Chapter 18

The tent flap opened, and the three guards filed inside. They stopped in their tracks when they spotted the half-dressed woman gorging herself in front of the Prince. They were used to this kind of scene but hadn't expected him to move so quickly. Zhao Gui was a little disappointed in her.

Lia Jiao politely stood up when they entered, making all of them quickly turn away. What kind of woman is this!

"Did you guys already eat? He doesn't want his. You can have it if you want. I can't eat it all."

They peeked up at her in confusion. Eat?

"Who said you could give my food to them?" Prince Yi Feng asked his eyes filled with contempt.

"Yous said, you didn't want it. Why should we waste it?" His eyes made her feel uncomfortable even though she didn't know why he was so greedy about this food she didn't have any room to push the subject any farther. She sighed and sat down, continuing to eat.

"Why aren't you leaving!" Prince Yi Feng asked, startling her.

She looked up at him with big doe-like eyes completely flabbergasted by the situation. She piled some food in one of the bowls taking the entire dish of sweet and sour pork and stood up. She started to walk towards the door.

Mai Guanglie, a man who rarely spoke, broke the quietness of the strange atmosphere, "Arnt' you going to dress?"

Lia Jiao stared at him in uncertainty, "I am dressed," she answered. "But it is a little cold." She pursed her lips and turned back towards the Prince. "Did you save my clothes? The fur? It's a lot warmer than these light clothes." She lifted up an edge of the clothes she wore, showing off how thin they were. It caused certain parts of her upper region to poke against the tightened fabric.

Qin Weimin and Mao Guanglie turned around with a blush. Zhao Gui stared at her with a smile. He was honestly relieved. This girl was very smart, but she was also really stupid. He walked to her, grabbing her different foods and setting them down, then took off his outer robe and put it over her. She looked down at it in confusion.

"Now, you will be cold," she murmured. "If I had my furs, then it wouldn't' matter." She glanced towards Yi Fengg, who had been watching the whole thing with honest bewilderment.

'Is she really that nieve?' He couldn't understand her play, but then again, she had been able to get Zhao Gui to pamper her. Maybe that was her trick.

"Zhao Gui," she asked with a question. She wasn't sure he was Zhao Gui. He nodded his head and smiled at her. "Mmm good, then I'll remember this kindness. I'll figure out a way to pay you back. If you catch a cold, though," he thought she would be worried about him and stared to speak up, but her words cut him off, "I don't have any skills with medicine, so I'll have to pay back with something else. Either way, thanks."

She carried her food off, leaving the tent in silence for a few moments.

Prince Yi Feng was almost impressed by her ability to draw Zhao Gui in. He smirked at him, waiting for him to turn back around. When he did, he glared at him. Even if he did like her, she was his plaything for now. Zhao Gui was well aware that Prince Yi Feng was upset with him and kept his head lowered.

"Did you get a confession?" Prince Yi Feng asked after a moment.

"Reporting to his highness," Mao Guanglie said, "It was the second lady."

Prince Yi Feng smirked, his eyes growing colder. "Of course, it was."

"They must have been taught how to answer," Zhao Gui said, knowing that it was not the Second lady who had sent them. She was in his camp, had been for years. He played with her emotions to the point that she cried at night from missing him so badly.

Prince Yi Feng flung the tray in front of him across the room. The food splattered everywhere. "It had to be that woman."

"Your thinking, Consort Wui Qiu?" Hao Guowei said, walking in. He was the second in command of the army, just under Prince Yi Feng. The two held the power of twenty different troops equaling close to three hundred thousand soldiers. The other portion was held by the left party, which favored the Crown Prince. His mother was Consort Wui Qiu, and she knew that her son was losing favor. He was too weak, and people were starting to realize it. Prince Yi Feng was gaining traction, and she needed to move.

"No, not her," Prince Yi Feng said, sitting back down. He always felt a little calmer when the General came around. He was quick-witted and saw everything through the eyes of a general, a war that needed to be won. "His sister."

"His sister?" Qin Weimin said in surprise, echoing everyone else's sentiment. "Princess Zhilan?"

"It was her," Prince Yi Feng said with a smirk. "She was after the letter."

The men smirked. It was a big joke to them. The High and lofty Princess had written a very romantic and extremely desperate letter to one of the officials on the right, which happened to be his party. The official was very embarrassed by the message; he was a very conservative person that believed a woman should be modest. He brought it to the Crown Prince in hopes of letting him talk to his sister without causing too much embarrassment. Prince Yi Feng happened to catch wind of the meeting and intercepted him taking the letter for himself. Since then, he has been able to manipulate the Princess to give information to keep the letter secret. She had long ago realized how silly she had been and regretted it with all her heart. Especially now that the critical time was near. King Jiang Wei had been sick for the last two years. His breathing was getting worse, and he would even miss the morning assembly every couple of days.

Prince Yi Feng had been stationed at the border for nearly a year. Everyone knew it wasn't to guard the border, rather keep him from usurping the throne. If he couldn't enter the city, then he couldn't take the throne. His mother was the one who sent the message earlier. She didn't want him to come until the critical moment. If he came too early, she was afraid that it would only make things harder in the long run.