Wearing Da Yue’s military uniform, the two of them pressed their hats low and somberly crossed one checkpoint after another into the manor until they reached Jin Siyu’s study. 

A tired voice came from inside, “Send them in.” 

Jin Siyu’s guard captain lifted the curtain and said “One of you come in.” 

Feng Zhi Wei immediately smiled and stepped forward. Only then did Zong Chen realize that she was wearing a squad captain’s uniform while he was just wearing an ordinary soldier’s uniform. 

When they were changing clothes before, because Zhi Wei is a woman, he had out of habit let her change first. To give her plenty of privacy, he even made sure to keep his distance. Who would’ve thought Feng Zhi Wei would use the opportunity to take the squad captain’s uniform. You seriously can’t let down your guard for one second against this woman. 

Surrounded by enemies on all sides and under the watchful eye of the guard captain, there was no way for Zong Chen to argue with Zhi Wei. Despite regretting bitterly on the inside, Zong Chen could only stand unmoving in the courtyard. 

Zhi Wei lifted the curtain and entered the room. 

A pale-faced Jin Siyu lay on the daybed, surrounded by a crowd of people. Not bothering to open his eyes to look at her, Jin Siyu simply asked with a somber voice “What’s the situation outside of the city?” 

“Your Highness, I have important news to report!” Feng Zhi Wei kneels down on one knee, her tone was calm. 

Tiredly pinching his brows, Jin Siyu kept his eyes closed and said “Go ahead and report.” 

After waiting in silence for a while, Jin Siyu opened his eyes with some surprise only to meet Feng Zhi Wei’s frank gaze. 

The misty and smoky eyes. 

Jin Siyu sat up abruptly, his gaze glued to the person in front of him, looking at her from head to toe for a long moment before finally breaking out in a smile. The smile was cold, with a blade-like expression flashing across his eyes. He then immediately raised his hand and motioned for everyone to leave. 

The roomful of people filed out of the door. The last person even carefully closed the door behind him but didn’t leave and stood guarding right outside of the door. 

In the silence of the room, surrounded by the faint fragrance of medicine, the two looked at each other in silence. 

After a bit, Jin Siyu smiled again as he leaned back against the daybed “Good, good. I thought you would pretend like before of amnesia, crying to me with an innocent expression how you were kidnapped by the assassins who had come to kill me, then wait for my heart to soften and continue to take you in. So we can once again continue with the whole charade… Who would’ve thought you would show up dressed like this. Indeed, you surprise me every time.”

Feng Zhi Wei stood up and replied with a smile, “Thank you, Your Highness, for your compliment.” Walking leisurely to the table, she poured herself a cup of tea and also filled Jin Siyu’s cup while she was at it. With a bright smile, she handed the cup over “Your Highness seemed a bit anxious, drink some tea to moisten your throat.” 

Staring at her smiling face and hearing her nonchalant voice, Jin Siyu’s eyes slowly moved down to the long slender finger holding the cup. The finger joints that had been slightly deformed are no longer quite visible after careful tending. For some reason, a surge of anger bubbled up within him so that he is starting to really feel “anxious”. Forcing himself to focus, he took the cup and held it in his hand, “It seems that you already found out about the Twin Gu? And you dare to come back like this?” 

Leaning against the table with a hot steaming teacup in hand, Feng Zhi Wei grinned “Of course I need to come back, aren’t you here waiting for me?” 

“Yes, looks like you are smart enough.” Jin Siyu was silent for a bit before grinning “If you didn’t come back by now then those people would’ve rescued a corpse.” 

“Your Twin Gu, as expected, had been changed.” Feng Zhi Wei took a sip of her tea and said in a carefree tone “However, Your Highness, my Eternal Powder might only differ from your Twin Gu by one character (in Chinese characters, both names share the same last character) but it’s not much less lethal than yours. Once you partake of Eternal Powder, then you will be granted eternal life.” Once you are in heaven, you have naturally obtained eternal life. 

Jin Siyu began to cough, his face pale with a tinge of green in it. Snickering, he said “Then we’ll go together!” 

“I of course don’t mind ascending to heaven with Your Highness.” Feng Zhi Wei gave Jin Siyu a relaxed smile “As a peasant, I have neither a tile roof over my head nor a luxurious bed beneath me.  I am all alone, drifting about in this world, if I die I die, all I need is a straw mat to wrap my corpse with. But it seemed a bit of a pity for Your Highness. As the most favored young prince, of the noblest heritage, if you could plan right, the throne of Da Yue could very well be yours. To have such a glorious potential, but to be willing to die with this nobody from the enemy nation, it’s truly a shame.” She kept smiling while saying what a shame, what a shame even as she slowly picked through the fruit and pastries in Jin Siyu’s study, choosing the one she liked, taking one bite here and one bite there, her expression completely devoid of any empathy for Jin Siyu’s supposedly great sacrifice.

Jin Siyu glared at her, knowing that it is useless to curse or threaten someone like her. Seeing that all of his food have almost been completely eaten by her, Jin Siyu was so angry that he can hardly drink his tea. Setting his cup down none too gently on the table, Jin Siyu said coldly “Are you done eating?”

Feng Zhi Wei patted her hand to get the dessert crumbs off her hand and said in an apologetic soft voice, “Sorry, I didn’t eat enough last night. Negotiation is very taxing on one’s energy, you have to make sure to have something in your stomach.” 

“Negotiation? What basis do you have to negotiate with me?” As if he heard the most ridiculous thing in the world, Jin Siyu looked her up and down, his expression full of ridicule, “With your little reinforcements? Or use the little amnesia act that you are so good at?”

“Ha ha.” Feng Zhi Wei sat down, flashing a smile at Jin Siyu, and tapped her forehead with her hand, “With my humble self’s head.” 

Taken aback at first, Jin Siyu soon understood her meaning and let out a jeering laugh filled with sarcasm “Your head? You sure are full of confidence. I have three thousand advisors under me, and hundreds of strategists, every single one of them is full of talent and knowledge. If you are not a famous scholar then you can’t even enter my study! Who are you? What do you think you are? A mere woman, a soldier from the enemy nation. At most, you are just a bit clever and on pure luck have not lost yet. Do you think that qualifies you to negotiate with me? To become one of my advisors? Who do you think you are?” 

His words were fast and furious, a faint redness staining his pale face. 

There was no anger on Feng Zhi Wei’s face, in fact, she looked at the rarely worked up Jin Siyu with amusement and waited for him to finish before laughing “On what basis?” 

She leaned against the table, looking down at Jin Siyu, staring into his eyes, and said softly “Base on me becoming the peerless national scholar at the age of fifteen. Based on the fact that I became a member of the cabinet official at the age of sixteen, the ambassador to the South Sea. Based on the fact that at age seventeen, I was the vice general who wiped out your Da Yue’s 100,000 soldiers!” 

“……..”

There was no sound in the room for a long time, not even breathing as if someone’s very breath was forced back into his body after the earth-shattering shock and surprise. After a long while, among the faint smoke and medicinal fragrance, came a faint bitter sound. 

“…It was really…you.” 

Feng Zhi Wei stood up straight and with a smile, performed a formal bow “Citizen of Tian Sheng, Minister of Rites, Deputy General Wei Zhi greets Prince An of Da Yue.” 

Jin Siyu sat in a daze, looking at the woman in front of him. Dressed as an ordinary soldier with a look of ease, obviously quite used to dressing as a man. Calm and elegant, it seemed like nothing could ruffle her confidence. Indeed, she has a strong semblance to the legendary youth of Tian Sheng with his rumored amazing talent and intellect. Yet, she is also different from the forceful youth he met in the mountain range (that the first time they met face to face when Zhi Wei was dressed as Wei Zhi), and different from the fierce woman covered in blood surrounded on all sides at the foot of the Bai Tou cliff. Different from the gentle and playful Shao Yao he had spent the last two months with. This woman with a thousand faces, who can read her heart?

All text copyright @ www.Ninja-Reflection.com

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