"I know it was the Marquis who sent people to protect me. Since Mo Li is around, the Marquis would surely never let me get hurt. That's why I dared to follow Chu Feng out of the city so boldly and provoke him like that."
Feng Linyuan looked at the woman opposite him for a while before chuckling softly. "You're quite smart... Cough, cough!"
He covered his lips and coughed several times before managing to stop.
Bai Zheng quickly got up and sat beside him, gently patting his back. Only after he stopped coughing did she ask worriedly, "Has the Marquis's poison been cured?"
"Uncle Zhu decocted the Chinese valerian root into medicine for me to take last night. I'm mostly fine now."
Bai Zheng didn't believe it. "Then why are you still like this?"
Feng Linyuan replied, "This is an old ailment. It has nothing to do with the purple capsule fruit poison. A little cough is quite common at this time of the year. Miss Bai, there's no need to worry."
Bai Zheng looked at the weather outside. It was the season when it was still cold despite the approaching warmth, with a large temperature difference between day and night. It was indeed the easiest time to catch a cold. She finally let out a sigh of relief and sat back by the window, chattering non - stop.
"That's good. The Marquis must remember to keep warm, wear more clothes, and put on the crane - feathered cloak when going out. You mustn't sacrifice warmth for style..."
"Alright, alright. Miss Bai is right," Feng Linyuan replied helplessly. He looked just like an ordinary man annoyed by her nagging. But under his sleeves where Bai Zheng couldn't see, his fingers were curled into a tight fist, and the back of his hand had already turned bluish - purple.
Looking at Feng Linyuan's pale face, Bai Zheng frowned and still asked worriedly, "By the way, have you found out anything about the purple capsule fruit on Liu Feng's claws?"
Feng Linyuan's expression turned cold. "There's already a lead regarding the purple capsule fruit incident, and we've also caught someone. But the mastermind behind it hasn't been identified yet. However, even if that person doesn't confess, I know who it is."
"Who is it?" Bai Zheng asked subconsciously.
Although this was Feng Linyuan's private matter, Bai Zheng shouldn't have meddled in it. But after all, he was poisoned while saving her. Now, whether the mastermind did it intentionally or not, Bai Zheng had been dragged into this. So she couldn't just sit back and do nothing.
Feng Linyuan looked at her intently, as if deep in thought, but didn't answer.
Bai Zheng lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment. "Marquis, since I'm now the future mistress of the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, in the eyes of the poisoner, the Marquis and I are one. Please don't hide this from me anymore."
Feng Linyuan looked at the stubborn young girl in front of him. She was looking back at him, her eyes full of determination.
After a long while, Feng Linyuan let out a soft sigh. "You don't have to be like this."
"What?" Bai Zheng was confused.
Feng Linyuan's expression was calm, with his usual gentleness. "You should be like an ordinary young lady or the mistress of the Marquis Mansion. You only need to care about which clothes look the most beautiful and which cosmetics are the most colorful every day. The outside storms and hardships should be borne by us men."
Only then did Bai Zheng understand. She gave a gentle smile.
"I know Miss Bai is not comparable to those vulgar young ladies. In order to protect your family, Miss Bai is wise, decisive, and extremely intelligent. Whenever there's something, you'll step forward to shield your family from the wind and rain."
Feng Linyuan looked at Bai Zheng, with a hint of pity in his eyes. "Now, as you said, we are one. From now on, as long as I'm around, Miss Bai just needs to hide behind me, enjoy the flowers and music like an ordinary woman, and don't have to worry about these troubles."
Somehow, Feng Linyuan's self - reference when talking to Bai Zheng had changed from "this Marquis" to "I".
Neither of them noticed this change. Everything seemed so natural.
The carriage curtain flapped against the window frame with the jolting of the carriage. The sunlight shone in through the gaps in the curtain and landed on Bai Zheng's face, making her skin look even whiter than snow.
She gave a charming smile, her eyes sparkling.
"Does the Marquis know that there's a place where in winter, it's extremely cold, but when you look up, you can see the dancing aurora all over the sky. There's a place where there are clear blue seas everywhere, and the waves wash over the fine white sand beaches, just like a beautiful woman's long white silk dress. There's a place with large, neatly trimmed grasslands, and in the distance, there are snow - capped mountains stretching to the horizon..."
Feng Linyuan was stunned. He had never heard of these places that Bai Zheng was talking about.
He didn't know what a beach or an aurora was. But even so, he knew that they must be extremely beautiful. They sounded so wonderful and made people yearn for them.
Bai Zheng raised her head, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with her fair hand, and smiled brightly in the sunlight coming in from the window.
"In this lifetime, if one can only be confined to the inner courtyard, never see the great beauty of the world, or taste the flavors of life, what's the meaning of such a life? The Marquis may think that the busy and forward - charging Bai Zheng is pitiful, but in my opinion, those young ladies who only know how to play the zither and embroider in the boudoir are truly pitiful."
Feng Linyuan raised his eyebrows slightly.
Bai Zheng turned her head and looked at Feng Linyuan with bright eyes. "The meaning of their entire lives is just to be parasites, give birth to children, and assist their husbands. They are confined to the inner courtyard for their whole lives, with no ideals, no pursuits, and no self."
"But I, Bai Zheng, don't want to be such a woman in the inner courtyard. Although life is just a few decades, I'm greedy. I want to see all the magnificent rivers and mountains and taste all the delicious food in the world. I don't want to hide behind the Marquis but be a woman who stands beside the Marquis, shoulder to shoulder with him."
Feng Linyuan was stunned. He couldn't say a word for a long time.
Since childhood, the education he received was that a man should aim high and protect women, keeping them behind him. His mother and grandmother would also tell him that there were differences between men and women...
As if knowing what Feng Linyuan was thinking, Bai Zheng's voice rang out again. "Marquis, since ancient times, it has been said that there are differences between men and women. But these differences only lie in body shape and strength. If we only talk about intelligence, what's the difference between men and women? What men can do, women can surely do too."
Bai Zheng's voice was calm, without a single fluctuation, but it greatly shocked Feng Linyuan.
Because he was a man, he had never considered what Bai Zheng was saying.
But Bai Zheng was right. What was the difference between men and women? This world wasn't built by brute force. If men could do something, why couldn't women?
He looked up and saw Bai Zheng sitting sideways on the carriage seat. One foot was hanging by her side, and the other was tucked under her. She was lazily leaning against the window frame, with a carefree smile on her face.
That posture was extremely indecent and completely unlike what a young lady from a noble family should look like. But when she did it, it seemed so natural and had a unique charm.
"I know the Marquis may not quite agree, but it doesn't matter. The Marquis has been so kind as to help me this far, which shows that even if you don't agree, you probably still understand me..."
"It's Feng Linche."