Chapter Thirty-Nine: Xiang Lian, You’re Smitten!

"It's been a while! We only met three days ago, and I was still singing praises about your gift-giving then," Xiang Lian said, her eyes alight with laughter. It was clear that seeing her truly brought Xiang Lian joy, not a hint of affectation in her demeanor.

Feng Xiaoli and Xiang Lian were not particularly well-acquainted; they had met through Yue Wanqing. Still, since she was Wanqing’s friend, Feng Xiaoli assumed she must be trustworthy. She believed in Yue Wanqing’s judgment. Though their interactions had been few, she sensed Xiang Lian’s temperament was somewhat akin to Mu Xinqi’s—yet not entirely the same.

Her impression of Xiang Lian was limited to their first encounter at Phoenix Pavilion and the second at the emperor’s birthday banquet.

She seemed pure-hearted, kind, and friendly.

Feng Xiaoli’s lips curved into a graceful arc, blossoming into a friendly smile.

"These three days felt so long!" Feng Xiaoli said, setting Jin Ning down on a stone bench.

Jin Ning sat, her body still trembling involuntarily.

Xiang Lian glanced in the direction they had come from, then at Jin Ning’s forehead, understanding instantly but choosing not to comment. She ignored it.

Such incidents were commonplace in the palace. If one survived, it was simply fate; if not, it was carelessness. No one cared why a maid disappeared or appeared in a certain place. Even if you knew, what could you do? Life went on. If you wished for peace, you had to remember these four words: mind your own business.

"But someone told me that the thing you’ve done most these days is sleep!" Xiang Lian teased in a soft whisper, the smile at her lips growing wider despite her efforts to control it.

A dark line crossed Feng Xiaoli’s mind. "Is this someone Yue Wanqing?"

Apart from Yue Wanqing, she couldn't think of anyone else Xiang Lian was close with.

Wanqing had told her before that she and Xiang Lian had always been good friends, considered Xiang Lian a confidante. Hearing Xiang Lian mention "someone," Feng Xiaoli immediately thought of Yue Wanqing.

"This is no joke! Last night she climbed onto my bed in the dead of night, chattering incessantly like an old woman, and most of it was about you, Xiaoli. She ridiculed you, saying you must have been a pig in your last life, or how else could you spend three days straight in bed? When she finally saw I was about to fall asleep, she let me go—otherwise, she could have talked for three days and nights without stopping!" Xiang Lian whispered in Feng Xiaoli’s ear, careful not to speak loudly.

Climbing walls in the palace, especially at midnight, was best kept secret. Xiang Lian knew Jin Ning was Feng Xiaoli’s confidante and didn’t mind her knowing, but with others, she wouldn’t be so sure.

Feng Xiaoli hadn’t expected such explosive news. She knew Yue Wanqing was bold, but hadn’t realized she’d dare climb palace walls at night. She had underestimated her.

"She even dares to climb the palace walls?"

The palace was heavily guarded—not only visible sentries every few steps, but also hidden guards skilled in martial arts. Feng Xiaoli had no idea how skilled Yue Wanqing truly was, but the thought of her sneaking into the palace at night made her mouth twitch.

"Of course. If she wants to go somewhere, nothing can stop her!" Xiang Lian said with conviction.

Feng Xiaoli cried out inwardly, "Good for you, Yue Wanqing! Such fun and you didn’t invite me. Clearly, I don’t hold any place in your heart!"

"You wretched Yue Wanqing, don’t let me see you, or you won’t escape my wrath!"

"By the way!" Feng Xiaoli noticed Xiang Lian wasn’t alone—she could vaguely see Luo Wensheng, Yuchi Jingque, and Jun Mochen in the ornate pavilion of the Imperial Garden. She asked, confused, "Why are you with those three?"

It shouldn’t be Xiang Lian accompanying the foreign envoys, but rather Yu Wenche and Yu Wenhao. Speaking of them, neither could be seen today.

Feng Xiaoli looked left and right, but saw no trace of either man. Strange, though they were usually busy, accompanying the envoys—who might become kings of their respective countries—shouldn’t fall to Xiang Lian.

Xiang Lian shook her head, signaling she did not know: "How would I know where those two went? Since the emperor’s birthday banquet ended three days ago, they disappeared as if into thin air. No matter how I searched, they were nowhere to be found, so this thankless task fell to me!"

Feng Xiaoli grinned slyly. This really was a burdensome duty.

Luo Wensheng was a captivating man; once you looked at him, you couldn’t look away. Before Feng Xiaoli arrived, Xiang Lian’s infatuation was obvious—she could talk about everything under the sun, and it was a wonder how a princess in the palace knew so much. Yet Luo Wensheng only listened, never spoke, leaving Xiang Lian both amused and frustrated.

Oh, right—it must have been Yue Wanqing who told her! Hmph, Yue Wanqing, you’re on my list again.

Yuchi Jingque was a handsome man with a paralyzed face: cold and expressionless from beginning to end. Xiang Lian, upon seeing him, quickly averted her gaze, the smile vanishing instantly—a change of expression faster than flipping a page.

Finally, there was Jun Mochen. Unlike Luo Wensheng, whose striking appearance made people stare, and unlike Yuchi Jingque, whose icy demeanor kept people at a distance, Jun Mochen was balanced—warm and approachable without being intrusive, reserved but not aloof.

Of the three, Xiang Lian favored Jun Mochen most.

"Well, it’s getting late. I’ll take Jin Ning back now. My maid is as tall as I am, but her courage is smaller than a mouse’s. She was just startled and now her legs have turned to jelly. I have to help her back, and I’ll have to spend my own money to call a doctor. Xiang Lian, do you have any remedy to make my maid braver? I don’t want her living in fear all the time!" Feng Xiaoli teased lightly, and at her words, Jin Ning bowed her head even lower.

"Kindred spirit! Kindred spirit!"

A clear voice rang out from behind Xiang Lian. When they turned to look, they saw it was Jun Mochen.

Who was he calling 'kindred spirit'?

Jun Mochen strode up to Feng Xiaoli, his expression animated as he uttered a thunderous statement: "Kindred spirit, I’ve missed you so much!"