Originallу, it wаs thе sоft аnd sweet Lingshu sitting with him eаting рeanuts, but in thе blink of an еуе, it turnеd intо thе dishevelеd and heavily made-uр Fеng Yue. Guаn Zhi was sо frightеnеd his fаcе turnеd раlе, and а peanut gоt stuсk in his throаt, nearly сhoking him to dеath!
Thе dооr bеhind him slаmmеd shut with а "bang." Guan Zhi trеmblеd, glanсеd bаck, аnd instantlу lоoked аshеn-faсed: "Miss Feng Yuе..."
When did you gо in thеrе?
Pulling аngrily at her сlоthеs, Feng Yuе sаid, "Is уоur mаstеr in a bаd mоod? Нe dоesn’t evеn want а bеаuty dеlivеrеd tо his doorsteр. He actuallу threw me out!"
"...Whеn my mastеr is busy with mаttеrs, he gеnerally doesn’t like to be disturbed," Guan Zhi covered his face. "Why did you have to go looking for trouble?"
Glancing sideways at Guan Zhi, Feng Yue reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. She rubbed her nose and pointed at the sky in a very manly manner: "On such a pleasant day, shouldn’t we be enjoying ourselves? Always busy scheming against others, we should take a break once in a while."
Guiltily lifting the young lady’s hand away, Guan Zhi lowered his head: "What you say makes sense."
Propping her chin, Feng Yue thought for a moment and asked, "Lord Guan Zhi, if I fell into the river now, do you think your master would send someone to rescue me?"
"How could he not?" Guan Zhi widened his eyes. "My master isn’t that kind of heartless person."
"What if it were the middle of winter, the river water freezing cold, and he was the only one around me? Would he still jump in?"
Guan Zhi looked bewildered: "Of course, what’s the difference between the two situations?"
The difference is huge—one is a simple favor, the other is risking everything. Feng Yue stroked her chin, thinking that Guan Zhi knew Yin Gezhi well. In other words, she already held significant weight in his eyes. So, she probably didn’t need to resort to these seductive and flattering tricks to stay safe.
Clapping her hands, she breathed a sigh of relief. Standing up, she headed out: "You two keep eating. I’ll go prepare dinner."
"Yes!" Lingshu replied cheerfully, completely unaware of what had happened, and continued stuffing peanuts into Guan Zhi’s mouth.
Guan Zhi wore a bitter expression, worriedly glancing at the tightly shut door behind him, chewing peanuts numbly.
When his master came out later, would he blame him for negligence and throw him out of the mansion?
Life in the Envoy’s Mansion was peaceful and harmonious, allowing them to dwell on such trivial matters. But outside, it was a world of turmoil, where officials were plagued by corruption.
"What should we do, Commander Fang!" Deputy Commander of the City Garrison, Zhen Yu, sat in the backyard of the Fang residence, so anxious his hair seemed to turn white: "The Crown Prince is acting so directly, clearly showing no regard for General Yi’s face. We’ve all served under the general for years. Now, with some imprisoned and others executed, if we don’t think of a way out, we’ll be caught in this disaster too!"
Fang Wenxin sighed: "All the officials in the court who could speak up have tried, but the Crown Prince controls the government, and Yin Gezhi holds the Wind-Hearing Order, investigating them with solid evidence. The cases are already decided; there’s no way to overturn them."
"So we just do nothing?" Zhen Yu was frantic: "Even young upstarts are lording it over me now. Who knows what else the Crown Prince might do?""You needn't be too anxious," Fang Wenxin said. "Even if the Crown Prince intends to purge the court, he can't replace everyone at once. At most, he'll only change those in key positions. It won't affect you or me. Once the Grand General sends word back, he'll surely be able to protect us."
"Alright," Zhenyu nodded with a frown. After a moment's thought, he added, "But what exactly is going on with Prince Yin? Wasn't he always close to the Grand General? Why would he help the Crown Prince?"
Fang Wenxin sneered, "Many people can't figure this out, but I had someone investigate and found out. Didn't the Crown Prince assign the young masters of the An and Xu families to be Yin Gezhi's disciples? The Xu family's young master somehow got hold of a woman and gave her to Yin Gezhi. Although Prince Yin still often looks after Miss Yi, men are easily swayed by beauty. With such a beauty by his side, how could he wholeheartedly protect the Yi family? He must have been distracted."
"Your Excellency means..." Zhenyu took a light breath, suddenly understanding. "The Crown Prince deliberately tried to win over Prince Yin, using his special status to deal with us?"
"The Crown Prince has been trying to win over Yin Gezhi for quite some time," Fang Wenxin said unhappily. "It's just that no one expected the woman sent this time would actually suit his tastes. Truly, a beauty is a calamity. Although Prince Yin is exceptionally skilled in martial arts, he hasn't made any waves or interfered in anything since coming to Wu Kingdom a year ago. This shows he has no intention of getting involved in Wu's affairs and no schemes of his own. It's only natural that he would be gradually ensnared by the Crown Prince's step-by-step plans."
Zhenyu nodded, unable to help but curse, "At the same age, how can the Crown Prince be so cunning and scheming, always harming others! He should learn from the princes of Wei Kingdom—they can fight and are straightforward, which is why the people of Wei are willing to submit."
With a sigh, Fang Wenxin shook his head, thinking much the same.
He hoped Prince Yin would soon see through the Crown Prince's treacherous schemes, come to his senses, and stand on their side!
The straightforward First Prince Yin had just put down his brush and stamped the seal on the final case file.
"Send this to the Court of Judicial Review, and it should be mostly settled," he said, moving his neck wearily. "No matter how fast General Yi acts, he won't be able to save them in time. They're all guilty of major crimes—those who can be executed will be, and those who can't will be exiled. In another half a month or so, the overall situation in Shadowless City should be stabilized."
Guan Zhi nodded excitedly, clutching the files as he dashed out.
Yin Gezhi turned his head, glancing at the dazzling sunlight outside. As if remembering something, his eyes flickered, and he stood up to leave.
The courtyard was filled with the fragrance of flowers. Feng Yue, dressed in bright red, as radiant as the sunlight, hopped from left to right and back again, holding a watering can. As she watered the plants, she muttered, "Thank you for growing around this iceberg. Don't be shy, drink plenty of water."
A sudden chill ran down her back. Feng Yue narrowed her eyes sharply, her tongue quickly turning as she laughed, "It's your good fortune to be by the side of the mighty, dashing, and heroic Prince Yin! Treasure it, you hear me!"
A scoff came from behind her. Yin Gezhi, standing there with his arms crossed, said, "Do you think I'm deaf or a fool? Once the words are out, can you really take them back?"Grinning as she turned around, Feng Yue pretended nothing had happened and cheerfully said, "Your Highness, are you finished with your tasks? It's another lovely day today, hahaha."
Glancing at her sideways, Yin Gezhi grabbed her wrist and dragged her along.
"Your Highness? What are you doing?" Seeing he was heading toward the study, Feng Yue widened her eyes. "Let's talk this out properly. I haven't done anything wrong, have I?"
Without uttering a single word in response, Yin Gezhi tried to pull her inside, but who would have thought this woman would plant her foot firmly on the doorframe! She tugged back with a mighty roar, "Private punishment is forbidden in the Wu Kingdom!"
OpenNovel