The corners of Feng Qingyin’s eyes were bright with tears, her expression pitifully fragile in a way that stirred the heart.

She moved to lean against Jian Yi’s side. He too wanted to hold her close in comfort — this subject, after all, felt unbearably heavy.

But propriety forbade physical contact between men and women, and she was still another man’s consort. Jian Yi had no wish to tarnish her reputation.

He stood up, eyes fixed on her. “I will find a way.”

“Mm.” Feng Qingyin lowered her head and dabbed at her tears, and in the same motion quietly smoothed away the flicker of satisfaction that had risen in the depths of her eyes.

Handling a man — one really had to use this approach. Men all liked a woman who appeared weak and vulnerable. Every last one of them.

“Never mind that for now. Do not make any rash moves. Tonight I will go to Emperor Qiwen and sound out his feelings first.”

“You are going to serve him again tonight?” Jian Yi’s expression darkened at once. The moment this came up, he felt it immediately — a deep, uncomfortable ache.

“I…” Feng Qingyin’s mind turned swiftly. “Jian Yi, don’t be angry. I… you know I have no choice.”

“If you don’t want to remain in the palace, I can take you away. Why must you…”

“Jian Yi, do you truly think I am that kind of person? Could I run away for my own happiness and simply abandon my parents like that?”

Feng Qingyin rose to her feet as well. Meeting his gaze, this time the tears rolled down freely.

“My father and mother — everyone in the Feng family — is still here. My sisters, my family — all of their lives rest in my hands.”

“You know full well that it was Emperor Qiwen who insisted I enter the palace as a consort. Would I have thrown myself into the trap and buried myself in this filthy palace of my own accord?”

The more she spoke, the more distressed she grew, tears falling one after another — utterly, heartbreakingly frail.

“If I were to leave with you, Emperor Qiwen would certainly have them executed. The entire Feng family would be wiped out to the last person. How could you bear to see that happen?”

“In that case, let me kill that vile Emperor right now!” Jian Yi’s fists clenched tight, his voice blazing with fury.

“You cannot. Kill him rashly, and there will simply be a new Emperor in his place — and at that point, I would be a former Emperor’s consort who had run off with a man. That would still be a crime worthy of the clan’s annihilation.”

Jian Yi had nothing to say. If this would not work and that would not work either, was there truly no way out for as long as they lived?

“Jian Yi, I have told you before — only when you hold real power yourself will no one be able to bully you. Listen to me: as long as the Feng family one day holds that power in their grasp, like the Nanmeng clan once did, who would dare bully us then?”

Jian Yi still said nothing. Her thinking was too naïve.

The power of the Nanmeng clan was not something that had risen in a single day.

From many years back — even when the Di imperial clan still held authority over the Bei Mu kingdom — they had already been generals holding military power in their hands.

Later, when the Di imperial clan was overthrown and the Zhan clan came to power, the Nanmeng clan, nominally fighting to build an empire for the Emperor, had in truth seized the chaos of war as an opportunity to rapidly expand their own military control.

In short, the reason the Nanmeng clan had been able to command such vast military power was because of the convergence of the right time, the right place, and the right people — they had taken advantage of a time of war.

And now, Feng Qingyin also wanted to do as the Nanmeng clan had done — to hold such authority that even Emperor Qiwen would be wary of the Feng family. In Jian Yi’s view, this was simply impossible.

Feng Qingyin had no desire to hear any words of discouragement. Whatever she had set her mind to doing — there was nothing she deemed impossible.

“Jian Yi, stop being angry. I truly had no choice in the matter. If you… if even this is enough to make you angry at me, then I… are you trying to drive me to my death?”

Jian Yi still said nothing. He gave her a single glance and then turned and walked away.

Ling Long dared not enter until Jian Yi had left. She pulled the door shut, crossed into the inner chamber, and looked at Feng Qingyin, who was sitting in her jade chair sipping tea. There was a measure of surprise in Ling Long’s expression. “My Lady, he… seems very angry.”

Ling Long had assumed the Lady would be anxious right now, fretting over how to coax Jian Yi back. Instead, the Lady was seated there at perfect ease, sipping tea as though none of it had concerned her in the least.

Feng Qingyin set down her cup. Her jade-like fingertip traced an idle, unconscious circle along the rim, and she smiled — a smile edged with contempt.

“Men — why waste too much feeling on them? He’s walked away in anger now. Even if I chase after him, I won’t catch him. Better to let him cool down on his own. He will definitely come back.”

“But, my Lady, what if he…” Ling Long glanced toward the door, then lowered her voice. “What if he truly walks away and does not return? Would my Lady not be losing such a useful piece on the board?”

Jian Yi’s martial arts were genuinely exceptional, and Ling Long, herself a practitioner, knew full well how formidable he was.

He could come and go within the palace as he pleased — on that point alone, he was something an ordinary person could simply never match.

If Jian Yi was truly driven away by anger, that would be a real loss.

“My Lady…”

“He still carries the weight of the favor he owes me. That man — though he is an assassin — is someone who repays his debts with extraordinary faithfulness. Don’t worry. He will be back soon.”

Feng Qingyin was genuinely unconcerned. This sort of thing had happened before — only this time, Jian Yi’s fury had run a little hotter.

But if he did not repay the kindness she had once shown him, then he would not be that cold-blooded assassin Jue Yan any longer.

People said that assassins were heartless most of the time — but when they did feel something, they were more loyal than anyone.

Loyal to the point of being utterly like a dog she kept at her side.

“Ha…” Feng Qingyin could not suppress a quiet laugh. She did not know what good deeds she had done in a past life or what merit she had accumulated — that even the heavens were willing to help her, letting her stumble by accident into becoming Jian Yi’s benefactor.

Whatever the case, keeping Jian Yi by her side made a great many things considerably easier to manage.

“By the way — the medicine I had you bring in, has it been obtained?” Feng Qingyin’s smile faded, and she fixed her gaze on Ling Long.

Ling Long immediately drew closer and quietly produced a small packet from within her garments. “My Lady, it is here. As long as a little is added to the Emperor’s tea, the Emperor will certainly…”

Ling Long did not continue. But the suggestive smile on her face made the medicine’s effect perfectly clear.

Feng Qingyin received the packet, a glint of absolute certainty lighting in the depths of her eyes.

“Pick out a beautiful gown for me. Tonight, I am going to attend to the Emperor.”

“But my Lady, the Emperor has issued no summons for tonight…”

“When this Lady wishes to see the Emperor, what need is there for a summons?”

Ling Long nodded at once, beaming. “Quite right, my Lady. You are now the most favored in all the rear palace. The entire harem — truly, you are the only one with this honor.”

Feng Qingyin said nothing. She only looked at the packet in her hand. Her lips curved in a slow, self-satisfied smile.

Jian Yi thought she was not capable of great things. But the final step had not yet been taken — and who could know where the deer would fall?

As long as she conceived an imperial son, there would surely come a day when she rose to power.

Tonight, she absolutely had to make that withered old man give her a child. Her imperial son must be born soon.

With Nanmeng Rong gone from the rear palace, she no longer had anything left to fear. Come, her imperial son — come to your mother’s side. Your mother is already afraid of nothing.