A/N: Hohoho It's the start of December here. I would have made padorus if I had time but life keeps getting in the way

Long Xu Le paced back and forth in front of the newly replaced table. She didn't know how the scaredy-cat could break that red sandalwood desk. Well, it was good that he didn't fracture his hand.

Her Highness paused a little.

Good?

She was baffled. The King didn't care if those soft hands were fractured. It would just be a pity.

"What are you anxious about?" Xiao Hao had the expression of an uncle wanting to hear gossip.

Wan Li Wang's peach blossom eyes were blank. Her lips pursed in a thin line and her hands were behind her back. Her straight posture, tall stature and the way her hair was pulled at the top of her head by a single coronet spoke of power and strength. The black strands that swayed behind her revealed just a hint of androgynous allure.

Looking at the King when she wasn't on the battlefield, one could have the illusion that she was just a young matriarch of a martial arts family. Rigid but oozing with charisma.

It was a shame most people couldn't see this side of her. They were always prejudiced and filled with fear when looking at wangye.

Usually, Xiao Hao was too busy to care about her Highness' personal affairs. But when he had downtimes like this, he worried about the future. As someone who watched the little gongzhu who grew up into a qinwang, he wanted her to have a happy married life.

Alas, no man deserved her.

He paused and recalled someone. Ah, if that person was alive, he might be the one beside Wan Li Wang today.

Xiao Hao shook his head. He didn't even have white hairs yet but he must be going senile to think that he could pair wangye with a person.

That was when the two in the study heard a muffled shout. Long Xu Le stood frozen, trying to heighten her senses.

Zhongqing was special in that the rooms were constructed with good insulation. She hired hidden architectural experts for the wangfu, away from the Yao family's prying eyes.

Her Highness and her people all had high martial arts. If she wanted privacy, that would be difficult if she were to have a normal courtyard. So this was a necessity.

She closed her eyes to heighten her senses and finally heard faint sobs.

Wan Li Wang frowned. Unknowingly, her feet were already moving to the side hall.

Xiao Hao marveled at this sight. He had seen the King drive on while there was carnage all around.

A kid lamenting his mother's rape and death. A soldier dying on the battlefield. An elderly perishing from famine.

She pressed on. Inevitably sacrificing those lives in exchange for saving the whole village, army or province.

And yet there was a person crying in the side room and she was too troubled?

He wanted to laugh while wondering if Long Xu Le even knew what she was doing. Well, it was too early to judge what this was.

For all he knew, this might just be a fleeting fascination.

When her Highness entered the room, she saw Fourth Young Master Feng's hand suspended mid-air. It was obvious he didn't know how to comfort his cousin who kept wiping his eyes but more tears flowed out.

Beauty Feng's fingers still had the small wounds from destroying the table. Long Xu Le's brows furrowed deeper.

Feng Yanyan's vision was blurry. Add that to the fact that he barely kept his eyes open because he just wanted to stop these stupid tears. He had been too riled up today.

I swear I'm too emotional.

He cursed himself endlessly inside as he stretched a harsh hand to wipe his face again.

But it stopped mid-way as he felt a cool sensation wrap around his wrist. Something feather-like fell on his nose and cheeks. It soaked up the tears.

"Hic!" Feng Yanyan was so astounded that his sobs turned into hiccups.

He felt an aggressive breath above him. "Are you so dull? That ointment on your hand isn't meant to get to your eyes."

The clear voice was ringing with discontent but the hand behind the handkerchief was mild. Feng Yanyan pried his eyes wide open.

A thunderous chiseled face met his gaze. He closed his eyes again. Too scary!

His heart hammered in his chest. Damn, wangye was too near. What if she got annoyed and just snapped his neck?

Feng mei ren willed himself to be eaten by the chair he was sitting on.

Towering above him, an imperious order went off. "Cheng Gong, see the guest out."

Wan Li Wang didn't even glance at Feng Yangzhi but the man felt like there were more than ten blades pointing at him. He couldn't guard against them because he couldn't see them.

Wangye's back was on him but her animosity was felt. There was no way he could explain himself now so he followed the eunuch out without qualms.

When  the fourth young master was out of sight, the King's voice flowed again.

"Ben dian has never seen a man so..." She exhaled, helpless. "Foolish."

Long Xu Le gave up and called servants to help Feng Yanyan wash his face and reapply the ointment on his hand. There was no more use trying to hide the fact that he was here.

News would still spread or maybe, it was already spreading.

Careless.

The only thing she could do was tweak the content of the rumors.

Zhongqing courtyard's servants were thoughtful enough to give Feng Yanyan some change of clothes. He assumed these were Long Sangyu's old clothes.

Coiling patterns flowed on the lapels while serpents roamed the sleeves and hem. 

Media Source: Alibaba

These four years, he had never worn such strong colors for fear that the Empress wouldn't find him pleasing. One must know that to be a perfect royal mei ren, one must be soft and soft.

To be the embodiment of the fragility of yin as opposed to the strength of yang, he limited his wardrobe to light and pastel colors. It was good that the style suited Feng Yanyan's body type. His features were feminine to begin with.

Beauty Feng wriggled his toes inside the cloth shoes as he stood in front of the door of the study. From across the room, chief eunuch Cheng Gong seemed to be reporting something.

"...no infection... Feng might... overreacted... few days rest."

He could only catch a few words. Wangye waved her hand, her voice crystal clear without exerting effort. "Get some medicine from the warehouse. She should recover within a week."

By now, he could understand who they were talking about. He was relieved that Zizi would be treated with ease and ignored the part where the eunuch said he might have overreacted.

But chief eunuch Cheng paused. Her Highness had never revoked punishments before, especially one as delicate of a matter as this. He wasn't really clear on the situation either, he just knew that the girl JuZi had some connections outside that wangye didn't know about.

Cheng Gong's mind turned and felt that it was connected to the master that JuZi girl served. Beauty Feng.

In the past months, Feng mei ren had shown his face more and more in front of King Wan Li. If JuZi girl's sanction was because of him... then wouldn't that mean Feng Yanyan was a threat to the wangfu?

A eunuch's instincts could never be underestimated. They weathered many storms inside the palace. They had seen men and women try to manipulate, engage, attract and seduce masters in favor of themselves or the families backing them.

This was the first time many gentlemen and ladies-in-waiting entered Wan Li wangfu all at once. Cheng Gong had his way of monitoring them. From the beginning, he knew that Junwang paid a significant amount of attention to Feng Yanyan.

But on the surface, his Highness antagonized the latter so the old eunuch concluded the prince was wary of the so-called Top Beauty of Tanglin.

Cheng Gong also knew of Junzhu's unusual interest in Feng Yanyan but Chief Cheng didn't make a move against this. Compared to ensnaring Junwang or even the King, it was better for Feng Yanyan to stay cooped in Junzhu's hands.

It was selfish of him. But Cheng Gong's priority would always be the king and the prince. The Junzhu didn't have enough ability to influence the whole wangfu or Suliang.

If Feng Yanyan really had bad intentions, it could be said that ending up with the Junzhu would effectively quell them.

But who knew that the beauty still fell on the King's eyes because the princess wasn't able to hold onto him well. This was where Cheng Gong's silent manipulation stopped.

His duty was to attend to wangye. If he crossed that line or tried to control her Highness in any way, no matter what generosity King Wan Li spared for him, it would be cut with a sharp blade.

This was Cheng Gong's lifeline through all these years, the trait of his that saved his life multiple times. Other retainers came and went but he was still as stable as a pine tree beside wangye.

Long Xu Le was sensitive when it came to her control. Anyone with the slightest desire to superintend her Highness would be banished.

And so, even if the experienced eunuch beheld Feng Yanyan's visage that could topple all genders, his heart was calm. He trusted her Highness' mind more than anything else.

Edited: Feb. 15, 2023