Feng Jiu’er turned her head to look at the pampered Miss Qiao, brows furrowing slightly. “Who?”

“Yang Sheng.” Qiao Mu tossed out the name, then opened her mouth and took a sip of tea.

“He was among the prisoners, head down the whole time—I’m not sure if he saw me.”

“Yang Sheng is among them too?” Feng Jiu’er showed a flicker of surprise. Her gaze settled on Feng Jiang, and she continued, “Third Brother, can we try to talk him into surrendering?”

“I can’t be certain about Yang Sheng either,” Feng Jiang said, shaking his head slightly.

Feng Jiu’er withdrew her gaze and looked at her own man.

“A’Jiu, what do you think?”

“Don’t let a woman’s soft heart cloud your judgment,” Di Wu Ya said, ruffling Feng Jiu’er’s hair. “This is your Third Brother’s matter to handle. You don’t need to worry about it.”

Feng Jiu’er met his eyes and pressed her lips together.

“We know Yang Sheng. I’d like to see him.”

Before Di Wu Ya could respond, Feng Jiu’er turned back to Qiao Mu.

“Qiao Mu, when you go out, could you have someone bring Yang Sheng to my tent? I have something…”

“No!”

“No!”

Two different voices rang out in the tent at once—one was Di Wu Ya’s, the other Jian Yi’s.

Qiao Mu glanced between the two handsome men and shook her head helplessly.

“Looks are such trouble!”

Feng Jiu’er narrowed her eyes at her. “Then send him to your and Third Brother’s tent instead.”

In the dead of night, sending a man to her own tent didn’t seem quite proper either. As Feng Jiu’er shifted her gaze, she put on an apologetic smile.

“A’Jiu, Jian Yi, don’t worry! Isn’t my Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law right there?”

“Yang Sheng has followed Third Brother for half a year now. He’s not a bad sort—I just want to see what he’s thinking.”

“If he’s willing to turn over a new leaf, that wouldn’t be a bad thing—the kid’s actually quite decent.”

“I’ll go with you,” Jian Yi said, tossing out the flat, unenthused remark.

Feng Jiu’er had no idea whether he was still upset. But she could genuinely feel that the man beside her still was.

Feng Jiu’er gave Jian Yi a smile, then turned back, raising her eyes to Di Wu Ya.

“A’Jiu, it’s fine—I’ll just see him.”

“You don’t want to kill all these people in one go either, do you? After taking prisoners, isn’t trying to talk them into surrendering the first thing to do?”

“Yes.” Di Wu Ya stared at his own woman. “Who is this Yang Sheng, that he earns such praise from you?”

Feng Jiu’er blinked her bright, watery eyes, finally understanding the source of the lingering irritation behind Ninth Imperial Uncle.

Ugh… Ninth Imperial Uncle, could you not get jealous so easily?

“Recognizing talent and putting it to good use—aren’t both A’Jiu and I people who value talent?”

To make sure she could enjoy her dinner in peace later, Feng Jiu’er looped her arm through her man’s, leaning against him.

“A’Jiu, don’t be upset—you know perfectly well I don’t mean it that way.”

“In this life, isn’t having you enough for me? Is it that you lack confidence in yourself, or that you don’t trust me?”

Di Wu Ya gazed into those round, watery eyes for a moment, then extended his other arm and pulled her into his embrace.

“From now on, don’t look at other men that way!”

Having said this, the scheming prince didn’t forget to shoot Jian Yi a glance. He hadn’t forgotten what happened that night—right in front of him, his little girl had brought up another man, even with a look of admiration in her eyes.

Feng Jiu’er followed Di Wu Ya’s gaze toward Jian Yi. She blinked, not understanding why Ninth Imperial Uncle had taken issue with Jian Yi—had Jian Yi said something?

Ninth Imperial Uncle’s mind really was hard to fathom.

“Dinner’s here!” Xing Zichou lifted the tent flap.

Two brothers came in carrying trays. Xing Zichou paid no mind to the rest and walked straight over to Xiao Yingtao.

“Did you miss me?” He sat down and immediately took Xiao Yingtao’s hand.

Xiao Yingtao was nearly startled out of her seat—she never imagined he’d suddenly say something like that.

“Drop dead!” Xiao Yingtao glared at Xing Zichou, pulling her hand free from his grip.

“It’s fine, isn’t everyone like this?” Xing Zichou said with a smile, glancing at the two not-quite-married couples nearby.

The brothers set down the meal and left, and everyone began to eat.

After dinner, in another tent, Feng Jiu’er, Qiao Mu, and Jian Yi waited inside. Soon, two brothers brought in a prisoner with chained wrists and ankles.

Seeing Yang Sheng again, there wasn’t a trace of life left in him—he gave the impression of a walking corpse.

“Sit.” Feng Jiu’er waved a hand.

One of the brothers brought a chair for Yang Sheng. Yang Sheng glanced up at Feng Jiu’er once, then sat down. Feng Jiu’er waved her hand, and the two brothers left.

Once seated, Yang Sheng lowered his head again. The tent was very quiet, almost without a sound. Feng Jiu’er didn’t rush him either—she sat perfectly still, watching Yang Sheng, saying nothing more.

Not until Yang Sheng himself could no longer bear the strange silence did he raise his eyes to look at Feng Jiu’er.

“You called me here—what do you want?”

“Shouldn’t you already know why, calling you here at a time like this?” Feng Jiu’er countered.

“Don’t waste your time. I won’t surrender.” Yang Sheng tossed out the words and lowered his head again.

“Is it because your father and mother are both in Li City?” Feng Jiu’er asked softly.

Hearing the people he cared about mentioned, Yang Sheng raised his eyes once more. But even as he looked at Feng Jiu’er, his eyes remained dull, as if unable to focus on anything at all.

“You clearly know what kind of methods Lei Shenbao uses, and you don’t approve of his way of doing things—so why are you still working so hard for his sake?”

Feng Jiu’er picked up her teacup and turned it gently in her hands.

“Yang Sheng, you’re nineteen this year—not so young anymore. You should have your own views by now.”

“You can’t just throw your entire life away on a heartless man simply because your father has followed Lei Shenbao all this time.”

“There’s a saying about sacrificing the cart to protect the general, but I’ve never agreed with it.”

“I won’t give up on a single one of my brothers—let alone seven thousand of them. Seven thousand living lives?”

Feng Jiu’er finished her tea and set down the cup.

“Yang Sheng, I know your nature isn’t bad—that’s exactly why I chose to see you alone. Your life can still be a long one, can’t it?”

“From what my brothers saw, you could clearly have made it back inside the city, yet you still risked staying outside for your brothers’ sake.”

“After Lei Shenbao entered the city, he ordered the gates shut. At that moment, weren’t all of you in utter despair?”

“What happened outside the gates at the time—you know better than I do.”

“Thousands of brothers wailing outside, and was Lei Shenbao deaf? No! Not only is his voice loud, his hearing is sharp too.”

“He abandoned you all so coldly, so heartlessly—and in your heart, you feel no resentment at all?”

“Enough!” Yang Sheng cut Feng Jiu’er off, letting out a soft sigh.

He lowered his head again, utterly lifeless.

“I may be disloyal, but I cannot be unfilial.”

“My parents are still in Lei Shenbao’s hands. Only by dying can I protect their lives.”