Ling Yuguang retreated half a step without betraying emotion. "Young man, don't you think it's better to clarify things first?"
Ning Fei awkwardly scratched his head and straightened from his bow. "Well, Uncle Ling, it's like this... It's me..."
"Ling Xueying!" Ling Yuguang's roar thundered through the room.
Xueying, who had been crouching low and preparing to slip away along the wall like a guilty child, sheepishly straightened. In an instant, her expression transformed—eyes curving into crescents as she leaned forward to grip Ling Yuguang's arm with desperate affection.
"Ah! Daddy, when did you arrive? I've missed you so terribly—Daddy, let me tell you, Yixiao was bullied by Prince Xia and Prince Xia Jingshi. She's all alone in Susha now, and I don't know how she's managing. When can we go see her together? By the way, has Mother come yet? I saw a new hairstyle in Susha, and it would look absolutely beautiful with Mother's jade hairpin—Daddy..."
Upon receiving Ling Yuguang's indifferent, unimpressed glance, she quickly fell silent, smile faltering.
"Continue." Ling Yuguang finally directed his attention toward Ning Fei, who wore an expression caught between amusement and apprehension.
Xueying cast her father a pleading look that could melt stone, but Ning Fei remained steadfast. He straightened his shoulders and spoke with earnest formality. "Ning Fei respectfully requests Uncle Ling to grant permission for Xueying to marry me."
Xiumu chuckled from her position by the door. Xueying's face flushed crimson—she looked ready to dig a hole and crawl into it for the rest of her natural life.
Without hesitation, Ling Yuguang asked with deceptive calm, "Why should I marry Xueying to you?"
Ning Fei froze momentarily. Xueying's expression flickered with unease, vulnerability showing through her usual confidence.
After contemplating for a moment, Ning Fei's gaze found Xueying's face. A smile gradually formed—warm, genuine, utterly sincere. "Because I can fall asleep peacefully while she plays the qin. I can't understand her when she twists her words to scold me, which makes her arguments endearingly futile. When she throws a tantrum, I can relax and play along as long as she doesn't deploy her hairpin as a weapon. And when she's in danger—" His voice gained weight, absolute conviction. "I will never let her face it alone."
Ling Yuguang's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, processing this declaration. Still, he responded with measured calm. "Why should I believe you?"
"Daddy..." Xueying began urgently. But catching her father's expression—oscillating between smiling and not, impossible to read—she felt mortification overwhelm her. "I'm leaving!" She stomped her foot with childish frustration and turned toward the door.
Before Ling Yuguang could react, Xiumu yanked the door open from outside with theatrical timing.
"Xiumu!" Xueying's voice carried both fury and betrayal as she kicked the door frame. Before she could articulate her outrage, Xiumu's smug voice floated through from outside.
"Master says the young lady must not leave the room before him today. Xiumu is ordered to stand guard!"
Watching Xueying's indignant display—stamping feet, clenched fists, face burning with embarrassment—Ling Yuguang finally permitted himself the first genuine smile since his arrival. "Snow Girl, are you still playing games with Daddy?"
"With someone conspiring against me? I'm not playing anymore," Xueying replied with wounded dignity. Turning, she found Ning Fei already standing dumbfounded, clearly overwhelmed by the rapidly shifting dynamics. Her face reddened further as she timidly positioned herself behind Ling Yuguang's protective bulk, whispering desperately, "Daddy, can you please discuss this when I'm not present..."
Ling Yuguang mimicked her conspiratorial whisper with paternal amusement. "Snow Girl, tell Daddy—are you agreeing or not?"
"Agreeing to what?" Ling Xueying sighed dramatically. "He's just a rotten, useless block of wood..."
"So you're saying you won't marry him?" Ling Yuguang's voice rose deliberately. Seeing Ning Fei's expression shift toward devastation, Xueying quickly tugged at her father's collar in panic. "Daddy, lower your voice... Please don't trouble him anymore..."
By the end, her voice had diminished to barely audible, yet somehow those whispered words carried more weight than any proclamation.
Ling Yuguang couldn't contain himself. Laughter erupted as he stepped forward to clap Ning Fei's shoulder with paternal approval. "From now on, don't be too accommodating to her, or else she'll turn your entire household upside down."
Ning Fei snapped from his stupor, joy flooding his features. He bowed deeply with profound gratitude. "Greetings, Father-in-law!"
This time, Ling Yuguang did not avoid the obeisance. He accepted three resounding bows before helping Ning Fei rise. Xueying, cheeks still blazing crimson, couldn't bring herself to meet Ning Fei's eyes. Instead, she clung to Ling Yuguang like a shield. "Daddy, now I can leave, right?"
Ling Yuguang nodded, calling loudly, "Xiumu, open the door!"
Almost before the words finished leaving his mouth, Xueying launched herself toward the doorway, poised to pounce the instant Xiumu appeared.
However, after waiting several heartbeats, no sound came from outside. Ling Yuguang raised an eyebrow and pulled the door open himself. It swung smoothly on well-oiled hinges—revealing absolutely no sign of Xiumu.
"Xiumu!!!" Xueying had already stormed into the corridor, voice carrying righteous fury. "I'll see you try to escape me now!!!"
Water Painting Garden, Susha
Bright sunlight flooded the room, casting everything in warm golden hues that softened sharp edges and made even captivity seem almost peaceful.
Feng Suige squinted slightly against the brilliance, watching Fu Yixiao sit motionless by the window. Her gaze directed outward toward something only she could see—perhaps past, perhaps future, perhaps merely the swaying branches beyond the lattice.
Though she sat with serene stillness, her expression carried distant dreaminess, as if her consciousness inhabited some other realm entirely. She didn't register Feng Suige's footsteps—didn't notice his presence until he spoke.
Sunlight fell gently upon her loose, unbound hair, enveloping her in luminous gold that made her seem almost ethereal, not quite of this world.
"Fu Yixiao." Feng Suige finally broke the silence after standing there for an unknowable span of time, simply watching.
Yixiao trembled slightly at the sound of her name. She turned her head, eyes focusing with effort. "It's you—you haven't called me by my full name in quite a while. What happened?"
Feng Suige attempted a smile that didn't quite succeed. "Has your intuition always been this accurate?"
"Not always." Yixiao stood with fluid grace, brushing invisible wrinkles from her robes. "Speak. I'm listening."
Feng Suige turned his head away, unable to maintain eye contact. "At today's court meeting, the ministers suggested to Father that you should be placed under house arrest, so..."
Yixiao casually gathered her flowing hair, beginning to tie it back with practiced efficiency. She interrupted before he could finish. "I don't have anything to pack. I can leave now."
"No." Feng Suige took an excited step forward, almost stumbling. "I didn't consent."
Yixiao raised her eyebrows with genuine surprise. "So?"
"So..." Feng Suige suddenly felt his throat constrict, words becoming difficult. "So I want to marry you as my consort."
Yixiao scoffed, the sound carrying notes of bitter amusement. She stretched lazily, as if they were discussing weather rather than marriage. "It's not funny, and there's no logical connection between cause and effect. It must be that the Monarch has changed his mind and wants to eliminate me."
Feng Suige pressed forward with patient explanation. "I originally intended to make you the principal consort, so you could stay here with legitimate title and full protection. However, Father refused no matter what arguments I presented. Later, Shaofu—my tutor—suggested making you a concubine instead. After much deliberation and negotiation, Father agreed."
He spoke rapidly, the words tumbling forth in one breath. Noticing Fu Yixiao still standing quietly, offering no reaction, he felt discouragement creep through his resolve. "I have no other options available. All the old ministers are stubbornly refusing, and Father supports their position. But rest assured—I will never force you to do anything against your will..."
"I agree." Yixiao spoke word by word, each syllable precisely articulated. Even as she accepted, her complexion slowly drained of color, becoming pale as winter moonlight.
Unaware of her changing expression, Feng Suige focused entirely on parsing her response. "You agree?"
Seeing Yixiao nod confirmation, he still seemed incredulous. "I thought you would erupt in fury... At minimum, argue with me extensively about the indignity."
"Why wouldn't I agree?" Yixiao's smile bloomed like a flower catching sunset light—enchanting yet somehow melancholic, beautiful yet tinged with inexplicable sorrow. "Because of the nobility you're trying so desperately to bestow upon me—I have no reason to refuse. Especially since you guarantee not to force me into anything."
Feng Suige's enthusiasm dimmed, replaced by hesitation. "You must think this through carefully. I can indeed protect you to the best of my ability, but you'll likely find yourself at the center of a political storm. Whether it's Father or those ministers, they won't relax their scrutiny for a single moment. Your life will be constantly observed, constantly judged."
Yixiao regarded him steadily, her gaze unflinching. "It doesn't sound particularly difficult. I just don't quite understand why you're helping me to this extent."
Feng Suige contemplated for a moment, then suddenly grasped her shoulders with both hands, speaking with solemn intensity. "I don't care whether you believe me or not. I only know that once you develop feelings for someone, even without speaking it aloud, your heart no longer belongs to you alone. Instead of hiding these feelings, I'd rather entrust them to you and let you decide their worth." He drew a breath. "I also know who holds your affections. But given how he's treated you—I simply don't want to lie to myself about my own heart anymore."
Yixiao's shoulders tensed slightly before deliberately relaxing. She raised her face, meeting Feng Suige's eyes with earnest directness. "Feelings cannot be reciprocated through sincerity alone. Aren't you afraid of receiving nothing in return?"
Feng Suige offered a wry smile touched with self-awareness. "If you gave me your heart too easily, that might actually trouble me more. But I won't surrender these feelings without effort."
Yixiao simply gave a low laugh without verbal response. Her lowered eyelashes concealed whatever emotions flickered beneath—perhaps resignation, perhaps calculation, perhaps merely exhaustion.
I have not failed the people of the world, she thought with bitter clarity. Yet they treat me this way regardless.
In this vast world, no matter how much we attempt to avoid complications, where can we truly escape? Between heaven and earth, it's all merely the mortal realm. Everywhere exists only triumphant kings or defeated outlaws.
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