Unable to hold it back, Ye Yuqing burst out laughing: “Hahaha!”

If there was ever a perfect example of schadenfreude or complete heartlessness, this was it! Feng Yue was both pained and angry, turning to shoot a fierce glare at the laughing man.

Her fox-like eyes, naturally alluring and now tinged with anger, only made her appear more captivating. Ye Yuqing caught his breath and wiped away tears of laughter, exclaiming with delight: “Oh my, isn’t that that, the one who dances!”

Feng Yue froze for a moment, squinting to make out the face of the person on horseback. Her body stiffened slightly as she forced out a dry laugh.

How ironic fate could be! The person she had been desperately trying to avoid somehow ended up in an intimate encounter with her through a twist of circumstances. Meanwhile, the person she had been trying to seduce only seemed to appear when she was at her absolute worst, looking at her as if she were some kind of joke.

Yin Gezhi’s guess had been correct – she had initially intended to seduce the Crown Prince of Wu, but when that plan failed, she’d had no choice but to deal with Yin first. She had even planned various ways to maintain her connection with Ye Yuqing, but now she’d run into him here of all places.

In her current state, she looked nothing like the enchanting beauty she usually was, instead resembling a zombie reaching for the sky with her outstretched hands. Better not to embarrass herself further.

With this thought, Feng Yue tucked in her neck and buried her face, enduring the excruciating pain in her hand as she scurried toward the medicine hall in tiny steps.

“Hey…”

“Your Highness!” Yi Zhangzhu ran over, exclaiming in alarm: “How did you leave the palace?”

How could someone of the Crown Prince’s status just wander about? Countless eyes were watching him in secret – this wasn’t something he could do casually.

Retrieving his gaze from the distance, Ye Yuqing smiled gently as he dismounted: “I heard you were in trouble. Since I happened to be inspecting nearby, I came to check on you.”

The mob had already dispersed, some fleeing, others injured. Yi Zhangzhu looked back and sighed: “Zhu’er is fine. Please take better care of yourself and don’t risk danger for someone as insignificant as me.”

As Feng Yue crossed the threshold into the medicine hall, she faintly heard these words and couldn’t help but laugh.

“As innocent as a lamb,” she muttered.

She had meant to keep that thought to herself, but somehow it slipped out. Unfortunately, her voice wasn’t particularly quiet, and everyone behind her heard it.

“Who are you talking about?” The cold voice was completely flat, striking her back like a plasterboard.

Feng Yue paused, slowly turned around, and smiled seductively: “I was talking about myself.”

Yin Gezhi frowned, following her into the medicine hall while looking her up and down carefully: “You? Innocent?”

Blinking, Feng Yue gave a foolish smile: “Am I not?”

“Your eyes aren’t pure,” Yin Gezhi withdrew his gaze and pushed her to sit at the physician’s table, dropping this assessment lightly.

Not sure? Feng Yue smiled coldly. Looking around, how many living people truly had pure eyes? She had witnessed endless killing and the blood of entire families – how could her eyes possibly be pure?

Her palm had swollen to the size of a bear’s paw, and she couldn’t be bothered to say more to him. She turned to look at the physician with tears in her eyes: “Please take a look quickly, is my hand broken?”

Her coquettish voice startled the old physician so much that his white beard trembled. Watching this, Yin Gezhi spoke with obvious disgust: “Can’t you be more proper?”

Biting her lip, Feng Yue blinked with a grievance: “My Lord, have you forgotten what my status is?”

Expecting a courtesan to be proper? What was he thinking?

Yin Gezhi: “…”

She was here because of him, after all, and this behavior was truly making him lose face!

After recovering from his shock, the old physician carefully examined her hand. Feng Yue lowered it, feeling the blood rushing to her palm even more intensely, the pain making her face turn pale.

“The bone isn’t broken, but it’s probably cracked. I’ll prescribe some external medicine along with internal supplements and medicinal foods. It should heal in a few months.”

“That complicated?” Feng Yue frowned: “Supplements are expensive!”

“Can’t someone in your profession afford supplements?” Yin Gezhi sneered: “Madam Jin won’t let your hand be ruined.”

“But the wool comes from the sheep’s back!” Feng Yue complained incessantly: “I was being heroic and rescuing a beauty after all, shouldn’t my Lord bear some of the medicine costs?”

Trying to extort money? Yin Gezhi scoffed, about to respond when someone outside said: “Since the injury was sustained helping Zhu’er, this prince naturally ought to provide rewards and compensation.”

The hem of a blue robe swept across the threshold as Ye Yuqing entered, smiling with exceptional gentleness: “This prince will have someone deliver whatever medicinal supplements the lady needs, so there’s no need to worry.”

Now this was what you called a Crown Prince of a great nation – such manners, such courtesy, such wealth!

Feng Yue immediately broke into a giggling “gaga” laugh, batting her alluring eyes directly at him: “You’re such a good person!”

Implying that he wasn’t? Yin Gezhi’s expression darkened slightly as he shifted his body to completely block her flirtatious glances.

“I brought her here, so naturally I’ll compensate her. Your Highness need not concern yourself.” Looking up at the person opposite him, Yin Gezhi said expressionlessly: “This place isn’t particularly safe. Perhaps Your Highness should return to the palace soon, to spare Zhangzhu from worry.”

Zhangzhu.

In all the time she’d known him, this was the first time she’d heard him use someone’s name. Feng Yue paused, unable to hold back another low “gaga” laugh.

The supposedly unapproachable Crown Prince of Wei, who even referred to his sister formally, showed such little regard. Yet after three years apart, here he was, rushing on horseback in concern for another woman, tenderly calling her by her name.

How remarkable the world could be.

Yi Zhangzhu had been standing behind the Crown Prince, and upon hearing this, she stepped forward next to Feng Yue, looking at her hand with guilt: “Since it was because of saving me, I should be the one to pay for the medicine.”

“There’s no need. How could I let you worry about such things when I’m here?” Ye Yuqing’s gaze was loving and indulgent.

“She’s neither your person nor the Crown Prince’s, so neither of you need concern yourselves,” Yin Gezhi said. “I will handle it.”

Look at them all arguing, making her feel like some kind of scammer trying to extort money. Feng Yue stopped laughing and swept her gaze across the three people before her, saying flatly: “I was just making a joke, and all you noble ones took it seriously. I was merely trying to save face – I can afford my supplements.”

The three of them paused, all looking at her.

The old physician was still wrapping medicine around her hand as Feng Yue lowered her eyes, saying with a somewhat mocking smile: “If there’s nothing else, please leave. Such an old medicine hall might collapse with so many important people standing in it!”

There was a strange feeling in his heart. Yin Gezhi found it very peculiar – logically, her words were just teasing, and her face showed no anger. But surprisingly, he could sense that she was angry.

What was going on?

He pressed his hand to his chest, frowning in unresolved confusion as he looked at Feng Yue again.

“You’re injured like this, how will you get back by yourself?” Yi Zhangzhu said: “Let me take you home. Where do you live?”

“Zhaoyao Street, Menghui Tower,” Feng Yue answered straightforwardly without hesitation: “Given Miss Yi’s status, it wouldn’t be appropriate for you to escort me.”

A courtesan? Yi Zhangzhu was startled, her almond eyes widening slightly in surprise.

How could Yin Gezhi be accompanying a courtesan outside? Hadn’t he always disliked those with heavy traces of the pleasure quarters?

“I’ll take her back,” Yin Gezhi spoke up, seeing that her hand was almost finished being wrapped. “We’ll take our leave first.”

“Your Highness.” Ye Yuqing looked at him, nodding elegantly: “Even though you’re a hostage in Wu, you’re still the Crown Prince of Wei. Many people revere you. Going to Zhaoyao Street in broad daylight might not be wise.”

He even addressed him as “Your Highness.” Feng Yue pressed her lips together, enduring the pain as she shrank to the side, watching these two men.

One was a hostage brought back by General Yi, the other was Wu’s beloved Crown Prince. Though their status was worlds apart, surprisingly, Yin Gezhi didn’t lose an ounce of his bearing. Standing before Ye Yuqing, he maintained that same composure, that same insufferable attitude that seemed to say “Go ahead and hit me if you can.”

Of course, Ye Yuqing couldn’t beat Yin Gezhi. Even three years ago, Feng Yue probably couldn’t have touched the hem of Yin Gezhi’s clothes within a hundred moves, let alone now when both countries were supposedly at peace – naturally, they couldn’t come to blows. So Yin Gezhi spoke calmly:

“Whether it’s good or not, I can judge for myself. If those who revere me choose to distance themselves because I frequent the pleasure quarters, then so be it if they don’t revere me.”

Revere me or don’t, look down on me if you dare – come fight me if you can!

This was Yin Gezhi, the Crown Prince of Wei who remained arrogant in his silence, the undefeated general who once dominated the battlefield. Even without his armor, wearing the gentle white robes of a scholar, he was still steel to the bone – the kind of superior bone that wouldn’t crack even if struck with a club!

Feng Yue narrowed her eyes, her gaze extremely complex.

Ye Yuqing opened his fan, half-covering his face as he laughed lightly: “It seems I was overthinking. How could Your Highness care about such a mundane reputation? In that case, please proceed.”

With the Crown Prince present, Yi Zhangzhu didn’t say anything more, just watched as Yin Gezhi supported Feng Yue out, then glanced at him one more time.

The wind blew in from the doorway as he walked out, his white robes fluttering lightly, mixing with his ink-black hair – as beautiful as an immortal from a painting.

However, even if he looked beautiful enough to sprout flowers, Feng Yue was in no mood to appreciate it. The journey back, even with someone supporting her, was pure torture. Although she was quite good at enduring pain, this was just too damn painful!

By the time they reached the entrance of Menghui Tower, Feng Yue nearly collapsed. Yin Gezhi glanced at her sideways without a word, went in to whisper something to Madam Jin, and then gracefully went upstairs.

Feng Yue dragged herself back to her room half-dead, and as soon as Ling Shu saw her condition, she screamed: “Master, what happened to you?!”

Forcing out a dry laugh, Feng Yue lay down on the soft couch and let out a long breath: “Bad luck, got a bit injured. It’ll heal with some rest.”

“This looks very serious!” Ling Shu became anxious, circling around the couch with tears in her eyes: “Your servant felt my right eyelid twitching badly today, sure enough something bad happened. In this condition, how will you go to Young Master Li’s mansion…”

Feng Yue wanted to reach out and cover this girl’s mouth, but it was too late. She could only glare at her fiercely, hoping to make her take back her words.

However, it was still too late.

Ling Shu looked at her with innocent eyes, completely unaware of the shadow looming behind her.