Chapter 306: The Only Prince (2)

It seemed the Emperor didn't let the eunuchs announce him either of the last two times he came. Fuling came back to her senses and bowed. Yan Hongtian had already arrived in the room, raised his hand toward her, and said in a low voice: "Withdraw."

Fuling glanced at the master in the study who seemed completely unaware, then looked at the Emperor's expression, and withdrew with peace of mind.

The study was brightly lit. Through the thin gauze, it wasn't hard to see a graceful figure standing at the table. Yan Hongtian's sword-like brows furrowed, and he walked in.

On the large desk, five or six brushes of different sizes were lined up. Two ink-jade brush washers were on the left and right, and a dark cyan inkstone a foot wide was placed in the very center. The painting paper covered more than half of the desk. Qingfeng stood behind the table, holding a large wolf-hair brush, her brushwork free and easy, her expression focused. He had only seen Qingfeng's paintings, but had never seen her painting. This formation was not small; as she wielded the brush and splashed ink, it seemed as if the world under her brush was dominated by her. Yan Hongtian was actually a bit dazed, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

Perhaps for the convenience of painting, she only wore a narrow-sleeved cross-collared long dress. Under the thin clothing, the protruding belly was all the more striking. Yan Hongtian frowned again, "Painting when you're not feeling well?" His voice was deep, but clearly displeased.

Qingfeng was painting very smoothly today and was in a good mood. She didn't even raise her head and smiled, "I'm not feeling unwell. It's just that the Empress seems particularly interested in me recently, and the Empress Dowager is coming back in two days. I don't want to deal with them, so I'm preparing to pretend to be sick."

Yan Hongtian didn't expect her to say this and smiled, "You are quite honest."

Dipping the brush in some ink and skimming it extremely quickly in the brush washer, Qingfeng always painted as she pleased, letting the clear water carry the ink stains to drip onto the paper. During this time, she even raised her head to look at Yan Hongtian, with a bit of innocence and a bit of cunning, and replied: "Isn't lying to you a crime of deceiving the Emperor?"

It was rare for Qingfeng to tease him so easily. Yan Hongtian didn't care anymore. His hand wrapped around the waist that was no longer a handful, and Yan Hongtian asked in a low voice in her ear: "Did Jing'er hurt you?"

He really did know! Then why didn't he discipline him? Qingfeng remained calm, changed to a smaller brush, dipped it lightly in ink, and hummed not too lightly or too heavily: "By him?"

Hearing that the kid actually pointed a sword at her, no wonder Qingfeng was annoyed in her heart; it seemed like all the thorns on her body were standing up. Yan Hongtian laughed loudly: "I almost forgot you have claws." Ever since Qing Ling fell into the water, her claws had restrained themselves a lot.

For this obvious teasing, Qingfeng shrugged, pretending not to hear. Seeing her painting so attentively, Yan Hongtian was a bit curious about what she was painting. Looking down, it was... a hunting scene?

Above the large painting paper, under a large expanse of ink-black rendering, a crescent moon reflected a bright, cold light. In the center of the painting, seven or eight gray-black wild wolves were surrounded by circles of sharp arrows. Half of the arrow shafts were buried in the ground, showing the strength of the hunter's bow-pulling. The wolf pack was trapped in the circle of arrows. Several female wolves were restlessly scratching the sand and stones under their feet. A male wolf wanted to break out, but just as it leaped, a sharp arrow pierced its front leg, and blood dripped along the arrow feathers, staining the mud and sand under its feet. The one protected in the very middle should be the alpha wolf of this pack. Compared to the panic and restlessness of the other wild wolves, he appeared calm and sharp, his four limbs steady and strong, full of power. Those wolf eyes stared straight ahead, as if they were about to shoot straight into the heart of the person looking at the painting, the dark, cold eyes flashing with calculating and treacherous light.

Staring at such a pair of eyes, Yan Hongtian actually had an urge to fight. The hand wrapped around Qingfeng's waist tightened unconsciously, "Why did you suddenly want to paint this?"

Qingfeng could feel the murderous intent stirring in the man behind her and was secretly happy. She herself was painting with boiling blood; if the person looking at it was indifferent, then she had painted it too unsuccessfully. Qingfeng smiled: "I heard an interesting piece of music today and suddenly wanted to paint a hunting scene." After entering the palace, she hadn't had much interest in painting. After listening to *Qiu Tu*, a picture immediately appeared in her mind, and she couldn't wait to paint the passionate scene in her heart as soon as she returned to the room.

Qingfeng turned her head to look at Yan Hongtian behind her and smiled: "Is it strange why there are only prey and no hunters?"

Meeting Qingfeng's spirited eyes, Yan Hongtian immediately smiled: "Hunters should be better at hiding than prey. I'm just curious what kind of hunter it is."

"As the saying goes, see the servant to know the master. Seeing such prey, can't you see the appearance of the hunter?" If Yan Hongtian couldn't see it, then she hadn't painted that kind of tension. A great painting couldn't just be about seeing what was on the paper. Qingfeng sighed secretly; she had always felt that her sister and Yu Handan had failed to express the essence of *Qiu Tu*. She hoped to present it through her own painting; now it seemed it was indeed missing something.

The circle of arrows made of dense sharp arrows on the ground showed that it was not difficult for the hunter to shoot his prey to death; currently, he was just trapping them in the circle, as if playing with them or provoking them. Yan Hongtian could vaguely feel the hunter's thoughts, but it was still not enough. His gaze swept over the alpha wolf. Yan Hongtian's black eyes narrowed slightly, a cold light flashing in them. He reached out and chose the smallest brush, dipped it in a little cinnabar. Qingfeng's eyes suddenly lit up, and she reached out with some eagerness to take the brush from Yan Hongtian's hand. Looking at the excited woman in his arms, Yan Hongtian's thin lips curled slightly, and he handed the brush to Qingfeng. He saw her nimbly place that touch of scarlet lightly on the wolf king's eyeballs. It was just a tiny bit, blending with the original dark wolf eyes, and instantly, blood-red cold light shot out from the wolf eyes, despair and extreme hatred intertwined with fear. Only when prey is struggling on the verge of death do they have such eyes. Yan Hongtian's eyes darkened, and an urge to be bloodthirsty surged in his heart.

The slightly heavier breathing in her ear made Qingfeng very satisfied. Putting away the cinnabar brush and changing back to the large wolf-hair brush, Qingfeng dipped it in a few wisps of thick ink and wielded the brush freely on the paper. The night immediately became heavier and colder. Looking at the woman in his arms with free and easy brushwork, Yan Hongtian had another doubt in his heart. The Qing sisters were all very special, often going out to travel in the mountains and waters? Ever since Qing Ling fell into the water, she had lost her memory, yet she was proficient in autopsy. It was said that Qing Mo was also a meticulous case-solving expert. The Qingfeng beside him was indeed as rumored, specializing in calligraphy and painting, but she had a preference for this cold style and could accurately present it. These three Qing sisters were truly strange, or did they have some unknown encounters? Yan Hongtian asked as if casually: "The three of you sisters are all very special. Do you often go out to travel in the mountains and waters?"

Qingfeng didn't know at all what the sisters who had been possessed by Zhuo Qing and Gu Yun had done outside the palace. Thinking Yan Hongtian was just curious, she replied casually and easily: "After all, we are women, so we don't go out often. However, our parents were very tolerant of us, and we sisters often had the opportunity to go out and walk around. Eldest sister likes the zither, little sister loves chess. Although they also love mountains and waters, they prefer to go to places with spiritual energy to feel the tranquility of the heart."

"Then, what about you?" Yan Hongtian admitted that he was more curious about her.

"Me?" Qingfeng smiled and replied generously: "I prefer majestic scenery, but it's a pity I didn't have many opportunities to see it."

Yan Hongtian listened quietly to her speaking, his deep eyes unable to see what he was thinking. His hand naturally rested on Qingfeng's protruding belly. Ever since she said the child could kick people last time, he seemed to particularly favor this position. It was late autumn, and the night was a bit cold. Through a thin layer of fabric, the abnormal high temperature made him frown again: "So hot, are you really okay?"

Her heart warmed, and Qingfeng smiled feignedly: "Don't worry, I'm not that delicate; otherwise I would have been tossed to death by you long ago." When she first entered the palace, it could truly be called deep water and scorching fire.

Yan Hongtian raised his eyebrows slightly. Was she complaining?

The solid and thick embrace behind her, the hand resting on her belly touching from time to time, and the almost non-existent contact made it impossible for Qingfeng to concentrate. Taking a deep breath and putting down the brush, Qingfeng sighed: "How can I paint like this?"

Qingfeng thought Yan Hongtian would laugh it off domineeringly, but he supported her shoulders and turned her around to face his eyes. Because of painting, the candles in the room were lit particularly brightly, and the fatigue in Yan Hongtian's eyes was so obvious.

The two looked at each other for a long time, and Yan Hongtian suddenly said seriously: "Stay away from Jing'er in the future."

Qingfeng was slightly startled. In her heart, there was annoyance, doubt, curiosity, and speculation, but in the end, it all turned into a single: "Okay."

Seeming to be a bit tired, Yan Hongtian stepped back two steps and sat on the large red mahogany chair behind him, his hand still wrapping around Qingfeng, and he took the opportunity to hold her on his lap. Qingfeng's face was slightly red, feeling very awkward. Wanting to break free from his hand, she was instead held tighter. Yan Hongtian's chin also rested lightly on her shoulder, his eyes half-closed. Seeing the fatigue between his brows, Qingfeng didn't move anymore, letting him hold her like this for a while before asking in a low voice: "Is the celebration giving you a headache?"

Yan Hongtian gave a casual *en*. Originally, holding a celebration was exhausting, and this year there were more complications than in previous years. One moment it was a serial murder case of digging out hearts and taking lives, the next it was a silver-haired criminal who specialized in rape and looting. Envoys from various countries had arrived at the post house one after another, and the capital was becoming more and more unstable. If these things spread out, Qiongyue would lose all face.

Seeing that he didn't want to talk more, Qingfeng didn't ask. She stood up slowly, took his hand, and walked toward the inner chamber, "If you're too tired, rest early."

He came over today because he heard that Jing'er had pointed a sword at her, and he was worried about her, so he came to see. After talking to her for a while, he was still tired, but his mood seemed to have improved. Yan Hongtian was also puzzled himself—when did talking to her and sleeping with her for a while start making him feel refreshed? Perhaps it was because there were no complicated family interests entangled behind her, or perhaps it was because of her attitude of appearing to be submissive but actually not caring.

Walking to the screen, Yan Hongtian stopped and looked at the comfortable and warm bed in the inner chamber. He also wanted to lie down and have a good sleep, but he couldn't. "I still have things to deal with. You rest early." Withdrawing the hand Qingfeng was holding, Yan Hongtian walked to the door, stopped again, and said: "If the Empress and Empress Dowager summon you, just say you moved the fetus and can't get out of bed."

Qingfeng smiled slightly. Was this "lying by imperial decree"? Sending him to the door, Yan Hongtian raised his hand slightly, signaling her not to send him off anymore. Qingfeng didn't know what to say. After thinking for a moment, she only said one sentence: "Don't... don't sleep too late." Yan Hongtian's steps paused, he looked back at her, and without saying anything else, he went out of the palace.

Qingfeng walked back to the study, having completely lost the mood to paint. However, she liked to finish what she started, so she picked up the brush again. She stood in front of the desk for a long time, not knowing where to paint the next stroke, and finally simply put down the brush. Never mind, just like this.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 307 =====