Large, straight, and leafy banyan trees shadowed the sizable area in which Feng Zhiwei casually rested. Her green porcelain cup was misted with the fragrance of tea, and she smiled happily as she sipped and admired the white pigs in her courtyard.
Young Master Gu sat beside her eating walnuts while Helian Zheng sat crosslegged under the trees playing finger-guessing games with the other students.
Behind the tree, a group of Imperial Court officers and bailiffs were stripped naked, shivering in their circle squat as the early autumn wind cheerfully swept by.
This was how Ning Yi was greeted as he stepped down from his large palanquin.
“Your Highness…” Voices whispered, and the Chief Officer of the Ministry of Punishment and the Vice Commander of the Nine Yamen had a sudden change in expression as they saw Ning Yi step down from his Golden Topped Palanquin wearing his golden crown and Formal Courtly Dress. Ning Yi had come directly from the Imperial Court.
Stunned and caught between in indecision, the two powerful men waffled between running forward to salute their superior and hiding their shame.
The beleaguered group hid in the shadows, covering their privates as best as they could as they saluted Ning Yi. Quickly, the poor victims turned hateful glares towards Wei Zhi — this daring young man had courted death! Now that the lofty prince was here, what could she do but suffer!
Feng Zhiwei gestured and the students discreetly scattered, many of them shooting worried glances at Feng Zhiwei as they retreated, though the person in question remained calmly smiling.
“Your Highness graces and honors our humble Qing Ming with his presence.” Feng Zhiwei smiled and swept her arms in welcome. “We have fragrant tea and a clear breeze, and interesting, elegant guests charm our walls. The greenery shades us from the heat, and we can enjoy the perfect cool of the day.”
Ning Yi examined the view. His Golden Crown was adorned with purple crystals and his Formal Court Robes was embroidered with a Purple-Gold Python — the noble and solemn son of the dragon. He stood three feet away from Feng Zhiwei, his eyes moving over her rattan chair and tea before lingering for a moment on the naked men so delicately arranged beside them, and a half smile crossed his face, never reaching his eyes.
Truly a scene that fit Feng Zhiwei’s style.
Modesty followed by extreme daring.
Under all the heavens there was only this one woman who could hide the punch in the cotton, concealing the prickliness behind her calm words. She certainly appeared to be retreating and compromising, but in truth she stood firmly in place, steady and unmoving.
“Since we are sitting together and conversing over fragrant tea, there is no need to have so many interesting and elegant guests.” Ning Yi replied, his smile clearly showing his dubious intentions. “These are not the ways of hospitality.”
The unlucky officials and unfortunate bailiffs were stunned and felt as if struck by lightning — why was the lofty Prince not immediately ordering their release and punishing Wei Zhi?
Why was Wei Zhi not immediately releasing them and falling to his knees to apologize and beg for forgiveness?
Why was His Highness acting as if nothing was wrong and chatting so calmly with this boy?
And how could this boy face His Highness so calmly and even dare invite the prince to tea?
Their faces twisted into ugly expressions. Feng Zhiwei cast a glance at the disturbing view before eyeing Ning Yi. Slowly, she turned her head and said: “Might I trouble the Hu Zhuo Prince and Brother Gu to escort this group of interesting guests over to another yard?”
“No.” Helian Zheng immediately responded. “I will not leave you to dance alone with this wolf.”
“Yet I feel as if I am the one dancing with a wolf.” Ning Yi responded, casually sitting and grabbing Feng Zhiwei’s tea.
Wild steppe horses seemed to stampede forth from Helian Zheng’s eyes as he glared at Ning Yi and said: “Does His Highness dare to dance with me?”
“Prince Hu Zhuo, let me remind you.” Ning Yi responded, ignoring Helian Zheng’s glare.” You are not here with the identity of prince, but are rather just an ordinary student of Qing Ming Academy. If your Vice President cannot even manage her own students as she sits down to discuss important business with a Dynasty Prince, how will she maintain her prestige in the eyes of the students?”
Helian Zheng smiled coldly and shot back: “Then I’ll quit being a student!”
“Fine.” Ning Yi responded, waving his hand. “Please find an administrator to cancel your enrollment and then return with me to the Imperial Palace later to greet the Emperor. And I’ll have you know, students who voluntarily cancel their enrollment will never be allowed back onto academy grounds.”
“This is a rule?” Helian Zheng replied without any trepidation, his brows cocked.
“There will be.” Ning Yi smiled and turned to regard his opponent. “Headmaster Xin is going to immediately add this rule to the Academy’s book.
Helian Zheng glared at Ning Yi. If a gaze could become flesh, Helian Zheng’s stare would transform into his favorite Red Eyed Eagle’s long, piercing beak and crush Ning Yi’s bones.
Ning Yi’s faint smile never changed — you might be hard as steel, but I do not care; the punches hit only air, and the long beak pierced into empty cotton.
After a moment, Helian Zheng swirled angrily and strode away, grabbing the two unlucky officials as he passed. Gu Nanyi slapped a walnut back on the table and smashed it open before floating away and herded the bailiffs as if they were a bunch of sheep.
Ning Yi naturally could not understand the meaning of this move and simply assumed Young Master Gu was offering him food, so he happily grabbed the walnut meat and placed it in his mouth, chewing appreciatively and declaring: “This walnut is delicious.”
Feng Zhiwei cocked her head in amusement as Ning Yi ate the walnut. Ning Yi chewed as the woman before him examined him and goosebumps ran down his arms. Finally, he found himself placing the walnut back on the table as he said: “It’s just a single walnut, why are you looking at me like that?”
Feng Zhiwei slowly made her tea and calmly replied: “Watching you chew that walnut into tiny pieces felt very cathartic…”
Before the baffled Ning Yi could speak, Feng Zhiwei straightened her face and continued: “Prince Chu truly impressed this humble minister. To think that His Highness has begun caring whether I can maintain my prestige in the Academy.”
“Are you punishing me?” Ning Yi said, glancing at her.
“I do not dare.” Feng Zhiwei smiled fakely.
“Are you mad at me?” Ning Yi replied calmly, but for some reason Feng Zhiwei felt that his words were filled with happiness.
“Does Your Highness wish for me to be mad?” She replied, countering the crafty prince with her constant mask.
“Anger is better than apathy.” Ning Yi replied, stretching, his eyes curving gorgeously as he examined her.
Feng Zhiwei remained silent — only deafness and dumbness would answer his flirting.
“You don’t even care if I am mad.” Ning Yi continued, unfazed by her lacking reaction. “Does that mean I also do not need to care about your feelings?”
“Is the Prince bringing up old scores?” Feng Zhiwei creased her eyes as she smiled sincerely. “I invited Your Highness here today also to explain myself — when I saved Princess Shao Ning that day, it was unintentionally.”
“But you also never planned to help me kill her.” Ning Yi replied, striking to the heart of the matter. “You were deceiving me from the very beginning.”
