The two quietly left the inn. Ning Yi led out his Yue horse. Just as Feng Zhiwei was about to find another horse, she heard hoofbeats behind her and a black shadow flashed. Ning Yi raised his whip and urged his horse forward like the wind. As he passed her, he leaned down, hooked his arm around her, and lightly and skillfully swept her onto the horse.
Feng Zhiwei didn’t struggle, obediently sitting in front of him. She glanced back with a smile: “This is actually the first time I’ve seen you display your horsemanship—it’s quite good.”
“Just quite good?” Ning Yi laughed softly near her ear. “You’re always stingy with lavish praise for me.”
“Haven’t you heard enough lavish praise in your lifetime?” Feng Zhiwei smiled lightly. “There always needs to be one or two remonstrating ministers to speak unpleasant truths—like me, for instance.”
“Remonstrating minister…” Ning Yi gave a soft laugh, then suddenly said, “Some people say you’re a court jester.”
“Is that so?” Feng Zhiwei said languidly. “Being a jester is better than being an upright minister—throughout history, jesters mostly live long lives.”
Ning Yi lowered his head, delicately sniffing the faint fragrance at her temples, his laughter soft and shallow. “As long as you’re by my side, I guarantee you’ll only die after me.”
Feng Zhiwei fell silent for a moment before saying: “What are you saying? Such inauspicious words, without any restraint.”
Ning Yi smiled. Neither spoke further. The night wind scattered their garments and long hair, rippling in layers like water waves. Their breaths also mingled warmly and lingingly, interweaving and fusing layer upon layer until they couldn’t be distinguished. Within the gorgeous cool royal fragrance wafted a faint scent like orchids under moonlight, entwined together evoking the wind that wandered lonely through deep palaces at midnight.
Under the moonlight, Ning Yi lowered his head slightly. Feng Zhiwei’s long hair brushed against his cheek. She had rarely agreed to change into women’s clothing and travel with him. Her hair was loosely coiled in a simple bun with light makeup like pear blossoms. Behind her ear, a patch of skin was exquisitely snow-white as bright moon. Because she hadn’t worn earrings for so long, the ear piercings had disappeared. Her earlobes were delicate, adorable, and round as pearls. The pale moonlight illuminated them, making them appear crystal clear and translucent like the finest lychee honey, making one unable to resist wanting to take a bite to taste whether the flavor was truly sweet to the heart.
And Ning Yi truly did just that.
He tilted his head slightly and took Feng Zhiwei’s earlobe in his mouth. Feng Zhiwei gasped “Ah,” not daring to pull away forcefully. Though he held it lightly, with the horse’s movements, his teeth rose and fell against her earlobe, the friction making her heart seem to tremble along with it. She quickly raised her hand to protect her ear, laughing: “Can you be more careful? With all this bouncing up and down, do you want to turn me into someone with torn ears?”
Only after saying this did she feel something was wrong—no matter how you heard it, those words carried some ambiguity. She quickly laughed awkwardly a few times, trying to find words to change the subject. But Ning Yi had always been sensitive to such things and immediately gave a low laugh, saying: “Next time we’ll change places for the bouncing up and down… mm… guaranteed not to tear your ear… Ouch!”
Feng Zhiwei’s elbow struck his kidney area, stopping someone’s shameless teasing…
Of course the force was light. Ning Yi’s cry of pain also carried laughter. He reluctantly sniffed her again before letting go, his hand sliding down to encircle her waist, sighing: “At least today you didn’t add several layers of cotton padding. Finally I know your true measurements.”
“Imperial Capital rumors say His Highness has experienced countless flowers, with an extremely keen eye for beauties,” Feng Zhiwei said leisurely. “Supposedly even through winter cotton garments, you can discern a beauty’s figure and measurements. Could those past rumors all be false?”
Ning Yi suddenly slapped the horse’s head, extremely regretful: “Aiya, I didn’t bring a basket of fine crabs!”
Feng Zhiwei turned back to look at him in bewilderment, thinking what kind of non sequitur was this? Besides, where would you find good crabs in spring?
Ning Yi stared at her eyes with a smile, saying slowly: “The vinegar is readily available… only lacking the good crabs…”
Feng Zhiwei instantly understood—this scoundrel was saying in a roundabout way that she was jealous!
Annoyed and embarrassed, she instinctively wanted to counterattack. But seeing Ning Yi’s expression, clearly harboring ill intent, if she continued along this topic she’d definitely suffer. Though she prided herself on sharp wit, in this area she couldn’t match someone’s thick skin and black heart. This was women’s natural disadvantage—she couldn’t fight it.
So Miss Feng, who usually liked to consider things thrice, immediately lowered her flag and silenced her drums, saying nothing as she swiftly turned her head, gazing ahead as if nothing had happened. Her expression very serious, her look very natural. Ning Yi smiled, tilting his head slightly with great interest as he watched behind her ear, where it was flushed red, faithfully betraying a certain person’s inner thoughts beneath her feigned composure. Ning Yi watched with good humor, his eyes rippling, his expression very pleased.
Then at a certain moment the horse stopped on its own. Ning Yi looked up, sighing somewhat regretfully: “This horse is too familiar with the route. Should have brought a donkey.”
Feng Zhiwei: “…”
Then she sniffed and turned to quickly dismount, but was forcefully held down by Ning Yi. He jumped down first himself, extending his hand: “Come, let me help Miss Feng dismount.”
Feng Zhiwei sat high on the horse without moving, glancing at him sideways and asking: “Is it necessary to be so affected?”
“Yes.” Ning Yi answered definitively. Looking up at her, his expression was actually quite serious. “You once said you wanted the simplest, most ordinary life. But given our identities, many things ordinary people can do, we cannot. Tonight such an opportunity is truly rare. You and I can put down our pretenses for once, forget ourselves, and do what ordinary men and women in this world should do. For instance, at a time like this, the man should help the woman dismount.”
Feng Zhiwei looked down at him, remembering that wish she’d expressed in Nanhai that year, remembering his confession amid wisteria cake fragrance the night before leaving for Xi Liang. Those words had originally been spoken in refusal, yet he had always remembered them clearly and strived within his capabilities to approach that ideal.
Being ordinary men and women in the world, able to laugh and cry freely.
How wonderful.
Her face was hidden in the night’s shadows, with pale moon and pear blossoms behind her, mottled and scattered—her features and expression couldn’t be seen clearly.
Ning Yi’s hand extended calmly and persistently, as if prepared to wait eternally.
Feng Zhiwei finally smiled lightly and reached out to grasp his hand. The instant their fingertips touched, both seemed to tremble ever so slightly.
After that tremor, Ning Yi applied slight force. Feng Zhiwei jumped down nimbly from the horse. Her silver dress flashed in mid-air like a streak of bright light pouring down from the heavens.
Ning Yi naturally put his arm around her waist. The two quietly gazed at the building not far ahead—the imperial traveling palace built at the foot of Li Mountain beside Li Lake. It wasn’t large, quite different from the magnificent and imposing imperial palace in the capital. It was very exquisite and delicate. Looking from afar, among verdant ribbons of foliage and lush flowers and trees, a corner of pale gold and light green flying eaves was revealed, like a pearl dropped between green mountains and water colors.
The palace backed against the scenically beautiful Li Mountain and faced the misty vast Li Lake. Defensible in attack, retreatable in defense, with very convenient water and land transportation. From both military and scenic perspectives, after careful observation for a while, Feng Zhiwei found it absolutely perfect. She couldn’t help praising: “Truly an exquisitely wonderful location.”
“The inner palace is complete, but the outer perimeter isn’t fully finished yet.” Ning Yi pointed to the piles of bricks, tiles, and timber around the palace’s exterior. “Since construction began on the palace, all nearby residents were relocated. The surrounding thirty li is enclosed by walls forbidding outsiders from entering to peek. Externally they only say they’re managing the waterways here. The inner palace will be completed soon, then gardens will be constructed outside. This whole area will be enclosed.”
“This palace seems quite secret.” Feng Zhiwei smiled. “What are His Majesty’s intentions?”
“I don’t know either.” Ning Yi shook his head. “In fact, the reason I brought you to see it is because this palace truly isn’t an ordinary traveling palace. The inner palace can be said to be a secret palace—half of it is underground.”
Feng Zhiwei was startled. The inner palace was underground? Could the Tiansheng Emperor truly want to make this a refuge? His building such a palace for no good reason wasn’t a good omen.
Ning Yi put his arm around her and walked a few steps. Someone in the darkness immediately challenged them. After Ning Yi answered and presented his waist token, silence immediately fell. Feng Zhiwei looked at the silent darkness around them, thinking that with such strict security while still under construction, once completed, this place’s purpose would truly not be that of a simple traveling palace.
Along the way, though Ning Yi didn’t introduce much and the exterior was only in rudimentary form, with Feng Zhiwei’s eye, she could still discern this palace’s extraordinary qualities. The layout was ingenious, containing hidden formations. Some places were designed somewhat strangely—even she couldn’t figure out what they were for. And though the entire palace backed against a mountain, an encircling water channel had been dug behind it, like a moat surrounding the entire palace, covered with movable drawbridges to prevent people from infiltrating from the rear mountain and flanking to bring danger to the palace. From the terrain, though this palace was beside the lake, it occupied the highest ground by the lake, so if someone wanted to blow up the lake to flood the palace, that would be impossible. The entire palace design was meticulous—it truly looked like an excellent refuge.
Observing and thinking as she walked, before she knew it she looked up to find a palace hall already standing majestically before her eyes.
Pale gold eaves corners, dancing dragons and phoenixes, eighteen corridor pillars freshly lacquered and gleaming brilliantly. Golden bells under the eaves chimed crisply in the wind. Pear trees on all four sides bloomed perfectly. As wind passed, pear blossoms fell like light frost, rising and falling lightly on the uniform pale blue carved flower floor tiles. The ground thus seemed strewn with broken snow. The moonlight was bright, spreading gently down from the jade steps like a roll of pure white satin reaching to their feet.
“So beautiful…” Feng Zhiwei gazed almost entranced at the exquisite deep palace under moonlight. She suddenly ran forward lightly, her silver skirt flowing over the moonlit bright ground, brighter and more luminous than the moonlight itself. The large expanse of brilliant silver fabric swirling from her light steps was like a flower of flowing light and overflowing color.
She ran up the steps with a smile, supporting a corridor pillar. Then her eyes widened in delighted surprise: “Double-layer hidden carving? This is the craft of supreme artisans from the Jianghuai region, isn’t it? The carving appears different from every angle, yet never confused or cluttered—seeing it today, its reputation is truly deserved!”
She lightly touched the exquisite carving with her finger, leaning against the corridor pillar as she turned back with a smile. In that instant, pear blossoms fell on her hair and moonlight hung like curtains. Her glancing back gaze was gentle, her smile serene—also like a newly blooming fragrant pear blossom.
Ning Yi stood three steps away at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at her slightly. In that instant his eyes rippled like the night wind, brilliance flickering bright and dim. Such a gaze blooming amid the courtyard full of apricot red and pear white was dazzling and gorgeous, making all the flowers pale in comparison.
He smiled softly, saying: “I knew you would like it.”
Feng Zhiwei laughed lightly, circling those eighteen corridor pillars with interest to examine them one by one—viewing them straight on, from the side, from above, from below—each angle presented a different scene. Ning Yi ascended the steps, patiently following her footsteps with a smile but saying nothing.
Feng Zhiwei became interested too, wanting to test every angle of each corridor pillar, determined to find more scenes. When she suddenly twisted her body sideways and turned her head to look at a pillar, she suddenly said “Eh?”
Ning Yi stopped, leaning against the corridor wall, a faint mysterious smile appearing.
Those mysteries hidden in the deepest places, waiting for her sudden discovery—he would never reveal them prematurely and spoil that moment of unexpected delight.
She had indeed discovered it.
Feng Zhiwei had already crouched down, using a somewhat awkward posture to circle around those eighteen corridor pillars.
The expression on her face changed from initial surprise to puzzlement, to understanding, to gradually settling into calm. By the time she finished viewing those eighteen pillars, the expression on her face had become difficult to discern as joy or sorrow, transformed into faint silence and slight desolation.
That angle not easily discovered by others, in a not very large space, the lines beneath that layer of carving told another complete story.
His and her story.
Their first meeting on the frozen lake at Qiu Mansion, drinking together on the lonely bridge in snowy night, confronting each other in the Lanxiang Courtyard garden, drawing bows with deadly intent at Qingming Academy, gazing at each other from Luohua Tower, on the abandoned palace bridge in rainstorm, composing poetry and throwing cups in the golden hall, mutual aid on the lonely cliff at Jiyang, playing with officials on the Nanhai ship bow, beheading people at the Longxi mansion, breaking the siege at the Yan family ancestral hall, striking pirates from high boats at sea… roaring and striking the table in the Ministry of Justice hall, the rouge peril in Jinshen Hall, warmth of the eastern pond at Shuyu Manor, extending hands to each other below Bizhao Cliff…
Eighteen pillars, eighteen scenes, stringing together the course of his and her intersecting journey like pearls, vivid before her eyes. Feng Zhiwei unconsciously reached out slowly to stroke that layer of carving, thinking in a daze—so he and she had experienced so much together, so very much.
Ning Yi crouched down gently beside her, also reaching out to caress that layer of hidden carving. His voice was long and slow, calling to mind yellowed old book pages silently turned open in quiet night, layer upon layer of deep fragrance.
“…Zhiwei, look, I had people carve all these past events carefully here. After hundreds and thousands of years when all people have grown old, only palace halls will remain. Regardless of changing seas into mulberry fields, changes in people and things, replacement of dynasties, or even wavering human hearts, only they will always be here, unaged by passing time, never to be erased.”
Feng Zhiwei turned to look at him. Her eyes gleamed crystalline in the darkness. After a long while she softly hummed acknowledgment, yet said: “There are no immortal heroes in the world, nor indestructible halls. Eventually, they too will be buried in dust.”
“Then keep it in your heart, transform it into spiritual essence so consciousness never perishes.” Ning Yi gently grasped her hand.
Feng Zhiwei stared at him fixedly. After a long while a faint smile appeared. She suddenly turned back, pointing at the middle corridor pillar: “I understood what most of them depicted, but this one I didn’t comprehend.”
The carving on that pillar was very simple—two city gates, two memorial arches, two high platforms, paired yet staggered, standing silently in falling heavy snow.
“That year of heavy snow, I chased your footsteps from Nanhai rushing back to the Imperial Capital,” Ning Yi’s voice was also as cool as the light snow in the image. “Hurrying frantically, ultimately a step too late. That day you exited from the main hall, passed Nine Dragon Platform, traveled Yutang Boulevard, crossed Shenshui Gate, exited Yongning Gate, leaving the capital. While I entered through Chang’an Gate, passed Shenshui Gate, traveled Yutang Boulevard, entered Nine Dragon Platform, returning to the capital.”
His finger slowly traced along those two intersecting yet non-intersecting routes, drawing a disconnected arc. “Look, just one step short, just one place short, and it couldn’t form a perfect circle. A gap was forcibly created, yet who knows what year or month it can be repaired to completion… Zhiwei, I only hope that between us, there won’t be such meetings that brush past and miss each other again.”
Feng Zhiwei’s finger also like his silently traced that melancholy route once, as if that year the procession of Princess Shengying’s distant marriage and the procession of the Nanhai imperial commissioner returning to the capital, so close yet passing each other by.
Then she smiled faintly, stood up, and surveyed these eighteen corridor pillars. For an instant she closed her eyes, as if wanting to deeply imprint this scene under the night moon and pear blossoms.
When Ning Yi stood up, she had already opened her eyes, still with that misty yet clear gaze, smiling: “Let’s look at the inner palace.” She turned and entered the hall first.
Inside the hall were naturally brocade curtains, incense burners and precious tripods—the utmost in luxurious splendor. Having been forewarned, Feng Zhiwei didn’t pay much attention to these. Her gaze swept the walls, then recalled the floor outside. Indeed she detected an anomaly in the floor heights, only concealed by the stairs—unless one was a master proficient in such matters, it wouldn’t be easily discovered.
She was searching for the mechanism to descend to the lower level when suddenly the entire wall before her split in two, the bottom half slowly sinking down. Such a huge wall suddenly descending created an alarming momentum. She turned back in shock, laughing: “Almost thought it was an earthquake.”
Ning Yi stood behind her, positioned in moonlight and shadow, smiling as he gazed at her. He stood alone with nothing near him on any side—she didn’t know how he’d opened the mechanism. Feng Zhiwei didn’t ask either, only glancing at the underground space revealed after the wall descended: “Truly another world.”
“I’m bringing you along, otherwise there might be traps.” Ning Yi stepped forward to take her hand. The two descended the stairs. The stairway was only a few short steps. Facing them was a wide door carved with deep red auspicious beasts in relief. Ning Yi gently pushed it open. Inside, the decoration was actually identical to the upper level, only more spacious with nothing placed yet. A huge carpet embroidered with scenes of people and battles in deep red and bright yellow extended from the doorway all the way to the hall walls. Strangely, the upper half of the walls on all four sides was openwork, not as dark as imagined—faint light still penetrated.
“Though this hall is half-buried underground, the design uses refracted light capture methods to collect outside light and hear outside sounds. If you don’t want to be disturbed, just close those hidden windows.” Ning Yi pointed to some small windows above.
Feng Zhiwei looked at this design, a strange thought flashing through her mind—this hall seemed unsuitable even as a refuge, more like… a tomb palace.
Thinking this, she couldn’t help laughing, finding herself absurd. The Tiansheng Emperor’s mausoleum site had long been selected—near Shanben Circuit outside Yanhu Pass at Yanhu Mountain, the optimal dragon vein location chosen by hundreds of geomancy masters. Construction had been underway for several years. How could it be changed here? Besides, it didn’t look like that either.
Ning Yi tilted his head to look at her, asking: “What are you laughing at?” Feng Zhiwei shook her head, walking around the carpet toward the front. The great hall was spacious, only at the far side corner hung curtains. She lifted the curtains to see the entire wall was a floor-to-ceiling treasure shelf. Nothing precious or antique was on it—only in the center sat a wine pot. The pot was exquisitely crafted and unusual-looking, clearly a famous piece.
“This was my personal indulgence.” Ning Yi walked over with a smile. “Though this hall is built, when it will actually be used is truly hard to say. Last time I obtained a pot of good wine and stored it in this underground space first. Later when there’s no wine to drink, I can come retrieve it.”
“How would you ever lack wine? Besides, given your alcohol tolerance, I think you’d better forget it.” Feng Zhiwei smiled, reaching out to take the wine pot. Ning Yi smiled: “You’re tempted? Then let’s drink it now.”
“I think we’d better not. If you get drunk, I’d still have to carry you back.” Feng Zhiwei’s fingers touched the wine pot, then withdrew. Her slender fingers brushed across the rosewood treasure shelf: “It’s quite clean here. Does someone come to clean?”
“After we’ve seen it, it will be sealed.” Ning Yi said. “Originally His Majesty should have been respectfully invited to come see, but His Majesty is getting on in years and is too lazy to move. He just said he knows about it. This is an imperial forbidden ground. After complete construction, unless His Majesty orders it opened or specifically sends someone, no one will be permitted to enter.”
“Seems I’m quite fortunate to at least catch a glimpse.” Feng Zhiwei smiled. Ning Yi reached out to stroke her hair: “Not necessarily. Later when it’s opened, with your status, opportunities to see it will be plentiful.”
He seemed somewhat tired, sitting down on the carpet naturally, looking up at Feng Zhiwei: “I’m actually a bit thirsty. Let’s just drink that wine here.”
Feng Zhiwei leaned against the treasure shelf, shaking her head with a smile: “Why so greedy? No, no.” Ning Yi looked at her, patting the carpet beside him: “Then come sit. Aren’t you tired from walking all that time?”
Feng Zhiwei couldn’t help rolling her eyes, thinking—what walking? The whole way riding horses, only looking at this secret palace. This person was truly lazy, even his excuses were perfunctory.
She sat down on the carpet, carefully maintaining a safe distance of two feet from Ning Yi. Seeing her guarded expression, Ning Yi laughed but didn’t point it out. He pillowed his head on his hands and lay on the carpeted steps: “Tell me about Xi Liang. That boy Ning Cheng doesn’t care about proper matters, only talks about irrelevant things. Reading his secret messages truly makes one furious.”
“Come now.” Feng Zhiwei leaned against the steps, looking up at the magnificently decorated ceiling. She briefly recounted the matter of killing the king in Xi Liang, then said: “Your precious guard—openly following me was bad enough, but he also stole my painting. Hey, is it with you? Return it, return it.”
Ning Yi smiled, saying leisurely: “That painting? Lord Wei’s calligraphy is rarely sought after in the world. I had it mounted and hung on my study wall.”
Feng Zhiwei gasped “Ah” in astonishment: “Really? Didn’t anyone mock your poor taste?”
“How could they?” Ning Yi reached out to scrape her nose. “Last time His Majesty came to my study, he looked at that painting for quite a while. Afterward he asked me what new school of abstract expressionism this was—it made his eyes swim. Xin Ziyan was there at the time. Fortunately he solemnly deceived the old man, saying it was a masterpiece by Immortal Master Danyang of Sanqing Mountain. The circles are taiji, a pile of circles is a pile of taiji. When you understand all the circle taiji, you’ll have proven the way to immortality.”
Feng Zhiwei burst out laughing: “Director Xin is so bold! Isn’t he afraid of the crime of deceiving the sovereign?”
“His Majesty has always valued him highly and knows his character is unrestrained with literary airs, so doesn’t hold it against him.” Ning Yi said. “After over a year supervising the army at the frontier, working very hard, he returned to the capital thinner by a circle. His Majesty’s intention is that once he finishes compiling ‘The Tiansheng Records,’ he’ll be promoted to the inner cabinet.”
Feng Zhiwei listened quietly. Ning Yi continued: “This time you served as envoy to Xi Liang without bringing shame to our national prestige. Some with ulterior motives in court took the opportunity to say your noble rank should be elevated. I blocked it. I said that as an envoy, bringing glory to our nation abroad is what an envoy should do. As an envoy becoming involved in another nation’s internal politics is actually a crime. Carefully calculating, punishment should be meted out. At the time there was considerable debate in court. Finally His Majesty compromised both sides’ positions, saying merits and faults cancel each other out, so you continue as your first-rank marquis.”
Feng Zhiwei’s eyes flashed as she listened carefully. After a long while she sighed: “You still understand His Majesty’s thoughts best… Advancing by retreating, grasping the proper measure without the slightest error. Congratulations, Your Highness. Looking across the court, you have no rivals remaining.”
“You’re wrong.” Ning Yi’s answer made Feng Zhiwei turn back in astonishment. She heard him say with a smile: “Someone worthy of being my rival still exists.”
His smile not quite a smile, his eyes flowing, Feng Zhiwei turned away her gaze, not playing dumb by asking who, lightly changing the subject: “This matter counts as Your Highness helping me. How should I thank you?”
“Thank me…” Ning Yi drew out his tone, suddenly slapping his hand and exclaiming in alarm: “What’s that!”
The moment his palm struck down, Feng Zhiwei also felt vibration beneath her. The floor seemed to tilt. Her body involuntarily inclined toward Ning Yi. In her shock, she instinctively reached for the soft sword at her waist. Just as her hand reached her waist, it was suddenly pressed down by a pair of hands. Then her body sank and crashed with a thud into someone’s embrace.
The moment she collided she knew she’d been tricked. She turned to leap away, but Ning Yi had already moved quickly to hold her tightly, laughing: “…How to thank me? Mm… How about pledging yourself to me?”
His fingers pressed the soft numbing point at her waist. Feng Zhiwei struggled resisting not letting herself melt onto him from bodily weakness, using her elbow to prop against his chest while her face flushed slightly as she said hatefully: “Half a year apart, increasingly shameless.”
Ning Yi suddenly sighed: “If a gentleman could capture a fair maiden’s heart, what man would willingly be shameless? Isn’t this all forced?”
Feng Zhiwei was so angry she laughed instead, nodding: “Yes, yes, I forced you. Truly I’m terribly sorry.”
Ning Yi nodded: “No harm, no harm.”
Feng Zhiwei was helpless, practically ready to bash her head—unfortunately beneath her was his chest. If she struck it, he’d probably accuse her of throwing herself into his arms. She could only struggle resentfully. Ning Yi wouldn’t release her though, patting her shoulder like coaxing a child, raising his eyebrows and smiling: “Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. Actually I’m doing this for your good. You sat in the wrong place earlier. That place has a mechanism. Sitting for a while is fine, but sit too long and the panel flips down—you’d fall into a trap.”
Feng Zhiwei turned back to indeed see half the jade steps had collapsed down. This added several degrees to her anger: “So you calculated the timing to scheme against me!”
Ning Yi was still smiling, grasping her hand, folding her fingers together one by one. Feng Zhiwei stared at his movements in bewilderment, not understanding his meaning. Then she saw Ning Yi carefully fold her hand into a fist, then strike it once against his own chest: “There, hit me.”
Feng Zhiwei stared at that fist, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. After a long while: “Your Highness is truly in a playful mood today.”
But Ning Yi suddenly put away his smile, holding her fist, saying faintly: “Is that so? That’s because you have no playfulness. Because you’re always so rational and restrained. In that moment just now, I truly hoped you could be like an ordinary deceived woman—after being playfully tricked by her lover, with flirtatious anger, lightly swinging a flirtatious scolding fist.”
Feng Zhiwei looked at her fist, a trace of confusion passing through her eyes. Ning Yi watched her expression, a faint sigh passing through his eyes: “I only hoped that tonight you and I could be an ordinary couple. Unfortunately you seem unable to enter the role.”
Feng Zhiwei smiled forcedly: “Limited talent, not skilled at acting. What can be done?”
Ning Yi glanced at her without contradicting, releasing her fist but pulling her to his side: “Lie down for a while… There’s something I want to see with you.”
Feng Zhiwei looked up and gave a low “Eh.”
Only now did she discover that the previously magnificent ceiling, identical to the Nine Dragons Playing with Pearl design above, had now changed appearance. The huge “pearl” in the very center, fully ten feet in circumference, had now turned transparent. Through this “pearl,” one could see the ceiling of the upper hall, which at some unknown time had also slowly revealed a large transparent dome, seemingly still rotating. As the rotating wheel turned moonlight and starlight, then transmitted through the double-layer transparent dome, suddenly countless fragmented lights flashed on the previously unremarkable walls of the underground palace. Looking carefully one discovered countless same-colored gemstones embedded in the walls. Intersecting and reflecting with the celestial light, the entire great hall suddenly sparkled with starlight, moonlight floating and sinking, interweaving light crisscrossing from all four sides, gorgeous colors suffusing everywhere. A person within it felt as if in a heavenly palace.
This scene of flowing brilliance dazzled the eyes. Even Feng Zhiwei, long accustomed to viewing magnificent landscapes and national beauties, was momentarily shocked into stillness. She raised her head almost obsessively, carefully watching the enchanting illusion created by interwoven light, capturing trajectories in those flowing colored luminous vapors, forgetting even to exclaim in wonder.
Ning Yi smiled as he held her, not watching that bizarre earthly celestial spectacle, only smiling as he tilted his head to watch the expression on Feng Zhiwei’s face. On her usually calm countenance, at this moment she finally showed like ordinary women delighted enchantment to the point of self-forgetfulness. The mottled star-moon gemstone light illuminated her features magnificently. Her joy was also bright as this radiance.
Yet in Ning Yi’s eyes surged faint tender pity.
Meeting for several years, truly the first time seeing such an expression of surprised delight on her face.
It was not in vain that he searched everywhere for famous craftsmen and masters, personally went to Shanbei to invite a reclusive senior expert hidden in the wilderness, spent three months, working at night, to achieve this legend-like star-moon great hall.
Wanting to make her happy—how utterly difficult. Even pouring out a kingdom could hardly exchange it.
The night was quiet. The night was deep.
The great hall also deeply deep. Though underground, it encompassed star and moon light floating within. Light like silk on all four sides, like rippling waves clustering around. In this sea of light, that couple embracing as they lay, raising their heads gazing at this scene of wonder, in flowing silence, each with smiles suffusing, as if in the clouds.