She addressed the Ninth Prince as Ninth Imperial Uncle! Could it be that this girl was also of imperial blood?

But among the imperial princesses, which one looked this ugly?

Fang Zheng paused briefly, then answered honestly: “Approximately…”

In truth, even he himself did not know. Today, for some reason, his mind had not been quite clear — as though he kept drifting off in distraction.

He glanced up at the blazing sun hanging high overhead, calculated for a moment, then said: “It has been nearly an entire hour.”

One hour — two full hours! They had actually been playing chess here for that long!

And yet, less than half an hour ago, she had been entangled with Di Wuya in the rear mountain forest.

Could it truly be that the Ninth Imperial Uncle was not Di Wuya?

“If you are not at the Imperial Guards Academy for the selection, what are you doing here in my Longwu Academy?” Zhan Qingcheng fixed his gaze on Feng Jiu’er, who had already straightened and risen to her feet.

Those beautiful eyes of hers — perpetually calm as orchids, still as water — gave nothing away. No one could see what lay hidden within them.

Feng Jiu’er considered for a moment, then said: “I… Jiu’er was just passing by the courtyard gate. I’ll take my leave now. Farewell, Ninth Imperial Uncle. Farewell, Academician.”

Farewell? The brows of both men furrowed ever so slightly, but the girl had already turned and walked away.

Ah — farewell. That must be her way of saying goodbye.

The Academician had never been able to pin down Feng Jiu’er’s identity with any certainty, yet his curiosity refused to settle.

“Your Highness, this young lady…”

“A girl I picked up along the road.” Zhan Qingcheng rose from his seat, brushing his sleeve lightly. “I am tired. This game — let us call it a draw.”

He turned and departed. Yu Jingfeng hurried after him, and the two walked off together.

After respectfully seeing him off, the Academician turned back and looked at the chessboard on the stone table, his thick brows knitting even tighter.

This game of chess… when had he started playing it with the Ninth Prince? Why could he not recall a single moment of it?

He reached for a cup of tea, but the moment his eyes fell on the cup sitting on the stone table, an inexplicable reluctance came over him.

It seemed that after drinking from that cup of tea, his head had begun to feel heavy and muddled. He had clearly been playing chess with the Ninth Prince all along, and yet the content of the game — every move — was entirely gone from his memory.

Feng Jiu’er had barely stepped out of the small courtyard when she saw a servant carrying hot tea, heading toward the pavilion on the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s side.

Her brow furrowed slightly. She quickened her steps toward him. “Excuse me — are you the one responsible for attending to the Ninth Imperial Uncle?”

The Ninth Imperial Uncle! Throughout the entire imperial capital, there was only one person by that name.

And so, even without yet knowing Feng Jiu’er’s identity, the servant had already placed her mentally among the junior members of the imperial clan and its relatives.

“Yes. This servant has been waiting here for instructions from His Highness and the Academician.” The servant bowed his head promptly.

“Were the Ninth Imperial Uncle and the Academician truly here playing chess the entire time?”

Feng Jiu’er studied his face. Though his head was lowered, she could still read every muscle on it.

With the exception of formidable individuals — such as the Ninth Imperial Uncle and Yu Jingfeng — who could govern every expression on their faces, ordinary people were incapable of such control. And this servant before her did not appear to be a person of deep cunning.

When he responded, the muscles of his face were entirely relaxed. He truly did not look as though he were lying. “Yes. They should have been playing for nearly an hour already.”

An hour again!

Could it truly be that the Ninth Imperial Uncle had been here all along? If so, then he genuinely was not Di Wuya.

Feng Jiu’er’s palm tightened into a fist. The memory of Di Wuya kissing her and laying his hands on her surged up, and she was furious enough to tear him apart.

Insufferable! If he was not the Ninth Imperial Uncle, how dare he act that way toward her! That scoundrel!

But… Feng Jiu’er froze, and a sudden flush rushed to her face.

Just because he was the Ninth Imperial Uncle, did that make it acceptable for him to take liberties with her? Ridiculous, ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous — what on earth was she thinking!

She made her way back to the Imperial Guards Academy, only to find, unexpectedly, that the morning session’s enrollment list had already been posted.

When she saw the list, Feng Jiu’er was dumbstruck.