Jin Siyu stepped into the cabin but poked his head out again and asked, “Is the wine ready?” 

The subordinate behind him smiled and said, “Yes, it will be brought right away. Congratulations, Your Highness.” 

Jin Siyu smiled, and carried Feng Zhi Wei into the cabin. The ship was narrow but this particular cabin was very spacious. It appeared to be several cabins connected together. Jin Siyu laid Fong Zhi Wei on the bed. As he moved, the chain between their fingers jingled softly, glinting with a silvery light. He looked down at the chain locked around both of their thumbs, and the expression in his gaze momentarily turned difficult to read. 

Behind him, the candlelight crackled and swayed gently with the rocking of the waves. Someone quietly brought a tray and left with a smile. 

Jin Siyu never did look back but sat on the edge of the bed. He first removed Feng Zhi Wei’s mask. Frowning slightly, he sighed, “There is actually another layer of fake mask.” He took out a handkerchief, dampened it with some water to wipe away the disguise. As the pale yellow cosmetics were washed away, her familiar features gradually emerged. Jin Siyu gazed at her, his hand froze mid-motion. 

It was a face that often appeared uninvited in his dream. Graceful, delicate, and filled with a natural charm. It was impossible to imagine that behind such appearance there would hide a soul that was so powerful that it was almost terrifying. However, the slight redness between her brows he remember had disappeared and neither can he find the light blue dot that should’ve been behind her ear that should’ve appeared after she was poisoned. 

He frowned slightly, and thought for a while. He didn’t give her an antidote to wake her up, nor did he unlock the small lock chain. Instead, he climbed into the bed and lay beside her, and  just like he had done many times before, he pulled her gently into his arms. 

The candlelight shimmered, casting layers upon layers of halos. In that golden glow, she leaned softly against him, almost as she were still the Peony he knew, gentle and charming. He held her, let out a long breath, poured himself a glass of wine from the wine pot on the small table by the bed. With a smile, he raised his glass and toasted toward the empty air and said “Cheers to myself, for your increasingly soft heart.” 

He drained the cup in one shot, then another. The flickering pale yellow candlelight enveloped his gentle face and his eyes gradually became misty, but he didn’t dare to really let himself get drunk. After drinking only a few small cups, he peacefully wrapped his arms around her, and took a small nap. 

After a while, he opened his eyes and flicked his finger to send out a secret signal. Once some quiet footsteps approached, he asked, “Where are we?”

A voice replied respectfully, “We have passed Senluo Island.” 

That meant there is quite a bit of distance between them and Xiliang now. She couldn’t even swim back if she tried. Jin Siyu smiled, and finally picked up a box and held it beneath Feng Zhi Wei’s nose. 

A sharp, spicy scent rushed out. Feng Zhi Wei sneezed, her lashes fluttered, and then opened her eyes. 

At first, her vision was blurred and shaky. All she could see were bright brilliant colors. After a good while, the scattered fragments of outlines slowly pieced themselves together, allowing her to finally see clearly what was in front of her– Jin Siyu’s with an unreadable expression on his face. 

He was leaning in front of her, extremely close. His warm breath was on his face. A rich and refined scent, like the man himself. Feng Zhi Wei averted her head and examined her surroundings. She saw that behind him, the room was decorated festively, everything red and gold. Even the bedding beneath her was crimson colored embroidered with dragons and phoenixes. On the table, red candles burned brightly, with exquisite looking fruits and snacks. There were also red porcelain cups painted with mandarin ducks and the double happiness character on it. No matter how one looked at it, the room appeared to be a wedding room. 

She moved her hand and heard the soft clanging sound of the chain. She looked down and saw her left thumb bound by a ring-shaped shackle. The other end of the chain seemed to extend right into Jin Siyu’s sleeve. 

“How long are you going to look before you express the surprise you ought to express?”

 Jin Siyu finally spoke, his eyebrow raised high, as he looked somewhat exasperated at the very composed Feng Zhi Wei who had instantly finished taking in every detail of the room with a sweeping glance. He even noticed that the woman’s gaze was not focused on the wedding decor but had instead swept across all the exits, from the skylight to the floorboards, from the door frames to the windows. 

Truly, a woman who would make you gasp in awe after just one glance because of her poise and meticulousness. 

Feng Zhi Wei heard him speak, turned her head, raised an eyebrow as she took a close look at him and smiled, “Oh, I didn’t expect to see Your Highness here!” 

She did express “surprise,” but unfortunately, her expression remained the same. Jin Siyu sighed and poured himself another cup of wine and said, “Marquis Wei? Or should I call you Shaoyao instead. With someone like you, there is no need to really explain too much about the ins and outs. I will just make a long story short. This is a boat, we are heading to Dayue. I invited you here to give you a choice.” 

“Oh?” Feng Zhi Wei swept her hair back, and touched her earlobe, and put on an expression of being a ready listener. 

Her rare cute and alluring little gesture made Jin Siyu’s heart tremble. He quickly looked away to steady himself and continued, “First option, I want to settle the grudge between you and me here and now, or either bury you at sea as a sacrifice to the spirits of my fallen soldiers at Whitehead Cliff, or you burry me at the sea to honor the seven thousand warriors of your Wild Grassland – let’s see who succeeds.” 

“And the second?”

“The second option. I still want to settle our feud, but in a different way— you drink this wedding wine, fulfill the promise from before, become my woman, and everything from the past is wiped clean.” 

He smiled, and handed over another big red mandarin duck wine glass. Under the glow of the red candles, his smile was gentle and graceful. 

Feng Zhi Wei didn’t take the wine glass but looked at Jin Siyu and said in a languid voice, “Your Highness’ obsession sure seems to run rather deep.” 

“There is never a reason for me to let go easily of a woman I want.” Jin Siyu was not embarrassed by her refusal to take the cup. He held the cup steadily and said with a smile, “And you shouldn’t give up on this cup of wine either.” 

“Oh?”

“Have you forgotten the poison in your body? The antidote that must be taken once a year is right in here.” Jin Siyu gestured to the cup with a smile. 

“I think it’s more likely to be poison.” Feng Zhi Wei lazily lay back down. As she moved, the silver chain between them jingled. She frowned slightly, her gaze falling on Jin Siyu’s hand that had been tugged slightly by the movement. 

“Love Lock.” Jin Siyu said with a smile, and shook his finger, “Locking each other, to be the same heart for life.” 

Feng Zhi Wei tapped the edge of the bed with her finger and gave him a look that clearly expressed the sentiment of: “Your Highness, have you lost your mind?”

Not least bit offended, Jin Siyu lifted the hem of his robe and sat down beside her, “Don’t be stubborn. I checked your pulse earlier. The poison is still in your body. They are only being suppressed by a powerful internal energy. The more you suppress them, the more severe the rebound could be later on. Are you really so clueless about it?”

Feng Zhi Wei sighed and nodded with feeling, “I know. Of course I know. Everyone is afraid of death, aren’t they?” 

“Of course, besides, how can you be willing to die right now from a mere poison?” Jin Siyu’s voice deepened, seemingly implying something more as he once again offer her the cup, “Shaoyao, if I haven’t read you wrong, you are someone who cares nothing about labels as long as something is beneficial to you. Are you really going to be so foolish as to reject the opportunity to obtain the antidote just because it’s in a wedding wine? If so, then I have really misjudged you.” 

“Is Your Highness trying to provoke me?” Feng Zhi Wei raised an eyebrow and smiled, “But I think, I’ve fallen for your trap.” 

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