The steel knife charged hard at Lin Feiyang. Seeing the things worsening, You Qingcheng pounced at it and blocked the ringleader’s attack. Lin Feiyang seized the right time, and blood spattered. The ringleader fell down stiff. Those bandits scattered in all directions with a scare at the sight of the ringleader’s gushing brains. With a cut, Lin Feiyang hanged the traitor’s head to the city tower. It served as a punishment to warn others. Desert army broke out the trap. Those bandits lost the ringleader and crumbled. Lin Feiyang killed a lot of enemies. Those deluded ones were dealt with leniently. The bandits all knelt to their knees. Lenient with them, Lin Feiyang’s father allowed the surrendered enemies to be rearranged. The war not only helped to forestall the future trouble for the Desert City, but also warned those with ill intent. Lin Feiyang made great contributions in suppressing the traitors. And his father did not expect that he knew the shape-shifting technique, so his father granted huge rewards to Lin Feiyang, even asked Lin Feiyang to replace him to hold a banquet for the meritorious officials in the war. But Lin Feiyang did not know that his father was testing Lin Feiyang’s ability.

“Why didn’t the last girl come today?” Lin Feiyang’s father still cared about his savior. But for the miracle woman, he thought he must have died. But Lin Feiyang felt extremely embarrassed about his father’s question.

“I thought you are into the girl. It seems that I should find a matchmaker to propose a marriage…”

“Girl Qingcheng, your future daughter-in-law.” You Qingcheng was struck dumb with astonishment, wondering why Feiyang said nonsense since he knew her identity.

“Uncle… I am…” You Qingcheng was pulled into the man’s arms.

“She is my future lady.” The man’s eyes shone unusually. You Qingcheng was quite at a loss to reply to it. Lin Feiyang’s father coughed at his youngest son’s words.

The banquet made Yougcheng realize the forthrightness of the North Desert. Lin Feiyang entered the ranch and picked dozens of lambs.

Stewed mutton: the meat was crispy and appetizing. It had been marinated completely with scented flavor. The soup was as white as milk and tasted delicious, leaving an endless aftertaste. It was the North Desert’s delicious food. Born in a Han family, You Qingcheng had never seen that the scores of lambs were slaughtered. The little lambs were still in their mother’s belly, but were suffocated to death artificially. When the lambs were taken out of their mother’s bodies, some still twitched. You Qingcheng covered her eyes with fright. Meanwhile, the butcher burst into laughter, as thousands of lambs were killed every day in the North Desert to satisfy the diners. Knowing that You Qingcheng liked eating fish, the imperial cooks there found fresh mandarin fish and mixed the mutton and mandarin fish to highlight two tastes: tenderness and sweetness. The tender fresh lamb and sweet mandarin fish sauce created a pleasant aftertaste. Sipping the mutton into the sauce would help to resist the mutton’s smell. You Qingcheng used to think the mutton got a strong smell, but out of her expectation, the mutton tasted mild. It was not common to cook the mutton with fish in the Han areas. And the fish was mingled with the fragrance of the mutton. The imperial cooks were so terrific that they could give a full play to the freshness of the fish and lamb.

You Qingcheng was very fond of mandarin fish mutton and raved about its melting once it entered the mouth.

The main hall was filled with guests. Few people could resist the temptation of delicious food. The people in the North Desert were rather forthright. Koumiss and roast meat were a perfect match. People took a swallow of spicy koumiss and then ate a piece of crispy meat. However, Lin Feiyang did not eat a lot. Instead, he busied himself serving the food for the woman. You Qingcheng was not used to the taste of koumiss. Compared to the yellow wine, koumiss was too strong for her.

After the banquet, wonderful songs and dances were presented. For the nomads in the North Desert, singing and dancing were indispensable in life. With veils on the faces, the dancing girls veil twisted their waists. When the Huqin rang, more girls danced into the main hall. Those young girls wore gorgeous gauze and danced with the music. You Qingcheng enjoyed the show with great interest. But the girl in red in the leading place seemed a bit strange, as she kept wavering among the dinner tables. She wore the veil, and only her phoenix eyes were exposed. You Qingcheng was quite curious and looked at her more carefully. The girl’s eyes were rather enchanting. You Qingcheng stared at her blankly. It was rarely a beautiful pair of eyes in the world. Her blue eyes were embellished with starlight, like shining stars in the enormous sea. The girl was thrillingly beautiful. You Qingcheng was hooked. Look, the corners of the girl’s mouth raised, making her more tempting. You Qingcheng took a sip of koumiss and could collect herself by the spicy flavor. She was lured by the girl! You Qingcheng looked around and found that the girl was wavering around Lin Feiyang and serving the koumiss to him. After several cups, the man’s face flushed. Then, the girl seized the opportunity, pulled out a soft sword and stabbed at Lin Feiyang. Seeing it, You Qingcheng darted at him. The girl saw someone come out to stop her, so she swept at You Qingcheng’s back. Lin Feiyang got sober and gave a palm at the girl. You Qingcheng let out a sigh. But for the protection of the spiritual armor, she might have died again. Lin Feiyang spread his Spirit Power. A floating rope tied the woman tightly. However, the girl in red was so obstinate that she kept struggling. The man in the main hall realized how dangerous the situation he had been in. But for the woman from the Han areas, he would have been killed. He thundered at the girl. “Who instructed you?”

“You killed my father. Shouldn’t I kill you?” The girl in red had intended to die because her father had been killed. “Why bothered to live in the world?”

“Since you’re an accomplice of the traitor, take her down and tear her apart by five horses.” Lin Feiyang gave the order, and soldiers rushed into the main hall.

“Now, the spiritual armor is given to you.” The woman saved Lin Feiyang twice, which left him very grateful to her. Besides, he felt he had fallen in love with her deeply. It was the first time that his mind had been perturbed by a woman, and the woman turned out to be of Han nationality. So Lin Feiyang was filled with emotions.

Before leaving, Lin Feiyang’s father repeatedly asked Lin Feiyang to have Lin Xiaosa to go home. Lin Feiyang accompanied You Qingcheng back to the Qi Kingdom. Although he knew that a bloody fight was inevitable, he did not want You Qingcheng to face it alone. The two settled down well and decided to enter the place the other day.

You Qingcheng was a native in the city, so she was quite familiar with the surrounding area. After supper, Lin Feiyang used the shape-shifting technique to change You Qingcheng into a brute full of beard.

“Too ugly.” You Qingcheng showed her disagreement. How could Lin Feiyang change a girl into a bandit?

“You are supposed to be dead. Aren’t you afraid of being discovered?” Reminded by Lin Feiyang, You Qingcheng realized that she should be a dead person. Taking revenge meant that she should forget the past. Although the Spring Festival had passed, the lanterns along the streets still demonstrated the festival atmosphere. Peddlers were calling for sale, and children were laughing sweetly. In the past when her father was still alive, all the girls in the family looked forward to the coming of the Spring Festival, because only then could they be allowed to play in the market and enjoy their favorite food. Her father was a martial general, so he was rather forthright and would not be mean with anything she liked. When she got tired, she would climb up to her father’s back. You Qingcheng looked at the streets in a trance. Her father would never come back, and he died for safeguarding Di Qing’s regime. However, Di Qing was so ungrateful that he even did not feel tender and protective toward her.

“Miserable look with whiskers… perfect match.” Hearing it, You Qingcheng gave him a palm and deflected Lin Feiyang’s beard. Then, she giggled.

“The ugly man can smile beautifully. Don’t forget to smile…” Such a beautiful woman deserved happiness. Lin Feiyang hoped the woman to smile joyfully. There were a variety of lanterns in the streets. The woman looked at them over and over again. Lin Feiyang murmured to the owner. Then, the owner took a brush and ink. After pondering for a while, Lin Feiyang applied colors to his drawing. The woman in fine gauze held the Ice Lotus. The owner stared at him behind them. Lin Feiyang carefully made the lantern, his hands weaving deftly. The craftsmanship seemed simple but rather exquisite. The filmy bamboo pieces could not be broken. You Qingqing opened her eyes wide and could not believe that Lin Feiyang was so skillful. Lin Feiyang stuck the lantern carefully. Then, a delicate lantern was put onto You Qingcheng’s hands.

Her little hands touched it, and the woman in the painting was vividly present to the eyes.

“Like it?” Lin Feiyang gave the money to the shop owner. Then, they did not say a word on the way.

“When I take revenge, I will go to the North Desert with you…” You Qingcheng liked the forthrightness of the North Desert and the carefree days there.

“Don’t break your word…” Lin Feiyang was overjoyed, hoping the day would come earlier.

…

In the Qi Palace.

In order to take revenge, Xu Yin asked Ning’s wife to release the news, and then You Qingcheng’s plan failed. Xu Yin removed the thorn in his flesh with a borrowed knife. His brother’s death made him more ruthless and malicious. As the eldest son in the Xu family, Xu Yin thought it right to remove any enemy.

“That fake one… wants to be the Queen? Impossible.”

You Qingmo held the hand warmer. It was still cold after the Spring Festival. Liu’er peeled some fruit for her master and thought that the master did live such an easy and comfortable life that she could enjoy lychees on such a cold day. The flesh of the lychee was tender and juicy with a subtle flavor. You Qingmo tasted it slowly.

“Leave, all of you.” You Qingmo ordered but stopped Xu Yin who was about to leave the hall. The man did not ask anything in return. In the palace, trust in others would lead to a faster death. But You Qingmo chose to believe Xu Yin.

“Stay with me.” Xu Yin avoided the woman’s arms. He knew well that he could not get involved with the woman, because he came to the palace just for revenge.

“Your Excellency, there must be some misunderstanding.” The sentence was like a dagger driven into You Qingmo’s heart.

“I want you to stay here…” The woman threw herself into the man’s arms. Only the man in front could make her open her heart in so many years. The woman shed tears and took off her gauze coats one by one. Xu Yin closed his eyes. Although he came all the way with certain intentions, he did not hate this woman. The woman now was a weeping beauty in his arms. Any man would fall for her at that moment.

“Don’t catch a cold.” Xu Yin could not bring himself to confront her and put the bed quilt on her shoulders. You Qingmo hugged the man tightly.

“Yin, how about marrying me when we are out of the palace?”

Her eyes glistened with hope. Xu Yin was at a loss for words at that moment. He knew that he could not marry anyone, as no one could protect himself well in the palace. In fact, Xu Yin had put his life out of consideration. “What a silly woman! How could she still believe me?” Xu Yin exited from the room.

“Silence shows your agreement?”

The woman in the room seemed not to reconcile herself to the fact, and muffled herself up. Loneliness struck her again. Liu’er was in the corner and thought that the master was so bold that she did not fear the Majesty would know it. If Supervisor Xu had not avoided in time, something terrible would happen. If someone with ill intent knew it, they would be smashed tens of thousands of times by the Majesty.

“Your Grace, can’t sleep?” Liu’er looked at the woman’s back and began worrying about her. Liu’er followed the master to struggle their way here and suffered a lot. So she hoped her master did not make any mistake.

“Can you still remember my mother?”

“I will never forget.” Liu’er nodded. She had seen a lot of schemes and intrigues in You residence since her young age, and the fifth Concubine had treated her well. Liu’er grew up with her master and knew well about the fickleness in the residence. The master entered the palace for revenge, because she was met with disdain since childhood. You Qingcheng was the darling daughter who won You Hu’s most profound love, while You Qingmo just lived in the corner, unable to get any warmth from her family. Not a favorite of her father, You Qingmo became a self-abased person who was accustomed to living in the darkness and forgetting what the sunshine was. Liu’er knew that her master was not reconciled. So now, the master of the Eastern Palace was finally removed, and there was just one step away from You Qingmo’s wish. As long as the master could defeat the fake Queen, the Qi palace would belong to the master. But unexpectedly, the master fell in love with Supervisor Xu. Liu’er would not allow her master to break the pattern. Instead, she hoped her master could laugh till the end and let those who once tramped the master know how powerful the master was.

“Your Excellency, like Supervisor Xu?” Liu’er reminded You Qingmo that the Master, as one of the Majesty’s women, had no right to love anyone else. You Qingmo let out a long sigh. All the women in the palace had no command over themselves. Even if she had been titled as an imperial concubine, it was an unchangeable doom for her.