Chapter Seventy-Two: The Wild Napoleon Wrasse

Feng Jinye, furious, turned on his heel and strode away. He had barely gone when the crowd surged, and assassins appeared. In a flash, Feng Jinye spun back in the direction he had just left, charging like an arrow loosed from the bow. He arrived to see Wei Shaoqian collapsing into Qingxia’s arms.

“Qianqian!” he cried out suddenly, waking with a start. He jerked up from the rocking chair, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

Wei Shaoqian had never expected that the unshakable, fearless Feng Jinye would be startled awake here. She stared in surprise as Feng Jinye turned and pulled her into his embrace.

“Did you dream of the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival from four years ago?” Wei Shaoqian asked softly.

“Yes,” Feng Jinye replied quietly.

The sky was a soft gray-blue, the evening glow of spring just painting the heavens.

Wei Shaoqian let herself be held. “Shall we stop for today, and continue tomorrow?”

Feng Jinye was silent.

“Jinye?” she called gently.

He buried his face in the curve of her neck and murmured, “Let me hold you a while longer. Just a little while…”

From that moment, Wei Shaoqian gained a new understanding: even Feng Jinye had times when he needed to rest and catch his breath.

When Feng Jinye finally calmed, he discovered the person in his arms had already fallen asleep. He couldn’t help but laugh to himself—such a little heartless thing.

Outside, Qingxia knocked lightly on the door. Feng Jinye didn’t answer. Instead, he set Wei Shaoqian gently onto the rocking chair, rose, and went to open the door. “The Princess has fallen asleep. Let her rest before serving the meal.”

The maids behind Qingxia paused in surprise—their lord’s words these days were easier to understand, and he spoke of the Princess with uncommon tenderness.

“Your Highness, perhaps you should wake her,” Qingxia insisted. “The Princess is very particular. If the fish goes cold and is steamed again, she won’t touch a bite!”

Feng Jinye hesitated for a moment, then summoned Ye Eleven. “In half an hour, fetch a wild humphead wrasse.”

Ye Eleven froze, a tremor of anxiety passing through him. The sun was already setting—where was he supposed to find a humphead wrasse? Was he expected to dive into the sea himself?

Within a moment, all the shadow guards of the Prince’s Mansion mobilized, and every fishmonger’s door in Yuetu was knocked upon.

Yuetu was soon ablaze with gossip.

“The Prince scours the city for a humphead wrasse just to amuse his beloved.”

“The Princess’s position grows ever more precarious.”

“Who was the beauty seen outside the Prince’s Mansion that day? Is she even lovelier than Wei Shaoqian, the legitimate daughter of General Wei?”

After much speculation, someone finally ventured, “Could it be Wei Shaoqian herself?”

“But wasn’t the Princess disfigured?”

“She always wears a veil—who knows if she’s truly disfigured?”

It was as though this remark awakened everyone from a dream; mouths fell open in surprise all around.

In Listening Wind Pavilion, Yun Ming gaped at the evening’s dishes. He’d trailed after Feng Jinye since New Year’s Day and had never seen East Star garoupa on the table—yet here it was tonight.

Was today some special occasion? The feast was more lavish than the New Year!

“Ninth Day, Ninth Day!” Yun Ming called anxiously.

Ninth Day hurried into the room, ingratiating as ever. “What are your instructions, Prince Yun?”

“Did you serve the wrong dishes tonight?” Yun Ming wondered aloud.

Ninth Day lowered his voice. “The maids from Zhi Yu Pavilion brought it over. We at Listening Wind Pavilion wouldn’t dare stop them. If there’s a fuss, the Princess shields Zhi Yu Pavilion’s people, and the Prince shields the Princess—what can we servants do but stay out of the way?”

Yun Ming was dumbfounded, speechless for a long while. “I don’t believe those skinflints at Zhi Yu Pavilion would send us East Star garoupa.”

Huangfu Chen interjected at the right moment, “Perhaps Jinye is dining at Listening Wind Pavilion tonight?”

Yun Ming nodded thoughtfully, recalling how he’d missed out on East Star garoupa on New Year’s Day. “Eat quickly, before Jinye returns and we get nothing again!”

At this meal, Yun Ming and Huangfu Chen ate with gusto—especially Yun Ming, who felt deeply content.

But Feng Jinye did not return.

Afterwards, Yun Ming was even more puzzled, though he was in too good a mood after the fish to worry much. “Was it too much for us to eat all the fish?”

Huangfu Chen replied, “What is too much? I do not understand.”

As they chatted idly, Xue Chun arrived from Zhi Yu Pavilion, knocking and entering the main house. “Prince Yun, Young Master Huangfu, have you already dined?”

The moment Yun Ming saw Xue Chun, he suspected she was here to retrieve the East Star garoupa—her stinginess was well known. He forced a smile. “Yes, the fish was excellent tonight.”

Xue Chun blinked. “But our Princess just woke and is about to dine. She asked me to invite you both to Zhi Yu Pavilion—the Prince has had wild deep-sea humphead wrasse fetched.”

Yun Ming’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Oblivious, Xue Chun continued, “Qingxia said the East Star garoupa was steamed before the Princess slept, but she won’t eat it if it’s reheated, so the Prince had it sent here.”

“The Princess said if you’ve already eaten, she’ll have the rest sent down to the servants. Tonight, everyone in Zhi Yu Pavilion, Listening Wind Pavilion, and even the Shadow Guard Tower, are eating humphead wrasse—Ye Eleven found several.”

Yun Ming muttered, “I take back what I said earlier—tonight, the fish is all for us. It really was excellent.”

Huangfu Chen added, “Now I understand what is too much!”

Sensing something off, Xue Chun quietly prepared to leave. Then, as if recalling something, she turned to Ninth Day, “Chief Ninth Day, will you come to Zhi Yu Pavilion to eat humphead wrasse with me?”

Yun Ming and Huangfu Chen both shot Xue Chun a look.

Ninth Day could only groan inwardly, cursing his luck—did she have to stir up trouble so openly?

In Zhi Yu Pavilion, Wei Shaoqian gazed at the wild deep-sea humphead wrasse on the table, her smile radiant.

It was hard to believe—a kilo of wild wrasse could fetch two hundred silver, a plate of fish lips three hundred, and now, a deep-sea specimen sat before her.

“Is this fish easy to buy?” she asked hesitantly.

Feng Jinye replied coolly, “It’s doable.”

Ye Eleven, overhearing, broke into a cold sweat. It had been anything but easy—he and the shadow guards had knocked on countless fishmongers’ doors to find a single wild wrasse; the rest were all freshwater farmed.

Wei Shaoqian estimated the fish at about a kilo. The smaller, the rarer—this one must have been expensive. She decided to ask after the price once they finished.

“Are Yun Ming and Huangfu Chen not coming?” she asked, just as the two men entered.

“There you are! Look, a wild humphead wrasse, two jin in weight! It’s the first time I’ve ever seen one so big,” Wei Shaoqian exclaimed.

“Heh,” Huangfu Chen forced a smile. “We’ve already eaten. The Princess won’t touch reheated East Star garoupa.”

Without a wild wrasse as comparison, East Star garoupa would be the finest of rare fish. But beside a two-jin wild wrasse, it was utterly outshone.

Yun Ming was even more aggrieved—he’d wondered whether the wrasse’s flesh could compare to the garoupa, but he’d never guessed it would be such a prize.

“So you’ve already eaten? Well, excuse us, we’re going to dine now. You’re welcome to leave,” said Wei Shaoqian.

“You sneak off to feast alone, then come to Listening Wind Pavilion and rub it in!” Yun Ming protested.

Wei Shaoqian replied solemnly, “Without you two for comparison, how could we show just how rare and precious this wild wrasse is?”

With that, she lifted a piece of fish and placed it in Feng Jinye’s bowl. “Jinye, let’s eat.”

Feng Jinye nodded and took a bite.

Yun Ming and Huangfu Chen exchanged glances. Why had they come, only to suffer? And who said wrasse was inferior to East Star garoupa?

“That’s enough. Let’s talk business,” Wei Shaoqian set down her chopsticks.

“How is Qingxuan today?” Feng Jinye asked. Though it was directed at him, Wei Shaoqian looked to Huangfu Chen.

Yun Ming said nothing, and awkward silence fell.

“You two, tell me—why was Qingxuan at Qinglan Court? And why won’t this fellow let me see her?” Huangfu Chen demanded.

A sudden hush fell. Wei Shaoqian quietly picked up her chopsticks and continued eating.

“Wei Shaoqian, stop playing dumb. Out with it!” Huangfu Chen pressed.

She shot him a glare. “Feng Qingxuan has dissociative identity disorder—she tried to kill me!”

“Dissociative disorder?” Huangfu Chen paused, murmuring, “That serious?”

Indeed, among psychological disorders, dissociation is complex.

“I used to help Qingxuan with psychological therapy,” Huangfu Chen explained, looking at Wei Shaoqian.

Hypnosis is one of the most effective psychological interventions; Wei Shaoqian surmised that Feng Qingxuan had chosen to forget memories she couldn’t face, and after a second trauma, those memories resurfaced.

Wei Shaoqian looked at Huangfu Chen and understood his reasoning. Back then, Qingxuan was just eight, and the following year, Huangfu Chen and Feng Jinye entered military service. There was no way he could provide long-term counseling for such a young girl.

Perhaps it wasn’t only Qingxuan who relied on Feng Jinye then—he too depended on her. Huangfu Chen had erased that segment of Qingxuan’s memory, and no one could fault him.

Silence settled over them.

After a while, Wei Shaoqian finally mustered her courage and looked at Feng Jinye. “May I speak to Huangfu Chen alone?”

Feng Jinye’s expression darkened, but facing her innocent gaze, he nodded and looked away.

“Yun Ming, watch him! Don’t let him follow!” Wei Shaoqian commanded, then rose and left Zhi Yu Pavilion.

“Serves you right for flaunting the wrasse,” Huangfu Chen muttered mischievously.

Feng Jinye, annoyed, was about to kick him, but Huangfu Chen shamelessly added, “Is the Prince going back on his word to the Princess so soon?”

Wei Shaoqian made her way to Listening Wind Pavilion, and soon after, to Feng Jinye’s study. Before long, Huangfu Chen found her there. “Princess, is there something clandestine about meeting me alone at this late hour?” he teased.

Wei Shaoqian shot him a cold smile and kicked him in the knee.

“Tell me about Feng Qingxuan’s condition back then,” she said icily.

“She was severely traumatized,” Huangfu Chen answered seriously. “That day, Jinye had her climb a tree. Her hands were covered in blood, and later, when she saw Jinye kill a man—chopping off his arm—she was terrified.”

Wei Shaoqian nodded, having already guessed as much. “And this time? Did anything happen between you? Why is she avoiding you?”

“I’m not sure,” Huangfu Chen admitted, guilt in his voice. He hadn’t protected her well.

“Alright, that’s all I wanted. You can go,” Wei Shaoqian said.

Huangfu Chen was taken aback. “You went through all that for just two questions? Aren’t you tired?”

“Let me say one more thing—as her family, I warn you to respect the patient’s privacy. If you breathe a word of this, I’ll cut you down!” she threatened.

With that, she turned and left.

Huangfu Chen was left alone, muttering, “I see now—she’s fiercely protective, no doubt about it.”