It was a pity that telling a physician one was dying carried little weight, and Fan Yilin was promptly thrown onto the ground before he could properly savor the gentle fragrance and soft beauty beside him.

Fan Yilin certainly didn't mind being stripped and examined by Qi Yue, but doing so in full public view was too much for his pride.

Gasping out his last breath, he suggested Qi Yue find a private room or something to indulge her whims...

"Did you choke on an egg?" Qi Yue asked, noting the residual yolk still clinging to his lips.

Fan Yilin stretched his neck, finally recalling what had just happened.

He had been walking and eating an egg with grand flair when some scoundrel had spilled water on the stairs, causing his feet to slip, the egg lodging in his throat, stealing his breath away...

"Why would you eat something while heading downstairs?" Qi Yue was equally amused and exasperated. "You can get knocked unconscious riding a horse, but you can't even stay steady walking downstairs."

"No, I asphyxiate that easily? Perhaps it's for another reason?" Fan Yilin clutched her sleeve, unwilling to let go.

"Fine," Qi Yue nodded decisively. "Hu San, check him for any other external injuries."

Hu San responded and stepped forward. Fan Yilin sucked in a sharp breath and instinctively shielded his clothes.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he hastily said, and to demonstrate his well-being, he sprang up from the long couch in one fluid motion, showing not a trace of discomfort.

"Mistress Qi, why have you come to the capital?" he asked.

Qi Yue had already settled at the table, ordering a spread of dishes she hadn't touched because Aru, Ah Hao, and the others dared not sit while Fan Yilin was present.

"For fun," Qi Yue replied, picking up a pair of chopsticks to taste a dish, then inviting him, "Want some?"

Of course, he did! Fan Yilin immediately sat down.

"I haven't eaten yet either," he said.

Qi Yue smiled and said nothing, eating leisurely.

"It was the right decision to come to the capital," Fan Yilin chuckled, raising his chopsticks. "I'll treat you, Mistress, and show you around... help you relax..."

Since Fan Yilin was Wang Tongye's son-in-law, he must certainly know about her separation from Chang Yunsheng, Qi Yue thought with a wry smile.

"Then there's no need," she said.

That was true; the impropriety between men and women made it inconvenient. Fan Yilin slapped his forehead.

"Naturally, my wife will accompany you for outings..." he quickly corrected, then asked where Qi Yue was staying. "Now that you're in the capital, consider it your own home. Come, don't be polite, stay at my place..."

"No need," Qi Yue politely declined with a smile. "I'm settled, and I won't be staying long, so I won't move elsewhere; it's too much trouble."

"Not trouble, not trouble at all," Fan Yilin waved his hands dismissively.

Qi Yue smiled and continued eating.

Whether it was an illusion or just the rustiness of a long absence, Fan Yilin felt a greater pressure emanating from this woman upon meeting her again compared to the last time. Beneath her dazzling beauty, every seemingly casual gesture, action, word, and movement made one feel somewhat tense and anxious.

To put it plainly, this feeling was somewhat akin to how he felt in the presence of his own father...

Fan Yilin mentally spat twice.

Or perhaps this woman had matured? Because of sorrow and hardship?

Fan Yilin's eyes suddenly lit up. Of course, what woman could endure a separation? It was practically like dying once.

"Mistress Qi, I absolutely stand with you on this matter," he declared instantly, filled with righteous indignation.

Qi Yue looked up at him, confused by his outburst.

"My initial association with that Chang Yunsheng was entirely because of you," Fan Yilin said earnestly.

The young servants standing respectfully in the room couldn't help but cover their faces.

Their young master’s silly affliction for beautiful women had struck again... If it were any other woman, teasing might earn him a splash of wine, but this woman held the token of the Duke of Deqing, the Chen family...

The servants hadn't had a chance to inform Fan Yilin of this, and anxiety darkened their faces.

"Thank you for honoring me with your presence," Qi Yue smiled at him. "Your family has certainly shown me immense respect."

What did that mean? The servants didn't understand, but Fan Yilin did.

"Mistress Qi, setting everything else aside, as soon as my wife told me about this, I immediately wrote a letter to Chang Yunsheng and gave him a good scolding. Just a few days ago, I still felt unsettled, so I wrote another letter cursing him..." He thumped the table loudly, his manner suggesting that if Chang Yunsheng were present, he wouldn't hesitate to throw a punch—though the outcome of who would land the blow was best left to the imagination.

"You wrote him letters?" Qi Yue put down her chopsticks and interrupted.

Fan Yilin nodded.

"Yes, two! Mistress Qi, if you still feel unsatisfied, I can write another... Honestly, I painstakingly taught him how to treat you well, and this is how he repays me! If word gets out, it disgraces my name! I taught him to cherish beautiful things, not to cruelly destroy them!" he fumed, growing angrier the more he thought about it—he had been furious when he first heard the news.

Such a lovely beauty, and now divorced! Was his brain kicked by a donkey?

"You taught him how to treat me well?" Qi Yue asked, slightly curious.

"Yes, back then, he came begging me, asking how to—ahem, cough, cough..." Fan Yilin spoke loudly, then began coughing violently, looking as if he might choke to death, frightening the servants into patting his back and chest.

"You're choking just talking?" Qi Yue stood up, frowning. "No, Aru, go back and fetch the medicine box; I need to examine him thoroughly."

Fan Yilin waved his hands hastily.

"No need, no need," he rasped.

Good heavens, he was nearly beaten to death for once asking Chang Yunsheng if he was impotent, and now he was about to explain in front of his wife why they weren't engaging in conjugal matters... That would be unlivable...

"He asked how to please you," Fan Yilin reacted quickly, eager to change the subject without arousing suspicion, continuing along the thread. "I taught him several tricks... like going along with you, saying sweet words, showing care, buying little trinkets..."

Qi Yue indeed let the matter drop, sat down, and listened to him with a touch of melancholy.

She recalled Chang Yunsheng's strange behaviors back then...

His awkward deference...

The gourd he spent a whole day acquiring from someone else's house...

She couldn't help but smile, tinged with bitterness. A clumsy attempt to be good to her... but ultimately...

Qi Yue sighed and downed the wine in her cup.

"...I truly thought you two were living in harmony, a perfect match, but I never expected..." Fan Yilin slapped the table again, his brows furrowed in anger. "...This infuriates me! I'll write and curse him immediately... and sever ties with him..."

Qi Yue smiled faintly.

"Thank you," she said.

For no other reason than receiving this delicate 'thank you' from a beauty, Fan Yilin raised his cup and drank it all down, feeling immensely satisfied.

"You wrote him letters? You know how to send him letters?" Qi Yue asked again.

Fan Yilin nodded.

"Yes, my third brother manages matters of ordnance in the Ministry of War and frequently corresponds with the Northern Desert. I asked him to carry the letters."

"That's excellent. Can you help me send a letter too? Our correspondence via the official post stations has received no reply; I wonder if they ever got through," Qi Yue quickly said.

"No problem. You shouldn't have used the post stations; those couriers would be lucky to deliver it by next year," Fan Yilin agreed. "Actually, Mistress, you don't need to bother. I'll curse him; you don't need to waste your breath or ink."

"He deserves to be cursed," Qi Yue agreed, pausing with her chopsticks.

Coward! Where had that fierce demeanor from before gone? He ran off without a word...

Seizing the opportune moment, Fan Yilin suggested Qi Yue write her letter slowly, and he would deliver it when he and his wife visited next. But Qi Yue was right there. She asked the inn for brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone, and wrote swiftly at the side. It was brief, merely telling him she would visit and that he should prepare to receive her and stop running away.

Thanking Fan Yilin, Qi Yue took her leave. Fan Yilin was reluctant to see her go but had no reason to detain her further. He repeatedly asked where she was staying and invited her to his home, but Qi Yue smiled and declined, strolling away with Aru and the others.

Only after the tall, striking woman disappeared into the crowd did Fan Yilin sigh with lingering admiration.

"Such a beauty, alone in this capital, not knowing where to settle. No matter how beautifully decorated those inns are, they aren't truly clean..." He shook his head mournfully.

The nearby servant finally found an opportunity to speak.

"Young Master, that lady is staying at the Duke of Deqing's residence."

That was hardly an 'unclean' place; they shouldn't speak carelessly, lest the Duke of Deqing's household hear and stir up trouble.

Fan Yilin started in shock.

"You little brat, how do you know?" he demanded.

"The lady was holding the Duke of Deqing's token when you fainted, Young Master," the servant explained.

Fan Yilin slapped him.

"Why didn't you say so sooner?" he scolded.

"It's because Young Master was talking so much that we never got a chance to speak," the servant complained, clutching his head in grievance.

Fan Yilin spat, climbed into his carriage, and hurried home to deliver this news to his wife first.

"How foolish. The Second Madam of the Marquis of Dingxi’s manor is from the Chen family of Deqing Duke," Miss Wang said, poking his head with her hand. "Why do you think she's staying there?"

Who the Second Madam of the Marquis of Dingxi’s manor was, Fan Yilin couldn't be bothered to care about, but outwardly, he dutifully flattered his wife for being clever while he was foolish.

"What a shame. Father mentioned intending to marry Mistress Qi to Yixiu. Why did Mistress Qi come to the capital?" Miss Wang said, frowning as she fanned herself.

Fan Yilin started, suddenly realizing that this meant the little beauty might call him 'Uncle-in-law'? That was terrifying.

"I wonder what Mistress Qi wrote to Chang Yunsheng..." he quickly changed the subject, taking out the letter Qi Yue had written, speaking with curiosity.

Miss Wang glanced at it.

"Should we open it and take a look?" Fan Yilin whispered.

Miss Wang tapped his head with her fan.

"A gentleman does not pry into the private affairs of others! Are you itching for a beating? I'll tell Father," she said sternly, raising an eyebrow.

Fan Yilin quickly begged for mercy, then urged the servant to ask Third Master. Learning that official documents and armor were being sent to the Northern Desert the next day, Fan Yilin happily wrote his own letter. After some hesitation, he enclosed Qi Yue's letter within his own.

"A surprise for that fellow; that way, the curses will be doubled and carry more weight," he said smugly.