Main Hall of the Marquis’s Residence
The atmosphere was tense and cold. Qi Zhen stared at the table full of dishes, his expression stormy. At his side, Song Lian gave Qi Jingqing a pleading glance, signaling him to quickly say something.
Qi Jingqing pursed his lips and, after a long pause, finally spoke. “Father…”
“What kind of behavior is that?!” Qi Zhen suddenly slammed the table. The bowls and chopsticks nearby clattered to the ground with a loud crash, startling all the maids and attendants nearby. “Not coming home for the minor New Year was one thing—but now she’s not even home for New Year’s Eve! Does she even see me, her father, in her eyes anymore?!”
“Please calm down, Father. In past years, Moli often used the New Year as an opportunity to launch surprise attacks on Yingguan. You’ve said it yourself: the holidays are when we need to strengthen the city’s defenses to prevent being caught off guard. Now that Jingren is handling your responsibilities, she naturally has to follow your rules. Compared to celebrating with family, protecting the people’s safety comes first,” Qi Jingqing said gently, trying to soothe him.
Qi Zhen let out a cold laugh. “You don’t have to defend her. It’s my fault for indulging her too much—her heart has turned wild. She dares to ignore her parents and brothers now; imagine what she’ll do if she gains more power. After the New Year, I’ll take back the military authority she holds. She can stay home, meet suitors, and hurry up and—”
“Father, Jingren has no interest in that,” Qi Jingqing interrupted with a frown.
Qi Zhen snapped back with rare harshness. “That’s not up to her! As long as I’m alive, this household will not be hers to rule!”
With that, he stormed off in fury.
Qi Jingqing immediately wanted to go after him, but Song Lian quickly stopped him. “Don’t. He’s furious right now. It’s no use going after him. Let me talk to him once he’s calmed down.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you, Mother,” Qi Jingqing nodded.
“You should also talk to Jingren,” Song Lian added, still dissatisfied. “She’s not a child anymore—when will she grow up and act responsibly? How can we not worry about her?”
“Jingren isn’t irresponsible… Never mind. Please check on Father first. I’ll go find her myself.”
“If she were half as obedient as you, your father and I wouldn’t have so many headaches…” Song Lian sighed as she left the room.
Qi Jingqing looked at the now empty doorway, and for once, felt a wave of helplessness.
“My lord, shall we return to your room to rest?” his young page asked carefully.
Qi Jingqing’s eyes shifted. “What time is it?”
“It’s already halfway through the hour of the pig,” the page replied.
Qi Jingqing paused. Then, pushing his wheelchair with both hands, he started toward the door.
The page followed, confused, only to hear him say coldly after a few steps:
“Don’t follow me.”
The page paused, momentarily stunned, and had no choice but to stop where he was.
Tonight there was no snow, but the weather was dry and cold. Qi Jingqing silently pushed the wheelchair, a thin layer of cold sweat quickly forming on his forehead. Breathing in too much chilly air unevenly, his throat and chest ached in waves.
Enduring the subtle torment brought on by his frail body, he pushed the wheelchair with all his focus toward the side courtyard. Just as he stepped out of the yard, out of the corner of his eye he caught something flashing near the wall corner. He suddenly gripped the wheelchair’s wheel tightly and hesitated before turning back to look—
Feng Lezhen stood in the corner, smiling harmlessly at him.
Him: “…”
“Leaving in such a hurry—planning to come find me?” Feng Lezhen strolled over.
Almost at the same time, Qi Jingqing spoke: “Why are you here?”
“Don’t ask. Waiting so long for you, I came to see what was going on. Then I saw Zhenbian Marquis storm out in anger. I didn’t want to be the target of his wrath, so I hid over there. Shortly after, the Marchioness came out, then you arrived. So I’ve been hiding ever since,” Feng Lezhen said, locking eyes with him. “It seems ever since we reunited, I’m either hiding from one or the other. Am I really that shameful?”
“Your Highness isn’t shameful. You just don’t want to see anyone,” Qi Jingqing’s eyes sparkled with a smile. “How much did you drink? Your gaze is a little unfocused.”
“Really?” Feng Lezhen tilted her head.
Qi Jingqing raised a finger: “How many drinks is this?”
“…If you don’t want to get beaten, I advise the Shizi to be careful what he says,” Feng Lezhen said expressionlessly.
Qi Jingqing gave a faint smile. “Your Highness, push me around the garden for a bit.”
Feng Lezhen’s intoxication hadn’t fully worn off but she still hesitated slightly.
“At this hour, there’s no one in the garden,” Qi Jingqing reassured her.
With that, there was nothing for her to be shy about. She began slowly pushing him through the garden.
As he said, the garden was utterly quiet at this time, without a single person in sight. Though the snow on the paths had been cleared, the flower beds on both sides were still covered in white. Because the temperature was too low, no lights were lit in the garden. Aside from the snow illuminating the ground, the only light was the small lantern hanging on Qi Jingqing’s wheelchair.
Feng Lezhen stared at the petite lantern for a while, a smile gradually forming in her eyes. “Such a fine thing.”
Qi Jingqing turned to look at her and, noticing her gaze, paused: “Your Highness likes it?”
“Small and lovely. You can tell it’s made by a master,” Feng Lezhen commented. Before she finished speaking, he plucked the lantern off the wheelchair.
“If Your Highness likes it, then take it,” Qi Jingqing said, handing her the lantern.
Feng Lezhen: “…”
“Not taking it?” Qi Jingqing saw her hesitate and a hint of confusion flickered in his eyes.
“You really are…” Feng Lezhen smiled wryly and took the lantern, placing it back on his wheelchair.
Qi Jingqing frowned but didn’t ask again.
They continued their slow walk. When they reached a pavilion, Feng Lezhen suddenly recalled the scene of their reunion and found it somewhat amusing. Qi Jingqing seemed to remember that moment too, and he suddenly gripped the small lever beneath the wheelchair’s armrest.
This wheelchair was cleverly made—not only did it have a small mechanism at the rear to assist stopping, but there was one under the armrest too. With a gentle squeeze, the wheelchair would stop moving.
Feeling the wheelchair’s resistance, Feng Lezhen stopped walking. “What’s wrong?”
“There seems to be something in the pavilion,” Qi Jingqing explained.
“What is it?” Feng Lezhen looked curiously and vaguely saw a box placed on the stone table inside.
“Your Highness, want to check it out?” Qi Jingqing suggested.
Feng Lezhen gave him a sidelong glance. “You sure know how to boss people around.”
“The Marquis residence is safe. There won’t be anything suspicious,” Qi Jingqing chuckled.
Feng Lezhen smiled faintly but still walked into the pavilion. Because she didn’t notice the ice on the ground, as soon as she stepped in, she lost her balance and fell.
“Careful!” Qi Jingqing’s expression changed.
Feng Lezhen felt a shadow sweep over her, and in the next moment, she fell into a thickly clothed embrace.
They fell to the ground together. Because Qi Jingqing held her carefully, Feng Lezhen didn’t get hurt. But Qi Jingqing’s back of the head hit the stone table, making him draw a slight breath.
“Where did you hit?” Feng Lezhen hurriedly asked, mostly sober now.
“…Looks like my head,” Qi Jingqing frowned lightly.
Feng Lezhen struggled up and helped pull him up as well. Qi Jingqing was unsteady and when she pulled him, his forehead bumped against her shoulder. He paused briefly and tried to stand, but a cool hand grasped the back of his neck.
“Don’t move. Let me check if you’re hurt,” Feng Lezhen said, carefully running her fingers through his hair, feeling around inch by inch.
Her subtle warmth, faint scent of powder, slight but pleasant smell of alcohol, the cool fingers pressed against his neck, and the careful searching—all seemed to weave an invisible net that gradually bound him tighter and tighter, until his entire soul and spirit were trapped inside a small, closed box.
Suffocating, frightened—but strangely sweet.
Feng Lezhen noticed his slight trembling. Her fingers stopped moving inside his hair. “Here?”
“…Mm.”
She softened her touch, gently massaging, then quickly let go.
Once the distance was restored, he finally had space to breathe.
“It’s nothing serious. Just a bump. Should disappear in a couple of days,” Feng Lezhen said. Seeing him still stare blankly at her, a faint smile appeared on her lips. “Are you scared?”
“Not really…” Qi Jingqing looked away.
Feng Lezhen laughed teasingly, leaned on the stone table to stand up with some effort, then reached out to pull him up. He was really thin, so Feng Lezhen barely had to use any strength to pull him from the ground. Once he was steady on his feet, she finally noticed what was on the table—
A snuff bottle carefully placed inside a box.
After seeing it clearly, Feng Lezhen exchanged a playful look with Qi Jingqing: “Care to explain?”
“…I wanted to surprise Your Highness, but it turned into a scare instead,” Qi Jingqing said helplessly.
Feng Lezhen smiled as she picked up the snuff bottle. “I wondered why you suddenly wanted to take a walk in the garden—it turns out you were waiting here for me.”
“Do you like it?” Qi Jingqing asked.
Feng Lezhen held the snuff bottle above her head for a close look. “I do. Where did you get such a fine thing?”
“It was designed in late September and just delivered a few days ago. I thought it would be the perfect New Year’s gift for Your Highness,” Qi Jingqing explained.
Feng Lezhen was surprised. “It took so long to make this one, and you’re willing to part with it?”
“It was meant for you,” Qi Jingqing’s lips curved slightly, but he said no more.
“Then I’ll thank you in advance.” Feng Lezhen didn’t bother with formalities and put the snuff bottle away. The next moment, she noticed the wheelchair outside the pavilion was empty.
Her: “…”
After a brief silence, she looked up at Qi Jingqing, who was about a head taller. His usually steady and intelligent eyes looked a bit blank for once.
“What’s wrong?” Qi Jingqing asked, puzzled.
“You… you can stand now?” Feng Lezhen found her own words hard to say.
Qi Jingqing paused, then seemed amused once he realized why she was off: “I’ve always been able to stand, even walk a few steps, but my body is too weak, so I avoid walking when I can.”
After saying this, he deliberately turned around in front of Feng Lezhen to prove he wasn’t paralyzed.
Feng Lezhen watched him speechlessly, unsure what to say. Then he asked awkwardly, “Could Your Highness help me back into the wheelchair? I’m out of strength.”
…Was it because he ran a few steps earlier or because he just turned around? Feng Lezhen was even more helpless but had no choice but to support him down.
Though thin, Qi Jingqing was tall, and when he leaned on her, her knees nearly buckled. After a while she barely held herself up and slowly moved forward. Qi Jingqing seemed to notice her struggle and tried to straighten on his own, but still leaned on her in the next moment.
It took them a while to cover a five-step distance. When Qi Jingqing was finally seated back in the wheelchair, they both sighed in relief.
“It’s still more comfortable sitting,” Qi Jingqing smiled faintly, smoothing his robe and covering his legs more snugly.
Feng Lezhen smiled as well, suddenly noticing his complexion was off and his lips lacked color. “Are you unwell?”
“I’m fine. I just walked too fast earlier,” Qi Jingqing replied.
“You get tired so easily just from a few steps?” Feng Lezhen sighed as she went behind him and slowly pushed the wheelchair. “Your body is really fragile.”
Qi Jingqing lifted a corner of his lips. “Actually, not much different from when I was a child.”
How could it be no different? You didn’t have a wheelchair back then, Feng Lezhen thought but knew he didn’t want to talk about it, so she tactfully changed the subject: “By the way, it’s New Year’s. Why is your father so angry?”
“Family matters are hard to explain,” Qi Jingqing’s smile had a trace of bitterness.
“Because of Qi Jingren?” Feng Lezhen asked.
Qi Jingqing paused. “How did Your Highness know?”
“Is it hard to guess? At the Little New Year’s feast at the Marquis residence, she wasn’t seen; today on New Year’s, she’s still nowhere to be found. It’s obviously strange,” Feng Lezhen casually explained.
Qi Jingqing smiled helplessly. “Your Highness is so clever, nothing can be hidden from you.”
Feng Lezhen stopped and came around to face him, bending down to look into his eyes. “Tell me the details. Let me see what the fuss is about.”
The scent of alcohol hit him, but Qi Jingqing didn’t seem to mind; his breathing was a little heavier. “…Family affairs are complicated. Are you sure you want to hear?”
“If you’re willing to say it, I’m free anyway,” Feng Lezhen smiled brightly.
They stared at each other silently for a moment. Qi Jingqing cleared his throat lightly, and Feng Lezhen realized: “Better say it inside. You’re not well and shouldn’t be out too long.”
She seemed afraid he’d get sicker in her care. After speaking, she hurriedly pushed the wheelchair faster than before.
Qi Jingqing was amused by her fuss but didn’t stop her. He quietly buried his face in his thick collar to avoid more cold air and prevent falling ill, so as not to trouble others.
The servants in the side courtyard were either drunk and asleep or out playing, leaving only those on duty guarding the yard. They hadn’t expected anything on New Year’s Eve but turned around to see their princess pushing the young master back.
“Y-Your Highness, you and the Shizi…” a guard hesitated.
Feng Lezhen: “We met on the way and I brought him back.”
“…You’re not supposed to just pick up people like that!” the guard exclaimed.
Everything was written on his face. Feng Lezhen was speechless, about to say that even if she were dead drunk she wouldn’t just pick someone up casually, but Qi Jingqing spoke first: “I came willingly with Her Highness.”
“Ah… Oh, then it’s fine.” The guard immediately stepped back obediently.
Feng Lezhen was momentarily speechless, then heard Qi Jingqing’s voice: “Looks like Her Highness has picked up quite a few people before.”
Feng Lezhen chuckled, pushing him inside: “Don’t listen to his nonsense. None of that happened.”
Qi Jingqing said nothing more, quietly letting her wheel him inside.
The bedroom had been tidied up by Ah Ye and the others, no longer as simple as before. A faint incense scent mixed with powder filled the room; even the air seemed softer than outside.
“The main hall hasn’t been tidied up yet, so you’ll have to endure a bit here with me,” Feng Lezhen said, personally pouring him a cup of hot tea.
Qi Jingqing paused, his gaze falling on her fair, delicate hand.
“Tipsy, and there’s no one but me to pour you tea—make do and drink it,” Feng Lezhen explained, thinking he might be bothered by how full the cup was.
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Qi Jingqing took the cup, lightly sipped, and was about to put it down when she pulled over a chair and sat opposite him.
Qi Jingqing chuckled: “Your Highness, wait until I finish this tea.”
“Drink at your own pace, I’m not rushing you,” Feng Lezhen said, but was already prepared to listen to his story.
Whether nobles or commoners, family matters were almost always a tangled mess. Qi Jingqing hesitated for a long time, unsure where to begin. After a silence, he slowly said, “Jingren has rarely come home these past two years.”
Feng Lezhen’s eyes flickered slightly.
“Honestly, it’s partly my fault,” Qi Jingqing lightly coughed, his nose slightly reddened from the earlier walk in the courtyard. “I was born weak, and my parents’ whole heart was on me, neglecting her too much. As she grew up, she drifted away from the family, and now she doesn’t even want to come home for the New Year.”
“Your parents were definitely partial. I remember when you and Jingren went to the palace as children—though you got sick because you played too much, she got the scolding. It’s no wonder she doesn’t want to come back,” Feng Lezhen said, pouring herself a cup of tea. “But she refused to come home today, and with the temperament of Zhenbian Marquis, he’s surely going to cause trouble for her?”
Qi Jingqing rubbed his temple: “Yes, an argument is inevitable.”
Feng Lezhen grew more curious: “I wonder what tricks the Marquis would use on his own daughter—hang her up and give her a beating?”
“That’s unlikely,” Qi Jingqing smiled, then fell silent for a moment. “But for Jingren, she might prefer a beating. Father wants her to stay home, meet a husband, and never return to the military camp.”
Feng Lezhen’s ears twitched, and when she looked up again, her expression was calm: “Would she obey the Marquis?”
“Of course not. Hence the arguments,” Qi Jingqing said with a headache.
Feng Lezhen smiled: “Children don’t hold grudges overnight. You should persuade her to come back and make peace; that would solve the problem.”
“Though it only treats the symptoms, that’s all we can do,” Qi Jingqing sighed.
Feng Lezhen leaned back lazily: “She’s probably still living in the camp. If you want to persuade her, won’t you have to go out?”
“Will Your Highness accompany me?” Qi Jingqing asked.
Feng Lezhen laughed: “Jingren never liked me much. When you were kids, the three of us argued every time we met. Are you sure bringing me won’t just add fuel to the fire?”
“Jingren is very different from childhood,” Qi Jingqing considered, seemingly unsure how to describe it. “You’ll see when you meet her.”
Feng Lezhen’s eyes flickered subtly, hiding her thoughts: “Fine. When you go, take me with you—I want to see how she’s changed.”
“All right, probably within the next few days. Please wait, Your Highness,” Qi Jingqing smiled faintly.
Feng Lezhen also lifted the corner of her mouth and handed him a plate of pastries: “You barely ate earlier—eat something to fill your stomach. Shall I have someone cook you a bowl of noodles?”
“No need, this is enough,” Qi Jingqing said, picking up the smallest piece of pastry.
Feng Lezhen raised an eyebrow: “Will this fill you up?”
“It will,” Qi Jingqing said, seeing her disbelief and explaining, “About an hour ago, I finished a large bowl of medicinal soup. I’m still full.”
Hearing this, Feng Lezhen didn’t push further: “Medicines do affect appetite, but you still have to eat more. Eat well and rest well—only then can your body get better.”
Qi Jingqing smiled and nodded, not saying the discouraging truth that even if he did all that a thousand times, his body wouldn’t get better.
Unconsciously, it was nearly midnight. The villagers staying up to see the New Year began setting off firecrackers in the distance. Feng Lezhen listened to the sounds and, for once, felt a hint of longing.
“If Your Highness wants to go out for a walk, don’t worry about me,” Qi Jingqing suddenly said.
Feng Lezhen snapped back to reality: “It’s too cold. I’m too lazy to go out—better sit and chat with you.”
Qi Jingqing’s lips curled slightly: “New Year’s Eve in Yingguan isn’t as lively as the Lantern Festival. It’s just firecrackers, firecrackers, and more firecrackers. But the Lantern Festival is different—with fireworks and temple fairs… Your Highness must like fireworks.”
“Why do you say that?” Feng Lezhen countered.
Qi Jingqing lowered his head and sipped his tea, which was a bit cold, though he seemed not to notice: “If you didn’t like them, how could you give fireworks as a birthday gift every Mid-Autumn Festival?”
Feng Lezhen was taken aback, then laughed wryly: “Has my yearly fireworks for Fu Zhixian become known in Yingguan?”
“I’ve heard some rumors,” Qi Jingqing seemed indifferent, but his fingers nervously twisted his robe until pale.
Feng Lezhen didn’t notice his fingers and awkwardly recalled: “When young, I was reckless and bold, wanting to shout my feelings from the rooftops. Now that the marriage is off, I wonder how many people will laugh at me.”
“To be treated so earnestly by Your Highness, I’m sure many envy you. How could that be a joke?” Qi Jingqing waved his half-full cup slightly, watching the ripples. “It’s a pity that Lord Fu is an unfortunate man, unworthy of Your Highness.”
Feng Lezhen chuckled: “How do you know he’s unlucky? Maybe he’s just relieved to be rid of me.”
“He wouldn’t be,” Qi Jingqing retorted without hesitation.
Feng Lezhen raised an eyebrow: “You don’t know him—how can you be sure?”
“I don’t know him, but I’ve seen such a splendid scene once. Nothing else in this world can compare,” Qi Jingqing looked at her, eyes full of heavy restraint. “This, more than anyone, I understand clearly.”
Feng Lezhen was slightly startled, then suddenly realized something.
