Yan Sikong returned home so early and looked strange, which made Ali alert. He gestured and asked him what was wrong.

Yan Sikong sat in the chair for a while, calmed down his emotions, and then said, "Ali, the courtesan Ye Li of Tinglan Pavilion is not an ordinary woman. She might know kung fu. Find someone to find out her background." After he finished speaking, he took the snack box on the table. There was another secret compartment under the partition. When he opened the secret compartment, there was a row of white silver ingots. He took out a silver ingot and threw it to Ali.

Ali reached out and caught it steadily, but did not move, still looking at Yan Sikong.

Yan Sikong also looked at him: "What's wrong?"

Ali asked him if anything happened.

Yan Sikong said, "It's okay. I just drank a little wine and have a cold stomach. Make me a pot of tea."

Ali nodded and turned away.

Yan Sikong then leaned back in his chair, looking at the wall blankly, thinking about what had happened that day.

After calming down, he thought carefully, could Feng Ye's behavior today be a test for him? But what was he testing him for?

In short, he would not believe that Feng Ye had fallen in love with him just because of their childhood friendship and the few times they had met in recent days. Usually, when a man sees a beautiful woman, whether he is moved or not is secondary, but his "body" is undoubtedly moved. Feng Ye is at the age of full of vigor and vitality, and he really has the habit of having affairs, so this behavior is not surprising. How different is it from Zhou Mixing and others who are looking for women, except that the target is not a woman.

Yan Sikong felt a little angry, not just because he was offended, but also because Feng Ye might ruin his plans. Whether it was due to emotional or lustful desires, he tried his best to avoid it. His encounter with Feng Ye was completely different from what he had expected, and he lost control of himself for a moment.

He calmed down and reminded himself not to be disturbed by these unrelated matters, and to be as still as a mountain when stability is needed.

He got up and went to the study, prepared paper and ink, and started painting.

The emperor's birthday is coming up in a few days. Because he has been promoted to the prince's tutor, he is fortunate enough to be invited to attend the birthday banquet. Naturally, he has to prepare gifts to attend the banquet.

For a minor official like him, the gift should be ordinary. The emperor has a vast empire, and even if he has a fortune, he may not be able to give anything pleasing to the eye. Moreover, with his salary, he should not be giving away any precious treasures.

Therefore, many civil servants like him who came from poor families would present poems, calligraphy and paintings to him.

Anyway, he won't be able to sleep tonight, so let's prepare the birthday gift well.

——

The next morning, Yan Sikong was woken up by Ali.

He painted until 3 p.m. last night and felt extremely sleepy, so he went back to his room to rest. When Ali woke him up, he was so tired that he didn't even want to open his eyes.

"I feel uncomfortable after staying up all night, so I don't need breakfast." Yan Sikong muttered softly, turned over and planned to continue sleeping.

Ali shook his shoulders stubbornly, babbling something.

Yan Sikong turned around and asked, "What's wrong?" Looking at Ali's gestures, his sleepy eyes suddenly widened, "The driver from Feng Mansion is here again?"

Ali nodded, looking reluctant.

"Send him away." Yan Sikong buried his face in the quilt impatiently, but he was no longer sleepy.

Ali paced around the bed for a few steps before stepping out.

Yan Sikong hesitated for a moment, sighed heavily, got out of bed, hastily put on his coat, and walked out.

When we reached the gate, we saw Ali communicating with the rickshaw driver Xiaoliu with difficulty.

Xiaoliu stood still inside the door. Ali was about to close the door roughly. When he saw Yan Sikong, Xiaoliu immediately said respectfully, "Master Yan, my prince invites you to his house for a gathering."

Yan Sikong frowned: "Do you know what time it is now? What are we gathering for so early in the morning?" Thinking of the conversation between him and Feng Ye in the carriage last night, which the man in front of him heard clearly, he felt uncomfortable all over.

"The prince said that he wanted to take Lord Yan for a horse ride."

Yan Sikong said patiently: "I was drunk last night and feel a little uncomfortable. Let's do it another day."

Xiao Liu bent his body even lower: "My master said that if I can't persuade Master Yan, he will come to invite him personally."

Yan Sikong felt a muscle throbbing in his brain. He took a deep breath and said, "Wait a minute."

"yes."

Yan Sikong turned around and went back to the house to wash up.

He had imagined countless obstacles and troubles that he would encounter in the officialdom of the capital, but he had never imagined that they would be related to romance. It was extremely embarrassing.

But he just couldn't afford to offend Feng Ye. He couldn't find out Feng Ye's bottom line now. This man was wild and hard to tame. If he angered him and bit him back, it would be difficult to avoid.

After washing up, he got on Xiaoliu's carriage and headed for the Jingyuan Prince's mansion. The two of them lived not far from each other, and sitting in the leisurely carriage, it didn't take long before he could see the magnificent palace.

As Prince Jingyuan has been stationed on the border for many years, most of his family members have moved to Datong. His mother, Princess Pei'an, passed away two years ago and he was not allowed to return to the capital. Now, in his mansion, apart from Feng Ye, there are only a few insignificant cousins ​​and relatives. It is no wonder that Feng Ye was recalled to the capital as a hostage.

Feng Ye must be very lonely in this large mansion, surrounded by strange relatives and servants whom he has never seen since childhood.

Yan Sikong smiled mockingly, being alone was not an excuse to cause trouble to others.

After getting off the carriage, Xue Bo was already waiting at the door, looking at him with a smile: "Good day, Lord Yan, please come in."

Yan Sikong asked rudely, "Has your Sealed Soul Prince been tied up?"

Xue Bo smiled and said, "His Highness Fenghun is no longer in the mansion." He led Yan Sikong inside, "Actually, it doesn't need to be tied up."

Yan Sikong breathed a sigh of relief: "Where did you go?"

"My prince took it to Jingshan." Xue Bo said with a smile, "The prince is planning to take you to Jingshan for a tour."

Yan Sikong frowned and looked at him: "I am busy with official duties, so I don't have time to play."

"Well... I heard that the history has been completed. Lord Yan should take a few days to rest, right?"

Yan Sikong was about to say something when Feng Ye came out of the house. When he saw Yan Sikong, his eyes lit up undisguisedly: "Your eyes are dark, did you not sleep well?"

Yan Sikong cupped his hands and said coldly, "Last night it rained a lot and was windy. I was very disturbed and it was really hard to fall asleep."

Everyone knows that it has been sunny and windy these days, so how could it rain? Yan Sikong was obviously mocking Feng Ye's "trouble", but he didn't care at all: "Have you had breakfast?"

“I’ve eaten.”

Feng Ye looked at him carefully: "I think you haven't eaten. You don't even have the energy to speak." He pulled him into the house and said, "Come here and have a bowl of porridge."

Yan Sikong was indeed very hungry, so he did not refuse.

Feng Ye ordered people to serve breakfast again, and then sat aside and looked at Yan Sikong.

Yan Sikong took two bites and asked, "Uncle Xue said you were going to take me to Jingshan?"

"Well, the scenery there is beautiful, and there is a pasture for horse riding. Today's weather is perfect for an outing."

Yan Sikong said calmly, "What if I don't want to go?"

Feng Ye smiled and said, "It's not up to you."

"Your Highness, it is not the behavior of a gentleman to force others to do something against their will."

"I'm not a gentleman, just a warrior." Feng Ye said lazily, "I told you, call me by my name, if you call me by the wrong name again, I will punish you."

Yan Sikong pursed his lips and said, "You rely on your power to act arbitrarily. You are more than just an 'ungentleman'."

Feng Ye narrowed his eyes: "If you think so, then you have absolutely no idea what power is."

Yan Sikong frowned slightly, although he was reluctant, he agreed with what Feng Ye said in his heart.

People with power can do whatever they want, and the greater the power, the more arbitrary they can do whatever they want.

Feng Ye looked at Yan Sikong's worried expression and laughed, "Look at you, you look like a good woman being bullied by a bully. I'm not a pervert. If you don't want to, can I rape you? But I want you to stay with me."

Yan Sikong's chest trembled slightly. For a moment, he seemed to have touched something deep in Feng Ye's heart, but it was only a fleeting thought that disappeared without leaving a trace.

——

After dinner, the two got on the carriage.

Feng Ye took out an extremely exquisitely carved object from somewhere. It was a long tube that was about as thick as his forearm and long. He stuffed it into Yan Sikong's hand and said, "Look inside from this end."

Yan Sikong looked at the thing suspiciously. He had never seen it before. It felt heavy in his hand. It must be covered with copper.

"Look quickly." Feng Ye urged excitedly.

Yan Sikong looked inside from the blocking end, and saw that there were actually several copper mirrors forming a circle with various colored gems scattered in the middle. Through the mutual reflections between the copper mirrors, those gems that were obviously worth a lot of money formed layers of overlapping gorgeous patterns, like a cluster of flowers. With a slight shake, the patterns immediately changed into another style, which was very exquisite.

"This is..."

"This thing is called a kaleidoscope," Feng Ye said, "Yesterday I went to the palace to pay my respects to Concubine Xian, and she gave me a gift."

The Concubine Xian was Feng Jianping's biological sister, Feng Ye's aunt, and she gave birth to a princess for the emperor.

Yan Sikong praised: "This thing is exquisitely crafted. I wonder which craftsman has such talent."

"She didn't say that. I just thought it was pretty and fun." Feng Ye said, "I'll give it to you."

Yan Sikong hurriedly said, "This is a gift from the emperor. I can't accept it." Then he returned it.

Feng Ye pushed it over again: "I said I'd give it to you, so I'll give it to you. There are so many little gadgets in my house, I can give you anything you like."

Yan Sikong had no choice but to accept it: "Shi...if you still want to give me some face, just this one thing."

Feng Ye smiled at him, with an indescribable innocence in his eyes: "I said, I will treat you well."