A piece of Japanese incense

Feng Zhixu held down my finger as I was about to swear, and we smiled at each other: "Of course I believe you, otherwise I would have rushed to the Women's Academy to argue with you."

His eyes softened, and all his worries disappeared in an instant: "What should we do now? Find the traitor? Or send someone to find Uncle Fu?"

"Grandpa Emperor has already sent many more people to search for it, but there is a more difficult problem at the moment."

"what?"

"Grandpa Emperor secretly summoned Uncle Fu because...he felt that he didn't have much time left, and he left a secret will..."

I subconsciously covered Feng Zhixu's mouth. He opened his eyes wide in surprise, and his voice stopped abruptly. It seemed as if there were only the two of us left in the world. The noise around us was gently brushed away by my palm, leaving only our breathing and heartbeat.

His surprise gradually melted under my palm and turned into a tacit smile: "Ah He, what should we do now? You have already known things you shouldn't know." He held my hand tightly and shook it gently.

I shook off his hand and sat aside speechlessly: "Are you sick? Why are you telling me all this? I won't listen! I won't listen! Don't get involved!"

Feng Zhixu sat next to me and said seriously, "I just feel that... there is nothing we can't talk about between us."

"You just trust me so much?"

He nodded without hesitation: "Of course!"

I was touched by this trust, but I felt a little confused: "Why? It seems that we don't know each other very well..."

"Ah... haven't we known each other for four years?" He seemed a little disappointed with what I said and leaned back.

"It was just a quick meeting."

"But I regard you as my first friend!" His eyes were firm and unwavering, without a trace of confusion.

He continued to pour out his heart: "For my safety, my mother and father never allowed me to get close to outsiders. I was surrounded by adults. If it weren't for the death of my grandfather, I might still not be able to step out of the palace, let alone meet you."

Deep in the soul, there is a quiet lake, which is touched by the ripples of the outside world, stirring up circles of delicate and gentle ripples. Those ripples brush across the lake surface as gently as drizzle, silently.

I stretched out my right hand and slid it across his palm: "Oh, okay, okay! It's all my fault. From now on, I will definitely treat you as my best friend!"

Seeing that he still looked a little lost, I moved closer to him, tilted my head slightly, looked straight at him with my eyes wide open, and playfully poked his cheek with my finger, and he turned his face away.

I took out a nougat from my purse and handed it to him mysteriously: "This is a happy candy. You can forget all your troubles after eating it. Do you want to try it?"

I shook the nougat in my hand. Feng Zhixu stared at the square candy with milky aroma in my hand. A mischievous light flashed in his eyes and a sly smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Just when I wasn't paying attention, he quickly stretched out his right hand, as agile as a civet cat hunting, grabbed my wrist nimbly, and bit the nougat in one bite. With a crisp "click", the candy melted in his mouth.

"Oh! Eat this candy and we'll be reconciled~" I pointed at him and teased.

"You little heartless one!"

My ear was suddenly pinched tightly by his hand. It felt like my earlobe was being pinched by a small pair of pliers. A slight but significant pain accompanied by a warm touch came instantly.

I frowned involuntarily and leaned forward slightly, trying to relieve the pressure on my ears, while letting out a low cry of surprise: "It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!"

Feng Zhixu quickly let go of his hand and apologized incoherently: "Ouch! Why did I pinch so hard? You made it red and swollen!"

I put my hand up to my ear and paused in mid-air, fanning my earlobe to try to reduce the pain. "It's none of your business! I just got my ear pierced, and it hasn't healed in a few months!"

"Why are you so hard on yourself? It hurts so much!" Feng Zhixu leaned over, his lips almost touching my earlobe, and slowly blew out a wisp of warm air. At that moment, his breath was like a delicate wind, brushing past my ear, bringing a tingling and heart-warming touch.

(What the hell! Damn! Zhi Yihe, you are still a little kid! Don’t fall in love too early!)

I stood up, found the teapot, turned my back to him, and drank a sip of tea: "It's just... my father insisted that I wear it! Or Her Royal Highness the Princess specially found two maids to wear it for me."

"How can my uncle be so cruel to his own daughter! My royal grandfather doesn't like people wearing earrings. No matter whether it's my royal grandmother or my aunt, they are not allowed to wear them!"

"Hmm? There is such a rule? His Majesty forbids people from piercing their ears? Maybe it's because of the rule that one's body and hair are inherited from one's parents."

"It seems... not. I remember that the Crown Princess wore a pair of pearl earrings at a palace banquet and was scolded by the Emperor."

"Why? Do the earrings not match the accessories you're wearing? Or do you simply not like people wearing them?"

"It should be... a taboo... probably because Imperial Concubine Xin doesn't like people wearing it! Yes! That's it!"

"What's the connection with Concubine Xin?" My gossipy heart was aroused.

"I heard that Concubine Xin had beautiful ears, and the Emperor always stared at her ears, as if he was admiring a treasure. Once, a maidservant beside Ayuan accidentally wore a pair of silver earrings, and Concubine Xin actually ordered someone to cut off her ears!"

I nervously protected my ears and said with a grin, "How cruel!"

"Yes, since then, everyone in the palace no longer dared to wear any earrings because they were afraid of Concubine Xin."

I paced anxiously, "Help! Why did my father insist on letting me get my ears pierced? He even gave me earrings and took me to see His Majesty! It's over! Am I on His Majesty's blacklist?"

(I’ve heard of people who like beautiful legs and thin waists, but I’ve never heard of people who like ears. What a weird quirk! Wait! Why did my dad insist on piercing my ears? No way, no way, is he trying to offer me to the emperor for his own official position?! This is ridiculous!)

The more I thought about it, the more scared I became. I broke out in a cold sweat, soaking my clothes.

Feng Zhixu comforted him lightly: "Don't worry, my grandfather has a good impression of you and even said that he likes you very much."

"What?! I still like it!" My brain went out of control and I thought of the worst possible scenario...

"Yes! On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, my grandfather mentioned you and said that you are as smart as my uncle..."