Faced with both their questions, Feng Lezhen realized that if she didn’t make things clear tonight, she’d be hearing passive-aggressive remarks from them for who knows how long. So she composed herself and explained everything thoroughly. By the time she finished, Qi Jingqing’s hand was also fully bandaged.
“Seems we misunderstood Your Highness,” Shen Suifeng said lightly.
Qi Jingqing smiled faintly in agreement. “I told you—Her Highness isn’t the kind to fall in love with every man she meets.”
Shen Suifeng gave a faint smirk and lowered his head to pack up his things.
It was already past midnight. Feng Lezhen, tired now, covered her mouth with a yawn and was about to rise. “It’s getting late. Jingqing, you—”
“Stay, Your Highness,” Qi Jingqing said gently.
Shen Suifeng’s hand froze just as he picked up a bottle of medicine.
“The only reason you didn’t stay those previous nights was because you weren’t sure when they might make a move—you were afraid I’d get caught up in it. But now that it’s over, and there’s nothing holding you back… why leave in the middle of the night?” Qi Jingqing paused for a moment, then smiled. “Besides… my hand hurts. I want Your Highness to keep me company.”
At his words, Feng Lezhen instinctively looked at Shen Suifeng. Qi Jingqing’s heart sank sharply, though the smile on his lips didn’t falter.
“What are you looking at me for? You want me to stick around and be a third wheel?” Shen Suifeng scoffed, slung the medicine case over his shoulder, and said, “I’ll take my leave. I have to get back to the inn.”
With that, he turned and left.
Feng Lezhen watched his unhurried, confident figure and suddenly called out, “Suifeng.”
Qi Jingqing’s hand, resting on the quilt, quietly clenched, and a tightness suddenly rose in his chest.
“Is there something else?” Shen Suifeng asked blandly.
Feng Lezhen replied, “Let Ah Ye escort you.”
“I thought Your Highness was about to ask me to stay the night.” Shen Suifeng curled his lips into a smile.
Feng Lezhen laughed. “If you’re willing to stay, there’s no harm in staying the night.”
“Is that so?” Shen Suifeng casually swept a glance at Qi Jingqing and, seeing his face pale, added, “Better not. I haven’t stayed in the Princess’s manor in a long time—I might not sleep well.”
He lowered his gaze and turned away. The smile on his face vanished completely.
Inside the bedchamber, only Feng Lezhen and Qi Jingqing remained.
“Shall I help Your Highness change clothes?” Qi Jingqing asked.
Feng Lezhen glanced at him. “As long as you can take care of yourself, that’s good enough.”
Qi Jingqing chuckled but still obediently stood beside her, occasionally offering his uninjured hand to help.
A quarter of an hour later, the two of them laid on the same bed. Qi Jingqing looked at her face so close to his and asked softly, “Is Your Highness sure it’s completely safe now?”
Feng Lezhen thought of the figure that escaped. “Mm, only one got away. The rest were all captured. As for the one who escaped… judging from what I know of him, compared to assassinating me, he’s more concerned about rescuing his companions. So, here at least, it’s safe.”
“How can you be sure only one remains?” Qi Jingqing asked again.
Feng Lezhen replied, “They’d already been lurking around the military gate for quite some time, delaying their move just to ensure everything would be flawless. Tonight was what they considered their perfect moment, so naturally, they acted in full force.”
“True,” Qi Jingqing nodded, “but still, we can’t let our guard down. No one knows whether the court might send more people.”
“Not in the short term,” Feng Lezhen gently stroked his cheek and reassured him, “Feng Ji values his reputation. If he didn’t dread me so much, he wouldn’t have risked sending assassins. Now that the attempt failed, and his people are locked up in my prison, if he finds out, he’ll probably be sleepless with fear that word will spread about him trying to assassinate his own sister—how could he dare try again?”
“So it really is safe now,” Qi Jingqing nodded again. “That means… Your Highness can properly keep me company for a while.”
Feng Lezhen choked slightly, then gave a helpless laugh. “You asked all that just for that one sentence in the end.”
Qi Jingqing said nothing, just looked steadily at her.
He was truly beautiful, and knew well how to use that to his advantage. Feng Lezhen, under such a gaze, felt her mind start to wander.
“Can you?” he asked.
Feng Lezhen hesitated. “You’re still injured. Let’s not tonight.”
Qi Jingqing suddenly smiled. “I meant—can Your Highness accompany me more often in the coming days? Where was your mind just now?”
Feng Lezhen froze, then calmly replied, “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
Qi Jingqing’s smile deepened, but he didn’t expose her. Instead, he buried his face against her neck. “The snow disaster is over, the year-end accounts are all settled, and in a bit more than ten days it’ll be the new year. You’ve worked hard all year, Your Highness—take a good rest now.”
Feng Lezhen softened at his words. “Alright, as you say.”
Qi Jingqing silently curled his lips into a smile, just about to say something more, when a sudden sharp pain stabbed through his chest.
His expression changed, and his breathing quickened.
“What’s wrong?” Feng Lezhen immediately noticed something was off and was about to get up, but he held her down.
“Is something hurting?” The lamp had been extinguished, and Feng Lezhen couldn’t see his expression. She could only ask by voice.
Qi Jingqing exhaled a warm breath and answered after a moment, “It’s nothing—I just accidentally bumped my hand.”
“…Then I should go back to my own room, just in case I make it worse.” Feng Lezhen frowned slightly.
Qi Jingqing, however, closed his eyes. “No.”
He rarely acted this clingy, and Feng Lezhen had no way to argue with him, so she let it be.
The night was calm and pleasant. After many tense days, Feng Lezhen soon fell into a deep sleep. But Qi Jingqing couldn’t sleep. In the darkness, he quietly pressed his hand against his chest and, thinking of the changes in his body lately, slowly furrowed his brow.
Because she’d gone to bed too late the night before, Feng Lezhen didn’t wake until the sun was high in the sky. Opening her eyes and seeing that Qi Jingqing was still asleep, she smiled and tiptoed out of the room.
Qi Jingqing slept until almost noon. When he woke up, she was already gone. Looking at the large, empty room, he suddenly felt a touch of loneliness.
“Is the shizi still asleep?”
Outside the door came Feng Lezhen’s voice. Qi Jingqing’s eyes lit up. That hint of emptiness and solitude vanished in an instant.
“This servant just checked. He’s still sleeping.” It was Qi An.
Feng Lezhen replied, “Alright. When he wakes, let me know—I’ll have lunch with him.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As they spoke, a shadow outside the window began to move away. Qi Jingqing quickly tried to call out, “Your High—”
He paused, stunned—he tried to speak again, but no sound came from his throat.
He… had lost his voice?
A heavy sense of dread surged up in Qi Jingqing’s heart. Without thinking, he flung off the quilt and tried to get out of bed. But as soon as one leg reached the edge, his body lost control and he fell straight to the ground.
The impact knocked the breath from his lungs. He let out a muffled groan.
The page pushed the door open and was immediately startled by the scene before him. Gasping, he rushed over and helped him up. “Shizi! What’s wrong, Shizi?!”
“I’m… fine…” Qi Jingqing was dazed for a moment—then realized he could speak again.
The page frowned. “How could you fall for no reason?”
“Perhaps I was too hungry and felt a bit dizzy,” Qi Jingqing suppressed the unease in his heart and explained calmly.
The page felt something was off and was about to question further when his gaze suddenly fell on the hand wrapped tightly in gauze. “Shizi, your hand…”
Qi Jingqing paused and followed his line of sight. The gauze was still neatly wrapped around his hand. There was no new bleeding, no stains.
“Isn’t it just fine?” Qi Jingqing asked.
The page met his gaze in a daze. “But… when you fell, shouldn’t your first instinct have been to catch yourself with your hands?”
If he had landed on his hands, no matter how skillful Dr. Shen’s bandaging was, the wound should have split open and started bleeding again.
Qi Jingqing froze slightly and said nothing.
After a long while, he slowly spoke: “It was just an accident. Don’t tell anyone else—no need to worry them.”
The page frowned, clearly unconvinced and about to speak again when Qi Jingqing looked at him coldly. “Listen.”
“…Yes.”
In the next two or three days, the page remained on edge, constantly watching Qi Jingqing for any signs of abnormality. Fortunately, nothing seemed wrong, and he gradually relaxed, no longer jumpy at every little thing.
As New Year’s Eve approached, the entire military outpost was bustling with activity. Fan Gonggong had bought all the items needed for the new year early on. As soon as the Little New Year passed, he hung red lanterns all over the residence. The place looked festive and full of cheer.
Feng Lezhen saw it and couldn’t help laughing. “Aren’t there too many lanterns?”
“Not at all,” Fan Gonggong said with a big grin. “People say red lanterns bring luck and ward off evil. The more, the better. In a few days, it’ll be Your Highness’s fourth new year at the outpost. If all goes well, it might be the last one—naturally, it should be lively.”
“It’s already the fourth New Year…” Feng Lezhen smiled softly, a hint of emotion rising. “It really is time to return. I just need a good opportunity.”
“Your Highness is blessed by the heavens,” Fan Gonggong said, “I believe that opportunity will come very soon.”
Feng Lezhen smiled gently at that and was just about to speak when Ah Ye suddenly ran over.
“Your Highness…” She hesitated to speak.
Feng Lezhen remained calm. “Those people still haven’t confessed?”
Ah Ye gave a sheepish smile.
“They’re highly skilled and so deeply hidden—clearly trained from a young age. It’s normal you can’t get anything from them,” Feng Lezhen said slowly. “With the new year approaching, don’t use torture for the next few days. If someone dies under punishment, it would bring misfortune to the house.”
“Yes.”
Ah Ye agreed but didn’t leave. She remained standing there, still looking troubled.
Feng Lezhen raised her brow slightly. “Is there something else?”
Ah Ye coughed. “I didn’t want to trouble Your Highness with this, but… if you don’t go see Chen Jinan soon, I’m afraid he’s going to starve himself to death.”
Feng Lezhen paused slightly.
The Princess’s residence was quiet in the early morning. Only the soft sound of sweeping could be heard. Red lanterns hung above white snow, and even without firecrackers, the air was thick with the New Year spirit.
Feng Lezhen followed Ah Ye to the rear courtyard and saw Chen Jinan chopping firewood. The log wasn’t particularly thick, but it took him three or four tries to split it, making the cook beside him shake her head repeatedly.
“Jinan, if you really don’t have the strength, go rest. I’ll finish the rest,” the cook said.
Chen Jinan pressed his lips together. “I can do it.”
“Do what? Look at this—” The cook grabbed the axe from him. “I barely used any strength and I already took it from you. Honestly, you…”
She trailed off mid-sentence, catching sight of Feng Lezhen and Ah Ye. She quickly bowed. “Greetings, Your Highness.”
Chen Jinan froze, then turned and saw Feng Lezhen. He quickly lowered his head. “Your Highness.”
Feng Lezhen stepped forward and casually glanced at the chopped wood on the ground. “Come with me.”
She didn’t say who she was referring to, but everyone else smartly looked away. Only Chen Jinan lowered his gaze and followed her.
The two walked in silence to a side hall. As soon as Feng Lezhen sat down, Chen Jinan went to pour tea and offered it with both hands.
“You’re observant, at least.” Feng Lezhen gave him a sidelong glance and accepted the cup.
Chen Jinan said nothing and stood respectfully before her.
Feng Lezhen sipped her tea slowly. Only after drinking a third of it did she place it on the table. The porcelain cup clicked against the rosewood, emitting a crisp sound. Chen Jinan’s eyes visibly trembled at the sound.
“I heard from Ah Ye,” Feng Lezhen said slowly, “that you haven’t eaten since the celebration banquet?”
Chen Jinan hadn’t expected that this was the reason he’d been called over. He froze, then explained, “I didn’t stop eating completely… just… haven’t had much appetite.”
“I can tell—you can’t even chop wood.” Feng Lezhen raised a brow.
Chen Jinan didn’t know how to respond and remained silent.
Feng Lezhen leisurely studied him. Only when his gaze began to drift did she ask, “Are you angry with me?”
“I wouldn’t dare…” Chen Jinan jumped slightly.
Feng Lezhen laughed. “No need to be so nervous. I laid out such an elaborate net but never told you a word. It’s normal if you’re upset.”
“I’m not upset,” Chen Jinan met her gaze. “No matter what Your Highness does, I will always support you—I would never be angry with Your Highness.”
Feng Lezhen paused, slightly moved. “Then why won’t you eat properly?”
“It’s just…” Chen Jinan hesitated. “Just that when I think of Your Highness risking your life while I remained unaware in the military camp… I feel guilty.”
Feng Lezhen couldn’t help but smile. “If that’s all, there’s no need. I had someone get you drunk on purpose so you wouldn’t come with me.”
Chen Jinan paused. “Yes.”
“You’re not going to ask why?” Feng Lezhen asked with a smile.
Chen Jinan replied, “Your Highness must have had your reasons.”
Feng Lezhen appreciated his sensibility, and so didn’t bother to explain further. She simply told him to go eat something quickly. Chen Jinan agreed and returned to the rear courtyard. The cook was chatting with Ah Ye; when she saw him return, she immediately asked, “What did Her Highness call you for?”
“Nothing…” Chen Jinan hesitated for a moment, then, under Ah Ye’s curious gaze, asked, “Ma’am, is there anything to eat?”
The cook was stunned for a moment, then quickly responded, “Yes, yes! I said you’ve been eating too little lately—your body can’t hold up like this. Sure enough, you were starving!”
As she spoke, she went inside to get food.
As soon as she left, Ah Ye teased, “So, no more hunger strike?”
“I was never on a hunger strike,” Chen Jinan picked up the axe again, gave it a few swings, and realized he truly had no strength left, so had no choice but to put it down again.
Ah Ye scoffed, leaning against a pile of firewood. “You’ve been going days without eating or drinking, and you’re still saying it wasn’t a hunger strike?”
“It really wasn’t. I just…” Chen Jinan hesitated, then finally spoke his heart. “I just felt useless. After following Her Highness for so many years, I’ve made no real progress. So much so that when it came to something important, Her Highness didn’t dare fully trust me.”
Ah Ye was shocked. “Why would you think that? Her Highness didn’t let you get involved because she knows how much you care about her. Even if you agreed to her using herself as bait, you’d be too cautious. And in that kind of situation, the more cautious you are, the more mistakes you make. So to be safe, she simply didn’t use you.”
“You care for Her Highness no less than I do,” Chen Jinan said calmly, “but Her Highness isn’t worried you’ll slip up.”
“That’s because I…” Ah Ye faltered—because of what?
Chen Jinan lowered his gaze. “Because in the end, your skills are better. You could handle the situation, and I couldn’t.”
Ah Ye was left speechless.
“Here come the noodles!” The cook came out cheerfully with a bowl of egg noodles.
Ah Ye thought Chen Jinan wouldn’t eat, but he calmly accepted the bowl, squatted down, and began eating ravenously.
Ah Ye watched, alarmed by how fast he was eating, and quickly gestured for the cook to bring some water. Chen Jinan finished the bowl clean and drank all the water in one go. The unsteady feeling in his legs from the past few days finally disappeared—his feet firmly grounded again.
“I’ll work hard. One day, I’ll be able to truly help Her Highness,” he said quietly, his gaze steady and calm.
Ah Ye blinked, not sure how he had managed to talk himself out of his own despair.
After the Little New Year passed, the New Year approached. Three days before Lunar New Year’s Eve, someone from the Marquis’s residence arrived to take Qi Jingqing home for the holidays. He was to stay until after the Lantern Festival—almost twenty days in total. The page and several pages packed his things while Qi Jingqing played chess with Feng Lezhen nearby.
“…I don’t know how long it’ll be before I see Your Highness again,” Qi Jingqing said gloomily.
Feng Lezhen couldn’t help but laugh. “You’ll see me after the Lantern Festival.”
“From the way Your Highness speaks, it doesn’t sound like that’s a long time at all.” Qi Jingqing gave her a glance.
Feng Lezhen immediately put on a serious face. “How could it not be? I think it’s far too long.”
Qi Jingqing gave a soft huff.
A beautiful man sulking—it was a pleasant sight.
Feng Lezhen felt even more amused. “I’ll come visit you in a few days.”
That was exactly what Qi Jingqing had been waiting to hear. Upon hearing it, the gloom vanished from his body, though he still tried to act indifferent. “If Your Highness is busy, you don’t have to.”
“I really am quite busy,” Feng Lezhen followed up, “Those prisoners still haven’t been fully interrogated. I have a feeling that once they talk, I’ll get a lot of leverage against Feng Ji, so…”
Before she finished, Qi Jingqing was already looking at her with clear resentment.
Feng Lezhen couldn’t keep it up anymore and burst out laughing, her eyes crinkling. “No matter how busy I am, I’ll visit you often.”
“That’s more like it.” Qi Jingqing could tell she was just taking advantage of the situation, so he didn’t hold back either.
The packing was soon complete. Qi Jingqing looked at the now half-empty room and frowned instinctively. “It’s not like I’m not coming back. Why clean it out so thoroughly?”
“You’ll be gone for a while—can’t just make do,” the page quickly replied.
Qi Jingqing wanted to say more, but Feng Lezhen patted his hand gently. “It’s getting late. Time to go.”
Qi Jingqing pressed his lips together, eyes lingering on her.
The Princess’s Residence and the Marquis’s estate weren’t that far apart. At first, Feng Lezhen thought it was no big deal for him to leave. But now, seeing him look at her like that, she suddenly felt reluctant to part.
“Forget it. I’ll offend the Marquis this once. Don’t go back,” she said, holding his hand tightly.
Qi Jingqing laughed softly, the coldness in his features instantly melting into spring warmth. “Don’t joke, Your Highness. I haven’t spent much time with my parents lately. I must go back this time.”
“Then… I’ll visit early,” Feng Lezhen said, reluctant. “I’ll come tomorrow.”
Qi Jingqing knew very well that only a tenth of her reluctance might be real, while the other nine-tenths were just to coax him. But he couldn’t help but enjoy being coaxed like this. Hearing her say that, he gave a quiet response and, with the page’s help, got into the carriage.
As the carriage slowly moved forward, he lifted the curtain and locked eyes with Feng Lezhen outside. In that brief exchange, a sharp pain suddenly struck his chest, followed by a cold sweat down his back. His complexion turned pale.
“Shizi…”
“Shh.” He shot the page a cold look. The page immediately fell silent.
By the time the pain passed, the carriage had already left the Princess’s Residence. Qi Jingqing lowered his gaze, hiding all his emotions.
As soon as Qi Jingqing left, though the Princess’s residence remained lively, Feng Lezhen felt it had grown noticeably quieter. So, only a day after he’d gone, she couldn’t help sending a formal visiting card to the Marquis’s residence.
But she was rejected.
And it was Qi Jingren who came to reject her in person.
“My father said,” Qi Jingren dutifully conveyed Qi Zhen’s message, “that my brother spent all his time at your Princess’s residence, barely paying attention to his own parents. Now that he’s back for just a dozen days or so, and you’re already trying to take him away again?”
Feng Lezhen frowned. “When he was with me, didn’t he still go home every now and then?”
“But not recently.”
“That’s because the weather’s been too cold. It’s not suitable for him to travel back and forth.”
Qi Jingren shrugged. “They don’t care about that. They just want you to stop bothering him.”
Feng Lezhen narrowed her eyes. “There has never been anything I wanted to do that I couldn’t.”
Qi Jingren sensed danger and immediately turned to leave.
Feng Lezhen said coolly, “General Qi.”
Qi Jingren: “…”
The day after Qi Jingqing returned home was already the 29th of the twelfth lunar month. The New Year would begin the next day.
That evening, after dining with his parents, he returned to his room alone.
There hadn’t been any snowfall in recent days, and the snow in the courtyard had been thoroughly cleared. If not for the bare branches in the flower beds, one might think winter had already passed.
He entered the room alone. The page wanted to follow, but Qi Jingqing stopped him at the door.
“If I need anything, I’ll call you,” he said.
The page sighed, “Yes, sir.”
Qi Jingqing went inside, shut the door tightly, and wheeled himself to the table.
The familiar feeling of losing control came again. He sat quietly in the wheelchair, waiting for the sensation to pass, and then drank the freshly cooled medicine on the table in one gulp.
“Ugh…”
Today’s medicine was especially bitter. It was so bitter he let out a muffled groan. Just as he reached to pour some water to wash it down, a piece of candied fruit suddenly appeared in front of him.
He froze, looked up along the hand offering the fruit, and met Feng Lezhen’s smiling gaze.
“Eat one—it’ll help with the bitterness,” she said with a soft smile.
Qi Jingqing stared at her, unable to say a word.
“What’s wrong?” Feng Lezhen noticed something off in his expression.
Qi Jingqing gave a strained smile and suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist.
“I just missed you a bit,” he said softly, trying his best to ignore the dull ache in his chest.
