“Before long, we will return to Bei Mu,” Feng Jiu’er said suddenly.

Feng Yinan was taken aback for a moment, struggling to make sense of it. Then, gradually, the light in his eyes began to dim, little by little.

Did Young Master mean that she still would not let him follow at her side?

“Young Master, if there is still a trial to pass…”

“You still have not given up?” His dimming gaze had led Jiu’er to think he was about to surrender — yet here he was, still asking about a trial.

Feng Yinan let out a slow breath, then looked at her steadily and said in earnest, “When I have set my mind on something, I do not give it up so easily. If Young Master feels my performance has still fallen short, then please, Young Master — give your orders.”

He had been out working through the entire previous night, and had almost certainly not had a single moment of rest. Young men could endure much, and he showed no dark circles beneath his eyes despite having stayed up all night — though the red veining in them was plain to see.

And yet this man who had spent the whole night without sleep was now looking at her with earnest, expectant eyes, waiting for whatever trial she might hand him next.

Feng Jiu’er could no longer bring herself to keep him in suspense. “What I meant was — do you truly wish to follow me back to Bei Mu?”

“I do!” Feng Yinan’s eyes lit up, though uncertainty quickly followed, for he feared he might have misunderstood, and so he remained a little cautious.

“What about A’Dong?”

“A’Dong lives together with Second Grandmother — they look after each other. Besides, only when the nation is at peace can the family be at peace. If Muhe and Bei Mu can reach a truce, then A’Dong and Second Grandmother will be able to live well.”

He had said as much before — if not for A’Dong’s poor health, A’Dong too would have come along. A’Dong had fully supported his decision; it had even been A’Dong who urged him to seek out Young Master Jiu.

Feng Yinan was not a man of many words, but his eyes said everything — the resolve to follow Jiu’er was stronger in him than in anyone.

Feng Jiu’er pressed her lips together lightly before she spoke. “Since you are, in a sense, half a son of Bei Mu — for the sake of moving freely there — I will give you a name suited for living in Bei Mu. Would that be agreeable?”

“What… do you mean?” Feng Yinan was, for a moment, thoroughly at a loss. The swings of emotion had been so great, he truly dared not believe it.

Was what Young Master Jiu meant…

“What Jiu’er means,” Xiao Yingtao said, appearing from out of nowhere with a tray of pastries and a cheerful grin, “is that she’s bringing you back to Bei Mu. So naturally you’ll need a Bei Mu name. Won’t you hurry up and thank Young Master?”

Feng Yinan’s breathing came unsteadily. Those ink-dark eyes, still threaded through with red, gradually grew bright at last.

He dropped to one knee in a single swift motion, looking up at Feng Jiu’er, his voice thick with emotion. “Thank you… thank you, Young Master! Thank you!”

“My name is Feng Jiu’er. I am the Ninth Miss of the Feng Family of Bei Mu’s imperial city. You… from now on, you shall be called Feng Yinan. Is that agreeable?”

Feng Yinan was so moved his eyes had nearly reddened. She was called Feng Jiu’er; he would be called Feng Yinan. She was making him family — was she not?

Though Feng Yinan felt he had no right to call himself her family. Even as family, he would only ever be a retainer.

But Young Master Jiu had bestowed upon him the Feng family name. That meant she trusted him as one of her own.

“Thank you… thank you, Young Master!” From this moment on, Tasang Nan was Feng Yinan.

“You were up all night. Come and eat something first, then go back and get some proper sleep. I’ll have Xiao Yingtao come and find you later — we still have things to attend to.”

Feng Jiu’er walked to the stone table not far away and sat down, looking over at him.

Xiao Yingtao was laying out the pastries while waving Feng Yinan over with a beckoning hand. “Come on! I’ve got it all set up, enough for two people. Hurry up — Young Master can’t finish it all on her own.”

Feng Yinan rubbed at the corner of his eye. The tip of his nose still felt a little sore, but he held it down and walked over, taking a seat across from Feng Jiu’er.

His manner was still a little stiff.

Jiu’er said lightly, “There are no formalities here. I am not someone of particularly noble birth. We are all together like family — look at her…”

She gestured toward Xiao Yingtao with a slight smile. “Just be like her.”

“What did I do? What exactly have I done that lacks propriety?” Xiao Yingtao gave Jiu’er a sideways look, then turned to Feng Yinan with a grin. “Young Master is right, though. We all follow Young Master, but Young Master is very easy to tease — you should give it a try.”

“This subordinate would not dare!” Feng Yinan was startled and shot to his feet.

The word “tease” — it was too terrifying!

Feng Jiu’er looked at him, mildly exasperated. “There is no question of daring or not daring. Since we are together, we are all family. No need to be so restrained — it makes everyone uncomfortable.”

Xiao Yingtao pressed him back into his seat. “Stop saying ‘this subordinate’ over and over — Young Master doesn’t like it. Look at the rest of us — has anyone ever spoken that way in front of Young Master?”

Feng Yinan said nothing. It was true — he had not heard anyone address her that way. He simply needed a little more time to adjust.

“I’ll go and prepare breakfast for everyone.” Xiao Yingtao gathered her things and left.

Feng Yinan was still a little shy, and Jiu’er did not push him. His nature was what it was — it could not be changed all in one stroke.

“When you’re done eating, go in and get some rest. Nothing is happening this morning — everyone is simply waiting to see how things unfold.”

“Understood.”

Later that day, word came from inside the palace that the King had sent men to search both the First Prince’s and the Second Prince’s residences. A pair of bloodstained boots had apparently been found in the First Prince’s estate.

The boots were traced to a capable steward in the First Prince’s household — someone who served at the estate on behalf of the First Prince. By any measure, it looked like a setup.

Yet the Second Prince was currently locked in the dungeon, watched over personally by the King’s own men and the First Prince’s faction alike, with absolutely no way to make contact with the outside world.

For anyone to say this had been planned by the Second Prince from behind the scenes was not particularly plausible — the dungeon had only one point of entry and exit, and these past few days had been utterly uneventful. No one had attempted a jailbreak.

All of this was information that Jiu’er and the others had gathered on their own, of course — none of it had reached the common people.

“Tell Yang Qin to do nothing for now. Do not attempt to reach out to the ministers loyal to the Second Prince.”

“Why?” Xing Zizhou was puzzled. “Shouldn’t this be the very moment to contact the key ministers? That way, the instant there is any movement on the King’s side, the Second Prince’s forces can immediately join hands with them.”

To do nothing — to simply wait? Wasn’t that squandering a perfect opportunity? What if the First Prince suddenly returned and seized the advantage first? What would be left for the Second Prince then?

“There is someone in the shadows working toward the same ends as we are. Until we understand what they intend to do, we must not act rashly.”

After reading the Second Prince’s final written message that Xing Zizhou had brought back, Jiu’er said in an even tone, “As for our correspondence — cut it off for now as well, as a precaution. If any letters are intercepted, it could arouse King Muhe’s suspicions.”

At this moment, they absolutely could not afford to leave any evidence in King Muhe’s hands.

The most critical moment had arrived. Now — let us see what move the Ninth Imperial Uncle makes next.