Chapter 95 A "pop" sound

The morning breeze seeped into the room through the open, carved windows. Liu Jixue sat on a low stool by the bed, her fingertips gently resting on Feng Mianhao's wrist, which was as white as the cold moon.

She glanced slightly to the side and met Baili Xunzhou's anxious gaze. He stood to the side, his thin lips pressed tightly together, looking as if he were guilty of a heinous crime yet facing a formidable enemy.

"Don't worry, Princess, you're fine."

Liu Jixue withdrew her hand, feeling rather helpless. Early that morning, Baili Xunzhou had sent someone to the clinic in a great hurry to find her; she had been startled, thinking something had happened to Feng Mian, but it turned out to be just…

She secretly glared at Baili Xunzhou, then looked at Feng Mian with disapproval, and said meaningfully, "Princess, you should not spoil the young master too much in the future. Everything should be done in moderation, especially when it comes to health."

Feng Mian: "..."

Bai Lixunzhou: "..."

Upon hearing this, the two of them almost simultaneously and instinctively turned their faces away. Layers of blush silently spread from their necks, quickly fading past their ears, and finally climbing up their cheeks.

Liu Jixue seemed oblivious to the awkwardness in the room. She calmly packed away her medical kit, stood up, and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll head back to the clinic. I have many patients coming for follow-up appointments today."

She walked out calmly with her medical kit on her back, leaving behind a subtle silence in the room.

Only after the door was gently closed did Feng Mian pull up the quilt and bury half of her burning face in it, revealing only her bright, embarrassed eyes as she glared at the culprit by the bedside: "I told you I was fine, but you still insisted on calling Ah Xue."

Baili Xunzhou sat down on the edge of the bed, close to her, and said in a very low voice, earnestly admitting his mistake: "It's my fault. I... I didn't know she knew everything just by taking my pulse..."

He paused, then added, "It rained last night, and the lake is quite chilly. I was really worried you'd catch a cold."

The heat on her face subsided slightly, and Feng Mian let out a muffled groan through the blanket. She silently reassured herself that since they were already husband and wife, this was perfectly normal and there was no need to be so ashamed.

She raised her chin slightly and deliberately gave orders in a coquettish tone: "Pour me a cup of hot tea."

Baili Xunzhou immediately got up, poured a cup of tea, carefully blew on it to make sure the temperature was right, and then held the teacup to Fengmian's lips with both hands.

Feng Mian took a sip of the warm tea from his hand before raising her eyes and asking seriously, "Have you and your uncle found anything out these past few days?"

Bai Lixunzhou's expression also turned solemn. He sat down beside her and lowered his voice: "The Chen family has indeed privately contracted a mine in the west, though the exact location is still unclear. What could an ordinary person do by risking their head to contract a private mine? Either they're after money and plotting to mint illegal metals, or something worse..."

Baili Xunzhou's voice grew even lower, "They are privately forging weapons."

Feng Mian's heart skipped a beat. Surely the private forging of weapons couldn't be for arming his own guards? The imperial court didn't strictly prohibit the circulation of swords. The guards kept in wealthy families could each carry a set of swords. How much gold and silver could the Chen family possibly have that required such protection?

There was only one possibility in her mind: rebellion.

Feng Mian hadn't thought about the historical record she'd seen in her dream for quite some time, but now that passage about the Prince of Dingbei's rebellion resurfaced in her mind, it suddenly reminded her of the Chen family.

Perhaps in that future recorded in history books, the Crown Prince of Dingbei, who harbored rebellious intentions due to certain events, was instigated by the Chen family.

Must the flames of rebellion inevitably ignite in the northern border region?

"Mianmian?"

A soft call pulled Feng Mian back to reality. She looked at Baili Xunzhou beside her. He was looking at her intently, his soft bangs falling over his bright eyes, and he exuded a gentle and homely aura.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" He was only halfway through his sentence when he saw Feng Mian's face gradually turn pale, her dark pupils losing their luster and becoming blank, as if she were trapped in some kind of nightmare. He was immediately startled, half-squatting in front of her and anxiously looking up to observe her condition.

"It's nothing." Feng Mian shook her head, pursed her lips and smiled faintly. The exertion brought more color to her lips, making them look less pale. "I just suddenly thought of some bad things, but those things definitely won't happen."

Yes, there are still more than four years until the turbulent sixteenth year of Chengping recorded in history, and they have already discovered the Chen family's conspiracy. They still have plenty of time. Things had already taken a different turn because of her dream and her involvement, and that brief passage will certainly not become a reality.

There will be no more rebellions, and no more wars.

Suddenly, her cold palm warmed up as a long, slender hand squeezed into hers, holding her hand firmly. Baili Xunzhou's gentle voice soothed her anxious heart, "Don't worry, with me, Father, and Uncle here, everything will be alright."

His eyebrows were raised, and his eyes were full of confident certainty.

Feng Mian gripped his hand tightly and nodded.

“Oh, right, Uncle finally told me what he’s found out in the Northern Barbarians over the years.” Baili Xunzhou quickly relayed the rest of the information, allowing Feng Mian to shift his focus. “He discovered several people who might have secret connections with the Alna tribe…”

As he spoke, he turned Fengmian's hand over and wrote a few words on her palm with his fingertips.

Feng Mian curled her fingertips slightly, feeling a little ticklish, but didn't pull away, carefully deciphering the words he had written.

"You've been in the capital for a long time, do you know the relationship between these people and the Luo family?"

Feng Mian pondered for a moment, then gently shook his head: "As far as I know, these families have no open dealings with the Luo family. Especially Censor Liang, he is good at finding fault with the Luo family to impeach them. I have heard my uncle mention him many times, and this is common knowledge in the court."

Baili Xunzhou's eyes were deep, and his fingertips unconsciously tapped lightly on Feng Mian's palm. "Either they are too deeply buried, or there are more than one restless force in Dayong."

He paused slightly, then placed his other hand on Feng Mian's hand, his warm palm enveloping her slightly cool fingertips, and said with certainty, "However, in any case, we have now caught a loose thread, and it is only a matter of time before we uproot it completely."

He stroked the back of Fengmian's hand, trying to comfort him.

Feng Mian seemed lost in thought, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards the hidden compartment inside the bed. She had placed the brocade pouch her uncle had given her when she left the capital inside. She hesitated, wondering if her current situation constituted "difficulty." Should she open the pouch?

"Alright, don't worry. If your uncle finds out, he'll definitely shut me up and won't allow me to secretly communicate with you anymore."

Baili Xunzhou noticed her distraction, raised his hand and gently supported her chin, turning her face towards him. "My mother said that if you always frown, there will be a mark between your eyebrows. My father has a furrow between his eyebrows. You must not follow her example."

His fingertips gently traced her slightly furrowed brow, deliberately drawing out his words with an exaggerated, teasing tone: "Oh dear, you already have a faint line here. If you frown a couple more times, I'm afraid the space between your brows will..."

Before he could finish speaking, Feng Mian feigned anger and gently nudged him, her smooth forehead lightly bumping against his fingertips, interrupting his unfinished teasing.

“Even if a furrow appears between your brows, that’s because…” She raised her eyes, her gaze shimmering with tears, and gave him a sidelong glance. “That’s because you’ve been worrying about me, and you should take full responsibility for it.”

Baili Xunzhou gently released the hand that was pressing against her forehead, leaned down and placed a light kiss on her brow, saying with a smile, "Then thank you very much, Your Highness, for this honor."

Feng Mian snorted twice, pulled her hand away, pressed his shoulder and pushed him away, and commanded, "Then go and get the small sandalwood gift box at the bottom of my dressing case."

Although Baili Xunzhou didn't understand why, he still did as he was told and retrieved a delicate little box.

Feng Mian took the small box into her hands and continued to instruct him: "Now go and close the window."

All the open windows were closed, blocking out the bright light and making the room much darker.

"Then lower the bed curtains," Feng Mian continued, her voice tinged with mystery.

Baili Xunzhou felt strange, and his heart was inexplicably racing. As the bed curtains fell, obscuring Feng Mian's figure, and he heard her tell him to sit down, he couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

On one hand, he was thinking about Liu Jixue's "doctor's orders" and knew it was inappropriate to do anything out of line. On the other hand, he couldn't resist the temptation. His heart pounding, he lifted the bed curtains and sat down next to Feng Mian.

It was almost completely dark before my eyes, with only a little light shining through the gap in the bed curtains that were not fully drawn.

Feng Mian leaned forward slightly to tighten the small gap before handing the small gift box to him, urging, "Open it and take a look quickly."

Bai Lixun carefully opened the box. As his eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, he could vaguely see a palm-sized seashell lying quietly on the soft silk lining. The seashell had delicate spiral patterns on its surface, which gleamed with a warm luster in the dim light.

"What is this...?" He looked at Feng Mian in confusion.

Feng Mian smiled and gently opened the seashell. Instantly, a soft light emanated from inside the shell, revealing luminous pearls, each the size of a pearl, that had been polished and adhered to the shell's interior.

The light was warm and not dazzling, and when held in the palm of your hand, it felt like a small bright moon, instantly dispelling the darkness inside the bed curtains.

“I made this for you myself.” She said softly, “You often go out at night, and there are times when you can’t find a source of fire or light. With this on you, you won’t be afraid of suddenly being surrounded by darkness and putting yourself in danger.”

Soft light shone down on her face from below. It should have been a terrible angle of light and shadow, but her eyebrows and eyes were so gentle, and her jawline was so smooth and soft. Even with the shimmering pearlescent light, she was still so beautiful that it stirred one's heartstrings.

When someone who loves you sees your weaknesses, they only worry that they might hurt you, and they carefully and painstakingly try to build a protective wall around you.

Baili Xunzhou felt his heart filled with something. He gently closed the seashell, the light disappeared, and the darkness that followed made his eyes feel as if they were blind for a moment. He couldn't see anything, but because of the small lamp in his palm and the person beside him, he didn't panic for a moment.

A faint rustling sound of fabric came from the darkness. Following the sound of breathing, Baili Xunzhou approached Feng Mian and whispered, "Thank you, I like it very much."

A light, fleeting kiss landed on either the lips or the cheek with a soft "pop."

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Author's note: *kiss*