The Slender Waist-Chapter 727 - 521 Articulate

Feng Yun was momentarily dazed.

She turned around, walked towards him with composed eyes and brows and a light step, as soft as a pool of autumn water in the dim night.

Their gazes met.

Feng Yun greeted him with a strained smile.

"What guidance does Qi Jun have?"

Xiao Cheng’s eyes brightened; the long-silent chamber of his chest seemed to be swept by a feather, then struck by a loud drum.

He glanced at Ping’an and Jixiang beside him.

Several servants silently retreated.

Feng Yun watched them provocatively, not moving an inch.

She did not dismiss the servants.

There was no need.

If someone voluntarily presents their face for a slap, the more who witness it, the better, isn’t it?

Xiao Cheng glanced at the people behind her, his mouth tense momentarily, and asked softly:

"Were you also invited by the Princely Heir to come to the night feast?"

Feng Yun looked at him, neither humble nor haughty.

"Uninvited."

Xiao Cheng: "Why did you leave?"

His appearance was handsome, and his eyes were affectionate.

Compared to before, he evidently knew better how to attract women...

Gone was his customary aloofness. With his handsome face and demeanor, Xiao Cheng was rightly the foremost gentleman of Nanqi, outstandingly enchanting Mr. Xiao.

As Feng Yun thought about it, a smile formed on her face.

"I dare not sit with Qi Jun, fearing the implications. Are you satisfied with this answer?"

Xiao Cheng’s eyes darkened slightly, his voice dropping.

"I’m discussing serious matters with the Princely Heir, and the Tu Fort Master and his wife are also present, what is there to fear?"

He frowned, his gaze deepening.

"Afraid Pei Jue will misunderstand? That spouses will turn against each other?"

Feng Yun chuckled lightly, her expression more relaxed than before.

Addressing him directly by name, she said:

"Xiao San, I thought you were merely frivolous, I didn’t expect you to also be foolishly naive. Who gave you the confidence to think our spousal relationship could be disrupted by you? And who gave you the audacity to speak so boldly before another man’s wife? Humph! A mere mess, oblivious to self-awareness, I simply... fear it would spoil my appetite."

Xiao Cheng’s face changed.

After a moment, he spoke heavily.

"I know you have been wronged."

Feng Yun raised her eyebrows and chuckled, at a loss for words for a moment.

Xiao Cheng hesitated and then said: "In the grand hall of Xijing, those letters accusing you of conspiracy... "

His throat soured, his voice raspy.

"Why didn’t you have someone deliver them to me earlier?"

A buzzing sound rang in Feng Yun’s ears.

The affairs of the Xijing Imperial Court, clear as day in distant Tai City to the Emperor of Qi.

Feng Yun thought about the blatant longing in those letters, and her cheeks faintly heated up.

"How would you know?"

Xiao Cheng did not answer directly, stepping closer, staring intently at her.

Before Feng Yun went to Xijing, every letter from Ren Rude mentioned that Feng Yun and Pei Jue frequently misunderstood each other, and that Feng Yun still thought of him. Xiao Cheng originally didn’t believe it...

Until he received the news.

Empress Duan of Xijing got a hold of numerous letters Feng Yun wrote to him. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Personal letters.

The contents of the letters, word for word, were copied and delivered to Tai City...

Xiao Cheng’s heart broke reading them.

What profound emotion, to make a secluded lady write so many soul-consuming words...

Long nights thinking of my lord, never ceasing to miss you.

In this life, I only hope for Mr. Xiao.

She even decided to throw herself into the tiger’s den, to exert herself for the Qi Army, to maintain her loyalty.

He asked, "Is everything written in the letters truly your sentiment?"

Feng Yun scoffed, "You even know the contents of the letters?"

Xiao Cheng’s gaze fixed, piercing through the night, focusing intently on her. It was as if he was trying to make up for years of longing, unwilling to miss the slightest bit...

"Ayun, your sincere heart, I knew too late, missed too much..."

His throat choked up, his voice so hoarse he could barely speak.

"Blame me...I came too late."

Reborn too late.

He missed the fall of Andu City, missed the moment Feng Yun was sent into the enemy camp, failed to contact her in time to ease her despair and unease...

Thus being completely passive, watching her drift further and further away, even treading a path completely different from her previous life, until he could no longer mend the regrets of a past lifetime.

"You resent me, I understand. Can you give me a chance to explain, to let us both find peace..."

In the chilling night, Xiao Cheng’s eyes were tranquil yet intense, seeming glued to her, uncontrollably reaching out to pull her closer.

Feng Yun stepped back.

A large hand came from the side, grabbing Xiao Cheng’s hand.

"Qi Jun wouldn’t mind, having one more person listen, right?"

The frustration Feng Yun suppressed in her chest rose up and then settled back down.

When did Pei Jue arrive? She had no idea...

Glancing sideways, the servants bowed their heads, gazing at their toes, daring not to make a sound.

She chuckled softly, saying nothing, like an outsider watching the tightly grasped hands of Pei Jue and Xiao Cheng.

Under the night sky.

Both their expressions were very calm.

But with just one look, sparks flew between them.

Unknown how much force Pei Jue exerted, those two hands remained unseparated for a long time, and Xiao Cheng’s expression, initially composed, gradually became agitated.

"The Princely Heir’s wine is good, why not join him for a drink?"

Pei Jue still hadn’t let go.

"Why bother the Princely Heir? Qi Jun and I are relatives by marriage. If we are to drink, it should be at Changmen."

He took on the posture of the host.

Polite, cold, his gaze subtly chilling.

Xiao Cheng’s wrist trembled slowly...

His face calm, a storm brewing in his eyes.

He too had practiced martial arts since childhood, never once slackening. Under his grip, an ordinary person might have had their bones crushed.

But Pei Jue’s strength was too great.

He thought he had exerted his full strength, but it kept coming, unceasingly...

Xiao Cheng endured the pain, not wanting to appear inferior before Feng Yun, his face pale, he asked faintly:

"Is this suitable?"

Pei Jue turned his head to look at Feng Yun.

"Is it appropriate?"

Pei Jue’s heart was like a deep abyss.

Unfathomable.

Feng Yun also found it hard to understand the male desire for victory and defeat, lightly smiling.

"My husband invites, what’s inappropriate about it?"

Pei Jue slowly released his hand.

"Qi Jun is inviting?"

Xiao Cheng took a step back, barely managing to stand steady.

Men understand men best. Of course, Pei Jue wasn’t sincerely inviting him for drinks at the villa just to declare his dominance by making him see firsthand who the man of Feng Yun and the master of Changmen was...

Even while sitting in the guest hall of Changmen Village, he still felt that he shouldn’t be led by the nose by Pei Jue at this time.

In front of him, what could Ayun do?

Nothing but act the part of a virtuous wife.

And he, standing helplessly by, was just enduring another torturous ordeal.

He knew all this.

Yet he still came...

Unable to control his feet, wanting to visit Feng Yun’s territory—the legendary Changmen, lauded by Ren Rude as unparalleled in both heaven and earth; to walk around, to see for himself.

-

Inside the guest hall, the furnishings were simple, without luxurious decorations, clean and elegant, it had an air of classiness all its own. It had neither the style of Jin nor the charm of Qi, very unique.

Fine wines were soon brought to the table, along with a few dishes, each seated in their places.

Pei Jue sat next to Feng Yun.

Xiao Cheng glanced over and lowered his head to drink, hiding his melancholy.

"Greedy cat," Pei Jue’s voice was gentle. Xiao Cheng subconsciously looked up and saw Pei Jue taking the wine cup from Feng Yun’s hand.

Then gesturing to Xiaoman, he had her pour a cup of rice milk.

"If you drink alcohol, I will suffer at night again."

He handed the rice milk to Feng Yun.

"Drink this."

Feng Yun pursed her lips and looked up at him.

"Thank you, my husband."

Love enough.

Ambiguous enough.

What sufferings at night? This sentence was enough to set Xiao Cheng’s imagination adrift...

Feng Yun silently drank the milk, secretly feeling that Pei Gou’s return was timely. Him helping her annoy Xiao Cheng was certainly delightful, yet thinking about his belated, domineering arrival...

Feng Yun lowered her hands, secretly pinched him on his thigh.

Such movements under the table would normally not disturb anyone, nor let Xiao Cheng see...

But unexpectedly...

Pei Jue’s sharp "ssht", covering his leg, staring at Feng Yun.

"Lady Yun, we have guests..."

Feng Yun: "..."

She wasn’t afraid of Xiao Cheng seeing, nor was she that shy.

It’s just that pinching a man’s thigh and being exposed by the man on the spot creates a very bizarre kind of embarrassment...

After all, she was a noble lady of a prestigious family.

Used to being graceful.

Pei Jue’s eyes darkened slightly, turning his head to breathe into her ear, "Weren’t you planning to get back at him? I’ll sacrifice a bit."

Feng Yun felt stifled in her chest.

He wasn’t wrong in saying that...

But it felt off having Pei Gou take the lead.

She smiled, squinting at him, "As the King wishes."

Pei Jue raised his head, his jaw clenched, gave a bow towards Xiao Cheng, already sitting upright and proper.

"The Prince may find this laughable. I was delayed in Yecheng for several days, and came back late which displeased the lady..."

Xiao Cheng smiled.

The news from spies, without exception, described Pei Jue as inarticulate, often unsmiling, and unlikely to please the lady...

This mouth of his, clearly capable of persuasive speech, also adept at hitting sore spots sharply...

Xiao Cheng lifted his sleeve, "The swift conquering of Yecheng by the Prince of Yonghuai, and the unification of Dajin, have made all people’s hearts return. The world respects you. I salute you."

Pei Jue raised his cup, lightly clinking it with his.

"Qi Jun is polite."

Both men harboring their own thoughts, drank three cups deeply.

Feng Yun quietly observed the two men, feeling a surreal illusion in her mind. Pei Jue and Xiao Cheng drinking together?

The world truly has changed.

Xiao Cheng suddenly looked up, staring at her.

"Changmen Workshop stands uniquely, and the furnishings in the villa are also quite distinctive. Where did you learn all this from?"

He could see the changes in Feng Yun.

And Changmen...

In his previous life, there was no Changmen, and definitely no such unique Changmen.

Even Pei Jue was drastically different.

Xiao Cheng’s eyes sparkled as if trying to see through her.

Feng Yun chuckled lightly, just about to speak when Pei Jue held her hand.

Like soothing a child, he stuffed a finely cut piece of scallion pancake

into her hand and casually said:

"She learned all this from books."

Then mildly glanced at Xiao Cheng.

"Did Qi Jun not know that my mother-in-law brought five thousand scrolls as a dowry to the Feng family?"

Xiao Cheng’s brows twitched.

Of course, he knew.

But the many changes made him a bit taken aback.

Looking at the scallion pancake in Feng Yun’s hand, he subconsciously said:

"She doesn’t like salty flavors..."

Feng Yun preferred sweet over salty in pastries, especially not liking oily fried scallion pancakes.

In the past at the palace, she would never accept them if brought to her.

But...

At this time, he had never lived with Feng Yun and couldn’t possibly know her habits.

After speaking, Xiao Cheng quickly recovered, nonchalantly saying:

"I heard it from Daman."

Feng Yun took a bite of the pancake, lightly curling her lips, "What does she know? The scallion pancake is crispy and delicious, I quite like it now..."