118 Here and There, Whats the Difference? 5 (1/2)

Following Feng Yu Xin's instructions, An Fei twisted the incense burner at the center of the wooden table one revolution towards the right.

With a sharp clench, the incense burner actually disengaged from the surface of the table, and the young girl could see a series of engraved channels spiraling down its length.

Surprisingly, the incense burner had been screwed into the wooden table from the start, and did not serve as a decoration.

Where the incense burner once guarded with ardor, was a cylindrical channel that lead to a hidden compartment.

When An Fei stared down into the cavity, she could only see a permeating darkness, unable to gauge its depth or dimensions.

”Blue silken pouch… blue silken pouch,” the young girl murmured to herself, the fingers of her right hand curling and straightening in uncertainty.

With a deep breath, An Fei inserted her hand into the cylindrical channel, before rotating her arm around.

Hopefully, the empress was not aiming a malicious intent towards her…

Her hand didn't manage to make contact with the end of the hidden compartment.

Rather, regardless of where she angled her arm, An Fei could not do anything more than flounder her hand around in a thin airy substance.

It seemed that if she focused on the sensations of her fingertips, she could faintly discern a series of objects gently brushing by her hand… as if it were an interconnected web of threads?

”Eh…”

An Fei groaned to herself, her left hand rubbing her hollowed stomach.

Pursing her lips with a hint of resigned listlessness, the young girl closed her eyes in anticipation, her fingers searching for the threads once more.

Nothing but that unusual airy substance that floated within the hidden compartment… but there were indeed a few fluctuations of throbbing sensations when she angled her fingers towards her right.

Swish!

With a fluid motion, the young girl jerked her arm out of the cylindrical sheath… only to reveal a pair of satchels clenched securely within her palm.

One appeared to be covered in a blue silken covering as the empress had described, whilst the other was of a scarlet fabric.

”Do I… return the red one?” An Fei mused to herself, her countenance behind the veil puckering with indecision.

Placing the red sachet on a random spot of the table, the young girl began to unwind the drawstring of the blue, silken pouch, her eyes reflecting a sense of anticipation.

Her index finger hesitantly stretched over the mouth of the pouch, before creeping into the interior with a trepid movement.

An instant later, An Fei's countenance displayed a delighted expression, the pair of scarlet irises revealing a hint of indulged satisfaction.

Yuebing!

Within the blue colored pouch that was even smaller than her own palm, she could feel a large quantity of mooncakes stored within, perfectly preserved and freshened.

They were plump and exceedingly soft to the touch, and upon extracting one to inspect it herself, the young girl nearly visually salivated at the aromatic fragrance.

The circular shape with protruding arcs as well as the intricate pattern inscribed on top, these were truly mooncakes from the Pavilion of Everlasting Feasts, the lotus seed yuebing that she could only see and be tormented by its fragrance the only time she had left the study of the Flowing Wind Residence…

Without another thought, An Fei broke off a piece of the pastry with her index finger and thumb, fully intending on savoring the delicious treasure before her.

Unlike before, she had sufficient time to herself to maximize her enjoyment, and a large quantity to engorge herself if she desired.

There were several mountains of yuebing contained within this small pouch from what she could feel with a cursory sweep; Feng Yu Xin was never getting this pouch from An Fei, not until she had helped herself to all of them!

”…Yu Xin, ah, you really won't help this old one with a favor?”

The voice of an old man drifted from the slightly ajar window of the imperial carriage, causing the young girl within to pause her swaying motion and perk her ears in interest.

A breath later, the creaking of wood could be heard as a person leaned against the wall of the blackwood carriage, and a heavy sigh suffused the atmosphere of the forest.

”I truly can't grant you a favor for this, ah.”