The visitor was a young man with a slightly dark complexion and sharp, defined features. A single knife scar running across his left cheek added a touch of ferocity to his appearance. Had any of the old retainers from the prince's manor still been present, they would have surely recognized him as Wugeng, Prince Yong'an's personal attendant.
Wugeng knelt on one knee beside the bed. When his gaze fell upon Li Fengqi, who lay immobile on the bed, a storm of emotions—anger, heartache, self-blame—churned in his eyes. After several breaths, he clenched his fist, barely managing to suppress the turbulent feelings. His voice was slightly hoarse as he asked, "How is Your Highness's health?"
"For now, I'm not dead yet." Compared to his agitated subordinate, Li Fengqi showed little outward emotion, as if he had long anticipated this day. He proceeded to methodically inquire about the situation outside. "What is the current state of affairs? How many men do we still have?"
Wugeng replied, "On the surface, all is calm, but in the shadows, the emperor has already begun to clip our wings. As soon as I received Your Highness's secret message, I immediately notified all the important officials to lay low, avoid drawing attention, and act with utmost caution. For now, the emperor cannot find fault with them, so he has ordered Cui Xi to deploy the Divine Strategy Army to strengthen the capital's defenses. Entry and exit are being scrutinized, and he has secretly cut off communications through the post stations. Checkpoints in the three prefectures surrounding the capital have also been covertly manned to intercept and kill anyone attempting to send word to the Northern Frontier."
"The incident was too sudden. We didn't have many people left in the capital to begin with, and this time we've lost many more. Only five or six brothers remain. I didn't dare let them risk attempting to deliver a message again."
Li Fengqi was stationed long-term at the Northern Frontier and seldom returned to his princely manor in the capital.
This time, he had only returned because the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, and he had heard that the Dowager Princess, who was worshiping Buddha in Rongyang, was in poor health. It was a last-minute decision.
As it was an impulsive trip, he had brought few guards. Who could have imagined he would fall victim to a covert plot?
And the emperor's reaction was so swift it seemed premeditated. Within merely three days of Li Fengqi being poisoned, he had ruthlessly and decisively moved to strike.
On one hand, he confined the poisoned Li Fengqi to his manor, leaving him to his fate without care. On the other, he sought to exterminate all of Li Fengqi's trusted aides, while simultaneously severing all channels of communication to prevent anyone from sending word to the Northern Frontier, effectively sealing the news within the capital city.
If Li Fengqi hadn't sensed the danger immediately after being poisoned and sent a secret message to Wugeng, who was away on business and hadn't yet returned, ordering him to hide and not return to the manor, and also instructing him to warn the officials they were close with to feign ignorance no matter what happened... if not for that, the capital would likely already be flowing with rivers of blood by now.
Thinking of the brothers who had been killed for no reason, Wugeng's eyes reddened with hatred. He said fiercely, "Your Highness's poison... I'm afraid it was that ungrateful wretch Li Zong who administered it! After all Your Highness's loyalty to him over the years! Perhaps I should risk my life to return to the Northern Frontier with the news. Let General Zhu Wen lead the troops back to the capital to bring Your Highness home!"
Li Fengqi glanced at him. "Who said the poison was from Li Zong?" He shook his head. "Li Zong is merely exploiting the situation."
Wugeng was taken aback. "But Your Highness's poison..." It was clearly administered when the emperor came to drink with the prince.
"I have my suspicions about who poisoned me." Li Fengqi didn't elaborate further, simply instructing, "You must act cautiously outside. Find a way to send word to the Northern Frontier as soon as possible. Tell Zhu Wen and the others to hold their positions, not to be provoked into rash action that would give our enemies a handle against us."
During these days, Li Fengqi wasn't overly worried about his own safety. What concerned him most was Zhu Wen and the others in the Northern Frontier.
Li Zong desired a good reputation. Under the certainty that he was poisoned and would not live long, Li Zong would not easily move to kill him. Furthermore, the true poisoner did not intend to take his life. Therefore, although he had suffered some torment and hardship during this time, his life was not in danger. On the contrary, it was Zhu Wen, impulsive by nature and far away in the Northern Frontier, who was unaware of the situation in the capital. If someone were to provoke him into impulsively leading troops to attack the capital, that would truly play into Li Zong's hands.
There was another reason Li Zong dared not kill him: fear that after his death, the Black Armored Army, having lost all restraint, would indeed recklessly charge back to the capital. But if, before anything happened to him, Zhu Wen and the others lost patience first and gave Li Zong a pretext, allowing him to pin the label of rebellion on them, then Li Zong could openly move against the Black Armored Army. That would be a true loss outweighing any gain.
Li Fengqi lowered his eyes in thought for a moment, then recited a series of medicine names: "After you leave, find a reliable physician for me. Have the medicine prepared according to my prescription. From now on, every ten days, I will send someone with a new prescription to fetch the medicine."
Wugeng was puzzled: "The guard around the prince's mansion is not as strict as before. Why not let me deliver whatever you need directly?"
Previously, although the mansion seemed deserted, it was actually guarded tightly inside and out, which was why he couldn't find an opportunity to enter. But now, more than a month after the incident, the guards around the mansion had slackened considerably. With his skills, coming and going was not difficult.
"Cui Xi is currently in charge of the Divine Strategy Army. This man is treacherous and cunning, with unpredictable methods. The seemingly lax guard within the mansion might very well be a trap he set, intentionally relaxing the defenses to lure you in for a clean sweep." Li Fengqi emphasized sternly: "Follow my instructions in everything. Avoid rash actions at all costs. In the future, do not enter or leave the mansion at will. If there is business, I will send someone to deliver a message to you."
"Yes, I will follow your orders, Your Highness." Wugeng nodded in agreement. Hesitating for a moment, he asked: "Should we send a message to the Dowager Princess, requesting her return to the mansion?"
The old prince passed away early, and the Dowager Princess had never been very close to the prince. After the old prince's death, she went to Rongyang for quiet recuperation and spiritual practice. Now that such a major incident has befallen the prince, no matter how distant their mother-son relationship, she should return to see him. One reason the emperor could so brazenly confine and torment him was that the mansion had only this one master. With the prince fallen, there was no one in charge within the mansion. Those outside dared not step forward, leaving them at the emperor's mercy to be molded and manipulated as he pleased.
If the Dowager Princess were in the mansion, at the very least, the emperor would not dare to act so blatantly on the surface and would have to show some consideration.
After a long silence, Li Fengqi finally said: "Have someone send a letter to my mother, please ask her to return to the mansion for a visit."
Hearing this, the anxiety on Wugeng's face vanished, replaced by excitement: "This subordinate will go immediately."
He turned to leave through the window but was called back again.
"Wait."
"Does Your Highness have further instructions?" Wugeng turned around.
"Do you have any silver on you?" Li Fengqi asked.
"???"
Wugeng was stunned for a moment, fumbling through his clothes before managing to produce five taels of broken silver: "Only this for now. What does Your Highness need silver for?"
In the mansion's current situation, there's no place to spend money, is there?
"..." Probably not expecting his subordinate to be so poor, Li Fengqi fell silent, looking at the paltry five taels.
Seeing this, Wugeng cautiously asked: "Does Your Highness still want it?"
"......" Li Fengqi closed his eyes and said, "Forget it. Find an opportunity to bring in some silver and grain."
"Yes." Wugeng tucked the broken silver back into his robe. As he climbed out the window, he was still wondering, what does His Highness need silver for?
By the time Ye Yunting woke from his sleep, the sun had already climbed to its zenith.
Having slept a whole night on the narrow daybed, he didn't feel refreshed at all. Instead, he was lightheaded, with an aching back and sore muscles, especially a throbbing stiffness on the side of his neck.
Rubbing his neck, he got up and went first to check on Li Fengqi's condition.
Li Fengqi seemed not to be awake yet, his eyes tightly shut, his two long brows relaxed. The outline of his eyes was narrow and long, with the outer corners slightly upturned, giving him a bit more vitality than the day before.
Seeing his complexion was much better than yesterday, Ye Yunting felt relieved. Rubbing his neck, he muttered to himself as he walked out, "Looks like I can't sleep here tonight."
Sleeping there left his whole body uncomfortable; it was worse than not sleeping at all.
"What's wrong with you?" Li Fengqi's voice came from behind.
"Your Highness is awake?" Ye Yunting turned on his heel and returned to the bedside, frowning. "Probably didn't sleep well last night, a bit of a stiff neck."
As he spoke, he continued to massage his neck.
Li Fengqi looked over and saw the slightly open collar of his robe, revealing a slender section of neck. Near the base on the right side, there was a distinct bruise. Perhaps because his skin was too fair, the bruise looked especially severe.
"......" Li Fengqi recalled; this bruise was most likely left by Wugeng's heavy-handedness last night.
He looked at Ye Yunting, who was unaware of the truth, and a rare feeling akin to guilt arose in him. He coughed lightly and said, "It looks bruised. You might have pressed against something while sleeping."
Ye Yunting said, "That daybed is a bit small. Tonight, I'd better squeeze in the outer room with Ji Lian."
After a few more days, once he had a clearer understanding of the situation in the manor, he would consider whether to move to a side room.
"Two men can't sleep on the outer room's luohan bed either." Seeing his brows knitted together, Li Fengqi hesitated for a moment before saying, "If you don't mind, you can sleep on the bed. It's large enough; one more person won't be crowded."
Perhaps not expecting him to be so accommodating, Ye Yunting was taken aback for a second. Upon realizing, he felt somewhat tempted. After all, this bed was truly huge; even four people could sleep on it. With just him added now, it really wouldn't be crowded.
"I certainly don't mind, but Your Highness... you truly don't mind?"
Li Fengqi shook his head slightly, then closed his eyes and said no more.
Seeing this, Ye Yunting became cheerful. He expressed his thanks and then walked briskly to the outer room to fetch water for washing. The water had been prepared earlier by Ji Lian. After washing up, Ye Yunting brought a basin of water inside for Li Fengqi to rinse his mouth and wash his face.
Li Fengqi's meridians were currently severed, leaving him bedridden and unable to move. Ye Yunting could only first help him sit up to rinse his mouth, then let him lie back down and use a damp cloth to wipe his face.
His movements were quite practiced, unlike someone caring for a patient for the first time.
"Have you cared for a patient before?"
"Yes." Ye Yunting had nothing to hide. He rinsed the face cloth in the basin and, in passing, also wiped Li Fengqi's neck and hands. His movements were very natural, gentle and without the slightest hint of impropriety. Even someone like Li Fengqi, who usually detested being touched by others, didn't feel any resistance.
"The nanny who raised me once fell seriously ill and was bedridden. I took care of her for a while."
He said it lightly, but from his skilled movements, Li Fengqi knew he must have devoted his heart to it back then.
Moreover, as the eldest son of the Duke's household, he had to personally care for his critically ill nanny. One could easily imagine the hardships involved.
"What happened later? Did the nanny recover?" Li Fengqi asked.
"No." Ye Yunting shook his head, a touch of nostalgia flickering in his eyes. "She lasted about a month, then passed away. After that, it was just Ji Lian and I, relying on each other."
The nanny was Ji Lian's birth mother.
Ye Yunting's own mother had died in childbirth. His father, perhaps believing he brought misfortune to his kin, did not care for him.
From his earliest memories, he lived in the most remote courtyard of the Duke's estate, cared for only by his nanny. Back then, young and naive, he would often ask his nanny why his father and mother never came to see him. Why the nanny never allowed him and Ji Lian to play outside the courtyard. And why, when they encountered arrogant servants who bullied him and Ji Lian, the nanny never permitted him to go complain to his father and mother.
It wasn't until he grew older and saw Ye Wang, laughing and playing in the arms of his parents, that he gradually understood the nanny's hesitant, pained expression whenever she faced his innocent questions.
His birth mother had died the day he was born. The current mother was not his own. And his father did not like him.
If given the choice, Ye Yunting felt his father probably never wanted him as a son at all.
The only ones who truly loved and protected him were his nanny and Ji Lian.
Later, after the nanny passed, only Ji Lian remained.
His words revealed much, but Li Fengqi did not press further. Instead, he said, "Human hearts can be cold. To have even one person to rely on through thick and thin is already a fortune. Ji Lian is extremely loyal to you."
Ye Yunting smiled. "Yes. We are nominally master and servant, but we are practically like blood brothers."
With that, he picked up the water basin and went to the outer room to empty it.
Hearing the words "blood brothers," however, Li Fengqi's expression darkened, and he thought of Li Zong once more.
To this day, he still could not understand why he and Li Zong had come to such a point, or why Li Zong hated him so deeply. Before the poisoning, Li Zong had always been, in his heart, a younger brother who had not yet grown up and needed his protection. He had read countless history books and seen many tales of discarded tools after use, but he never imagined such a fate would one day befall him.
If it was all an act, Li Zong's performance had been far too convincing.
He still remembered his first meeting with Li Zong. The other was only five years old then, a little bundle just reaching his knees, wrapped in a thick cotton robe, clinging to his leg and calling him "brother."
At that time, he had just learned the reason his mother had never been close to him all these years: he had once had a twin brother who died. Because the infant's death at birth was considered inauspicious, it had never been disclosed to outsiders. He had only found out by secretly seeing his mother worshiping his brother's spirit tablet.
So, when he met Li Zong, he thought that if he had a younger brother, his mother might be happier.
For over a decade, he had truly protected Li Zong as his own blood brother.
Back then, Crown Prince Li Yan was still alive. Li Zong received little attention, and the late Emperor even seemed intent on letting him grow up useless. So, Li Fengqi personally taught him to read, practice martial arts, and study military strategy and tactics... Even after he went to join the army in the northern frontier, the two of them often exchanged letters.
He had always believed the bond between brothers had never changed. Even later, when Li Zong's temperament grew increasingly extreme and obstinate, he merely thought it was his younger brother growing up and forming his own opinions.
He never imagined Li Zong could change so completely, even using the things he himself had once taught him to turn against him.
Truly, times change, and the human heart is inscrutable.
Li Fengqi let out a derisive snort, a fierce light flashing in his eyes.
He had previously thought about confronting Li Zong face-to-face to ask if all their brotherly affection over the years had been false. But now, after witnessing the interaction between Ye Yunting and Ji Lian, he suddenly understood.
Regardless of whether the past affection was real or false, the moment Li Zong moved against him, he had already betrayed their brotherhood.
No affection remained between them anymore; they could only be mortal enemies.
Since they are enemies, killing him is the only answer.
Outside, just as Ye Yunting had poured water, he saw Ji Lian approaching with a food box. He raised an eyebrow slightly. "Did someone deliver food today?"
Ji Lian glanced at the maids standing on either side, entered the room, closed the door, and then opened the food box, complaining, "They did deliver, but it's only this stuff."
Ye Yunting looked inside the box: a small dish of pickles and three bowls of rice. It was hardly unexpected.
"This amount probably isn't enough for you," he said with a smile.
"Young Master, how can you not be worried at all? You even have the mind to laugh," Ji Lian grumbled.
"Worrying won't magically produce food." Ye Yunting tapped Ji Lian's head with a bent knuckle. He picked up one bowl of rice, added some pickles to it, and headed towards the inner room. "You eat first, no need to wait for me."
Entering the inner chamber, he saw Li Fengqi on the bed, his eyes filled with ferocity, his expression dark, the violent aura around him impossible to conceal. If Ye Yunting didn't know he was currently immobile, he would almost think he was about to erupt and kill someone the next moment.
The easy smile faded from Ye Yunting's face. He tentatively called out, "Your Highness?"
Aside from early yesterday morning, he hadn't seen Li Fengqi wear such a sinister expression again. The person who had just spoken to him gently and softly seemed like a different man. But on second thought, he felt this was the true Prince Yong'an—unapproachable, exactly as he had appeared at the palace banquet.
Ye Yunting cautiously halted his steps, maintaining a gentle tone. "The maids just delivered some food. Would Your Highness like to eat now or later?"
Li Fengqi, lost in past memories, snapped back to reality. Just as he was about to answer, he noticed Ye Yunting holding the bowl, standing cautiously a step away without approaching.
He found it somewhat amusing inwardly, relaxing his brow and expression. "I was thinking about some past matters just now. Did I startle you?"
Ye Yunting, of course, wouldn't admit it. He shook his head, sat down by the bed with the bowl, and said, "Food is best eaten while warm."
He didn't ask further, and Li Fengqi offered no more explanation.
Ye Yunting picked up a piece of pickle, paired it with a spoonful of rice, and brought it to Li Fengqi's lips. Li Fengqi opened his mouth and ate. For a while, the only sounds in the room were soft breathing and the faint clinking of porcelain.
After feeding about four or five mouthfuls, Ye Yunting was about to continue when Li Fengqi shook his head. "That's enough."
Ye Yunting was surprised. "You've only had less than half a bowl."
Li Fengqi's jaw tightened slightly. "Enough to stave off hunger is sufficient. Eating more would only be inconvenient."
He spoke in a roundabout way, and at first, Ye Yunting didn't quite grasp his meaning. Once he did, he could barely hold back his laughter. Just moments ago, he had thought Li Fengqi, covered in a murderous aura, resembled a wrathful deity, inspiring awe and fear. But now, he felt that even the most formidable God of War was, in the end, still human.
There was nothing to be afraid of.
Pursing his lips, he suppressed his mirth. "Your Highness need not go to such lengths. You can call for me when needed."
After saying this, he brought another spoonful of rice to his lips. "Your health is what's important."
"......" Li Fengqi looked at him expressionlessly for a moment before lowering his gaze and eating the rice fed to him.
Ye Yunting finished feeding him the bowl of rice, then gave him half a cup of water to drink before finally clearing the bowls and chopsticks and leaving. Li Fengqi, on the other hand, stared at his retreating back for a long while, thinking to himself that there were times even he could misjudge a person.
The eldest son of the Duke's household was not weak and cowardly in the slightest, but rather, audacious to the extreme.
