Master Ge smiled bitterly and shook his head: “Whether to give it or not, this old man has hesitated for a long time. I’m unsure if giving it would help the Grand Prince or harm him. You know the Grand Prince’s temperament—though he has schemes, he’s not good at forming connections with people. Court politics requires not just strategy but also an understanding of human hearts! With only thunderous methods and no talent for winning people over, it’s difficult to last long. In this aspect, His Highness is still far inferior to His Majesty!”

Emperor Chunde, though failing in matters concerning the imperial harem, was an impeccable virtuous ruler in the eyes of court officials.

His balance of firmness and flexibility was indeed something Feng Yuan could never learn in his lifetime.

However, this still wasn’t a reason to give the list to her!

She was merely Feng Yuan’s nominal concubine, not his strategist or retainer!

Xiaoying couldn’t help but remind the master: “Master should know that I am not truly the Grand Prince’s concubine. My coming to the capital was also because I had matters to attend to. I’m sorry, but Xiaoying cannot accept this commission.”

Master Ge gave a meaningful smile: “Does the Grand Prince know these words of yours?”

Xiaoying poured tea for the master: “Does this need to be explicitly stated? Master just mentioned earlier that my appearance brings nothing but harm to the Grand Prince. Capable people in this world naturally find their strategists. Even if that Master withdraws his people, I believe the Grand Prince can find good men again to help him achieve great things.”

At this point, Xiaoying wrinkled her nose with some displeasure: “…Master, I am, after all, your student. Your favoring him in the past is one thing, but now using this to test me—do you think your student won’t be hurt?”

Master Ge sighed.

What he did was indeed a test.

This time, when he and his wife left, they would never return. Before leaving, he had to test this young woman one more time.

It seemed now that although Xiaoying’s previous identity was false, her character had not been feigned at all.

Her accomplishments at the Imperial Household Department and in Jiangzhe had earned endless praise from even someone like Elder Teng, sufficient evidence that this young woman’s character was by no means wicked.

She had disguised herself as the Crown Prince, sidelined the Empress, and entered the Imperial Household Department, effectively holding the power of the heir in her hands.

She was not the originally timid and weak Feng Qiyuan. With her cunning and ability, if she wanted, she could have seized much more.

Yet even without any checks and balances, she only did what she should have done, showing not the slightest greed for wealth and glory.

With power in hand yet not wielding it for personal gain—how many in the world could do this?

At this point, he ceased testing her. His only hope was that this young woman could serve as the final restraint on Feng Yuan.

Master Ge also feared inadvertently aiding the villain, helping that “Master” nurture a poisonous insect to wreak havoc on the world.

Unfortunately, the young woman had no interest in court politics and even intended to retreat from it all.

That child Feng Yuan had already developed feelings. Whether he could keep this young woman would depend on his own abilities.

After that day, Master Ge pulled Feng Yuan into the study and talked with him for most of the day.

This was probably his worried instructions to his student before departing.

Madam Sun didn’t have as many thoughts as Master Ge.

When her husband said they should leave the capital, although she was reluctant to part with Feng Yuan, she began packing their luggage.

With nothing to do, Xiaoying helped Madam Sun organize their things.

However, when Madam Sun took out a box of jewelry, saying it was part of her dowry and wanted to give it to Xiaoying, Xiaoying became a bit flustered, expressing that such meaningful items made her feel unworthy.

Madam Sun thought she was concerned about her concubine status, making her feel unable to accept.

“I’m not from a high-ranking family either. These are just inexpensive ornaments—what’s there that you can’t accept?”

Madam Sun smiled as she slipped a pair of well-preserved old jade bracelets onto Xiaoying’s wrists: “My health is weak, and I couldn’t give my husband any children, so I’ve treated Feng Yuan as my child. That he brought you to meet us shows how much he values you. Though many obstacles prevent him from giving you proper honor at the moment, you should know that he holds you in his heart.”

Xiaoying smiled bitterly, knowing of course that Feng Yuan held her in his heart. But his affection didn’t mean she had to stay by his side forever.

In this world, things are rarely equal in their giving and receiving. Today, the Ge couple had each presented Xiaoying with different expectations, but she felt unable to bear them.

Madam Sun was like Feng Yuan’s foster mother—essentially the future mother-in-law of the Grand Prince’s wife.

If she accepted these bracelets, what would the future princess think?

So Xiaoying firmly returned the bracelets and made an excuse to leave the room.

But just after stepping out, she ran into Feng Yuan standing at the bottom of the stairs.

He held a stack of clothes collected from the drying pole, apparently having folded them for Madam Sun, and was about to deliver them.

Looking at his expression, Xiaoying guessed he must have overheard her conversation with Madam Sun. The gentleman’s cold face showed something like the gravity of defeat.

Xiaoying calmly raised her chin without speaking. She had no sense of guilt and understood Madam Sun’s true intention in giving the jade bracelets.

But she would not be Feng Yuan’s wife, so why create a false impression?

Today, Master Ge and Madam Sun had put different pressures on her.

She was thinking that since her foster father had been exonerated, they had no reason to remain in the capital.

So she just smiled casually at Feng Yuan: “Go deliver the clothes quickly. I’m a bit tired and want to sleep first. You should rest too—don’t come bother me later.”

Since she had already clarified to Master Ge that she was not truly Feng Yuan’s concubine, Feng Yuan didn’t need to keep up appearances by sharing her room.

Back in her room, Xiaoying thought she should pack her things first to avoid being rushed when it was time to leave in a few days.

While folding clothes, she suddenly felt a chilling presence behind her. Before Xiaoying could turn to look, a large hand firmly gripped her waist.

This time, Xiaoying was certain it wasn’t because her exhaustion had dulled her vigilance.

Feng Yuan’s martial skills seemed to have improved again. When had he entered the room? So silently that she hadn’t detected him at all!

“What are you doing? Are you trying to scare me to death?”

She tried to turn to look at him, but with her waist pinned and her body fixed by his strong arm, she couldn’t move at all.

“You want to leave.” Feng Yuan wasn’t asking but stating with certainty.

Xiaoying didn’t want to hide it from him, so she answered honestly: “I told you long ago, once my foster father’s matter was resolved, I would return to Jiangzhe… Next time when you go to Jiangzhe on official business, let me know early, and I’ll certainly welcome you properly… Ouch!”

His arm was too strong; this forceful grip felt as if her internal organs were being squeezed out.

“Let go! What are you trying to do?” Xiaoying angrily twisted his arm.

Feng Yuan didn’t speak, but his actions told the young woman that letting her go was impossible!

Xiaoying knew this gentleman’s methods—if he didn’t want to release her, even if she jumped off a cliff, he would drag her back.

So she deliberately cried out in a tearful voice that she was in pain. When Feng Yuan loosened his grip, she turned around and said to him: “I’m just going back, not ending our relationship. I already said if you miss me, you can come to Jiangzhe and stay for a while.”

Feng Yuan looked down at her pitiful expression with a hint of mockery: “So this means that during festivals, besides visiting Master Ge and his wife, I have another place to pay a family visit?”

As he spoke, those deep, handsome eyes seemed tinged with the stubborn defiance of an abandoned dog.

Feng Yuan must have learned that Master Ge was leaving, making him already downhearted, and then discovering she also planned to leave made it even harder for him to accept!

Thinking of it this way, his unusual behavior was understandable!

Xiaoying’s heart softened, and she embraced Feng Yuan in return, though unsure how to comfort him.

In Feng Yuan’s heart, the Ge couple must be like parents!

At this moment, when he was being backstabbed by the Master, the Ge couple had to leave. How lost and lonely must he feel?

If she left now, it would seem like abandonment and kicking him when he was down…

The young woman, who had always been decisive and resolute, unexpectedly began to regret her decision to leave.

Feng Yuan had helped her, her brother, and her foster father so much—how could she abandon him at his most difficult moment?

With a surge of loyalty, Xiaoying finally made her decision. Embracing his neck, she coaxed softly: “Alright, I know you’re going through a difficult time. If you’re not worried that my appearance will cause you trouble, I’ll stay to help you for a while, okay?”

Feng Yuan had wanted to say that a proud man doesn’t need a woman’s help.

But such strong words reached his lips and were swallowed back in time.

This young woman… only spends her thoughts on those pitiful, useless people.

Like the soft Qiyuan, and that of Meng Zhun, who scurried about in the mountains and forests.

And also the pitiful creature A’Yuan in the desolate palace, who couldn’t get enough to eat.

Only when someone was pitiful enough would Xiaoying lavish her tenderness, even risking herself to rescue them.

And now the Prince Ruixiang, who had just recaptured Feng Tail Slope with glorious military achievements, was not pitiful enough, making her feel she could leave without any attachment!

Thinking of this, Feng Yuan calmed down. After a while, he swallowed a strange sense of shame and said softly: “The palace is now full of people planted by the Master… alone, I’m hampered in court, and even in the palace I can’t sleep soundly… Tonight, could you accompany me to sleep?”

Such words of weakness were clearly Feng Yuan’s first attempt; as they came out, they carried a certain awkwardness.

Xiaoying believed him without doubt and looked into his eyes. Indeed, there were signs of fatigue.

Having stayed in the palace herself, she knew those empty halls didn’t gather human warmth and were indeed not conducive to sound sleep.

This reason resonated with her, and she no longer thought of sending him back to his room.

At this point, the half-packed luggage was scattered in disarray with one sweep of the gentleman’s large hand.

Xiaoying was embraced and carried to bed by Feng Yuan. However, he didn’t seem eager to catch up on sleep, but rather engaged in other activities.

Before long, their clothes had fallen outside the bed curtains.

Feng Yuan, as if he hadn’t eaten for days, displayed an urgent, anxious devotion as he worshipped the young woman in his arms.

The gentleman who was usually so silent, under the cover of the overlapping curtains, seemed to shed all pretenses, holding her tightly, not allowing her to escape or retreat.

Xiaoying could hardly handle it and couldn’t escape. Distressed, she rubbed her head against the pillow: “Didn’t you say… You were tired? Why aren’t you sleeping instead of bothering me?”

Feng Yuan raised his head, nuzzling her with his damp nose tip: “After enough play, sleep is all the sweeter…”

Xiaoying didn’t quite agree with his nonsense.

Although each time she was provoked by him into developing a taste for intimacy, he never seemed very comfortable.

He was like a palace servant at an imperial banquet, standing by attending to dishes and bowls, watching a table full of delicacies but only able to silently swallow saliva, reverently prostrating, suppressing his oral desires.

As Xiaoying was drifting off to sleep, Feng Yuan seemed to ask softly in her ear if she would always stay with him.

A person on the verge of sleep has a foggy mind, and she forgot what vague response she had given.

Probably something like “of course,” and then she fell into sweet dreams.

Prince Ruixiang’s mansion, with no shortage of money, was completed early.

And Feng Yuan no longer had to worry about being locked in the palace, staying on the mountain rather indulgently.

Xiaoying ultimately accepted Master Ge’s list.

Since she had decided to stay and help Feng Yuan, she wouldn’t just pay lip service.

But was Master Ge’s list somewhat too arbitrary?

What kind of people were these who could be “used”? Each one was an obscure, not notable minister.

Not to mention, the list prominently included nephews from the Tang family!

Tang Mingjiang?

If she remembered correctly, this was the concubine-born half-brother of the late Tang Mingquan, right?

Tang Mingjiang was born to the concubine of the Tang family’s second branch master, not standing out among the Tang family children.

Why would Master Ge write his name?

Unfortunately, the master had already left with his wife, and Xiaoying couldn’t chase after them on horseback to ask.

She recalled what Master Ge had said when giving her the list: “Those written on this paper are merely people who can be used.’ How to make them ‘usable’ is beyond this old man’s abilities—it will depend on the young lady’s skill.”

Pondering the master’s words, Xiaoying became increasingly curious about these people.

She carefully studied the annotation following Tang Mingjiang: “This man serves as a scribe in the Ministry of Revenue, accompanying the Minister of Revenue to Yizhou to reorganize corvée labor. Upon return, commoners lined the road to see him off. He dismounted all the way, clasping his hands in gratitude to the people, truly showing the spirit of the first Duke Jing of the Tang family.”

The annotation was just this one line, but analyzed carefully, it contained much of interest.

The most laborious task in the Ministry of Revenue was reorganizing corvée labor.

Because this wasn’t something that could be implemented by sitting in court issuing a few documents.

One needed to go down to the counties and prefectures to deal with all kinds of runners and merchants.

So anyone entering the Ministry of Revenue, even if not an official but a mere scribe, had to be shrewd in communicating with people at all levels.

Yizhou’s corvée was particularly heavy; she had heard Director Dong mention it before—it had almost caused a rebellion.

Yet this Tang Mingjiang had completed his mission safely and returned, even causing commoners to line the road to see him off.

This man’s capability couldn’t be underestimated!

Most admirably, though he was a son of the aristocratic Tang family, he could be humble. Even if it was just for show, walking all the way to thank the common people was not something an ordinary Tang family member would do.

Tang Mingjiang truly was a talented person!

The list didn’t contain many names. The first person Xiaoying wanted to meet was this Tang family son.

After making inquiries, she discovered that this Tang Mingjiang wasn’t living in the Tang family ancestral home but had moved out with his newly wedded wife, buying a house in Horse-Tethering Lane in western Beijing to live separately.

So Xiaoying took Feng Yuan for a walk toward western Beijing, hoping to encounter this Young Master Tang by chance.

Originally, she had intended to go alone.

But Feng Yuan had recently suffered consecutive setbacks in court, leaving him quite depressed and needing her company constantly.

It was said that Feng Yuan’s petition to enter the Military Affairs Bureau had been rejected.

Those officials at the Military Affairs Bureau were too infuriating. The general idea seemed to be that Feng Yuan’s previous beating of Chen Nuo had caused dissatisfaction among colleagues in the bureau. They explicitly stated that the Grand Prince, though a fierce general capable of leading troops in battle, had too violent a temperament, which was a major taboo for one in command of troops. They hoped His Majesty would reconsider and not treat military command as a trifle—if he went mad and beat people in the Military Affairs Bureau, those old generals wouldn’t be able to withstand his fists.

And so this position of real power came to nothing.

This matter seemed to have greatly affected Feng Yuan—Xiaoying had never seen him so dispirited.

A man who usually didn’t touch alcohol was now so distressed that he needed her company to drink away his sorrows.

Though most of that wine ended up in Xiaoying’s belly.

But Feng Yuan’s dejection was no pretense. After drowning his sorrows in wine, he clung to her seeking consolation.

Unwilling to let him sink into such depression in a woman’s chamber, Xiaoying forcibly dragged him out today to meet Tang Mingjiang.

As the carriage drove to the mouth of the lane, Xiaoying heard a commotion.

Looking over, she saw an ornate carriage stopped at the entrance to the lane—it appeared to be a Tang family carriage.

After a while, a woman wearing a gold hairpin and dressed in silk came out angrily, leading two sturdy old women.

One of the old women was holding a crying infant in swaddling clothes, about to board the carriage and leave triumphantly.

Meanwhile, a woman with a postpartum headband stumbled forward, sobbing: “I beg Mother to be merciful and return my little Tuan to me. This child was just born—how can you take him to be adopted by Second Brother without our consent?”

The woman turned back to look at her with disdain and said coldly, “It’s not as if kidnappers are selling this child! He’s just being adopted into your Second Brother Mingquan’s name. He is your husband’s blood relative, who died without an heir! If you were sensible, you’d understand this is good for the child too! Or would you rather have him live a hard life with you in this alley? Now this matter has been decided by the clan leader—why should we consult with you two? We spoke kindly, but you wouldn’t listen, forcing me to come personally. As children, you’ve reached such a state—truly a waste of food, raised for nothing!”

Xiaoying recognized this woman—she was the mother of Tang Mingquan and Tang Ru, the principal wife of the Tang family’s second branch.

From just these few words, Xiaoying had grasped the situation.

That Tang Mingquan truly wasn’t a decent person—even after death, he could still harm others!

It seemed that after he died in prison, his mother, grieving for her son, thought of adopting an heir for him, and her gaze fell on her own branch’s firstborn son from a concubine.

Conveniently, the concubine-born daughter-in-law had just given birth, so no red packet for adoption was needed. They were now preparing to take the child away and place him under Tang Mingquan’s name.

Such arrogance—no wonder she had raised a scoundrel like Tang Mingquan!

Seeing the woman who had just given birth crying bitterly, while the thin man supporting her had veins bulging on his neck, yet forcibly restrained himself from defying his stepmother,

Xiaoying couldn’t bear to watch anymore and whispered to Feng Yuan, “We can’t let the carriage leave. It’s up to you now!”

She hadn’t thought of an excuse yet, just waiting to see what clever plan Feng Yuan had.

However, Xiaoying forgot that with the reputation of a mad prince, sometimes one didn’t need excuses to act.

After Feng Yuan got out of the carriage, he walked straight to the carriage wheel and kicked it. As the wheel tilted, startling the woman in the carriage and making her stumble, he then kicked away two Tang family servants who came forward and snatched the infant from the old woman’s arms.

The Tang family’s second branch wife was first frightened into a scream, but then, when she saw who had come, she stuttered in fear: “G-Grand Prince?”

The Tang Mingjiang couple at the lane entrance were also stunned. Especially since the Grand Prince didn’t know how to hold a baby, he was holding the swaddling clothes with one hand, keeping them far away as if afraid of being soiled by excrement and urine.

Tang Mingjiang’s wife, Madam Shao, weakened at the knees and collapsed to the ground next to her husband.

There was no choice—the rumors about the mad prince had been spreading fiercely in the streets these past few days, including detailed accounts of how he had strangled several concubines to death.

In this situation, with the Grand Prince suddenly appearing and seizing her baby, holding it high as if about to dash it to the ground,

Madam Shao was too weak and frightened to hold on, about to faint at any moment.

Seeing how Feng Yuan was holding the child, even Xiaoying thought it looked somewhat terrifying. He wasn’t handling a kitten or puppy—who holds a baby like that?