Pearls adorned the corridor lamps while silk formed the curtains. Golden-leafed pillars carved with coiling dragons stood tall, and phoenix-shaped screens glimmered with jade and colored glass. Under the bright moon and twinkling stars, the pearls seemed almost alive with luster, their reflections dancing across rippling water beneath the corridor.
It was as if they'd stepped into the Moon Palace itself—wrapped in the Milky Way with the moon as a pillow.
Following Yi Xiao, Gu Yu gaped in awe, gradually breaking into delighted wonder. He muttered indistinctly, "This is the Moon Palace."
Qin Yu chuckled. "Does the Junior Consort like it here?"
"Is this what Elder Qin was referring to?" Yi Xiao turned, puzzled. "This is—"
"The Moon Palace," Gu Yu stubbornly repeated. "The Moon Palace."
"This way, Junior Consort," Qin Yu said, stepping forward.
They rounded a screen wall adorned with nearly a thousand small golden Buddha statues and entered a small inner courtyard. Qin Yu pointed to a room lit with warm yellow glow and quickened his pace toward it. "Prince Feng!"
Yi Xiao halted abruptly. Gu Yu, following closely, nearly bumped into her.
"Elder Qin," Feng Suige responded, sliding open the door and rushing out. He paused upon seeing Yi Xiao and Gu Yu behind Qin Yu. "Why are you here?"
Yi Xiao managed a forced smile but didn't answer. Qin Yu hastily explained, "Forgive me, Your Highness. This old Qin has always been clumsy with words. Fearing I couldn't persuade the Junior Consort, I brought her here to see for herself."
Gu Yu nodded in agreement. "That's why Gu Yu came too."
Feng Suige's expression was peculiar. "Mm, mm, you've come." Seeing Yi Xiao's gaze had already shifted elsewhere, Qin Yu coughed. "Your Highness and the Junior Consort can chat. This old Qin will take Gu Yu to look around."
After Feng Suige nodded, they departed.
After a long while, Feng Suige asked softly, "Do you like it here?"
Yi Xiao forced a smile. "It's beautiful."
"I asked Elder Qin to purchase it," he hesitated slightly. "I had planned to tell you after renovations were complete."
Yi Xiao showed no joy. She glanced around while casually taking a few steps toward the lit room. "It's already very beautiful. Is it to be a villa, or do you plan to move the Prince's manor here?"
Feng Suige intentionally blocked her path, pointing in another direction. "The arrangements over there are quite special. Would you like to see it? I'll have someone light the lamps."
Yi Xiao stopped, her gaze shifting between him and the lit room. Suddenly, a wry smile crossed her face. "No need. I should go back."
Seeing her expression, Feng Suige quickly grabbed her hand. "There are no women inside."
"Did I say there were?" Yi Xiao smiled coldly. "Even if there were, what of it? The entire country will be yours in the future, Prince. What do a few women matter?"
Feng Suige grew anxious and pulled her toward the room. "You won't believe anything I say. Why don't you see for yourself?"
Caught off guard, Yi Xiao was dragged forward before she angrily struggled. "If there's nothing, then there's nothing. Why use force?"
Ignoring her protests, Feng Suige pulled her into the brightly lit room and pushed her forward defiantly, pointing to a corner. "See? The woman is there."
Yi Xiao froze.
On a high table sat jade boxes filled with various pigments: red ochre, azurite, gamboge, rouge, and countless others. In the corner, a large piece of sheepskin stretched tightly on a wooden frame bore a stunning portrait—a valiant woman in coral-red armor with a silver bow. Though the face remained blank, unfinished, the clothing and posture struck her like lightning.
It was her. Her battle armor. Her bearing. Her life.
"Did you paint this?" she asked in a daze. "Is that me?"
Even as she spoke, she had already walked forward, carefully examining the portrait. In the painting, the coral-red armor was riddled with sword cuts and gashes, tattered and torn. One corner was visibly missing a long strip of fabric—torn away to serve as an impromptu bandage for some soldier, perhaps. This was true battle armor. This was something court painters could never capture with their brushes, something only someone who had experienced war firsthand could depict.
She traced a finger across the sheepskin, her voice soft. "I didn't know you could paint, and so well at that."
She studied the armor intently, her fingertip lightly touching a spot. "Here, the shoulder guard should be made of tanned leather, with eight protective folds. The fourth, sixth, and eighth folds should be carved with the Jinxiu Dynasty's totem. The clasp isn't quite right either; it should be a leather strap pulled across the chest and fixed with rivets."
She turned back with a radiant smile, her eyes bright in the lamplight. "But I'm still impressed by your memory. If I hadn't seen this painting, I would have forgotten what my old battle armor looked like."
"Is that so? Then I'll revise it tomorrow," Feng Suige said, his earlier displeasure forgotten in the face of her joy. He moved closer, pointing at the painting. "You don't know how hard it was to find this coral-red pigment. I searched the entire Susha City and only found a tiny box." He exaggerated by forming a small circle with his thumb and forefinger. "It's a good thing Elder Qin returned. I spent an entire day rummaging through his storehouse before finding enough. Otherwise, this painting would have been finished long ago. I had originally planned to give it to you on your birthday."
Yi Xiao laughed in surprise. "Is it that hard to find? I don't even like this color much. I just thought it could conceal bloodstains."
"What did you say?" Feng Suige jumped up, staring at her intently. "Didn't you say last time it was to lure enemies on the battlefield?"
Yi Xiao rolled her eyes at him. "Did I say that? My former battle armor was silver-white, but it would always be covered in bloodstains when we returned from battle, drawing too much attention. His Majesty was always one to fuss over small matters. Seeing me covered in blood, he'd anxiously call for physicians, making a big deal out of even the tiniest wound until the whole camp knew. So later, I had this red armor made specially."
She paused, a knowing look crossing her face. "Blood doesn't even show up on it. Lure enemies? Do you think everyone is as foolish as you?"
With that, she burst into laughter.
Feng Suige's heart trembled at the mention of Xia Jingshi—but then understanding flooded through him. She had worn it only to conceal bloodstains, not to protect that man by luring enemies away.
With this realization, he too began to laugh heartily, his laughter even louder than hers.
Yi Xiao, who had been laughing, stopped in confusion when she saw his uncontrollable mirth. "What did you think of that's making you laugh like this?"
Feng Suige shook his head, still laughing. "Nothing, nothing. I just thought of something. I'll be fine after laughing."
Yi Xiao pursed her lips, ready to tease him, but seeing him laugh so joyfully, she couldn't help but chuckle again.
Then his laughter gradually faded. His eyes sparkled as his expression became more solemn, even as his smile lingered.
"Yi Xiao," he said softly, his gaze full of tenderness and adoration.
She looked at him, her own laughter quieting.
"Can you surpass them?" he asked.
Yi Xiao, still with a trace of a smile, looked at him puzzled. "Surpass whom?"
"Them," his gaze intensified, holding both reverence and something deeper—a dare, almost. "Can you surpass them, and not just with Elder Qin's help, but with your own strength? Prove to the world that you can surpass all women, and even—them?"
The question hung between them in the lamplight—not a challenge, but a belief. Not a demand, but an invitation to become something greater than even she had imagined herself to be.
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