Ji Feiyu was almost certain that this assassination had been ordered by her elder sister.
She had seen the Black Frost sleeve arrows on Yong Yaxuan. These were weapons developed by her elder sister. And those who could obtain and use these sleeve arrows must be her elder sister's confidants. Did this mean that her elder sister had come to the Great Yong Dynasty?
Ji Feiyu's years of wandering among the common people were related to her elder sister. And now, she couldn't return to her homeland for the same reason.
Ji Feiyu was currently in the mansion she had bought through the Flower Butterfly. She was sorting out her thoughts. Before, when they last met, the Flower Butterfly had stuffed a small note into her hand, which contained the address of his residence in Lotus Town.
Ji Feiyu followed the signs one by one and finally found this charming small courtyard. Since there were servants in the courtyard, it was easy for Ji Feiyu to enter with the token given by the Flower Butterfly and she stayed there.
These days, Ji Feiyu often dreamed of her homeland. Because of this sudden assassination, she thought of her elder sister in her homeland and recalled many things that had happened there, including her first encounter with Yong Chengxuan.
Ji Feiyu's homeland was a desolate place compared to the Great Yong Dynasty. However, it had beautiful scenery and was home to many rare flowers and strange herbs. Every year, people from other countries would come here to buy a large number of herbs, either for medicine or for making poison, including those from the Great Yong Dynasty. Naturally, the trade of these rare flowers and strange herbs had become the main economic source of this small country.
Since herbs were the foundation of the country, the royal family members had to learn the skills of identifying poisons and medicines. Ji Feiyu had learned how to use poisons from the imperial physician since she was a child.
Ji Feiyu was smart and quick - witted since childhood. She could learn anything easily. Even without reviewing, she could achieve good results in the regular examinations. Her elder sister, on the other hand, had achieved her current success through her own hard work.
In Ji Feiyu's kingdom, there were only two princesses, her and her elder sister. So the crown prince would be selected from the two of them. But since the kingdom regarded the lotus as a sacred object, and Ji Feiyu had a lotus birthmark on her body when she was born, she was regarded as the daughter of destiny by the people of the kingdom. They said that her fate was unparalleled and that she would bring good fortune to the country.
As a result, the king and the queen always favored Ji Feiyu more. As Ji Feiyu grew up day by day, she was innocent, talkative and good - looking. Everyone liked her. Her elder sister, although relatively plain in appearance, was extremely meticulous.
Due to the unfair treatment, her elder sister gradually became jealous of Ji Feiyu, but Ji Feiyu was completely unaware. She only knew that her elder sister was the one she loved most.
Before an assessment for the crown prince selection, the two princesses had to pick a precious herb from a cliff in person, use it for medicine research and development, and then report it anonymously to the king and the queen in the palace for evaluation. Her elder sister had tampered with Ji Feiyu's vine, causing her to fall off the cliff when she was about to pick the herb.
Ji Feiyu was just meant to have a lucky escape. There were many plants on the cliff that could buffer her fall. And below the cliff, there was a man in white robes, sketching.
In the most critical moment, the man put down his brush, leaped up from the ground and rushed over to catch her. It was the gentle and jade - like Yong Chengxuan. At that time, he was traveling around to draw the maps of the mountains and rivers of the Great Yong Dynasty. He had also reported to the king in advance before coming to Ji Feiyu's homeland to paint.
When Ji Feiyu fell off the cliff, she thought she was surely going to die. Unexpectedly, after being whipped by countless plants, she was embraced in a warm embrace. The wind seemed to stop at that moment. The young girl thought she had seen a celestial being from the sky.
The two looked into each other's eyes. Neither knew who had entered whose heart.
After putting her down, Yong Chengxuan said "Forgive my rudeness" and immediately took off his light - white cloak and wrapped it around Ji Feiyu. Only then did Ji Feiyu realize that her clothes had been torn to pieces by the plants during her rapid fall.
Ji Feiyu blushed involuntarily. For a moment, the atmosphere was extremely awkward.
Yong Chengxuan didn't dare to look at her. He turned around and was about to leave when Ji Feiyu called out to him, "I've been saved by my benefactor, but I don't know your name yet." Her voice was soft and timid, but it inadvertently plucked at Yong Chengxuan's heartstrings.
He just turned back and smiled gently, saying, "You can call me Chengxuan."
Ji Feiyu was extremely happy and wanted to tell him her real name. But since her name was almost well - known in the kingdom and today was the well - known assessment for the crown prince selection, she didn't want others to know that she had fallen off the cliff and failed the assessment. So she held back and gave a false name, "My name is Feiyu. You can call me Yu'er."
Yong Chengxuan remembered it and asked, "Why did Yu'er fall off the cliff? Can you find your way home now?"
Ji Feiyu couldn't help but look back at the cliff. She felt a bit worried, but said, "I... was just playing on the mountain and accidentally fell. I should be able to find my way home, but it may take some time. Brother Chengxuan, why are you here?"
Chengxuan was obsessed with painting and had a simple mind. He didn't find anything wrong and replied, "I'm painting."
At that time, both of them were young and their acquaintance was sincere.
Ji Feiyu then ran over to look at his painting.
"Is this a painting of this place? It's so beautiful!" Ji Feiyu couldn't help but exclaim.
Chengxuan blushed and smiled shyly, "Yu'er is overpraising me. It's just that the scenery here is really good."
Since Chengxuan hadn't finished his painting, he sank into his work again. Ji Feiyu just watched silently beside him without saying a word.
Since Ji Feiyu still had a child's nature, when she was focused, she didn't feel bored at all. Instead, she felt the beauty of his brushstrokes and began to look forward to learning how to paint herself.
She didn't expect that she had watched for so long until Chengxuan finished his painting.
Chengxuan didn't expect Ji Feiyu to still be there. He asked, "How are you going to go home now, Yu'er? Do you need my help?"
Ji Feiyu said, "Could you take me to the main road?"
Chengxuan nodded, packed up his painting tools and led Ji Feiyu along the way he had come.
Ji Feiyu thought that since she had fallen off the cliff, her parents should send people to look for her after they heard the news. She thought she should be able to wait for them on the main road. But unexpectedly, after waiting for a long time, she didn't see any soldiers. Ji Feiyu thought that it was because she hadn't picked the herb and failed the assessment, so her parents were a bit disappointed and didn't send people to look for her, asking her to go home by herself. She didn't know that her elder sister had stopped the search. At the same time, her elder sister had also sent another team of people to kill her before they found her.
Since her elder sister had passed the assessment and successfully got the position of the crown prince, she immediately mobilized her forces and used various means to intercept Ji Feiyu from returning to the palace.
After saying goodbye to Chengxuan, Ji Feiyu inquired all the way and finally returned to the royal city. Her feet were worn out by her shoes from walking. When she happily walked towards the palace gate and was about to ask someone to announce her entry, she saw someone take out her portrait and make a throat - slitting gesture to the people at the gate.