Mei Yao walked until she reached a secluded spot before slowing her pace, as if her strength had finally drained away.
Opening her palm, she revealed the bone whistle with a piece missing. Her eyes grew slightly moist.
She could risk her own safety, but she shouldn’t have used it to test him. This was the only thing left behind by Xiao Yu’s brother.
Feng Xiu, seeing her mistress looking so confident before the horse race but now holding back tears, comforted her, “I’ll take it to a craftsman for careful repair. It will definitely be restored to its original state. Please don’t cry, miss.”
If she hadn’t said anything, it might have been fine, but the mention of “restored to its original state” finally caused Mei Yao’s tears to fall. What “original state” was there anymore?
Feng Xiu advised, “Miss, don’t cry on the road. It wouldn’t look good if someone saw. Let’s go change first.”
Feng Xiu first cleaned the scrapes on her hand. As she applied the ointment, she noticed her mistress was distracted. Having observed her series of actions, Feng Xiu couldn’t help but say, “General Yan… is it him? He looks so much like him!”
Was it him? She had risked her life, yet she hadn’t seen any concern on his face. His tone had been icy, no different from rescuing a stranger.
Yet she felt he seemed to have some impression of the bone whistle; otherwise, he wouldn’t have returned it only after she asked several times.
Suddenly, she remembered the assassin who had offended her in Qiyun Town.
She had thought she was delirious with fever to have imagined the thief looked so much like Xiao Yu. Now, it seemed highly likely that he was this General Yan.
Prince Duan had made a grand show of sealing off the building and arresting people, and coincidentally, General Yan from the northwest had arrived early. The assassin had vanished into thin air—it all seemed too much of a coincidence.
As she pondered this, Feng Xiu had already helped her change clothes. Stepping outside, she spotted someone standing outside the courtyard gate in the distance, dressed in a moon-white robe, facing away from the door.
Feng Xiu whispered, “It looks like General Yan.”
The man turned around—who else could it be but Yan Yu? Clearly, he had also just changed.
He stood there with a cold expression, watching Mei Yao approach.
It was Mei Yao who spoke first, “General Yan, are you waiting for me?”
His gaze shifted to her hand. Since the injury wasn’t severe and she still had to meet the Empress Dowager and the Empress later, Mei Yao didn’t want to appear overly delicate, so she had only applied ointment without bandaging it.
She looked at him and said softly, “I applied ointment; it’s fine… Did General Yan wait here specially because you were worried about me?”
The man’s expression darkened slightly.
He shifted his gaze back to her face and said coldly, “Why are you putting on this act in front of me?”
Mei Yao had just felt a flicker of warmth, but she hadn’t expected him to say this. Her smile faded as she retorted, “How can you say I’m putting on an act? What act am I putting on?”
He wore an expression that said, “Do you think I’m stupid?” “With Junzhu’s riding skills, how could such an item easily fall, and just happen to fall right in front of me? Even if it did fall, Junzhu would have the ability to avoid the danger behind her and pick it up. Yet you deliberately didn’t dodge or avoid it. You were certain I wouldn’t stand by and do nothing in front of others, weren’t you?”
He wasn’t wrong.
Mei Yao felt a bit embarrassed at being exposed but didn’t want to lose her composure. She replied firmly, “Then why are you bringing it up now? Trying to warn me, or humiliate me?”
“Who is your target? Li Xiang? Or me?”
“You,” Mei Yao said bluntly.
He leaned closer. Mei Yao didn’t retreat, meeting his gaze head-on as she heard him say provocatively, “Passing over two princes to seduce me?”
There was no hint of playfulness in his gaze.
Mei Yao boldly glanced toward a certain part of his lower body, curling her lips into a smile. “You took the bait back then, didn’t you?”
He chuckled softly. “Just a normal reaction… What, does Princess Wenshan want to marry me?”
Mei Yao also stepped closer, almost pressing against him, her cool scent drifting into his breath. Her voice was soft and seductive. “Is that not allowed?”
Yan Yu lowered his gaze to stare into those glistening, watery eyes, but his words were ruthless. “Two princes of different surnames marrying, uniting north and south—do you want His Majesty to lose sleep day and night?”
“So that’s what you’re worried about.” Mei Yao suddenly laughed, a hint of mischief in her tone. “I thought you just didn’t like me!”
“Overthinking it! The princess should focus her attention on someone more suitable.”
Yan Yu turned to leave, but Mei Yao suddenly said, “General Yan climbed into my bed—is this how you take responsibility?”
Yan Yu’s steps halted abruptly. This bold and unruly woman really dared to say anything!
Fortunately, there was no one else around.
He turned back. “Watch your words, Princess!”
Mei Yao resumed her coquettish expression. “I won’t say anything that could harm you, General. Don’t worry.”
He turned back again, looking down at her from above. “Threatening me?”
She suddenly grabbed his hand and pressed it against her chest, her eyes overflowing with tenderness. “I mean it.”
His palm was filled with her warmth and softness, and he felt an impulse to squeeze.
So he did!
Mei Yao tensed up, and her reaction caught his eye—all bark and no bite!
He smiled, slowly withdrawing his hand, but his voice was icy. “This isn’t the southern border, Princess. You should restrain yourself!”
After speaking, Yan Yu turned away, but his mind unexpectedly flashed back to that night in Qiyun Town, when Mei Yao, teary-eyed, had kissed him.
The lingering warmth and softness in his palm seemed to remain, and he clenched his fist.
This time, Mei Yao didn’t provoke him further. She stood still for a moment before catching up.
Feng Xiu watched the scene unfold, utterly stunned. After recovering, she thought to herself: This arrogant general, wearing Xiao Yu’s face, was far bolder than Xiao Yu! In the past, her young mistress had harbored some mischievous intentions toward Xiao Yu, but that young man was utterly clueless about romance—nothing like this one, who had no inhibitions and even knew how to turn the tables.
Mei Yao hadn’t expected him to be so bold either. Only afterward did she realize she had been measuring him by Xiao Yu’s reactions, but clearly, General Yan’s temperament wasn’t something to be handled that way.
She followed behind him, gazing at his tall, straight figure—broad shoulders, a sturdy back, strong waist and legs. As he walked, his robes fluttered with each step, overlapping with the memory of her Xiao Yu brother. An indescribable ache filled her heart, and she wanted to hold him again.
She remembered two years ago in the mountains, when Xiao Yu had walked ahead of her just like this, and she had silently watched him.
She had just come of age then, still carrying a hint of childishness. He was a few years older, already showing signs of a man. There was something about him that drew her in, something she couldn’t quite put into words. Even just looking at him made her heart feel full, sweet and swollen.
On the rugged mountain path, she let her thoughts wander as she stared at the young man’s broad shoulders and narrow waist, and in a moment of distraction, she twisted her ankle.
Hearing the noise, the young man turned around to see her squatting on the ground, clutching her ankle, her nose beaded with sweat from the pain.
He examined her and decided she wasn’t faking it, finally willing to help her up.
He asked her, “Can you still walk?”
She was a little annoyed. Was he blind? She was in so much pain!
“I can’t walk!” Her voice carried a hint of grievance.
“Then rest for a while.” He tried to help her sit down.
“I don’t want to sit!” The little princess’s temper flared up instantly.
He was taken aback, looking down at her from his height, momentarily frozen.
She lowered her head, rubbing her ankle—it hurt, and tears began to fall, drip by drip.
An inexplicable anger welled up inside her!
Then she heard him say, “Since the young lady can’t walk and doesn’t want to rest, what would you like? Should I carry you?”
She abruptly raised her head, seeing how serious he looked, and almost blurted out, “C-can you?”
“No,” he said.
Wasn’t that just adding fuel to the fire!
She felt like she was about to explode, but then he added, “But I can give you a piggyback ride.”
As he spoke, he indeed took two steps closer, turned around, and crouched down in front of her.
And so, she got her wish to get close to that enticing body. She leaned against his back, wrapped her arms around his neck, pressed her face against his neck, and her voice softened: “Brother Xiao Yu, you smell really nice.”
The young man’s body tensed up instantly, but he continued walking without a word.
As Mei Yao thought about it, her eyes grew moist again.
The next moment, she felt her head bump against the broad back in front of her.
What was going on? Why did he stop when they were walking just fine!