After leaving Dragon Saliva Palace, Feng Ming rushed straight to Zhao Wu Palace, wondering how someone as calm and intelligent as Nan Ping could refuse to eat or drink. It had been several days – she must be starving by now. Whether he liked her or not, the heart was made of flesh after all. She had been so good to him; he couldn’t just watch her starve.
“Prince Consort?” At the entrance of Zhao Wu Palace, Nan Ping’s maid Qiu Shui called out joyfully, “Why have you come?”
Without time to acknowledge her, Feng Ming waved his hand and walked into the palace. Before he could enter, he saw Nan Ping coming out to meet him, looking at him with a slight surprise on her face.
She appeared to be in good spirits, with no trace of grievance in her eyes. Feng Ming was about to sigh in relief, but remembering the Emperor’s words, his brows furrowed again: “Why haven’t you come home?”
Nan Ping froze, fidgeting with the handkerchief in her hands: “I wanted to come back to keep my Imperial Brother and Sister-in-law company. Isn’t her belly getting bigger? I just wanted to look after her for a few days.”
“Your Imperial Brother can take perfect care of her, what need is there for you to watch?” He said irritably, grabbing her hand and walking toward the exit. “Come back home with me first.”
“Gen… General,” stumbling a few steps as he pulled her, Nan Ping was somewhat stunned. “What’s wrong with you today?”
He had always been like still water, but now it was as if someone had thrown a stone into that stillness, surrounding his entire being with an aura of anxiety.
Pausing his steps, Feng Ming turned to look at her, his eyes full of guilt: “You can tell me when you’re unhappy, don’t keep it bottled up inside.”
What? Nan Ping froze, looking completely confused: “But I’m not unhappy?”
Just as the Emperor said, this foolish girl would say she’s fine even when she’s sad, looking as if nothing was truly wrong!
His eyes filled with even more guilt as Feng Ming lowered his head: “Princess, you’ve already suffered enough hardship marrying beneath your station. I’m a crude person and don’t understand the feelings of young women well. If the Princess feels I’ve hurt your heart, or if I’ve done something inappropriate, you can tell me directly. Don’t hide away in the palace.”
Nan Ping looked bewildered, nodding along blankly with his words: “I will tell the General directly… but General, I truly didn’t return to the palace because I was angry.”
“Then why?”
“Weren’t you worried about Imperial Sister-in-law?” Nan Ping said seriously. “There hasn’t been much happening at home lately, so I came to the palace to watch over her for you. It’s not convenient for you to frequently enter the palace. If I stay for a couple of days, I can understand her daily condition thoroughly and report back to you, so you can be more at ease.”
Feng Ming was stunned, staring at her in astonishment for a good while before being overcome with emotion.
What a wonderful girl! To be so considerate of him! Coming back to care for the woman he loved, just to put his mind at ease?
Feng Ming had loved Guan Qing Yue for a long time, rejecting all the other girls who approached him, so he had never experienced the feeling of being loved. Suddenly seeing his reflection in Nan Ping, his eyes reddened. He opened his arms and stepped forward to embrace her.
“The General needn’t thank me so much.” Patting his back, Nan Ping smiled: “It’s just a small matter.”
A small matter? If it were him, for Guan Qing Yue’s peace of mind, to have to care for Yin Chen Bi… he feared he would have killed that man with one punch! Nan Ping must be suffering inside, but she was too understanding to tell him, keeping it all to herself, tossing and turning at night.
Just thinking about the heartbroken expression that must appear on her face, Feng Ming’s heart tightened and his voice grew hoarse: “I’m sorry.”
Why apologize out of nowhere? Nan Ping couldn’t help but laugh: “Why does the General seem possessed today?”
Releasing her, Feng Ming looked at her with eyes full of tender love: “Let’s go home.”
These words warmed Nan Ping’s heart, and she nodded: “Alright.”
So when Yin Gezhi brought Feng Yue to secretly observe them, they saw Feng Ming walking ahead with a grief-stricken face while Nan Ping followed happily behind.
“Hey, why is this so strange?” Feng Yue raised an eyebrow: “From what Nan Ping said, shouldn’t she be the more sorrowful one in their relationship? Why does it look reversed?”
Yin Gezhi said meaningfully: “Feng Ming is a simple person.”
Too easily fooled!
Rolling her eyes, thinking of the words he had just said to Feng Ming – they were all traps! Feng Yue clicked her tongue twice and sighed: “Being your sister means suffering no grievances.”
Nan Ping wasn’t the type to refuse food and drink. She was generous and sensible, and though she liked to act spoiled with Yin Gezhi, this time when she returned, she hadn’t said a single word against Feng Ming – it was all Yin Gezhi’s manipulation. Knowing Feng Ming’s heart hadn’t opened yet, he had twisted his words to gain advantages for his sister. Now, even if Nan Ping tried her hardest to say she wasn’t grieved or hurt, Feng Ming wouldn’t believe her.
How cunning!
“If you’ve seen enough, let’s go back,” Yin Gezhi said. “The wind is strong out here.”
Feng Yue turned around, raising an eyebrow slightly, and reached out to him: “I’m tired, can’t walk anymore.”
Looking at her sideways, Yin Gezhi sneered: “You think I’ll carry you back?”
Her face fell, and just as Feng Yue was about to cry in grievance, she felt herself lifted. The expressionless Emperor Wei Xiao Di held her steadily and continued sneering: “I will.”
Unable to hold back her laughter, Feng Yue grabbed his clothes and planted a kiss on his cheek.
Behind them, Ling Shu and Guan Zhi shook their heads, thinking these two were becoming more and more shameless – it was broad daylight, there were people all around, couldn’t they mind their manners a bit?
“Your Majesty!” Gan Jiang, wearing armor, emerged from somewhere and knelt with furrowed brows: “During this morning’s patrol, someone found a dying girl outside the palace gates. Your servant just went to look – it’s Duan Xian, the one who used to be at Dream Return Tower.”
The face that had been smiling just moments ago instantly darkened. Feng Yue jumped down holding her belly, frowning as she looked at him: “What do you mean by dying?”
“She’s severely injured, but knowing she was Your Highness’s old acquaintance, your servant had already sent for a female doctor to treat her while coming to report. She’s in the patrol post near the North Declaration Gate.”
“Well done.” After praising him, Feng Yue pulled Yin Gezhi and ran toward the North Declaration Gate.
“In your condition, how fast do you think you can run?” Looking at her movement with disdain, Yin Gezhi turned to command: “Have her carried on a stretcher to the Central Palace, its closest. We’ll be there shortly.”
“Yes!” Gan Jiang departed at once.
Feng Yue’s brows were tightly knitted as she waited for Guan Zhi to bring the imperial carriage, muttering anxiously: “I knew something wasn’t right. Months ago, Jin Mama told me Duan Xian and He Chou were coming to see me, but after all this time, we haven’t seen a trace of them. How could she suddenly be severely injured now…”
“Calm down,” Yin Gezhi pressed his lips together. “He Chou is by Crown Prince Ye’s side. If she wanted to leave, it would certainly alert the Crown Prince. They might have encountered some trouble and been delayed.”
More likely, Ye Yu Qin never intended to let them come. Duan Xian had fled at the cost of half her life.
Feng Yue’s heart was pounding heavily. When the imperial carriage arrived, they rushed to the Central Palace, where Gan Jiang and the others had just delivered Duan Xian. The old friend she hadn’t seen for so long now lay pale and bloody on the bed. Feng Yue watched anxiously, sitting beside her waiting for the female doctor’s verdict.
“There’s a wound on her waist and abdomen, fortunately not deep enough to damage internal organs, but she’s lost too much blood. She’ll need some time to recover,” the female doctor diagnosed, wiping her sweat. “Please, Your Majesty, Your Highness, step outside while I change her bandages.”
“Alright.” Standing up and moving to the outer hall, Feng Yue seemed distracted, staring at the ground lost in thought. Yin Gezhi’s expression was grave, dark light silently flowing in his eyes.
After the bandages were changed, Duan Xian was awakened by the pain. She opened her eyes and stared blankly at the bed canopy for a while, then called out weakly: “Master?”
Feng Yue immediately ran over, looking at her: “How are you?”
“While I… while I still have the strength to speak, I must tell you what happened…” breathing heavily, Duan Xian struggled to say: “Five months ago, He Chou and I were planning to set out, but He Chou said she couldn’t leave. She told me to come to tell you that Crown Prince Ye has developed ill intentions toward the Wei Kingdom. She warned you to be careful and not to trust the alliance treaty too much.”
Her expression tightened as Feng Yue looked back at Yin Gezhi, who gave her a reassuring look.
Even without their warning, he wouldn’t have trusted the alliance treaty completely. Treaties could be torn up. Benefits were what truly determined the direction of the wind.
Her heart steadied a bit as Feng Yue turned back to look at Duan Xian: “Then who injured you like this?”
Giving a bitter laugh, Duan Xian said: “He Chou came to see me… we didn’t hide our movements well enough and were discovered by Crown Prince Ye. We were both imprisoned. He Chou used some methods against Ye Yu Qin to help me escape, and I don’t know how she is now. When I was escaping, I was stabbed by the guards… Fortunately, the city guard saved me, but recovering from the wounds delayed me, and the wounds reopened on the journey, that’s why I’m only arriving now.”
After finishing these words, her eyes rolled back, consciousness struggling, but unable to resist the blood loss, she finally passed out.
Feng Yue listened with her heart pounding, drawing in a sharp breath.
He Chou couldn’t leave? Though she was Ye Yu Qin’s person, she had helped Duan Xian escape and sent a message to warn the Wei Kingdom. If Ye Yu Qin found out, how could he spare her life?
“Your Majesty!”
“Don’t panic,” knowing what she was going to say, Yin Gezhi said: “It’s over a month’s journey between Wei Kingdom and Wu Kingdom. No matter how anxious you are, you can’t stop it. If Ye Yu Qin wants to move against He Chou, you can’t prevent it.”
So should we just sit here? Feng Yue frowned, her eyes darting about.
“The battle at the northwestern border has already begun. By now, Wu and Wei should have joined forces, working together to drive back the Song troops who invaded their borders,” Yin Gezhi said. “With frequent reports of victory from the front lines, with Qi Kingdom’s provisions, Wu Kingdom’s military strength, and Wei Kingdom’s generals and tactics, resisting Song Kingdom isn’t difficult. Now that we have He Chou’s message, we indeed should prepare well for what comes after.”
At times concerning national survival, individual life, and death were indeed small matters. Feng Yue lowered her eyes, and after a long while, let out a soft sigh.
She could only hope He Chou would turn misfortune into a blessing.