“Let go! What are you doing…” As the light faded, Feng Xiyang gradually regained consciousness. She began to struggle desperately, but Fu Yixiao held her wrist firmly, not loosening her grip no matter how much Xiyang thrashed about.
Only when the campfire became a mere speck of light through the trees did Yixiao release her hand? She turned to face Feng Xiyang, saying, “Come to your senses. Do you think this is the Susha palace or the inner garden of Lu City? Even if you don’t care about your face, at least think about His Highness’s reputation!”
Feng Xiyang, embarrassed and angry at being reprimanded, couldn’t think of a retort. She managed to reply, “This is between my husband and me. It’s none of your business.”
“Is that so?” Yixiao yawned openly, then said with a grin, “Then why do you keep calling ‘Fu Yixiao’ so much that I can’t even pretend to be asleep? Don’t tell me you like this name. But if you do, I don’t mind giving it to you. From now on, you can be Fu Yixiao, and I’ll be Feng Xiyang. How’s that?”
“Who says I like it… You’re just crazy. I don’t want to talk to you,” Feng Xiyang stomped her foot and turned to walk back to the camp.
“Hey—” Yixiao didn’t chase after her, but called out lazily, “So all those things you said at the wedding were lies?” Her voice wasn’t loud, but it struck Feng Xiyang like thunder, rooting her to the spot.
Seeing her stop, Yixiao’s smile faded as she spoke slowly and deliberately, “You said you would do your best to be a good wife, to share his worries, to stand by him through glory and shame, to advance and retreat together. That’s why I could let go and stay in Susha. But so far, what have you done?”
“I want to…” Feng Xiyang suddenly turned around, sobbing, “If he could be even one-hundredth as good to me as he is to you, I’d be content. But I never get the chance. He won’t even smile at me. How can I be good to him? How can I share his worries?”
Yixiao fell silent. The dark space was filled with Feng Xiyang’s quiet sobs.
After a long while, Yixiao let out a long sigh and said with difficulty, “He’s indeed not an easy person to move.” Seeing Xiyang’s crying subside, she gently walked over and patted her back, continuing, “If you go on like this, you’ll only push him further away. Don’t cry anymore. Once we’re out of danger, I’ll talk to His Highness…”
“No!” Feng Xiyang suddenly pushed Yixiao’s hand away neurotically, shouting, “Stay away from him! Don’t you dare get close to him again!”
Yixiao’s hand froze in mid-air, and she stood there stunned. Xiyang’s tears were not yet dry, but she seemed like a different person, glaring at Yixiao fiercely. “What do you want? Aren’t you satisfied with my brother? How long are you going to cling to him?!”
“Me?” Yixiao only managed to ask before Feng Xiyang interrupted her again, “If you weren’t always clinging to him, how could he treat me like this?!”
Yixiao began to understand but felt more annoyed. She narrowed her eyes and said coldly, “I thought it was something else, but it’s just this. You and your father are truly alike.”
At that moment, Feng Suige’s call came from afar, signaling it was time to depart.
“Coming!” Yixiao called back, stretching. “Tch, couldn’t even get a good sleep.” Lowering her arms, she saw Feng Xiyang still glaring at her hostilely. She pursed her lips, “My, you seem to hate me. How about this? When you’ve recovered, let’s fight. Whoever loses, His Highness goes to the winner.”
Before Feng Xiyang could react, Yixiao had already brushed past her, heading towards the camp.
Feng Suige handed the reins to Yixiao, picking off the dead leaves and twigs that had caught on her clothes as they passed through the forest. He asked softly, “How did it go?”
Yixiao gave him a sideways glance, “If I had a knife, I would have cut her into a thousand pieces by now.”
Seeing Feng Suige’s shocked expression, she smiled and added, “Good thing I remembered her kindness in giving me medicine. After some consideration, I mercifully buried her alive instead.”
Feng Suige realized she was joking and made a show of reaching to pinch her cheek. Yixiao ducked away, avoiding his hand, and ran a few steps ahead with her horse, shouting, “The Prince is hitting people!” Immediately, all the soldiers around turned to look.
Feng Suige awkwardly withdrew his hand. As he turned his head, he saw Xia Jingshi standing not far away, holding his horse’s reins. Jingshi’s gaze, fixed on Yixiao’s retreating figure, was full of tenderness. Noticing Feng Suige’s look, Xia Jingshi turned and gave him a slight smile before mounting his horse and riding briskly toward where the troops were gathering.
When Feng Xiyang emerged from the forest, dazed, only Feng Suige and a few of his guards remained in the clearing. Seeing her, Feng Suige let out a long breath and quickly went to meet her. “Let’s go, we’ve been waiting for you.”
Feng Xiyang nodded obediently, then suddenly glanced towards the departing troops and called softly, “Brother…” Feng Suige turned back, confused. “What is it?” Feng Xiyang shook her head, “Nothing, let’s go.”
The cavalry rode until midday. As they rounded a sharp bend, Yixiao pointed ahead excitedly, “Once we cross that hill ahead, we’ll be close to His Highness’s territory. If we speed up a bit, we might meet Weiyan and the others in a day or two.”
Feng Suige raised an eyebrow, “Don’t get too excited. We’re at most half a day ahead of the Yulin Army. We might see them at the foot of the mountain before we even reach the top.”
“You’re such a killjoy,” Yixiao grumbled, but her expression grew tense, and she kept glancing back.
Sure enough, just as they reached the middle of the mountain, a large flock of birds suddenly took flight from the forest at the foot of the mountain.
“They’ve caught up,” someone called out from behind.
Feng Suige looked surprised, “They’re fast.” Yixiao looked at him worriedly, “What should we do?”
“Keep running, of course,” Feng Suige replied lightly. “Did you want to stop and wait for them?”
“Feng Suige!” Yixiao, exasperated, leaned over to punch him. “This is no time for jokes!”
“Alright,” Feng Suige responded seriously, turning to look at her intently. Yixiao withdrew her hand, waiting attentively for his next words.
“We need to speed up,” Feng Suige announced loudly and impressively, “Or they’ll catch us!” With that, he burst into laughter, spurred his horse, and suddenly overtook Yixiao. Both annoyed and amused, Yixiao urged her horse to chase after him.
An officer beside Xia Jingshi chuckled, muttering to himself, “I can hardly believe this is the same Feng Suige who once faced us on the battlefield.” A Susha military officer riding next to him, grinning widely, chimed in, “The Prince has been smiling much more since the Lesser Consort arrived.”
Xia Jingshi listened quietly, a faint smile on his lips.
Yixiao was still the same Yixiao, and yet, she wasn’t.
Wasn’t this what he had always hoped for?
Then why did his heartache?