Tie Ci: “…Fragrant!”
After taking such a move, she behaved herself for a while, leaning against the pillow and letting Feiyu feed her medicine. The pillow wasn’t positioned particularly comfortably, and this person in front of her clearly wasn’t skilled at serving others, yet her medicine-feeding posture was quite practiced—she would blow on each spoonful, her slightly lowered eyelashes concealing the light in her eyes, but one could still sense her serene and focused expression.
Tie Ci said: “There’s no need to blow on it every time, the medicine isn’t hot.”
Feiyu paused, saying: “You’re right, it’s a habit I can’t break.”
“Looking at you, it’s as if you’re experienced at frequently serving others medicine and soup.”
“When my maternal grandfather was gravely ill, I served at his bedside for a month. He wouldn’t let me do anything else—I only had to brew and feed him medicine. At that time, his mouth was full of canker sores, and he couldn’t touch anything even slightly warm. I would blow on his medicine, mouthful by mouthful, until it was cool before feeding it to him… It became a habit.”
“Your maternal grandfather…”
“He passed away many years ago. Only I was there when he died. I still remember to this day, he told me to take good care of my mother. No matter what happened, I shouldn’t get angry with her or blame her.”
Feiyu lowered her eyes, silently curving her lips.
That only person who had treated him well, when dying, had gripped his hand tightly, speaking to him in broken sentences: “I didn’t raise your mother properly. I spoiled her into being arrogant, mean, and greedy. What your maternal grandfather gave you all these years may still not be enough to compensate you. Now that I’m leaving, you’ll inevitably be dragged down by her in the future… but your maternal grandfather cannot help but be selfish this once. I only ask that you always give her three parts tolerance, give her a lifetime of retreat… no matter what foolish things she does…”
He had remained silent for a long time then, and the old man refused to let go, blue veins bulging on his age-spotted hands, each one clearly visible.
Finally, he smiled, gripping the old man’s hand in return, saying softly: “Don’t worry. She… is my mother, after all.”
Only then did those hands release their fingers one by one, turning from warm to cool.
How could he not be tolerant? It was the final wish of the only person in this world who cared about him.
Tie Ci gazed at Feiyu. When she spoke these words, her tone was light, morning light streaming through the window lattice, flickering like broken gold in her temples. Her long eyebrows were graceful, her high nose like a peak, and her eyes were crystal clear, as if veiled in light mist.
Though her tone was calm and her expression normal, Tie Ci suddenly felt pity.
She had the feeling that these words, these matters, had always been hidden in her heart, but couldn’t be taken out or shown. Deep down, she knew that even if she revealed them, no one would understand, so she might as well casually tell them to strangers.
Like jade shattering on Mount Kun, flowers withering in old gardens—in a turn of the head, ten thousand years pass, and the best people are no longer in this world.
Tie Ci said gently: “I don’t have your good fortune. My maternal grandfather’s family is distant from me and not close. My mother has always been sickly, so I dare not trouble her with anything. It’s my father who’s always been called a ‘Twenty-Four Filial Loving Father.’ When I was small and took medicine, I clearly wasn’t afraid of bitterness and liked to drink it all in one gulp—bitter quickly, finished quickly. But he insisted on feeding me mouthful by mouthful, adding heaps of sugar, honey, and preserved plums to each spoonful. My god, you don’t know that too much sugar becomes bitter, and with all those random preserved plums and whatnot, it was an absolutely cursed dark cuisine that would make even the English shudder and prostrate themselves. And feeding it mouthful by mouthful… that soul-stirring taste made me wish I could just close my eyes and ascend to heaven on the spot…”
Feiyu burst into laughter. When she laughed, that layer of light cloud and mist-like melancholy dissipated considerably. Light seemed about to emerge from between her brows and eyes. Though Tie Ci was quite wary of her, seeing this couldn’t help but bring joy to her heart. She suddenly became alarmed—how could she use matters between herself and the Emperor to comfort this woman? How could she feel compassion just seeing her a bit sorrowful? Truly, beauty cannot overcome beauty—this face-obsessed world!
But Feiyu was also internally criticizing herself. Why was she talking about her maternal grandfather with this person for no good reason? What if this provided some clue that caused trouble later… Both looked at each other and smiled, their expressions mutually moved, their hearts equally annoyed.
Two cunning people had unconsciously opened slight cracks in their hearts, letting the other feel the wind flowing through, and both felt they’d suffered a loss, wanting to make up for it.
Tie Ci leaned back, and Feiyu leaned forward. Tie Ci happened to prop up her legs, bumping the medicine bowl. The medicine splashed out, and both Tie Ci and Feiyu cried out in surprise. Tie Ci suddenly raised her hand toward Feiyu’s pulse point, seemingly to help her hold the bowl, but Feiyu appeared to panic and raised her hand, causing the entire bowl of medicine to pour toward Tie Ci’s chest.
Tie Ci reacted quickly, immediately abandoning Feiyu’s pulse point and pulling the blanket up, so the medicine soup spilled completely onto the blanket.
This exchange was like lightning, over in the blink of an eye. A moment later, both raised their heads and looked at each other, each appearing completely innocent.
As if one testing whether the other had martial arts skills and the other immediately retaliating didn’t exist at all.
Tie Ci coughed once, saying insincerely: “Are you alright? Are you scalded? It’s all my fault for being careless.”
Her concern was halfhearted, but who knew Feiyu would immediately whimper softly, extending her little finger in front of her, saying: “Young Master is too rash—my finger is all red from the burn!”
Tie Ci obligingly took hold of that finger, carefully examining the completely invisible red mark with a face full of heartache: “Ah, scalded? Let me see, let me see…”
Looking closely at those hands, there were no calluses, nor any traces that should come from practicing martial arts. The hands were somewhat larger than ordinary women’s, but with distinct joints, each finger like jade, with slender knuckles—very beautiful hands.
Feiyu extended her hand generously, conveniently raising her little finger and saying in a soft voice: “Just talking without practice—blow on it for me.”
Tie Ci could hear the teasing and challenging tone in her voice. A true warrior naturally wouldn’t fear a beauty’s flirtation. She went with the flow, laughing: “Darling, I’ll blow on it for you right away.” She leaned over to blow on that pale pink fingertip, but saw it tremble. She paused, suddenly also feeling some strange sensation flow through her entire body, unable to help raising her eyes to look at Feiyu.
At this moment, she sat on the bed while Feiyu had one leg on the bed and one off, her entire body leaning in her direction. She held Feiyu’s finger, the two so close their breathing was audible, their faint fragrances intertwining. The pearl hairpin ornaments on her head drooped down, tickling her temples.
Both froze, their gazes meeting for an instant, and the atmosphere became strange.
Then Feiyu laughed.
How ridiculous.
She wasn’t a male prostitute, and she herself didn’t have a cut-sleeve fetish—what were they doing?
While laughing, she reached out to pinch her cheek, saying affectionately: “Darling, the medicine spilled. I’ll go brew you another bowl.”
Having said this, she tidied up with a completely nonchalant air and left. Watching her leave, Tie Ci touched her cheek, thinking to herself whether she’d been flirted with or flirted with.
What was the crime for flirting with the Crown Princess?
Beheading? Death by a thousand cuts? Castration?
While pondering this, she suddenly heard a jumble of footsteps outside, as if a large group of people had entered. Someone commanded loudly from afar: “…Everyone come out of your rooms! The authorities are searching for the flower-picking murderous bandit!”
…
Under the night sky’s embrace, Ziyang City had a slightly more murderous atmosphere than usual. Street corners and alleys had many more patrol posts, curfew time was moved up, and many servants carried buckets, pasting identical notices all over the walls, each featuring Tie Ci’s portrait.
At this moment, a soft sedan chair arrived outside the city gates, with household guards on horseback following before and after, each one spirited and exceptionally capable.
The city gates were already closed, but the leader among this group went to knock on the side gate. After a moment, the side gate was opened as an exception, welcoming the sedan chair inside.
The wind caused the newly pasted notices on the walls to flutter slightly.
As the sedan chair passed through the side gate, suddenly the curtain lifted, a hand reached out, and snatched away the notice.
The portrait was well-drawn, with Tie Ci displaying her characteristic gracious smile upon it.
“Stop.”
The sedan chair immediately halted.
“Go back.”
A moment later, the sedan chair turned around and disappeared into the dark night outside the city.
The gate-guarding soldiers closed the gate in bewilderment, muttering: “These young masters who think up one thing after another…”
The sedan chair traveled beyond the city gate area, and the person inside said: “Abandon the sedan chair. Get me a good horse to ride.”
“Young Master, what happened? Why so urgent all of a sudden? And where are we going now?”
“To the Haiyou Provincial Administration Commissioner.”
…
Miss Feiyu, the top courtesan of Fuchun Tower, received treatment unlike ordinary courtesans—she lived alone in an exquisite small building. The building’s location was somewhat remote, connected to the other pavilions by covered walkways.
At this moment, a short, black-clad person sat by the corridor edge, slightly pursing their lips, using their mouth to simulate chaotic footsteps and voices.
A tall person stood with arms crossed, leaning against the corridor edge, frowning as he watched the richly dressed woman who was smiling faintly while wiping her fingers.
“What are you planning to do now?”
“Nothing special, just want to see his reaction,” Feiyu said. “Don’t you think his identity and actions are somewhat contradictory? The son of a Director of Imperial Stud, and quite intelligent too—can he really not see that Ziyang’s waters run deep? How dare he pierce through this layer of paper? Doesn’t he understand that breaking through this layer could cost him his life? Where does he get such boldness? What does he rely on? There are far too many questions!”
“That’s true. But Master, if this person really has problems, why should we complicate matters? We just need to wait for the item to emerge, take our forty percent and leave, don’t we? Don’t you still need to go to the capital to kill that Crown Princess?”
“I can see this person has already guessed about Lao’er’s matter. If I don’t investigate him clearly and restrain him, I’m afraid he’ll ruin things. Then my treasure will fly away… As for the Crown Princess, she’s something I can deal with easily anytime—what’s the rush?”
“Master, you mustn’t underestimate the enemy too much. I’ve heard that Crown Princess has martial arts skills, and that she’s also…”
“So what if she knows some martial arts? Without imperial bloodline inheritance, she can’t even sit firmly in the Crown Princess position—all her strength must be used to stabilize the throne beneath her. She’s not as capable as that young lady heir of Yannan, the new female Hezhuo of the Western Rong, or that legendary female grandmaster. Oh right, there are also the fifty thousand Scorpion Camp and Blood Cavalry stationed at Yongping Guard—some say their commander is actually a woman.”
Both attendants fell silent. Indeed, though the Crown Princess had a more noble status than those others, according to rumors she hadn’t inherited the imperial clan’s natural abilities and was quite useless. Though she was also on the list for this trial, it was just for the sake of imperial family appearances. To this day, no one knew where she went for her trial, and there had always been rumors that she was just mixing around at some government office near the capital, waiting for the year to end so she could return to the palace.
In everyone’s view, this was the Crown Princess’s normal way of conducting trials. Did they really expect the Crown Princess to travel thousands of miles to suffer among the common people? What if something went wrong? The imperial dynasty already had no other heirs.
It was really hard on their master, still having to go to the capital to kill her.
“No matter who it is, today I must force out his true face.” Feiyu beckoned, and two capable men quickly ran over.
The tall and short ones couldn’t appear before that person in the room—both sides had already met face to face. Unlike Feiyu, who had always kept her face covered on the sea.
“Go ahead, go strip away his painted skin.”