Seeing Chen Jinan agree, Feng Lezhen turned to the person in the carriage. “Mr. Shen, shall we go?”
Only then did Chen Jinan and Ah Ye notice Shen Suifeng was there too.
Shen Suifeng swept his gaze over the three of them, all looking at him, and smiled faintly. “I’m not hungry. Please, Your Highness, go ahead.”
“From last night until now, you’ve barely eaten anything. How could you not be hungry?” Feng Lezhen asked with a smile.
Reuniting with Ah Ye and the others had been her happiest moment in recent days. Though she remained composed, every part of her expression was brimming with cheer. Shen Suifeng stared at her for a while, the corners of his lips lifting slightly, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“Come on, join us,” Feng Lezhen invited again.
Chen Jinan heard the overly familiar tone and couldn’t help but glance at Shen Suifeng again.
“I said I’m not hungry, so I’m not. Why would I lie to Your Highness?” Shen Suifeng replied calmly and began driving the carriage slowly forward.
As the carriage passed in front of her, Feng Lezhen was about to speak when Ah Ye reminded her, “The post station in the east of the city has been taken over by us. Mr. Shen can go there to rest.”
Shen Suifeng waved a hand to show he understood.
Feng Lezhen frowned slightly, watching the carriage roll away. Beside her, Chen Jinan quietly observed her, his dark eyes revealing no discernible emotion.
“Your Highness, let’s go have that meatball soup. I’ve been here for days and haven’t had it even once,” Ah Ye cheerfully broke the silence.
Feng Lezhen looked back at her with a bright smile. “Why haven’t you had any?”
“With Your Highness’s life or death unknown, how could I be in the mood to eat?” Ah Ye sighed and helped support her as they walked. “You don’t even know how skilled that assassin chasing us was. If I weren’t so clever, I’d have been dead already… No, wait, Your Highness said long ago that I wouldn’t be his match. So you knew from the beginning how strong he was.”
She stopped, amazed. “I’ve been in the capital for years and never met someone like that before. You were always with me — how did you know I couldn’t beat him?”
“What doesn’t your Eldest Princess know?” Feng Lezhen countered.
Ah Ye paused, then nodded in agreement. “True. Your Highness knows everything.”
Feng Lezhen laughed, a fleeting image of the figure with the ever-ringing bell flashing through her mind… She really should investigate his background. She wasn’t afraid of talented people by Feng Ji’s side — only of not knowing where those talents came from.
“Your Highness, Your Highness…”
“Hm?” Feng Lezhen returned to herself.
“You were zoning out again. Every time I see you like that, I get really uneasy,” Ah Ye muttered.
Feng Lezhen laughed helplessly. “What’s there to be uneasy about?”
“I don’t know — it just makes me nervous,” Ah Ye said, touching the not-so-great quality of the fabric on Feng Lezhen’s clothing. “Where did this come from?”
“Shen Suifeng picked it up from a tailor’s shop,” Feng Lezhen replied.
“All our luggage was lost — and Mr. Shen still had money?” Ah Ye was surprised.
“The shop does business with the Shen family. He just put it on the tab.” Feng Lezhen didn’t want to talk more about it, so she casually shifted the topic. “You’ve been in Zhenan for so long — seen any of our people?”
They had departed days ahead of the others, who followed with the luggage. It had been long enough that they should have regrouped by now.
Ah Ye nodded. “Yes. They’re all at the post station. We even recovered the luggage we lost.”
Feng Lezhen nodded in relief.
“Your Highness, I missed you so much…” Ah Ye began to whimper again.
Feng Lezhen chuckled and patted her hand in comfort.
The mistress and servant leaned close as they walked, with Chen Jinan following not too far behind. After the joy of reunion wore off, he became a quiet and still presence once more.
The three of them casually picked a restaurant for breakfast. After eating, Feng Lezhen ordered more food to be packed. Ah Ye assumed it was because her mistress had developed the habit of hoarding food after recent hardships and nearly teared up.
“Your Highness, if you like it, we can come back at noon. No need to pack anything.”
“…It’s for Shen Suifeng,” Feng Lezhen said casually.
Chen Jinan paused, his gaze calm as ever.
Ah Ye was surprised. “When did Your Highness become so close with him — actually bringing him food?”
“Bringing food equals closeness?” Feng Lezhen raised an eyebrow.
“Of course! After all, you’ve never shown such concern for outsiders. Right, Chen Jinan?”
Chen Jinan, being called out, looked silently at Feng Lezhen.
“Really?” she asked sweetly. She wasn’t expecting an answer — she just enjoyed teasing him.
Chen Jinan was quiet for a moment. When the waiter finally brought over the packed food, he slowly said under their gaze, “Mr. Shen has been taking care of Your Highness. It’s only right for Your Highness to bring him something.”
“So sensible,” Feng Lezhen praised.
Chen Jinan’s eyes flickered, but he didn’t smile.
The three of them returned to the post station. Feng Lezhen originally wanted to deliver the food to Shen Suifeng herself, but somehow the officials from the local yamen had learned she was in Zhenan and came flooding in to greet her. Left with no choice, she handed the food to Chen Jinan and brought Ah Ye along to receive their guests.
Chen Jinan took the food, asked where Shen Suifeng’s room was, and headed straight there.
Three knocks sounded, followed by unhurried footsteps from inside. The door opened a moment later. When Shen Suifeng saw who it was, the smile at the corner of his lips faded slightly. “Young Master Chen.”
“Her Highness asked me to deliver this to you,” Chen Jinan said, handing the package over.
Shen Suifeng gave the oil-paper-wrapped bundle a glance. “Thanks, but I’m not hungry. You can take it back.”
“Her Highness instructed that it be handed to you,” Chen Jinan replied, standing motionless.
Shen Suifeng raised his eyes to meet his, and all he saw was clarity and stubbornness — a clear message: if he didn’t accept it, Chen Jinan would stand there all night.
“Young Master Chen is quite… obedient.” Shen Suifeng smiled faintly. In the end, he still took the bundle.
Chen Jinan, having completed his task, gave a small nod and turned to leave.
Shen Suifeng watched his thin figure recede into the distance, the last trace of smile vanishing from his lips.
Feng Lezhen had thought that once she finished meeting with the local officials, she could finally get some rest. But as soon as one group left, another arrived. Zhenan was her mother’s hometown — many here were closely tied to her maternal grandfather, and quite a few had been personally promoted by her in the past. If she had decided not to see anyone, that would be one thing, but since she had started, she couldn’t play favorites.
And so, the ever-even handed Eldest Princess met with one group after another, and by the time she finally had a moment of peace, it was already evening.
Knowing how exhausted she must be, Ah Ye promptly had supper sent over.
“We didn’t eat properly at noon because of the visitors. Tonight, Your Highness must eat well and get a good night’s sleep,” Ah Ye said as she rolled up her sleeves to lay out the dishes.
Feng Lezhen glanced at the spread and thought of someone who hadn’t shown up all day. “Where’s Shen Suifeng? Has he had supper?”
“Why are you so concerned about him?” Ah Ye muttered. “You already asked at noon, and now again at night.”
“Go check on him. If he hasn’t eaten, ask him to join me,” Feng Lezhen said with a smile.
Ah Ye pouted but agreed and left.
Feng Lezhen didn’t wait deliberately; she picked up her chopsticks and started eating slowly.
The maids who had been attending her quietly withdrew. Left alone, Feng Lezhen tasted each of the dishes Ah Ye had tested for poison. Just as she finished sampling them all, light footsteps sounded outside.
“Finally decided to come out?” she said with a smile, but when her eyes met Chen Jinan’s clear gaze, she paused. “Oh, it’s you?”
Chen Jinan hesitated slightly at the surprise in her eyes and said softly, “This servant roasted some chestnuts in the kitchen stove and thought to bring them for Your Highness to try.”
“…Bring them over,” Feng Lezhen replied with a faint smile.
Chen Jinan relaxed slightly and placed the peeled, honey-glazed chestnuts on the table. Feng Lezhen took a spoonful — sweet and soft.
“Delicious,” she said.
“I’m glad Your Highness likes them,” Chen Jinan replied, the corners of his lips curving up just a little.
Before he finished speaking, Ah Ye returned. Feng Lezhen looked up but saw no one else with her.
“Master Shen said he’s already had supper and is about to sleep,” Ah Ye explained.
Feng Lezhen laughed in exasperation. “It’s not even dark yet and he’s going to sleep? If he doesn’t want to dine with me, he could’ve just said so—why bother with such an absurd excuse.”
Chen Jinan was already heading toward the door. At her joking complaint, he paused slightly in his step.
“I told him the same,” Ah Ye said with a shrug. “But he claimed he didn’t sleep well last night and was really worn out.”
They had spent the previous night camped outside the city gates. She had slept inside the carriage while he had stood guard outside, exposed to the wind all night.
Feng Lezhen’s expression softened. “Let him rest then.”
Chen Jinan stepped outside and looked up to see the bright moon high in the sky.
Distant. Unreachable. Just seeing it was already a blessing.
His fingers twitched slightly, but he didn’t do something foolish like reaching for it.
Feng Lezhen had originally felt drowsy, but after dinner, she became more alert. She didn’t feel like going out for a walk, nor did she want to read to pass the time. After pondering for a while, she summoned Chen Jinan inside.
“About to go to bed?” she asked with a kind smile.
Chen Jinan hesitated and shook his head.
“Good,” Feng Lezhen looked satisfied. “Bring paper and brush—let me see how much your calligraphy has declined after slacking off for days.”
Chen Jinan obediently did as told. After grinding the ink, he picked up the wolf-hair brush, his expression once again as though facing a battlefield.
Feng Lezhen always felt like laughing when she saw him like this, but considering he was already nineteen, and deserved some dignity, she held it back with effort. “Begin.”
“…Yes.” Chen Jinan replied gravely and began writing.
She had expected a mess, but the moment the first stroke took shape, a hint of surprise flickered in Feng Lezhen’s eyes. By the time he had finished copying the entire “Nine Changes” chapter from The Art of War, she waited a long moment before asking, “Haven’t you been stationed at the city gate recently?”
“…Yes.” Chen Jinan looked at his calligraphy, which lacked elegance or spirit, and didn’t dare meet her gaze.
“If you’ve been stationed there all this time, when did you find time to practice?” Feng Lezhen still found it hard to believe, even after seeing it herself. “Also, when did you learn so many characters? You can even transcribe The Art of War from memory?”
“I… already knew quite a few characters back when I was at the estate. And during the time I was waiting for Your Highness at the city gate, I kept practicing,” Chen Jinan’s voice grew noticeably softer when he mentioned his writing. “It’s just that my handwriting is ugly, so I didn’t dare let Your Highness see it. As for The Art of War, I studied it on my own after learning to read.”
Feng Lezhen caught the key point: “You were practicing even while waiting at the city gate?”
“Yes.”
“How did you practice?” Feng Lezhen grew a bit interested.
Chen Jinan said, “I used a tree branch to write on the ground.”
He often practiced like that even when he was still living in the residence.
“No wonder you’ve improved so quickly…” Feng Lezhen looked at the neatly written characters and sighed. “What about martial arts? Have you improved recently?”
“I haven’t slacked off,” Chen Jinan replied.
Feng Lezhen smiled. “Show me a routine.”
“Yes.”
Chen Jinan answered and took a few steps back before beginning to demonstrate his forms. His movements weren’t entirely polished, but each strike was firm and powerful—clearly, he had been putting in effort. Feng Lezhen grew more and more pleased, and once he finished, she praised him several times.
Since beginning his studies in both academics and martial arts, it was the first time Chen Jinan wasn’t mocked for his efforts. Though usually calm, his eyes lit up at that moment. “This servant also knows swordplay.”
Feng Lezhen was starting to feel drowsy and had originally intended to send him off, but when she caught the anticipation in his eyes, she couldn’t help but smile. “Then what are you standing there for? Hurry and show me.”
“I can only use my own sword…” Chen Jinan frowned, debating whether to go retrieve it.
Feng Lezhen chuckled and directly ordered a guard to fetch his sword while she herself went to wait at the doorway.
The moonlight was bright tonight, and the air was dry and cold. Whatever drowsiness she’d felt was chased away by the chill, so she leaned against the door, staring into space.
After a while, the guard still hadn’t returned. Across the courtyard, a door opened—Shen Suifeng stepped outside, and their eyes met the next moment.
He paused slightly, then smiled once he recognized her. Feng Lezhen curved her lips as well—an unspoken greeting.
When the sword finally arrived, Feng Lezhen took it and turned back into the room, closing the door behind her. Shen Suifeng clicked his tongue. When the guard carrying the sword passed by on his way back, he casually asked, “What does Her Highness need a sword for?”
“I think Young Master Chen is going to perform a sword routine for Her Highness,” the guard replied.
The smile faded from Shen Suifeng’s lips. He glanced once more at the now tightly closed door across the way, then turned to return to his room. The guard assumed he wouldn’t come out again, but a short while later, Shen Suifeng reappeared—this time carrying a stool, which he set down at his doorway and sat upon.
“The moonlight is lovely tonight,” he said.
The guard was briefly speechless. “As long as Mister Shen enjoys it.”
Inside, Feng Lezhen had just returned to the warm bedroom and began to feel sleepy again. She made up her mind: after Chen Jinan finished his demonstration, she would send him off right away… But she stopped mid-thought, staring wordlessly at the person asleep against the pillar.
After so many days without seeing him, he had indeed lost a lot of weight. The little bit of flesh he’d finally managed to gain had all disappeared again, and the refined lines of his face were now slightly sunken—he looked even more like a silent stone.
Feng Lezhen walked over and stared at the dark circles beneath his eyes for a while. In the end, she couldn’t bring herself to wake him. Instead, she turned and fetched a blanket to gently drape over him.
The lamp in the room went out, the windows went dark, and the moon-gazing Shen Suifeng sat in silence for a moment. Then he stood up, picked up his stool, and headed back inside.
“Mister Shen isn’t enjoying the moon anymore?” the guard asked quickly.
Shen Suifeng turned to glance at him. “Not anymore. I don’t actually like it that much.”
…Then why were you sitting out in the cold? The guard didn’t understand, but seeing Shen Suifeng’s indifferent expression, he wisely kept quiet.
The night passed without incident. Morning came in the blink of an eye.
When Feng Lezhen woke up, the blanket that had covered Chen Jinan was neatly folded on the chair, but he was nowhere to be seen. She rubbed her forehead and leaned lazily against the pillow. When Ah Ye came in, she asked if she’d seen Chen Jinan.
“Your Highness, he went back to his room not long after the lights were out last night,” Ah Ye said, puzzled. “Didn’t you know?”
Feng Lezhen smiled. “I fell asleep the moment the lights went out. I really didn’t know.”
“Oh,” Ah Ye nodded. “Should I go call him now? Back in the manor, he used to get up before dawn. What’s going on today? It’s already this late and still no movement.”
“He’s been tense for days. Now that he can finally relax a little, let him sleep in for once,” Feng Lezhen instructed.
Ah Ye agreed, and quietly moved toward the dressing table.
Feng Lezhen chuckled, knowing that ever since their reunion yesterday, Ah Ye had been disapproving of her plain robes and braided hair. So she walked over and sat down, and under Ah Ye’s expectant gaze, said slowly, “Do as you please.”
Ah Ye instantly beamed with joy.
Half an hour later, Feng Lezhen looked at her richly dressed and beautifully made-up reflection in the mirror and allowed a small smile to curl on her lips.
“Your Highness really does suit lavish attire,” Ah Ye said with heartfelt admiration.
Feng Lezhen shot her a glance and rose to leave.
Ah Ye quickly asked, “Where is Your Highness going?”
“To find Shen Suifeng,” Feng Lezhen waved her hand, signaling her not to follow.
Ah Ye could only stop, mumbling under her breath as she watched her leave, “Why is Her Highness always thinking about Shen Suifeng…”
Feng Lezhen didn’t hear her. She walked along the long corridor, circling halfway around before appearing at Shen Suifeng’s door.
The door was shut. It wasn’t clear if he was awake yet. Feng Lezhen raised her hand without hesitation, but before she could knock, the door opened.
The person inside clearly hadn’t expected to see her. Their eyes met. Shen Suifeng paused slightly, and then his gaze shifted to her exquisite makeup.
Just like when she was in the capital—dignified, noble, unattainable.
“Stunned by my beauty?” Feng Lezhen teased with a smile.
Shen Suifeng gave a faint smile in return. “Your Highness is as confident as ever.”
Feng Lezhen couldn’t be bothered to argue and merely shot him a sideways glance.
“Did Your Highness come to see me for something?” Shen Suifeng asked.
Feng Lezhen said, “What could I possibly need? I just remembered that we said yesterday morning we’d try the meatball soup here in Zhenan together. So, I’ve come to have breakfast with you.”
“No need,” Shen Suifeng interrupted unhurriedly.
Feng Lezhen hadn’t expected to be refused. She paused, then asked, “What?”
“As I recall,” Shen Suifeng said with a smile, “when Your Highness brought up this matter yesterday, I didn’t agree to it, did I?”
Feng Lezhen also smiled, though her beautiful eyes remained fixed steadily on him. “And what does Mister Shen mean by that?”
“What I mean is,” Shen Suifeng replied with a calm, smiling voice, though the air around his brows and eyes seemed to carry a sharp and wanton chill, “no matter what Your Highness does, the Shen family will never go against our ancestral teachings. So there’s no need to win me over like this. Now that I’ve safely brought you to Zhenan, my task is complete. Once we reach Yingguan together, the favor I owe you will be repaid. From then on, the bridge is the bridge, the road is the road—our paths diverge and we’ll have nothing more to do with each other.”
Feng Lezhen held his gaze for a while before laughing. “I said before—until the very last moment, no one knows how things will turn out. Why is Mister Shen so eager to decide early?”
Shen Suifeng looked down and smiled faintly, saying nothing.
“Well then, since Mister Shen has no interest in breakfast, I won’t disturb you further,” said Feng Lezhen. With that, she turned and walked away.
Shen Suifeng watched her decisive departing figure, and the smile at the corner of his lips finally faded.
…
Something felt off.
When the carriages from the Eldest Princess’s residence resumed their journey toward Yingguan, Ah Ye came to this conclusion.
Even though Her Highness was still smiling and seemed pleasant as usual, and even though Shen Suifeng still looked as lazy and idle as ever—occasionally even annoying—something about the atmosphere just felt off. Ah Ye puzzled over it for a long time but couldn’t figure it out, so she went to ask Chen Jinan, who had been silently keeping to himself.
“Have you noticed anything strange between Her Highness and Shen Suifeng?”
Now that the two groups had regrouped and were traveling together again, Chen Jinan no longer had to drive the carriage himself. When Ah Ye found him, he was sitting alone in a luggage cart.
He stayed silent for a moment, then continued reading. “Didn’t notice.”
“You didn’t notice? It’s so obvious!” Ah Ye was astonished. “It’s been two days since we set out again, and they haven’t said a single word to each other!”
“They’re not in the same carriage. How would they talk?” Chen Jinan marked an unfamiliar character with a dot of ink and continued reading.
Ah Ye wasn’t pleased by how casually he brushed it off. “Why can’t they talk just because they’re in different carriages? It’s not like there haven’t been rest stops. You talk to Her Highness plenty, don’t you? But those two don’t even acknowledge each other. Even when they do meet, it’s just a polite nod. There’s definitely something wrong.”
Chen Jinan kept reading.
“I don’t know what went wrong, but I hope things go back to normal soon. Her Highness hasn’t been happy these past two days,” Ah Ye said. Then, casting a glance at the gloomy and silent Chen Jinan, she sighed and left.
Chen Jinan stared at the military text in his hands and didn’t turn the page for a long time.
That evening, they lodged again at a post station.
Shen Suifeng lit a lamp and sat beneath it, reading ancient medical texts. Whenever he found something useful, he would copy it neatly onto sheets of paper. By the time Chen Jinan arrived, he had already filled two or three pages.
“It’s quite late. What do you need?” Shen Suifeng asked.
Chen Jinan parted his lips to speak, but his gaze fell on the elegant small-script calligraphy Shen Suifeng had written.
Shen Suifeng noticed his look and explained, “I’m not fond of regular script, but small script is neat and refined—it allows me to copy more in a small space.”
Chen Jinan looked up at him. “Mister Shen’s handwriting is very good.”
“That’s hardly worth praise…” Shen Suifeng laughed softly, but when he met Chen Jinan’s sincere, unguarded eyes, he choked slightly, then added, “If you practice more, yours will get better too.”
“Yes.” Chen Jinan nodded, then fell silent again.
He didn’t speak, and didn’t leave either. Shen Suifeng still wanted to read, so he had to speak first. “You came here just to praise my calligraphy?”
“Mm.” Chen Jinan snapped back to attention.
Shen Suifeng leaned back, looking at him leisurely. “Go on then, what is it?”
“Did Mister Shen and Her Highness have a fight?” Chen Jinan blurted out nearly at the same time as Shen Suifeng’s words.
Shen Suifeng hadn’t expected that. He paused, then asked, “Why are you asking that?”
“Her Highness hasn’t seemed very happy lately,” Chen Jinan said calmly.
Upon hearing that, Shen Suifeng looked at him properly for the first time. But apart from calmness, he couldn’t read anything from his face.
After a long silent stare, Shen Suifeng laughed. “You think Her Highness’s bad mood has to do with me?”
Chen Jinan said nothing, but his eyes clearly said yes.
“So what now? You want me to go cheer her up?” Shen Suifeng raised a brow, unintentionally sounding a little provocative. “Young Master Chen, you’re being awfully generous.”
Chen Jinan remained composed, but his brow furrowed slightly when he caught the mockery in the tone.
“I didn’t fight with her. And even if she is unhappy, it’s not because of me. So you’ve come here for nothing,” Shen Suifeng leaned lazily on the table and looked at him. “Though I am curious—what made you come?”
“Because Her Highness is unhappy,” Chen Jinan replied.
“That’s the only reason?”
Chen Jinan met his eyes with calm conviction.
Shen Suifeng was silent for a long time, then chuckled. “Her Highness really raised you well.”
Chen Jinan didn’t understand what he meant, but he could tell Shen Suifeng didn’t plan to go, so he turned to leave. But just as he was about to step out, Shen Suifeng spoke again.
“Come back.”
Chen Jinan turned around.
“Let me see how your calligraphy has progressed. Have you been slacking off lately?” Shen Suifeng nodded at him to get the brush.
Chen Jinan: “……”
Fifteen minutes later, Shen Suifeng looked at the stiff, clunky characters that looked like they’d been written by a child and pulled a face of distaste. “Still ugly.”
Chen Jinan turned to leave.
Shen Suifeng chuckled. “But compared to before, there’s some improvement. I happen to have some insight to share—does Young Master Chen have the patience to listen?”
Chen Jinan turned back again.
“You’re quite flexible,” Shen Suifeng said with a hint of surprise.
Chen Jinan remained calm. “Please, do instruct me.”
Shen Suifeng looked into his steady, quiet eyes, the corner of his lips curving into a smile without warmth. “I’ll give you pointers—but only if you perform a sword routine for me first.”
Chen Jinan paused briefly, then agreed.
—
The next morning, Feng Lezhen heard about Chen Jinan performing a sword dance for Shen Suifeng. She was speechless for a long time before squeezing out a single line: “Is he out of his mind?”
Clearly, the “he” here didn’t refer to Chen Jinan.
“I thought the same,” Ah Ye said conspiratorially. “So I asked him why he did it.”
Feng Lezhen was a little intrigued. “And what did he say?”
“He said…” Ah Ye leaned in, lowering her voice. “He wanted to experience the kind of joy Your Highness feels.”
Feng Lezhen: “?”
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