A/N: Minimal editing plus you might hate me for this chapter ahahahaa 

"Don't think of useless things."

Hearing that, Feng Yanyan gave a blinding smile. It was too bad that the receiver was the phlegmatic King. The critical damage was nullified.

Thinking that he was absolved of his crime, Beauty Feng gained courage once again.

"Feng has a few questions. Does wangye have time?"

Long Xu Le wanted to say she had none. But she recalled Feng Haotian's bias toward this grandson of his. She gestured for him to carry on.

"Did Fourth Brother really go all the way here for me?"

"Otherwise?" Wangye's expression said it all. He was too dumb to ask this question.

Feng Yanyan scratched the back of his head. "Then... Why did her Highness call him a merchant before? Fourth brother changed careers?"

Long Xu Le looked outside the window again. It was painful to watch Feng Yanyan.

"You really don't know anything, do you?"

Well, it was alright, she told herself. Not everyone was aware of how political powers at play worked.

She folded her hands in front of her. "Just think of it as an incognito visit. Wan Li Palace doesn't have the luxury to receive visitors from the capital or anywhere else."

Feng Yanyan's willow-leaf eyes grew even rounder. Aiya, he already suspected this Wangye was really too pitiful.

The Empress kept pushing her to isolate herself from the empire. But then again, he recalled the wealth of King Wan Li. It seemed she wasn't as deserted as the Empress wanted.

It wasn't possible for Wan Li Wang's treasures to only come from the battlefields or Suliang itself. The rare materials and invaluable resources that were displayed in Zhongqing courtyard could only be traded or gifted.

Her highness might be even richer than the Wan Li Wang in the book.

Long Xu Le saw the inexplicable emotions passing through his eyes.

"If there aren't any more questions, go."

After that, Feng Yanyan could be said to have been kicked out from Zhongqing courtyard.

On his way back, he stumbled upon a familiar face. He was about to greet the person casually but to his surprise, the latter was painted with enthusiasm as soon as he saw Feng Yanyan.

"Brother Feng!"

The palace was big and he hadn't come into contact with the other mei ren ever since he was hurt by Long Tang. That was why Beauty Feng was unaware of the talks about him.

In their eyes, Feng Yanyan had wholly become King Wan Li's person. They even heard the two were inseparable.

"Brother Zhou." He couldn't match the energy of the young man.

"It's been a long time. Brother Feng was too quiet, we can't even come to congratulate you these days."

Feng Yanyan could read jealousy like the back of his hand. And the emotion he was seeing in the other's face right now was none other than jealousy.

He was puzzled. Perhaps he had grown prettier during his isolation?

Carefully touching his cheek, he found out it was as smooth as he remembered it. "Congratulate?"

"Aiya, no need to hide it. Aren't we brothers of four years?" Zhou mei ren's eyes kept rolling and Feng Yanyan was reminded of a buzzing mosquito.

He wanted to swat the person away.

Beauty Feng laughed. "How can I hide it? My face has always been something everyone can see."

He couldn't help but boast about his appearance. There really was no need to congratulate him.

But Beauty Zhou understood a different meaning from his words. It was that Feng Yanyan never hid his relationship with wangye.

Zhou mei ren gnashed his teeth secretly. Who was it that fell all over the prince just some time ago? Brother Feng sure had the audacity to spout some lies.

"Then, see you around." Feng Yanyan bid goodbye.

Today was tiring ah. He'd rather sleep than talk rubbish with the other mei ren.

---

"Your highness, these are the offerings to be sent to the ancestral hall for your inspection." A eunuch entered Long Sangyu's study bringing food boxes.

It had already been a practice to let the prince inspect food offerings every week instead of the King. As wangye was rarely in the palace, the task was passed to Junwang.

Long Sangyu was looking at a map for the reconstruction of the eastern part of Suliang. He merely took a glance at the eunuch before humming a reply. "Put it there. This prince will see it in a bit."

Zhang Yunlei watched this exchange with increasing dread in his heart. He had been here for a while now but unlike before, the prince didn't even spare him a little bit of attention. His Highness also didn't ask for his opinions on things both political and philosophical.

He could feel that something had changed but he had no idea what. The connections he had in the palace hadn't come back to him with inside information.

His gaze darted to his feet. Something must have happened between Long Tang and Feng Yanyan. The changes happened ever since that day Junzhu invited Beauty Feng to her courtyard.

Beauty Zhang knew this because that day, a group of mei ren saw Feng Yanyan urgently walking toward the Tianmi courtyard.

No one could tell what exactly happened but after that, the Junzhu never went out of her courtyard again. But Zhang Yunlei tried to visit her Highness' residence once in the name of asking for the princess' health. He was rejected outside the gates by strong palace eunuchs.

Behind the gate, everything was too quiet and the usual servants of the Junzhu were nowhere to be found. He found this too suspicious but spoke none of it to any other person.

The other beauties in the palace all just assumed the haughty Junzhu was sick.

Zhang Yunlei worried if he would be implicated if something happened to Junzhu but so far, no one had confronted him.

There was a notable change with Ping Junwang's behavior too. Zhang Yunlei could see him less and less if he didn't actively seek his Highness out. The prince was still amiable but he could feel more distance when they talked.

His Highness also seemed to always have something in his mind and he became busier.

If not for the fact that Ping Junwang personally chose him to be a concubine, Zhang Yunlei would have lost all hope.

"If his Highness is too busy, then let this concubine send the offerings to the ancestral hall." He opened the conversation, uneasily biting his lip right after.

Long Sangyu seemed to only have discovered his presence now and he looked up.

"You're here..." His highness opened his mouth to say something but he seemed unable to find the words.

Zhang Yunlei smiled. "The door servant announced my arrival earlier. It turns out your Highness didn't hear. It's alright. State affairs should always be the priority."

The Prince frowned. He didn't want to ignore this concubine of his but he was just lost in thought. He sighed and stood up to look inside the box containers.

Seeing that everything was good, he turned to Zhang Yunlei with hesitation.

"You don't have to carry anything. Just oversee things. There's no need to enter too."

Long Sangyu grew some stubble these past few months. He was always up and about and obviously lost a little weight. This made him look more mature and almost had a quarter of wangye's strict aura.

As days passed, Zhang Yunlei's face was becoming more and more delicate but it didn't have the desired effect. Ping Junwang didn't even notice.

He heard that Feng Yanyan was spending more time with King Wan Li. It was hard to swallow that the rival he got rid of was now indulging himself in Zhongqing courtyard. It was like trying to smack a fly away but missing it.

Although it was said before that wangye didn't like Feng Yanyan one bit, the way Zhang Yunlei saw it, her highness protected him too much.

He knew that Junzhu planned something for Feng Yanyan but it looked like the latter escaped unscathed. If so, there was only one person who Beauty Feng could reach out for help.

It was highly possible that wangye thwarted Junzhu's plan. Although he regretted this failure, he couldn't dwell on it. It was Junzhu's fault after all. He was sure there would be no blame to fall on him. A mere mei ren like Zhang Yunlei couldn't influence the princess, after all.

As for his problem, it was clear that his Highness could tolerate Zhang Yunlei's company more than Liu Weiwei's. But what bothered him more was that the one receiving grace at night was Liu Weiwei.

This made his teeth itch with endless annoyance. The prince personally picked him! And yet, he never saw his Highness' shadow in his bedroom.

"Concubine obeys the order." Zhang Yunlei answered submissively.

Hearing this, Long Sangyu's guilt grew. "Brother Zhang-"

"Yunlei... This concubine's name is Yunlei, your Highness." Zhang Yunlei's eyes pooled with unshed tears. He had been mistreated enough to not be visited for two consecutive weeks.

Normally, when there's a new concubine in a household, the lord husband would spend the first few nights with them. But he waited and waited and there was no prince by his door.

Now, even his name couldn't be uttered by Junwang?

"D-does his Highness find this concubine repulsive? Then why?" Why pick me?

Long Sangyu was dumbstruck to find him crying. His weakness had always been said to be seeing people cry.

His Highness hesitated a bit but still drew Zhang Yunlei close to him. "I... This prince is new to this. Give me more time."

Ping Junwang patted his hair and back, coaxing him.

Perhaps, both didn't notice the hidden obsession under Zhang Yunlei's loving gaze. 

Edited: Feb. 16, 2023