Qi Bei Han’s eyes were locked intently—she was so close, closer than the last time she had fallen into his embrace and he had held her by the waist. Her delicate fragrance seeped into his breath, her cherry lips tender and moist, vivid and alluring, as if the slightest forward movement would bring them crashing together.
His calm pool of spring waters, once tranquil, was stirred by her casual touch, giving rise to surging waves of desire…
Feng Jin Yue pondered inwardly: although it was purely coincidental, this was already the second time. It made it seem as though she were ‘scheming and cunning,’ deliberately throwing herself into Qi Bei Han’s arms to take advantage of him.
She had just been relieved that her quick reflexes had prevented an accidental kiss between them. But while they hadn’t kissed, she had forgotten that their current distance—less than a finger’s breadth apart—was utterly provocative and charged with ambiguity.
Suddenly, Feng Jin Yue heard a distinct swallowing sound beside her ear, swiftly pulling her thoughts back to reality. Uh… she clearly saw Qi Bei Han’s throat, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. Moreover, she sensed that Qi Bei Han seemed a bit—flustered?
Feng Jin Yue immediately pushed herself up, extricating herself from Qi Bei Han’s embrace, and sat upright. Wait, why was she feeling flushed too?
“Just now, I…”
Before Feng Jin Yue could say more, Qi Bei Han blurted out, “It’s fine.” The hand that had been tightly holding hers was now released in a somewhat flustered manner.
“Oh.” Feng Jin Yue responded. This was the first time she had found herself needing to explain such a situation twice with the same man—it was utterly absurd. Seeing that Qi Bei Han had let go of her hand, she changed the subject to avoid further awkwardness.
“By the way, Your Highness, at this hour, you should be at the palace. Why have you come to the Prince of Jin’s residence?”
“I came to wait for the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet to conclude, to pick you up and escort you back to the General’s Manor.”
“Is that all?” Feng Jin Yue asked tentatively.
Qi Bei Han turned to look at her and stated firmly, “That is all!”
Feng Jin Yue thought to herself, It’s just as well you didn’t ask, saving me from having to explain further.
The two fell silent, and the carriage became extremely quiet. Feng Jin Yue glanced at Qi Bei Han—he sat upright and composed, just as usual. Wait, no… according to her perception, his heartbeat was racing. So… was the earlier ‘flustered’ state merely a calm exterior masking an inner fire that hadn’t yet subsided?
Ah, this… she hadn’t really done anything, had she? Her hand pressed against his chest? Her whole body leaning between his legs? Getting a bit too close to his lips? Their breaths mingling?
That was about it. Wasn’t this guy supposed to be indifferent to women and live a life of abstinence? She hadn’t done anything—was his heart really pounding so fiercely?
The carriage continued on its way for a long while until it gradually came to a stop. The voice of an attendant outside broke the silence, announcing that they had arrived at the General’s Manor.
Just as the attendant’s words reached them, Feng Jin Yue said, “Your Highness, I shall return to the manor now.”
“Mm.”
After Feng Jin Yue stepped out of the carriage, Qi Bei Han let out a long sigh. Even now, the ripples of disturbance within him had not yet settled.
But seeing how unaffected she had been when she left—marrying him held no appeal for her, and even their physical contact, nearly leading to a kiss, had elicited no reaction from her?
Qi Bei Han introspected: Am I that inadequate?
…
Meanwhile, Feng Jin Yue, who had alighted from the carriage and returned to the General’s Manor, naturally had no idea what Qi Bei Han was thinking behind her back.
Feng Jinyue had just stepped through the door when the maid waiting at the entrance said to her, “Miss, the master and mistress said that once you returned, you should go see them.”
Qian Zhu followed behind her mistress as they headed toward the master and mistress’s courtyard. She whispered softly beside her, “Miss, news of today’s events at the Jin Prince Manor’s Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet—both your unfinished qin melody and Lin Xuan’s death—has already spread everywhere.”
“Word certainly travels fast in the capital. Guess whether the Lin family will come knocking at our door?”
“This servant guesses that Miss hopes the Lin family will come.”
Feng Jinyue smiled faintly. They soon arrived at her parents’ courtyard. As Qian Zhu had said, news of the Jin Prince Manor incident had spread far and wide—undoubtedly, her father and mother had already heard about it.
“Father, Mother.” Feng Jinyue entered the room, curtsied to her parents, and addressed them.
The moment Feng Yi saw his daughter, his face lit up with affection. “Yue Er is back.”
Su Tang sighed beside him. “I don’t know who it was, but someone who knew Yue Er had gone to the Jin Prince Manor told me that once she arrived, I must scold her properly for going without a word to us. Yet the moment I see my daughter, all thoughts of scolding vanish.”
Ahem, my dear.” Feng Yi waved for Feng Jinyue to come sit, speaking gently, “Aren’t you just like me, unable to bring yourself to truly reprimand her?”
Feng Jinyue sat down beside her father and said, “Father, Mother, the invitation to the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet was delivered directly to me. Moreover, it was merely a gathering of young ladies from the capital. That bunch of girls combined aren’t even enough to pose a challenge to me—it was nothing serious.”
“Exactly! Those outsiders speculate wildly, truly thinking that just because our little sister has been recuperating at the Hot Spring Villa, she knows nothing. How could they compare to our little sister? With just a casual display of skill, half a melody from her is enough to captivate the entire capital.” Feng Lingze entered, paying his respects to his father and mother.
Feng Yi laughed. “Second Brother speaks rightly. Our little Yue Er’s qin skills are peerless, intoxicating to hear. Her chess playing is also excellent.”
Su Tang looked at the father and son—nothing but praise after praise.
After sitting for a short while, Feng Jinyue said, “Father, Mother, I’ve been out for half the day and am rather tired. I’d like to return to my room and rest.”
Feng Yi immediately responded, “Fine, fine, if you’re tired, rest well.”
Su Tang also said gently, “Go ahead.”
“Your daughter takes her leave.”
Seeing his sister depart, Feng Lingze promptly took his leave as well.
Once Feng Lingze and Feng Jinyue had left, Su Tang said seriously to Feng Yi, “The one who died at today’s Jin Prince Manor Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet was Lin Rong’s daughter.”
“The Jin Prince Manor’s physician made a preliminary diagnosis—Lin Xuan’s death has absolutely nothing to do with Yue Er.” Feng Yi snorted coldly. “The Lin family… it’s all because back during the western frontier campaign, his younger brother was responsible for grain transport, made a mistake in delivering supplies, delayed military intelligence, and was executed to uphold military law. He’s held a grudge ever since, constantly submitting memorials to admonish the emperor to guard against our Feng family amassing too much military power. Chirping and chattering, it’s utterly annoying. If not for ancestral rules forbidding the beating of censors and imperial historians, I’d have thrashed him eight hundred times already. What does the Lin family amount to? Nothing but trash.”
Su Tang couldn’t help but laugh. “I expect that Lin Rong wouldn’t dare come to our door anyway.”
…
Meanwhile, Feng Lingze and Feng Jinyue had emerged from their parents’ courtyard.
Just as the two were about to part, Feng Jin Yue was pulled back by her second brother, who leaned in close and sniffed. “Second Brother, what are you doing?”
Feng Lingze stared intently at Feng Jin Yue. “Little Sister, you returned from the Prince of Jin’s residence, and it was the Regent King who picked you up and escorted you back to the mansion, wasn’t it? You’ve picked up a faint scent of cedar from him. If you had maintained a normal distance, the fragrance from a sachet worn on the person wouldn’t cling so easily. From this, I conclude—you two embraced. Little Sister, did he initiate the embrace, or did you throw yourself into his arms?”
Feng Jin Yue lightly sniffed her own sleeve—there really was a scent. “Second Brother, even a dog’s nose isn’t as sharp as yours.”
“So you really did embrace! Rumors say the Regent King despises physical contact with others. It seems he truly…”
“Second Brother, stop! Nothing happened between us.”
“Really?”
“A thousand times true.” Feng Jin Yue answered her brother with utmost seriousness. How could she possibly admit that she had thrown herself into Qi Bei Han’s arms, nearly kissed him, that Qi Bei Han had grown heated, and she had followed suit? “Second Brother, I’m truly exhausted.”
“Go on, go on, rest well.” Feng Lingze wore an expression that saw right through everything. His little sister was acting very strangely.
Feng Jin Yue looked at her second brother. Without a doubt, he hadn’t believed a word of her answer.