Mu Hanjiang’s question today was surprisingly considerate: “Your Highness… in your daily interactions, perhaps you should…”
The normally decisive and straightforward Young Master Mu rarely showed such hesitation. Xiaoying grew curious and asked with a smile: “Why is Young Master Mu stammering? Is there something you cannot speak plainly about to me?”
Mu Hanjiang smiled briefly, then advised: “In ordinary days, it might be better not to be too close to the Grand Prince. It would be better to maintain proper brotherly etiquette.”
Xiaoying curiously tilted her head: “Why do you say that? Come to think of it, I noticed the Grand Prince doesn’t seem to show you much favor either. Were you two not on good terms before?”
Mu Hanjiang knew the Crown Prince was too young then and probably didn’t remember how terrifying his eldest brother could be during his episodes. Besides, even when not amid an episode, that person’s character was also…
If he hadn’t been at his mother’s side years ago and personally witnessed Feng Yuan holding the frail Feng Qiyuan underwater, he wouldn’t have bothered to warn the Crown Prince.
After all, this youth was delicate, and even with some clever schemes, couldn’t withstand Feng Yuan’s sudden, violent outbursts.
When the Crown Prince asked about his relationship with Feng Yuan, Mu Hanjiang simply replied: “I have no prejudice against the Grand Prince, I only fear he might harm Your Highness. It was presumptuous of me to speak out of turn.”
Xiaoying thought to herself: It seems true that Mu Hanjiang and Feng Yuan have an unpleasant relationship.
She just didn’t know what old grudge existed between them.
“I haven’t seen my eldest brother for many years, so our brotherly bond has indeed grown distant. But the Grand Brother seems much better from his illness, while my mother has…”
At this point, the young Crown Prince’s eyes again welled with tears.
Seeing the Crown Prince’s distress, Mu Hanjiang changed the topic: “By the way, when His Majesty heard that Your Highness would be visiting General Ye’s camp, he instructed me to help you practice your archery skills when I have time. Would Your Highness be able to join me at the archery range for some practice now?”
The Chunde Emperor’s instructions were not surprising. After all, when visiting General Ye’s military camp, the Crown Prince would represent the imperial family’s dignity.
Feng Qiyuan had neglected archery for four years, and his skills were likely in poor shape. He needed to develop at least a basic form to avoid embarrassment in front of the military officers.
The Emperor’s decision to have Mu Hanjiang instruct the Crown Prince also carried the deeper meaning of easing relations between Mu Hanjiang and the Crown Prince.
Although Feng Qiyuan was disappointing, he still represented the face of the imperial family and shouldn’t perpetually bear the infamous reputation of preferring men.
If he could improve his relationship with Lord Mu, such rumors would naturally dissolve.
Unable to refuse paternal love, Xiaoying sniffled and went along with the suggestion: “Very well, though I’m truly unskilled in archery and will likely embarrass myself in front of Lord Mu.”
Mu Hanjiang smiled and gestured for the Crown Prince to lead the way.
The two then proceeded to the archery range.
The sky was somewhat overcast today, looking as if it might rain soon.
Not many people were practicing at the archery range attached to the outer palace—only the ever-diligent Third Prince, Mu Hanjiang’s sister Mu Yanyan, and a few accompanying gentlemen and ladies.
Upon seeing her brother arrive, Yanyan flew over like a playful swallow.
However, when she glanced at the Crown Prince beside her brother, Mu Yanyan showed no warmth, letting out a cold snort.
On any other occasion, Yan Xiaoying would certainly have teased the young lady. But with the Third Prince standing nearby, glaring at her with furrowed brows, Xiaoying decided against it. She didn’t want to provoke the savage bull and create a scene.
After some casual conversation, everyone separated. Mu Hanjiang took the Crown Prince aside to instruct him in archery.
This Feng Qiyuan, despite having an exceptional memory, was not built for martial arts. With such a loose and feeble posture, he truly needed good practice to avoid becoming a laughingstock.
Due to the scandal from four years ago, Mu Hanjiang was reluctant to be too close to the youth.
Mu Hanjiang’s appearance was outstanding, and since childhood, countless noble young ladies had shown interest in him, including a few audacious young men.
But Mu Hanjiang’s methods were decisive; he avoided engaging in messy affairs, maintaining respectful distance. When encountering particularly offensive and vulgar men, he would directly break their limbs.
So when Feng Qiyuan had damaged his reputation in front of everyone at the palace banquet years ago, Mu Hanjiang had been merciful not to break the Crown Prince’s limbs, considering his position as the heir apparent.
However, that day, Feng Qiyuan had claimed he was drugged four years ago, which explained his inappropriate behavior.
Mu Hanjiang had somewhat let go of his grudge and now stood behind Yan Xiaoying, intending to encircle the youth to guide his archery posture.
But upon getting close, Mu Hanjiang felt uncomfortable.
It wasn’t that the Crown Prince was acting inappropriately; rather, the faint scent of soap that entered his nostrils was somewhat alluring, and the Crown Prince’s cheeks were too delicate—just as the Empress had said, the Crown Prince… truly resembled a young woman!
While Mu Hanjiang was distracted, the Crown Prince seemed unable to hold the bow properly. Before Mu Hanjiang could instruct him, the arrow flew from his hand, missing the target completely and soaring off at an angle.
Accompanied by the Crown Prince’s startled cry, the arrow flew straight toward someone approaching.
Even louder than the Crown Prince’s cry was Mu Yanyan’s. She turned pale, dropped her bow, and ran toward that person.
However, the tall gentleman showed remarkable reflexes, raising his hand to catch the arrow mid-flight—a false alarm after all.
Xiaoying used this commotion to discreetly distance herself from Mu Hanjiang while calling out to the man with feigned sincerity: “Grand Brother, I’m sorry! I was nervous, and the arrow went astray!”
The person who caught the arrow was none other than Feng Yuan.
As usual, he was alone, with his attendants keeping their distance, so naturally, no one was there to block the arrow for him.
Mu Yanyan was frantic, rushing over to check if Feng Yuan was unharmed. At the same time, she turned back to shout angrily at Xiaoying: “Are you blind? Where were you aiming?!”
The young lady’s fierceness was as usual—she completely disregarded whether she was addressing the Crown Prince and began firing off like a firecracker.
Mu Hanjiang frowned and scolded: “Yanyan, show some respect! How dare you speak to the Crown Prince this way? Apologize at once!”
Yanyan stiffened her neck, seemingly reluctant to obey her brother’s command, but when Mu Hanjiang glared at her, she unwillingly bowed and apologized.
Xiaoying, looking embarrassed, said: “The young lady of the Mu family is right. I was too careless. Grand Brother, are you alright?”
Feng Yuan’s expression was unpleasant. He glanced at the arrow in his hand, then at Mu Hanjiang behind Xiaoying, and said calmly: “It seems I’ve interrupted your archery practice…”
Xiaoying, pretending to be concerned for her imperial brother, hurried over and took Feng Yuan’s arm, guiding him toward a nearby pavilion. She called back to Mu Hanjiang and the others: “Continue without us. I’ll sit with Grand Brother for a while and properly apologize…”
Once the two entered the pavilion, Xiaoying poured herself a cup of tea and said casually, “Just make a show of it. Don’t keep acting all mysterious with me! Even if you hadn’t caught it, that arrow wouldn’t have hit you—at most, it would have grazed past you.”
Her archery skills had been inherited from her adoptive father; by thirteen, she could shoot ten consecutive arrows through the center of a target.
The deliberate miss just now was calculated—she knew with certainty it wouldn’t hit him.
Moreover, if not for needing to escape from Mu Hanjiang, and happening to see Feng Yuan approaching, Xiaoying wouldn’t have provoked this madman.
However, his earlier hostile gaze prompted her to explain, lest this unstable person devise some scheme against her.
Feng Yuan seemed still displeased and asked quietly: “I heard you once caused Mu Hanjiang to be confined to a wheelchair for several years. How did your relationship become so good now?”
Xiaoying poured a cup of tea for the Grand Prince: “We just happened to meet, and Father Emperor instructed him to guide my archery, so we came here to practice… Why are you unhappy that I’m getting along with him?”
Feng Yuan took a sip of tea and said with a cold smile: “One who controls the Shadow Guards… what good could come from that? If you have no pressing matters, it’s best not to be too close to him…”
Xiaoying burst out laughing. Seeing Feng Yuan glance at her questioningly, she explained with a smile: “You’re the second person today to tell me this. It seems you and Lord Mu share the same wise perspective!”
After saying this, Xiaoying grew even more curious about what old grudge existed between Feng Yuan and Mu Hanjiang.
Unfortunately, both were tight-lipped, neither willing to speak.
However, Mu Yanyan’s earlier anxious reaction didn’t seem feigned—she genuinely cared for Feng Yuan.
Even now, as she and Feng Yuan conversed in the pavilion, Mu Yanyan kept glancing in their direction.
Xiaoying wasn’t vain enough to think Yanyan was concerned about the Crown Prince.
Recalling the Emperor’s banquet for his old friends, Yanyan had been there too, and her eyes had filled with tears when looking at the Grand Prince.
She’d heard that the Grand Prince had spent time at the Mu residence with Master Ge when they were young, so Feng Yuan and the Mu siblings had a childhood connection.
It seemed… the bull-like Third Prince was experiencing unrequited love!
Curiosity piqued, Xiaoying nudged Feng Yuan: “Hey, what’s going on between you and the Mu lady?”
This time, Feng Yuan didn’t even bother to answer. Expressionless, he took Xiaoying’s hand and walked toward the archery range.
“What are you doing?!”
His grip was strong, and Yan Xiaoying couldn’t break free, so she could only be led forward.
“Weren’t you supposed to practice archery? I’ll teach you, so you won’t randomly shoot at people again!”
The former boy from the Desolate Palace had now risen in status and wanted to be her teacher in return!
However, spending time with him was preferable to sparring with Mu Hanjiang.
Lord Mu was elegant and courteous, but his every word was a probe, every glance an investigation. Spending too much time with him was exhausting.
While this Feng Yuan was also full of schemes and not much better, at least he spoke little—you couldn’t get much out of him even with three blows. It was more peaceful for the ears.
Thus, choosing the better option, the Grand Prince replaced Lord Mu as the Crown Prince’s temporary archery instructor.
However, this instructor was much stricter than Lord Mu had been earlier. His long arms firmly encircled Xiaoying, encompassing her entire body, then guiding her hands to draw the bow and aim at the target.
Xiaoying patiently allowed him to assist her for two shots before she couldn’t help saying: “That’s enough. Why are you so free to waste time here?”
He usually spent afternoons studying with Master Ge and seemed to have dinner at Teacher Sun’s house as well. How did he have the leisure to teach her archery?
Feng Yuan lowered his brows and calmly said: “I won’t be free for too long, but I can always make time to accompany Fourth Brother.”
Though Xiaoying wasn’t overly concerned with propriety, being embraced so intimately by a tall gentleman still made her uncomfortable.
She regretted her choice—it might have been better to stay with Mu Hanjiang. At least Lord Mu was refined and proper, and wouldn’t have been so lacking in a sense of boundaries.
So after another shot, Xiaoying couldn’t resist using her elbow to strike at Feng Yuan’s ribs, but he anticipated her move and dodged.
Xiaoying couldn’t arrest her momentum and stumbled backward, but Feng Yuan reached out and steadied her just in time.
This was truly a case of the student surpassing the teacher!
His close-quarters evasion had indeed surpassed her own!
Xiaoying was truly annoyed now and turned to leave, but the Grand Prince held her arm and said softly: “I know you’re hiding your skill. I won’t force you. Shoot as you wish and enjoy yourself.”
This time, the Grand Prince again encircled Xiaoying, but his arms exerted no pressure, merely for show, allowing Xiaoying to perform on her own.
Now that sounded reasonable! Since Feng Yuan had seen her martial abilities, Xiaoying didn’t bother pretending. Looking at the target made her fingers itch—something every skilled archer would understand.
The next few arrows all struck the bullseye. Xiaoying didn’t forget to exclaim in feigned surprise: Grand Brother’s teaching is excellent, how amazing!
Thus, under Feng Yuan’s cover, Xiaoying freely released her arrows, thoroughly enjoying herself.
The tall man embraced the willow-like youth as they faced the target, radiating brotherly love and affection.
By now, the dark clouds had scattered, and sunlight streamed through the gaps. The gentlemen and ladies at the archery range, surrounded by green trees, made for a truly delightful sight.
Mu Hanjiang had long retreated to the pavilion to sit quietly, his white robes cool and pristine as he silently watched the two brothers.
The Crown Prince seemed quite impatient with the Grand Prince, occasionally rolling his eyes at him, quite fearless indeed.
Gao Qi, watching from the side, quietly reminded Mu Hanjiang: “Young Master, don’t you have urgent matters to attend to?”
Mu Hanjiang nodded. He was indeed very busy, but something in his heart still felt unresolved.
Crown Prince Feng Qiyuan, though clever in small ways, had a lazy, indifferent attitude. He wouldn’t likely approach the Grand Prince of his own accord.
And Feng Yuan, even when not amid his madness, was typically unapproachable.
Why had he repeatedly sought out the Crown Prince? This couldn’t help but provoke deep thought.
Heeding Gao Qi’s reminder, Mu Hanjiang finally stood up. After bidding farewell to the princes, he headed toward the stables.
However, after mounting his horse, Mu Hanjiang’s brows remained cold as he couldn’t help looking back at the laughing, willow-like youth. He couldn’t help recalling the Empress’s mad words: “The Crown Prince is a woman…”
…
When the day came to visit the military camp, Yan Xiaoying could finally leave the city with the princes, using this opportunity to safely dispatch her brother and others.
The princes were equally eager to leave the city.
Opportunities to visit military camps for archery practice were rare, and it was said that General Ye’s camp even had rare flying stone ballistas!
The Third Prince had used this occasion to invite Mu Yanyan and several of her close female friends to join them. The other princes had also invited their good friends to visit the military camp and see the world.
When it was time to leave the city, the usually solemn and majestic palace gates were bustling with carriages, joyful people, and spirited horses—truly lively.
Xiaoying had instructed Jian Hu early on to prepare several sets of guard uniforms.
Now that Jian Hu had no one to rely on in the palace, she followed Xiaoying’s instructions obediently and had everything prepared early.
Xiaoying had given the clothes to Uncle Hai before leaving the palace.
Since the Empress’s confinement, the palace movement restrictions had been automatically lifted. Uncle Hai had his waist token returned and could once again escort the night soil carts out of the palace each morning.
When the princes’ convoy passed by the pastry shop set up by Xiaoying’s subordinates, amidst the bustling crowd, several guards quietly blended into the Crown Prince’s convoy.
When Feng Qiyuan was helped into the carriage, he still wore a bewildered expression.
The experiences of these past few days had been like a nightmare of uncertain life and death for him.
Although someone had told him the so-called truth—that he was originally the child of a famous actor, who had been harmed by the Empress and stolen away—this truth was too shocking for Feng Qiyuan to accept.
When he saw this young lady who resembled him so closely again, his long-wandering soul seemed to finally return. He couldn’t help but stare at Yan Xiaoying with tear-filled eyes, his lips trembling.
The young lady before him wore hunting attire and had a heroic, spirited presence, looking more like a young gentleman than he did…
Was she… truly his twin sister?
Xiaoying was the first to embrace the anxious youth, holding him tightly.
She had wanted to do this the first time she saw her brother. Now, truly embracing him, feeling the youth’s warmth and heartbeat, an indescribable satisfaction and excitement exploded within her chest.
They had once nestled together in their mother’s womb for a full ten months, only to be separated after birth by human evil, never to see each other again.
Perhaps it was truly the telepathy of twin blood connection—the apprehensive Feng Qiyuan suddenly felt an urge to cry when he was close to the young lady. Combined with his anxiety and discomfort of the past few days, he couldn’t help but embrace Yan Xiaoying, joining her in sobbing tears.
Xiaoying’s emotions were rarely out of control, but she knew this wasn’t the time for lengthy explanations.
She took a deep breath, steadied her brother, wiped the tears from his cheeks, and said softly, “Brother, you now know everything. You should understand that I’ve taken these risks just to rescue you from the palace.”
Feng Qiyuan seemed to regain his senses in a daze, saying anxiously: “Could there be a mistake? If I leave… what about my mother…?”
“She is not your mother. She is the enemy who killed your mother!” Xiaoying coldly interrupted him.
But seeing her brother’s stunned and anxious expression, Xiaoying sighed quietly and spoke more gently: “I know it’s hard for you to accept this now. Those grievances… they have nothing to do with you. His Majesty already intends to depose you as Crown Prince. If you stay, being confined to Yi Garden would be the best outcome. There are too many people in the palace who wish to harm you, and you cannot guard against them all. So… are you willing to leave the palace and live a life that might not be as wealthy but will be free?”
Feng Qiyuan certainly knew he wasn’t favored by his father, and the responsibilities of being the heir apparent put tremendous pressure on him, making him nauseated with weariness.
For him, being Crown Prince was comparable to enduring torture.
But from his sister’s words, it seemed she had a deep blood feud with his mother. Could she be planning to kill his mother?
Even knowing that Lady Tang might not be his birth mother, seventeen years of emotional bonds couldn’t be severed with a single cut.
Feng Qiyuan felt as if he were in a nightmare he desperately wanted to wake from. Breathing rapidly, he said: “You… you cannot harm my mother…”
Xiaoying said nothing, looking up with a bitter smile of resignation.
Her brother was purely good-natured, pleading for that poisonous woman only because he believed Tang was his mother.
Little did he know that his attitude made Xiaoying hate Tang even more for the crimes she had committed years ago!
However, at this moment, she needed her brother to leave without worries, so she could only promise him: “Rest assured, I will not personally ‘harm’ her.”
What she mentally reserved, however, was karmic retribution—if “Heaven” wanted to punish the venomous woman, she could do nothing about it!
Having received this assurance, Feng Qiyuan let out a long breath of relief, but the idea of leaving the palace was still difficult for him to accept.
Xiaoying stroked her brother’s cheek and said softly, “Until I was six, I begged on the roadside with my father. Later, when Father fell gravely ill and was near death, I put dry straw on my back and knelt in the middle of the market, preparing to sell myself to save him. Fortunately, I met my adoptive father and mother, narrowly avoiding a life in the brothels. But I also know that one cannot always rely on others’ charity for food and clothing. That’s why my father and I later established our livelihood and savings. Perhaps to a palace prince, this money wouldn’t last many days. But if you live simply with vegetarian meals, it’s enough to sustain you for a lifetime…”
As she spoke, she brought out the wooden box entrusted to her subordinates and handed it to her brother.