“Nine… Young Master Zhan, we can go eat now.” Feng Jiu’er felt a little uneasy in her heart, and turned to leave.

She had not forgotten — Ninth Imperial Uncle was very hungry!

But before she had taken two steps, Feng Jiu’er’s feet were pressed down by some unknown force, stopping her in her tracks.

Looking back at the man still seated on her “throne,” she called out softly, “Young Master Zhan.”

“What did you call me?” Zhan Qingcheng furrowed his thick brows, his voice low and deep.

Meeting the man’s gaze, Feng Jiu’er had not even registered what was happening when she was swept over by some nameless force.

In the blink of an eye, the two of them had returned to the same position as before.

The girl sitting between the man’s legs lifted her eyes to look at him, blinking her large, bright, dewy eyes.

“That… Young Master Zhan, I know your martial arts are impressive, but right now… you’re still gravely injured — could you please stop using your inner energy every time something happens?” She was scared half to death!

Though, as long as he did not exert himself too greatly, it would not truly damage his foundation.

Still, using his inner energy from time to time offered no benefit to his body at all.

Gazing down at the girl beneath him, Zhan Qingcheng let the cold air around him dissipate, and the corners of his lips curved ever so slightly.

The smile at the edge of his mouth made Feng Jiu’er feel as though a beam of light had radiated outward from the center of his flawlessly handsome face, sweeping away all the gloom in the hall.

In that single instant, the entire great hall brightened, and wave after wave of warmth flowed into her heart.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, you are so incredibly handsome!” Feng Jiu’er was nearly transfixed without even realizing it.

Zhan Qingcheng reached out with his large hand and scooped up the young woman who had been sitting on the rug, settling her onto his lap.

He encircled her in his arms, one broad palm cradling the back of her head, then lowered his head and kissed her.

Watching his handsome face slowly draw closer, Feng Jiu’er had not a single thought of resistance — the feeling even seemed, somehow, familiar.

Finally, when those lips, carrying a trace of warmth, pressed against her own, she snapped back to herself with a jolt.

“Ah!” Both small hands, summoning almost every ounce of strength in her body, shoved the person holding her away.

That amount of force was nothing to Zhan Qingcheng whatsoever.

Yet he yielded to her wishes all the same, and released her.

Feng Jiu’er scrambled off Zhan Qingcheng in a panic, retreating two steps back.

“Princess.” A maid’s urgent knocking came at the door upon hearing the commotion.

Feng Jiu’er glanced back, then returned her gaze to the man seated before her.

She touched the spot his lips — more beautiful than a rose — had just brushed against, and a similar image rose unbidden in her mind.

The urgent knocking at the door pulled Feng Jiu’er’s thoughts back.

“It’s nothing, there is no need to come in.” Tossing out those words, Feng Jiu’er turned to look at Zhan Qingcheng.

“Young Master Zhan, let us go. Dinner is in the side hall.”

Feng Jiu’er truly had not expected that after she had so graciously lowered herself to speak with him, he would still be angry.

And yet even when Young Master Zhan was angry, he was so devastatingly handsome — she adored him so, what was she to do?

“Young Master Zhan.” Feng Jiu’er offered him a small smile and said gently, “Are you not hungry? Dinner has been prepared. Shall we go together?”

Together — honestly! She was a princess, and she had already gone this far — what more did he want?

Looking at the man whose expression remained sullen — if anything, even more so — Feng Jiu’er could not fathom at all what he wanted.

Strangely, she did not feel the least bit angry!

After mulling it over for a moment, Feng Jiu’er’s lovely crescent brows curved upward, as though she had thought of something.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, are you not hungry? Come have dinner with me in the side hall, all right?”

Feng Jiu’er discovered that the moment she switched back to calling him Ninth Imperial Uncle, the chill in the man’s presence was no longer quite so biting.

Sure enough — he was very fond of that particular address.

“Mm.” Zhan Qingcheng gave a slight nod.

Seeing his large hand stir slightly, Feng Jiu’er leapt back a step at once, thinking he was about to use force again.

“I know your martial arts are excellent, but are you not suffering from serious internal injuries? Please stop resorting to force over every little thing — it would not do to harm yourself further.”

“Concerned about me?” Zhan Qingcheng cast the little girl before him a sidelong glance, his expression unreadable.

Feng Jiu’er wrinkled her brow, shaking her head with a hint of disdain.

The words she meant to say had not yet left her lips when she felt as though she could not quite breathe, and had no choice but to swallow them all back down.

Seeing the look on the man’s face, Feng Jiu’er gave a light cough and dared not linger any longer. She stepped forward magnanimously, took hold of his hand, and was only short of announcing a formal procession.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, let us go have dinner.” Feng Jiu’er said warmly, her smile bright.

Being led away by the hand by the little girl, Zhan Qingcheng’s expression lightened considerably.

Feng Jiu’er still could not work out in the end why this man was so overbearing, but since he was no longer angry, she felt rather good about things.

On the strength of that “rather good” feeling alone, Feng Jiu’er even served food to Zhan Qingcheng’s bowl with her own hands — something that was, without question, utterly unprecedented.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, here you are.”

Not wanting him to go hungry — that was Feng Jiu’er’s one and only thought just now. Perhaps she was worried he might get angry; whatever the reason, she found herself caring a great deal.

She looked up at the man before her, then looked back down at the meal laid out in front of him, and blinked in mild puzzlement.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, does the food not suit your taste?”

“Serve me.” Zhan Qingcheng’s tone remained cool as ever, yet at least he was still willing to say something.

Feng Jiu’er blinked, picked up the bowl and chopsticks, plucked up a piece of meat, and held it out to Zhan Qingcheng.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, try this — it is something you like.” Hmm, but how did she know what he liked?

That, however, was not the point. The point was — why did serving him feel like the most natural thing in the world?

Could it be that she had been a slave in her past life, and those habits had carried over into this one?

But she was never like this with anyone else…

What she could not figure out, Feng Jiu’er decided not to dwell on. What mattered was that Ninth Imperial Uncle had eaten the piece of meat she had served him, and savored it with evident relish.

“And try this one too.” Feng Jiu’er watched Zhan Qingcheng eat with a look of pure delight, a broad smile across her face.

Zhan Qingcheng was not the least bit reserved. Whatever the little girl offered him, he ate every last bite.

Before long, nearly the entire table of dishes had been finished off by Zhan Qingcheng. What remained were only the ones Feng Jiu’er thought her Ninth Imperial Uncle would not care for.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, are you satisfied?” After wiping the corner of the man’s mouth, Feng Jiu’er was already busy pouring him a cup of tea.

Though Zhan Qingcheng said nothing, he appeared to be quite satisfied.

He accepted the tea, took a light sip, and set the cup down.

It was only with considerable effort that Feng Jiu’er managed to tear her gaze away from his handsome face. She drew a deep breath and settled herself into a chair nearby.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle… do you truly dislike staying in the west wing?”

Feng Jiu’er had not forgotten — her Ninth Imperial Uncle had not said a single word about it at the time.

She did not know whether it was the west wing he disliked, or whether he disliked having his affairs meddled with.

In any case, he had been very angry then, and she had not wanted to provoke him further, so she had taken it upon herself to pull him in here.

What if, in truth, it was the entire Princess’ Hall he disliked?