Chapter 9: 第9章

“Miss, has something happened to the Fourth Miss?” Chunliu asked softly.

Murong Feng remained expressionless, gazing at the faint loneliness of the autumn day and smelling the scent of chrysanthemums; several pots of brightly blooming chrysanthemums sat in the courtyard.

Vaguely, it felt as if someone was watching her. Murong Feng turned her head slightly. Not ten meters away stood Sima Zhe, who had likely just returned and happened to walk past her and her maid. His face bore a hint of exhaustion, presumably having rushed back from the imperial court. As the eldest Crown Prince and future Emperor, Sima Zhe had long been assisting his Imperial Father with state affairs.

“Third Sister, are you leaving?” His tone was very kind and gentle. He stopped his steps and looked at Murong Feng. Amidst the autumn air, Murong Feng was like a pool of clear spring water.

Murong Feng gave a faint smile, a smile so composed and gentle that it seemed to warm the heart. “Yes.”

As the two passed each other, Sima Zhe’s gaze lingered on Murong Feng’s retreating figure for a long time, feeling a sudden sense of loss in his heart. This woman had never left a trace in his eyes; he had not even truly noticed her. Yet, for some unknown reason, ever since he had seen her once at Grandmother's place, an indelible preoccupation had taken root in his heart, though even he did not know why.

Nothing happened overnight.

After Murong Feng had finished washing and dressing, she followed Xiao Dezi to the Empress Dowager's manor. The Empress Dowager wished to see her and had even invited her to Xiangfu Palace for breakfast.

Regarding the matter of Murong Xue, she seemed to not care at all. Instead, it was Chunliu who was more worried; while helping Murong Feng dress in the morning, she repeatedly hesitated to speak.

Murong Feng acted as if she hadn't noticed, never mentioning Murong Xue's matter. She had heard from Chunliu that the maid serving the Fourth Miss was named Ruixi, and that she and Chunliu were as close as sisters. It was likely that Chunliu was more worried about Ruixi, who had disappeared along with Murong Xue.

While chatting with the Empress Dowager, the conversation grew lively, and Murong Feng suddenly said, “Grandmother, Feng'er wishes to ask a favor of you.”

“What is it?” the Empress Dowager asked with a smile. She was liking this Murong Feng more and more; her temperament was peaceful, her words were interesting, and she was well-informed.

Murong Feng performed a graceful bow and said softly, “Feng'er wishes to return home for a visit. Feng'er has lived with Grandmother since childhood, and Grandmother dotes on me. Now that Feng'er is married, I wish to personally offer a candle incense to Grandmother and let her know. Please grant Feng'er permission to take a few days.”

The Empress Dowager helped Murong Feng up. Seeing the slight sadness on Murong Feng's face and the faint mist in her eyes, she couldn't help but say with pity, “Sigh, Rui'er should have accompanied you, but that rebellious son of mine stays at the Zuihua Pavilion every day, entangled with the women of the brothels—How about this, Feng'er? I will give you a gold command medal. In the Great Xing Dynasty, there is a gold medal cast by the founding Saint Emperor and bestowed upon concubines of high virtue and status in the palace. I hold this medal now, and I shall bestow it upon you. With this medal in hand, you shall have free passage throughout the Great Xing Dynasty; even that Rui'er won't be able to make things difficult for you.”

“Thank you, Grandmother.” Murong Feng accepted the gold medal and thanked her softly. To her, this was an unexpected gain.

“Feng'er, you must return early,” the Empress Dowager said, feeling reluctant to let her go. Although they had only spent two days together, the Empress Dowager truly liked her more than her own grandchildren. “Or should I fetch that rebellious son from the Zuihua Pavilion to accompany you back? I am indeed a bit uneasy with you being alone.”

Murong Feng smiled gently. “Grandmother need not worry. You may select two attendants for Feng'er from among those in the palace who are exceptionally skilled in martial arts and possess steady, reserved temperaments. As for the Zuihua Pavilion, Grandmother must absolutely not intervene. Family scandals should not be aired in public; if Grandmother's involvement reaches the ears of the common folk, it will only bring unnecessary trouble. However, Feng'er is actually quite interested in meeting the woman who can make the Fourth Prince so infatuated. I wish to see exactly which part of me she lacks.”

“Mhm, very well.” The Empress Dowager agreed readily. She lowered her head in thought and said, “Now that you mention it, I recall I have an exceptionally skilled guard right before me. His son and daughter are also quite remarkable. I will send someone to call them both here to accompany you.”

At the Zuihua Pavilion, music and dance flourished, and the atmosphere was exceptionally lively. The top performer of the Zuihua Pavilion, Yuejiao, lived alone in the Yuejiao Pavilion. Everyone from top to bottom knew that the Yuejiao Pavilion had been personally funded and built by the Fourth Prince. Despite this, Yuejiao still performed at the Zuihua Pavilion, for she was so skilled in song and dance that the Fourth Prince had not truly hidden her away just because he had built her a pavilion.

When Yuejiao made her appearance, the massive Zuihua Pavilion was packed to capacity. Sitting in a refined central seat was a young gentleman in plain clothes. He looked to be under twenty, with delicate features and an extraordinary aura; merely sitting there quietly made the other spectators pale in comparison.

The moment Yuejiao saw him, she secretly praised him in her heart: *What a fine young gentleman.* She only wondered which noble family's prince he was. Seeing Yuejiao looking at him, the gentleman's lips curled slightly into a fleeting smile. Yuejiao's face flushed; even though she was a woman of the brothels, her heart couldn't help but skip a beat. She hurriedly smoothed her skirts and offered a respectful greeting to the crowd. Just as the music began and she was about to dance, a "snap" rang out—one of the strings on the musician's zither had broken, leaving everyone stunned.

Suddenly, the sound of a flute rose up, clear and melodious. Yuejiao looked up to see the plain-clothed gentleman in the refined seat holding a bamboo flute; the music was being played by him. Yuejiao was a master of song and dance, and hearing this flute playing, she knew the man's skill was extremely high. Although she had never heard this melody before, it was truly beautiful. After a few passages, Yuejiao flicked her long sleeves and began to dance gracefully. The spectators watched with rapt attention, cheering in delight.

As the lingering notes faded, Yuejiao looked again, only to find the refined seat empty. She vaguely heard someone laughing and saying, “Miss Yuejiao's dancing is superb. I have matters to attend to, so I shall come to support you again another day.” She heard the voice, but saw no one.

Yuejiao stood there in a daze; that dance had truly been a perfect union of person and music, exhilarating and soul-stirring. When she looked up again, she saw Sima Rui staring at her coldly. His expression was poor. Yuejiao was momentarily stunned, wondering if the little girl he had brought back the day before was still sulking with him.

Ignoring the crowd below, Yuejiao returned to the Yuejiao Pavilion. Sima Rui had already arrived a step ahead of her, sitting at a table drinking wine with a lonely expression.

“Is Miss Murong still refusing to speak to you?” Yuejiao sat opposite Sima Rui and asked softly.

“She's young, but she certainly has plenty of opinions. She keeps saying that since I have already married her third sister, I must treat her third sister well. Why should I listen to her!” Sima Rui said resentfully, but a sudden image flashed through his mind: on their wedding night, Murong Feng, sitting on the bridal bed, had used a tired and helpless voice to ask him to remove her wedding veil, saying that since they were both indifferent to each other, they might as well just mind their own business. He couldn't help but smile slightly. Thinking about it, that little girl Murong Feng was actually quite cute. She was truly the first woman to ever dare speak to him like that.

Yuejiao did not know what he was thinking. Seeing him suddenly smile with a look of longing, she was truly startled and lowered her head, not daring to speak further.

That day, when Sima Rui "abducted" Murong Xue, it was the first time she had seen the world-renowned beauty Murong Xue. She had indeed felt envious; she was truly a national treasure of incomparable beauty. No wonder Sima Rui was so bold as to kidnap someone from the Murong Prince's Manor. He was indeed the Fourth Prince of the current dynasty, but he had already married Murong Xue's elder sister. Kidnapping one's own sister-in-law—what kind of honorable thing was that!