The imperial carriage slipped silently into the darkness, the floating red lanterns weaved in the night like mysterious ghost eyes, blinking open and close. Feng Zhi Wei remained in her bowing position on the ground for a long time, her back covered in a cold sweat.
A hand softly helped her up. Ning Yi and his slightly smiling face came into her view.
Feng Zhi Wei smiled back, and using his sleeve as a shield, she asked softly “How come he knew so much?”
“There was some chaos with the assassin before, father was worried about Shaoning and sent someone over to her place.” Ning Yi whispered back, “Shao Ning wasn’t there. He immediately thought of your place – I heard that Shaoning had already bugged him about coming to visit you several days ago and he didn’t give his permission.”
Feng Zhi Wei sighed and muttered, “I am getting cold sweat all night tonight . . .”
Ning Yi’s voice was deep with a hint of teasing, “This prince is as well. Why don’t we go to the bathhouse together? This prince is very skilled in back scrubbing.”
“Your servant’s sweat has dried already and wouldn’t dare to trouble Your Highness.” Feng Zhi Wei gave him a fake smile, pushed him away, and went over to Gu Nan Yi to look him over closely, “Are you alright?”
Gu Nan Yi’s sleeve averted her hand when she went to take his pulse. Feng Zhi Wei looked at him in surprise, thinking him is still angry, she let out a soft laugh and said “Brother Gu, we are in the palace right now without help so we must act accordingly…”
Gu Nan Yi listened intently and after a bit, shook his head and said slowly, “Don’t like seeing you at a disadvantage.”
Feng Zhi Wei was taken aback, thought for a moment, and finally realized he wasn’t angry but just frustrated she had fallen into someone’s trap. She let out a bright smile as warmth filled her heart, “Don’t worry, nothing in this world can keep me down for good.”
Gu Nan Yi stared at her silently before abruptly coming up close to her and whispered, “Are you going to marry her?”
Feng Zhi Wei silently thought to herself that Xiao Dai has improved quite a bit recently. If it was before, he would not have been able to work out all the complicities of tonight’s situation. She nodded and whispered back, “We’ll have to take it one step at a time, staying alive is the most important thing.”
Staying next to her ear, Gu Nan Yi was lost in thought, his clean and slightly astringent fragrance enveloped her. Just being this close caused her to feel refreshed.
Feng Zhi Wei shifted a bit uncomfortably, feeling that the two of them were too close. In the darkness, someone seemed to be watching with scorching eyes, burning into her back.
However, Master Gu has always been a person who is extremely focused. No matter what’s happening around him, he only cares about Feng Zhi Wei. Feng Zhi Wei moved, so he moved as well, concentrating on his discussion with her, “Hmm…what if I marry her instead?”
“. . . . . .”
Feng Zhi Wei began to cough loudly until her body doubled over and her face became bright red. Gu Nan Yi stared at her, not sure why this woman was so worked up.
After a while, Feng Zhi Wei asked through her coughing, “You…like her?”
Gu Nan Yi shuddered.
“Then why marry her?”
Gu Nan Yi looked at Feng Zhi Wei like she was an idiot and said as a matter of course, “It would not be good for you to marry her.”
Feng Zhi Wei was stunned and blurted out a dumb question, “It would be good for you?”
Gu Nan Yi gave her a look– the look of- If it was not good for you then I naturally have to find a way to solve it, what does it have anything to do with whether or not it’s good for me?
He felt that this woman was very stupid tonight and was not worth talking to so he turned his head away.
But Feng Zhi Wei was already chuckling softly.
The resentment and anger that had filled her inside tonight dissipated in an instant– there is still someone in this world who is willing to sacrifice everything for her without calculating personal gains and losses.
It is so precious, so precious that she can no longer express any dissatisfaction regarding the injustices of this world.
“It’s not bad.” She sighed and said next to Gu Nan Yi’s ear, “It’s already pretty lucky that I wouldn’t lose my post even if I am married to the princess. You also captured the real culprit so the emperor knows I was wronged and no longer holds a grudge against me. Once I am his son-in-law who had obviously taken the fall for his daughter, he will treat me even better…my good days are coming soon.”
Gu Nan Yi thought for a bit and let out a long breath of relief.
Marrying means sleeping with a wife on the same bed. Just the thought of sharing the same bed with Shaoning makes him feel like his very world is going to split in half.
In fact, the thought of sleeping with anyone causes him to feel like his very world is going to split in half.
But…
“Sleeping, no.” He thought about it, then said emphatically.
“Huh?” Feng Zhi Wei was about to go interrogate Ni Wenyu but turned back puzzled upon hearing Gu Nan Yi’s words.
“Sleeping with you.” Still immersed in his own thoughts, Master Gu said in all seriousness, “That’s fine.”
“. . . . . .”
Feng Zhi Wei stumbled and fell into the flowerbed by the courtyard.
————————————————–
Defeated by the mighty Master Gu, Feng Zhi Wei ran to Ni Wenyu’s side as if she was escaping from something. Ning Yi had already woke Ni Wenyu up.
He had his back to Feng Zhi Wei and Gu Nan Yi the whole time and had not watched as they whispered to one another. Feng Zhi Wei went over with a somewhat unnatural-looking expression. He could see the slight red blush under her thin face mask that the powerful one sentence had caused. Ning Yi glanced at her and chuckled.
Not amused by his smile, Feng Zhi Wei decided to ignore him but then heard him whisper in a low voice, “You see, Zhi Wei, in this world, only I am the most suitable for you– in thoughts, pace, planning, decision making, you and me.”
“Too similar, each with its own cutting edge.” Feng Zhi Wei said nonchalantly, “The possibility of a collision is greater.”
“I very much look forward to you colliding hard into me or me colliding hard into you. I imagine the sparks would be wonderful at that moment.” Ning Yi smiled abhorrently with a pun in his words.
The corner of Feng Zhi Wei’s mouth twitched, not planning to have a war of words in this rather inappropriate place. Giving the still-dazed Ni Wenyu a slap, Feng Zhi Wei couldn’t help but look at Gu Nan Yi when she felt the coldness in her hand.
Master Gu’s internal energy is not an icy sort so where did this cold energy come from? Did Ni Wenyu catch it while he was forcing the cold energy out of his body?
“He hit the outer wall of my place.” Master Gu explained.
Gu Nan Yi expelled the cold energy in his body and ended up freezing Ni Wenyu who was trying to escape?
Such a powerful cold energy, it would certainly cause problems later on if any trace at all were left inside him. Did Gu Nan Yi clear them out completely or not?
Ni Wenyu was woken up further by Feng Zhi Wei’s slap. Curling up into a ball, with his teeth chattering and panicked eyes, it took a while before he finally recognized Feng Zhi Wei and Ning Yi…causing him to become even more panicked.
“Forgive me…forgive me…” he cried, “I just didn’t want to be exiled…”
It took quite a bit of time of interrogation from Feng Zhi Wei to figure out that because of giving false testimonies in court, this person was put under shackles at the gate of Qingming Academy and was to be sent into exile soon. However, last night, someone had shown up at the dungeon to make a deal with him.
— a deal involving him sleeping with someone at a certain place to avoid being exiled.
As for where the certain place is, Ni Wenyu didn’t know. He was also warned that he could not ask concerning the identity of who the person he was supposed to sleep with. He probably would not have dared to do the deed if he had known who it was.
“Who made the deal with you.” This is the key question.
Ni Wenyu shook his head, “The person was wearing a mask and standing in the dark, I couldn’t tell. At the time, there were no prison guards around at all.”
Peng Pei, the Minister of Punishment is currently awaiting punishment. If the person that came could get everyone to leave, then it must be a person of high status. There must also be something amiss in the Ministry of Punishment as well.
“Your Highness’ three justices (departments) should undergo a purge.” Feng Zhi Wei smiled at Ning Yi.
Ning Yi returned a tender and vicious smile, “Of course, in an efficient manner.”
The two talked freely in front of Ni Wenyu as he listened in horror. He is not a fool, vaguely sensing already that something is wrong. His face become even more pale as he looked around at the surrounding high palace wall, the palatial buildings, the guards’ uniform, and the high-hanging palace lanterns.
“What’s…this place…” He asked with trembling lips, “I…don’t know anything…”
Feng Zhi Wei looked at him with coldness and disgust in her eyes. Because of this person’s greed, he walked down a strayed path further and further, harming himself, and many others, almost killing her as well.
She smiled, patted the shrinking Ni Wenyu’s shoulder, and said tenderly, “This, is your hell.”
All text copyright @ www.Ninja-Reflection.com
Is it just me or are Ning Yi’s passes at (e.g. hitting on) FZW getting more frequent and blatant? 😀
I love love love their banter. I can’t wait another week more.