Chapter Seventy-Six: The One in My Heart

“It won’t be long now,” Feng Jinye said calmly.

Yun Ming nodded. “It seems her aim is to send me to Guanlin City!”

For a moment, Weishao Qianyu couldn’t make sense of the Empress Dowager’s intentions. Could it truly be that, unable to solve the dilemma of the War Princess’s dual identity, the Empress Dowager intended to leave the mess to Yun Ming? Now that she and Feng Jinye stood on opposing sides, handing this tangle to Yun Ming seemed a way to set Yun Ming and Feng Jinye against each other. The best way to strike at Feng Jinye was, after all, to use Yun Ming.

Weishao Qianyu suddenly realized: when the conflict reached its peak, the Empress Dowager might kill Yun Ming and frame Feng Jinye for the crime. Yes, if she could poison Yun Ming, what was to stop her from killing him outright? That must be why Feng Jinye ordered Ye Shiyi to lead two teams of shadow guards to follow Yun Ming…

But there still seemed to be a missing piece—a successor to the throne. Could it be Yun Shuo? One after another, all became pieces on the Empress Dowager’s chessboard.

The more Weishao Qianyu thought, the more her heart trembled with fear. The Empress Dowager sought to strike at Feng Jinye through Yun Ming, and her reason for opposing Feng Jinye was, in the end, Weishao Qianyu herself. Was it truly because of the prophecy that “once in a century, a celestial maiden would emerge from the Weishao clan”? The Empress Dowager had understood that to claim Weishao Qianyu, she must first remove Feng Jinye.

Weishao Qianyu finally grasped the meaning behind the Empress Dowager’s words that day: “You and Feng Jinye are impossible. You will harm him.”

Seeing Weishao Qianyu lost in silent thought, Feng Jinye took her hand and said gently, “Don’t dwell on it.”

Yun Ming, dejected, quietly withdrew.

“Why would the Empress Dowager grant you a marriage with the legitimate daughter of the Lu family?” Weishao Qianyu murmured.

Feng Jinye pulled her into his arms and explained, “When I was young, I served under your grandfather. Duke Lu recognized my abilities and showed me great favor. The Empress Dowager most likely wanted to force me back to Yue City and arrange a marriage alliance between the War Prince’s household and Duke Lu’s. Out of respect for Duke Lu, I would have no choice but to accept his legitimate daughter.”

Weishao Qianyu pouted, recalling how, on their wedding day, Feng Jinye had mistaken her for Lu Yanran. If she hadn’t entered the War Prince’s residence under the Lu family’s name, he would have married another woman…

As if reading her thoughts, Feng Jinye remembered what he had seen during her hypnosis the previous night—how Weishao Qianyu had hinted that Lin Yichu would agree to his proposal at the Weishao General’s manor.

He felt a pang of sorrow and didn’t want Weishao Qianyu to feel the same. “On our wedding day, when I saw you outside the War Prince’s residence, I felt that we had met before. That’s why I later sought you out.”

Weishao Qianyu turned her head away, only for Feng Jinye to lean in close and ask softly, “Are you unhappy, Qianqian?”

“Then let me make you happy…” Before he’d finished, a smile was already blooming on her lips as she nodded.

Every word Feng Jinye spoke carried her childhood nickname. “Whenever you tell me a story, whether it’s about grasslands, forests, oceans, or skies, I always want you to be in the story…”

Weishao Qianyu was momentarily surprised, realizing he was referring to all the hypnotic bedtime stories she’d told.

“What did you remember last night? Why do you seem so different today?” she asked.

Feng Jinye’s expression grew slightly tense. “Did you ever have someone you loved, Qianqian?”

Weishao Qianyu paused, realizing that after all this time, he was still jealous.

“Of course I did,” she replied softly. “My beloved is a peerless hero.”

Feng Jinye froze. A peerless hero? Who could it be?

Weishao Qianyu stood up and tugged Feng Jinye toward the Zhi Yu Pavilion. “I even have a portrait of him. He’s even more handsome than you!”

Feng Jinye’s face darkened instantly. She still kept a portrait of her beloved? And claimed another man was better looking than him?

He hesitated at the doorway as Weishao pushed open the inner chamber’s door. Feng Jinye wanted to turn back, but the thought of her taking out another man’s portrait made him want to destroy it before she could see it.

“Are you certain someone could be more handsome than me? I’ll give you one more chance to say that again.”

“Mmm, about as good-looking as you, but just a little bit better…”

Before Weishao Qianyu could finish, Feng Jinye silenced her with a kiss.

“I could kill someone right now,” he said, his anger plain.

Weishao Qianyu paused, then added, “I’m afraid you couldn’t. He’s an incredible martial artist, far beyond your ability to defeat.”

Feng Jinye was at his wits’ end as Weishao Qianyu headed inside. “I miss him a little…”

Feng Jinye followed, his steps heavy, as if the floor beneath him might burst into flames.

With a gentle smile, Weishao Qianyu led him to the full-length mirror she’d crafted herself. “Look closely.”

She approached the mirror, raised her brows, and smiled. “Hello, my beloved.”

Feng Jinye froze. In an instant, all his anger vanished.

Weishao Qianyu laughed softly. “See? You smiled. Isn’t this version of Feng Jinye better-looking than a moment ago?”

Feng Jinye stepped forward, drawing her into his arms, his gaze delighted as he looked at the perfect couple reflected in the glass.

Weishao Qianyu took two steps forward, and Feng Jinye followed.

She raised her hand and tapped the mirror twice. “Knock knock… My beloved, welcome to my heart.”

“Look, Feng Jinye! Isn’t he as handsome as you, and even better-looking than you usually are?” she said, half-turning to glance at him.

“If Qianqian says so, then it must be so,” he replied, instantly returning to his puppyish demeanor.

“I wonder what the War Prince’s beloved looks like?” she teased.

Feng Jinye chuckled, brushed her nose with his finger, and said, “She’s right here, always has been, and she’s always been the most beautiful.”

Weishao Qianyu nodded, then asked, “Will you tell me what you remembered last night?”

Feng Jinye fell silent.

She continued, murmuring, “Three years ago, you suspected I had someone in my heart—was it Lin Yichu or Lu Liyuan?”

Her marriage negotiations had indeed involved both those men.

Feng Jinye admitted, three years ago, he had followed Weishao Qianyu back to the Weishao residence, watched as General Weishao and her aunt discussed her marriage, and even saw Weishao Qianyu hint that she would agree to Lin Yichu’s proposal.

Weishao Qianyu grew silent, memories welling up like a spring.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival four years past, Weishao Qianyu had journeyed to Luandu. By the time she returned to Yue City, nearly a month had passed without seeing Feng Jinye.

She realized she’d been silently counting the days without him, hoping that at the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth, he might pretend to look for her. So, on the fifteenth of September, she went to the lantern festival on the western outskirts of Yue City.

But she didn’t find Feng Jinye. Instead, she heard the city in an uproar: in a month and a half, the War Prince would celebrate his birthday with a grand banquet—and select his bride!

Weishao Qianyu had never put stock in idle gossip, but Feng Jinye hadn’t come to find her.

She lost all interest in the lantern festival. She remembered how, by the pavilion in the War Prince’s residence, Feng Jinye had once asked her to marry him—it all seemed laughable now.

The next time they met was at his birthday banquet.

That was, in her memory, the only time the War Prince’s residence ever held such a lavish affair. General Weishao had been surprised to receive the invitation only two weeks prior.

On the day of the banquet, Feng Jinye drank cup after cup, glancing toward the door countless times, never seeing the one he longed for.

After the third round of toasts, the daughters of various noble families began showing off their talents, each hoping to win the War Prince’s favor.

Disguised as her father’s attendant, Weishao Qianyu shadowed General Weishao throughout the evening, her heart sinking as she watched the spectacle unfold.

She’d always heard that every marriageable young lady in Yue City hoped to wed the War Prince. Seeing it with her own eyes, she was fuming.

Feng Jinye, bored and irritated, absentmindedly pulled a dancing girl into his arms. In that instant, though, he sensed a burning gaze upon him. He looked up, searching for its source, but saw only General Weishao sipping his wine.

“She’s here—she must be here!” he muttered, immediately sending his shadow guards to investigate.

The banquet soon ended—ostensibly because the War Prince had drunk too much.

Weishao Qianyu was led to the small pavilion by the lake.

When she saw Feng Jinye, she felt nothing. Only last month, he’d asked her to marry him; now, he held another woman in his arms.

She smiled faintly and said, “Your Highness, I came to wish you a happy birthday. I’m not talented enough to perform for your entertainment, so I’ll simply wish that from now on, your arms are always filled with beauties, your left and right embraced, fortune smiling upon you at every turn.”

With that, she turned to leave. Feng Jinye, at a loss, followed close behind. As always, Weishao Qianyu promptly got lost in the gardens.

She didn’t know how long they wandered. She knew he was behind her, but she wouldn’t turn to look. Suddenly, her eyes filled with tears.

Hearing her soft sobs, Feng Jinye’s whole body trembled. He stepped forward, gently turned her around, and quietly wiped away her tears.

“All this time, I kept wondering how to cheer you up, but I just… don’t know how,” he murmured. “Please don’t cry, all right?”

“That dancer was one of my guards. When I didn’t see you at the banquet, I just wanted to drink, so I pulled someone over to guard against any assassin’s attack.”

As they walked, Feng Jinye thought of many things. Weishao Qianyu had come; it meant she cared. He would never let her marry another.

She didn’t know that, after returning from Luandu, Feng Jinye had rushed straight to the imperial palace.

Nearly every palace servant had been terrified by the War Prince’s arrival. The first thing he said to Hua Mei was, “I want a War Princess. May His Majesty grant my wish!”

That was why rumors had swept through Yue City that the War Prince’s grand birthday banquet was to select a bride.

But no one knew that Feng Jinye had personally requested the imperial edict, and had written Weishao Qianyu’s name in his own hand before presenting it to the emperor.

So when the imperial decree was finally issued, the War Prince was to marry the legitimate daughter of the Weishao General’s household—and Weishao Qianyu’s name was displayed in bold, glorious script.