She might as well be happy while she could. This way, even if they later became enemies, he might remember some good about her.
Come to think of it, she had truly wronged this person – she had slept with him, deceived him, and now planned to kill his father before dying herself. He wouldn’t even have a way to take revenge, and would probably end up whipping her corpse in anger. Feng Yue couldn’t help but laugh, letting him hold her hand as she narrowed her eyes in thought. If only people had the next lives – in the next life, she wished to have no grudges with him. If he were a noble young master, she would become a mountain bandit and steal him away. If he were a common citizen, she would be a noble lady and take him as her husband!
“What is it?” Catching her strange smile, Yin Gezhi frowned: “What mischief are you plotting now?”
“Nothing.” Tilting her head to rest on his shoulder, Feng Yue let out a long breath and smiled: “This servant suddenly wanted to ask – Guanzhi said you’ve been searching for someone these past three years. Was it for this servant?”
Mentioning this, Yin Gezhi gave a cold snort, squeezed her hand tighter, and then released it to remove the jade ring from his finger. He slipped it onto her thumb.
“Three years ago, you said you wanted something from me as a memento,” he said in a muffled voice. “I didn’t give you anything then.”
Blinking, Feng Yue smiled and pinched her thumb, speaking in an affected voice: “Not knowing when I must bid Your Highness farewell, might I request an item from Your Highness as a keepsake?”
The voice was deeply familiar, making Yin Gezhi’s throat bob as his expression suddenly grew complex, yet he still played along, saying coldly: “I have nothing worth giving.”
“Is that so…” The affected voice suddenly turned disappointed: “Then never mind.”
The high-quality jade ring was pure white and flawless. Taking it off to look, one could see the character “Chenbi” intricately carved on the inner surface.
Feng Yue laughed, suddenly releasing her thumb, and said with teasing eyes: “So even the cold and distant Crown Prince has such romantic moments?”
Carving one’s name on gifts was a common way for Wei men to show their love. And who was this person? The great Lord Yin Chenbi himself, actually doing something like this?
Looking somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, Yin Gezhi said deeply: “If you don’t want it, give it back.”
“How could I not want it?” Slipping it onto her finger, Feng Yue stroked it a couple of times and asked curiously: “Why didn’t you give it to me back then?”
Yin Gezhi turned his head away, his face cold as he remained silent.
What happened afterward was something he didn’t want to mention, nor would she want to hear. Before he found her, he had been angry – angry at her departure without farewell, angry at her seeming heartlessness. But when he truly found her, he realized that her silent departure was indirectly caused by him.
Before the Battle of Pingchang began, when he was still in Lidu, entangled with her in passion, he had told her to wait for him. At the time, he thought that since the position of proper wife was in his hands, it wouldn’t be impossible to give it to her.
However, the imperial edict came forcefully, he rushed to Pingchang, suffered a great defeat at Mountain Ghost Valley, the entire Guan family was executed, and she fled Wei, staying in Wu for three years.
How could he blame her for being heartless? She had probably been waiting for his triumphant return with a heart full of joy, but what she got instead was the Emperor’s high-raised executioner’s blade.
Closing his eyes briefly, Yin Gezhi changed the subject: “I’ve already determined the guilt of some people involved in the Guan family’s old case and reported it up. You needn’t worry about them anymore.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Feng Yue nodded, then after some thought said: “Actually, the ladies at Menghui Tower are all unfortunate souls carrying grievances, many are descendants of loyal officials. If Your Highness truly wishes to restore clarity to Wei, perhaps you should also hear their grievances.”
Descendants of loyal officials? Yin Gezhi frowned at her: “For example?”
“Like the daughter of Grand Scholar Lin who was wrongly executed for literary persecution, or the daughter of Minister Yu who was framed by Judge Zhao,” Feng Yue looked up with a smile. “They’re all at Menghui Tower.”
His expression darkening, Yin Gezhi said: “You let these people fall into prostitution?”
Finding these words rather grating, Feng Yue dug at her ear and sneered: “What’s wrong with being a courtesan? Are courtesans not human?”
“In everyone’s mouths, courtesans have never been anything good,” Yin Gezhi shook his head. “To serve with one’s beauty is to be base!”
Snorting, Feng Yue crossed her legs casually and said flippantly: “You’ve got it wrong. Courtesans are those who serve base people with their beauty! Without the patronage of base men, there wouldn’t be base women trying to survive this way. Your Highness, you’re someone who considers visiting courtesans refined, so how can you look down on courtesans?”
Rubbing his brow, Yin Gezhi said: “That’s not what I meant, but they are still descendants of loyal officials…”
“This servant is also a descendant of loyal officials,” Feng Yue blinked and smiled coyly. “Didn’t I still hang up my sign, receive clients, and dance strip teases?”
“Shut up!” As if his tail had been stepped on, Yin Gezhi flew into an embarrassed rage, his facial features tightly drawn, his gaze particularly sharp.
Raising both hands, Feng Yue spoke as if soothing a child: “Alright, alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. They chose this willingly. It’s not easy for women to survive, and Menghui Tower lets them choose their clients and also allows them to seek revenge. If I were them, I would have entered without hesitation as well. It’s a pity no one set up something like this before me.”
Gritting his teeth, Yin Gezhi closed his eyes and said coldly: “One day, Wei will have a bureau that takes on wrongful cases from across the land. Even if they’ve been settled, even if they were executed by imperial decree, as long as there was injustice, that bureau will dare to investigate.”
“How could there be such a place?” Laughing lightly, Feng Yue shook her head: “All countries are the same – imperial power is supreme, whatever the Emperor says is right. If he says you’re guilty, you must die. By the time he realizes he was wrong, the person is already dead, and nothing can be done. Just apologize, I suppose.”
His heart tightening, Yin Gezhi frowned and gave her a look.
“Don’t be nervous, this servant isn’t mocking His Majesty,” straightening his collar, Feng Yue smiled: “Today’s weather is very pleasant, suitable for a walk.”
Eyes half-lowered, Yin Gezhi asked: “Do you want to go engrave General Guan’s tombstone?”
The wrongful case had been overturned, just waiting for the Emperor to confess his crimes to the world.
After some thought, Feng Yue said: “Better wait until it’s properly legitimate. There will be a chance – this servant won’t be so short-lived as to not survive until tomorrow.”
With these words from her, Yin Gezhi relaxed his worried heart.
Tomorrow should pass without incident.
The Wei royal family’s ancestral worship ceremony was held in early autumn. The royal family members would first perform rituals and read sacrificial texts in the imperial ancestral temple. After completing a series of procedures, they would leave the palace for Dragon Platform Mountain, which was very close to Lidu.
That day, the autumn sun shone brightly in the morning, but when the ceremonial horns sounded, clouds began to gather.
Yin Gezhi rose early, and after donning his ceremonial robes, first took Guanzhi out, having him wait for Feng Yue at the North Declaration Gate. Then he took an attendant and entered the palace.
Emperor Wei was still coughing, though his complexion looked somewhat better than before. Seeing him, the Emperor beckoned kindly: “Chenbi, come here.”
Following the command, Yin Gezhi turned his head slightly to see the Empress and Crown Prince still standing below, their faces expressionless, not looking at him.
“Today is the ancestral worship,” Emperor Wei sighed: “I’ve also written the confession of crimes. Take a look first.”
Raising an eyebrow, Yin Gezhi accepted the yellow-mounted paper with both hands and opened it to read.
Over a thousand characters flowed smoothly, explaining the Guan family’s wrongful case clearly, and the Emperor’s words of repentance were extremely sincere, even better than he had imagined.
Somewhat surprised, Yin Gezhi cupped his hands: “Father Emperor is wise.”
Emperor Wei smiled and clapped: “I’m old now, just hoping for everything in Wei to go smoothly, for the country to be peaceful and prosperous… Oh yes, has the treaty with Wu been written?”
“It has. One copy is here, another has been sent back to Wu.” Reaching out to present the treaty, Yin Gezhi said: “Your son included a letter recommending all of Wei’s worthy generals to Wu. This alliance will surely bring benefits to our Wei.”
Taking the treaty to read, Emperor Wei was very satisfied and smiled: “You always handle matters so well! During the ceremony later, stay by my side, don’t stand far away.”
Glancing at the Crown Prince, Yin Gezhi shook his head: “There is proper order of rank. Your son will stand where the Master of Ceremonies arranges.”
“You’re always so proper.” Emperor Wei chuckled and rose to walk out. As he turned his head, his face, which had been kindly just moments before, turned sinister for an instant.
Yin Gezhi didn’t notice, and neither the Crown Prince nor the Empress paid attention. They simply followed proper protocol, walking behind him, crossing the threshold to board the ceremonial carriages, and heading together toward the ancestral temple.