Everyone’s gaze fell upon the Ninth Prince, yet he showed not the slightest reaction to the matter — and instead looked at Feng Jiu’er. “You have something to say?”

Yu Jingfeng and Fang Zheng exchanged a glance. Helpless.

After all that commotion through the night, apparently none of it mattered as much as whatever few words Feng Jiu’er wanted to say.

It seemed His Highness was truly a case of a great hero felled not by enemies, but by a beautiful woman.

Feng Jiu’er moved her lips and let her gaze sweep around the room.

Yu Jingfeng was sharp-eyed as ever, and seeing this, immediately said, “Your Highness, if it is inconvenient, this subordinate and Lord Fang Zheng shall take our leave first.”

The Ninth Prince still gave no reaction — which was, of course, as good as consent.

Yu Jingfeng and Fang Zheng withdrew at once, along with several attendants, who also hurried away.

Only Zhan Luori showed not a trace of awareness, remaining seated in her chair, leisurely sipping her tea with no sign whatsoever of intending to leave.

“Ninth Prince—”

“Hmm?”

At that one sound from the man, Feng Jiu’er immediately deflated. She hurriedly corrected herself. “Ninth Imperial Uncle, there are indeed some matters I wished to speak with you about.”

She placed particular emphasis on the word “you,” hoping the Seventh Princess might take the hint and give them a little space.

Otherwise, she and the Ninth Imperial Uncle could simply move to another location — either way, this truly had to be said.

To her surprise, Zhan Qingcheng said placidly, “Luori is not an outsider. Speak freely.”

Feng Jiu’er was momentarily taken aback. Hadn’t rumor had it that the Ninth Prince kept his distance from the imperial family and didn’t care for interaction even with his own brothers? Then why did he seem so uniquely close with this Seventh Princess?

Could she really speak with Zhan Luori present?

Zhan Luori genuinely seemed entirely unguarded — she went on sipping her tea, glancing here and there at the hall’s décor, as though she had not the faintest awareness that her presence was, for Feng Jiu’er, rather inconvenient. Whether she truly had that little guile and social sense, or whether it was all entirely deliberate, was hard to say.

Feng Jiu’er let out a small breath. Since the Ninth Imperial Uncle had said Zhan Luori was not an outsider, she might as well treat her as one of their own for now.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, today at the foot of Snowy Lotus Mountain—”

“What were you doing at Snowy Lotus Mountain?” Zhan Qingcheng gave her a sidelong glance. “Come here.”

Feng Jiu’er was a little confused. She hadn’t finished what she was saying — why was he telling her to come over?

Was she supposed to continue talking about what she had heard, or did she first have to answer his question about what she had been doing at Snowy Lotus Mountain?

In any case, she walked over. “Ninth Imperial Uncle—”

“My legs are sore. Come tend to them.”

“…” Was he truly speaking to her? Since when had she become his personal handmaiden?

Still, Feng Jiu’er made her way before him, crouched down beside him, and began massaging his thighs.

Her technique was indeed quite unique. The massage was so comfortable that Zhan Qingcheng let his eyes drift half-closed. “This Prince’s question still has not been answered.”

What question?

Feng Jiu’er thought for a moment, then said, “I’ve been a little short on funds lately. I heard there are quite a few snow lotus flowers on Snowy Lotus Mountain, so…”

“The token this Prince gave you can be used at any money house outside bearing the character ‘Nine’ — take as much silver as you like.”

“As much as I like?” Was he teasing her? How had this suddenly shifted into the manner of an overbearing benefactor?

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, do you also run money houses?”

Zhan Qingcheng said nothing. Questions he found unworthy of a reply, he simply ignored.

It was Zhan Luori who volunteered an answer on his behalf. “The Ninth Imperial Uncle has many affairs outside that you know nothing of. Money houses are merely a small part of his ventures.”

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, you also do business?” Goodness! He was the current Prince Shezheng! Were men in governance allowed to go into trade now? And the Emperor permitted it?

But then again, a prince of such high rank and great authority having some private enterprises and ventures of his own — there was nothing so strange about it. Most importantly, who would dare say a word about the Ninth Prince’s affairs? Even Emperor Qiwen had to show him a degree of deference; everyone else would be even less likely to show him any disrespect.

“From now on, you are not to go to Snowy Lotus Mountain.” Zhan Qingcheng’s frosty voice snapped Feng Jiu’er out of her reverie.

“No.” She refused immediately.

There was still a Lady Snow on Snowy Lotus Mountain — someone she had promised to visit from time to time. Not to mention that the mountain truly did have quite a few snow lotus flowers, every one of them worth a small fortune.

“No?” Zhan Qingcheng raised an eyebrow. In all his years, no one had ever dared defy him so openly to his face. This girl’s audacity was truly beyond measure.

“I… I don’t mean to refuse outright.” That look in his eyes made Feng Jiu’er shrink as though she’d lost a few inches in height, her gaze toward him carrying a trace of genuine wariness.

But afraid or not, certain principles were absolutely non-negotiable.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, even though you gave me the token, and even though you are no doubt very wealthy — all of that is yours.”

“I need to live my own life, and I need to have my own money—”

“This Prince’s money is yours to spend freely!” Said to any other woman, those words would have sent her swooning on the spot with joy. But Feng Jiu’er felt not even a trace of joy — only a crushing sense of pressure.

She raised her eyes to look at him, still trying to reason with him. “Ninth Imperial Uncle, I said it already — that is your money. And I have no wish to be a parasite, forever clinging to someone else to get by.”

“You wish to leave this Prince?” Zhan Qingcheng suddenly leaned forward, his ice-cold gaze locking onto her small face.

A chill pressed down upon Feng Jiu’er’s heart. Her instincts told her not to argue back, but that stubborn little temper of hers refused to be fully suppressed.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, I’m not thinking about leaving or not leaving. I have my own things I need to do.”

Besides, what did “leaving” even have to do with anything between them? The word hardly applied to their situation.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, I don’t like taking advantage of others for nothing—”

“This Prince is ‘others’?” Her words made Zhan Qingcheng even more displeased.

Feng Jiu’er found herself without a word to say. In truth, she very much wanted to retort with “And are you not?” But under the present circumstances, she was acutely aware that if she actually dared say it, the consequences would be dire.

To one side, Zhan Luori set down her teacup, amusement lighting her eyes. “Ninth Imperial Uncle, this girl simply wants to be self-reliant — why would you stop her?”

Zhan Qingcheng himself wasn’t sure why he wanted to stop her. But having already decided that this girl was his, whatever she wanted he could provide — so why would she need to go to Snowy Lotus Mountain herself, going to all that trouble to find valuable snow lotus flowers?

Feng Jiu’er had never found anything Zhan Luori said as reasonable as she did right now.

She continued to look up at Zhan Qingcheng, her voice firm. “Ninth Imperial Uncle, I want to earn money through my own efforts, and use what I earn to do what I want to do.”

“And also, Ninth Imperial Uncle — the real point right now is not this. What I need to tell you is that I overheard them speaking of a jianghu assassination decree. The target is… the Crown Prince.”