In the darkness, Shen Xiling’s cheeks flushed red as if intoxicated. She quietly withdrew from his embrace, yet still remained very close to him.

“Because,” she whispered softly in his ear, “I missed you too much…”

After saying this, she took the initiative to kiss Qi Ying.

Such bold behavior should have made her feel shy or timid, yet at that moment Shen Xiling felt none of those emotions, only pure immersion in that kiss. Qi Ying seemed stunned for a moment, then immediately gave her a passionate response. He held her even tighter, their lips and tongues intertwining, even their breathing becoming one.

Darkness became a breeding ground for desire to grow wild. They both lost themselves, completely abandoning the restraint and reason they had barely maintained the night before, even their fingertips intertwining together.

No one knew who first pushed whom down onto the bed—perhaps it was Shen Xiling first. She leaned over Qi Ying to kiss him, her body so soft it had no strength, but she wasn’t worried about not being able to support herself because she knew Qi Ying would hold her up.

He did indeed hold her up, but actually didn’t support her for very long before quickly turning the tables and embracing her in his arms. His kisses were more transgressive than hers, leaving her lips to kiss her delicate, pale neck, kissing all the way down to the lowest point of her collar, kissing until she couldn’t help but moan softly. He was clearly such a cold and aloof person, yet at times like this he was exceptionally passionate, even appearing quite domineering. His hand kept clasping her wrist, his thumb unconsciously pressing against the tiger’s mouth area—a posture of complete possession and control.

But even in his abandon, he still remembered the injury on her wrist from yesterday, carefully avoiding that spot.

He cherished her to his very bones.

They didn’t know how long they lingered in this entanglement. When they finally separated, both were breathless. But even so, they still felt unsatisfied. However, Qi Ying had already sensed the changes in his own body. He knew that if this continued, something would definitely happen, so he rather abruptly ended that kiss. Fortunately, Shen Xiling was already dizzy and dazed by then and didn’t notice his abnormality.

The two embraced in the darkness, neither speaking, only silently feeling each other’s breathing and heartbeat, as if they could stay like this until dawn.

Later, it was Qi Ying who spoke first. He kissed Shen Xiling’s long hair and said gently, “I’m still cold from outside—don’t catch a chill from me.”

As he spoke, he intentionally tried to loosen his hold on her and have her lie back in the bedding.

But Shen Xiling wouldn’t comply, still holding him, nuzzling his neck, acting coquettish: “No, I want to hold you a little longer…”

She was naturally good at acting coquettish, and now that their feelings were so intense, she had even fewer reservations, her coquettishness becoming even more blatant.

Qi Ying was worn down by her persistence and could only indulge her. Then he heard the little girl say in his ear, “Let’s light the lamps? It’s too dark now—I can’t see you.”

I want to see you.

Silent affection lingered between them. Now, let alone lighting lamps, even if Shen Xiling had asked him to pluck the moon, Qi Ying wouldn’t have refused. He naturally agreed.

Lord Qi didn’t call servants to enter, personally getting up to light the lamps himself.

Just as he finished lighting the last one, the little girl hugged him from behind. He didn’t know when she had gotten down from the bed—she seemed truly unable to be away from him for even a moment, always softly clinging to him.

Qi Ying turned around to see her barefoot, her jade-white little feet stepping directly on the floor. She had been carefully tended in health during her three years by his side, but was still very delicate and couldn’t bear the slightest cold. Seeing her barefoot on the floor naturally made Qi Ying frown.

But before he could speak to scold her, the little girl beat him to it, looking at his frowning face and asking, “Why is your complexion so pale?”

After a pause, her tone became even worse: “Did you skip meals again?”

Qi Ying was rendered speechless by her scolding. She became more aggressive, looking at him with great disapproval. After a while, she loosened her arms from around him, turned to put on shoes and an outer garment, then headed toward the door.

Qi Ying caught her and asked, “Where are you going?”

Shen Xiling turned back to look at him, her little face stern and her gaze somewhat unfriendly. After looking at him for a long time, she said, “To make some midnight snacks.”

Qi Ying raised an eyebrow and smiled, saying, “No need—it’s so late.”

But the little girl wouldn’t listen to him, only staring at him and saying rather irritably, “Then I’m hungry myself, is that okay?”

After saying this, she pushed away his hand and walked out the door without looking back.

Qingzhu, who was keeping watch outside, first heard their conversation in the room, then saw Shen Xiling emerge followed by his master’s helpless expression, and felt extremely comfortable and satisfied in his heart.

Tsk, this little girl might not be capable of much else, but she really did have ways to coax their young master.

Look—wasn’t their young master completely at her mercy?

The night was already deep. Shen Xiling didn’t want to wake the kitchen maids to help her, so she simply made red bean and coix seed porridge and prepared two small dishes: one of Chinese yam with wood ear mushrooms, and one of celery with tofu.

She made extra porridge, so she simply accompanied Qi Ying for the midnight meal.

She ate little, spending most of the time just watching Qi Ying. She was still worried about his health and couldn’t help asking midway, “Do you feel better now?”

Qi Ying glanced at her and nodded.

Shen Xiling blinked, her brow still furrowed, still looking at him with concern and saying, “Please don’t lie to me.”

Qi Ying smiled and said, “I’m not lying to you. Much better.”

He really wasn’t lying to her.

He had never been particular about food, and over time this had become an illness. He was actually used to it now—when busy, even if it hurt he wasn’t conscious of it, only feeling the pain when he was free. When in pain, he had no appetite and couldn’t eat much. Only the meals she made suited his taste, so he would eat more of those.

…Perhaps it wasn’t because they suited his taste, but simply because she had made them.

Shen Xiling was half-believing and half-doubting upon hearing this, uncertain whether he was telling lies to comfort her. Later, seeing his complexion improve and not as pale as when he first returned, her heart finally settled somewhat.

Qi Ying saw her constantly frowning and staring at him, feeling this wasn’t a solution, so he changed the subject to divert her attention: “What did you do at home today?”

Shen Xiling actually heard his intention. She wasn’t as easily fooled as when she was little, especially when her emotions were calm—she could often see through his thoughts. But thinking about it, she felt that stubbornly dwelling on this matter wasn’t useful, so she went along with his question and answered, “Just rested. Slept a very long afternoon nap, ate after waking up, then slept again.”

Qi Ying smiled gently, saying, “That sounds good.”

He seemed to be teasing her. Shen Xiling also laughed, feeling a bit embarrassed. After a pause, her expression became more downcast as she thought and said, “I was also thinking about whether I should visit Mrs. Feng again… by rights I should go, but I’m afraid seeing me will make her angry again and cause more trouble…”

Upon hearing this, Qi Ying’s chopsticks paused briefly, then resumed normally as he said, “Your consideration is right. It would be more prudent to send someone to go on your behalf.”

Mentioning anything about Shopkeeper Feng made Shen Xiling somewhat listless. She glanced at Qi Ying, then fell silent.

Qi Ying quickly noticed her emotional change and knew the reason for her state. He was silent for a while, then said, “Last night I already told you that Shopkeeper Feng’s death was not your fault. I’m not saying this to comfort you, but because I truly think so.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Xiling didn’t brighten up, still looking downcast as she said, “Even if it’s not entirely my fault, at least I bear half the responsibility. Both the guild and I are culprits.”

Qi Ying smiled and shook his head.

Shen Xiling looked at him, pouting, and asked, “Do you think what I said is wrong?”

“Wrong,” Qi Ying’s expression was calm, “The guild indeed bears only half the responsibility, but the other half doesn’t lie with you.”

He paused, then looked up at her: “But with the rules.”

Shen Xiling was stunned upon hearing this, seeming not to understand. But Qi Ying always spoke to the point and said no more, only beginning to drink her porridge again.

But Shen Xiling continued pondering his words, gradually understanding their meaning.

Great Liang’s commercial and political spheres were too closely entangled, with wealth and power becoming conflated, making the order in both realms extremely chaotic. Shen Xiling wasn’t familiar with officialdom but had some involvement in commerce—take the guild, for instance, which acted with political power under commercial pretenses, ultimately ignoring rules to manipulate everything, even treating human life as worthless with no one daring to intervene.

How many people had been bullied by the guild? Dozens? Hundreds? Even after Shopkeeper Feng lost his life over this, still no government office came to handle the matter. Why? Simply because they feared the Fu family behind the guild—power fearing greater power.

The guilty parties weren’t just Yang Dong and the guild, but also this court’s laws, even this country itself—the rules of the game were flawed.

Qi Ying was right.

Shen Xiling knew he was right, but still couldn’t help feeling guilty about Shopkeeper Feng.

She pressed her lips together and said, “What you say is all reasonable, but… if I could have prepared earlier or handled things more thoroughly and tactfully, in the end it wouldn’t have come to…”

She sighed.

Qi Ying looked up at her, his expression tolerant, with a trace of helpless amusement in his eyes.

“Little girl,” he said, “how old are you?”

This was the first time he had called her “little girl” to her face, carrying a wonderful intimacy and affection that made Shen Xiling quietly blush. She heard him continue, “You’ve only just reached the age of hairpinning. Most other girls your age still don’t understand much, yet you already have your own business—you’ve already done very well. You need to give yourself more time.”

Qi Ying truly understood how to maintain the proper balance in their relationship. Though moments ago during their intimacy he had been her lover, now during their heart-to-heart he naturally became her mentor again. A few simple words of guidance gave her a feeling of clouds parting and fog clearing.

He truly understood her, and therefore could console her better than anyone else.

She felt her heart lighten somewhat. Though she still felt guilty about Shopkeeper Feng’s death, the crushing weight of a human life no longer left her breathless.

She smiled at Qi Ying. Between them, no words were needed—just an expression could convey understanding. Seeing her expression, Qi Ying knew the little girl understood, and his heart also eased.

“Then what should I do?” she asked again. “I can’t change the rules—even if I give myself many more years, I still can’t. Will similar things happen again?”

She really didn’t want to witness such tragedies again.

Qi Ying’s chopsticks stopped moving.

Of course she couldn’t change any of this—let alone her, even he couldn’t, his family couldn’t, even His Majesty couldn’t. He had long since seen clearly that this country couldn’t be changed unless every joint and tenon were dismantled and reassembled. Otherwise, established power would continue to bare its fangs and claws in this muddy water.

Many problems couldn’t be pondered deeply, or one would feel despair—like what kind of court he was defending in the north-south conflicts through his day and night efforts, and whether his elder brother’s reforms, persisted in despite universal opposition, could still save this country. All of this couldn’t be deeply considered, or they would all lose direction.

Even those of them wielding power felt so helpless—what more for Shen Xiling?

He couldn’t tell her how to protect everyone; he could only tell her how to protect herself—it was time for her to grow up a bit more.

Qi Ying considered for a moment, then said, “Wenwen, everything in the world has two sides. Take power, for instance—the guild used power to drive Shopkeeper Feng to death, and I protect you, also relying on power.”

He looked at her, his expression frank and clear, appearing especially lucid and profound.

“Power itself has no good or evil—it’s just a thing. What determines good and evil is the person wielding power,” his tone was mild, his expression even milder. “All things in the world lead to the same destination through different paths. Unless one transcends the mundane world, everything ultimately leads to power. You and I can certainly avoid it, but the results may not be good—they might even be worse.”

His tone carried the composure and wisdom of someone who had weathered many storms.

Shen Xiling looked at him, still feeling confused, asking somewhat uncertainly, “…Then what should I do?”

Upon hearing this, Qi Ying smiled and said, “No one can answer this question, Wenwen. Even the answer I give you would be illusory and wouldn’t truly belong to you.”

“There are all kinds of people in this world, and everyone’s answer to power is different,” his phoenix eyes were beautiful, his tone seemed indifferent. “Some are cowardly, some stubborn, some tyrannical, some detached—there’s everything. Your answer can only be found by yourself. All I can tell you is my hope.”

He looked up at her. Though clearly someone who didn’t believe in gods or Buddha, at this moment he seemed to have a compassionate air of one who looks down upon all living beings.

He said, “Not everyone can remain aloof from worldly affairs, and naturally one shouldn’t sink deep into the mire. I hope you can be more enlightened—neither craving power like honey nor avoiding it like a venomous snake. Understand how to use it to protect yourself, but ultimately not be controlled by it. This would be very good.”

He spoke word by word, and she listened word by word.

She knew he had seen through her—because of the guild and Yang Dong, she had begun to feel disgust and fear toward power. But his words awakened her: power itself had no distinction between good and evil; it only became a weapon to harm others when in the wrong hands.

She shouldn’t try to avoid it, or she wouldn’t be able to protect others, or even protect herself… When he said he hoped she would be more enlightened, he hoped she would be a detached yet intelligent person—detached didn’t mean not pursuing; intelligent didn’t mean not discerning.

She seemed to understand a little.

Seeing her silence, Qi Ying knew the little girl was pondering. He said no more—some things he could help her with, while others she could only rely on herself for.

She had to fumble her way to growing up.

Both fell silent for a long time, each eating their midnight snack. Shen Xiling also began lowering her head to drink the red bean and coix seed porridge. After a few sips, she seemed to remember another matter. She turned to glance at Qi Ying, bit her lip, and asked, “The matter of marriage… have you mentioned it to Third Brother?”

As soon as this question was asked, Qi Ying didn’t answer but set down his chopsticks.

Seeing this, Shen Xiling was startled. Seeing his expression was somewhat displeased, she became even more confused and couldn’t help blinking and asking, “…What’s wrong?”

Qi Ying glanced at her, his gaze somewhat mocking, and after a moment of silence said, “I’ve been wanting to ask you—when you were studying at the main residence, were you very close with Jing’an?”

“Hm?” Shen Xiling was startled, blinked again, thought about it and answered, “Not really, we only spoke a few words.”

Qi Ying made a sound of acknowledgment and looked away, picking up his chopsticks to take a piece of tofu, seemingly saying casually, “Hearing you call him so intimately, I thought you two were close back then.”

Saying this, even if Shen Xiling was young and inexperienced in romantic matters, she could still hear something was off!

He… was jealous.

Shen Xiling initially found it hard to believe, but she understood him very well, and he rarely truly tried to hide anything from her, so she clearly detected that hint of sourness.

She suddenly remembered when they were children studying, once during Teacher Wang’s examination when Qi Ying happened to visit their study, she had called Qi Ning “Third Brother” in front of him. His attitude had been somewhat off then, but she had been too young to understand. Recalling it now seemed quite amusing.

Shen Xiling giggled, looking at Qi Ying and deliberately provoking him, saying, “That was indeed quite intimate. Didn’t Third Brother almost become my husband? And you nodded your approval then.”

This was what they called settling scores after autumn.

When the little girl settled scores, it was no joke. Especially after years in commerce, she had picked up many merchant habits, becoming sharp-tongued and never taking any loss, leaving Lord Qi momentarily speechless.

But this matter was indeed Qi Ying’s fault, and he really couldn’t say much more, so he could only respond with silence. However, the fact that his little girl called someone else “Third Brother” so intimately really bothered him—it had been fine before, but now that they had broken through that barrier, many things had to change.

Qi Ying turned toward Shen Xiling and reached out his hand to her, saying, “Come here.”

Shen Xiling blinked, understanding Qi Ying’s meaning—he wanted her to come sit on his lap.

It was rare for Qi Ying to be controlled by someone. Shen Xiling actually treasured this opportunity to control him, but his embrace seemed even more attractive to her. After weighing her options, she ultimately succumbed to her love for him, rather pathetically walking over to him and sitting on his lap with his guidance, leaning into his embrace.

Whenever they were close like this, she felt even more aware of his height. His shoulders were broad, his limbs long, and he always seemed to hold her effortlessly. Nestling beside him, she felt exceptionally safe.

She suddenly felt him pinch the soft flesh at her waist, making her laugh from the tickling sensation. She heard him say, “You call me ‘Young Master’ and call him ‘Third Brother,’ hm?”

Shen Xiling laughed while dodging his hands left and right, then looked up at him with a smile and asked, “Which part makes you dissatisfied? That I call you ‘Young Master,’ or that I call him ‘Third Brother’?”

Shen Xiling also seemed to understand how to maintain the balance in their relationship, no less than Qi Ying. When he had spoken of serious matters earlier, she was his student, a child. But now that they were being intimate, she was a woman, someone loved by him, possessing the privilege to joke with him and control him.

She smiled and teased him, her eyes becoming coquettish and alluring, with a kind of seductiveness she herself wasn’t aware of.

Qi Ying felt his heart was being held between this little girl’s fingers. Looking at her helplessly, he only said, “I’m dissatisfied with both. Both need to change.”

Hearing this, she giggled again, like a charming flower, clinging to his shoulders and neck as she leaned against him, her nose nuzzling his neck hollow, saying softly, “His side is easy—I’ll change to calling him ‘Third Young Master.’ But what should I call you?”

“Second Brother?” Her breath was sweet and alluring, her face red as if she’d drunk several cups of wine. “Or—Jingchen?”

Qi Ying felt that tonight between them could not end well.

He kissed her again.

They kissed inseparably, even their ten fingers interlocked, the fragrance of red beans faintly wafting, making one even more intoxicated.

After a long while he finally released her, their foreheads touching as he looked at her spring-filled eyes, his voice slightly hoarse as he said, “…You’d better call me as you did before.”

Second Brother.

Jingchen.

If she called him like that every day… even he wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

After the midnight snack, Qi Ying went to bathe, while Shen Xiling hesitated about whether she should return to Wogyu Courtyard.

Of course she didn’t want to be separated from him, but tonight was different from last night—last night, after such an incident, she had inevitably been panicked and distressed. He had let her stay at Huaijin Courtyard to comfort her, and besides, it had been raining heavily then, making it inconvenient to go back and forth. Now she was fine, and it wasn’t raining outside, so it would be more proper for her to return to her own courtyard.

To avoid… appearing too shameless.

She pressed her lips together, sitting in a chair in the outer room, planning to tell Qi Ying when he came out of the bath before leaving. But when he emerged and saw her sitting in the outer room, he raised an eyebrow, seeming quite surprised, and asked her, “Why aren’t you going in to rest?”

This left Shen Xiling stunned.

She stood up and walked to his side, feeling that after bathing he looked especially handsome and refined, which made her blush again. After a moment of silence, she said with lowered head, “Should I… should I go back tonight?”

Qi Ying didn’t answer immediately. Her fingers secretly twisted together again as she said even more softly, “Sleeping at your place is always somewhat… not quite proper.”

Qi Ying naturally knew this wasn’t proper. She was still an unmarried young lady. Though they had pledged their love, they lacked the ritual of marriage and neither had official status. Their intimacy these past two days had already been extremely transgressive, let alone having her stay here.

He lowered his eyes, hiding deeper thoughts.

—He had to arrange everything as quickly as possible, or his little girl would continue to be wronged, and their relationship would ultimately struggle to last.

Seeing Qi Ying’s silence, and even his aura becoming heavy, Shen Xiling thought he was unhappy and reached out to tug at his sleeve. When he looked at her, she tugged his sleeve and shook it, moving closer to him and saying, “Then I’ll still stay—don’t be unhappy…”

Qi Ying’s expression suddenly became gentle.

He seemed to sigh, then slowly reached out to embrace her, extremely gentle and tender, yet without mixing in desire.

“I’m not unhappy,” Shen Xiling heard him say softly, “I just can’t bear to part with you.”

Shen Xiling’s heart stirred.

He was a man of few words and wouldn’t say sweet things. Even last night when their relationship changed, he hadn’t used lengthy phrases to confess to her, still only speaking briefly, and most of it unclear.

This was the first time she heard him speak words of love, saying he couldn’t bear to part with her.

She felt her heart was full and swollen, every inch soft, and felt that every moment she loved him more than before.

She also wrapped her arms around his waist, nuzzling against his chest, saying, “Then I really won’t leave.”

She heard his low laughter, simultaneously feeling his breath become even gentler. He held her for a while longer before releasing her, his phoenix eyes lowered, his brows like ink wash, looking at her and saying, “Go back.”

He gently pinched her face: “We have all the time in the world.”

Author’s Note: I was still quite cowardly and deleted some parts… Sorry Lord Qi… But I’m also trying my best not to get locked, otherwise you two wouldn’t even be able to kiss…

Wenwen’s view of power is beginning to change, though the answer she ultimately finds for herself is actually somewhat different from what Lord Qi teaches her at this time. ((Tomorrow we start moving the plot forward~ Of course, romance will still continue)