As dawn broke, the troop should have been ready to depart immediately, but Feng Suige was nowhere to be seen. Yixiao searched around the camp puzzled, finally discovering Feng Suige leisurely bathing in the stream.
“Hey!” Yixiao rushed forward, grabbing Feng Suige’s upper garment from the rock and throwing it at him. “What time do you think it is? Why are you still dawdling here? Don’t you know everyone’s waiting for you?”
Feng Suige fumbled to catch the falling clothes, but one corner still dipped into the water. He sighed as he wrung out the dripping corner. “Weren’t you the one who said we could rest if we didn’t want to leave?”
“You…” Yixiao was so angry she stomped her feet. “Is that all you heard? Hurry up and get dressed! We need to get moving!”
Feng Suige draped the garment over his shoulder, grinning, “What’s the rush? I thought you wanted to rest for half a day too.”
“When did I ever say I wanted to rest?” Yixiao stepped forward, yanking the clothes off his shoulder and shaking them out before holding them up. “Put these on, quickly.”
Feng Suige slowly slid his arms into the sleeves, still questioning, “You don’t want to rest? Are you sure you don’t want to rest?”
“You’re so annoying!” Yixiao forcefully pulled the garment closed around him. “What exactly are you trying to do? I don’t think you just want to rest.”
“You’re right,” Feng Suige’s face lit up with a smile. “You’re getting smarter. Want to guess what I’m up to?”
Yixiao ignored him and turned to leave. Feng Suige’s smile froze on his face as Yixiao quickly walked away. He called out reluctantly, “Don’t you want to guess?”
Yixiao spun around, hands on her hips. “You! Take your time bathing then. I’ll tell the others to rest for now!”
Xue Ying sat lazily on a soft rug spread beneath a tree. Since her fall, everyone had been treating her like fragile porcelain, not letting her do this or touch that. It made her drowsy all day long. If she didn’t find some amusement soon, she’d go mad from boredom.
She scanned the people around her, her gaze settling on Fu Yixiao crouching not far away.
Ever since announcing they would rest for half a day, Yixiao had been acting a bit neurotic. Her large eyes darted about, fixated on Feng Suige’s every move. Feng Suige, on the other hand, seemed overly lively, joking with one person and playfully punching another, yet never exchanging a word with Yixiao.
Could it be…
“Yixiao,” Xue Ying beckoned to her, “Come here, I have something to ask you.”
Yixiao came over, and Xue Ying pulled her closer. “Did you and Feng Suige fight?”
“I couldn’t be bothered to fight with him,” Yixiao denied, glancing at Feng Suige and muttering, “I just want to see what trick he’s planning!”
Xue Ying curiously tugged at her sleeve, gesturing for her to sit beside her. She whispered, “You… um, last night I heard him shouting not to let anyone touch you. Could it be that you wanted to…”
Yixiao’s eyes widened. “What are you imagining?”
Xue Ying stuck out her tongue. “Just guessing. You don’t know how loud he shouted…”
Suddenly, a sharp whistle sounded from the perimeter. Yixiao sprang up, alert. “Stay where there are lots of people. Don’t wander off,” she said as she quickly walked towards the sound.
Feng Suige was already heading out. Yixiao caught up with him in a few strides. “Which direction did the warning come from?”
Feng Suige vaguely pointed out, “That way.”
Yixiao exclaimed, “Isn’t that the way we came?”
“Yes,” Feng Suige furrowed his brow, carefully hiding the amusement in his eyes from Yixiao. “Could someone be following us?”
As he spoke, a carriage appeared around the bend, with two riders in front and four bringing up the rear. Seeing the crowd of people ahead, they didn’t slow down but instead urged their horses on, speeding towards them.
The wariness in Yixiao’s eyes gradually turned to confusion. When the carriage curtain was lifted from inside, revealing a face she knew all too well, her expression finally settled on realization. She turned to look at Feng Suige, who had already stepped back a few paces, chuckling. She gritted her teeth, “You did this on purpose!”
On the sun-drenched stone road, the cart horses finally stopped, pawing at the ground. Yixiao rushed forward ahead of everyone else, clinging to the carriage shaft with tears in her eyes. “Weiran, Weiran, Weiran, Weiran—”
Xiao Weiran smiled, stopping her attempt to climb up. “Let me come down instead.”
“We were originally following the plank road to find you, but who knew you had changed course midway. After getting the news, we backtracked for several days before finally catching up…” Xiao Weiran apologetically explained to the physician hovering around him. “There’s no need…”
“No!” Yixiao, who had been standing beside him watching the physician bustle about, rarely put on a stern face. “After all that back and forth for so many days, you must let the physician examine you properly. How can you not take care of your own body?”
Xiao Weiran shook his head with a light laugh. “You’ve even learned to lecture people now.” He glanced at Feng Suige. “She must be quite a handful.”
Feng Suige nodded with a smile. “It’s manageable.”
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, as the physician was about to leave to fetch medicine, Xiao Weiran’s smile faded. He lowered his voice and recounted the events, concluding, “I had originally planned to send Yixiao back to Lu City for reinforcements, but your whereabouts have been exposed. Given Yixiao’s current status, it’s no longer advisable for her to make any big moves. We’ll have to think of another strategy.”
Feng Suige pondered, “It’s a pity we’re already so close to the Holy City. If we had more time, we could devise a better plan to deal with this.”
Xue Ying, standing nearby, had already turned pale with anxiety. “I should have known that Feng Xiyang was a muddle-head. Not only are those lies absurd, but if she had just told His Highness earlier, there wouldn’t have been so much trouble. Are there so many good people in this world? Couldn’t she use her brain a little?!”
Feng Suige glanced at Xue Ying with slight displeasure. “Although Xiyang’s handling of this matter was less than ideal, she has never been involved in any palace intrigues since childhood. Understandably, she was momentarily deceived. There’s no need to be so harsh.”
“I’m being harsh?!” Xue Ying immediately jumped up. “She thought of Ning Fei and Yixiao in such a way, and what I’m saying is already quite lenient. I have even harsher words if you want to hear them!”
“You…” Feng Suige also rose angrily but suddenly noticed Yixiao standing nearby with an unpleasant expression. Feeling apologetic, he sat back down. “I won’t argue with you now. The urgent matter at hand is to rescue the person first. Advisor Xiao, do you have any good suggestions?”
Xiao Weiran was lost in thought for a moment before shaking his head. “With His Highness in his hands, even if we want to make a move, we have to be cautious…”
Feng Suige smiled slightly. “Concern clouds judgment. His actions are all shady and can’t bear scrutiny. So, why don’t we drag him out into the sunlight? After all, rumors always spread the fastest in this world!”