Un corazón puro en una vasija de jade

Capítulo 171

A surge of heat rushed straight to her dantian, as if water had flooded a parched field. An hour later, Yongye was delighted to feel the pure, snake-like internal energy slowly flowing through her body.

She laughed loudly, "Great Hero Feng, Murong Yangxi, His Majesty the Emperor... what can they do to me?" Feng Yangxi, seeing Yongye's radiant expression, suddenly wasn't angry at all. He said slowly, "I can't do anything to you now, can I? However, I do want to drink some wine. If you continue to feed me like you did before, even if this pot of wine contains a bone-softening pill, or even pure poison, I can drink it all." Yongye raised her hand and slapped him across the face, provocatively saying, "You're not angry about this?" "Why should I be angry? I heard from the Princess that Yongye wants to find someone like Prince Duan, who, even after being slapped, can still happily have Zhang Liancao draw a handprint as a souvenir. However, there's no Zhang Liancao here. Yongye's calligraphy and painting skills are equally exquisite. Why don't you draw one for me?" Feng Yangxi's expression didn't change, and the smile on his lips deepened.

Yongye sneered, "Dream on. Once you're in my hands, you'll be crying your eyes out." She acted swiftly, stripping Feng Yangxi naked from the waist down. She placed her hand on his firm chest, smiling seductively, "Do you like it?" Feng Yangxi's expression changed drastically. "What are you doing?" she cried. "You look really... alluring with your beard shaved! A woman who likes you, facing a handsome man who can still make her heart flutter, in this desolate wilderness, you could scream your lungs out and no one would come to save you. Tell me, what do I want to do?" Yongye returned Feng Yangxi's words verbatim.

A light shone from her face, and the firelight danced in her eyes; she was a fairy! Feng Yangxi gazed at her, almost forgetting where he was.

She sat on his lap, her lips and hands lightly roaming over his body. A few stray strands of hair brushed against his face. She opened her collar, and when she looked down, a glimpse of her strapless bra could be seen beneath her fair neck, making his blood boil. Yet, he couldn't move at all, and sweat poured from his body. He felt so uncomfortable that he wanted to die.

“Eternal Night…” A groan escaped his throat as Feng Yangxi called out her name, his eyes filled with lust.

Yongye's hand trembled slightly upon hearing this. She slowly stepped back, smiled apologetically at Feng Yangxi, and said, "I'm sorry, let's leave it at that." Feng Yangxi, feeling extremely uncomfortable from her teasing, couldn't help but roar, "What do you mean 'let's leave it at that'?" Yongye smoothed the wrinkles in her dress, buttoned her collar, and casually picked up her white fox cloak, fastening it. She said leisurely, "I've taken my revenge. I'm not angry with you anymore, so of course it's fine. I'm sorry, I have to go. In a few hours, the bone-softening pill in your body will be removed, and I won't..." "Come on, what are you doing here? After doing something bad, you should slip away as fast as you can." She carefully covered his clothes, glanced down, and pressed her hand heavily on his chest. Seeing Feng Yangxi glare at her, his cheek muscles twitching, she could only suppress a laugh and say, "Great figure! I like you, really. It's not Yuepo; I have absolutely no desire for him. Why are you glaring at me? You should be happy." Saying this, she lowered her head, kissed his lips, licked them with her tongue, and then gently bit them.

She provoked Feng Yangxi, who shuddered and gritted her teeth, saying, "If you fall into my hands, aren't you afraid?" Yongye laughed loudly, "What am I afraid of? Anyway, I like you too. However, you won't find me. I'm leaving Anguo. I haven't left yet because I have no martial arts skills and am too beautiful, so it's not safe for me. Now, is there anywhere in this world I can't go? Goodbye!" Seeing Yongye open the door, Feng Yangxi shouted, "Li Yongye, are you really not going to marry me?" Yongye smiled, looking at the silvery world outside, "The emperor has three palaces and six courtyards; Yongye can't afford that!" She carefully closed the door and strode away.

A month later, a strange person appeared in the martial arts world.

This man is strange because of his peculiar habits. When he's in a good mood, he'll do anything for you for just five taels of silver; when he's in a bad mood, he'll ask for ten thousand taels without hesitation. And, moreover, he never kills anyone.

There once was a local tyrant who terrorized the area. Some villagers pooled together one hundred taels of silver to beg him to rid them of this scourge. He accepted the silver and spent three months destroying all of the tyrant's businesses.

The villagers were puzzled and asked him why he didn't just kill the bully. He pointed to the bully, who was huddled up like a beggar by the low wall, and smiled, saying, "Is he still the same bully?" The King of Chen fell seriously ill, and Princess Yuxiu ascended the throne as Empress. The scholars of Chen gathered for a poetry gathering, and it is said that the Empress also attended in plain clothes. At the gathering, this same man reappeared, even tearing the Empress's skirt, laughing loudly as he strode away. The Empress, furious, didn't order his arrest.

His whereabouts are unpredictable. However, it is easy to find him. Just order a lavish feast at the most popular restaurants in Chen Du Zeya, Anguo Jingdu, and Qiguo Shengjing on the first and fifteenth of each month, leave a note with your requirements and a silver note. Once the note and silver note disappear, it means the deal is done.

However, if someone waits outside the restaurant on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month, they will definitely not see him. Some people rely on their lightness skills or disguise to wait inside the restaurant, but they still can't see him. No one knows how he knows, but he just doesn't come.

Feng Yang was so angry he jumped up and down.

Ever since he learned of Yongye's gluttonous habit and eccentricities, he secretly had someone open the largest and most luxurious restaurant in the capital—Zhaixinglou.

Three months after its opening, Yongye seemed to have only been traveling between Anguo and Chenguo. The largest and most luxurious Fengge Pavilion of Zhaixing Tower hosted many banquets, but Yongye was never seen there.

So he sent people to Kyoto and Zeya. Who knew that Empress Chen and Emperor You of Anguo shared the same thoughts as him, and after fighting for two months, Feng Yangxi could only retreat to the capital in frustration.

He couldn't understand why Yongye wouldn't come to the capital. Did she know he owned the restaurant? Feng Yangxi sighed. Among the three kingdoms' capitals, Yongye's whereabouts were unpredictable. Even if he went to Chen on the first day of the month, she might be in An on the fifteenth. He thought angrily, unless Yongye refused to come to the capital, how could he not capture her? Remembering the misdeeds Yongye had committed in the valley, Feng Yangxi became even angrier.

Despite his anger, Feng Yangxi still dutifully set up a banquet at Zhaixing Tower on the first and fifteenth of each month.

Another fifteenth has passed. Feng Yangxi, facing a table full of delicious food, felt that she had finally been provoked.

After finishing the meal, he returned to the palace and issued an edict ordering the selection of concubines from across the country. He wanted to choose his consorts.

"Yongye, you are the most ruthless, cunning, and fickle woman I have ever met. I'm not playing with you anymore. There are plenty of beautiful women in the world, why should I be unable to let you go?" A resolute look of desperation flashed in Feng Yangxi's eyes.

Emperor Qi was handsome and young, and he had neither an empress nor concubines, which was enough to attract too many beautiful women.

In the Autumn Water Villa by Sunset Lake, Yongye, listening to Chen Qiushui's incessant rambling, finally interrupted him impatiently: "Master Chen, your villa covers forty acres, with over a hundred servants and nineteen concubines. You love wine, tea, and beautiful women, yet you only paint three paintings a year. How do you manage to support them all?" Chen Qiushui stroked his sparse beard. "Yes, isn't it all thanks to your annual earnings that I'm supported? But I am of noble character, I haven't knelt before the Emperor to report him, and I've provided you with beautiful houses, delicious food, fine wine, and beautiful women. I'm not wasting your money. However, I am quite curious, Yongye gazes at the bamboo house the Emperor built every day, yet why don't I see him?" Yongye smiled. "He's about to take a concubine, why would I see him? I can support nineteen concubines, but I won't be one of his nineteen concubines." "A woman's jealousy is one of the seven grounds for divorce, understand?" "If I don't enter, how can I leave?" Yongye replied lazily.

Chen Qiushui's eyes darted around, and she said meaningfully, "But you're jealous and angry." "Am I?" "Look, when you heard the news, you crushed one of my jade cups. That set is incomplete now that one's broken, and it's worth three hundred taels! You also slammed your hand on the table and smashed one of my teapots. That teapot was made by Fu Yushi himself, has a hundred-year history, and is worth five thousand taels. You also ate three plates of snake meat in one go, worth fifty taels. You've done nothing but good deeds this year, wandering around Anguo and Chenguo for three months and bringing back less than a thousand taels of silver. I don't think it's worth it." Chen Qiushui sighed.

Yongye jumped up, pointed at Chen Qiushui, and cursed, "Everyone says Master Chen's paintings are magnificent, that he must be a broad-minded and unconcerned person. Who knew you were so greedy!" Chen Qiushui immediately blushed and his neck thickened. "Greedy? You should know that if I just told the Emperor, he would reward me with countless amounts of gold and silver! Seeing your calligraphy, so elegant and grand, I thought you and I were kindred spirits. Who knew you were so stingy and calculating! Humph, tomorrow I will not spend time with my concubines, I will abstain from alcohol and paint! I will not put up with your temper!" Yongye was stunned, his face full of smiles, and he tugged at Chen Qiushui's sleeve, saying, "Is tonight the first day of the month? I'll go to the Star-Picking Tower in the capital to see if there's any work. I won't take anything less than ten thousand taels!" Chen Qiushui snorted and turned his head away.

Yongye chuckled, "Shall I get you a teapot personally crafted by Fu Yushi? And a set of nice cups too?" "Stolen goods, I wouldn't stoop to using them," Yongye said matter-of-factly. "Who said I stole anything? I'll go find a job, and while I'm at it, I'll make one more request. If you don't like it, forget it! This is money I earned through my own labor, alright?" Chen Qiushui flipped through the ledger and nodded with satisfaction. "Remember, this is your compensation for my losses! Alas! I've been admired by my students all my life, and now I've been reduced to running an inn." "Not at all! Master Chen, you are of noble character and integrity, saving people from danger and generously donating to support your students. I am deeply grateful and have no way to repay you. Recently, I've developed a splashed ink technique, and I would like to ask Master Chen for some guidance." Yongye threw out another bait.

Chen Qiushui, who was skilled in landscape painting, lit up when he heard about the new technique. He smiled and said, "It's almost time. Yongye, go and come back soon. I'll prepare some fragrant tea and fine wine and we can have a good chat about the technique." Yongye changed into his night clothes and, like a kite blown by the wind, drifted out of Qiushui Manor.

She gazed at the Star-Picking Tower from afar, without going over.

At the top of the three-story building was the most luxurious Fengge Pavilion of the Zhaixing Tower. Yongye stared blankly, knowing from the name alone that it must have been opened by Feng Yangxi.

Did he want to find her? Did he want to capture her to avenge himself, or did he simply miss her? Ever since this ornately decorated restaurant opened, she had gone to Anguo and Chenguo for leisure. Three months had passed; did he still have the patience? The brightly lit Fengge Pavilion had its windows wide open, but it was empty. Yongye sat under the eaves of the opposite building and could see a table laden with delicious food inside.

Yongye smiled, took the bow from his back, aimed at the lamplight, drew the bow like a crescent moon, and released it swiftly like lightning. A volley of arrows flew out, and the lamplight in the Wind Pavilion suddenly went out.

She went around to the opposite side of the Star-Picking Tower to wait, but there was no movement from the Wind Pavilion. People were still coming and going below the Star-Picking Tower, and it seemed that no one had noticed that the lights in the Wind Pavilion had been turned off at some point.

Yongye waited a while longer and saw the lights in Fengge come on again. A waiter lit the lamp, stared at the arrow for a moment, and then suddenly, as if startled, pulled out the arrow and ran out of Fengge.

A short while later, a horse galloped out from the Star-Picking Tower and headed towards the imperial palace.

"Is Feng Yangxi not here?" Yongye chuckled, his body rising up like a gust of wind, then flipping in mid-air and hanging upside down on the carved brackets under the eaves of the Fengge Pavilion.

She quietly sensed that, as she had initially set the rules, no one was lying in ambush at Fengge. Relieved, Yongye swung her grappling hook and pulled a note back from the table. She carefully opened it, wearing gloves. Inside was a silver note for ten thousand taels of silver and a slip of paper. It read: "The daughter of Minister Zhao and I are deeply in love and do not wish to enter the palace. I beg you to rescue Miss Zhao and send her to the Wang family shop in the south of the city." Yongye snorted. This was the emperor's cruel pleasure. A woman of marriageable age wanted to enter the palace, and he was deliberately breaking up her marriage.

She tucked the silver notes into her pocket, glanced at the banquet inside, swallowed hard, and drifted away.

A moment later, Feng Ge opened a hidden door, and Feng Yangxi sat on a brocade stool in the dark room, chin in hand, gazing absently out the window. She was really cautious, not even coming inside. If that letter were returned, he would have no choice but to chase after her. Unfortunately… Feng Yangxi moved her lips, a half-smile playing on her lips, and accepted the offer.

Chapter Fifty-Four: Walking into a Trap

The glass palace lanterns, arranged in a pleasing, staggered pattern, cast a soft veil over the Qi imperial palace.

The young ladies of the Imperial Concubine's Courtyard watched with envy as Consort Zhao received the imperial decree and was attended to by eunuchs who bustled about, bathing her in fragrant water. This was the first time the Emperor had summoned young ladies to serve him since issuing the decree to select concubines.

Of all the women who entered the palace, only seven were selected as beauties. Perhaps Lady Zhao will be the first concubine the emperor bestows.

Yongye carefully examined Zhao Meiren's portrait and also visited the Wang family shop in the south of the city to meet a handsome young man with elegant clothes who seemed to be from a prominent family.

She observed him closely for three days. Wang's Shop was a small tavern. The shop seemed never to close, and this young man sat there from morning till night, never leaving for a moment. For three days, he sat there, his eyes fixed on the direction of the palace, his face full of anticipation. Yongye disguised herself and went to talk to him, but he didn't say a word.

Yongye chatted idly with the waiter, seemingly casually mentioning the emperor's newly appointed seven beauties. The young man's expression suddenly changed, and he lowered his head to drink, his gaze still fixed on the palace.

Yongye was relieved and prepared to rescue Miss Zhao.

She was quite familiar with Consort Zhao's father. He was Zhao Weishan, the Minister of Rites, who had been the envoy from Qi to welcome her when she married into the Qi state. He had a square face and an air of righteousness. His daughter, however, was delicate and charming, with a classic oval face and large eyes.

"I'm ashamed for you, an old man, taking advantage of a sixteen-year-old girl," Yongye murmured.