The Star - Gathering Terrace was located on the relatively high East Mountain within the palace. There was a broad flatland up there, so a terrace was built against the mountain. One could overlook the entire panorama of the imperial city from it, and it also had the charm of "The lofty tower soars a hundred feet high; One seems to pluck the stars up in the sky", thus it was named the Star - Gathering Terrace.
It shared a similar allure with the famous Moon - Watching Tower in the imperial city, which gave rise to a well - known story. Although romantic scholars couldn't ascend the Star - Gathering Terrace in the palace, they could show off their elegance at the civilian Moon - Watching Tower. Therefore, the scholars pinned their hopes of a meteoric rise on the Moon - Watching Tower, which was why it was so popular. Scholars would think of the Star - Gathering Terrace in the palace when they saw the Moon - Watching Tower, but Ji Feiyu didn't think of the delicious food in the Moon - Watching Tower at this moment. What impressed her most about this place was Ran Wei's enchanting dance here years ago.
Years ago, Yong Yaxuan returned to the capital and ascended the throne. To stabilize the country, the empress dowager promised to select a son - in - law for Ran Wei. At that time, Ran Wei had just suffered a severe emotional setback. She declined all suitors with a dance and then secluded herself in the deep palace.
As Ji Feiyu recalled the past, she couldn't help thinking of Ran Wei's heartbreak. The sword she wielded was for Ji Feiyu, because the man she loved had killed her most respected elder brother. And Ji Feiyu knew, to some extent, about the relationship between her and her elder brother.
Lost in thought, she unconsciously walked onto the Star - Gathering Terrace. To her surprise, the first person she saw was not the Butterfly but Lin Zhiran.
At this moment, he was gagged and tied up in a corner.
"Why is it you?" Ji Feiyu approached him in astonishment and tried to untie the ropes on him. To her knowledge, there was a silk strip tied to the ropes, on which was written, "Never untie him! Wait for my return!"
Recognizing the familiar handwriting, Ji Feiyu thought it was just the Butterfly's prank. Ignoring the warning, she untied Lin Zhiran.
When she took out the cloth from his mouth, he coughed a few times in a muffled voice. "Why are you here?"
Seeing his disheveled state, Ji Feiyu joked to comfort him, "I am a celestial being. I knew you were suffering, so I came to rescue you."
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, he was stunned. He sat up and didn't say a word for a long time.
Noticing his daze, Ji Feiyu knew she had said something wrong. She quickly changed the subject, "The palace has been dangerous recently. I don't know how you got in, but it's better to send you out as soon as possible." This was also to repay his kindness for sending her out of the Lin Mansion at that time. She didn't know why the Butterfly had tied him up. She just assumed he had no ill intentions because of his face.
This man... She had almost married him instead of Miss Lian. At that time, what attracted her to him was Cheng Xuan, and now it was still Cheng Xuan. But even if the real Cheng Xuan were here, she might have to say sorry to him now.
Once a heart has settled down, it's hard to be shaken again.
Just as Ji Feiyu was about to pull him up, she heard him whisper in her ear, "Your Majesty, was the note you gave me last time sincere?"
—Did you really want to meet me that night?
A sudden feeling of annoyance welled up in Ji Feiyu's heart. She was stunned for a moment and then forced a smile, pretending to be relaxed. "There's no such thing as true or false. I just thought you looked so silly and cute, so I was just teasing you."
"Really?" His tone suddenly turned gloomy. "I must have overthought it then."
Ji Feiyu inexplicably felt as if her heart had been pricked by something, but she quickly gathered her wits. She pulled him up and was about to leave. Then he said, "I've heard of Your Majesty's great achievements. I'm truly delighted. I was really overjoyed to know that Your Majesty has returned safely."
Ji Feiyu immediately understood that he must have been extremely sad when he heard the news of her death. She wanted to smile to express her gratitude for his concern, but she couldn't. Her heart suddenly felt empty and painful. His forced smile made her think of Cheng Xuan again. Saying goodbye to him was like saying goodbye to Cheng Xuan.
"Good for you, Feiyu! You secretly released him while I was away... And you're holding his hand so intimately! I'll go and tell Yong Yaxuan right now and let him teach you a lesson!"
The sudden shout disrupted Ji Feiyu's train of thought. She looked up and saw the Butterfly floating towards them. Immediately, she remembered how he had angered Yong Yaxuan before. She let go of Lin Zhiran and walked towards the Butterfly. "Butterfly, you still have the nerve to mention Yong Yaxuan to me. Tell me, what are you doing in the palace today?"
"What else could I be doing? I just heard about the political coup in the court and was afraid you'd be wronged, so I came to help you!"
"I don't believe it. You've been acting so sneaky and even tied up Lin Zhiran. Come here!" After saying that, Ji Feiyu reached out to grab him. Seeing this, the Butterfly immediately dodged. Come on! He was the great Master Butterfly. How could Feiyu catch him so easily! A look of disdain flashed across his face. Angered by his expression, Ji Feiyu chased after him again.
Startled by the sudden turn of events, Lin Zhiran hadn't regained his senses when he saw Ji Feiyu chasing the Butterfly. He couldn't help shouting, "Your Majesty!"
Hearing the shout behind her, Ji Feiyu ignored it. She thought as long as he stayed on the Star - Gathering Terrace and didn't wander around, she would take him out after dealing with the Butterfly.
Although the Star - Gathering Terrace had beautiful scenery, few people came here. And even if there were any, they should have been dealt with by the Butterfly earlier.
...
She and the Butterfly started chasing each other around the Star - Gathering Terrace. She still hadn't settled the score with him for falsely accusing her in front of Yong Yaxuan! But the Butterfly chose all the secluded and difficult paths to run on. Ji Feiyu had a hard time keeping up. Finally, she understood why he was so confident that even if Yong Yaxuan came to chase him, he might not be caught.
Looking at the fluttering hem of his clothes, Ji Feiyu tried to grab him several times but missed. While running, the Butterfly laughed and said, "Feiyu, if you keep chasing me like this, aren't you afraid I'll lead you to some deserted corner?"
Ji Feiyu said irritably, "Are you going to eat me?"
The Butterfly said with a smile, "Feiyu, you're so naive. I'm really worried about leaving you in the palace."
Ji Feiyu was speechless. She didn't believe the Butterfly would really do anything to her. She knew he just liked to talk nonsense. Thinking this, she didn't want to hold him accountable for deliberately provoking Yong Yaxuan anymore. She said, "Okay, okay. I know you're doing this for my own good. I won't chase you anymore. Stop and tell me why you tied up Lin Zhiran."
At this moment, they were running on the roof of a pavilion. Without turning his head, the Butterfly said, "Because Lin Zhiran is acting strange!"
But before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly stopped. "Oh no, there are secret guards ahead."
"Ah!" Ji Feiyu, who was chasing after him, couldn't stop in time and bumped into him. Losing her balance, she was about to slide off the eaves.
"Be careful!" The Butterfly grabbed Ji Feiyu. He glanced ahead and his face suddenly changed.
"What's wrong?" Ji Feiyu's heart skipped a beat. Then she heard the Butterfly say with difficulty, "Lin Zhiran... is gone."
After saying that, he pulled Ji Feiyu up forcefully. Ji Feiyu was stunned for a moment. Then she turned around and followed his gaze to the Star - Gathering Terrace in the distance across the pavilion. There was no one there.