Feng Yun looked at him, puzzled, and a soft smile played on her lips.
"I give money to the Princely Heir so he doesn’t suffer a loss. Why should I feel guilty?"
God damn it!
Chunyu Yan stopped in his tracks, staring at the woman with her calm and shallow smile, paralyzed, unable to move forward or back, his heart as if soaked in acid...
"Fine," he said, spreading his hands towards Xiang Zhong, "Let’s settle this."
Xiang Zhong glanced at his master and carefully bowed his head, reverently carrying the account books back.
Chunyu Yan didn’t look at him, his eyes unwaveringly fixed on Feng Yun, as he took the account books and slamd them down on the desk.
"Let’s settle it then."
Feng Yun: "Yes."
She calmly sat back down, ticulously checking the accounts, as if she had not noticed the storm of dissatisfaction raging within him...
Chunyu Yan watched her intently.
The earnest Feng Twelve was very attractive.
She seed to radiate a compelling aura, yet exclusively excluded him from it.
Chunyu Yan remained silent, not drinking water or tea, his face sharp with intensity as he watched her until Feng Yun had calculated the results.
"The portion where the Princely Heir has given favors, I will have it compensated to the Princely Heir."
Feng Yun spoke calmly and smoothly.
With the accounts clear, she felt as if a great burden had been lifted.
"The Princely Heir need not worry. From now on, we will just follow the contract. No one will take advantage of the other, and that way, our business can last long. Don’t you agree?"
Chunyu Yan watched her.
She was smiling at him, a gentle, quiet smile.
She wasn’t wrong at all.
In contrast, he felt like a clown.
"Feng Twelve..."
Chunyu Yan stared stiffly, devoid of his usual shaless languor and comfort, his whole deanor cold and detached, as if he had beco a different person.
Feng Yun waited for him to continue, tilting her head slightly in puzzlent.
"What’s wrong?"
Chunyu Yan clenched his fist, feeling both helpless and hopeless.
No matter what he did, no matter how much, he could not change a single bit of Feng Twelve’s heart.
"As you wish."
Having said that, without waiting for Feng Yun to speak, he stood up.
"I take my leave!"
Feng Yun bowed slightly, executing a proper courtesy.
"Safe travels, Princely Heir."
Feng Yun knew that her words had hurt him.
At this mont, Chunyu Yan’s deanor was even more frightening than that ti in Bingzhou when he was angry with her.
But she didn’t regret doing this...
And knew what she had to do.
"Alou, see the guest out."
Chunyu Yan didn’t look at Feng Yun again.
He turned around and strode away.
-
Jiang Yin stood under the wooden porch of the courtyard, waiting for Alou to return after seeing off the guest, before moving forward with a smile to inquire:
"Why did the Princely Heir leave in a huff?"
The woman approached, her fragrance pleasing to the senses.
Alou had beco very familiar with her after several months of contact, but being young and spirited, every ti the woman neared, he couldn’t help but feel his heartbeat quicken, his chest tighten...
He cleared his throat softly, trying to stabilize his emotions.
"Does the Princely Heir need a reason to be annoyed?"
Jiang Yin was taken aback.
Indeed, Chunyu Yan was known for his temper; but his kind of bad temper was different from that of the Prince of Yonghuai.
The Prince of Yonghuai kept people at a distance, unwelcoming.
He was unpredictable, inscrutable, ready to draw his sword at any mont, making people wary to approach.
"It must be that the lady refused to comply with his wishes," Jiang Yin said with a fleeting smile, seeing that Alou did not respond, she continued, "Steward Alou, do you think the Princely Heir has... special feelings for the Princess?"
Alou’s heart skipped a beat.
"This..."
Although Chunyu Yan often visited Feng Yun, their conversations were never polite, and he showed a frowning face more often than a smiling one; seven tis out of ten, their etings ended on a bad note...
Therefore, while it was widely rumored outside that the Crown Prince of Yunchuan was fond of the Princess of Yonghuai, the people of the estate were very skeptical and outright refused to believe it...
No one ridicules the person they admire the mont they open their mouth.
Alou, inexperienced in matters of the heart, couldn’t quite make sense of it.
Moreover, he disliked discussing Feng Yun’s private affairs and would never engage in idle gossip that might sully the lady’s reputation...
"The Princely Heir does business with the lady, that’s all, there’s just a bit more interaction. Jiang Ji, please don’t overthink it."
"Steward Alou is correct to point that out," Jiang Ji said with a slight bow, a touch of embarrassnt in her voice: "I shouldn’t have been so talkative. Please forgive , Steward Alou..."
Alou chuckled, "It’s just a bit of idle chatter, nothing serious. Besides, there are plenty of people saying that it’s for you, Jiang Ji, that Crown Prince Chunyu cos to the estate... and you don’t take it to heart either."
Jiang Yin cast her eyes down with a bitter smile, "How could I, a re reed, catch the Princely Heir’s eye. It’s laughable."
Alou scratched his head with a chuckle, feeling sowhat embarrassed. Seeing her holding sothing in her arms, he suggested:
"You should get on with your duties, Jiang Ji. I shall be leaving."
"Steward Alou..." Jiang Yin called out to him, "When the lady returned, all the sisters expressed their sentints, yet I was much delayed—"
As she spoke, she handed the clothes she had been holding to Alou.
"With sumr approaching, I’ve sewn a garnt for the lady as a token of my affection..."
Alou was taken aback, "Why not give it to the lady yourself?"
Jiang Yin smiled, "Seeing how busy Steward Alou is every day, you probably don’t have ti to look after yourself, so I’ve also made a garnt for you. Please take it and try it on later to see if it fits."
His hand trembled as he held the garnt, caught between gratitude and guilt under Jiang Yin’s tender gaze.
"This... without riting it, I am afraid it wouldn’t be right to accept such a generous gift from you, Jiang Ji..."
Jiang Ji smiled faintly, "It’s just a piece of clothing, not worth much. Please, don’t be a stranger, Steward Alou. Both of us are at Changn, both carrying burdens, alone without family. We ought to look after each other..."
She stuffed the garnt into Alou’s arms.
"Please, don’t stand on ceremony with in the future, Steward Alou."
With that, she turned and left.
Alou stood there, dazed, watching her retreat. He held the clothes for a long ti without moving, his cheeks burning red.
-
Feng Yun caught a glimpse of Alou walking in from the corner of her eye and didn’t pay much attention until she noticed his stillness for quite a while. She looked up in curiosity at the clothes in his hands.
"What’s the matter?"
Only then did Alou co to his senses, his face flushed as he said:
"Jiang Ji has sewn a garnt for the lady and offered it to you."
Feng Yun put down her book to look up at him.
"Why didn’t she co herself? And why is your face so red?"
These were two questions, yet they seed to ask the sa thing.
Having never experienced such feelings in his life, Alou was utterly disoriented. He looked into Feng Yun’s eyes, flustered, and said, "Jiang Ji, she also made a garnt for ."
Feng Yun looked at him, silent, not saying a word.
Alou felt even guiltier, "Jiang Ji had no other intentions, she did it out of concern for ... being without parents..."
Feng Yun raised an eyebrow: "So it is you who has other intentions?"
Alou barely dared to et Feng Yun’s gaze and couldn’t avoid answering the question, standing awkwardly before starting to kneel slowly with the clothes in hand.
"I dare not..."
Feng Yun’s gaze sharpened, "Do you dare not, or do you not wish to?"
At a loss for words, Alou mumbled after a long pause, "I dare not."
Feng Yun was silent for a mont before signaling him to put down the clothes.
"I’ll take your feelings to heart. But right now, the Imperial Court is at war, and since I have accepted my salary, I have to work for the court and cannot attend to you for the ti being..."
Alou’s face turned as red as a monkey’s behind.
He had never entertained such thoughts, nor dared to harbor any towards Jiang Yin. Even if there were occasional ripples in their daily interactions, they were just fleeting monts of youthful longing...
Today, he got carried away and showed a lack of restraint in front of Feng Yun.
Upon hearing this, he broke out in a cold sweat, truly feeling that he shouldn’t have done so.
"My concerns are not important, my lady need not trouble herself. Besides, I know my place well, how could I dare to harbor any dreams..."
As Feng Yun and he locked eyes, about to speak, they were interrupted by Ge Guang’s report from outside.
"My lady, General Ge Guang has returned and is waiting in the guest hall."
After glancing at Alou, Feng Yun responded, "Understood."
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