The Slender Waist-Chapter 105 - 82 Princely Heir’s Madness

Feng Yun gave him a glance and looked over to the servant beside her, "A cup of tea, thank you very much."

The servant looked at Chunyu Yan.

Chunyu Yan gestured with his hand, and the servant quickly placed the water in front of Feng Yun.

Feng Yun held the cup, yet she did not drink, merely caressing it playfully.

"Yunchuan Country is surrounded by mountains on all sides, rich in Graphite (coal). The mining of Graphite has affected the normal farming in Yunchuan, and due to the difficult mountain roads, the cost of transporting Graphite is huge, making it difficult to turn a profit. Has the Princely Heir never considered, if a trade route could be established to sell Yunchuan’s Graphite in large quantities to Jin, Qi, Minyue, and other countries, how much profit Yunchuan could make?"

Graphite can be made into coal. Heating needs it, and so does iron forging, but due to the Jin-Qi war, the production of battlefield weapons occupied a large amount of resources. Civilians could not afford to burn coal, and most blacksmith shops used firewood...

If the agricultural tool workshop that Feng Yun was about to set up had coal, naturally the work would be much more efficient, and in the future, forging divine weapons and arms would come naturally.

Chunyu Yan stared at her, filled with scrutiny.

Only then did Feng Yun take a light sip of tea.

"Graphite is valuable, a source of profit for Yunchuan Country. It has also been a long-standing concern for the Prince of Yunchuan. If the Princely Heir could solve this problem, would the Prince of Yunchuan still favor the Princely Heir’s half-brother as much?"

Chunyu Yan’s expression changed.

"Where did you hear that?"

Feng Yun raised her eyebrows, silent.

Chunyu Yan took it upon himself to figure it out.

"Was it Pei Wangzhi? That villain. Gossiping behind people’s backs."

Feng Yun: ...

She did not defend Pei Jue, since Pei Jue was not a good person anyway. There were plenty of criticisms of him; adding the term "villain" was no big deal.

"Wouldn’t the Princely Heir do well to consider my words?"

Chunyu Yan narrowed his eyes, "Do you have a method?"

Feng Yun eyed Chunyu Yan’s overly rosy lips, suspecting he had used some ointment, but couldn’t tell, so she leaned forward and stared at his lips.

"I have a method, but it’s not for free."

Chunyu Yan immediately became wary at the playful look in that woman’s eyes, "What wicked scheme is Qingqing concocting now?"

Feng Yun said, "I want to be the... partner merchant of Yunchuan Graphite. The sole partner."

It took Chunyu Yan a good moment to understand her meaning; essentially, for Yunchuan Graphite to be transported out, it would have to go through her hands before being sold elsewhere.

"Feng Twelve, tsk tsk," Chunyu Yan said, his eyes narrowing like those of a fox, almost as if trying to see right through Feng Yun’s face.

"What kind of wonderful dreams are you having? How can your abacus beads make such a loud noise?"

"Thanks for yielding," Feng Yun bowed slightly, "As partners, I will naturally protect the Princely Heir’s interests. If the Princely Heir earns money and profits, it will be a beneficial deal with only advantages and no disadvantages."

Chunyu Yan couldn’t think of any good strategies Feng Yun might have.

Opening Yunchuan’s trade route meant overcoming the cost of crossing mountains and dealing with the conflicts of interest that would arise with several aristocratic families in Jin and Qi.

He feared being trapped by Feng Yun.

Yet, he was somewhat tempted.

Feng Yun didn’t rush him.

Her delicate fingers lightly held the cup; her makeup-free face was clean and fair, her black hair and cherry lips complemented her thoughtful eyes, peaceful and tranquil. This reminded Chunyu Yan of the day she had come to Huayuejian and taken him hostage with a confident, annoying demeanor...

Chunyu Yan suddenly glanced at the Qiu Tong by her side.

"Is the Black Scabbard Whip useful?"

Feng Yun was taken aback.

The Crown Prince Chunyu’s eyes were beautiful.

They were the kind that would be remembered at a single glance. A pair of cold star-like eyes, misty as if dyed with water. When he looked at someone attentively, it felt like butterflies had alighted upon the heart, with two rows of thick eyelashes so pretty it made one want to swing on them...

And when paired with a white robe and a cold, stern mask, it was like moonlight casting a clear radiance, noble and esteemed.

Feng Yun felt envious, touching the handle of the whip gently. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Would the Princely Heir like to try?"

She asked nonchalantly, all in jest.

But Chunyu Yan suddenly reached out, grabbing her hand that was on the table, "Come."

Feng Yun was startled, withdrawing her hand.

"What is the Princely Heir doing?"

Chunyu Yan laughed softly, "Is Qingqing scared now? Turns out to be a paper tiger, holding a whip but not knowing how to use it..."

Feng Yun felt very uncomfortable under his gaze.

Chunyu Yan, sitting there lazily smiling, had a wolfish gleam in his eyes?

She was not Lian Ji; Chunyu Yan shouldn’t be interested in her.

"Is the Princely Heir unwell?" Feng Yun asked bluntly.

Chunyu Yan’s eyes held a smile.

"Perhaps... I am sick."

Feng Yun narrowed her eyes, then heard the amusement in his voice, "It’s the madness you infected me with."

Feng Yun found herself very convinced.

Chunyu Yan was crazier than her by hundreds, if not thousands of times. And now he was blaming her?

"The Princely Heir didn’t drink any alcohol, so how come he’s drunk now?"

Feng Yun grasped Qiu Tong, slowly getting to her feet.

"Consider the matter of cooperation carefully, Princely Heir. Once you’ve made a decision, you can come to Changmen to inform me, and we will discuss the details. Money is inexhaustible, and there’s little fun in earning it alone. Working together would be mutually beneficial. What could be better than that..."

Whoosh! A sudden swishing noise passed by her ear, and before Feng Yun could react, she had been pulled over by Chunyu Yan and wrapped quickly in his embrace.

The small arrow grazed past her temple, leaving a dark hole in the paper window.

Feng Yun’s mind went blank for a moment before she came back to her senses, noticing that Chunyu Yan’s lips were tightly drawn, and he suddenly pressed tightly on his chest, a faint wheezing sound coming through his nostrils.

Feng Yun sensed something was wrong, "What’s the matter with you?"

Chunyu Yan gritted his teeth, "I won’t die just yet."

Feng Yun didn’t see any injuries on him, and her eyebrows knit slightly.

However, in a short while, a rush of urgent footsteps came from outside. Soon after, a group of black-clothed, masked villains charged to the doorway, standing off against the guards, and shouted at Chunyu Yan.

"Brothers, Chunyu Yan has been poisoned."

"Attack with me! None shall be spared from Huayuejian..."

The group of men in black evidently came for Chunyu Yan, but in an instant, they tangled up with Chunyu Yan’s guards.

Feng Yun tightened her grip on the Black Scabbard Whip, turning her head.

"Has the Princely Heir been tricked by his own people?"

Chunyu Yan didn’t expect her to be so perceptive and let out a cold laugh, his thin lips curling into a cruel and enchanting smile.

"They’ve wanted me dead for more than a day or two now."

Feng Yun, looking at his blurry and ruthless gaze, struggled to free herself only to be held more tightly in his embrace, the heat from their skin-to-skin contact making her subconsciously push against him.

"There’s no need to be afraid, I will protect you," Chunyu Yan said, not only not releasing her but holding her even tighter, as if the blood before his eyes had ignited a brutal wildness in him. He held the Suiyu Sword coldly, turning towards a maidservant cowering in a corner.

"You added something to the tea."

The maidservant’s face turned pale with fright.

"Princely Heir... it wasn’t me... it wasn’t me."

Chunyu Yan flicked his sword, knocking off the girl’s hair bun, slicing off a strand of her black hair and watching it fall like dark satin before adding another stroke, making a long, bloody gash across her pale neck...

Blood sprayed out!

It was ruthless, shocking, and strangely beautiful.

"Kill!" Chunyu Yan suddenly turned around, his Suiyu Sword pointing towards the men in black.

"Leave a survivor!"

This was the first time Feng Yun witnessed Chunyu Yan committing a massacre.

There’s a difference between the ruthlessness in hearsay and the ruthlessness witnessed firsthand.

As the Suiyu Sword in his hand wove a dance of death, its fleeting shadow brought forth blood and life, Feng Yun watched with a mixture of awe and terror...

She was lucky to have survived the last time she had boldy kidnapped him.

The leader of the men in black, driven to madness, looked over with a venomous gaze, his voice full of hatred.

"Chunyu Yan, do you know what poison you’ve been struck with? Dreaming of escaping today’s disaster? Give up!"

Chunyu Yan laughed lightly, licking his vivid red lips, his narrow black eyes filled with a bloodthirsty ruthlessness, and as he hugged a gorgeous woman in his arms, he appeared not the least bit disheveled but rather luxurious, elegant and arrogantly frivolous.

"Butchering you would be like slicing through vegetables with a cleaver!"

Not knowing what poison it was, Chunyu Yan’s eyes were bloodshot; his eyes, lips, and breath all seemed to emit a blazing heat. He raised his arm and pulled out a whistle, giving it a sharp blow with a "twit" sound...

Instantly, the footsteps in Huayuejian shook, signaling that many people had arrived.

The clash of weapons echoed both inside and outside the flower hall, a close-quarters combat that caused Xing Bing and his men tense. They didn’t join the battle but, like Sang Jiao’s personal guards, fiercely protected Feng Yun.

The shadow of the window flickered, the light dim.

Pig-slaughter-like screams sounded intermittently as several men in black fell, Chunyu Yan’s side also suffering casualties.

"Chunyu Yan!"

The leader of the men in black, besieged, roared loudly as if trying to enrage Chunyu Yan.

"You freak, you should have died a long time ago!"

"You have no right to keep living!"

The shouting of the men in black sounded more like an impotent rage.

As more guards from Yunchuan poured into the pavilion, the advantage of the men in black vanished. If they couldn’t kill Chunyu Yan when they were overwhelming in number, how could they now?

Chunyu Yan sheathed his sword, pulling Feng Yun behind the guards, coldly watching the group of men in black being slaughtered miserably.

"Surrender and you can keep your corpses intact."

Feng Yun didn’t think that "intact corpses" was any particular kind of favor, but before Chunyu Yan’s voice had fallen, a series of "clang, clang" sounds of swords hitting the ground rang out from the hall.

In Chunyu Yan’s clutches, dying intact was a good death.

A good death, much more pleasant than living in torment.

The men in black who dropped their weapons knelt on the ground, falling to their knees like dumplings in water.

"Princely Heir, spare our lives..."

Chunyu Yan waved his hand, signaling for them to be taken away.

"Interrogate... Torture them... Find out the antidote."