12. Dance of the Fallen City (Part 2)

In a courtyard outside of Chujing, under the faint sunlight, a beautiful but slightly thin and pale woman was sitting under a tree holding a baby. The child in her arms was more than three months old. Compared with the wrinkled appearance when she was just born, her little face has grown white and tender, and her big watery eyes are looking at the woman holding her and giggling.

The woman lowered her head and looked at the child in her arms, a faint smile appearing on her originally hesitant face.

"Miss Yaoji, the Madam and Young Madam are here." A maid-like woman reported in a deep voice at the door. Although she was a maid, she looked at the woman under the tree without the slightest respect, but full of contempt and disgust. Yaoji had long been accustomed to such looks and didn't care. In the eyes of these people, she was just a shameless woman who hooked up with the prince of the Marquis of Muyang.

Yao Ji lowered her head, as if she didn't hear her words. Ever since she was captured in the sixth month of her pregnancy, the family of the wife of Marquis Muyang, or the Marquis Muyang Mansion, took away all her property, and she lost her freedom. When she was about to give birth, she almost died in an avalanche. Even Yao Ji didn't expect that the seemingly gentle and well-educated young lady of Marquis Muyang Mansion would be so vicious. After experiencing so much, Yao Ji became more and more heartbroken, and she was completely desperate for these so-called wealthy and powerful people.

The girl said she was here to report, but she didn't say she was here to inform. Seeing that Yao Ji didn't say anything and didn't care, she left directly. Sure enough, a group of people came in a moment later. Lady Muyang Marquis frowned and looked at Yao Ji, who was dressed in white and charming, with disgust in her eyes. She was born in a noble family, so she naturally hated these coquettish women, not to mention that this woman had captured her son's heart.

The young lady who had just entered the Marquis of Muyang’s mansion a few months ago was full of jealousy. Yao Ji’s beauty was ranked among the top five in the entire capital. She was the most beautiful lady in the city when she danced in red. She also won praise from all sides at the palace banquet. Even though she is much thinner now and wears white clothes without makeup, she is more beautiful and proud like a lotus emerging from water. How can such a beauty be compared with the young lady of the Sun family, the young lady Mu, who can only be described as pretty? Originally, this young lady Mu had the elegant temperament of a scholarly family, which made Ye Li secretly praise her in her heart. However, after getting married, she had a life full of jealousy and viciousness, which made her abandon even the last bit of advantage. Now it seems that she is just a mean and vicious young woman.

"How dare you! Don't you even know how to perform etiquette?" Lady Muyang Marquis's wife scolded in a deep voice.

Yao Ji raised her head and said calmly, "You two didn't come in person, but you still asked the master to salute?"

Madam Mu shrieked, "Who do you think you are? This is the villa of Marquis Muyang's mansion!"

Yao Ji said, "I am indeed not the owner, but it seems that Madam Mu is not either. This is Mu Yang's private courtyard, and it is obvious that Mu Yang does not recognize the Madam's right to own his private property. Madam Mu still remembers that when you almost starved Jing'an and me to death, Mu Yang once ordered that you and she were not allowed to enter this place. As for me... Madam Mu, if you are willing to let me go, Yao Ji will be grateful. I think the money you took from me is enough to pay the rent for these days, right?"

Madam Muyanghou and Madam Mu Shao both turned pale and blue. Madam Mu Shao was just angry, while Madam Muyanghou was more embarrassed and angry. The Zhang family took away all of Yao Ji's property, and a large part of it fell into her hands. Yao Ji had naturally made a lot of money in recent years. When Ye Li sold Qingchengfang to Ding Wangfu, he did not take advantage of Yao Ji and the price he gave was absolutely fair. In addition, Yao Ji had various treasures given to her by many celebrities, nobles, and powerful people. If they were really valued, their value would not be less than 300,000 or 400,000 taels. Such a large sum of money, even for a powerful family like the Muyanghou Mansion, is definitely a huge sum of money.

After a while, the wife of Marquis Muyang came back and said through gritted teeth: "You can leave if you want! But you must leave the child behind!" Although the child's mother was of a disgraceful origin, he was the first grandson of the Marquis Muyang Mansion. Mu Yang had been married for so long, but the grandson family had not made any movement. Naturally, the wife of Marquis Muyang valued this child more, not to mention that the bloodline of the Marquis Muyang Mansion could not be lost in any way.

"Don't even think about it!" Yao Ji stood up holding the child, staring at the wife of Marquis Muyang warily. Suddenly she sneered and said, "If you don't want to leave, then don't leave! I'm not afraid of you. Even if I don't have a legitimate status living here, Muyang will still provide me with good food and drink. If I feel relieved one day, I can become a concubine in the mansion. With my beauty, am I afraid of a plain-looking woman? I wonder if... Prince Muyang will be laughed at for marrying a dancer?"

"You...you are shameless!" Madam Mu's face changed immediately. Now that Yao Ji lives in the villa, Mu Yang often refuses to go home. If she brings the mother and son back to the mansion, where will she have a place to stay in the Marquis Mu Yang's Mansion?

Yao Ji smiled faintly, which was extremely charming and moving. "Thank you for the award. I am not as good as someone else."

The mocking tone was too obvious, and the wife of the Marquis of Muyang could not pretend not to understand. How could the wife of the Marquis of Muyang, who always acted superior to Yao Ji, tolerate the mockery of a dancer? She said angrily: "You bastard! I want to see if I can cure you! So what if Mu Yang dotes on you? After all, I am Mu Yang's mother!"

Yao Ji sneered, "So what if you are Mu Yang's mother? Is it rare?" If she had been in love with Mu Yang in the past, she might have been a little bit considerate of Mu Yang. But now... when she was almost killed by Madam Mu during childbirth, and she and her child were almost starved to death some time ago, she had already despaired of Mu Yang. It was not because Mu Yang was unwilling to avenge her and her child, but because Mu Yang cared about the Mu Yang Marquis's Mansion and the Sun Family. She understood that what made her hate the most was that even though he knew that she and her child would be in danger if they stayed in Chujing, Mu Yang still refused to let her go. She didn't know and didn't want to know whether it was because Mu Yang was confident that he could protect them and their child, or because in Mu Yang's eyes, their lives were not that important. But now... she had completely lost her heart towards Mu Yang. The love and affection they had in the past had long become a thing of the past compared to her own son.

"Someone come! Drag this woman out and beat her up!" shouted Lady Muyang Hou.

"Who dares?!" The servants were about to take action when Mu Yang came in from outside and shouted. Mu Yang walked into the courtyard, glanced at Madam Mu who was standing next to Madam Mu Yanghou, and said angrily, "It's you again!"

Madam Mu lowered her head in resentment. Although she was indeed the one who instigated her mother-in-law to come here, her husband's attitude of directly scolding her without asking any questions still hurt her heart. It's not that she didn't want to be a virtuous wife, but when Yao Ji disappeared, Mu Yang went to the battlefield without saying a word. Later, Mu Yanghou Mansion found Yao Ji, and Mu Yang married her when he came back. However, no matter what she did, he was always lukewarm to her. She was just a young bride in her teens, how could she tolerate it?

Yao Ji sneered and said, "Is the prince blind? The one who wanted to hit me just now was not Madam Mu."

Mu Yang frowned, looked at Yao Ji helplessly and said, "Yao Ji, you..."

Yao Ji, who was originally smiling and talking, suddenly changed color, raised her hand and slapped Mu Yang hard in the face. Not only did the slap make Mu Yang's face tilted halfway, but also made the wife of Marquis Muyang and the wife of Young Master Mu scream out in surprise.

"Yang'er! You bastard! You..." The wife of Marquis Muyang was furious. Mu Yang quickly stopped his mother who was about to lose her temper. Wang Yaoji, who looked gloomy, said, "Does this make you calm down?"

Yao Ji pursed her lips and smiled, but that smile was extremely cold, "Calm down? Prince Mu is really joking. Since Prince Mu said that he wants to welcome Yao Ji into the mansion, Yao Ji, although her life is worthless, still has one thing to ask."

Mu Yang was delighted, thinking Yao Ji had given in, and quickly said, "Just ask."

Yao Ji held the child in one hand and pointed at Madam Mu and asked, "If Yao Ji is beaten to death by Madam Muyanghou one day, what will Prince Mu do?"

Mu Yang's expression changed slightly, "Yao Ji, what nonsense are you talking about? How could my mother..."

Yao Ji sneered and raised her eyebrows, "Prince Mu, why don't you ask Madam Muyang Marquis if she was planning to beat me to death just now?" Mu Yang turned his head to look at Madam Muyang Marquis, but saw that Madam Muyang Marquis turned away with a somewhat stiff expression, and his heart sank. Yao Ji smiled charmingly, "Prince Mu can welcome me as a concubine, as long as you are sincere, Yao Ji will risk her life. As long as Prince Mu swears in front of everyone in the capital, if Yao Ji dies that day... you will kill the person who killed me in front of Yao Ji's spirit. How about it?"

"Yang'er!"

"Prince!" Madam Muyang Hou and Madam Mu Shao spoke out to stop him.

Seeing the ugly expression, Yao Ji smiled mockingly, turned around and went into the room with the child in her arms, not caring how the wife of Marquis Muyang and Madam Mu Shao were arguing outside.

When Mu Yang finally sent his mother and wife away, he returned to his room and saw Yao Ji standing in front of the window, not knowing what she was writing. A trace of guilt flashed through Mu Yang's eyes, and he sighed in a low voice: "Yao Ji, why are you doing this? Why do you say such things? I know... you are not that kind of person."

Yao Ji sneered, "You are wrong. I am just that kind of person. If I don't live well, no one else can live well! If I have any accident, I don't expect you to avenge me. I gave 50,000 taels of silver to Yan Wangge. If I have any accident, the people of Yan Wangge will naturally avenge me."

"I don't believe it." Mu Yang shook his head and smiled.

Yao Ji remained silent. Mu Yang put his arm around her waist from behind and whispered, "Yao Ji, you will live here from now on. Don't worry, from now on, Marquis Mu Yang's people will never come here again. No one will disturb us, let's live a good life."

More than a year ago, when Mu Yang hugged her like this, she still felt the warmth in his heart, but now, she felt as if a cold and wet snake was wrapped around her. She felt cold from the outside to the inside, all the way to the bottom of her heart.

For two whole months, no one disturbed them. During these two months, Yao Ji no longer resisted Mu Yang, nor did she make a fuss about leaving. Gradually, Mu Yang seemed to be relieved, and he came less often than before. After all, Mu Yang was a young and promising man, and it was impossible for him to spend all his time on a woman. When Yao Ji knew that Mu Yang would not come for a while because of what Mo Jingqi had told him to do, she knew that her chance had come.

The servants in the other courtyard had no respect for Yao Ji, and when they saw that she had no intention of running away, they gradually relaxed their vigilance. Finally, Yao Ji escaped from the other courtyard with her child when the lights were just coming on one evening.

After escaping from the villa, Yao Ji only took some jewelry that was of value. She immediately exchanged these jewelry for banknotes. She didn't know when Mu Yang found out she was missing, but no one chased her in the first few days of her escape. Yao Ji traveled day and night to the west, but unfortunately she was caught up by the people from Mu Yang's mansion ten days later.

It was not easy for a woman to run around alone with a child. On the fifteenth day, Yao Ji finally saw the people who were chasing her. But unlike the people who had been looking for her two days ago, these people wanted to kill her. Just when Yao Ji was almost desperate, several carriages appeared at the edge of the woods. Without caring too much, Yao Ji ran towards the carriages with her child in her arms, shouting, "Help! Help..."

At the front, a man in gray was stunned for a moment, then quickly jumped up. The man chasing her was not a professional assassin, nor a master, so he was naturally solved without any effort.

Yao Ji sat on the ground holding the child, and was a little confused for a moment. Is she...safe?

"Miss Yaoji, are you okay?" A deep male voice sounded in front of her. Yaoji looked up in shock and saw a tall and calm man standing in front of her. Yaoji was stunned and said, "You...you are Commander Qin?"

"Qin Feng." Qin Feng said calmly. He was ordered to go to the capital of Chu to find the two wet nurses and two maids of the princess, but he did not expect to meet Yao Ji who was being hunted. Frowning, Qin Feng asked, "Who is hunting you?"

Yao Ji said with some disinterest: "Maybe it's someone from the Marquis of Muyang Mansion." She had just escaped from danger, and had to hide here and there and travel these days, which had already exhausted her. At this moment, she suddenly felt relieved and had no mood to think about these things for a while.

Qin Feng looked down at the child in her arms. He didn't even cry when Yao Ji was holding him and running wildly. "Is this your child?"

Yao Ji nodded and smiled, "Yes, this is my son. Shen Jingan."

Qin Feng raised his eyebrows, but did not ask the child why his surname was not Mu. He looked down at Yao Ji and said, "What are your plans, young lady?"

Yao Ji said somewhat embarrassedly: "I plan to go west."

Qin Feng thought for a moment and said, "Let's go back to Licheng. The girl can go with us."

Yao Ji was delighted. She had originally planned to go to Ding Wangfu. She didn't have to go to Licheng, but the people from Muyang Marquis' Mansion would be more restrained after entering Feihong Pass. However, the journey to Licheng was long, so it would be best if she could travel with them. Thinking of this, Yao Ji did not refuse and nodded, "In that case, thank you very much, Commander Qin."

Qin Feng shook his head silently, looked at Yao Ji's pale face and thin body in coarse clothes, and said nothing more. He just said, "It's just a simple favor, no need to be polite."



13. Dance of the Fallen City (Part 2)

Yao Ji settled down in Licheng. After careful consideration, she finally asked Princess Ding to find a good family to take care of the child. When she was in Muyang Marquis's mansion, she would rather die than give up the child because she knew that the child would never have a good life if he stayed alone in Muyang Marquis's mansion. No matter how much Muyang loved the child, there would be times when he failed to take good care of him. Just one negligence was enough to kill the child.

Now that she has settled down, Yao Ji has more time to think. It is not good for the child to follow Mu Yang, but it is not necessarily a good thing to have a mother like her. Moreover, it is not difficult for her to raise a child alone, but it is not so easy to make friends with a child and let a boy grow up happily. Boys... always need their fathers more. Moreover, Yao Ji always has a hunch that the matter of Mu Yanghou Mansion... is not over yet.

Princess Ding had indeed found a good family for the child, a couple who were over 40 and childless, from a scholarly family, not rich but with some assets. Yao Ji had secretly visited the couple several times, and the couple really treated the child as their own.

Seeing her son growing up in a healthy and comfortable family, Yao Ji smiled faintly, but her heart was filled with genuine joy and peace.

Three months later, Yao Ji opened a restaurant in the city. She borrowed the money from Princess Ding, who only took half of her money, and the other half was considered as the share of the Ding Palace. Yao Ji had no objection to this, not to mention that she could never repay the Ding Palace for its kindness to her in this life. She opened a restaurant on the Ding Palace's site, and what backer could be more stable than the Ding Palace itself?

Yao Ji had several years of experience in running Qingchengfang. Although running a restaurant was completely different from running a music school, it at least proved that Yao Ji was capable of handling interpersonal relationships and entertaining guests. Sure enough, it didn't take long for the restaurant to gain a foothold in the city. Yao Ji also gradually stopped showing up in public and truly retreated behind the scenes.

Yao Ji didn't know how she became familiar with Qin Feng. She only remembered that Qin Feng often came to support the restaurant when it first opened. He didn't do anything, just ordered a pot of wine and two side dishes, and sometimes sat for an hour or two. Because of him, even though she was an outsider who opened a new restaurant, many playboys and colleagues in the city did not dare to make trouble in the restaurant. After all, who in the whole city of Ruyang didn't know that Qin Feng was the personal guard of Princess Ding?

As time went by, the two of them naturally chatted a few words, and they became more familiar with each other. When Yao Ji reacted, when Qin Feng threw the purple jade hairpin into her hand with a cold and indifferent expression, she immediately panicked. Then she almost without hesitation asked Princess Ding for the mission to go to the capital to assist Leng Haoyu. It was not until she calmed down for a long time that she suddenly realized that she felt that facing Qin Feng was more difficult than facing Mu Yang again, and even the possibility of swords in the end, so she chose to flee to the capital.

Princess Ding did not agree to her request at that time, and Qin Feng came to her house that night. Yao Ji was not surprised by Qin Feng's arrival. With Qin Feng's status in Prince Ding's mansion and Princess Ding's trust in him, it was impossible for him not to know about this matter.

"If I make you feel embarrassed, I can take it back." Qin Feng said in a deep voice, looking at the woman in light purple, pure and innocent. His calm eyes fell on the purple in Yao Ji's hair.

Yao Ji was stunned, and shook her head lightly, saying: "No... not all." She was not lying, at least at that moment in her heart she was not lying. Yao Ji knew very well that Prince Ding and Princess Ding were different. Princess Ding herself might not agree with her going to the capital, but Prince Ding insisted that she go. In the past few years, she and Prince Ding had several contacts, and as a woman, she could only envy Prince Ding's feelings for the princess. But Prince Ding's methods against those who hurt Princess Ding or intended to hurt her were chilling. Yao Ji also knew... Princess Ding almost fell off a cliff and died, and the person who led the troops at that time was Marquis Muyang. Every time she saw Prince Ding looking at her thoughtful expression, Yao Ji understood that this matter... Prince Ding had not forgotten.

Although Prince Ding did not speak in person, Yao Ji already understood what he meant. If she wanted to live a peaceful and comfortable life, she had to solve the problem of Marquis Muyang's Mansion herself. She could not solve it more cleanly than others, but she still had the child she was carrying, and it was obvious that she could make Marquis Muyang's Mansion and Mu Yang more miserable.

Yao Ji is not a kind person. She does not feel unwilling or angry about this, just like she would not feel guilty or sad even if the Marquis of Muyang Mansion was really destroyed because of her. This world... is the law of the jungle. When she was no match for Madam Mu Shao, she could only lie in the other courtyard with her children and wait for Mu Yang to rescue her or wait to die. When Princess Ding was short of troops, she could only jump off the cliff and gamble her life. Therefore, when the Marquis of Muyang Mansion provoked Prince Ding but was unable to resist, only destruction was waiting for them. She wanted to give her children a peaceful life. What happened to other people was none of her business.

Qin Feng remained silent and did not persuade her any further. He just said, "Come back alive. Don't forget... you still have a child. I... will wait for you." Seeing Yao Ji wanted to speak, Qin Feng calmly added, "I will wait for you to come back before making a decision."

Yao Ji shook her head and said through gritted teeth: "I know you treat me very well... I don't know how many years I will be gone. You are not young anymore, you should have..." Qin Feng turned his head to look out the window and said lightly: "How to decide is your business, whether to wait or not is my business. The princess ordered me to escort you to the capital, you should rest early. We will set off tomorrow morning." After that, without giving Yao Ji a chance to refuse, Qin Feng turned around and walked out the door.

Looking at the straight back figure that had already walked out of the door, Yao Ji smiled bitterly in her heart: Yao Ji, you are still... Why don't you just reject him directly...

In the blink of an eye, several years have passed. The Chu Emperor Mo Jingqi, who had tried every means to suppress the Ding Palace all his life, has passed away. The Northern Rong and the Northern Border invaded. Without the Ding Palace, the Great Chu was unable to resist and crossed the river to the south. The Ding Palace guarded the mountains and rivers, but the Southern Chu Regent Prince Mo Jingli joined forces with the Northern Rong Xiling to deal with the Ding Palace, and the Muyang Marquis's Mansion... was also finished.

When she saw Mu Yang closing his eyes unwillingly in front of her, Yao Ji did not feel any pleasure or joy of revenge, not even grief, but a quiet desolation. The war continued, and Yao Ji returned to Licheng with her adopted son Qin Lie, who had accompanied her for several years, with a desolate mood, and continued to live a peaceful life as before. Only occasionally did she quietly go to see her son who had entered a private school, and she felt a little comforted.

Although she didn't care about worldly affairs, Yao Ji still heard about the war from time to time. Every day, Yao Ji sat at the table in the private room of the restaurant where Qin Feng used to work most often, listening to the people walking downstairs talking loudly.

Although the Mohist army went through many twists and turns, they finally defeated all the enemies and returned triumphantly.

"Mom! Mom, let's go!" Qin Lie rushed in, grabbed Yao Ji and wanted to rush out. Yao Ji quickly pulled him back and said helplessly: "What's the matter?" Qin Lie rolled his eyes and said: "Dad is back, let's go to greet him!"

Originally, Qin Lie had always called her godmother and stepmother, and Qin Feng stepfather. But since returning to Licheng, Yao Ji suddenly discovered that the originally calm Qin Lie had become much more active. Moreover, he had changed his way of addressing her and Qin Feng to the misleading terms of father and mother. But he still refused to change despite repeated admonitions.

Yao Ji pulled his hand away and sighed, "Today is the day when the Mohist Army returns triumphantly. There are so many people here, why are we going to join in the fun?" Qin Lie pouted unhappily and said, "What do you mean by joining in the fun? Is there anything wrong with going to welcome Dad back triumphantly? Dad will definitely be very happy to see us."

Yao Ji shook her head and said, "You go, I won't go. Just congratulate Commander Qin... for me."

Qin Lie's face immediately drooped. It seemed that his mother still refused to accept his father. Qin Lie felt that his adoptive father was simply the most infatuated and unrepentant good man in the world. Who else in the world could pursue a girl for seven or eight years? How could his mother not like him? Thinking about something that his mother often secretly took out to look at when he was in Chujing and Jiangnan, he didn't think she didn't like it.

Could it be that... Mom has something else to worry about?

"Since you're not going, I won't go either." Qin Lie sat at the table opposite Yao Ji with his head down, looking at her eagerly. Yao Ji helplessly raised her hand and patted his forehead, saying, "What are you doing, little brat? You know my identity, and if you run away, won't it embarrass Commander Qin...? And you, if you run outside and make a scene in the future, I'll beat you up, believe it or not?"

“I don’t believe it.” Qin Lie said with a smile: “My foster father said that maybe I am his only son in this life, and I will take care of her until the end of her life, so of course I have to call her dad. And you, godmother or something… It feels so strange. Right, mother?”

Yao Ji just felt helpless and waved her hand, saying, "Anyway, go and greet your adoptive father. I'm feeling a little unwell, so I won't go."

"Not feeling well?" Qin Lie looked at her in confusion.

"Well. Go ahead. I really can't go."

Qin Lie nodded seriously and said, "I understand. I'm leaving first, Mom." After leaving the door, Qin Lie looked back at Yao Ji, who was sitting at the table in a daze, and said to himself, "Feeling uncomfortable means... I want Dad to come and visit me in person?"

In the courtyard behind the wine house, Yao Ji sat alone under a tree, playing the zither. The music that should have been beautiful and fluent was intermittent, and no one could make sense of it. The person under the tree was obviously not paying attention to the strings, and was absent-mindedly plucking the strings while plucked them carelessly.

A steady sound of footsteps came from the gate of the courtyard. Yao Ji was stunned and looked back, only to see Qin Feng in black standing not far away, looking at her calmly. For some reason, Yao Ji felt a little guilty.

Qin Feng walked up to her, looked down at her, and asked after a long while, "Why don't you leave the city?"

Yao Ji stood up in a panic and said, "I...I need to look after the store." In fact, almost everyone in the city had gone out to welcome the returning Mohist Army. Even though Yao Ji's restaurant was one of the best in Li City, there was no business this morning.

"You're lying." Qin Feng stared at her and said calmly. He was the leader of Qilin. If he couldn't even tell if someone was lying, he would have no business being around.

Yao Ji was a little upset and confused. She gritted her teeth and said in a deep voice: "Okay, I'll say... I think we are not suitable. Let's see each other less often in the future. This... I'll give it back to you!" Yao Ji stretched out her hand to Qin Feng, and in her palm was the purple jade hairpin.

Qin Feng was not angry, and his expression did not even change. He said calmly, "It's too late." Yao Ji was stunned. "What do you mean by too late?" Qin Feng said, "Before you went to the capital a few years ago, you didn't return it to me, so I took it as your promise."

"I...I..." Miss Yao Ji was always good at dancing, and she could move the city with her dance in the city square and stun the whole capital. Even in Jiangnan, she could play with officials and noble ladies from Nanchu to the entire Muyang Marquis's Mansion, but she couldn't even speak clearly in front of the silent and cold man in front of her. After a long while, she gritted her teeth and said, "I said, it's impossible for us! Who are you and what am I? If you really marry me, you will only be laughed at by the world!"

"Who dares to laugh at me?" Qin Feng didn't care. There weren't many people in the world who dared to laugh at him. He was the leader of the most elite Qilin in Prince Ding's mansion and the most trusted confidant of Princess Ding. Now that the world was just beginning to settle down, everyone knew that he must have a promising future.

"People's words are scary. Go away. If it's my fault these years." Yao Ji lowered her head and said. She didn't know when she put this man in her heart, maybe it was his silent company day after day in the wine shop, or his quiet and silent comfort in Jiangnan, or maybe it was when he didn't want to embarrass her and would rather she hated him and personally solve Mu Yang for him. Or... it was now, when she was moved by his feelings but didn't want to delay his future and make him a laughing stock.

Qin Feng nodded and said, "It's good to know that you are wrong. If you know your mistakes, you must correct them. Follow me." Qin Feng pulled Yao Ji and walked out of the yard. Yao Ji's strength was naturally no match for Qin Feng, even though Qin Feng didn't actually use too much strength.

"Where... where?"

"Ding Wangfu, asking the prince and princess to grant a marriage." Qin Feng replied indifferently.

In Prince Ding's Palace

Ye Li looked at the two people in front of him calmly and asked, "Have you thought it through?"

"No..." Yao Ji said anxiously. She didn't expect Qin Feng to actually drag her to Princess Ding. Before she finished speaking, she was interrupted by Qin Feng, "Princess, I have considered it carefully. Please grant me your approval."

People are close or distant, and Ye Li obviously values ​​Qin Feng's opinion more than Yao Ji. She just smiled and said, "But I see Yao Ji doesn't agree. Qin Feng, do you know what crime is to force a decent woman?"

"In serious cases, the punishment is one hundred, or exile to three thousand li."

Ye Li smiled, nodded with satisfaction and said, "You are my confidant, so you will be spared from exile. However... if a prince breaks the law, he will be punished with three hundred strokes of the cane. Are you lucky?"

"I obey. Please help me, Princess."

Ye Li was immediately happy, and looked at Qin Feng with a smile and said, "Do you think that if you survive three hundred days, I will marry Yao Ji to you?"

Mo Xiuyao, who had been watching the show, suddenly spoke up: "Ah Li, if Qin Feng can really survive 300 hits, it means he is not destined to die. You can give him some face. Yao Ji, don't worry. After all, you are a meritorious official of Prince Ding's Mansion. I will not push you into the fire pit. When Qin Feng survives 300 hits, I guarantee that he will never be able to get up in his lifetime. From now on... you can do whatever you want."

Yao Ji was a little confused. She really didn't understand what was going on. Why did they suddenly want to beat Qin Feng? Seeing that Princess Ding was about to send someone to take Qin Feng out for punishment, Yao Ji quickly shouted, "No! No, Princess, Qin Feng didn't force Yao Ji."

Ye Li raised her eyebrows, "Oh? Then who did you say something just now?"

Yao Ji was speechless, looking at the excited look of Prince Ding in front of her. It seemed as if he would immediately grab Qin Feng and beat him up if she said something wrong. Yao Ji said carefully: "I... I mean, there is no need to trouble the princess with this matter."

Ye Li smiled faintly and said, "What's the problem? You have no family, and Qin Feng is alone, so your marriage will naturally be arranged by the palace. Qin Feng, go and tell Chief Steward Mo later, and... let him handle it according to the standards of a first-rank general." As the commander of Qilin, Qin Feng's status is equivalent to that of a general commanding an army.

"In addition, Yao Ji is a meritorious official of my Dingwang Mansion and the person in charge of the southern intelligence. She has worked hard over the years. Let's prepare a dowry for her according to the rank of a county lord. How about holding the wedding in Dingwang Mansion in August this year?"

"Thank you, Princess. You will be in charge of everything." Qin Feng agreed neatly.

When they came out of Prince Ding's mansion, Yao Ji was still a little dazed, and she forgot to worry about the gossip that would seduce people if she and Qin Feng walked together in broad daylight. Qin Feng looked at her with a smile and said, "Now that the marriage is settled, you should stay at home and wait for your marriage."

"You..." Yao Ji's expression was complicated. She was already quite old. A woman over 30 no longer expected to wear a red wedding dress and get married like an ordinary woman. But the man in front of her gave her everything she had dreamed of. She could see from his eyes that he really didn't care about the rumors and ridicule that might come. If...if there was a man in this world who took care of her like this, why would she reject the happiness that was about to be obtained?

"You still want to escape the marriage, don't you?" Qin Feng frowned.

"No, I didn't. I...I'll wait for you." Yao Ji calmed herself down and said in a deep voice.

Qin Feng's expression eased, and he said with a smile: "Okay, I'll take you back first."

"Qin Feng, do you... know my name?"

"Of course I know." The tall man held the woman's slender hand and smiled as he walked: "Isn't your last name Shen? Shen Yao."

"Yes, my name is Shen Yao."

She is Shen Yao, no longer Yao Ji.

Qin Feng's Shen Yao.

－－－－－－－A side note－－－－－－－

Nani~ The story of Yao Ji is over. The next one will be Feng San. The tentative name is "Double Pearls". You know that I have a husband, but you gave me two pearls... I return the pearls to you with tears in my eyes, regretting that we did not meet before I got married. It's not really relevant to the topic, but it feels very touching. Oh~ I really want to write a tragedy~

In addition: Fengdi's new novel is renamed "The Conspirators in the Prosperous Era" to tell how the daughter of a fortune teller and a marquis's daughter became a famous minister. Please support me dearly~

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