Chapter 397: Unexpectedly, it’s her (2/2)

Baili Mingxiang only smiled and said nothing.

“You’re afraid of His Highness Duke of Qin?” Han Yunxi grew curious at her response. She knew every single member of General Baili’s estate was extremely deferential to Long Feiye, but she’d never seen someone as afraid of him as Baili Mingxiang obviously was.

“I am,” Baili Mingxiang replied docilely.

“What’s there to fear? You’re raising the Beauty’s Blood for him! And you haven’t done anything worth a guilty conscience, so why were your hands shaking?” Han Yunxi asked doubtfully.

Baili Mingxiang had been quite calm until she heard those words. Her heart seized up for fear of being caught as she quickly explained, “Mingxiang was simply shaking because of the cold.”

“You haven’t met much with His Highness in the past, right?” Han Yunxi asked as she took one of Baili Mingxiang’s hands in order to check her pulse.

“In order to avoid arousing suspicion, all meetings were rare,” Baili Mingxiang murmured back.

“He’s not that scary. When you see him in the future, raise your head. Don’t act so much like a servant,” Han Yunxi really wasn’t used to seeing Baili Mingxiang act so servile and cowardly.

Baili Mingxiang didn’t want to discuss the subject any longer. But neither was she willing to stop. “Of course His Highness Duke of Qin wouldn’t be frightening for esteemed wangfei,” she remarked.

“Is he very cruel to his subordinates, then?” Han Yunxi really didn’t know.

“His Highness only keeps useful people around. He doesn’t tolerate rebels or traitors…” Baili Mingxiang was going to ramble, but paused to add, “I even heard father say that His Highness never uses female servants, but only keeps a single Chu Xifeng by his side as a bodyguard.”

“That’s true,” Han Yunxi muttered to herself. There hadn’t been a single female servant in that fellow’s living quarters. “Anything else?” she asked. Truthfully speaking, she didn’t know that much about Long Feiye, either.

Baili Mingxiang knew all too much, but how could she dare to keep speaking? “Esteemed wangfei is the closest person to His Highness’s side. Naturally, you should know him best of all. Mingxiang’s only heard things here and there, that’s all.”

Closest? That was hard to determine. Han Yunxi smiled soundlessly as she released Baili Mingxiang’s hand. “You must have rushed about to prepare for this trip!”

“His Highness’s intentions to go to sea came about very suddenly, so we traveled day and night to make it here.” Baili Mingxiang could speak calmly about it now, but her wild joy at hearing the news was something she’d never felt before. She had spent three entire days and nights before she finally calmed herself down. She told herself that she could only succeed this time. Failure wouldn’t be tolerated, so she had to find the right ‘fisheye’ to break the ice and haul in the fish!

“Fortunately you didn’t catch a chill, or else things would get troublesome! The sea winds are rather fierce, so you better stay below decks. Don’t go out too much,” Han Yunxi responded seriously.

Baili Mingxiang obediently nodded her head. “Thanks to esteemed wangfei.”

Han Yunxi creased her eyebrows and scrutinized Baili Mingxiang, causing her to grow faint at heart. “Esteemed wangfei, what is it?”

“You silly girl, you’ve stopped worrying about your own life now?” Han Yunxi asked with interest. She made a special trip Baili Mingxiang’s quarters, originally expecting Baili Mingxiang to plague her with questions about the antidote to the poison. But the girl hadn’t brought it up at all.

“You’ve seen through the meaning of life and death, then?” Han Yunxi teased.

Baili Mingxiang’s eyes flashed with thinly veiled panic. She’d been so happy these days that she’d placed the matter of her own mortality at the back of her head. The whole trip here–even up to this very day–she’d been filled with thoughts of nothing but traveling together with His Highness, and whether she’d get a chance to exchange a few words with him. Being a smart girl, she simply lowered her head and said, “Esteemed wangfei, good news will still last even if it’s tardy. Bad news… it’s no big loss even if I don’t hear it.”

Han Yunxi sighed. “Don’t worry. Although I don’t have any good news yet, I don’t have bad news either. I’m still looking into the matter.”

“Esteemed wangfei has certainly worked heard,” Baili Mingxiang silently exhaled a breath of relief. She had no idea what esteemed wangfei would do if she discovered her love for His Highness one day…

Their ship traveled five days and five nights, and Baili Mingxiang used her weak body as an excuse to stay inside the entire time. If I knew things would turn out like this, why would I need to have anticipated this trip? Despite that, she still didn’t regret it.

However, when their battleship approached the shores of Fishery Island, General Baili suddenly discovered a similar battleship nearby. Upon closer scrutiny, he was stunned by what he saw.

“Your Highness, it’s a battleship from the royal fleet of Northern Li’s imperial clan!”

There were countless shoals surrounding Fishery Island, so the only place to dock was a single port deep enough to drop anchor. Before they started fighting over fisheyes, they had to grab that docking space first!

“Northern Li’s imperial clan?” Long Feiye’s lips curved up into a cold smile.