“I reject your wager.” Feng Zhi Wei said. 

Jin Siyu immediately turned to look at her. Feng Zhi Wei smiled lazily, “Go ahead and kill him if you can. If Ning Yi can be so easily killed off by you, then how can he be worthy of getting that throne?”

Jin Siyu’s eyes flickered as he stared at her expression of complete indifference. His own expression didn’t look exactly like one of loss, in fact, there seemed to be a hint of joy. 

“Or…..” He slowly leaned close, testing a bit, “Your intentions are not what I had thought?” 

Feng Zhi Wei smiled faintly, raised her hand, and the taut chain shone brightly with silver light as she said with a laugh, “My martial skills, they are not what you imagined as well, right?” 

Jin Siyu paused, let out a wry smile, and then leaned half of his body on the edge of the bed, “We are tied together now, it should at least be okay to borrow half of the bed?” 

“The bed belongs to Your Highness, I have no say in it.” Feng Zhi Wei yawned, feeling that she didn’t sleep enough, she closed her eyes again. 

Once she closed her eyes and went to sleep, her usual restrained expression faded away, and her appearance and aura became peaceful and serene. Jin Siyu turned his body to face her, propping his head on one hand as he looked at her. Feng Zhi Wei cracked open one eyelid, glanced at him, unbothered, and continued on as she was. 

Jin Siyu furrowed his brows as he watched her little movements, feeling a mix of an urge to laugh, a bit of anger, and a bit of helplessness. In a daze, he thought of the Peony in the Puyuan. It was these cute little actions from time to time she would show, that was both charming and adorable, making one’s heart soften, making it easier and easier to believe she was just a simple naive woman. Maybe just a bit more clever, a bit smarter but in no way ever be connected to that cunning and ruthless minister who could turn the very world upside down. 

Yet, heaven knows how good she can play a part. 

That charming and lovable Peony, was forever left behind in Puyuan that winter. 

He stared at that soft gentle face just inches away from him. After a long while, he wanted to reach out a finger and brush away a loose strand of hair resting on her brow. It had fallen across her nose and was rising and falling with her breathing. He imagines it must tickle and might end up disturbing her sleep. But as he moved his hand, the chain between them made a noise. The noise sounded harsh and jarring in the silence of the room. His hand froze abruptly. 

Between him and her, would there always be this cold, iron-like wall, preventing them from getting close even an inch?

Ji Siyu sighed in his heart, withdrew his hand, and suddenly felt a bit tired. He slowly closed his eyes; he was indeed a bit tired after a battle of wits and strength with this woman. 

Jin Siyu closed his eyes. After a bit, Feng Zhi Wei opened her eyes. Her gaze was clear, without any hint of sleep in it. Her eyes swept over the ground above the cabin, abruptly sat up and said, “I’m hungry.” 

Jin Siyu had just fallen asleep when he was jerked awake without mercy by her. The moment he opened his eyes, the noble prince, still half-asleep, his expression grim, looked steadily at her for a bit. Feng Zhi Wei met his gaze innocently and stressed again, “Hungry.” 

Jin Siyu sat on the bed in a daze for a while before getting off and ordering food to be brought in. The servants soon brought in a few small dishes. Jin Siyu led her over to sit down. Just as he was about to join her to eat with her, Feng Zhi Wei had already picked up her chopsticks and stirred them through every single plate. 

Then she said immediately with a bright smile, “If Your Highess is not afraid of being poisoned by me then please do me the honor of dining with me.”

Asking others to share the dishes she had stirred through… 

Jin Siyu looked at the messed up dishes, and truly did not have the courage to risk his life just to get into a petty fight with her. Pressing his lips together, he smiled, “I don’t have the habit of eating with others.” As he spoke, he gave a meaningful side glance at the food. 

Feng Zhi Wei ate with a smile on her face, her expression was one of satisfaction but something was off with her movement— she kept pushing the food around with her chopsticks, seemingly with a poor appetite. It wasn’t her fault that her appetite was so poor. Jin Siyu was too stingy! The dishes that were brought in didn’t look bad, but the cooking was absurdly terrible. It was as if no salt had been added to any of the dishes, and all were as plain as water. The steamed buns looked exquisite in appearance, but they were not leavened properly and were as tough as hard dough balls. In fact, they probably could be tossed out as hidden weapons. Feng Zhi Wei, as one who is now used to living in luxury, had never eaten such poor fare in her life. While forcing herself to swallow, she reflected on whether she had deceived him too much back then. Or else, how could a once magnanimous and generous prince turn into such a stingy penny-pincher? Sigh, back then, she should not have tricked him into going up to the city wall and given him the emotional trauma, but she should have just wiped out his personal guard unit instead. 

After her chopsticks battled with the hard dough balls for a good while, she was finally able to stuff herself full. Jin Siyu admired her without anger and asked after she was done, “You are done eating?”

Feng Zhi Wei smiled sweetly, “Finished, thank you for treating me to dinner.” 

Jin Siyu nodded, waved his hand, and said, “Serve the food.”

Then, Feng Zhi Wei’s eyes widened in surprise as delicacies from both land and sea, such as exotic seafood, tender game, bird’s nest, bear paw…were brought in one after another by an absurdly ugly chef. Right in front of her, a table full of delicious delicacies was laid out. 

An intoxicating aroma wafted through the air. Feng Zhi Wei inhaled deeply. She was about to savor the aroma but instead, “Ugh” she let out a brup. 

Her stomach has been stuffed full of hard buns and flavorless boiled vegetables. 

Across from her, Jin Siyu gracefully picked up his chopsticks and said with a smile, “Don’t be fooled by how ugly this chef is. He is a master chef that we had spent a lot of effort to recruit him from Xiliang. He used to be the exclusive imperial chef for the old emperor of Xiliang. His soups and dishes are exceptional.” As he talked, he picked up a beautifully cooked piece of fish and took a sip of Da Yue’s famous liquor “Fiery White” and savored the wine slowly. 

Then he heaped praises on how perfectly cooked the fish was and how the flavor rich and pure. He gently explained to Feng Zhi Wei, “Just now, that was the custom of our Dayue banquet. We serve the light dishes first to awaken the palate. The feast meal comes afterwards…you just moved a bit too fast.” 

Feng Zhi Wei “………….”

————————————

After the meal incident ended in another draw, things quieted down between Jin Siyu and Feng Zhi Wei for a good while. Each night, Jin Siyu would lock the shackle to the floor and leave to go sleep somewhere else. He would return in the morning, reattach the chain to himself and chat with Feng Zhi Wei about books, philosophy, or other topics. The atmosphere between them could be counted as calm and cordial. 

As the ship sailed farther and farther, drawing closer to Dayue, Jin Siyu’s expression became increasingly relaxed. Of course, they were no more of the dining incident. Feng Zhi Wei finally had the good fortune to taste the ugly chef’s cooking. Even she, as someone who had tasted the finest delicacies, had to admit that it was indeed good. 

On the seventh day of the journey, the ship had just passed a chain of islands on the edge of Xiliang’s water. After making a stop at the shore to resupply and rest, the ship set sail again. 

 Everyone on board had been carefully selected by Jin Siyu, each one an elite of Dayue. 

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