14
After a night’s rest, Li Yue Haili felt refreshed, relieved to have slept on a proper bed instead of in the rocking carriage.
The young girl awoke before dawn, ringing a small bell to call in the servant to assist her.
At this age, she did not yet have a personal maid because her mother wanted her to learn to take care of herself first.
Though this differed from the upbringing of other noble girls, Yue Haili understood that Shen Xuefei had her reasons for educating her children this way, so she never objected.
Neither she nor her brother had personal attendants.
Basic tasks were handled by third-class maids who did general work, and for small matters, they managed on their own.
The young girl washed her face with warm water, rinsed her mouth with salt and sugar, and dried her face with a clean cloth.
She then put on her outer robe and walked down the old wooden stairs to the lower floor, where she found Feng Yongyuan already standing, discussing the day’s travel route with Wu Cheng and Da Cheng.
Hearing her footsteps, he turned to look at her.
“You’re up early, Ying Ying.
Did you not sleep well?” The Second Prince’s heir asked gently, walking over to meet her at the foot of the stairs, his eyes scanning her small face with concern.
“No, I slept very well.
I just woke up a bit early today,” she replied.
“How about you, did you sleep well, Your Highness?”
“Quite well,” he answered.
“Are you hungry?
The kitchen has just finished preparing a pot of chicken porridge.
I’ll have them bring you some.”
Li Yue Haili nodded.
The fresh morning air was so pleasant that she felt no need for formalities.
“Thank you.”
Seeing her accept so easily, Feng Yongyuan’s eyes curved with satisfaction as he waved for a servant to fetch two bowls of porridge.
He then took her hand and led her to the table, pouring her a cup of tea with practiced ease.
Li Yue Haili glanced at the tea cup in front of her, hesitating briefly before quietly accepting it and taking a sip.
As the slightly bitter tea slid down her throat, a warm feeling spread through her body.
She let her gaze drift to the beautiful scenery outside, watching as morning dew lightly dripped from the leaves and soft white mist floated in the air.
The distant sun was slowly rising into the sky, casting a gentle, peaceful atmosphere all around.
When she noticed Feng Yongyuan smiling at her, she quickly lowered her gaze without a word.
Soon, a bowl of porridge was placed before her.
The young girl stirred the smooth porridge to cool it slightly before taking a cautious taste.
However, the heat still lightly scalded her lips, making her flinch.
Before she could react further, someone else became alarmed.
“Did it burn you?!” The Second Prince’s heir asked anxiously, immediately ordering a servant to fetch cold water.
The servant, not daring to delay, ran to get the water and returned in a flash.
Li Yue Haili wasn’t in as much pain as they feared, but before she could stop them, a soaked handkerchief was pressed gently against her slightly reddened lips.
She stiffened, her wide eyes looking up at Feng Yongyuan’s serious expression in confusion.
It was as if his spirit had been swapped with someone else—how could he be so kind to her?
“Does it still hurt?” he asked, frowning.
“That cook, how could they serve porridge this hot?
I’ll have him flogged fifty times,” he growled, sounding unreasonably angry.
Li Yue Haili’s eyes widened.
“No, please don’t.
It was my fault for not cooling the porridge first.” A flogging of that severity could leave lasting injuries after just ten strikes.
Fifty would surely kill the cook.
“Fine, since it’s you asking, I’ll let it go this time, even though I’m still very angry.”
Upon hearing this, Li Yue Haili couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
However, her laughter was short-lived as it was soon interrupted.
“Brother Yongyuan,” a familiar, intimate voice called from behind Li Yue Haili.
The young girl turned to look and was instantly frozen in shock.
This beautiful face was one she could never forget.
It belonged to the Young Furen of the Master’s household, the official wife of Feng Yongyuan from her previous life—one of the people she never thought she would meet again.
“Princess An Yang.”
She heard Feng Yongyuan call the woman.
“Brother Yongyuan, why are you here?”
Princess An Yang asked in a surprised tone, her elegant eyebrows, which hinted at the beauty she would grow into, raised slightly.
“And why are you here?” Feng Yongyuan didn’t answer directly but instead asked her in return.
“Shouldn’t a princess like you be in the capital?”
He spoke casually, but his mind was already recalling the history between him and this cousin of his.
In their younger years, they had been on quite good terms and could even be considered playmates.
From what he remembered, when she was ten, Princess An Yang once helped a friend escape an arranged marriage.
However, through some political intrigue, that friend’s betrothed eventually became her own husband, and it was well-known that she was not happy with him, leading to frequent scandals.
“I…
I came out to have some fun with friends,” Princess An Yang stammered slightly, not daring to tell the truth.
“And what about you?
Who is this girl?
Aren’t you going to introduce her to me?” She was referring to Li Yue Haili, who remained seated silently in front of her.
This ignorant girl, not even bowing upon learning she was in the presence of a princess—if Feng Yongyuan weren’t here, would she not have lashed out with her whip already?
“My people are none of your concern,” the Second Prince’s heir replied coolly, his eyes growing cold, causing Princess An Yang to tremble.
“I’ll warn you just this once, An Yang.
Go back to the capital.
And send Su Mengzhen back to the Su family at once.
Can you interfere with decisions made by someone else’s parents?
Do you have any idea what would happen to you if His Majesty found out?”
“You…!
you know?” Princess An Yang stammered, her eyes wide with shock, then hurriedly continued, “But do you know who Mengzhen is supposed to be engaged to?
He’s the son of the border general!
A man raised in such a desolate place—how could he be a suitable match for her?”
Upon hearing this, Li Yue Haili’s face went pale.
Her large eyes, which had been cast down, now lifted to stare at Feng Yongyuan, silently demanding an explanation.
The son of the border general—clearly, this referred to her elder brother.
She had never heard of this before, and neither her parents nor anyone else had mentioned it.
It seemed likely that this arrangement was made between the main Li family and the Su family without their knowledge.
If the engagement was finalized before they reached the capital, breaking it off without causing bad blood would be nearly impossible.
If this suspicion were true, she would have to be extremely cautious of the elder Furen Li.
The elderly woman’s schemes constantly targeted her family.The Li family—if you cannot live peacefully, do not blame me later.