Chapter 169: Because your lordship does as he pleases (2/2)

Once she sat down in the carriage, Han Yunxi felt exhausted. Being imprisoned and starved for five sleepless days and nights, then dragged into this mess, was really enough to bring her to collapse now that everything was over. She was planning to take a rest, but she found that it was always impossible to sleep with Giant Ice Cube around.

Learning lazily to one side, she paused for a bit before saying, “This time…many thanks!”

Usually, she’d hail him by “Your Highness,” or call him “Long Feiye” when she was impulsive. But when she spoke sincerely, she didn’t call him anything at all. Long Feiye sat sluggishly in the center, emanating his lordly aura as he looked coldly at Han Yunxi.

He casually tossed out a line. “In the future, don’t create so many difficulties for your lordship.”

Create difficulties?

“Difficulty came knocking on my door by itself, all right?” Han Yunxi muttered resentfully.

Long Feiye’s eyes flickered with amusement as he coldly asked, “What did you say?”

“You don’t need me to pay back the command seal, right?” Han Yunxi joked on purpose. Actually, what startled her most wasn’t the truth, but the matter with the seal. This fellow had paid such a heavy price for her sake. Would he seek any frightening reparations?

Long Feiye’s cold expression simply turned slightly stiff. He didn’t reply, but turned to look out the window.

Shady, unpredictable fellow, Han Yunxi thought silently as she turned to look out the opposite side.

—

When Long Feiye and Han Yunxi returned to the Duke of Qin’s estate, Grand Concubine Yi had long heard of the news in the palace. It had to be said that rumors really flew fast. Han Yunxi could be said to have escaped from a calamity from the empress dowager and empress’s hands. She thought that Grand Concubine Yi would be rejoicing for her sake and welcome her back, but she’d just stepped inside with Long Feiye when the woman turned a stern voice on her son.

“Feiye, you used the command seal?”

“Yes,” Long Feiye replied as he kept walking forward.

“Just for her sake, you used that command seal?” Grand Concubine Yi was in disbelief. Han Yunxi’s bright, shining eyes suddenly darkened as she lowered her head, a bitter smile creeping onto her features.

But Long Feiye replied, “Your lordship’s things, your lordship does with as he pleases.”

“You!” Grand Concubine Yi exclaimed, but she had no words to retort. Han Yunxi stole a glance at him as well. His profile was as cold as ever, but wore a serious, intent expression. In that instant, her lips curved up again into a sweet smile.

Long Feiye, I, Han Yunxi, will remember your “as he pleases!”

Seeing Long Feiye walk away, Grand Concubine Yi chased after him. Although she didn’t mention the command seal again, she asked, “Yao Yao left for Western Zhou this morning, do you know?”

Hearing this, Han Yunxi recalled the events of the New Year’s Eve family feast. That day Emperor Tianhui took Long Feiye away for a private talk in the study, but what did they speak about? Princess Rongle wasn’t someone who easily admitted defeat, so why did she go back? With her return, did this mean that the marriage alliance negotiations had fallen flat? Han Yunxi’s secret smile widened at the thought.

“I didn’t,” Long Feiye replied as he kept walking.

Grand Concubine Yi followed close behind, her voice angry. “Feiye! Mufei is speaking to you!”

Only then did Long Feiye still his steps. “Mufei, Princess Rongle’s marriage alliance has nothing to do with the Duke of Qin’s estate. You shouldn’t worry over it in the future.”

“You!” Grand Concubine Yi was stifled. “You…just what did you say to the emperor? Did you hurt Yao Yao?”

Long Feiye didn’t say any more, but took long strides towards the Hibiscus Courtyard. Han Yunxi tactfully hurried after him, and husband and wife quickly vanished from Grand Concubine Yi’s sight. Grand Concubine Yi was so angry that her entire face was red. Still, she managed to think clearly after she’d calmed down, her eyebrows furrowing as she muttered to herself. “Feiye, he…he couldn’t have truly done it for that girl Han Yunxi, could he?”

—

In the meantime, the Earthly Peace Palace of the empress was covered in chaos. Court ladies and mama were hastily tidying things up. Even Gu Beiyue had verified the diagnosis that the empress had lost her mind and needed meticulous care to be nursed back to health. She couldn’t stand any more shocks, or else it was likely she’d never recover in this lifetime. Emperor Tianhui made a decision overnight to send the empress into a side palace in the western mountains to convalesce. He wouldn’t even let her attend Princess Changping’s funeral arrangements.

Now he sat in the courtyard, his face cloudy enough to drip water. His daughter was dead and his empress was crazy. A perfectly good New Year’s had ended up like this, so how couldn’t he be angry? Even more, Han Yunxi was availed of all guilt. If he hadn’t agreed to let Long Feiye take her out, perhaps the empress would still be sane!

Furthermore, Long Feiye insisted on rejecting the marriage alliance, causing Princess Rongle to leave without a word this morning. He had been hoping for Western Zhou’s support on the battlefield in the northern borders. Now it seemed like that issue would remain hanging!

Thinking up to here, Emperor Tianhui curled up his fists and pounded heavily against the stone table. At this moment, the empress dowager arrived with a heavy face and spoke. “Your Majesty, let’s hold the funeral procession tomorrow so I won’t be saddened by the sight any more…”

Emperor Tianhui took in a deep breath and nodded. The empress dowager sat down with a cold smile. “Your Majesty, as I see it, this Qin Wangfei…hehe, is really something.”

Emperor Tianhui finally lifted his head to look over. “Muhou take heart, erchen[3] knows how things stand!”

-o-

[1] Nanzhao (南诏) – a local kingdom in ancient China, located in present-day southeast Asia.

[2] please restrain your grief (节哀顺变) – jieaishunbian, a saying used to offer condolences.

[3] erchen (儿臣) – a humble form of self-address for males equivalent to ‘your subject’ or ‘your servant’.