Chapter 64 The Art of War says, the Art of War says…

Who exactly is Fu Ciyan?

In the middle of the night, Baili Xunzhou tossed and turned in bed. Every time he closed his eyes, this sentence would pop into his mind.

The more he tried to calm himself and clear his mind, the more uncontrollably he recalled that phrase. His heart became increasingly restless and agitated, tossing and turning like a pancake.

Finally, she gave up struggling, opened her eyes, and stared at the bed curtains above her head in distress.

There doesn't seem to be anything particularly urgent tomorrow. The Alna tribe suffered a major setback and should be quiet for a few days. If he sets off now and makes a good time, he might be able to reach Black Stone Gully by dawn.

But what reason could he possibly have to rush over there now? Just because of Fu Ciyan, whose name he'd only seen in a letter? That would make him seem too immature and petty. Would Feng Mian be annoyed by him?

He wanted to write to Fengmian simply because he felt that seeing her in person was like seeing her in person, and reading the letter was like hearing her whispering in his ear. Moreover, just the thought that no matter what, she must be thinking of him when she wrote to him made his heart feel full and light. It wasn't that he wanted to use this to monitor her every move.

If you just read a letter and then rush off without a second thought, it will annoy people. What if they stop wanting to write letters in the future?

As the art of war says, as the art of war says...

Baili Xunzhou's mind went blank, unable to think of any military strategy. He sighed in frustration and began to feel a little envious of Chu Jingqi, this wealthy and idle man who wandered around all day. Thinking of pursuing his sweetheart, he set off to chase after him.

But he couldn't get away...

His gaze paused, and suddenly a wicked thought arose in his mind.

He can't go, but he has so many servants and men in the mansion; they can all be sent to increase his presence.

It was another sunny day, with thick, soft clouds drifting lightly across the clear sky.

In Heishigou, Feng Mian, holding up her pale white skirt, came downstairs, just as Wu Liu brought out the freshly brewed medicine from the kitchen.

The wind and sand have been stronger these past two days, and Feng Mian didn't want to open the windows too often, which caused a thin layer of sand to accumulate inside the house, requiring someone to clean it. So he simply sat in the main hall to drink today's medicine soup, as there were no outsiders in the inn on either side.

Oh, there is one.

A lazy figure dragged his feet over. Fu Ciyan approached Feng Mian, who had just sat down at the table, and peeked at the dark medicine bowl in front of her.

The burning of the inn has come to an end, Fu Ciyan's name has been cleared, and the culprit who made him take the blame has been found out. According to his previous statement, he should leave now.

Gu Chunwen and Lu Mingzhu subtly signaled that he could leave to attend to his own business, but he said, "I have never seen the border market before. It would be such a pity to leave without even taking a look at such a lively place."

“You’re the ones who brought me here. Just finding the culprit to make me take the blame isn’t enough to make up for the bitterness in my heart.”

No one could tell how bitter he was inside, but he insisted on staying with them, and they couldn't just forcibly kick him out.

"Every medicine has some side effects. Are you sick and you're taking medicine haphazardly?" Fu Ciyan frowned, his expression a mixture of disdain and concern.

Look at how weak and frail he looks. His wrist bones are so thin that they're protruding, and his face is so thin that he's practically skin and bones. He must be taking medicine.

Feng Mian stirred the steaming medicine in the bowl with a spoon, waiting for it to cool down. "It's not medicine to cure the illness. Things have been hectic and stressful lately, making me prone to illness, so I'm drinking some herbal soup to prevent ailments. I'm weak, and I've been drinking it since I was a child, so it's fine."

“If you feel tired, go to rest. Go to bed on time and eat meals on time. What’s with taking medicine for prevention? You’re just doing all this useless stuff…” Fu Ciyan muttered in a bad tone, becoming more and more convinced of his earlier idea that it was because she had been taking medicine since she was a child that she had become so thin and frail.

He couldn't hold back any longer and suddenly asked, "Is this how His Majesty the Emperor taught you?"

With a clang, the spoon in Feng Mian's hand hit the side of the bowl. She glanced at Fu Ciyan in surprise. Was this man just unruly or fearless? His tone even seemed to indicate some dissatisfaction with Emperor Jiayu.

She glanced around. Liu Ying and Wu Liu stood quietly with their eyes lowered, pretending not to hear anything. Apart from them, there was no one else in the hall. Several guards stood watch at the door, unable to hear the conversation.

"Criticizing His Majesty? Do you think your head is too heavy to carry?" Luckily, no one else heard. If the story got out with added fuel to the fire, he would be in real trouble.

Fu Ciyan snorted softly, clearly unconvinced, but didn't say anything more.

The medicine in the bowl had cooled down enough, and Feng Mian was about to pick it up and drink it all in one gulp when suddenly her hand felt light. Fu Ciyan had snatched the bowl from her hand and drunk the medicine in one gulp.

The gurgling sound was particularly noticeable in the quiet lobby.

The empty medicine bowl was placed back on the table with a dull thud. "I haven't had a good rest these past few days because of all the trouble you've caused me. I'll try this medicine to see if it works."

He lowered his eyelashes and looked at Feng Mian, his half-closed eyes sharp like a drawn sword. "If Your Highness is worried about falling ill, why don't you go back inside and rest for a while? If the market can't function without you, are those officials you brought just sitting around doing nothing?"

He left those words behind, turned and walked away, heading back to his room. It was as if he had come out just to steal her medicine.

Sealing Sleep: ...

Is he lecturing me? Right?

Although it sounds like it's for his own good, it's not much better than what the Empress Dowager said when she was being sarcastic.

Liu Ying and Wu Liu were also dumbfounded. Liu Ying sidled over, picked up the empty bowl, and glanced at Feng Mian. "Although that young master Fu is not very polite and has no respect for the princess, what he said is true: eating well and sleeping well is better than any medicine!"

“Princess, there’s nothing urgent here. Why don’t you go back to your room and get some more sleep?” Wu Liu followed closely behind, helping Feng Mian up and leading her upstairs.

Feng Mian had no rebuttal and went back to sleep in a daze. When he woke up, he was indeed refreshed, his back and legs were no longer sore, and he felt like he could walk around the market ten more times.

There was a knock on the door, and Wu Liu asked softly from outside, "Princess, are you awake?"

"Come in."

Wu Liu pushed open the door, a clear smile on her face, "Your Highness..."

Feng Mian's heart skipped a beat. Baili Xunzhou was here again? She subconsciously jumped out of bed, hurriedly grabbed the pine-colored outer garment draped beside the bed, but then immediately felt that the color of the outer garment was too dark, so she let go and planned to pick out a new dress.

Then Wu Liu continued, "His Highness the Crown Prince sent someone to deliver some things, and he's waiting in the main hall."

Oh, so someone else was sent instead.

Feng Mian's hand reached back to the pine-colored outer robe. When you're out and about, it's different from being at home. You don't need to change your clothes several times a day. Just make do with what you have.

Two trunks were placed in the hall, and Fu Ciyan squatted down next to them, examining them.

Why is he everywhere?

A familiar-looking servant from the Prince's mansion bowed to Feng Mian and said, "Princess Consort, His Highness has ordered me to bring you some fresh food. The trade market is still a few days away, and His Highness is very concerned about you. He hopes you will take good care of yourself."

Inside the box was a three-tiered food box. Feng Mian opened it and saw that the top and bottom layers were covered with ice, and the middle layer was a snow-white cheese mountain, which looked so delicious that it made one's mouth water.

The servant became even more enthusiastic, straightening his back as he introduced, "His Highness knows that the Crown Princess loves ice, and now that the weather is getting hotter, he specially went to buy some, fearing it would melt, and personally laid ice densely on both the top and bottom layers."

He emphasized the words "specially" and "personally," recalling the words the Crown Prince had instructed him before he left: if the princess is pleased, give him an extra reward.

"The Crown Prince said he was afraid that the Crown Princess would get an upset stomach, so he didn't buy much. This little bit of crispy mountain pastry is just to help the Crown Princess cool down."

How did he know she liked ice cream? Feng Mian suddenly remembered that when she first arrived in the Northern Frontier, she had taken Liu Ying, Wu Liu, and Liu Jixue to visit the Su Shan shop. She guessed that he must have tried to find out from the people around him, and she was somewhat pleased by his thoughtfulness.

She really was craving it.

"As expected of a prince, he comes from a wealthy family and is very generous." Fu Ciyan spoke of Baili Xunzhou as if he were some kind of spendthrift playboy.

The servant gave him a strange look and hurriedly raised his voice to defend his young master, "These things were all purchased with our young master's usual salary. The young master said that he doesn't spend much money in the past, and the money he has saved will be spent on the young master's wife in the future."

A gasp rang out from the side. Fu Ciyan looked at Feng Mian in surprise, "He didn't entrust his salary to you for safekeeping?"

servant: ……

What's wrong with this person?

Feng Mian: "...I don't need that little bit of silver."

Liu Ying whispered to Wu Liu, "What exactly does this Young Master Fu mean? Why is he always nitpicking and finding fault? What does any of this have to do with him?"

She gasped, "He wouldn't have... done anything to the princess..."

Wu Liu shook her head: "It doesn't seem like it. Besides, I don't think Young Master Fu's gaze towards the princess has any romantic intentions. Aren't you supposed to be well-versed in storybooks? Can't you see that?"

"Of course I noticed something was off about his eyes," Liu Ying explained. "It's just that he's not quite normal, and I'm afraid I won't be able to understand his thoughts using conventional theories. You understand?"

Wu Liu: "I don't understand."

Standing in front of the chest, Fu Ciyan peered out and asked, "What does it smell like?"

Feng Mian was afraid that Fu Ciyan would also steal her mountain of cheese pastries, so she held the food box by the handle in one hand and hugged it to her chest with the other, guarding it from all sides, and even gave him a wary look.

Fu Ciyan: ...

He snorted, flicked his sleeve, and turned away. "Who wants to eat this kind of sweet and cloying stuff?"

Do you actually like eating things that are as bitter as herbal medicine? What a peculiar taste!

Feng Mian carried the food box back to his room. While enjoying the food, he wrote a letter to Baili Xunzhou, praising the taste of the cheese pastry mountain and giving Baili Xunzhou a few compliments. Finally, he revealed his true intentions.

"I still dream about the taste of cheesecake mountain. The trade fair will last for more than ten days, and I don't know when I'll be able to eat it again."

At this moment, the sun is shining brightly outside, and the mountain of cheese pastries in her hand has just been emptied; she hasn't even closed her eyes yet.

When Baili Xunzhou received the letter, he immediately saw through her little scheme and found it somewhat amusing. He thought about it and realized that eating a bowl of Su Shan every few days didn't seem like too much, but he still cautiously sent someone to ask Liu Jixue to confirm that there was no problem before deciding to send someone to give Feng Mian a bowl of Su Shan every three days, along with different fruit syrup toppings, so that she would be happy to eat it.