Pearls adorned the corridor lamps, while silk formed the curtains. Golden-leafed pillars carved with coiling dragons stood tall, and screens shaped like phoenixes were decorated with beautiful jade and colored glass. Looking around, under the bright moon and twinkling stars, the pearls seemed even more lustrous, their reflections dancing on the rippling water beneath the corridor. It was as if one stood in the ethereal glow of the Moon Palace, evoking a feeling of being wrapped in the Milky Way with the moon as a pillow.
Following Yi Xiao, Gu Yu gaped in awe, gradually breaking into a delighted expression. He muttered indistinctly, “This is the Moon Palace.” Qin Yu chuckled, “Does the Junior Consort like it here?”
“Is this what Elder Qin was referring to?” Yi Xiao turned her head, puzzled. “This is…”
“The Moon Palace,” Gu Yu stubbornly repeated. “This is the Moon Palace.”
“This way, Junior Consort,” Qin Yu said, stepping forward.
They rounded a screen wall adorned with nearly a thousand small golden Buddha statues, entering a small inner courtyard. Qin Yu pointed to one of the rooms lit with a warm yellow glow. Suddenly, he quickened his pace towards it, calling out, “Prince Feng!”
Yi Xiao halted abruptly, causing Gu Yu, who was closely following her, to nearly bump into her.
“Elder Qin…” Feng Suige responded, sliding open the door and rushing out. He paused when he saw Fu Yi Xiao and Gu Yu behind Qin Yu, blurting out, “Why are you here?” Yi Xiao managed a forced smile but didn’t answer. Qin Yu hastily explained, “Forgive me, Your Highness. This old Qin has always been clumsy with words. Fearing I couldn’t persuade the Junior Consort, I brought her here to see for herself.” Gu Yu nodded in agreement, “That’s why Gu Yu came too.”
Feng Suige’s expression was peculiar as he mumbled, “Mm, mm, you’ve come.” Seeing Yi Xiao had already turned her gaze elsewhere, Qin Yu coughed, “Your Highness and the Junior Consort can chat. This old Qin will take Gu Yu to look around elsewhere.” Seeing Feng Suige nod, he led Gu Yu away.
After a long while, Feng Suige asked softly, “Do you like it here?” Yi Xiao forced a smile, “It’s beautiful.”
“I asked Elder Qin to purchase it,” Feng Suige hesitated slightly. “I had planned to tell you after renovations were complete.”
Yi Xiao showed no sign of joy. She glanced around while casually taking a few steps towards the lit room. “It’s already very beautiful. Is it to be a villa, or do you plan to move the Prince’s manor here?”
Feng Suige intentionally blocked her path, pointing in another direction. “The arrangements over there are quite special. Would you like to see it? I’ll have someone light the lamps.” As he moved, Yi Xiao stopped, her gaze shifting between Feng Suige and the lit room. Suddenly, she showed a wry smile. “No need. I should go back.”
Seeing her expression, Feng Suige quickly grabbed her hand. “There are no women inside.”
“Did I say there were?” Yi Xiao smiled, though her eyes were cold. “Even if there were, what of it? The entire country will be yours in the future, Prince. What do a few women matter?”
Feng Suige grew anxious and pulled her towards the room. “You won’t believe anything I say. Why don’t you see for yourself?” Caught off guard, Yi Xiao was dragged a few steps before angrily struggling. “If there’s nothing, then there’s nothing. Why use force?”
Ignoring her protests, Feng Suige pulled her into the brightly lit room. He pushed her forward defiantly, pointing to a corner. “See? The woman is there.” Yi Xiao was already stunned—on a high table sat jade boxes filled with various pigments: red ochre, azurite, gamboge, rouge, and others. In the corner, a large piece of sheepskin was tightly stretched on a wooden frame. On it was painted a valiant woman in a red robe with a silver bow. Though unfinished with a blank face, the clothing and posture bore a striking resemblance to Yi Xiao in her days commanding the battlefield.
“Did you paint this?” she asked in a daze. “Is that me?” Even as she spoke, she had already walked forward, carefully examining the unfinished skin painting.
In the painting, the coral-red armor was riddled with sword cuts and gashes, tattered and torn. One corner was visibly missing a long strip of fabric, leading one to wonder if it had been torn off to serve as an impromptu bandage for some soldier—this was true battle armor. This was something court painters could never capture with their brushes, something only someone who had experienced war firsthand could depict—real battle armor.
“I didn’t know you could paint, and so well at that,” Yi Xiao said, engrossed. Her fingertip lightly touched a spot on the skin painting. “Here, the shoulder guard should be made of tanned leather, with eight protective folds. The fourth, sixth, and eighth folds should be carved with the totem of the Jinxiu Dynasty. The clasp here isn’t quite right either; it should be a leather strap pulled across the chest and fixed with rivets… But,” she turned back with a radiant smile, her eyes particularly bright in the lamplight, “I’m still impressed by your memory. If I hadn’t seen this painting, I would have forgotten what my old battle armor looked like.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll revise it tomorrow,” Feng Suige said, forgetting his earlier displeasure upon seeing her joy. He moved closer, pointing at the painting. “You don’t know how hard it was to find this coral-red pigment. I searched the entire Susha City and only found a tiny box.” He exaggerated by forming a small circle with his thumb and forefinger. “It’s a good thing Elder Qin returned. I spent an entire day rummaging through his storehouse before finally finding enough pigment. Otherwise, this painting would have been finished long ago. I had originally planned to give it to you on your birthday.”
Yi Xiao laughed in surprise, “Is it that hard to find? I don’t even like this color much. I just thought it could conceal bloodstains…”
“What did you say?” Feng Suige jumped up, staring at her for a moment. “Didn’t you say last time it was to lure enemies on the battlefield?”
Yi Xiao immediately rolled her eyes at him. “Did I say that? My former battle armor was silver-white, but it would always be covered in bloodstains when we returned from battle, drawing too much attention. His Majesty was always one to make a fuss over small matters. Seeing me covered in blood, he’d always anxiously call for physicians, making a big deal out of even the tiniest wound until the whole camp knew. So later, I had this red armor made specially. Didn’t you notice when you were painting? Blood doesn’t even show up on it. Lure enemies? Do you think everyone is as foolish as you?” With that, she burst into laughter.
Feng Suige’s heart trembled when she mentioned Xia Jingshi, but he quickly let it go—she had worn it only to conceal bloodstains, not to protect that man by luring enemies!
With this realization, he too began to laugh heartily, his laughter even louder than Yi Xiao’s.
Yi Xiao, who had been laughing, stopped in confusion when she saw his uncontrollable mirth. “What did you think of that’s making you laugh like this?”
Feng Suige shook his head while still laughing, “Nothing, nothing. I just thought of something. I’ll be fine after laughing…” Yi Xiao pursed her lips, ready to tease him, but seeing him laugh so joyfully, she couldn’t help but chuckle again.
“Yi Xiao,” Feng Suige said, his eyes sparkling with laughter, his expression becoming more solemn even as his smile lingered, “Can you surpass them?”
Yi Xiao, still with a trace of a smile, asked him puzzledly, “Surpass whom?”
“Them,” Feng Suige’s gaze was full of tenderness and adoration. “Can you surpass them, and not just with Elder Qin’s help, but with your strength? Prove to the world that you can surpass all women, and even—them?”