Early the next morning, Feng Suige sent someone to deliver a medicinal pill. After Yi Xiao took it, her strength returned noticeably. By noon, most of the guards beneath the tower had been withdrawn, leaving only two to keep watch over her.
When night descended, a faint chill drifted through the spring air. Aside from the patrolling soldiers, everyone had already retreated indoors to the comfort of warmth and wine. The two remaining guards leaned against a sheltered corner, half-dozing as one of them chatted idly.
“A courtesan arrived in the capital recently,” he murmured. “Old Wei from Shahe Camp went to see her. Said she was as fair as a celestial maiden…”
Yi Xiao treaded lightly over the wooden floorboards, every step measured and soundless. When she was barely three paces behind them, a board creaked softly beneath her foot. The guard turned at once, startled—then froze when he recognized her.
“It’s you—do you need something?”
Yi Xiao smiled gently, her expression calm and natural. “I’m feeling a bit hungry. Would you see if there are any snacks left in the kitchen?”
The two guards exchanged looks. The second one shrugged. “I’ll go. I didn’t eat enough before my shift anyway. I’ll bring something back.”
Yi Xiao inclined her head with polite gratitude. “Thank you for your trouble.”
The guard waved her off good-naturedly and walked away down the corridor. Yi Xiao watched until his figure disappeared around the corner, then turned back toward the remaining guard, who was still eyeing her warily.
She laughed softly. “Look at me—still thinking about food. I’ll wait inside.”
As she turned away, the guard’s vigilance eased. That instant of carelessness was all she needed. Yi Xiao gathered her inner strength and struck sharply at the side of his neck. A dull thud, a muffled groan—and the guard slumped to the floor.
Without hesitation, she slipped down the stairs, keeping to the shadows as she made her way toward the outer wall. She had already studied the layout earlier in the day. Beyond the wall lay a dense grove—thick enough to hide her escape under night’s cover. Though her body was still weak, freedom was within reach.
Just as her fingertips brushed the cold stone of the wall, a familiar voice sounded from the darkness, smooth and lazy.
“Aren’t you going to take the other half of the antidote?”
Yi Xiao froze. From the shadows emerged Feng Suige, his eyes glinting with mischief under the moonlight.
When he stepped closer, Yi Xiao had already regained her composure. “Feng Suige—you planned this.”
He smiled, slow and ambiguous. “How could I bear to let you go so soon? I heard the Duke of Zhennan’s illness miraculously improved after seeing a jade hairpin. I find myself curious… to witness the moment he meets its owner.”
Her anger flared. “You shameless man!”
Yi Xiao lunged at him like a wildcat. Feng Suige stepped back, but her nails still grazed his cheek, leaving a crimson mark.
He touched the wound with a faint frown, then chuckled. “Such a temper. I’ll overlook it this time. But if you try another stunt, I’ll keep you here until your hair turns white.”
The commotion roused attention. The guard who had gone to fetch food returned, saw the fallen man, and sounded the alarm. Lights flared across the garden, turning night into day.
Feng Suige raised his hand, palm open, his tone almost indulgent. “Come. Walk with me.”
Yi Xiao stood still for a moment, then slowly placed her hand in his. His grip tightened immediately, firm and possessive, as he led her back along the pebble path.
The commotion stilled as soldiers recognized him. They gawked, dumbfounded, at the sight of the notorious prince calmly holding the prisoner’s hand.
A young captain quickly recovered and knelt. “Your Highness, so it was you. We feared something had happened.”
Feng Suige only smiled, saying nothing, and guided Yi Xiao forward. “Return to your room,” he murmured. “I’ll visit you tomorrow.”
Yi Xiao glared at him, but obeyed. She turned and ascended the wooden stairs with two guards following closely behind.
As the tower door closed, the captain exhaled in relief, then glanced at Feng Suige’s face—and blinked. “Your Highness… your face—”
Feng Suige laughed lightly. “A cat scratch.”
He turned away, his silhouette vanishing into the illuminated courtyard, ignoring the puzzled stares around him.
A new guard leaned toward the captain. “When did we start keeping cats in the garden?”
The captain scowled. “If you don’t know, maybe you’ve been eating for nothing.”
Still, as he watched Feng Suige’s figure fade into the night, he muttered under his breath, “That cat… sure has claws.”
“Ning Fei!”
The sharp cry came from Ling Xueying’s carriage. Ning Fei, who had just taken a water skin from his aide, turned his horse around with a frown and rode back, his face dark. “What is it now?”
Xueying stepped out of the carriage, holding an ornate teacup toward him.
“Drink it yourself,” Ning Fei said, his tone softening. “I’m not thirsty.”
She raised the cup higher. “I’m not asking you to drink. I’m asking you to look!”
He leaned in—and blinked. “Oh, those? Mosquito larvae. Harmless.”
“Harmless?!” Her voice leapt two octaves. “You deliberately put bugs in there to disgust me, and you call that harmless?!”
“Spring water can’t be as pure as mountain spring water,” Ning Fei explained patiently. “If there are bugs, it means the water’s clean and non-toxic. You shouldn’t be so particular when traveling.”
Xueying trembled with fury. “Not particular?! If I’d drunk from the skin, I’d have swallowed them!”
Ning Fei sighed, unfastening the water skin from his saddle. “Then drink from mine.”
She recoiled. “You’ve drunk from it! Isn’t that worse?!”
“Then what do you want?!” Ning Fei’s patience finally snapped. “Will you refuse all water just because of a few bugs?”
“How can anyone drink—”
Before she could finish, Ning Fei snatched the teacup and drained it in one gulp.
Her eyes went wide. He wiped his lips and handed the cup back with a grin. “See? Perfectly fine.”
The teacup slipped from her trembling fingers, clattered against the carriage step, and shattered beneath a wheel.
“You—you swallowed them…” she whispered, horrified. Her face shifted from white to green as she jumped from the moving carriage and bent over, retching violently.
Startled, Ning Fei leapt down and patted her back. “What’s the big deal? Didn’t Yi Xiao tell you? Back on the battlefield, when water was scarce, we even drank horse urine—”
He didn’t finish before she started retching again.
His hearty laughter rang through the night, until Xueying’s furious voice sliced the air: “Say another word, and I’ll make sure you regret it!”
Further ahead, Xia Jingshi lifted the curtain of his carriage. Xiao Weiran, riding beside him, chuckled. “It’s Ning Fei teasing Miss Ling again.”
Xia Jingshi smiled faintly. “He’s about the right age to start a family.”
Xiao Weiran hesitated, then said quietly, “Even after marrying the princess, Your Highness could still take concubines. Yi Xiao probably wouldn’t refuse…”
The carriage fell silent. After a long pause, Xia Jingshi’s voice came softly from within. “Everyone seeks happiness in their own way. Hers… will not be with me.”
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