Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Princess's Hidden Thoughts

Zhou Yi looked at the two people behind Yuan Tingyu and asked in confusion, “And these two are?”

The young man smiled faintly, then removed the black felt hat from his head. Black hair fell loose, and only then did Zhou Yi see that the youth was none other than Fu Gege.

“You are...?” Too much time had passed, and Fu Gege had once again changed into men’s clothing. Zhou Yi did not recognize her.

Fu Gege smiled gently, and those faint dimples appeared again on her cheeks.

Just as she was about to speak, the maid Xiaocui behind her hurriedly cut in. “This is my mistress, Fu Gege...”

Xiaocui had barely begun when Fu Gege frowned and stopped her.

It had to be said that Fu Gege was born with striking beauty; even mock anger looked lovely on her, arousing pity. “Xiaocui, you talk too much,” Fu Gege said.

Then she turned back to Zhou Yi and asked with concern, “How did you end up like this?”

Zhou Yi smiled lightly and sidestepped her question. “What happened before in the palace, when I had to take the princess hostage, was out of necessity. I hope the princess will not blame me.”

“It is all in the past. There is no need to mention it again.” After saying this, Fu Gege walked straight to a chair and sat down.

Seeing this, Xiaocui’s eyes rolled, and she chuckled. “Princess, we’ll go outside first. You two can talk.” As she spoke, she tugged at Baozi, who had been standing off to the side like a post.

Once the others had left, only Zhou Yi and Fu Gege remained in the room.

The situation made Zhou Yi feel somewhat awkward. He did not have much contact with women of his own age. When others were around, the two of them could speak more casually, but once they were alone, he no longer knew how to begin.

“Did the princess come to Maoshan for some important matter?” After struggling for a long while, Zhou Yi finally managed to ask that.

Fu Gege smiled faintly. “I came to Maoshan to find you.”

Zhou Yi froze, his expression turning a little unnatural, his heart uneasy.

He had first broken into Fu Gege’s bathhouse, then abducted her younger brother, and after returning to Changbai Mountain he had ruined the Qing dynasty’s dragon veins. Each of these acts directly concerned Fu Gege’s personal interests. If Zhou Yi had not destroyed the Qing dragon veins, then the one before him now would truly have been the rightful princess.

“You came looking for me? Is the princess still unwilling to forgive my rudeness that day?”

When Zhou Yi brought up the matter of breaking into Fu Gege’s bathhouse, a blush immediately rose on her face. “Never mention what happened that day again. I came to find you for another reason.”

Only then did Zhou Yi relax. “Then what brings the princess here to see me?”

Fu Gege thought for a moment, then said, “The three weapons my imperial mother gave you that day were fakes.”

Zhou Yi showed no particular reaction, only gesturing for her to continue.

“Looks like you already knew. Then I won’t say more. I only do not know what you wanted to find those weapons for.” Fu Gege asked again.

Zhou Yi froze. Did she know the purpose of those eight weapons? After thinking it over, he soon understood. Fu Gege was someone from the palace, so naturally she knew more about such matters than he did. It was not strange for her to ask.

Zhou Yi could not answer that question, so he only shook his head without speaking.

Fu Gege then stood up and prepared to kneel before him.

Seeing this, Zhou Yi hurried to support her. Unfortunately, his body was still weak; the moment he rose, he nearly toppled backward first. Fu Gege could not complete her bow, and quickly steadied him instead.

As their bodies touched, Zhou Yi caught the faint orchid fragrance on Fu Gege’s body, and his heart could not help but tremble. He quietly withdrew his hand and sat back down on the bed.

“If the princess has something to say, just say it plainly. There is no need for such a grand gesture. Look at me now; I can’t even help you up properly.”

Fu Gege nodded, still not sitting down. She composed herself before speaking. “The origins and uses of those eight weapons must already be known to you, so I won’t repeat them. After I saw you that day, I kept asking around in the palace about those three weapons. It turns out they were lost long ago.”

“Lost? When were they lost?”

“A month ago.”

“Do they know who stole them?”

“At first, I thought it was you who entered the palace and took the three weapons. But now it seems it was not you. There are no clues left.” Fu Gege shook her head as she spoke, and afterward she could not help but sigh.

After hearing all this, Zhou Yi’s brows knit tightly. Yet his frown was not because the weapons had been lost. He replayed the conversation with Fu Gege in his mind.

The first thing Fu Gege said after traveling such a long distance to find him was that the weapons given to her by Empress Dowager Longyu were fake.

Then she brought up the missing weapons in the palace and suspected that he had stolen them. Though these two matters were certainly connected, there was no need for a princess to come personally and tell him so.

Even if he had been the thief, there was nothing a frail woman like her could do to him.

Fu Gege must have another purpose. But what matter would require a princess to come in person? Even if she was no longer the lofty princess she once was, a fallen phoenix was still a phoenix.

When he was troubled, his brows would unconsciously draw together. “Did the princess come here just for this matter?”

Fu Gege bit her lip. After hesitating for quite a while, she finally said, “I came specially to find you. After you left the palace, I inquired about your identity. When I reached Changbai Mountain, I did not find you. Then I heard you were in Shenyang. By the time I got to Shenyang, I learned that you had already come to Maoshan.”

Zhou Yi still did not understand what she meant, and the question slipped out before he could stop it. “I wonder what urgent matter the princess has that she would look for me so anxiously?”

At his words, Fu Gege showed a trace of mock anger and a trace of shyness. Lowering her head, she toyed with the hem of her clothes and said softly, “How can you still not understand?”

At this point, if Zhou Yi still did not understand, he would be a fool. Fu Gege had taken a liking to him.

No, that was not quite right. She still had something she needed from him. But with his present condition, what could he possibly do to help her?

Zhou Yi raised a hand and rubbed his nose to cover his embarrassment, while his mind raced with thoughts of how to turn her down.

But Fu Gege had already risen from the chair and was slowly approaching him, her eyes fixed on his.

Breathing in the faint orchid scent from her body, he still could not bring himself to say the words of refusal. Yet at this moment he was utterly flustered, his body unconsciously retreating as he tried to put some distance between them.

Fu Gege kept coming closer. Zhou Yi’s body leaned farther back, but he was still weak, and his waist could not bear the strain. He toppled backward and fell onto the bed.

“Brother Yi, Mu Chen has brought back the doctor who will treat your injuries.”

Just then Baozi pushed the door open and came in, the expression of wild delight frozen on his face. Seeing the awkward posture the two of them were in, the corner of his mouth twitched violently.

“Uh... I saw nothing. You two continue, continue.” With that, Baozi turned and left.

“Wait, what did you just say?” Zhou Yi hurriedly called out.

Baozi turned back and said, “Uh, you two talk first. We’ll discuss it later if there’s anything.” Then he shut the door and ran off.

“It seems he said he brought a doctor to treat your illness,” Fu Gege said as she moved to help Zhou Yi up.

Zhou Yi quickly waved her off. “No need. I can manage myself.” He stood up from the bed and tried taking a couple of steps, only for his legs to suddenly go weak....

It was raining. A spring night rain...