Pei Jue still went to meet the Young Emperor at the bend in Huaxi.

There was a large, flat bluestone there that, over time, had become smooth from the meandering stream washing over it. Yuan Shangyi liked to sit there, quietly listening to Feng Yun talk.

Feng Yun had chosen this spot, thinking that it might help him relax a bit.

But when the person opposite him became the Great General Pei Jue of legend, known for his bloodthirsty ruthlessness, Yuan Shangyi still found it hard to relax.

He was young and didn’t know why.

It seemed as though an invisible pressure emanated from the tall man. Pei Jue didn’t force him to return to the capital, and even seemed relieved when he heard Yuan Shangyi express his reluctance to go back.

He also said, "This servant understands."

Yuan Shangyi was still afraid of him.

A natural fear.

The Empress Mother had said that when he was little, he reacted the same way upon seeing his father, the Emperor. Even though the Emperor spoke gently to him, he cried so hard that the Emperor took a disliking to him.

But Yuan Shangyi had no memory of his father, the Emperor, at all.

Don’t all babies cry?

Because of what his mother said, from a young age, he had always been an especially timid child.

Luckily, the Prince of Yonghuai didn’t stay long.

He gave Yuan Shangyi a bow before leaving the bluestone and entering the farmhouse.

Feng Yun led Yuan Shangyi down.

Only when he held his consort’s hand did Yuan Shangyi start to relax.

"Consort, are you afraid of the Prince of Yonghuai?"

Feng Yun smiled, her face glowing warmly.

"No. He will be good to Your Majesty."

Yuan Shangyi pursed his lips.

Only his consort would say the Prince of Yonghuai would be good to him.

Others didn’t say the same.

Suddenly, Yuan Shangyi felt a bit sad. His consort was his wife, and before long, they would have their own children. His consort would love those children just as she loved him, and after that, he might not receive the same affection.

Seeing the young child’s anxious expression, Feng Yun, not knowing what was on his mind, smiled slightly, "Your Majesty, do you truly not wish to return to the capital?"

Yuan Shangyi fell silent for a moment, "I want to stay here."

Feng Yun spoke evenly, "It’s fine to study here, but one day, you will have to go back."

Yuan Shangyi, "Why?"

Feng Yun, "To be the Emperor, ah. The people of the world will rely on you."

Yuan Shangyi, "Then why can’t I be the Emperor from here?"

Feng Yun looked down at him.

Yuan Shangyi tilted his head, "Can’t I?"

Of course it was possible. Being the Emperor could be done anywhere.

Just like how she could bring the Emperor to Huaxi Village, in the face of absolute power, any rules could be broken.

But nobody would do that.

The Emperor was too young, and his whimsical ideas wouldn’t be followed by anyone.

Feng Yun curved her lips in amusement and, rather than contradicting or denying his naive dream, responded with a smile, "Wait until Ayuan grows up. Then, wherever you want to be the Emperor is fine."

Yuan Shangyi’s pale little face gained a touch of color.

He began to look forward to growing up.

-

The afternoon was scorching hot, and the pair stayed indoors. Feng Yun personally went to the stove to prepare a sour plum drink, and she also used lotus leaves to make several cooling soups. She had Xiaoman fill a water bladder with them for Pei Jue and Zuo Zhong to drink on the road.

Feng Yun came in with a bowl of sour plum soup, and Pei Jue was reading a book.

It was one she had read, sitting right there on the desk, all about making coal balls. She had even drawn some diagrams, which lay spread out before him.

Pei Jue raised his gaze to her, put down the diagrams, and took a sip under her playfully expectant eyes.

The sourness and sweetness were pleasing on the tongue, incredibly refreshing in the heat.

"Does it taste good?" Feng Yun asked eagerly.

"Mhm," Pei Jue pulled her to him, sitting her on his lap, and bent down to kiss her, "Let’s have a taste."

Feng Yun whimpered softly, tumbling into the solid embrace of Pei Jue’s iron-like chest, which, amidst the sweaty peak of summer, felt like crashing into a furnace.

"Lady Yun..." Savoring her sweet breath, images of their passionate moments flooded Pei Jue’s mind, unable to contain himself, he captured her small tongue in a deep, fervent kiss.

"Don’t..." Feng Yun’s voice was timid, growing somewhat afraid of him.

It had just been such a short time since his return, and yet so many times. Who could endure such turmoil?

Pei Jue was silent, his breathing shallow. He kissed her deeper still.

Feng Yun’s eyes moistened, she pounded on him like a small animal.

Delighted, Pei Jue finally released her.

Feng Yun glared at him, panting, "Pei Gou, you’re unreasonable..."

The corners of Pei Jue’s lips curled slightly, "Call me something nice, and I’ll let you off."

"My lord..." Feng Yun surrendered quickly, affectionately nibbling at his ear, "May I rest for a moment, please?"

Pei Jue didn’t respond.

He gently grasped her small hand...

Feng Yun looked down, her cheeks flushing.

She was not naive and understood without needing a man to teach her.

As their gazes met, she silently moved closer, Pei Jue sighed softly and leaned down to embrace her.

With delicate care and tender affection, on this summer afternoon, amidst the sounds of cicadas, in a tranquil silence, they entwined like any other loving couple, exceptionally endearing.

"Lady Yun."

"Hmm..."

"..."

"What do you want to say?"

"Nothing."

"On your journey to Xijing, Your Highness must take care of yourself."

"Mm."

Pei Jue stroked Feng Yun’s belly, his movements becoming gentler and gentler. Each touch sent shivers through her body, yet he never spoke a word.

-

Pei Jue set out at dusk.

After a hasty dinner, he prepared to depart.

Leaving at this hour spared him the heat of the day. By tomorrow, when the heat would rise, he could find a cool rest house or post station to take a brief nap before continuing on his way.

Feng Yun still felt they were pushing themselves too hard.

She packed clothes, a water skin, and dry food in Pei Jue’s travel bag, including a bag of air-dried beef that Pei Jue favored the most.

He had said that beef was filling and easy to carry, so Feng Yun packed extra.

Xiaoman secretly stuffed a packet of food into Zuo Zhong’s saddlebag.

It was meant for the king, but how could Pei Jue eat so much by himself?

Watching, Feng Yun felt a twinge of melancholy.

The girl wore her heart on her sleeve, yet Zuo Zhong, for some reason, never responded.

Now that they were leaving again and when they would meet next was unknown, stretching out the emotions could lead to changes, making it hard to remain wholeheartedly devoted.

In matters of the heart, she naturally belonged to the disillusioned, though her words were always auspicious. The desolation within her, a scar from her past life, remained unchangeable.

Yuan Shangyi also came to see off Pei Jue.

The Female Historian had taught him to be extra respectful towards the Prince of Yonghuai, as he was his important advisor.

It was as if to directly say his kingdom and his life were held tightly in this man’s palm.

Yuan Shangyi had intended to come regardless.

By coming, he could spend more time with the lady.

He was very compliant, repeatedly showing goodwill towards Pei Jue, wishing him a safe journey.

From the beginning to the end, Pei Jue maintained the decorum of a subject, along with a faint distance and boundary...

Unexpectedly, just before leaving, it was as if he thought of something, and he took out a wind chime from his accompanying bags.

"Does Your Majesty like this?"

Yuan Shangyi, having never seen such a wind chime, subconsciously nodded his head, then noticing Feng Yun was silent, he looked up to her.

"Lady?"

Feng Yun smiled and caressed his head, her face full of tenderness.

Pei Jue’s gaze lingered on Feng Yun’s maternal smile for a long time, before he crouched down and stuffed the wind chime into Yuan Shangyi’s hands.

"I have returned in haste and have not prepared a gift for Your Majesty. This little wind chime was a gift from my wife and has been treasured for a long time, a token of my heart."

Feng Yun felt a sourness in her heart.

She hadn’t expected that the wind chime she had taken to Bingzhou would be cherished by Pei Jue until now...

This was probably the connection of blood through the mysterious ways of fate, right?

Queque’s beloved item, his father liked it too.

If Queque’s spirit was in heaven and knew that his father shared the same fondness, he would surely be very happy, wouldn’t he?

"Lady, may I keep it?" Yuan Shangyi looked up and asked Feng Yun. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Feng Yun, smiling with eyes curved, replied, "It’s the Prince of Yonghuai’s heartfelt gesture, of course, you should keep it."

Yuan Shangyi was pleasantly surprised.

Could it be that such a stern and reserved Great General would actually gift him such a delightful wind chime?

The tension left the Young Emperor after a whole day, his face regaining the innocence of a child as he gave Pei Jue a deep bow.

"Thank you, Prince of Yonghuai, I like it very much."

Pei Jue took the reins of his horse and offered a farewell salute to the Young Emperor.

"I take my leave."

Mounting his horse, he glanced back at Feng Yun then turned his horse around and galloped away.

Zuo Zhong, with downcast eyes, bowed to everyone with a fist, his face expressionless as he followed close behind, leaving the villa.

The sound of horse hooves quickly vanished down Huaxi Village’s paths.

Xiaoman abruptly teared up, her gaze lingering for a long time.

Feng Yun, holding Yuan Shangyi’s hand, fell silent for a moment before smiling faintly.

"Let’s go back. Shall we make jelly for Ayuan tonight?"

Yuan Shangyi was ecstatic.

Pei Jue’s departure allowed him to relax completely.

"Yes, Ayuan wants to eat jelly."

Xiaoman sighed and burst out, "The Great General hasn’t even had the jelly, we should’ve made it earlier to cool it down."

Feng Yun glanced at her, "Yeah, the Left Guard didn’t get any either."

Realizing what Feng Yun meant, Xiaoman’s cheeks went crimson, "What nonsense are you talking about, Lady?"

Feng Yun gave a slight gasp, "Oh? Did the Left Guard have some? Did you secretly give it to him?"

Xiaoman was so embarrassed she wished she could hide, "No, no, Big Brother Zuo didn’t get any either. The lady also didn’t hold the king back. He came and went in such a rush, how hard it must be."

The girl was deflecting it back onto her again.

Feng Yun said with a laugh, "The King conducts his affairs according to his own regulations. Do you think I could have kept him if I wanted to?"

Returning from a military campaign to the capital was a significant matter, not something she could just ignore. Bearing the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, as heavy as a thousand pounds, Pei Jue was not one to indulge in the pleasures of love to the point of utter neglect, was he?

She couldn’t keep him.

And shouldn’t keep him.

Yet Xiaoman felt that if the lady wanted him to stay, the King would have stayed for a couple more days.