Denghuangtai

A madman is someone who acts recklessly, without any rules or scruples. One moment he may be laughing and joking, and the next he may be drawing his sword to kill someone. There is no warning, and no one can guess what he will do next.

When the late emperor had just passed away, some people in the court, relying on their status as close ministers of the late emperor, disobeyed Empress Dowager Yun's orders in name only. When the matter was brought to court, this person still showed no remorse and even spoke rudely to Empress Dowager Yun.

At that moment, Yun Zheng listened quietly to the sound, the smile on his lips lingering.

The next instant, the shouting courtier was decapitated; it was Yun Zheng who had done it. Even after killing him, the smile on his face didn't disappear; the courtier's blood splattered on his face, eerie and sinister.

At that moment, everyone had only one thought in their minds: a madman!

As luck would have it, the Imperial Guard captain who was now tasked with guarding Pei Qingyan was on duty inside the Jianzhang Palace at the time, and the knife Yun Zheng used to kill him was pulled from his body.

The bloody lessons of the past had robbed the captain of the courage to disobey Yun Zheng's orders.

"Forget it," the captain consoled himself. "Anyway, that person is related to Empress Dowager Yun. It's better for a nobody like me to get involved."

"My lord."

Inside the study, the chief clerk returned, carrying a food box containing the evening meal he had just retrieved from the kitchen. He placed the food box on the round table in the main hall, then walked to the side room and spoke softly to Yun Zheng, who was studying a chess game. "My lord, it's time for dinner."

Yun Zheng placed a piece on the chessboard. "How is she doing?"

"General Pei's meal has been delivered, and he should be eating it now."

Yun Zheng was about to reach into the chess box when he heard this. His hand paused in mid-air for a moment. A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he made a plan.

"Take this and go to Hanxu Academy."

After saying that, Yun Zheng got up first and walked towards the door.

The chief clerk was left inside and paused for a moment before belatedly realizing Yun Zheng's intentions from his brief words. He hurriedly picked up the food box and chased after Yun Zheng.

In Hanxu Courtyard, Pei Qingyan was having a meal at a round table when there was a knock on the door. Thinking it was the beggar bringing something again, she quickly swallowed what was in her mouth and called out loudly, "Come in."

The door was pushed open with a sound, and a cold wind rushed in. Pei Qingyan looked up and found that the person who came in was not the beggar, but Yun Zheng.

"Why are you here?" Pei Qingyan asked, putting down his chopsticks.

Yun Zheng closed the door, preventing any more cold air from disturbing the temperature inside. "Eating alone is boring, so I asked you to keep me company."

Hearing Yun Zheng's self-righteous remarks, Pei Qingyan was about to roll her eyes and kick him out, but then she thought that Yun Zheng had come to her door of his own accord, so she would be less wary and it was a rare opportunity to test him.

However, she had to pretend, act as if she wasn't very welcoming to him, lest he notice something amiss.

Pei Qingyan feigned indifference and scoffed, "I don't have enough for just one person..."

Before she could finish speaking, Yun Zheng said smugly, "It's alright, I'll prepare it myself."

As they were talking, there was another knock on the door, and the chief secretary pushed the door open and entered.

"You came prepared." Pei Qingyan snorted. "What? Does the Grand Marshal also like this huge pit?"

She pointed to the large pit in the center of the main room that had not yet been filled in, and mocked it.

"Yes," Yun Zheng replied with a smile.

The chief clerk carried the food box to the round table, gave Pei Qingyan a smile, and called him "General".

Then, with nimble hands and feet, he quickly placed the food from the food box on the table and left. It was a battle of the gods; this little devil had better run away early to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

Inside the room, only Pei Qingyan and Yun Zheng remained.

Pei Qingyan looked at the food spread across the round table and said irritably, "Eat up, there's so much food, don't waste it."

"it is good."

Yun Zheng happily stepped forward and sat down.

They ate in silence, with only the occasional soft clinking of bowls and chopsticks. The candlelight flickered, and the two sat facing each other, creating a rare and warm atmosphere.

Originally, the two of them would each pick up food and only touch the food in front of them, making the small round table clearly divided.

Whether by coincidence or design, the roasted beef ribs near Yun Zheng looked deliciously caramelized. Pei Qingyan glanced at them several times, but due to her awkwardness, she refused to reach for them with her chopsticks.

Yun Zheng couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he picked up a piece and put it in Pei Qingyan's bowl.

Pei Qingyan was about to refuse when Yun Zheng said smugly, "No need to be polite."

Upon hearing this, Pei Qingyan's anger flared instantly. Eat! She had to eat! Even Yun Zheng, that shameless guy, had tacitly accepted her thanks; wouldn't it be a huge loss if she didn't eat?

Having achieved this breakthrough, Pei Qingyan no longer held back and, in a fit of rage, devoured every single dish in front of Yun Zheng. By the time she put down her chopsticks, she was almost completely full.

"Do you have some free time?" Pei Qingyan stopped Yun Zheng, who was about to leave, and asked.

Yun Zheng frowned. He had decided on a whim to dine with Pei Qingyan, prepared to be rebuffed and stubbornly cling to the place. Unexpectedly, although Pei Qingyan was unwilling, he wasn't as forceful as he had imagined.

Over the course of the meal, there was no scheming, no probing, and no confrontation. The two of them sat together peacefully, reminiscent of the old days.

He thought this was the best-case scenario, but he never expected Pei Qingyan to stop him.

Yun Zheng gazed at Pei Qingyan, looking into her bright, sparkling eyes. Reason and emotion battled in his mind. Things were not as he expected, and he didn't quite believe that Pei Qingyan had no other motives, but... he couldn't bring himself to refuse her.

"What do you want to do?"

Pei Qingyan smiled and thought to himself, "Now that we've eaten and drunk our fill, it's time to get down to business."

Of course, she couldn't tell Yun Zheng what was on her mind and reveal her purpose. She frowned and pretended to look helpless and sighing.

"What can I do?" she snorted and sighed. "I'm trapped in this place, unable to get out or in. All I can do is stare at these walls in a daze, except for sleeping. I want to find someone to talk to to relieve my boredom, but there are only the old doctor and that young woman in this courtyard. They can't exchange more than a few words before falling silent."

Yun Zheng suddenly realized what was going on, and couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself, secretly mocking, "It's true that when you've been scheming against people for too long, everything seems suspicious. Given Pei Qingyan's restless nature, it's no wonder he would take the initiative to seek him out when he was trapped in this remote place."

If Pei Qingyan heard him say this, she would definitely scoff and roll her eyes, saying, "What do you mean by 'actively seeking you out'? You clearly offered yourself up."

Unfortunately, Pei Qingyan lacked the ability to read minds and couldn't hear the voice in Yun Zheng's heart.

"Do you have any chess pieces? We can play a game to pass the time," Pei Qingyan asked.

She chose to play against Yun Zheng to see if his playing style had changed. As the saying goes, "Chess has black and white, which is the division of yin and yang; the arrangement of pieces is to imitate the celestial phenomena; once the four symbols are arranged, their execution is up to the player."

Chess reflects the person; one can know a person's character by observing their playing style and their character by observing their chess skills.

No matter how good a person is at disguising themselves, they can only hide their character and personality. But a person's chess style and conduct are laid bare on the chessboard, making it extremely difficult to conceal.

Moreover, Pei Qingyan had played against Yun Zheng countless times in the past and had a deep understanding of his playing style. Pei Qingyan was confident that even if Yun Zheng was meticulous and could deceive others, he could not deceive her.

Even if she were truly misled and deceived, she still has other backup plans.

Inside the room, the chief clerk was ordered to bring over the chessboard and other items that Yun Zheng had brought.

Pei Qingyan and Yun Zheng sat facing each other at the table. Pei Qingyan generously pushed the chess box containing the white pieces in front of Yun Zheng, saying, "You go first."

Yun Zheng stared at her without speaking, making Pei Qingyan feel uneasy. She thought to herself, "Could it be that he has seen through my thoughts?"