Chapter 176

Ling Feng paused slightly, then hurriedly replied: "Reporting to the Prince, I have detected nothing abnormal; inside and out everything is orderly."

Xiao Yin let out a breath, suddenly remembering: "Is there anything happening with Miss Wanrou down the mountain?"

Ling Feng replied: "There's also nothing to report; everything is as usual."

"Earlier I instructed the brothers down the mountain to send someone to report any abnormality to me, so there is likewise nothing."

No news is good news.

Xiao Yin leaned back slowly in his chair: "Recently the manor is arranging a marriage; the happy event is near, the whole household is busy beyond capacity—you go and tell everyone to stay alert; absolutely no mishaps must occur."

Also, assign a few more people to the Princess Consort's side.

Ling Feng paused slightly; the total number of guards who followed the Prince to Long Dragon Temple for duty wasn't many to begin with, and now that he said this, likely all of them will be sent to guard the Princess Consort beside her.

The Prince cares too much for the Princess Consort, to the point he seems to have lost himself.

He didn't dare say anything about that, then after listening to Xiao Yin give a few more orders, he turned and left the room.

He was on duty tonight, so he went straight to the courtyard that had been temporarily cleaned out and stayed there, treating it entirely as a guard post.

The few guards inside were drinking night tea; the Prince's orders are as firm as a mountain, so even in this long night they dare not drink a little wine to warm themselves—if the Prince caught them they would surely be beaten until skin split and flesh tore.

Ling Feng stood outside the guardroom, hearing the noisy, lively chatter from within; that vigor surged straight into his heart, and he suddenly felt hollow, as if something were missing.

He turned and walked toward the covered corridor; going further in was where the inner-court maidservants lived.

Ling Feng walked against the wind, pulling from his bosom a handkerchief embroidered with a peach-blossom-and-butterfly pattern; it was the same one that, after he was wounded earlier, Jiu Yue had seen and instinctively used to bind his wound before the clinic arrived.

It's unclear whether it was Jiu Yue's handkerchief that helped or the physician's superb skill, but he recovered quite quickly.

He took off the handkerchief Jiu Yue had used to bind his wound, intending to wash it and return it to her, but as it happened the manor was busy with marriage preparations, every courtyard bustling nonstop.

Moreover, Jiu Yue is a capable aide beside the Princess Consort—where would she find idle time to come look for him?

Besides, she's a young lady; returning a handkerchief is not something a man ought to do—when taking a wife, one must first take the initiative.

The thought of taking a wife just crossed Ling Feng's mind, and his handsome, fair complexion instantly flushed red, the blush spreading quickly up to his neck.

Ling Feng's heart also began to pound wildly, thump-thump-thump like a war drum, recalling when he followed Xiao Yin into battle on the Bei Di frontier, where the battle drums deafened him and spurred his frenzied fighting.

Now…

Ling Feng clenched the handkerchief in his hand, paced back and forth, finally drew a breath and headed toward the rear courtyard.

From the rear courtyard came low, soft laughter; serving beside the Princess Consort is truly a blessing—good food, warm clothes, no wage deductions, and one's mood is much improved.

Ling Feng hadn't expected so many maidservants in the courtyard, and yet none of them were resting?

He suddenly felt a twinge of regret for coming over; his actions might seem abrupt to the woman he admires.

He steadied himself, turned to leave, but nearly bumped into someone.

Behind him, Jiu Yue, carrying a food box, was just about to enter the rear courtyard; she lifted her eyes and saw Ling Feng turn and stride away quickly, and she couldn't fathom what scene he was playing.

In Shang Jing, the front and rear courtyards are usually far apart; here, however, being a Buddhist lodge, the Prince's two‑courtyard residence is already second only to the Empress Dowager's quarters.

Long Dragon Temple essentially offered its two finest courtyards to the palace guests, so the front and rear courts have no clear boundary and lie extremely close together.

Ling Feng met Jiu Yue's clear eyes, which seemed tinged with a smile; his usual stern composure vanished in an instant, leaving him unsettled.

He flusteredly looked at Jiu Yue, opening his mouth but not knowing what to say.

"J‑Jiu Yue Miss, what are you off to do?"

He normally isn't good with words, especially before women, and now he truly doesn't know what to say.

This was clearly meant to be a casual remark to avoid awkwardness, but because he was nervous it came out sounding like a reproach to the rear‑courtyard maid about where she had gone.

Jiu Yue blinked, quickly composed herself, and said: "Reporting to Leader Ling, the Princess Consort sent me to bring the Prince a night snack, worried he might be hungry in his study."

She feared Ling Feng might not believe her, so she lifted the food box in her hand and held it up to his face to show him.

This only made Ling Feng even more at a loss for words; what should have been a tender moment under the flowers and moon was turned by him into an official interrogation.

At that moment, Ling Feng very much wanted to slap himself.

Before coming, he had rehearsed in his heart countless times what he would say upon seeing Jiu Yue: return the handkerchief, thank her, and then give her the sheep‑fat jade hairpin he had bought.

He is the Prince's trusted guard; over the years he has inevitably benefited from the Prince's favor and gained many advantages.

Just the enfeoffment the Prince gave him would be enough to support his family in comfort for a lifetime.

He wanted to tell this woman that he rather liked her, wished to ask for her hand in marriage; in Shang Jing he also owns a private residence of his own, with two or three servants and a chest of banknotes he could entrust to her.

The more Ling Feng thought, the grimmer his face became; Jiu Yue was genuinely frightened.

Could it be that something has happened in the manor, and the Prince has sent Commander Ling to investigate the servants attending the rear courtyard?

Her face turned slightly pale; why are they stopping her from leaving? Could she have caused some trouble?

Could it be that the Prince discovered the Princess Consort looking into Su Wanrou's affairs? After all, Su Wanrou is a sister the Prince values; he would be reluctant to probe a master, so he comes instead to cause her trouble.

Jiu Yue is the sort of woman who grows steadier and more composed in danger; she gripped the food box tightly, the joints of both hands whitening from the force.

For a moment the two of them stood there like wooden posts, looking rather ridiculous.

Jiu Yue lowered her eyes slightly, her brows knitting tightly, drew a breath, and said: "Leader Ling, if you have any reproach to make, just ask."

Ling Feng stared blankly for a moment, wondering why he would reproach her.

How could he have said such a thing? He then realized she must have misunderstood.

Unwilling to let his nervousness make his exhaled breath turn to frost, he tried to explain but found himself even less sure of what to say.

He inhaled and said: "You… you are very good!"

After Ling Feng spoke, he turned and fled in haste; only then did Jiu Yue sense something amiss, she rose to her eyes and watched him dash into the night, actually using lightness skill, leaping up onto the tree shadows in a few bounds.

"What a fine youngster—how could his mind go wrong? Truly pitiful!"