Si Jianye’s eyes beneath the mask held a hint of a smile as he watched the woman’s uninhibited figure recede.
His visit tonight was not in vain.
The play had been quite spectacular.
As if recalling something, A Xi deliberately added, "I never expected this newly appointed Empress of Lin to be such a cruel and ruthless person, resorting to any means to achieve her goals. To me, punishing just one person is not enough."
To this, Si Jianye said dismissively, "She will handle it."
From their interactions, he had a general understanding of Feng Ninghe’s nature.
How could this woman let go of those who had attempted to harm her?
The only reason she would refrain from acting was that the time was not yet ripe.
He did not believe Feng Ninghe’s purpose in visiting the neighboring country was merely to deliver gifts on behalf of the First Sect.
Feng Ninghe had always disdained such worldly matters; perhaps she had other objectives.
After a moment, Si Jianye withdrew his gaze and turned to look in a certain direction, saying, "It’s getting late, we should depart."
When Feng Ninghe returned to her chambers, Xiao Zhao was pacing restlessly, her face etched with worry.
Si Xin Xin, fighting off sleep, sat precariously on the bed, her small body swaying precariously. Anyone would have believed she would fall asleep at any moment.
Creak—
As the door was pushed open, the melancholy in Xiao Zhao’s eyes vanished instantly, and her taut nerves relaxed. "Mistress, you're back."
The drowsy Si Xin Xin immediately perked up, her bright eyes blinking. Her small body pounced forward, her childish voice warming the heart, "Mother! You're back!"
Looking at the two before her, Feng Ninghe’s radiant face broke into a smile. She gently ruffled their small heads. "If you're tired today, just go to sleep. Don't worry about my safety; no one in this palace can harm me."
Si Xin Xin gently swayed her arm, her small face filled with innocent wonder. "Mother, I wanted to ask Father to find you. With Father here, we wouldn't have to worry so much. But Father isn't here, and even Uncle Xi is gone."
"They are both gone?"
Feng Ninghe subconsciously repeated the question, a hint of contemplation in her eyes.
For both of them to leave at the same time, there must be something important to attend to.
Si Xin Xin nodded slightly, looking puzzled. "Fortunately, Mother is back. If you had been any later, we would have had to brace ourselves and go look for you."
Feng Ninghe didn't dwell on it, embracing Si Xin Xin. "Alright, since I've returned safely, everyone go to sleep and get some rest."
With her appearance, Xiao Zhao and Si Xin Xin finally relaxed their hearts and went to sleep.
The next day.
The sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn.
"Ah!"
"Help! Someone, come quickly!"
A startled cry echoed through the palace.
A maid, as if discovering something, shouted loudly.
Her cry successfully drew the attention of the surrounding maids, who rushed over.
They saw a man with a devilishly handsome face lying flat on the ground, completely naked and fast asleep.
"This..."
"Isn't that the Grand Protector General? How did he end up like this?"
"Perhaps he drank too much? The Grand Protector General and the Princess are quite close. If this causes the Princess to get angry, we should stay away..."
The maids whispered amongst themselves, their hands instinctively covering their eyes, too frightened to look further.
Ji Binyu had always been impeccably dressed and never behaved improperly in public, yet here he was, completely naked before everyone!
"Why all the commotion?"
The surrounding whispers successfully disturbed Ji Binyu. He reached up and gently rubbed his throbbing temples with a hint of annoyance.
He groggily opened his eyes and looked around.
The maids were huddled together in fear, keeping their distance, and one by one, they covered their eyes as if they had seen something extraordinary.
Ji Binyu’s brows furrowed. He let out a low grunt and calmly stood up. "Everyone is looking so surprised, as if something momentous has happened."
A moment later, a dawning realization struck him, and his face paled.
Last night, as he was carrying Feng Ninghe, he had suddenly smelled a peculiar fragrance and then lost consciousness.
Where was Feng Ninghe?
He looked around. Besides himself, there were only maids; Feng Ninghe was nowhere to be seen.
Ji Binyu looked down at himself. He was completely naked, not even a single undergarment.
He instantly understood why the maids around him had such expressions and reactions.
His face darkened, his cool eyes filled with cold fury. He sternly roared, "Get out, all of you! Anyone who dares to look again, I will gouge out your eyes! Keep your mouths shut about what happened today, or I will take your lives!"
Upon hearing this, the maids quickly lowered their heads, not daring to look again, and scattered, leaving one after another.
The Grand Protector General of Lin, naked in public, was an incident that would surely shock everyone!
More importantly, the relationship between the Grand Protector General and the Princess was excessively intimate. Everyone in the palace knew their relationship was unusual.
Ji Binyu quickly retrieved a set of clothes from his spatial pouch and put them on, his usually gentle and charming face now radiating a chilling coldness.
"Feng Ninghe?"
"It seems you've had enough of living."
He gritted his teeth, spitting out the words, and then strode rapidly in a certain direction.
He could not afford to lose face like this.
Besides Feng Ninghe, he couldn't think of any other woman who would do this to him.
In a luxurious and exquisite bedchamber.
Lin Yuran was dining, her slender fingers gently stirring a bowl of soup.
Su Qi hurried in and quickly approached her. "Princess, something terrible has happened! This morning, as you were passing by, you saw the astrologer sleeping on the road, completely naked."
"What?"
Lin Yuran looked at Su Qi before her in disbelief, as if she had heard something utterly preposterous. "Ji Binyu was sleeping on the road, naked?"
The suddenness of her movement caused the soup on the table to spill onto the floor.
The white porcelain bowl shattered into pieces.
Su Qi nodded repeatedly. "Yes, the maids didn't dare to look and quickly left. Given the General's character, he doesn't seem like someone who would act rashly. There might be a misunderstanding."
Lin Yuran did not speak immediately. Her beautiful face was contorted in a deep frown as she fell into deep thought.
She had been waiting for Ji Binyu to bring the Qilin so she could contract a spirit beast.
However, she had not received the news she wanted, but instead, this embarrassing and disgraceful piece of news.
"Where is Ji Binyu?"
Lin Yuran's eyes darkened as she uttered the question with a chilling tone.
Su Qi did not dare to delay and quickly recounted everything she knew. "It is said that after the General woke up, he put on clothes and left. I do not know his specific whereabouts."