Xiaoying now considered herself someone standing beside the chessboard, watching to see if Feng Yuan would enter the game.

Feng Yuan seemed to have already made up his mind: “If I don’t go, how can I advance the game?”

Xiaoying had anticipated he would choose this path, and likely his master had guessed it too.

She was curious about what this master wanted from Feng Yuan, someone whose temperament and nature were so difficult to control, yet the master was taking such pains.

However, Feng Yuan’s life for these past dozen or so years had been manipulated by that dark hand. Even knowing someone was coveting and calculating against him, he wasn’t particularly worried.

What concerned him most at this moment was another matter. While fetching fruits for Xiaoying, Feng Yuan stopped by the gatehouse.

Shortly after, he returned, and his previously uncontrolled expression after hearing that Mu Hanjiang had stayed for an hour had improved slightly.

Xiaoying knew that the guards at the gatehouse must have told Feng Yuan that Young Master Mu had stayed for only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Though her lie had been exposed, Xiaoying remained unfazed and simply asked Feng Yuan, “When will you prepare the carriage for me? Aren’t I supposed to leave tomorrow?”

Feng Yuan calmly replied: “I have poor alcohol tolerance. Words spoken when drunk don’t count.”

Seeing that Xiaoying was about to press the issue further, he changed the subject at the right moment: “Mu Hanjiang has reached a marriageable age. Princess Anqing wants to find him a suitable match. This birthday celebration is a matchmaking banquet.”

True to Feng Yuan’s style, with just one sentence he cut through the mess, stopping any thoughts Xiaoying might have about Young Master Mu.

Xiaoying raised an eyebrow: “How do you know the Mu family’s affairs? Did Young Master Mu tell you?”

Feng Yuan handed Xiaoying a peeled apple: “I recently acquired a spy?”

Xiaoying asked curiously: “Someone from the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards?”

That wasn’t right. Sniffing the faint smell of alcohol on Feng Yuan, she suddenly recalled what Shen Jing had mentioned when she asked about his schedule: after meeting Fan Shiqi, the Grand Prince had drunk heavily with someone named Song Wen at a famous pleasure house in the capital—Xunxiang Red Chamber.

During this period, Feng Yuan had connected not only with Tang Mingjiang but also with several others on his list.

And the “spy” Feng Yuan mentioned must be Song Wen, a newly appointed Hanlin Scholar?

This Song Wen was a son of the prestigious Song family from Heyang. Because his sister was also among those invited to the Mu family celebration, Feng Yuan knew the hidden agenda of the birthday banquet.

Song Wen’s greatest talent wasn’t his writing, but his handsome, debonair appearance, his sociability, and his skill at marrying well.

His wife Madam Chu and his three concubines were all graceful, ambitious women who disliked household squabbles. They hosted endless banquets and were all quite vivacious, being prominent figures at various capital gatherings.

As for Song Wen himself, he had countless connections with the leading courtesans of the capital.

Therefore, Song Wen and his wives were comparable to the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards stationed throughout the capital—their intelligence was swift and accurate. They knew even the smallest details, like how many times each household rose during the night.

However, Song Wen had been facing some troubles lately.

Though he was from a prestigious Heyang family, full of talent and with extensive connections, his father had unfortunately been implicated in a corruption case in Jiangzhe. His career and reputation were at risk, and even the previously endless banquet invitations had ceased.

How could the sociable Song Wen endure this? The four women in his household were all stifled with melancholy, like flowers cut from their roots, devoid of joy!

Song Wen, with his many connections, would normally find it easy to pull strings and appeal on his father’s behalf.

However, this case had become entangled with the recent Geng Iron case.

His Majesty was furious, and those below didn’t dare show any leniency. The case looked certain to become irrefutable.

Feng Yuan had discovered flaws in the documents and was recently asking Elder Teng to step forward and request a retrial of Song Wen’s father’s case.

Song Wen was very grateful to the Grand Prince and had invited him to drink several times.

To form a deep connection with such a socially prominent figure, one needed to drink and dine together.

Feng Yuan’s recent breaking of his abstinence from alcohol had all been from drinking with this man.

He didn’t need to drink together. Song Wen admired those with the spirit of gallant heroes. Just the feat of Feng Yuan clearing Feng Tail Slope was enough to earn Young Master Song’s admiration for a lifetime!

With the Song family’s information network, Feng Yuan was well-versed in the affairs of various major residences in the capital.

Xiaoying was extremely impressed with the Imperial Tutor. He truly understood Feng Yuan’s weakness in social interactions!

With Young Master Song, his wives, and his courtesan connections, it was like having a small Dragon Scale Shadow Guard at their disposal.

“By the way, Song Wen’s wife has invited you to visit her residence in a couple of days,” Feng Yuan mentioned.

Xiaoying laughed: “How could I socialize with them given my appearance? If I went to the Song residence, wouldn’t the entire capital know?”

Feng Yuan pulled her into his arms, paused silently for a moment, then decided to tell Xiaoying: “The fact that I’ve taken a concubine who resembles the Crown Prince is no longer a secret; it’s spread throughout the capital.”

Xiaoying made a guess: “Was it the Third Prince who spread it?”

“More or less!”

It turned out that the Third Prince had previously sworn an oath to end his relationship with Mu Yanyan.

When a man makes a vow, he should certainly take it seriously. This time, he had held firm and truly hadn’t sought out Mu Yanyan for over half a month.

As a result, Mu Yanyan was quite uncomfortable with this, but the young lady was stubborn and also didn’t go looking for Feng Qiwu.

But at a banquet, the two happened to meet.

When she saw Feng Qiwu looking straight ahead, not even glancing at her, Mu Yanyan felt extremely stifled. She cornered Feng Qiwu in the garden and demanded to know if he hadn’t taken a fancy to the Grand Prince’s concubine; otherwise, why would he turn against her because of that woman?

Feng Qiwu was clumsy with words and couldn’t out-talk Mu Yanyan. In desperation, he blurted out: “She looks just like my Fourth Brother! Why would I like her? I’m not a madman like my eldest brother!”

There were others in the garden besides the two of them, and with that, rumors spread. Many people became curious about just how much the Grand Prince’s concubine resembled the Crown Prince.

Even in the invitation from Princess Anqing that Mu Hanjiang personally delivered, there was a specific request for the Grand Prince to bring his beloved concubine.

It wasn’t clear whether this request came from Princess Anqing or Mu Yanyan.

No wonder Young Master Mu had earlier hinted that she need not heed the invitation, that it wasn’t his idea, and had also implied that she should know how to protect herself—following the Grand Prince would eventually bring her harm.

“So, when you said earlier that you wanted me and my adoptive father to return to Jiangzhe soon, it was also because the Third Prince revealed my identity?” Xiaoying asked.

Feng Yuan nodded: “The topic of you will attract more attention. Rather than that, it’s better to avoid it for now. When the time is right in the future, I’ll bring you back.”

Xiaoying reached out to touch his cheek, smiling slightly: “If that’s the case, I have even more reason not to leave. Otherwise, wouldn’t people know that I’m your weakness?”

Moreover, Xiaoying wanted to accompany Feng Yuan to that banquet.

She had never been one to stay behind. She also wanted to personally meet the various powerful figures of the capital.

However, before attending the Mu family’s birthday celebration, Xiaoying first went to socialize with the ladies of the Song family.

After being well-fed at the prince’s residence for some time, Xiaoying’s figure had become slightly fuller, and her curves had become more pronounced, like a willow absorbing water.

A young woman’s development happens in the blink of an eye.

With the careful preparation of the makeup artist, Xiaoying’s face, adorned with flower ornaments and painted with exquisite sandalwood blush, now looked quite different from the memory of Feng Qiyuan’s face.

Looking at herself in the mirror, though her features still resembled him, it wasn’t as difficult to distinguish as when she was bare-faced.

But when they met face to face, the lady’s resemblance to the Crown Prince still made Song Wen’s graceful wife, Madam Chu, draw in a sharp breath.

Goodness gracious! This Lady Ying really did resemble the Crown Prince!

However, this lady had a graceful figure, with her dress wrapping her delicate form. No one would suspect she was a man in disguise.

Even so, the Grand Prince’s taste was truly unpredictable!

Madam Chu and her three concubines quickly exchanged glances, then put on friendly smiles and invited Lady Ying into the hall.

Both sides were silver-tongued individuals, and Xiaoying had received proper palace training from Song Ao, so her manners and speech were poised and graceful, which further impressed everyone.

The initial strange feeling caused by the lady’s appearance gradually dissipated amid well-placed compliments and increasingly engaging conversation.

When Xiaoying was the Crown Prince, her attention had been focused on palace matters, and she wasn’t familiar with these officials’ families.

She hadn’t known that there was such a remarkable person as Chu Yu in the capital.

This lady had faced family decline before her marriage, but fortunately she had been betrothed to the Song family since childhood, which preserved her glorious marriage.

It was said that when she married, she had pawned the jewelry left by her grandmother to barely gather a proper dowry.

So this Madam Chu had tasted poverty and feared it. After marriage, she focused solely on using her modest dowry to manage businesses for profit. Even the concubines her husband selected were all financial talents she had picked from merchant families, each skilled with the abacus.

Rather than being concubines for her husband, they were more like female managers expanding her territory. Each one went out daily to manage businesses, addicted to making money.

As for her husband’s preferences in women, he could seek those in pleasure houses. The Song family threshold would not support idle people!

Recently, Madam Chu’s timber business has been flourishing. Many capital households preparing dowries purchased fine wood from her for furniture making.

But in recent days, the constant warfare in Jiangzhe had prevented the timely delivery of her goods. She had been going out daily to socialize, hoping to open channels with local officials.

Since the conversation had turned to this topic, Xiaoying offered: “If you don’t mind, I can help Madam clear some pathways.”

When she heard that Xiaoying was the daughter of a salt merchant from Jiangzhe who knew many ship merchants there and had good water transportation connections, Chu Yu’s eyes gleamed with interest. She looked Lady Ying up and down appreciatively.

What a graceful and charming lady! It was a pity she had already been taken into the Grand Prince’s residence and resembled the Crown Prince somewhat, which might arouse His Majesty’s suspicion. Otherwise, recruiting her into the Song family as a sister companion to manage business would have been perfect!

That greedy look caused the three concubines nearby to become slightly jealous, jokingly asking their mistress if she thought them old and useless, and had her eye on someone new.

Chu Yu laughed and pinched their ears: “You sharp-tongued minxes, teasing me again. This lady is the apple of the Grand Prince’s eye. How could I possibly acquire her?”

When Xiaoying left the Song residence that day, Feng Yuan was already waiting for her in the carriage.

After boarding, Xiaoying tilted her head to look at Feng Yuan: “I thought you could drink heavily with Song Wen because you valued his talent for social connections. But it turns out you intended to transfer him to Jiangzhe. What are you planning?”

During her casual chat with Chu Yu, she had discovered that Feng Yuan’s original condition for helping the Song family patriarch escape trouble was to transfer Song Wen to Jiangzhe.

Since the Song family had connections there, such a transfer would be quite convenient for him.

Xiaoying instinctively felt this arrangement wasn’t good, as it would effectively waste Song Wen as an informant in the capital.

However, Chu Yu later mentioned that just yesterday, the Grand Prince had suddenly relented, stating that Song Wen’s family enjoyed the capital’s prosperity and could stay.

Why had Feng Yuan been so inconsistent with Song Wen? Even if he didn’t explain, Xiaoying could guess most of it.

“So sending me back to Jiangzhe was to be arranged like this? It seems that meeting Fan Shiqi a few days ago was just a pretext. You had already arranged the local officials thoroughly. Even if I had gone back with my adoptive father, my every word and action would have been under your control. Is the Grand Prince selecting a jailer for me?”

Feng Yuan knew he couldn’t hide it from her and spoke directly: “It’s because you repeatedly said you wanted to go back. The Third Prince exposed your appearance. If you didn’t want to face danger, I would have complied with your wishes, letting you return to live a peaceful life, and finding reliable people to look after you.”

The man spoke very frankly, without a trace of dark intentions, but Xiaoying didn’t believe him. She just pointed her finger at his chin.

This man, when would he break his habit of scheming against her?

Thinking of this, she tested him: “So, whether I stay or go in the future, you won’t stop me, but you’ll have your people watch me… What if I’m unwilling and hide far away where you can’t find me?”

Hearing these words, Feng Yuan’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and his large hand resting on Xiaoying’s waist slowly applied pressure.

He spoke with relative calm: “Xiaoying, don’t push me. My thoughts are too filthy; I don’t want to taint your ears.”

Xiaoying’s curiosity was piqued. She embraced his sturdy waist and pressed him for an answer.

Feng Yuan leaned close to her ear and finally said it: “When I can be a good person, that’s my arrangement. But if you truly intend to leave me far behind, not letting me know your whereabouts, then I will dig an underground palace, cast iron gates, shackle you, and lock you there, never to see daylight again!”

His tone was so sincere, it was impossible to tell if he was joking.

But Xiaoying heard it with a tingling heart, her eyes darting around like a little fox. She deliberately softened her voice and asked: “Is it like Mu Qing’s dungeon, also with branding irons, copper whips, and iron water torture chairs? Your servant fears pain, my lord must show mercy!”

Dealing with such a slippery character, Feng Yuan didn’t know whether to grip tighter or let go, the latter being impossible.

Feng Yuan could only hold her tightly in his arms, his voice emerging through gritted teeth: “You said… you loved me, that you wouldn’t leave me alone…”

Since the Barren Palace days, he had always been skilled at hiding treasures. All his cherished things would be securely buried in places he had found, hidden from those watching over him.

But he hadn’t imagined that a girl like Xiaoying would appear in his life—someone he couldn’t feel at ease placing anywhere when there was unrest around them.

Moreover, this little firefly had a strong will. If one day she was determined to leave him, she would truly fly away, never to return…

Thinking of this, his large hands gripping her slender waist applied even more force.

Did she think he was joking, and thus showed no fear of him? If that day really came, would she struggle and curse, regretting having provoked him?

Feeling like her internal organs were about to be squeezed out, Xiaoying knew he had gone down another rabbit hole, but she didn’t rush to break free. Instead, she bit his high nose bridge: “I said I love you because you aroused my affection, not to give you an excuse to do whatever you want. But that underground palace sounds interesting. After you build it, we’ll go play there together…”

She imagined binding the robust, wild man with iron chains, forcing him to be immobile, then using the copper whip to trace circles from his chin down his neck.

Xiaoying’s heart grew slightly hot, and she found herself rather dry-mouthed with anticipation!

Feng Yuan lowered his head and narrowed his eyes at the young woman who was smiling with suspicious intent. He was quite certain she was thinking of doing something improper in that underground palace.

All the anxiety, gloom, and insecurity in his heart largely dissipated with the girl’s bantering. The issues of leaving, staying, and the underground palace were temporarily put aside.

After all this preparation, on the day of Princess Anqing’s birthday celebration, Feng Yuan brought the elaborately dressed Xiaoying and finally appeared openly in public.

Mu Hanjiang hadn’t expected that after his warning, Feng Yuan would still bring Lady Ying so ostentatiously.

Did he truly not care about the lady’s safety?

Although he had seen this lady’s true face several times, when that face resembling the Crown Prince suddenly appeared, the impact on him was still as strong as when they met at the teahouse.

Just a few days without seeing her, and this lady seemed to have become much more radiant and fuller than he remembered.

Mu Hanjiang took a deep breath and slowly walked over to greet the Grand Prince: “I thought Your Highness wouldn’t come.”

Feng Yuan replied indifferently: “When Young Master personally delivers an invitation, how could I not come?”

Noticing Mu Hanjiang occasionally glancing at Xiaoying, Feng Yuan said with a cold smile: “I heard Princess Anqing intends to find Young Master a good wife. Xiaoying was also curious and wanted to see the future Mu family daughter-in-law, so she came along.”

At these words, Mu Hanjiang’s brows furrowed slightly, seemingly not very enthusiastic about the prospect of marriage.

Lady Ying’s eager anticipation made him subtly displeased.

When his brow finally relaxed, Young Master Mu said gently: “I heard that His Majesty is also concerned about the Grand Prince’s marriage, thinking of finding a woman skilled in martial arts from a military family who can protect herself to match with Your Highness. I also wish the Grand Prince finds a desirable princess consort for a harmonious marriage!”

These words weren’t problematic, but to speak of the Grand Prince taking a princess consort in front of Xiaoying, his currently favored concubine—Mu Qing’s intent to annoy was too obvious!

Was he mocking that no matter how favored she was, she could never become the official wife?

Unfortunately, Xiaoying had just socialized with the sisterhood of the Song family and truly experienced the concept of wives and concubines working together like father and son in battle, with hearts as broad as the sea!

So as she watched the two men wishing each other early marriages, she tested: “Then this concubine… first wishes both of you happy marriages and early births of noble sons?”

As soon as these words fell, four daggers of glares shot coldly toward Xiaoying.

Just then, a sharp intake of breath came from behind Mu Hanjiang.

Mu Yanyan stood behind her brother, staring in astonishment at Yan Xiaoying.

Although she had heard long ago from Feng Qiwu that the Grand Prince’s concubine resembled the Crown Prince, she hadn’t taken it seriously.

No matter how similar, could they really be cast from the same mold?

But seeing her now, Mu Yanyan was truly dumbfounded. Although the lady before her was as charming as a flower, with an unmistakably feminine figure, she still had the unsettling feeling of seeing that effeminate Crown Prince.

At that moment, more distinguished guests began arriving at the entrance one after another. When they saw Yan Xiaoying, they also drew in cold breaths and began whispering among themselves.