The Slender Waist-Chapter 258 - 180 You and I Are In Love

Feng Yun knew that Wen Xingsu still had some unresolved issues but didn’t point them out. After detaining him for a brief conversation, she finally let him leave.

While she was talking to Wen Xingsu, Pei Jue just sat there in silence, holding a cup of tea, seemingly drinking yet not. His expression was unreadable, and he did not interrupt.

Once Wen Xingsu had left, there were no others in the room.

Feng Yun let out a yawn, looking somewhat tired.

"Did the General come by last night? I was asleep, but Xiaoman mentioned it."

Pei Jue hummed in acknowledgement, suddenly putting down his teacup, and from somewhere, he produced a packet of rock honey and handed it to Feng Yun.

The rock honey from Xinzhou was quite famous. She took it and sniffed; the thick scent of sugarcane and chrysanthemum mixed with the sweetness of honey was evident.

Feng Yun smiled at him, "Why did you buy this? I’m not a child."

Pei Jue didn’t say anything, taking out a piece and putting it into her mouth before he finally spoke:

"The embankment along the Xinzhou River is very lively. There are vendors who have set up stalls in the past couple of days. Want to go take a look?"

Xinzhou had experienced its fair share of turmoil, but ever since the Beiyong Army took over, they immediately implemented the same policies as in Andu County. They were very efficient, and the restoration of civilian life was even faster than in Andu.

After lying in bed for several days, Feng Yun’s bones had softened, and she naturally agreed to go.

She got up to tidy herself up a bit, applied some makeup so she didn’t look so sick, and changed into a fresh and bright outfit. She finally felt the true sensation of having survived a calamity.

Pei Jue took off his armor, changed into casual clothes, donned a wide-sleeved garment with ink-black hair tied back, wearing the Biyong Sword at his waist. He looked clear-cut and aloof, like a young master from a noble family stepping out. Just arriving at Wutong Street and coming down from the carriage, he attracted the attention of people around.

The warm sun of winter was most comfortable, and the city’s residents all left their houses. The streets were full of vendors, and people of all ages walked under the sunlight. The remnants of war could still be seen, but the atmosphere was much warmer now.

Feng Yun, unaware, found herself smiling.

Near the river embankment along the street, there was a grass market, orderly stalls set up, selling various items.

Feng Yun glanced over and walked to a stall selling velvet flowers.

"Would the young lady like to buy two? With your good looks, they are sure to suit you well," said the vendor, a woman with a five or six-year-old girl. They were thinly clothed, the woman’s hands frostbitten, and the child had a constant stream of snot, periodically wiped with her sleeve.

Feng Yun was choosing flowers.

The woman looked at Feng Yun, then at Pei Jue, smiling in a flattering way:

"Our velvet flowers are the best. Just now, a gentleman bought some to give to the lady he admires."

Pei Jue glanced at her but said nothing.

Feng Yun paid for the flowers herself and walked toward the riverbank with them.

The bank was somewhat desolate. Leaves from the trees fell into the river, the rest hanging on in the wind, struggling for breath.

A chill came with the breeze from the river,

but it seemed insufficient to stop the young men and women from rushing toward each other, likely pent-up from the war for too long. As she walked, she noticed several couples on secretive dates, hiding behind large trees and whispering sweet nothings to each other.

In this era, social customs were extremely open. As long as one didn’t overstep the boundaries, nobody thought lesser of them for such behavior. Encounters between pairs of wild ducks, attracted to each other at first sight, were also not surprising.

"Such a handsome young man!"

Sudden light laughter came from behind.

Feng Yun turned to see five or six young girls, around twelve or thirteen years old, the age of fond playfulness, approaching from the riverbank. They were all dressed like daughters of affluent families, each followed by several servant girls.

They were bold due to their numbers, and even in front of Feng Yun, they dared to gaze openly at Pei Jue, their voices cheerful and naïve.

"Is that gentleman your beau?"

Feng Yun didn’t intend to respond, but seeing their audacity, she became apprehensive that one careless act might provoke General Pei, the King of Hell, and result in pretty, flower-like young ladies coming to untimely grief.

So she smiled silently, tacitly confirming.

"Such a pity."

The young girl’s voice was coquettish.

"The gentleman already has a family."

Another girl widened her eyes at Feng Yun, a smile on her face.

"You’re worthy of him."

"The young lady is quite enchanting."

The girls chattered incessantly, then sticking out their tongues at Feng Yun and Pei Jue, they scampered away in laughter and playful tumult.

When Feng Yun looked at Pei Jue again, he was expressionless and even not as stern as usual. He merely tugged at the corner of his mouth, and she mentally scoffed.

It seemed that he, too, enjoyed being praised by young girls. Otherwise, with Pei Jue’s usual icy demeanor, what girl would dare to openly flirt with him...

The man was probably quite pleased with himself.

She stayed silent.

Pei Jue, of course, said nothing as well.

The two of them continued forward in the river breeze, looking nothing like an affectionate couple.

Feng Yun shook her head with a smile, turning her gaze towards the riverside.

"How about we sit for a while?"

Pei Jue looked at her and hummed an assent, still silent.

Just as Feng Yun had sat down for a moment, those chirping young girls came back, their former boldness and frivolity gone. Their faces were ashen, looking as if mourning at home, tears nearly falling.

"The Great General has our respect, as does the lady."

In fear and trepidation, they approached Feng Yun and Pei Jue and knelt down, their cheeks burning red, and their lips almost bleeding from the biting.

"We did not recognize the height of the sky nor the breadth of the earth and offended the General and his wife."

"We beg the Great General for forgiveness..."

Feng Yun was momentarily stunned before lifting her head to look at Pei Jue.

He did not sit down; instead, he stood tall with his long arms and legs, his loose clothing gently billowing in the breeze, his expression unreadable, and he did not even respond.

Feng Yun had no idea what had upset the young maidens, as she glanced away briefly then turned back around, saying nonchalantly,

"Ignorance is not a sin, no harm done."

"Thank you, madam." A girl’s naïve, romantic eyes lifted to dart between Feng Yun and Pei Jue, then she added,

"The General and the madam make such a well-matched pair. When my sisters and I were leaving, we were saying how the gentleman is so handsome and valiant, and the lady is as beautiful as a person in a painting. You both match perfectly, we all truly envy you."

Feng Yun smiled, "Thank you."

Seeing her smile, and the legendary Great General who was said to eat people made no indication of objection, the young maidens finally breathed a sigh of relief. They curtsied properly towards them once more before lifting their skirts and scampering off.

Feng Yun asked, "How did they learn of our identities?"

Pei Jue looked into the distance, "I don’t know."

Today, the guards were following at a distance; by rights, even if people joked and walked away, they should not have known.

Feng Yun did not delve further into it, considering it merely a minor incident. She had no interest in holding a grudge against such young girls, and now that it was past...

"If there were no more wars, it would be truly comfortable to bask in the sun during winter days."

She stretched lazily and stood up, looking toward Pei Jue.

"Let’s go, we should head back."

Having been outside for a while, she was worried about her recovery holding her back. She needed a period of rest to recuperate.

Pei Jue said nothing, leading her back to the carriage.

Once Feng Yun was seated, he poured hot water from a small table into a cup and handed it to her.

There was a charcoal heater under the table, burning with a faint fire.

Feng Yun found it strange to be treated so carefully by Pei Jue, the King of Hell; she thanked him and, noticing his countenance was not very good, she asked with curiosity,

"Are you in a bad mood, General?"

Pei Jue replied tersely, "No."

Feng Yun uttered an "Oh," and seeing he was not inclined to talk, she did not bother asking again.

By the time they returned to Chunmeng Hall, the sky had gradually darkened, and Feng Yun leaned against the carriage wall, dozing off when Pei Jue’s voice, carrying a hint of chill, suddenly reached her ears.

"When your health improves a bit, let’s go back to Andu."

Feng Yun was wide awake.

Was this his way of telling her she was a nuisance and hurrying her away?

After a moment of silence, Feng Yun smiled and said, "Fine."

Back at the residence, she took a hot bath, changed into comfortable clothes, and came out to find the room already empty.

Pei Jue had left.

She had Xiaoman bring the bag of chess pieces and planned to go play chess with Wen Xingsu.

She was still bothered about losing the last game.

Since Pei Jue had refused to entertain her, she would seek out Wen Xingsu to test whether her chess skills had deteriorated.

As the siblings set up the chessboard, Wen Xingsu shared the news.

"An imperial edict came from the Great Jin Court."

He still habitually referred to the "Great Jin Court" and did not consider it his own imperial court. Feng Yun went along with him, because she also did not regard "Great Jin" as her own court.

"What did it say?" she asked as she moved her chess piece, not particularly distracted.

Wen Xingsu smiled faintly.

"With great merit to his name, the General must assume the imperial court can only speak in certain terms?"

Feng Yun arched her eyebrows.

"Li Zongxun naturally cannot control General Pei. Though seething with irritation and harboring extreme resentment, he still had to issue the edict of grace, bestow awards and titles, speaking high-sounding words."

Wen Xingsu grumbled, "Not just that. The Jin Court seems intent on summoning the Great General back to the capital to resume his duties and then to engage in peace negotiations with Qi."

He glanced at her, raising his eyebrows.

"Chunyu Yan came from Central Capital this morning. He’s been mediating, maneuvering..."

Feng Yun stated, "That is to be expected."

Wen Xingsu was startled by her response, "How so?"

Because things were once again on the same track as her previous life. With Chunyu Yan negotiating in the middle, Jin and Qi would conduct the Andu peace talks, followed by three years of Qi’s development.

By that reasoning, the peace negotiations between the two countries would be lively indeed.

Yet Pei Jue wanted her to return to Andu?

What was he thinking?

Seeing her not responding, Wen Xingsu inquired, "What’s the matter?"

Feng Yun smiled sweetly, pointing to the chessboard, "Dear brother, if you don’t pay attention, your big dragon is going to be lost."

Wen Xingsu suddenly realized the changes in the game, frowned with concentration for a moment, then chuckled softly, "Yunyun, your chess skill is exquisite, truly exceptional." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Really?

If she was so formidable, how on earth did she lose to Pei Jue?

Thinking of this, Feng Yun wanted to bash her own head in.