yin Gezhi’s face slightly pale, he waved his sleeve to extinguish the lamp, got into bed, and immediately wrapped Feng Yue in his arms.
Pressing close to him, Feng Yue let out a cry with each clap of thunder: "So scary!"
The one holding her took the opportunity to tighten his grip, embracing her firmly.
Grinning, Feng Yue asked, "Your Highness, are you also afraid of thunder?"
"No."
"Crash—boom—" The words had barely left his lips when a tremendous thunderclap exploded directly above the house!
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