Chapter 85 A sudden warmth touched my lips, a...

The night was deep and all was quiet. It wasn't just Baili Xunzhou, who secretly went to read forbidden books, who couldn't sleep at midnight.

On the rooftop of the high-rise Moon Gazing Tower in the Princess's mansion, Feng Ciyan leaned against the cool, gray tiles, one knee bent, with two jars of strong liquor scattered beside him.

He drank heartily under the moon, large swathes of wine soaking his chest, the night wind blowing them coldly against his skin.

He nonchalantly raised the wine jar towards the air, his eyes, slick with alcohol, sparkling with a youthful air. "Brother, Xiaoman has grown up and has found someone she loves. Just like you were back then, she's incredibly brave and wouldn't bear to see him suffer even the slightest grievance."

He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing, then took another swig of wine, his tone tinged with a complex mockery.

"But... that kid is just like you, no, I'm afraid he's even worse than you. His Baili family has been guarding the northern frontier year after year, facing the menacing northern barbarians. They've spent more days with their heads on the line than you have."

"You always say you regret provoking your sister-in-law back then, causing her to always be alone in her room, and you weren't even by her side when she gave birth... So you don't want Xiaoman to marry a military general again. It would be best if she could stay in the capital for the rest of her life and live peacefully."

"I wonder if you would be sad or worried if you knew this in the afterlife. But you have to blame this dog of an emperor; he personally arranged this marriage!"

The night wind carried his whispers into the boundless darkness. He remained silent for a moment, gazing at the few remaining lights still burning in the princess's mansion below, before finally letting out a relieved sigh.

“But brother, look, Xiaoman is doing very well in the northern frontier now. She’s not bound by so many rules and regulations, and her husband is by her side. Isn’t she better off than you and sister-in-law back then?”

“Xiaoman is different from her sister-in-law. She doesn’t have a rascal brother, but only a wise and powerful uncle. I will definitely keep an eye on that Baili kid and not let him bully Xiaoman.”

The wine jar lightly touched the tile, producing a crisp sound, like a response.

Meanwhile, the scene was quite different at the manor where the officials of agriculture were temporarily residing.

The courtyard lamp flickered in the moonlight, casting dappled shadows on the ground. The cups and plates on the stone table were slightly messy. Lu Mingzhu, already drunk, had collapsed onto the table, his cheeks flushed and unconscious.

After Feng Mian left, the banquet at the Princess's residence ended. Those who knew perfectly well who she was after all were somewhat confused. Lu Mingzhu inadvertently drank too much.

Gu Chunwen remained seated, his fingertips gently swirling the white porcelain wine cup in his hand, a sliver of broken moonlight shimmering in the clear liquid. Gazing at that point of light and shadow, a faint, enigmatic smile curved his lips as he murmured to himself, "What a pity... I haven't had a chance to do anything yet."

Hearing this, Cheng Lixu was terrified. He quickly put his hands together and bowed haphazardly to the four cardinal directions: "Thank God! Brother Gu, you should give up on this idea! Please don't think about doing anything anymore!"

Gu Chunwen sighed and didn't reply. Only those with a chance of winning can't stop thinking, even if that chance is only the slightest. But for some reason, he kept dreaming about the princess and wondering if things would have turned out differently if he had acted faster those days.

A sudden thud interrupted Gu Chunwen's thoughts. Lu Mingzhu swayed and slid off the stone bench, falling messily onto the cold ground, muttering incoherently words like "princess."

Seeing his state, Gu Chunwen shook his head helplessly, put down his wine cup, and together with Cheng Lixu, bent down to help the completely drunk Lu Mingzhu up.

The moonlight stretched his shadow long, making him appear exceptionally cold and aloof.

The moon gradually sank, the sun rose, and bright sunlight peeked through the open, carved wooden window, quietly entering the draped brocade bed curtains. Baili Xunzhou frowned slightly in his sleep, his eyelashes fluttering, and feeling the warmth falling on him, he suddenly awoke from his deep dream.

He instinctively reached out to his side, only to find it cold and empty; clearly, the person next to him had been up for some time.

Suddenly, his heart felt empty. He sat up abruptly, staring blankly at the half-empty bed. His mind was in chaos. Was everything that happened last night just a dream?

Just as he was feeling uneasy, a soft creak came from the doorway, and someone walked in.

As Baili Xunzhou lifted the bed curtains, the person at the door seemed to sense something and looked over; it was Feng Mian.

Baili Xunzhou almost immediately raised his hand and lifted the bed curtains. A beautiful figure stepped in and turned to look at him. It was Feng Mian.

Today she wore a soft silk dress in a deep blue embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns, her black hair loosely tied up, and a butterfly pearl tassel hair ornament tucked into her hair. She was pretty and gentle, like a lake illuminated by the morning light.

Meeting Bai Lixun's gaze, the corners of her lips naturally curved upwards, and a smile appeared in her eyes. "You're awake. Get up and wash up for breakfast."

"It's a bit sunny outside, so let's eat it indoors today."

As she spoke, she walked toward the screen.

Seeing that her figure was about to be hidden by the screen, Baili Xunzhou immediately jumped off the bed. Only when Feng Mian's figure reappeared in his sight did he feel a little relieved.

He turned to wash up, his gaze still following Feng Mian, watching her direct the maids to serve the dishes. He scrutinized everything, from the stray strands of hair at her temples to the swaying curve of her skirt, as if afraid that if he looked away for even a moment, she would disappear from his sight.

Seeing the exquisite makeup on Feng Mian's face, Baili Xunzhou felt a pang of regret. Last night, he had hastily crammed for a book, which included a picture of a husband drawing eyebrows for his wife. He had secretly memorized it, thinking he might be able to try it this morning, but now it seemed impossible.

But then she thought again, Feng Mian's eyebrows were already beautiful, and his fluffy eyebrows were quite cute, so he didn't need to draw them or add any makeup. Applying lip rouge would surely be fine...

Thinking of this, his eyes couldn't help but fixate on Feng Mian's crimson lips. Occasionally, her pearly white teeth would peek out from between her lips. The warmth of their lips touching last night instantly flooded his heart, and Baili Xunzhou felt a surge of heat rush to his cheeks. He hurriedly buried his burning face in a towel soaked in cold water, rubbing it vigorously, trying to force himself to clear his head.

Several light and delicate breakfast dishes were laid out on the table, with two low stools placed opposite each other.

Baili Xunzhou walked over and naturally dragged the stool to Feng Mian's side. He then lifted his robe and sat down next to her, their knees accidentally touching.

Feng Mian glanced at him sideways, her eyes filled with surprise and amusement. She noticed that he seemed eager to have breakfast with her and was wearing a snow-white undergarment.

Baili Xunzhou followed Feng Mian's gaze to himself and belatedly realized that he had not changed his clothes. His ears burned slightly, but he pretended to be calm and said, "I'm hungry. Eating is the priority."

"Then eat more." Feng Mian didn't expose him, and put a meatball in his bowl.

Baili Xunzhou stared at the snow-white meatballs that had appeared in his bowl, his mind replaying: She took the initiative to put food on my plate!

He solemnly picked up his chopsticks, carefully and respectfully placing the meatballs into his mouth. Even if it were a dish from a palace banquet bestowed by Emperor Jiayu, he would not treat it with such solemnity.

"You slept so soundly this morning, I didn't even wake you when I got up. These past few days..." Feng Mian paused, biting her lip as she asked, "Have you been sleeping poorly?"

How could Baili Xunzhou possibly admit to the sleepless nights of the past few nights and his act of stealing books last night? He was about to deny it, but when his gaze fell upon the faint guilt in Feng Mian's eyes, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration, nodded heavily, and even his tone carried a hint of barely perceptible grievance: "I had a lot on my mind at night and couldn't sleep."

Upon hearing this, Feng Mian felt even more guilty and whispered an apology for his uncle's "test".

“I’m not good either. If I hadn’t acquiesced, my uncle wouldn’t have done this… Last night…” She was halfway through her apology when a hand with distinct knuckles suddenly covered the back of her hand, enveloping her entire hand, and the warm body heat spread to the back of her hand.

Baili Xunzhou looked at her intently: "You're willing to go along with your uncle's nonsense, isn't it precisely because you have feelings for me? Otherwise, why would you go to such lengths to test my feelings? Now that I understand your feelings, I should be thanking your uncle."

"But..." he changed the subject, a hint of expectation in his eyes, "I really had a tough time before, so asking you for some compensation isn't too much to ask, is it?"

Feng Mian glanced at him and nodded gently.

Bai Lixun then smiled and leaned closer.

The morning light shone through the open door, outlining a fuzzy golden edge around the two people who were gradually approaching.

Sitting on the left, Baili Xunzhou stretched his back and slowly leaned forward. Feng Mian lowered her head slightly, and as she felt him approach, her long eyelashes trembled and slowly closed. She felt the light in front of her being gradually blocked by his figure, and his warm breath grew closer. Her heartbeat became uncontrollably erratic.

Just as their breaths touched and their lips were about to touch,

"Little Baili—!"

A deafening roar came from outside the courtyard, like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

Bai Lixun paused, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and suppressed the surging displeasure in his heart.

Feng Mian couldn't help but chuckle, and gently nudged his shoulder: "Go on, Ninth Brother is calling you."

Suddenly, my lips felt a warmth, a soft and gentle touch.

Instantly separate.

Taking advantage of a moment, Baili Xunzhou leaned in and quickly pecked her lips before muttering in dissatisfaction, "I haven't even changed out of my outer robe yet, and you're already in a hurry to send me away?"

He lowered his eyes and sighed, "Ninth Brother is going to bother me too. I... I used to see Mother picking out clothes for Father in the morning, and I was so envious. I was hoping you could help me pick some out too, but is there no time?"

No, when he was young, he didn't understand why his mother would take so long to pick out a piece of clothing. While waiting, he would always end up dozing off. When he was thirteen or fourteen, he became even more impatient with waiting for his father. He would greet him from afar outside the house and then run to the military camp with his precious spear.

Looking back now, I realize I was too young then to understand how fortunate my father was.

"Then let Ninth Brother wait outside. I don't think he has anything urgent to attend to."

Feng Mian gestured for the maids to go out and tell Chu Jingqi, and the maids obediently closed the door behind them.

Feng Mian led Baili Xunzhou to his feet and walked to the rosewood wardrobe, deciding to dress him up nicely.

He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a tall stature, making him a perfect clothes hanger. Feng Mian picked out clothes for him with the same enthusiasm she had when she was a child, dressing up Mohele.

Baili Xunzhou stood behind her, smiling as he looked at her. Just as he was about to step forward and pull her into his arms, he keenly noticed the sound of the door being pushed open a crack.

The persistent Chu Jingqi peered through the crack in the door and asked in a low voice, "Little Baili, when will you get better?"

His fist hardened.