Her thoughts raced in that brief moment. She looked up at the two people before her and asked dryly, “Did the two of you get the wrong room?”
The money-grubbing little raccoon cat protectively guarding her gold ingots and the unruly great general clutching her red-tasseled spear—if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, Zhao Huairen would have found it hard to imagine—
Two such starkly different shades.
Blended so perfectly on one person.
No one answered her question.
The air in the private room grew as still as lake water.
Murong Yan’s gaze darted back and forth between Zhao Huairen and Yan Yiqing. Once the rush of heat to her head subsided, she suddenly felt a twinge of regret. She released Zhao Huairen’s wrist and was about to play along, “Yeah, we actually…”
“We didn’t get the wrong room.” Zhao Huairen interrupted Murong Yan, a curve tugging at her lips. “This one is Zhao Huaijin. I’ve come to pay my respects to the Anbei General.”
She truly didn’t care at all about Zhao Huaijin’s opinion of her.
But why—
Did looking into his eyes make her feel inexplicably guilty?
Pushing down that strange feeling in her heart, Yan Yiqing smoothed her robes and feigned composure. “I’ve seen you, Your Highness the Heir.”
“I never imagined our first meeting would be at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. I can’t help but be curious—what treasures did the General find here today?” Zhao Huairen’s gaze swept around the room before settling back on Yan Yiqing.
Ever since Zhao Huairen had entered, Xing Wanyang’s nose and eyes had scrunched together. Hearing this, she wished she could burrow into the ground.
Heh…
What treasures had the General found?
She had only sold off every single greeting gift that others had sent her.
Murong Yan was puzzled. “Didn’t you know…”
“Why isn’t General Yan speaking?” Zhao Huairen took a step forward and stood beside Yan Yiqing. “The floor is so cold. Why is the General squatting there?”
In that instant of looking up, she unexpectedly met Zhao Huairen’s eyes.
His light brown pupils reflected her figure, his slightly pursed thin lips beautifully shaped, matching the curve she remembered perfectly.
No, he wasn’t her.
A flicker of barely perceptible panic flashed in her eyes. She quickly averted her gaze and silently clenched her fists.
“General Yan.”
Though she disliked physical contact with others, she was willing to casually help up a little raccoon slave who was squatting there in a daze.
His slender fingers were flawless like jade, the lines on his palm faint. The section of wrist bone peeking from his sleeve was so white it dazzled the eyes.
Her gaze lingered briefly. Lowering her long lashes, Yan Yiqing sidestepped to avoid the offered hand. “Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness the Heir, but I can stand on my own.”
The hand that met empty air seemed to mock its owner’s presumptuousness. Though rejected on the spot, Zhao Huairen remained unhurried and unperturbed, asking warmly, “Did the General like the greeting gifts I had sent to the Yan Mansion yesterday?”
Yan Yiqing glanced sidelong at the gold ingots in the corner of the table and fell silent.
“What, were the gifts not to your liking?” Seemingly oblivious to the awkward atmosphere, Zhao Huairen pressed on.
Xing Wanyang sneaked a peek at her own general, who was stiffening like a statue. Her lips pressed tightly shut as she pressed her back against the wall, nearly embedding herself into it.
She had warned her! Yanjing was only so big, but the General just wouldn’t listen…
“Anbei General?”
They had known each other for years.
With one look, she knew the person before her was toying around.
Murong Yan suddenly had a premonition: If she let him continue, she would surely regret it later.
Without hesitating too long, Murong Yan reached out and tugged at Zhao Huairen’s sleeve. “Your Highness the Heir, the freshly brewed tea is about to get cold.”
His crow-black lashes were thick and dense. The pretty little raccoon cat hung her eyes quietly, only her full lips pursed slightly, as if secretly voicing her inner discontent.
A master go player always knew when to stop at the perfect moment.
Moreover—
She had only wanted to tease her a little, after all.
That painting had taken her half a month’s effort, no matter what.
“Mm.” This time, Zhao Huairen didn’t shake off Murong Yan’s hand. She lowered her eyes, her voice clear and crisp. “General Yan, then you and I shall meet another day—”
“Your Highness the Heir, you said it wrong just now.”
Hearing this, Zhao Huairen unconsciously gripped her folded fan tighter. “Please enlighten me, General Yan.”
“Today isn’t our first meeting.” Her gaze locked straight into his eyes. Yan Yiqing paused deliberately before continuing calmly, “Yesterday, when I returned to the capital, I passed by Zhuque Street. Your Highness the Heir and your beauty specially hosted a welcome for me at Zhaixiang Tower.”
The words had barely fallen when the fox eyes widened round. Murong Yan turned her head in disbelief.
No way, had Zhao Huaijin gone mad!
Though Zhaixiang Tower was just a place for watching dances and listening to music, everyone in Yanjing knew of the close ties between him and the top courtesan there.
Didn’t he like Yan Yiqing? If he liked her, then why had he gone to Zhaixiang Tower yesterday?
Yan Yiqing was now her fiancée who hadn’t yet crossed the threshold. Appearing at Zhaixiang Tower had indeed been a lapse in judgment on her part. With slightly furrowed brows revealing a trace of apology, Zhao Huairen explained softly, “My apologies, but Lady Xie and I aren’t…”
“I’m not curious about the story between Your Highness the Heir and your beauty, nor do I need you to explain it to me.” A smile spread across Yan Yiqing’s lips as she added, “I was merely correcting you—this isn’t our first meeting today.”
“Mm, I misspoke earlier.” Zhao Huairen said.
Seeing Zhao Huairen deflated put Murong Yan in a complicated mood. “Alright, let’s go.”
She cupped her hands in salute toward Yan Yiqing.
Then, Zhao Huairen turned and pushed open the door.
The oncoming breeze lifted her brocade robes. Her waist, bound with an ink-blue sash, was slender yet full of strength. In the interplay of light and shadow, Zhao Huairen’s figure appeared somewhat frail.
Even though she held prejudices against Zhao Huaijin.
She had to admit, his demeanor was truly exceptional.
Staring fixedly at her back, Yan Yiqing’s thoughts turned, and she suddenly spoke up. “I don’t like the things you sent. I exchanged them all for gold.”
Zhao Huairen’s steps halted. “You like gold?”
“Your Highness the Heir jests. In this vast world, who wouldn’t like gold?” Yan Yiqing bent down to pick up a gold ingot and asked in return.
“Qin An.”
Qin An emerged from the corner like a shadow. “Your Highness the Heir.”
“Remember the General’s preferences clearly?” Zhao Huairen walked slowly out of the private room, her voice scattered by the wind. “In the future, don’t send the wrong things again.”
“Yes.” Qin An nodded.
The edge of the gold ingot dug into her palm. Once the three unexpected intruders left, the private room returned to calm.
“General, you’re amazing.” Xing Wanyang gave a thumbs up, her face full of admiration.
She had worried the General would be put in an awkward spot, but unexpectedly, she came out fully victorious. Though that Heir’s attitude toward the General was truly odd…
“Without desire, one is unyielding.”
Xing Wanyang tilted her head. “What do you mean, General?”
“I have no intentions toward this Zhao Heir. I neither want any benefits from him nor care about his opinion of me.” Yan Yiqing tossed the gold ingot high into the air and raised her brow. “Thus, I’m naturally fearless of him.”
“Awesome!” Xing Wanyang’s eyes sparkled.
As expected of her General.
What Yanjing’s number one young lord?
Heh, he couldn’t even catch her General’s eye!
Yan Yiqing reached out and caught the gold ingot steadily, toying with it idly. “But what do you think his actions these past couple of days are meant to convey?”
“Doesn’t the General not care…”
“When did I say I cared?” Yan Yiqing narrowed her peach-blossom eyes, clearly disapproving of Xing Wanyang’s wording. “This is knowing oneself and the enemy—only then can one emerge victorious in every battle.”
“I see.” Xing Wanyang nodded as if she understood.
“What do you think?”
“Me?” Meeting Yan Yiqing’s gaze and realizing she meant the Heir’s strange attitude toward her, Xing Wanyang picked at her nails and hesitated. “Well…”
“Want to receive the military rod?”
“No, no!” Xing Wanyang hurriedly denied it, but just as she was about to speak, she held back again. Finally, she mumbled with a pout, “But even if I say it, I’ll still get the rod.”
Yan Yiqing glanced at her.
“I’ll say it, I’ll say it.” She crumbled instantly under Yan Yiqing’s pressure, her eyes darting. Her voice was smaller than a mosquito’s. “My guess… is that the Heir might fancy the General?”
“Go receive—”
“I knew it! I didn’t even want to say it at first, but you forced me…” Xing Wanyang grumbled resentfully, slumping her shoulders as she floated out of the room unsteadily.
“Wait.” Yan Yiqing set down the gold ingot and glanced sideways at the auction platform outside the window.
“It can’t be that he came specifically to see me. Follow him and see what he’s really here at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion for today.”
“Yes.” Xing Wanyang’s expression sharpened, and she left to carry out the order.
