Joy of Life: Starting by clinging to the eldest princess's coattails!

The sleeping quarters of Guangxin Palace.

It was past midnight, and the night was so dark it was impossible to see through.

Only a few palace lanterns were lit in the sleeping quarters, their dim yellow light barely dispelling a corner of darkness.

Li Yunrui still hadn't gone to bed.

She lay on her side on the soft couch by the window, her eyes closed.

A plain white sheer nightgown was loosely draped over her shoulders, the neckline slightly open, revealing her collarbone and a glimpse of her fair skin.

Her long hair was not tied up, but cascaded down her shoulders and onto the soft pillow like a waterfall.

Wu Feng sat on the blanket under the couch, gently kneading her calves with both hands.

The intelligence sent back from the east of Kyoto was delivered to Kōshin-gū every half hour.

Chunmei waited in the main hall, and every time the intelligence was sent back, she would go to the bedroom to report.

But the last time I came to report was an hour ago.

The bedchamber was quiet, with only the soft breathing of the two people and the occasional sound of the wind outside the window.

Li Yunrui's face had an unnatural flush in the dim light.

Pain and excitement tore at her heart, making her body feel hot.

She didn't want Ye Qingmei to die. She was someone she had been jealous of and hated for so many years. How could she die so easily?

But she... also longed to see Ye Qingmei die with her own eyes, and even wanted to kill her with her own hands.

This contradiction left her in a strange state of excitement, her fingertips unconsciously curling and relaxing.

Wu Feng's feelings were also somewhat complicated.

The thought of Ye Qingmei dying filled him with an inexplicable sense of loneliness.

Ultimately, he wasn't even a person of this world.

"What are you thinking about?"

Li Yunrui's voice suddenly rang out, still gentle, but this time with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.

Wu Feng looked up at her.

In the dim light, her face was half-lit and half-shadowed, her eyelashes casting tiny shadows under her eyes, and her lips were pressed tightly together.

"Your Highness," Wu Feng said in a deep voice, "I'm thinking about Ye Qingmei."

Li Yunrui raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly somewhat displeased that Wu Feng "wanted" Ye Qingmei.

"She's quite pitiful," Wu Feng continued, his hands still kneading her skin. "But she deserves this outcome."

"Pitiful?" Li Yunrui opened her eyes, her alluring eyes flashing with a complex light.

Wu Feng ignored her dissatisfaction, his fingers gently pressing along the lines of her calves, his voice calm:

"Ye Qingmei is too soft-hearted, too compassionate. Your Highness, in the future, if you show any mercy to anyone... remember, it applies to anyone, otherwise it could become your fatal flaw."

Li Yunrui narrowed his eyes slightly.

Why did she feel that... Wu Feng's words were implied?

Could this little guy know about those thoughts she shouldn't have? Does he know about her twisted, inappropriate love for her brother?

Even now that we know Ye Qingmei's death was part of my brother's plan, and that he is so ruthless that he could even kill the woman he loves most.

But in her heart... she still harbored that obsession with her brother.

Wu Feng is telling her all this now because he's afraid she'll be soft-hearted towards the emperor in the future and end up like Ye Qingmei.

Just then, Wu Feng pressed a certain acupoint on the sole of her foot quite hard.

The slight stinging sensation made her shudder and snap her out of her thoughts.

"Um……"

A very soft, slightly coquettish hum escaped from her throat.

[Ding~ Mood points +50!]

She glared at Wu Feng, her voice tinged with reproach: "I know what you're thinking. But little Wu... it's a pity you're a eunuch."

Wu Feng's face instantly darkened.

He unconsciously increased the pressure on his hands, and the pent-up frustration in his heart surged up.

I really want to show this crazy woman what he's capable of right now!

"Okay~"

Li Yunrui seemed to sense his emotions, so she lifted her foot and gently patted Wu Feng's cheek with the instep of her foot.

The gesture carried a condescending intimacy, yet also hinted at an inexplicable ambiguity.

Her voice softened: "As long as you don't betray me, no matter what happens in the future, you will always be my most beloved...pet."

Wu Feng grabbed her foot.

[Ding~ Mood points +50!]

That foot was very soft, with delicate skin, and you could feel a slight warmth when you held it in your hand.

He looked up at Li Yunrui, his eyes serious.

"Your Highness, don't talk about betrayal. From now on, I will definitely cling to you tightly."

After saying that, he buried his face in her thigh and gently rubbed against her.

[Ding~ Mood points +80!]

The warm touch seeped through the thin nightgown, and Li Yunrui trembled again.

As the eldest princess of the Qing Kingdom, she possessed an incomparably noble status, yet at this moment, a mere eunuch was holding her legs and pressing his skin against hers...

That intense sense of shame and arousal surged up again, making her breathing quicken.

"Your Highness!"

Chunmei's voice suddenly came from the entrance of the bedroom, accompanied by hurried footsteps.

Wu Feng immediately released Li Yunrui's foot, quickly put soft satin shoes on her, and then stepped aside.

Li Yunrui sat up and straightened his loose clothes.

Under the dim light, her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, churning with indescribable emotions.

Both of them looked at Chunmei.

Chunmei walked quickly to the soft couch, her chest rising and falling slightly, clearly indicating that she had run all the way there.

She took a moment to catch her breath, her voice very low:

"Your Highness, Ye Qingmei... is dead."

The bedchamber fell eerily quiet.

"Wu Zhu, who was by her side, returned last, took away Ye Qingmei's child, and also took away... that mysterious box."

As Chunmei finished speaking, Li Yunrui froze on the spot.

Her mind suddenly went blank; she had no thoughts at all.

Her beautiful face was dazed, her eyes staring blankly ahead, unfocused.

Wu Feng stood aside, looking at her like this, and sighed inwardly.

Ye Qingmei is really dead.

The entire Qing Kingdom will fall under the control of Emperor Qing, but... the decline of the Qing Kingdom will also begin with the death of Ye Qingmei.

Emperor Qing... He is very good at forbearance, but he is not a monarch with the ability to govern. If it weren't for Ye Qingmei's help, he would be considered capable if he could even be a good prince.

It took Li Yunrui quite a while to slowly come to her senses.

She blinked, refocused her gaze, and looked at Chunmei. Her voice was soft, yet carried an unusual calmness:

"Where is Ye Qingmei's body now?"

"I would like to see."

Chunmei lowered her head and replied, "She was taken away by the Empress Dowager's people, and we don't know where she's been taken now."

Li Yunrui turned her head and looked in the direction of the Empress Dowager's palace.

In the dim light, her profile was beautiful, but her eyes gleamed with a cold light.

"That old woman..." she said softly, her voice filled with certainty, "will definitely bring Ye Qingmei's body into the palace secretly."

She turned to Chunmei, her tone hardening: "Keep a close eye on them!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Chunmei immediately bowed.

The bedchamber fell silent once more.

The night outside the window grew darker, and the faint sound of a night watchman's gong could be heard in the distance.

The hour of Hai (9-11 PM) has passed, and the hour of Zi (11 PM-1 AM) is approaching.

This night, many people are destined to be unable to sleep.