Chapter 59 Yes, I might consider him...

"Is he really going to send a message to the Princess Consort of Qin?"

A question brought Feng Mian back to her senses. She then remembered that there was someone hiding in the room. She quickly turned around and saw Baili Xunzhou running out in a rather disheveled state, his hands covered in melted sugar stains.

"Oh dear, be careful not to get it on your clothes, quickly put it on the plate." Feng Mian took the citron from the plate on the table and took the plate to take the candied hawthorn from Baili Xunzhou's hand.

The sugar coating had completely melted away, and the remaining three fruits were glistening with oil, looking utterly unappetizing. Feng Mian still couldn't bear to throw them away immediately, so she put them back on the table along with the plate.

"Sit down first, I'll get some water to help you wipe yourself down."

The weather in northern Xinjiang is dry. At night, Wu Liu brought a basin of water and placed it in the house to moisten the water, which made it convenient for the boat to travel 100 li.

Baili Xunzhou's hands were covered in sugar stains, so he couldn't help. He sat at the table watching Feng Mian busy herself, his eyes following her intently.

He asked about Chu Jingqi, but in reality, his eyes and heart were only on Feng Mian; he just wanted to talk to her a little more.

Feng Mian moved the copper basin filled with water onto the table. Baili Xunzhou hesitated whether to put his hands into the basin to wash them, so Feng Mian gently supported his dangling wrists and pulled his right hand in front of her.

“If you put your hand in now, this basin of water will turn into sugar water, and you won’t be able to wash it clean at all. Let me do it.”

As Feng Mian spoke, she pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve, dampened it with water, and carefully wiped Baili Xunzhou's fingers.

His wrists had clearly defined bone structure, and his fingers were extremely long with distinct joints, like a slender and straight bamboo. The skin on the back of his hands revealed pale blue veins, and his fingertips and palms had calluses from martial arts training, giving him a powerful look.

As Feng Mian gently wiped the paper, she became engrossed in watching it.

The cool, damp silk gently brushed against my skin, causing a slight itch, and the temperature between my fingers rose instead of falling.

Baili Xunzhou suppressed the urge to curl his fingers. He noticed that she stopped using a handkerchief after wiping the sugar stains and quickly replaced it with a clean one. He felt a little embarrassed.

"Sorry, I've dirtied your handkerchief again."

He even kept one of her handkerchiefs from her last time and didn't return it. I wonder if she still remembers it.

"It's nothing. I have plenty of handkerchiefs. Don't worry about it." Feng Mian didn't even look up.

Oh, then I suppose she doesn't remember.

The slight disappointment vanished as I watched her intently cleaning her fingers.

She lowered her head, and Baili Xunzhou stared at her openly. Her smooth forehead was beautiful, and the wisps of hair at her temples were lively. Her long, curled eyelashes fluttered as if a butterfly was fluttering its wings in his heart.

After figuring out where his true feelings lay, everything I saw seemed to change.

Feng Mian wiped one of his hands clean, and when she switched to the other hand, she remembered that he had asked about Chu Jingqi earlier. She broke the silence between them, saying, "Although Ninth Brother is often a bit unconventional in his actions, he never lies about what he says. Since he said he was going to write a letter to his aunt, he must be writing furiously in the room right now."

“His aunt has always doted on him, so she should agree to his request. But I feel…” Feng Mian sighed softly, “that holy maiden doesn’t seem to like him very much. Ninth Brother is probably going to suffer a setback this time.”

One sentence made Baili Xunzhou's slightly upturned lips curl down.

He recalled the conditions for his ideal husband that he had mentioned before he fell asleep.

The very first reason—gentle and refined—had already shut him out; how could he possibly be happy?

Baili Xunzhou remained silent for a long while, then asked in a low voice, "If the young marquis is deeply in love and unwilling to give up, is there any chance to move the holy maiden?"

"I don't know what kind of man the saintess likes, so how can I say for sure?"

"Does your standard of liking someone never change?" Baili Xunzhou probed. "For example, I used to like gentlemen like scholars, but after getting to know them, I think martial artists are also quite nice?"

“Perhaps. Standards aren’t absolute. If you meet someone you like, why would you care about all those rules and regulations?” Feng Mian thought about it seriously for a moment. “Actually, Ninth Brother isn’t a bad person. He’s sincere and would rather go back to the Canglang Tribe with the Holy Maiden. Maybe the Holy Maiden will find him interesting and consider him.”

Yes, I might consider him.

Bai Lixun's half-dead heart started pounding again.

A strand of hair slipped from Fengmian's shoulder, about to get on the handkerchief stained with sugar. Baili Xunzhou hurriedly reached out his free right hand and tucked the hair behind her ear.

Just then, Feng Mian noticed the movement and looked up. His fingers gently brushed against half of Feng Mian's earlobe. The touch of his slightly calloused fingertips was distinct, and Feng Mian's delicate, jade-like earlobe immediately turned red.

She quickly wiped the last finger, then sat up straight and began to shoo him away, "It's late, I'm going to sleep, you..."

She hesitated before she could speak. Bai Lixun had traveled all day, and to rush back so late at night without resting seemed a bit too much...

"I have military affairs to attend to in the camp tomorrow, so I should head back."

Baili Xunzhou stood up on his own initiative. He leaned slightly forward, his shadow blocking the flickering candlelight, and his backlit expression appeared exceptionally gentle. "Tomorrow is the first day of business, so get some rest. The young marquis is probably aware of his own situation, so don't worry about him."

"If you're worried that he'll anger the Holy Maiden and cause her to leave, have the captain of the Swift Feather Camp tie him up, and say it was my order."

Don't overwork yourself.

Feng Mian felt a slight weight on the top of his head. It felt like Baili Xunzhou was gently stroking his head like petting a kitten. He withdrew his hand after just one touch, strode to the window, and before turning away, gave her one last deep look. "Remember to close the window properly."

The next instant, he leaped down lightly, the hem of his robe brushing past the open window, tracing a sharp arc.

Feng Mian sat quietly for a while, seemingly waiting for him to walk away before quietly closing the window, as if afraid that someone would hear the noise and come to ask her what was wrong.

How could she explain that Baili Xunzhou had suddenly appeared in the middle of the night just to deliver a string of candied hawthorns to her?

However, as the saying goes, "a wild goose leaves its mark," and some things can never be hidden forever.

The next morning, when Liu Ying and Wu Liu pushed open the door, they saw the "stolen goods" left behind by Bai Li Xunzhou the night before.

"Where did these candied hawthorns come from?" Liu Ying shouted, looking at Wu Liu in confusion. The two of them then looked at Feng Mian together.

Feng Mian carefully examined the towel she was using to wipe her face, resolutely avoiding eye contact with them.

"Princess..." Liu Ying was about to ask more when Wu Liu tugged at her sleeve and stopped her with a look.

Wu Liu chimed in, "Princess, Lord Gu sent someone to ask whether you will go with them or go later."

"Let's go together. After all, it's only the first day, and I can't sit still here."

At the entrance to the border market, two long queues had already formed.

On the left were the merchants of Dayong. As they lined up to check their documents, they kept glancing past the Swift Feather Camp soldiers who served as a divider in the middle towards the line on the right, where the six tribes, including the Canglang tribe, had arrived as scheduled.

"Hey, the furs they're wearing look pretty good. If we could find a couple of good furs and get a good embroiderer to make them into cloaks, they'd definitely be in high demand among the nobles in Shengjing."

"It's only the beginning of summer, and you're already thinking about doing business in the winter."

"I can smell the spices! The head chef of Donghua Restaurant asked me to find some special spices for him, and it seems I can get them all today! This trade trip was definitely worth it."

"Look, look! Those horses are truly magnificent and majestic! They're worth it..."

"Forget about it. Warhorses are things traded by the government. Just be envious."

The merchants of Dayong were filled with longing for money and goods, but the Northern Yi tribesmen, who were being watched, were unaware that the young boy Adan had turned away uncomfortably and hidden behind Herlin.

"Are they secretly laughing at us? The uncles and aunts all say that the Dayong people have always looked down on us. If we come to their territory to do business, aren't we just asking to be bullied?"

Herlin: "You don't even trust the Saintess's decisions?"

Adan rubbed the corner of his clothes. "I believe in the Holy Maiden, not the people of Dayong."

Behind Adan stood an elderly man from the Wind Whisperers Department. His face was deeply lined with wrinkles, and he looked very old, yet he still led a camel and pushed a cart. His four-year-old grandson sat on the cart, the child using both hands and feet to hold down the goods around him, his wary eyes scanning the surroundings to prevent any goods from falling.

Perhaps seeing that Adan was young and difficult to talk to, he leaned forward slightly, gave him a fawning smile, and asked him in the Northern Yi language, "Young Master, I don't speak the official language of Dayong. Could I sit next to you later and ask you to translate for me? I'll pay you!"

When Adan saw that he was leading a camel and that his cart was piled with stones, salt blocks, and handwoven carpets, he knew that he was from the Wind Whisperers tribe. The Wind Whisperers lived in mostly desert areas and were poorer than other tribes. Because they were too weak, their people were often captured and enslaved by other larger tribes.

Adan quickly waved his hand and replied, "It's alright, Grandpa, please come with me. It's just a few words, no need for money. Besides..."

He pointed in the direction of several officials in the central square and said, "There are interpreters from the Great Yong there. You can help with translations. If you want to sell anything big, just go to them."

The old man looked in the direction he was pointing and saw several flags erected in the central square. The flags had the words "Interpreter and Translator's Office" written on them in both the Northern Barbarian language and the Dayong language.

"The officials wouldn't lie, would they?" The old man was somewhat uneasy. He had seen nobles and officials from other tribes, and if he looked at them any longer, he would be whipped.

How could Adan say he didn't believe it either? The Holy Maiden knew he was going to beat him, so he said, "No, if you're worried, or if those people have a bad attitude, just come back to this entrance. Our Holy Maiden of the Canglang tribe is here today. She is the most fair and impartial, and she will work with the officials of Dayong to stand up for you!"

These were all things that the Holy Maiden had repeatedly instructed him to memorize after returning yesterday. After all, the Canglang tribe was the one in charge this time, so it was important to ensure everyone's interests.

Adan recited several key points about trade that the Holy Maiden had instructed him on smoothly, and then casually praised the Holy Maiden, feeling quite proud of himself.

The old man nodded, relieved. He patted his grandson's bald head in the stroller and coaxed, "Little Hadan, Grandpa has earned some money. I'll buy you some snacks. The snacks from Dayong are fragrant, sweet, and soft."

Hadan tilted his little head back, his serious little face forcing a smile at his grandfather: "Grandpa, you eat too."

"Good girl."

The sealed carriage stopped not far from the entrance, and the curtain was lifted to watch the crowd enter in an orderly manner.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

With three loud gong sounds in succession, the market officially opened.

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Author's Note: I said a couple of days ago that I'd write more to thank everyone, and I finally managed to write more today! Have a wonderful day! [kissing emoji]