But upon closer inspection, in the dim light, she could see that the man before her had a very ordinary face.
Yet those dark pupils… were truly arresting.
They instinctively made her think of Ye Feimo.
Meanwhile, Ye Tianjue turned to look over, his peach-blossom eyes half-narrowed as he made to rise and approach, but was stopped by a subordinate beside him.
“Your Highness, that person has a subordinate wearing a ghost mask behind him. He seems to be someone from Gui Di’s side.”
Gui Di!
At the mention of that name, a sinister glint flashed through Ye Tianjue’s peach-blossom eyes.
…
Yun Qingge glanced at Ye Tianjue from the corner of her eye, and seeing him looking over, quickly leaned close to the black-robed man’s ear and said, “Hey, brother, play along with me for a bit, just for a moment.”
The man lazily lifted his eyelids to glance at her.
His gaze immediately fell on Yun Qingge’s attire—it was that of a servant boy. His eyes then returned to her face, studying her features, which held no particular distinction.
“Why?” His thin lips parted slightly.
Yun Qingge was taken aback for a moment.
This man’s voice was also somewhat hoarse, unlike Ye Feimo’s highly recognizable deep bass.
Yet she felt it was strangely familiar, though she couldn’t recall where she’d heard it before.
She collected her thoughts and quickly said, “I’ll tell you the truth. See that man in silver robes on my right? He’s a sodomite who keeps pestering me. Do me a favor!”
The man tilted his head, casually sweeping a glance at Ye Tianjue, who was also looking over from a distance, and the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
If anyone claimed Ye Tianjue was a sodomite, no one in the world would believe it.
“Otherwise, I won’t be able to explain myself to my wife when I get home,” Yun Qingge said, resorting to an even more outrageous lie when she saw he was still hesitating.
Before the man could speak, Ye Tianjue had already walked over.
“This servant boy belongs to Gui Di?” Ye Tianjue approached, his voice several degrees colder than usual.
Yun Qingge was just thinking about something when she suddenly heard the words “Gui Di,” and her eyes widened slightly.
Gui Di!
The original book had introduced this person. In the book, Gui Di was also classified as one of the villains, simply because Gui Di had “colluded” with Can Wang Ye Feimo, all for the sake of toppling the Crown Prince.
The book described Gui Di as such: This person’s origins were a mystery, his appearance ever-changing, his temperament eccentric, and his whereabouts secretive. Yet coincidentally, he was also Can Wang’s friend, and half of Can Wang’s power was attributed to Gui Di’s efforts.
Involuntarily, Yun Qingge’s gaze toward the black-robed man gained a layer of deeper meaning.
A friend of the Great Villain—that made him her friend too!
If she wanted to curry favor with the Great Villain, she naturally had to first establish good communication with the Great Villain’s friend.
So, without waiting for the black-robed man to speak, she nodded repeatedly and said, “Yes, our master is extremely fierce.”
The man swept a glance at her, speechless.
Ye Tianjue spoke again: “Gui Di, I’ve long heard of your reputation.”
Without even waiting for the other party to introduce himself, he seemed already certain that the black-robed man must be Gui Di.
However, the man was silent for a moment before saying, “You’re mistaken. This Feng is not Gui Di.”
Feng?
Yun Qingge immediately searched her mind for the identity information of this figure.
Feng Ya was Gui Di’s subordinate.
But she recalled that in the book, Feng Ya was described as rather seductive in appearance and fond of wearing red. Yet the man before her…
While doubt arose in her heart, she was also anxious to get rid of Ye Tianjue as quickly as possible.
“Your Highness, you won’t suspect me now, will you?” She looked at Ye Tianjue and said.
Ye Tianjue’s gaze deepened. Upon hearing the surname “Feng,” he naturally believed it as well. After all, among Gui Di’s subordinates, this one called Feng Ya was particularly famous.
He then said, “Since you are Young Master Feng, would I have the honor of inviting you for a drink?”
The black-robed man narrowed his eyes slightly, cast a sidelong glance at Yun Qingge, and said, “Fine.”
A strange smile curled at the corner of Yun Qingge’s lips.
“Then you two enjoy your chat. I’ll take my leave.”
The man raised his wine cup and took a light sip, his gaze no longer falling on Yun Qingge.
Yun Qingge walked toward the back kitchen, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.
But… the book had said Gui Di’s whereabouts were unpredictable—why would he suddenly appear in this tavern? And… the way that man looked at her made her feel very strange.
Who was Gui Di? He was a formidable figure who commanded the commercial lifeline of the entire Tianyan dynasty. He was too mysterious; even his subordinates appeared wearing ghost masks, which was how the common folk spread rumors and turned him into “Gui Di.”
Even the imperial court had to tread carefully around this figure.
If she could cooperate with him, wouldn’t that be the same as cooperating with Ye Feimo? Gui Di was so wealthy—investing in a couple of medical clinics should be no trouble at all.
With this thought, a plan gradually began to form in her heart.
After leaving the back kitchen, Yun Qingge returned to the Wangfu, not daring to go back into the tavern to see whether that “Gui Di” had left, afraid he might come looking for trouble with her later.
Not long after she left, a figure in black robes emerged from the shadows.
“Feimo, what’s the matter with that servant boy?” Another person landed beside him and asked.
Ye Feimo turned his head to look at the strikingly eye-catching man in red beside him and said, “Just looks a bit familiar.”
“I remember you went out to look for your ugly princess, didn’t you? Did you find her?” Feng Ya teased with a smirk, leaning in closer.
Ye Feimo furrowed his brow.
He had indeed been curious about what Yun Qingge was up to when he left, but on the way, he spotted Ye Tianjue at the Emerald Bamboo Tavern. He had thought that wherever Ye Tianjue could be found, Yun Qingge would surely be there as well.
However…
This young servant made him deeply suspicious.
Seeing his furrowed brow, Feng Ya oddly rubbed his chin and said, “Have you finally come to your senses? Taken a liking to that ugly princess?”
Ye Feimo shot him a glare and said, “I merely suspect she knows medicine.”
“Pfft! You want to test her? That’s simple—I’ve got a brilliant idea for you.”
A brilliant idea? More like a rotten one, if anything.
…
Before Yun Qingge returned through the back door of Beiyuan, she had secretly slipped into a secluded spot, entered the Kongjian to change out of her servant’s clothes, and torn off the Yirong Mask from her face. Only then did she feel at ease returning to the courtyard.
Back in the courtyard, Jixiang had not yet returned, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
She tucked the ten-thousand-tael banknote into the Kongjian, quietly thinking that once the major events in the book had passed, she would find a shop to open for business.
When Jixiang returned, she handed the ingredients to Yun Qingge.
“Princess, all the ingredients you asked for are here.”
“Oh, good. Come on, let’s head to the kitchen.” She rolled up her sleeves, ready to show off her skills.
At dinnertime.
A servant delivering the evening meal set a pot of something bright red onto Ye Feimo’s table.
Qingxuan leaned in, his expression rather strange.
“What is this?” Qingxuan asked.
The servant gave Ye Feimo a timid glance and explained, “It’s… it’s what the Princess made.”
“The Princess?!” Qingxuan glanced at the red, greasy pot, its surface covered in fiery red chili peppers, and thought to himself… Could the Princess be trying to poison their Prince to death?