Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 136 Enemies

Chapter 136: Chapter 136 Enemies

Fengyu saw that he took just one bite and didn’t touch it again, so she knew the porridge was too sweet for Xie Xun’s taste. The young marquis was quite an understanding person; even if he didn’t like it, he wouldn’t comment out of respect for his host. He picked up a flatbread, filling it with beef and vegetables in a roll, which Fengyu had never seen before and watched him curiously.

The flatbread was pan-fried to be soft and fluffy, with a bit of scallion added, making it perfect to accompany the porridge. Xie Xun said, "In the army, meals had to be quick, so we often rolled vegetables and meat in flatbread to eat."

"Is it good?"

Xie Xun knew she had a refined palate, so he took a piece of flatbread, filled it with thin slices of beef and vegetables, dipped it in sauce, then rolled it up and handed it to her, "Give it a try."

Fengyu took it and gently bit into it. Xie Xun propped up his chin, looking at the refined and elegant Third Miss with an amused expression. The Third Miss remarked disdainfully, "It’s just flatbread."

"You’re eating only the bread that way."

Finding it troublesome, and her hands greasy, the young marquis’ smile seemed to mock her lack of worldly experience. Driven by a competitive spirit, Fengyu ate the entire piece of flatbread under his gaze.

The taste was fairly good, not unpleasant.

The morning breeze, carrying the scent of winter jasmine, gently blew through the window, refreshing and invigorating. Fengyu remembered the days when she and the young marquis were at odds, never expecting they would one day dine together.

Life is indeed strange; once you thought he would be a lifelong enemy, who would have thought... there would be such a subtle change.

One piece of flatbread was enough to fill Fengyu. Xie Xun, with a bigger appetite, had eaten five or six. Seeing that he liked them, Fengyu wanted Nanny Liu to cook some more for him, but Xie Xun raised his hand to politely refuse, mentioning there were plenty of other breakfast options and no need to trouble anyone further.

Fengyu knew her sister and Xie Xun had set a trap last night for Lin Cheng, but since everything had been quiet, she understood the plot had been seen through and would not affect her sister and Xie Xun negatively.

"Did you interrogate the Beiman? How did they pass through the checkpoint?"

"He’s lying, implicating over a dozen generals. Some have been with my father in life-and-death situations for over ten years and would not betray us. Moreover, for passing checkpoint documentation, you don’t need so many people involved. If those dozen generals had rebelled, Ningzhou City’s defenses would have been on the brink of collapse." Xie Xun had already sensed this when he saw the confession given to him by Feng Shu.

This man knew he couldn’t escape death and wanted to muddy the waters. Xie Xun could not let him live; if the matter reached the emperor and the crown prince, the Northern Iron Cavalry would wreak havoc.

"Yet, they still have the audacity to call us Yanyang people deceitful."

Xie Xun chuckled so hard his shoulders shook at the apparent absurdity, leaving Fengyu puzzled, "What are you laughing at?"

"Beiman people worship the Heavenly God, rarely lie, and see lying as an abominable act. Do you know why they say Yanyang people are deceitful?"

Fengyu loved listening to stories, and she had heard some things about Beiman habits, finding them quite fascinating.

"The Beiman King has eleven sons, all formidable warriors as adults. Back then, Dugu Jing hadn’t yet made a name for himself. The Beiman King’s five grown sons had killed countless enemies on the battlefield. The brothers were as strong as a fortress together, so my second brother wanted to infiltrate the Beiman Royal Tent to defeat them individually. My father found it too dangerous and didn’t agree. Later, my second brother went missing, and my father knew he had defied orders to go to Beiman. There, he spent eight months becoming the great prince’s think tank, causing internal conflicts among the three Beiman kings. Those years saw endless power struggles within the Beiman Royal Tent until my second brother’s identity was revealed." Xie Xun continued, "My father was straightforward, and didn’t like such cunning tactics. But Beiman and Ningzhou have been fighting for a long time, with Sha Ling Tian Mountain as a barrier. Both my elder brother and second brother believed we couldn’t sustain the constant battle and wanted to weaken them from within. If we could conquer without fighting, why sacrifice our troops? My father and brother argued in the command tent for two days; it was probably the first time my brother argued with my father."

"Your second brother did this, so why was Xie Zhang arguing with the marquis?"

"That’s..." Xie Xun’s expression was somewhat peculiar, "Second Brother needed someone to argue on his behalf, didn’t he?"

Fengyu enjoyed stories about young heroes, finding Xie Jue’s ideas aligned with her own. If they could achieve victory without fighting, there was no need for unnecessary bloodshed.

"Second Young Master is amazing!"

Xie Xun squinted, noting her admiring gaze, and slyly remarked, "Third Miss and my second brother would surely become soulmates."

"I think so too." Fengyu agreed wholeheartedly, "I’ve heard that Xie Jue looks very handsome."

Xie Xun, "...?"

"Am I not handsome enough?" Xie Xun asked with a hint of danger.

Fengyu almost choked on her bird’s nest soup, coughing until her face was even more flushed. Xie Xun’s expression was stern, and he didn’t know why he was comparing himself to his second brother in terms of looks.

Fengyu attempted to evade by changing the subject, "Young Marquis, have you had enough to eat?"

"No!"

"Then eat more!" Fengyu, already full from half a bowl of bird’s nest soup, lazily picked up a storybook from the warm couch to read. Xie Xun, vexed by the Third Miss, drank the overly sweet porridge to the last drop.

Yet, he found himself inexplicably drawn to Fengyu’s hands.

They were delicate and fair, like the finest mutton fat jade, tender and soft. In moments of lost consciousness, those hands had gripped his wrist, the touch silky smooth. Every time he held Fengyu, her hands around his neck were like silk brushing against his skin.

It stirred an itch within him.

Fengyu noticed his gaze, glanced at her own hands, while Xie Xun, ears turning red, looked out the window.

When Chunlu came in with the medicine, she sensed a subtle atmosphere between the young marquis and Third Miss, like they were arguing, yet not quite. The Third Miss was calmly reading her book, and the young marquis had consumed every bit of breakfast.

"Miss, time to take your medicine." Chunlu brought the medicine over. Fengyu wrinkled her nose at the sight of it, as the medicine prescribed by Doctor Zhou was bitter and sour, always making her nauseous afterward.

Xie Xun saw the Third Miss wrinkle her nose and knew she dreaded the medicine. Chunlu said, "Pinch your nose and down it in one go; the faster you drink, the less you’ll suffer."

Doctor Zhou had altered the prescription, and even Chunlu had tasted it, confirming it was horribly bitter.

Xie Xun thought of Zhang Lingzheng’s diagnosis of Fengyu, feeling a slight heaviness in his heart, a touch of sympathy emerging. He once hated the Third Miss for causing him to fall and break his leg. Yet he forgot that the Third Miss had been pampered from a young age; suddenly finding herself on the battlefield, flustered, scared, helpless—she was lucky not to have been beheaded by Dugu Jing.

Falling from fright wasn’t her intention. The delicate Fengyu, who needed her maid to coax her into taking medicine, must have been in excruciating pain having her leg trampled back then. He had only ever thought of his own pain, forgetting hers.

Fengyu pinched her nose, downed the medicine in one gulp, but gagged without being able to vomit. Chunlu gave her a small piece of malt candy, and Fengyu drank two cups of water to wash away the sour bitterness clinging to her tongue.

After taking the medicine, Fengyu felt drowsy, and Chunlu supported her to go back to sleep. Watching her limp, Xie Xun felt pained.