"Not good. We should go back quickly." A sense of unease welled up in Ji Feiyu's heart, and the words blurted out. When she looked back, she saw the Butterfly Flower smiling coldly at her.
"What's wrong?" Ji Feiyu was just wondering about his reaction when she felt a tightness around her waist. She was picked up by him and they flew down from the side - top of the attic.
"Hey—" The sudden sense of weightlessness startled Ji Feiyu. Then she heard him mutter in her ear complainingly, "You still say you're not worried about him? Stinky Feiyu!"
Ji Feiyu turned her head and saw the somewhat resentful face of the Butterfly Flower. She couldn't help but smile bitterly. "If you suddenly disappeared, I'd be worried too."
"Don't comfort me." The Butterfly Flower landed gracefully with a spinning movement and then let go of Ji Feiyu. But the next second, he grabbed her hand and ran towards the Star - Picking Terrace.
...
On the Star - Picking Terrace, the wind was the same, and the scenery was the same, but there was no sign of Lin Zhiran anywhere nearby.
"Where on earth could he be? These days, the palace is under tight surveillance. If he was really found sneaking into the palace, he'd surely end up dead." Ji Feiyu looked around while worrying constantly.
After searching around, the Butterfly Flower whispered, "He's not here anymore, Feiyu. You should go back to the Qiwu Palace quickly and then send people to find out what's going on."
"What about you?"
"I'll wander around the palace to see if I can find any trace of him."
"Then... be careful?" Ji Feiyu said tentatively.
"Okay." He nodded with a smile and was about to leave. Even though the palace's security had been tightened, he could still come and go as he pleased.
But Ji Feiyu was reluctant to let him go. She called out, "Wait. If you're leaving, you should at least tell me what you brought him here for today?"
Looking at Ji Feiyu's worried face, the Butterfly Flower said, "After I left the palace, I never left the imperial city. Then I heard about the coup. It was quite sudden... I searched everywhere in the imperial city for news, hoping to help you. Then I noticed some strange activities in the Lin Mansion. Lin Zhiran was especially strange. He always sneaked out, and I didn't know who he was meeting. I also remembered that our previous departure from the palace seemed to be related to the Lin Mansion. So I decided to catch him and ask him clearly in front of you. But while waiting for you, I noticed someone following me, so I left a note and went to deal with them. When I came back here, I saw you pulling him and about to let him go." By the end, the Butterfly Flower looked a bit unhappy.
Ji Feiyu didn't care about his unhappiness. Instead, she fell into deep thought because of his words. Since the coup, she hadn't left the palace, and she didn't know the current situation of other noble families in the imperial city. It was normal for the Lin Mansion to have some activities. In the current situation, she wouldn't believe it if Lin Chujie wasn't involved. But Lin Zhiran's strange behavior was unreasonable because he had always focused on reading the classics and didn't participate in his father's schemes. If he were still on the Star - Picking Terrace, she would still trust him. But now that he was gone, this matter had become even more mysterious.
"Feiyu?" The Butterfly Flower waved his hand, bringing Ji Feiyu back from her deep thought.
"What? What's up?"
"Time is pressing. I'll leave first."
"Okay." Ji Feiyu watched the Butterfly Flower disappear. She sighed softly and then turned back towards the Qiwu Palace.
He was becoming more and more capable. He could not only sneak someone out of the palace but also bring someone in. Sure enough, a tough life needs no explanation.
...
Before returning to the palace, Ji Feiyu stopped by the Lixiang Garden. She chatted superficially with the Concubine Li for a while and then went back to the Qiwu Palace.
After returning to the palace, Ji Feiyu asked a few maids who were usually well - informed. They all said they hadn't heard anything abnormal. So she thought that Lin Zhiran might have managed to get out on his own, or he might have been secretly captured by Yong Yaxuan.
During the dinner, Ji Feiyu lured Yong Yaxuan to the Qiwu Palace for a meal. She told him that she had made lion's head meatballs for him.
Even though she had informed him in advance, he was still a little surprised when he saw the table full of dishes.
"Why are you so well - behaved today? You didn't cause any trouble for me, did you?"
"Of course not. Your servant just feels sorry for Your Majesty's hard work recently, so I personally prepared this table of dishes." Ji Feiyu stepped forward and took his arm. It seemed that Lin Zhiran's disappearance had nothing to do with Yong Yaxuan.
"How is the war situation in the front?" Ji Feiyu asked casually and then helped him sit down at the table.
Looking at the table full of dishes, he raised his eyebrows. "It's not very optimistic. Several more cities defected today."
Ji Feiyu asked someone to remove the lids from the dishes and then sat down beside him. She served him food. "It seems that the status of those old officials is indeed deeply rooted."
"Um..." Yong Yaxuan replied absent - mindedly and then said, "I was indeed too hasty in promoting new people before. But the previous bureaucratic system was too cumbersome, and the whole country was running too slowly. It was hard to make the people rich."
"It's not Your Majesty's fault. It can only be said that you have the will but not the ability. Now all the regional princes are rising up. They just want to take over the throne. But there's only one throne. Why not divide and conquer them?" Ji Feiyu put the selected dishes in front of him and then smiled.
Yong Yaxuan's dark eyes suddenly lit up. "What do you mean, my dear?"
"I heard that the King of Ningbei and the King of Poyang once both fell in love with a woman. Later, this woman left to avoid the conflict between the two brothers. If Your Majesty can find this woman and secretly give her to one of them, and 'accidentally' let the other one know, do you think the two of them will still cooperate?"
Yong Yaxuan nodded after hearing this. Ji Feiyu continued, "In addition... among the princes who raised troops this time, there is one who dotes on the eighteenth prince very much. If we let the eighteenth prince say a few words among them, although the result is uncertain, it's better than doing nothing. As for the others who can't be divided, we still have the mighty general in charge. There should be no problem."
"As for those old officials who defected, we don't have to execute them immediately. But we can get rid of their followers one by one, starting with the corrupt officials among them who are hated by the common people. This may seem like it doesn't touch the main force of the rebels, but killing these people can stabilize the hearts of the people. Compared with those nebulous and unsubstantiated accusations, I believe the common people are more likely to recognize those who truly work for them. By then, it won't be up to those old officials to decide who is the just army."
Yong Yaxuan laughed after hearing this. He gently tapped Ji Feiyu's head and said dotingly, "Sure enough, there's always some scheme in your little head. If anyone really opposes you, they're definitely going to end up badly."
Ji Feiyu blushed shyly and lowered her head. "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty." Just then, she saw the untouched food on the table and added, "The food is getting cold. Your Majesty, please eat quickly. Later, I still want Your Majesty to accompany me for a walk and listen to my yearning for you."
Yong Yaxuan couldn't help laughing even more. He picked up the golden bowl and glanced at Ji Feiyu. "You!"
Ji Feiyu picked up the dishes she liked and slowly took a bite. The situation in the court was constantly changing. This was all she could think of to help him. As for the matter of that woman, she had heard about it from the Butterfly Flower by chance. Speaking of the Butterfly Flower, although he had had many affairs in his life, there were still one or two women who weren't bewitched by him and finally became his close friends. So if she wanted this plan to succeed, she had to win over the Butterfly Flower first.
During this meal, both Ji Feiyu and Yong Yaxuan were lost in their own thoughts.
After the meal, Ji Feiyu took Yong Yaxuan for a walk. On the one hand, it was to accompany him to relax. On the other hand, it was to see if there were any traces of Lin Zhiran. Unexpectedly, from evening to night, no one reported that an unauthorized person had entered the palace.
At night, Yong Yaxuan accompanied Ji Feiyu for a while and then was called to the imperial study for a meeting. Ji Feiyu was a bit tired from worrying about Lin Zhiran during the day, so she went to bed early.
Who would have thought that in the middle of the night, she was woken up by a wet kiss on her neck.