Yu Jingfeng didn’t understand — what exactly had Leng Yue done to make Feng Jiu so furious that she was determined to take her life?
Feng Jiu was never one prone to rash impulses. Despite being so young, when it came to composure, few people in this world could rival her.
Yet today, Feng Jiu had acted so impulsively — what on earth was going on?
Yu Jingfeng was extremely anxious. Seeing Feng Jiu’s palm about to land on Leng Yue, he wanted to rush over and stop it, but found he was too late.
If this strike truly took Leng Yue’s life, the matter would blow up into something serious indeed.
Leng Yue’s death would be no great loss — Yu Jingfeng felt little pity for her. But this would put Feng Jiu and the Prince directly at odds with each other.
If Feng Jiu killed Emperor Ji’s adopted daughter, could Emperor Ji possibly let it go? When that happened, the one caught in the most difficult position would be the Prince.
“Feng Jiu, spare her life!” Yu Jingfeng gritted his teeth, wanting to lunge forward, but he truly had no way to act in time.
With a thud, Feng Jiu’s palm landed on the other person’s chest. A thread of blood slid from his lips, the vivid red against his pale face like blood amber — beautiful in a way that struck the heart with shock.
But this face — it clearly wasn’t Leng Yue’s.
“A’Jiu!” A sudden surge of anguish overcame the Empress Dowager, her legs going weak as her body collapsed limply.
Lian’er and the two guards immediately caught and supported her. Lian’er was so anxious tears nearly spilled from her eyes: “Your Highness, the Empress Dowager is about to faint from shock!”
“Summon Mo Bai.” The moment Zhan Qingcheng spoke, another thread of blood slid from the corner of his mouth — proof that Feng Jiu’s strike had truly not been light. Even someone with the Ninth Prince’s deep internal cultivation had been directly injured by her.
Yu Jingfeng snapped back to his senses and immediately called out loudly, “Bring Mo Bai here, quickly!”
A shadow guard dashed off toward the west wing at top speed. Yu Jingfeng turned back to look at the Ninth Prince — the thread of blood at his lips was such a jarring, alarming sight.
But the Prince said nothing, only staring at Feng Jiu standing before him. At a moment like this, who would dare utter even a single unnecessary word?
Emperor Ji arrived a moment too late. He saw Feng Jiu’s hand still on Zhan Qingcheng’s chest, while his A’Jiu was clearly injured — and one glance was enough to tell it was Feng Jiu who had hurt him.
“How dare you!” Overcome by fury, he struck out with a palm without even thinking.
Zhan Qingcheng merely waved his hand casually. Where his long sleeve swept past, a sustained gust of palm force swept through, easily dissolving Emperor Ji’s strike.
“A’Jiu!” Emperor Ji was truly furious. A’Jiu had already been injured this badly, and yet he still insisted on protecting the very person who had hurt him.
How had things come to this point yet again? Before it was Feng Jiu’er, and now there was this Feng Jiu — why was A’Jiu so forgiving toward both of them?
“Foster Father, she tried to kill me, and she even hurt the Prince!” Leng Yue, having narrowly escaped death, had taken a good while to come back to her senses.
Now finally recovering from her terror of death, she saw Emperor Ji and immediately rushed over, standing behind him.
She had truly been terrified by Feng Jiu just now. This was the Ninth Prince’s manor, filled everywhere with the Ninth Prince’s own people, and yet she had nearly died at the hands of an outsider!
That bastard Yu Jingfeng hadn’t even let the guards restrain Feng Jiu — and he himself had only made a half-hearted effort to help, which was exactly why Feng Jiu had been given such a huge opening to nearly kill her with one strike!
She made a note of this debt against Yu Jingfeng in her heart — she would absolutely repay him for it someday!
But for now, Leng Yue was thoroughly panicked, afraid that even Zhan Qingcheng might not be willing to protect her — so only by returning to Emperor Ji’s side did she feel safe.
Emperor Ji stared at Zhan Qingcheng, but Zhan Qingcheng was only looking at Feng Jiu, the gentleness in his expression leaving everyone utterly exasperated!
It appeared that even though A’Jiu had been hurt by this young man, he had no intention of holding it against him!
Feng Jiu’s gaze finally lifted away from the thread of blood at Zhan Qingcheng’s lips, and she slowly withdrew her hand. Turning around, her icy gaze remained fixed on Leng Yue, true energy instantly gathering in her palm.
Suddenly, her wrist was caught and held firm. Though Zhan Qingcheng’s voice carried an innate, natural coldness, anyone could tell that toward Feng Jiu he always held a gentleness no one else could quite fathom: “Why must you kill her?”
“She hurt one of my people.” Feng Jiu clenched her palm tight, her eyes fixed on Leng Yue burning with raging fire, as if wishing she could burn Leng Yue to ashes that very instant.
She had hurt Yinan!
This treacherous woman — if she wanted revenge, why not come at her directly? What was the point of hurting someone who was already crippled?
Feng Jiu wasn’t afraid of being ambushed, but why hurt an innocent person? What did Feng Yinan have to do with any of this?
Seeing Zhan Qingcheng restraining Feng Jiu, Leng Yue stopped panicking. She lowered her eyes, concealing the faint look of satisfaction in them.
She looked at Zhan Qingcheng, looking utterly pitiful: “I didn’t do it, Your Highness. I’ve been here all night, I never left the manor even a step. How could I have hurt anyone?”
Zhan Qingcheng paid her no attention, only tightening his grip slightly on Feng Jiu’s fingers: “I’ll handle this matter.”
“So you’re determined to protect this woman no matter what?” Feng Jiu looked up, meeting Zhan Qingcheng’s eyes, which were filled with tenderness.
In that moment, the tenderness in his eyes struck her as bitterly ironic.
“Feng Jiu…”
“I’m only asking you this — with you here today, I won’t be able to kill this woman, is that right?” Feng Jiu asked coldly.
Zhan Qingcheng said nothing, but his attitude had already given her the answer.
He would not let her kill Leng Yue, because Leng Yue belonged to Emperor Ji.
“Heh, I won’t make this hard for you.” Feng Jiu suddenly wrenched her hand free with great force.
The force was extremely fierce, nearly using up all of her remaining strength — if Zhan Qingcheng hadn’t let go, she would certainly have hurt herself.
So he loosened his fingers and released her.
Feng Jiu’s gaze, cold enough to make anyone tremble, locked onto Leng Yue. That devouring stare made Leng Yue instinctively take half a step back.
She clearly wasn’t afraid of her, yet in this moment, Feng Jiu’s gaze was truly terrifying.
“This isn’t over.” Leaving those words behind, Feng Jiu turned and strode off toward the back gate.
That she could come and go through this manor so freely, able to walk away easily even after injuring someone, truly displeased Emperor Ji. But Yu Jingfeng personally seeing her out showed just how much regard A’Jiu held for her.
Before it was Feng Jiu’er, now it was Feng Jiu — was A’Jiu treating Feng Jiu as a substitute for Feng Jiu’er, doting on him the same way?
Just a green, untested youth — what virtue or ability did he have to deserve such protection from A’Jiu? Such a reckless boy, barging straight into the manor to kill someone — had he ever once considered the difficult position this put A’Jiu in?
After this incident, whatever goodwill Emperor Ji had previously held toward Feng Jiu vanished in an instant.
In the end, he was nothing more than someone who acted on impulse.
Zhan Qingcheng wanted to chase after her, but Mo Bai arrived just then, and Lian’er also called out: “Your Highness, something’s wrong with the Empress Dowager — she can’t catch her breath!”
Zhan Qingcheng’s large hand clenched. With no choice, he returned to the Empress Dowager’s side, swept her up into his arms, and carried her toward the bedchamber.
Mo Bai, still unaware of what had happened, could only carry his medicine chest and hurry after them.