Just a light touch and then she pulled away, he had…
The discomfort of being restrained brought Mei Yao back to some semblance of consciousness. She struggled to open her eyes, but couldn’t see clearly at first. After a moment, she tried again, and this time her vision cleared.
There was a masked man in her bed. He carried a chill about him, along with a faint, pleasant scent. She was trapped in his embrace, her hands pinned down, and even her legs were immobilized, held fast between his thighs.
Perhaps her mind was still somewhat muddled, but she didn’t panic. Instead, she stared intently at the man’s exposed eyes and brows.
He looked so much like Xiao Yu!
A man with sharp brows and bright eyes, his body cool to the touch, yet his gaze was intense. She longed to see the lower half of his face, hidden behind the mask, wondering if it resembled the one from her dreams.
She tried to pull her hand free but couldn’t move it.
Outside, a tense standoff had unfolded. A corpse lay sprawled at the foot of the steps.
Ye Ying’s sword was still dripping with blood, while Prince Duan’s soldiers surrounded the base of the stairs, none daring to advance another step.
Ye Ying pressed forward with his sword, and the armored soldiers retreated step by step.
His face was filled with murderous intent, his voice icy cold: “I’ve already shown you the seal. Let me say it again—inside is Junzhu, the daughter of Prince Wenshan. There are no thieves here. Even if Prince Duan himself were to come, he would not be allowed to barge into Junzhu’s private chambers!”
Inside the room, the man was listening intently to the commotion outside when a voice suddenly whispered beside his ear: “Who are you?”
Her question was weak and lacked any sharpness, instead carrying a hint of expectation.
He looked down and saw her gazing up at him with damp, peach-blossom eyes, unblinking. The peach-blossom lamp by the bed cast a soft, faint glow, illuminating her slightly dazed, yearning face. For a moment, he felt as if he were in a dream, as though he had seen this scene before. The force in his grip and the intensity of his presence inexplicably softened.
She tugged at her hand again, and this time, she managed to free it from his restraining grasp.
Carefully, she reached toward the mask covering his face. Their eyes met, and he neither stopped her nor avoided her gaze. He simply watched her, as if waiting to see if she dared to pull it down.
Staring at those eyes and brows that so resembled Xiao Yu’s, her fingers trembled slightly as she hooked them under his veil. With just a little more force, the truth would be revealed.
But one breath passed, then another, and her fingers made no further move.
Unbeknownst to her, tears had welled up in her eyes.
His brow twitched slightly.
Her fingers released his mask and slid down along the bridge of his nose, coming to rest on its tip and then his lips. The soft pads of her fingers gently brushed against his lips twice before she closed her eyes and leaned in, pressing her lips lightly against his.
The moment their lips touched, the man’s breath hitched. Even through the mask, he could feel the softness of her lips and the cautious tenderness of her kiss.
The mask grew damp, and something salty touched his taste buds.
She pulled away after just a light touch, catching her breath before speaking through her discomfort: “If you want to live, let me go.”
He obediently released his hold on her.
She climbed out of bed, swaying slightly as her feet touched the floor. He moved to steady her, but she said, “Stay hidden. Don’t make a sound.”
He watched as she slipped on her shoes and stepped down from the bed. Her figure seemed somewhat frail, yet when he had held her moments before, she had felt soft and full, and she had grown taller since two years ago.
Mei Yao picked up the fox fur cloak from the clothes rack, opened the door, and found the courtyard brightly lit by torches. The small yard was packed with thirty to forty soldiers. The leader, likely intimidated by her guards blocking the door, seemed torn between charging forward and retreating, unable to do either.
Feng Xiu hurried over to support her mistress as soon as she emerged, only to notice the young lady’s flushed face. When she touched her hand, she felt the skin burning hot. Anxious and on the verge of tears, she exclaimed, “This servant deserves death for not realizing the young lady was running a fever!”
Turning her head, she called out to Mei Jiu, “Go fetch Wu Yi!”
“No one moves!” the officer in the courtyard barked.
Feng Xiu was furious. “If anything happens to Junzhu’s precious health, even ten of your heads won’t be enough to pay for it! Mei Jiu, hurry!”
Wu Yi was staying in a separate courtyard. As Mei Jiu was about to dash out, an armored soldier raised his sword to block the way. Mei Yao’s guard, Feng Wu, swiftly placed her blade against the interceptor’s neck and said coldly, “Try moving, and see what happens!”
Seizing the opportunity, Mei Jiu sprinted toward the courtyard where Wu Yi was staying. But as soon as she reached the gate, she halted abruptly and slowly backed away.
Outside the courtyard, someone shouted loudly, “Prince Duan has arrived!”
Standing on the steps, Mei Yao looked toward the courtyard gate and saw a group of people escorting a man in lavish robes striding forward. Prince Duan, Li Sheng, was tall and imposing, with a noble and majestic presence. However, upon closer inspection, his cold, stern eyes held a hint of charm and allure.
This was also Li Sheng’s first time meeting the daughter of Prince Wenshan, Mei An.
She had clearly just risen from her bed. Her long, dark, and smooth hair cascaded loosely down her back. Without a trace of makeup or any hair ornaments, she appeared somewhat ill, yet her eyes were sharp and cold. Standing tall and proud on the steps, she did not seem improper but rather exuded an air of inviolability.
Mei An was widely recognized as a handsome man in the court. Li Sheng had heard that Mei An’s children were all blessed with good looks. When Mei An’s eldest son, Mei Chi, was held as a hostage in the capital, the emperor’s own seventh sister had wept and insisted on marrying him. Now, seeing Princess Wenshan, Li Sheng felt the rumors were indeed true—she was so beautiful it was hard to look away. Dressed in plain white, with skin like ice and bones like jade, her delicate face was as small as a palm, her features exquisitely carved. Her naturally enchanting peach-blossom eyes, though cold at the moment, were utterly captivating. Her beauty was not fragile but radiant and charming, like a magnificent lotus flower!
Such beauty was clearly not easy to handle.
The soldiers in the courtyard all bowed in unison upon seeing Prince Duan. Mei Yao had no choice but to follow suit, clasping her hands and saying, “Princess Wenshan, Mei Yao, greets Prince Duan. I heard Your Highness is hunting an assassin. May I ask if anyone saw the intruder run into my courtyard? Or does Your Highness suspect I am in league with the assassin?”
The officer leading the soldiers in the courtyard was not one of Prince Duan’s personal guards. He had been exceptionally promoted by Prince Duan during this trip and brought back to the capital. Perhaps emboldened by the arrival of his superior, he tried to show off by stiffening his neck and saying, “The assassin is on the run. Every courtyard and room in Tingfeng Tower must be searched. With so many skilled fighters in your courtyard, it’s hard to say…”
“How dare you!” Prince Duan suddenly rebuked his subordinate. “I ordered you to capture the assassin, not disturb Junzhu! Junzhu is unwell—how dare you even prevent her from summoning a doctor! Captain Ma, take your men and go receive your punishment!”
The reprimanded Captain Ma’s eyes flashed with resentment for only a moment before he called his men to carry away the body at the foot of the steps. The entire group noisily withdrew from the courtyard.
Li Sheng then smiled at Mei Yao and said, “I failed to discipline my subordinates properly and disturbed Junzhu. Please forgive me. Junzhu grew up in the southern borderlands and may be unaccustomed to the severe cold of the north, catching a chill. Coincidentally, I have ready-made medicine for treating colds and will send it to Junzhu shortly.”
Mei Yao gave a slight nod. “Thank you for your kindness, Prince. I have brought a Wu Yi.”
“Junzhu need not be so polite. Consider it an apology from this prince for his subordinates’ incompetence.” Prince Duan smiled, appearing quite sincere.
“You are too gracious, Prince.”
“Then I shall not disturb you further. Junzhu, please rest well.”
“We respectfully see you off, Prince!”
Once Prince Duan left, the noisy courtyard finally returned to quiet.
Feng Wu followed Prince Duan’s entourage out of the courtyard gate and returned moments later to report, “Master, they have only withdrawn from the courtyard. The Listening Wind Tower is still tightly surrounded. However, another group has arrived outside—General Yan Yu, the second son of Prince Yanping, who has returned from the northwest. He is being stopped by Prince Duan’s men, and they are currently negotiating!”
Mei Yao felt increasingly frustrated and called out, “Mei Jiu!”
Feng Xiu reminded her, “Mei Jiu has gone to fetch the Wu Yi.”
Mei Yao said angrily, “Mark it down for him first. His scouting skills are not up to par!”
On her journey to the capital, she should have stayed at official post stations, but she found them too restrictive. As it was her first time venturing beyond the southern border, she traveled leisurely, enjoying the sights along the way. Mei Jiu had been responsible for scouting ahead and arranging accommodations. This time, they had stopped at Qiyun Town, a crucial hub connecting the north, south, and west of Daqi and an unavoidable route to the capital. As expected, several groups had converged here today, yet the boy had failed to gather any information about it. He truly deserved punishment.
As she thought about it, Mei Yao felt even dizzier. Her vision blurred, and her body went limp as she slid to the ground.
In the moment before she fainted, she was still thinking: There is someone in her bed—this is going to be exposed!