Outside the window, a light breeze stirred.

Feng Jiu’er’s eyes darkened slightly. Just as she was about to rise, a tall, slender silhouette swept inside, alighting lightly within her line of sight.

It was not the Ninth Imperial Uncle!

Her palm tightened instinctively — but in the very moment she was about to act, she recognized who had entered.

She felt mildly lazy. She watched the man walk to the side of her bed, and didn’t even bother to get up. She simply lay face down on the bed, tilting her head to look at him from the side.

This one had been absent even longer than the Ninth Imperial Uncle. What exactly had he been doing all this time?

“Starting tomorrow, I intend to stay at Tianji Hall.” Mu Mu stood before her, looking down at her from above. “This time, I’ve returned, and it will be quite some time before I leave the imperial capital again.”

“Tianji Hall is not a shelter, nor a charitable institution.” Feng Jiu’er pursed her lips and yawned, wholly unmoved.

“I can help with the work.”

“You are a man of great standing in Ninth Prince’s inner circle, General Mu — renowned and formidable. How could I possibly put you to work?” Was he joking?

“The army has no need of me for the time being. Besides, in my current appearance, most people wouldn’t recognize me anyway.”

With a sweep of his large hand, the candles in the room flared back to life. A strikingly handsome face came into view, and Feng Jiu’er’s eyes brightened involuntarily.

There was a saying — beauty speaks to the heart. It wasn’t that she was genuinely that taken with appearances; it was simply that… when a man’s looks were this exceptional, it was difficult not to take notice.

“Why wouldn’t they recognize you? This is how you originally look, isn’t it?” She yawned again. She had meant to sit up, thought better of it, and flopped back down.

She was genuinely exhausted. When she counted up the time — she had been going frequently to the palace to treat the veiled consort’s leg, and every visit had to be at night. Which meant that whether day or night, she was treating patients. Truly exhausting.

Now, lying here face down on the bed, in a blissfully idle state with no work to do — it was so wonderful it was almost enough to make her weep with gratitude.

On top of that, with the wine still in her system, her whole body had been softened and loosened by the alcohol, fully unwound.

It seemed she hadn’t felt this relaxed in a very long time.

“General Mu is dark-complexioned. You’ve seen it before.” Mu Mu finally consented to sit down beside her rather than continuing to loom over her.

Feng Jiu’er let out a breath of relief. Being watched from above like that felt terribly like being locked in the sights of a leopard. The main issue was that ever since this man had shed his old persona and revealed his true nature, he was disturbingly reminiscent of the Ninth Imperial Uncle.

“You maintained that previous appearance the whole time you were in the army?” His previous appearance — that was how he had looked during the days at the Imperial Academy: not as fair, and the features less refined than they were now.

Mu Mu gave a nod. Feng Jiu’er finally sensed that something was off. She pushed herself up and sat on the bed, hair still disheveled, and fixed her eyes on him — staring, with real intent.

“You’re genuinely serious about staying here? Not joking?” Troubling. How was it that he seemed completely in earnest?

“You should know by now — I am not the sort who jokes.”

“Mu Mu! You are a great general. What purpose would you have staying in my modest little Tianji Hall?” Most importantly — if Mu Mu were to stay here and the Ninth Imperial Uncle came back to find out, what would he do?

Feng Jiu’er had a sinking suspicion the Ninth Imperial Uncle would throw a fit and insist on moving into Tianji Hall himself.

Just the thought of it made her break into a cold sweat, a chill running straight to her heart.

If the Ninth Imperial Uncle were to move in here, Tianji Hall would never have another moment of peace. The people around him would surely be the death of her.

Though Feng Jiu’er was not afraid of facing them now, Tianji Hall was an open business — and the last thing a business needed was to be constantly entangled in such disputes.

“I’ve surveyed your guards. While you have a considerable number, the security is far too lax — it would be easy for an intruder to slip through.”

Mu Mu poured himself a cup of tea with perfect composure and said, without the slightest hint of embarrassment: “I could serve as head of your guard detail, and guarantee I can make Tianji Hall’s defenses formidable without increasing the number of guards.”

“What manner of people would it keep out?”

“Not someone like Ninth Prince.”

“Then what’s the use?” He actually said it with a straight face — and without even attempting to flatter her. Not that she would have believed flattery anyway.

Not even the defenses of the imperial palace itself could stop someone like the Ninth Imperial Uncle. Did he think her ten or so guards could manage it? Not a chance.

But Mu Mu remained entirely serious, seemingly seeing nothing at all problematic with his own words: “You have offended so many people. Tianji Hall is no longer merely a business that opens its doors. There are those who are very curious about this place.”

“Now that Nanmen Xu has become the head of the Nanmen clan, Emperor Qiwen will inevitably have people watching him at all times. The connection he once had with Tianji Hall will eventually come to light.”

Feng Jiu’er stared at him, and found she couldn’t get a single word in edgewise.

Mu Mu continued: “And so the security of Tianji Hall is of the utmost importance. The position of head guard is absolutely critical and cannot be handled carelessly.”

“But I can’t afford to hire a great general like you.” She actually thought his reasoning was sound — but allowing him to actually stay would be an enormously risky undertaking.

Most importantly, Feng Jiu’er found herself helplessly realizing that this formidable figure had arrived uninvited, and once here, he was not the sort that could be easily sent away.

“I’m very easy to keep,” Mu Mu said with complete seriousness. “My appetite isn’t large — perhaps only three times yours. Whatever you eat, I can eat. I’m not particular about clothing either — whatever you have made, I’ll accept.”

“Meaning, you won’t accept anything provided by someone other than me?”

“Correct.”

“…” Now she had truly seen what it meant to speak outrageous nonsense with a perfectly straight face. What he was saying was that food, clothing, housing, and everything else would have to be managed by her? And that they would even eat meals together?

“Mu Mu, can you tell me — where did you go that previous month?” Surely he must have been mixing with a crowd of shameless scoundrels to have picked up such audacious tactics.

“That previous month, there was an uprising in Sangji. I led troops to quell it. Sangji has now been incorporated into the Longwu Army and has submitted completely.”

He finished his cup of tea and set it down, fixing his gaze on her face, which displayed not the slightest instinct for self-preservation: “I only returned tonight. The moment I came back, I came directly here.”

“Don’t tell me you came with nothing and, if I’m to take you in, I’d have to provide you with everything from scratch?”

Her expression took on the look of someone who had given up entirely on life. “Mu Mu, spare me. I truly cannot afford you.”

“I said — I’m very easy to keep.” So there was no such thing as not being able to afford him. “If you don’t want to spend money on having clothes made for me, then…”

He thought about it — genuinely thought about it carefully — and after a moment, said: “I’ve noticed that Yanu and I have similar builds. Yanu’s old clothes would fit me too.”

With a dull thud, Feng Jiu’er fell back flat on the bed, staring up at the beams overhead with the expression of someone utterly bereft of the will to live. “So what you’re telling me is — even if I try to throw you out, you’re not leaving. Is that it?”