It was in the small hours of the morning that Yanu had come to check on her and discovered she was not in her room.

By then, the sky was almost turning light. He had been jolted awake by a nightmare and found himself walking, without quite thinking, to the outside of her door.

The palace maids had all fallen dead asleep — he called out and no one responded. At that point, Yanu knew something was wrong and pushed the door open directly.

As he had suspected, the girl was nowhere to be found. He was so frightened that he immediately searched all around the vicinity.

Yet before he could find her, she had already come back on her own — and the moment she returned, she collapsed straight into bed and fell fast asleep.

He had not had the heart to wake her, so he had simply let her sleep on.

Seeing the worry in Yanu’s eyes, Feng Jiu’er felt a pang of guilt.

“I, that is… I went to Third Imperial Elder Brother’s place. He has lots of fun things there, and good food too.”

“You didn’t leave the palace?” Yanu was a little skeptical.

“Anyway, I was just with Third Imperial Elder Brother the whole time — you don’t need to worry. Third Imperial Elder Brother has excellent martial arts, and with him around, nothing will ever happen to me.”

“Your Highness…” So that meant she had truly left the palace?

He did not know whether or not the Emperor was aware of this. If he was, the Princess would face punishment.

But A’Jiu gave him no chance to press the matter further. She tossed out a quick “I must go and keep Imperial Father company for breakfast” and hurried away.

Yanu couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh. There was simply nothing to be done about her.

When Feng Jiu’er entered the garden, the pavilion was already filled with a full table of pastries and refreshments.

Feng Qingcang sat at the center of the pavilion, with palace maids and eunuchs in attendance all around.

Seeing Feng Jiu’er arrive, the whole group immediately bowed in greeting: “We pay our respects to Princess Jiu’er.”

Feng Jiu’er gave a nod and walked briskly into the pavilion.

Coming before Feng Qingcang, she called out obediently: “Imperial Father.”

Feng Qingcang looked up, his gaze settling on her soft and rosy little face. On this occasion, there was not a trace of expression on his face at all.

A’Jiu felt a twinge of unease. Ever since she had returned to her Imperial Father’s side, he had always faced her with a smile.

But the Imperial Father before her now was cold, distant, and carried about him a quality that was — chilling.

Suddenly, she felt a faint creeping dread.

Was this what it meant to serve beside a sovereign as one would serve beside a tiger?

Why was it that even though this was her own Imperial Father, she still felt that if she made the slightest mistake — did anything to displease him — the head upon her shoulders could very easily fail to remain there?

“Imperial Father…” She called out to him again. Seeing him remain utterly expressionless — and with a coldness even in the depths of his eyes — she instinctively took half a step back.

“Are you afraid of Us?” Feng Qingcang finally spoke, but his gaze fell upon the spot where she had just been standing.

“No… it isn’t that.” In truth, she was genuinely afraid — yet she could not understand why she should fear her own father.

They say even a fierce tiger will not devour its own cub. What was there to be afraid of?

“Imperial Father, you haven’t asked me to sit down yet.” She drew a deep breath and switched to a lighter, brisker tone.

This was the pattern they had always followed together — Imperial Father had always been indulgent with her. Surely he would not truly be angry?

The look in Feng Qingcang’s eyes finally softened a fraction: “Come and sit down.”

Feng Jiu’er relaxed with a breath of relief and walked to the seat across from him.

“You are Imperial Father’s daughter — the child Imperial Father loves most dearly. Why would you be afraid of Imperial Father?”

In the blink of an eye, Imperial Father’s presence had shifted entirely. He was no longer that cold and forbidding man from just moments ago.

Now he was exactly as before — his gaze gentle, no smile upon his lips, yet his entire bearing carried a quality of brightness and warmth, like the morning sun.

A’Jiu exhaled. Though even the radiant, sun-like Imperial Father before her was still unable to give her a feeling of warmth, at least the panic in her heart had eased a little.

“Imperial Father, I’m hungry. Shall we… begin the meal?” A’Jiu tried to break through the somber atmosphere.

“Mm.” Feng Qingcang picked up his chopsticks — and just as A’Jiu was about to pick up a pastry, he suddenly asked: “Where did you go last night?”

A’Jiu started in fright, and her hand jerked — the pastry slipped from her chopsticks and fell.

She looked at Feng Qingcang, unsure of how to answer.

She did not want to deceive Imperial Father — but if she told the truth, how could she bear to implicate Third Imperial Elder Brother?

“Are you still unwilling to tell Us?” The look in Feng Qingcang’s eyes remained gentle, yet to A’Jiu, it seemed to radiate an endless and boundless chill.

“I…” She bit her lip. Drew a deep breath. And at last said: “It was I… it was I who asked Third Imperial Elder Brother to take me out to see the world.”

“Feng Jiang, is it?”

“Imperial Father, please don’t hold Third Imperial Elder Brother responsible — it was I who kept pleading with him. Third Imperial Elder Brother only gave in because he loves me and simply had no choice.”

“Eat first.” Feng Qingcang abruptly changed the subject.

A’Jiu was caught off guard. Did that mean he was still angry — or had the matter simply been let go?

Imperial Father did not appear to be in a temper — yet that icy air about him was so frightening…

That morning meal, Feng Jiu’er ate with a heart full of trepidation.

Mercifully, just as they finished breakfast, a eunuch came to summon Feng Qingcang away to attend to affairs of state. So once they rose from the table, A’Jiu felt free again.

“I wonder whether Third Imperial Elder Brother has had breakfast yet.”

Looking at the table still laden with pastries and refreshments, A’Jiu felt it would be such a waste to simply have them cleared away.

After thinking it over, she had them wrapped up and then went bounding along happily to Feng Jiang’s courtyard.

Feng Jiang was in his room. The junior eunuch was about to go and announce her arrival, but A’Jiu waved him off: “No need — I’ll go in on my own.”

This imperial palace, while not so different from the one she remembered in her mind, somehow seemed to have far fewer rules.

As for where this “palace she remembered” had come from — that she could not, for the moment, work out at all.

Had she lived in some other palace before?

Feng Jiang’s door was tightly shut. A’Jiu stood outside and knocked.

From within came Feng Jiang’s impatient voice: “Nobody needs to come in — all of you, stay away!”

His voice sounded… somewhat hoarse. Could it be that Third Imperial Elder Brother hadn’t risen yet?

Feng Jiu’er pouted. She had been up and about for so long already, and yet Third Imperial Elder Brother was still sleeping in — utterly outrageous!

“Third Imperial Elder Brother, the sun is already high in the sky — you’re still…”

A’Jiu pushed open the door and walked in — then froze completely at the sight of the person inside.

“Third Imperial Elder Brother, you…”

Feng Jiang was startled badly by her, and scrambled frantically to put his clothes in order.

The pastries in A’Jiu’s hands scattered across the floor. She strode quickly forward and seized Feng Jiang’s robe before he could get it on.

“What are you doing? Men and women must not touch freely — even if you are my Imperial Little Sister, you are not allowed to look!” Feng Jiang was flustered and a little beside himself.

Yet A’Jiu only gripped his robe all the more tightly and tore it open with a sharp pull.

“You…”

“Why?” A’Jiu’s chin trembled slightly. Her nose began to sting with the threat of tears.

“Was it Imperial Father? Was this Imperial Father’s punishment?”

Imperial Father had known all along that she had left the palace last night with Third Imperial Elder Brother — and the moment they returned, Imperial Father had come to find him — hadn’t he?

But why? Why would it come to this?

“You are Imperial Father’s own son! How could he bear to be so ruthless?”