Yin Gezhi let out a cold laugh, turned around to open the door, and pointed outside.
His wrinkled face flushed red, looking like a drunken old man. The Wei Emperor was furious. According to his temperament in his younger years, someone like Yin Gezhi who dared scheme against him would certainly have been dragged out and executed! Chopped horizontally or vertically, even if it was his son, chop!
But now, having reached middle age, he wasn’t so impulsive anymore, nor did he have the confidence to be so impulsive. The Wei Kingdom was in peril, the Crown Prince was incompetent, and even though he as Emperor held all authority, he still had to carefully maintain good relations with the Wu Kingdom. If maintaining relations with the Wu Kingdom was necessary, then Yin Gezhi was the shortcut, so he had to take it.
Therefore, even though he was angry at Yin Gezhi’s defiance and scheming, the Wei Emperor took several deep breaths and had to admit defeat. He asked in a low voice: “Have you been playing a grand game of chess against me?”
Standing straight, Yin Gezhi turned his head to look elsewhere: “What makes Your Majesty say that?”
“If I couldn’t see it by now, how could I keep this throne secure?” The Wei Emperor snorted with a laugh, staring at this rapidly maturing son of his. With mixed feelings of sighing and wariness, he said: “You planned for today from the moment you returned. If I agree to redress the case, fine, if I don’t agree, you’ll force me to agree!”
He had sent people to investigate Yin Chenbi’s return from Wu Kingdom after just one year. Those who reported back all said the Wu Kingdom wanted good relations with the Wei Kingdom, so they let Yin Chenbi return. But looking at it now, Yin Chenbi came back fully prepared, carrying Wu Kingdom’s bargaining chips!
No wonder he was so righteous about demoting himself to commoner status. It looked like he was taking an extreme path, but he was forcing him, the mighty Emperor, into a corner! What scheming, what a Filial Prince indeed! He had thought him just a cat, but didn’t expect he had grown into a tiger and one that would bear its fangs at him!
With unsettled emotions, the Wei Emperor said angrily: “At this point, I’ve already agreed, yet you’re still putting on airs? Don’t tell me you won’t be satisfied until I take off the dragon crown and place it on your head!”
The last sentence was spoken with such force that his hands trembled slightly.
Yin Gezhi looked at him, his expression calm but his gaze desolate: “In Your Majesty’s eyes, is there no familial bond, only power, and scheming? Even though I am your son, you’ve never trusted me, only thinking that I want to usurp the throne?”
His trembling hand froze, and the Wei Emperor lowered his eyes, saying nothing.
Pain showed in his eyes as Yin Gezhi clenched his fists and laughed bitterly: “Then if this commoner says that everything this commoner has done was simply for justice under heaven, for clean government, to wash away the loyal subjects’ blood that stains the Yin royal family… Your Majesty… would you not believe that either?”
Of course not, the Wei Emperor frowned. He had heard too many such righteous words – how could there be so many selfless and great people in this world? Everyone speaks pretty words, who knows what calculations lie behind them? Even if it’s his son, he can’t be trusted!
The last glimmer of hope in his eyes extinguished, like a candle burning till dawn, unwillingly turning into a final wisp of smoke, vanishing without a trace.
Touching a small scar on his forehead, Yin Gezhi pressed his lips together, his eyes slowly filling with ice.
“Since you don’t believe me, then so be it,” he said. “As your subject, this commoner has said everything that should be said. If Your Majesty won’t listen, then there’s no need to see you out.”
“Hey…” The Wei Emperor’s eyes widened. He thought Yin Gezhi was still playing hard to get, but when he saw the door truly close in his face, he finally understood that the child was serious.
Without sincere intention to redress the Guan family case, he would not have helped the Wei Kingdom this time.
The Wei Emperor was very angry. He felt that as an Emperor he had already given all the face he should, yet it wasn’t appreciated. Fine then, if this shortcut couldn’t be taken, so be it! Even without Yin Gezhi, could the Wu Kingdom oppose the Wei Kingdom at such a critical moment?!
Storming off, the Wei Emperor cursed all the way, not even bidding farewell to the Wu Kingdom envoys before leaving in his carriage.
A Shichong and Xu Huaizu had been eavesdropping outside. Seeing the Wei Emperor leave, they quickly rushed in, both wearing indignant expressions.
Xu Huaizu said: “I thought our Emperor was muddle-headed enough, but there’s always someone worse! Master thinks only of his benefit, yet he won’t listen to any good advice?”
An Shichong sighed: “Emperors are too suspicious, but rarely do they guard against their flesh and blood. Look at our Crown Prince in the Wu Kingdom – he controls so much of the court affairs, yet His Majesty not only doesn’t blame him but favors him greatly.”
Lowering his eyes, Yin Gezhi turned to take the key and unlock the cabinet, reaching in to lift out the grinding-toothed Feng Yue, saying flatly: “Just proceed as previously discussed. I won’t let you fail in your mission.”
“Alright.” The two young masters nodded, and Xu Huaizu chuckled, pointing to the bed in the inner chamber: “Master and Grandmaster should rest well. It’s getting late, we’ll take our leave.”
At this “Grandmaster,” Yin Gezhi narrowed his eyes, while Feng Yue was amused, releasing her teeth to say softly: “Did you hear that? I’m your father now!”
Watching the two leave and close the door, Yin Gezhi immediately threw her onto the bed, saying with a dark face: “You’re getting more and more unruly.”
Rolling on the bed, Feng Yue, dressed as a man with a face full of beard twisted into an “S” shape and batted her eyes: “From what was said earlier, your Imperial Father is like a dog biting Lü Dongbin, refusing to listen to advice. In that case, why not accept me? I promise not to wrong good people, nor let bad people go!”
Glancing at her, Yin Gezhi ignored this, took a handkerchief, and wrung it out in the nearby water basin. Then he sat on the bed’s edge, pulled her over, and slowly began peeling off her fake beard.
Lying across his lap, looking up at Yin Gezhi’s devastatingly handsome face, Feng Yue couldn’t take it. She said politely: “Let me do it myself.”
However, just as her hand reached for his handkerchief, Yin Gezhi rolled his eyes and gently knocked it away, saying coldly: “Didn’t you want to be my father? I’m showing filial respect here, just lie still!”
Feng Yue: “…”
Although his eye-rolling was quite lively, his expression animated, and the surrounding atmosphere quite gentle, she could feel that — the great demon lord Yin was hurting.
Truly, deeply hurting, flowing from his eyes, silently spreading throughout the entire room.
Feng Yue felt somewhat sorry for him. Feeling the beard being completely removed from her face, she sat up and looked at him: “Actually, you’re very different from the Wei Emperor. He’s not a good emperor, but you can still distinguish right from wrong.”
Letting out a bitter laugh, Yin Gezhi lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes casting shadows on his lower eyelids, trembling slightly.
“I’m fine, you don’t need to comfort me.”
The more someone doesn’t show their emotions, the more painful it is when they’re hurting, right? Feng Yue sighed. Looking at his pressed lips, she couldn’t help reaching out to gently lift the corners of his mouth.
His closed eyes half-opened, Yin Gezhi looked at her with some surprise.
“I’ve never been good at comforting people. When I’m hurt, nobody comforts me either, because even if I broke my arm, I wouldn’t cry.” Grinning, Feng Yue said: “Later I realized this habit isn’t good. What’s the point of holding it in? If you want to cry, cry loudly. If you have trouble, tell the person closest to you. That way you’ll feel better. Otherwise, sitting alone in a corner feeling sorry for yourself is too miserable.”
Blinking slowly, Yin Gezhi nodded slightly: “That makes sense.”
Then he reached out and held her tightly, falling back onto the bed.
What? Feng Yue was dumbfounded, and by the time she realized what was happening, his hand had already slipped inside her collar.
“Hey?!” Holding onto him with mixed feelings, Feng Yue gritted her teeth: “I told you to cry if you want to cry, not to suppress your emotions. What are you doing?”
“Not suppressing my emotions.” Looking up at her, Yin Gezhi’s lips curved slightly as he gently brushed his tip against hers, then turned his head to press against the lips of the person beneath him, saying hoarsely between kisses: “I’ve been suppressing for too long. It’s not good for health.”
So all that hurt and sadness was fake! Feng Yue said angrily: “Not disgusted anymore? Didn’t you say courtesans were lowly!”
The person above her chuckled softly, gently caressing her cheek, saying somewhat apologetically: “I was wrong.”
Stiffening slightly, Feng Yue looked at him with a strange expression.
Apologizing? Admitting wrong? Yin Gezhi? Was she dreaming? How could such a proud and arrogant person speak in such a tone?
Warm breath approached her ear as Yin Gezhi’s tone suddenly shifted from apologetic to teasing: “But when you became a courtesan at Luochen, wasn’t I your only customer?”
“…”
A tingling sensation spread from her ear throughout her body. In her shame and anger, Feng Yue punched and kicked, directly shoving him off the bed!
“Then I find you disgusting!” she raged. “You sleep on the floor!”
With that, she pulled the blanket over her head.
Yin Gezhi sat on the floor in disheveled clothes, looking at the angry bundle wrapped in blankets on the bed, his mood finally improving somewhat.
He had been rejected! Though he had angered many people, Feng Yue’s anger was the most attractive to look at – her small face flushed red, her nose bridge sharp and straight, eyebrows standing on end, truly lively and lovely.
But… it was already late summer turning to early autumn. If he went to take a cold shower now, would he catch a cold?
The calculating great demon lord Yin sat on the floor, seriously pondering this question.
The next day, the envoys entered the palace.
When Feng Yue woke up, she saw An Shichong and the others bidding farewell to Yin Gezhi at the door. She thought they wouldn’t return until evening at least, but in the afternoon, Luo Hao brought news from the palace, saying excitedly: “Young Master, there’s drama to watch! Our Emperor actively proposed an alliance with the Wu Kingdom against Song, but was politely refused by the Wu envoys!”
What? Feng Yue was so shocked she quickly looked toward Yin Gezhi.
Yin Gezhi calmly drank his tea, saying indifferently: “The Wei Emperor isn’t one to take losses. Since he proposed it actively, the conditions must have been very harsh. Understandably, the Wu envoys wouldn’t agree.”
However, even if he relaxed the conditions, the Wu envoys wouldn’t agree for now. As long as the Wei Emperor hadn’t done what he should do, the benefits he wanted certainly wouldn’t come to him.