Such matters would typically cause a young woman to blush with embarrassment, but Feng Yue’s expression remained remarkably natural. She even wore a teasing, coquettish smile that provoked Yin Gezhi’s slight annoyance, making him the one who became uncomfortable instead.
“How improper!”
Covering the young master’s eyes with her hand, Feng Yue smiled sweetly and said, “Your servant has always been improper, hasn’t she? Surely you knew that already?”
The carriage stopped, and she threw him a flirtatious glance before pushing him out.
The carriage had stopped near the General’s mansion. Yin Gezhi quickly regained his composure and, after landing gracefully, flew like an eagle toward his lodgings.
General Yi’s mansion burst into activity upon discovering Young Master Yang’s disappearance. Yi Guoru immediately got up and sent people to search, but after about an hour, something felt wrong. He turned and headed straight for Yin Gezhi’s room.
Who else could have taken someone from his property? Setting aside everything else, based on the skill required alone, Yin Gezhi should be the first suspect!
General Yi forcefully pushed open the guest room door and scanned inside, only to find Yin Gezhi drowsily putting on his clothes as he rose from the bed, looking at him in confusion and asking, “What has happened?”
After suspiciously sweeping his eyes around the room, Yi Guoru sighed and sat down. “The mansion has been robbed again.”
“Robbed?” Yin Gezhi paused briefly before chuckling. “If even the General’s mansion can be robbed, is there any safe place left in Yin City?”
“Your Highness jests,” Yi Guoru said. “Though my mansion is heavily guarded, it cannot stop those with exceptional martial arts skills.”
Like you, he thought.
Yin Gezhi nodded. “Indeed. Then the General should strengthen his defenses further.”
Seeing his complete lack of guilt, Yi Guoru furrowed his brows and thought silently for a while before saying, “Your Highness and I, though once enemies on the battlefield, share similar interests. Might we not be considered half-kindred spirits?”
“Of course.”
“Then if one day I were to be framed by others, would Your Highness choose to believe me or the words of outsiders?”
Yin Gezhi lowered his eyes. “Naturally, I would believe the General. Your upright and honorable character was evident on the battlefield long ago. It’s just that you’re surrounded by treacherous people who bring you down.”
Speaking of uprightness and honor, Yi Guoru truly was very upright and honorable—after all, all the underhanded tactics were thought up by “those around him,” having nothing to do with him. After each battle, he could use scholars’ brushes to wash himself clean of all sins, enjoying only the glory of victory without bearing society’s harsh judgment.
Such a clever general was indeed rare in the world.
Yin Gezhi’s tone was very sincere, and Yi Guoru took it to heart, smiling bitterly. “Having Your Highness’s word puts my mind at ease. After all, people’s hearts are treacherous, and Your Highness, as my friend despite our age difference, could easily be used by others. I hope Your Highness will be especially mindful of this.”
Yin Gezhi nodded slightly in agreement.
Yi Guoru finally smiled and sat at the table, chatting idly with him for a while before continuing his search elsewhere.
However, he was destined not to find anyone tonight. Feng Yue smoothly takes the person out of the city and places Young Master Yang in Yu Hexiang’s arms.
“Thank you, Master.”
Though the young master was born to the Madam, he was quite close to Yu Hexiang and felt at ease as soon as he saw her. He lay down on the nearby bed and fell asleep.
In the dimly lit room, Feng Yue looked at her and sighed. “I’m sorry to make you continue this wandering life.”
Yu Hexiang smiled slightly. “Feng Peng wasn’t a good person. I knew this day would come long ago. If I can do something to cleanse the sins on his body, I would face death without regret.”
Hexiang had left Dream Return House half a year ago. After achieving her revenge and meeting Yang Fengpeng, who showed her great affection, she left with him. When she left, Feng Yue had warned her that Yang Fengpeng might not come to a good end. Hexiang had anticipated this day from the start but still had no regrets.
Now that the time had come for him to pay for his sins, Hexiang felt that being able to save his young master was already fulfilling his last wish. As for the rest, it was up to fate, and she had no regrets.
Those who do evil will surely meet their end.
Feng Yue sighed deeply and hugged her before hurrying back to the city in the carriage.
Now that Young Master Yang had been rescued, as long as he could meet Yang Fengpeng tomorrow, General Yi would surely be dragged down as well.
Originally, she thought these matters would be troublesome and might take several years. But when carrying them out, it only took a few months.
“Miss,” the driver on the carriage shaft said in a deep voice, “His Highness has grown suspicious of you recently.”
“I know,” Feng Yue nodded with a smile. “That person, once he suspects someone, makes it very obvious.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“What can I do?” Propping her chin up in thought for a moment, Feng Yue smiled and said, “When it’s discovered, I’ll just run.”
“This servant feels that His Highness isn’t necessarily an unreasonable person,” the driver sighed. “By now, you and His Highness have developed deep feelings. Why not try asking His Highness if he’s willing to trust you?”
Trust her? Feng Yue raised an eyebrow, narrowing her eyes in serious consideration.
Would Yin Gezhi trust her? Even if he discovered she was Guan Qingyue, he probably wouldn’t kill her immediately—he would give her a chance to explain. But to face his wrong decision from back then? Someone like him seemed unwilling to face such things.
Better to take it one step at a time; too much thinking is useless.
“Halt!” Just as they approached the South Gate, a shout suddenly rang out from the gate tower.
Feng Yue knew something was wrong as soon as she heard it and immediately tried to get off the carriage, but the city guards moved even faster, surrounding the carriage.
They had gotten out with An Shichong’s help, so logically, coming back shouldn’t have been stopped either, unless…
“Who’s in the carriage? Entering the city at night?” Xue Liang stood at the city gate, looking toward the carriage, and said, “Get out!”
The driver tensed up, not knowing what to do. Just as he was about to say it was the envoy manor’s carriage, someone pressed on his shoulder.
“Please be merciful, good sirs,” the carriage curtain lifted, and a woman full of charm revealed her eyes, looking at the people around her and saying, “This humble one’s mother is gravely ill, and I’m rushing into the city to fetch a doctor.”
Seeing it was a woman, and noting there was nothing else in the carriage, the nearby city guards were about to let her pass, but Xue Liang raised his hand to stop them.
“Mother gravely ill, rushing into the city?” Xue Liang smiled lightly. “Miss, do you think no one recognizes the envoy manor’s carriage?”
Feng Yue’s heart sank sharply as she narrowed her eyes.
She had truly been careless—this was her real carelessness. Few people could afford to use carriages, and Xue Liang was from the General’s mansion, frequently dealing with the envoy manor, so of course he would recognize this carriage.
Heaving a long sigh, she lowered her eyes and responded quickly, “Since I can’t hide it, I won’t try to. This humble servant is Feng Yue from the envoy manor, just returning from visiting a grave outside the city. There was nowhere to stay outside, so I hoped to find a way back to the manor.”
The maid from the envoy manor? Xue Liang’s eyes lit up—the person they had tried to catch so many times had delivered herself to their doorstep tonight.
“Take her away!”
The driver panicked and quickly got down from the carriage to block Feng Yue: “His Highness ordered that the person be brought back safely. Please don’t make things difficult for me, officials.”
“I’ll take her to see His Highness myself,” Xue Liang said. “His Highness is at the General’s mansion now, not the envoy manor.”
Palms sweating, and the driver was extremely nervous. Since General Yi returned to the city, Feng Yue had notified everyone that the General would recognize her, so if she were about to fall into the General’s hands, please find a way to rescue her by any means necessary, or she would certainly die.
But in the current situation, with only him alone against so many city guards and mansion servants, resistance was certainly impossible.
Feng Yue was also nervous, but her mind worked quickly. After just a moment’s thought, she put her hand on the driver’s shoulder and said quietly, “You go first, find His Highness.”
The driver paused, looking at her with great concern.
Feng Yue raised her head with an alluring smile, reaching up to smooth her temples, truly the picture of swaying charm, causing several city guards to stare in a daze.
Taking small steps to Xue Liang’s front, she smiled and said, “In that case, let’s go, sir.”
Xue Liang was stunned, slightly frowning. He thought to himself, no wonder the General insisted on catching this girl—how could the young miss be her match?
“Take her away.”
With her hands bound by rope, Feng Yue walked behind Xue Liang’s horse, turning back to give the driver a calm glance.
You must be strong! Quickly contact Yin Gezhi to save me!
The driver snapped back to his senses and immediately drove the carriage racing into the city.
Originally after things were finished, Yin Gezhi had planned to sleep, but he couldn’t rest easy. In his drowsy state, it seemed he had another nightmare. Feeling restless, he got up and simply went to the window to look at the moon.
However, just then, there was a commotion outside. It seemed someone had broken in. Yin Gezhi frowned, and just as he was about to look, a paper ball flew in from outside the wall, landing by the window.
The clamor moved away with it—the intruder seemed to have led the pursuers away.
Narrowing his eyes, Yin Gezhi picked up the paper ball and opened it.
“Feng Yue trapped in General’s mansion!”
His expression tightened. Yin Gezhi immediately got dressed and walked toward the east courtyard.
Yi Guoru hadn’t been able to sleep and was sitting in his study waiting for news, but instead of news, he got a person.
“General!” Xue Liang said excitedly, “We’ve caught the maid from the envoy manor!”
Slightly startled, Yi Guoru quickly said, “Bring her in!”
Feng Yue tried hard to delay, but Xue Liang wouldn’t budge at all. He pushed her into the study very quickly.
Smelling Yi Guoru’s nauseating scent, she immediately retched.
“It’s been quite difficult to meet the young lady,” Yi Guoru stood up and walked to her front, saying, “Raise your head and let me see.”
Feng Yue remained silent, her mind in chaos.
Yi Guoru had no patience. Seeing she wouldn’t raise her head, he bent down and directly grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up.
His pupils contracted slightly as Feng Yue closed her eyes, her face tightly scrunched up.
At the same moment, Yin Gezhi kicked aside Xue Liang who was blocking the door, and burst straight in.
Yi Guoru squinted at the face in his hand, then was startled by the sound of the door opening and quickly turned his head to look.
“General,” Yin Gezhi’s expression was very unpleasant, the look in his eyes making him slightly fearful, “I said before, if you wanted to find my manor’s maid, you could look for her through me. There was no need to act personally.”