Inside the Dali Temple prison, Feng Ruoyan was curled up in a corner, with rats and cockroaches occasionally scurrying past her feet.
Feng Ruoyan was so scared her face was pale, she didn't dare to make a sound. She just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible, not willing to stay a second longer.
"Third Prince, this is it."
Chu Yanxi, as a prince, was visiting this filthy place for the first time. His face was filled with disgust. When he saw Feng Ruoyan, he just wanted to escape as quickly as possible.
Feng Ruoyan, who was scared out of her wits, heard the commotion and quickly looked up. Upon seeing Chu Yanxi, tiny flames instantly ignited in her dull eyes.
Feng Ruoyan immediately got up from the ground and rushed to Chu Yanxi's side, her face streaked with tears. "Third Prince, save me! This place is full of rats..."
Although Chu Yanxi harbored affections for Feng Ruoyan, seeing her in such a state, neither human nor ghost, the sliver of pity in his heart couldn't help but wane.
His tone also carried a hint of distance. "The Dali Temple has already passed judgment, and I cannot intervene. You will have to endure staying here for a month. I have made arrangements, and they will not make things difficult for you."
Chu Yanxi's words were like a basin of cold water poured over Feng Ruoyan's head, extinguishing her last flicker of hope. The hand clutching Chu Yanxi's sleeve slowly slipped away. She slumped to the ground, her fallen hands clenched into tight fists.
Since she couldn't get out, she would fight for something else.
"Third Prince, could you, for the sake of our past relationship, give me some insect repellent medicine? There are too many rats and cockroaches here... Also, I need some clean clothes, and some rouge and powder."
She had always stood tall and proud in her life. Even if she fell into the dust, she would remain beautiful and hold her head high, never letting others mock her.
"Alright, I'll have someone prepare them."
Chu Yanxi could still manage to prepare some things. Besides, Feng Ruoyan had already been designated as his concubine, so he should indeed take care of her.
"Thank you, Third Prince."
Feng Ruoyan was polite and courteous, her tone neither humble nor arrogant. If not for her prison uniform and the surrounding prison, one might have mistaken her for the once peerless beauty of the capital.
"Be careful in here. The jailers here are my people, and they will definitely not make things too difficult for you. If you need anything, just ask them directly."
Feng Ruoyan nodded in agreement. She no longer paid as much attention to Chu Yanxi's attitude as before. Her mother was right; she could only rely on herself now.
"Third Prince, I am truly sorry for the trouble this matter has caused you. Ruoyan feels immensely apologetic. I beg that you do not trouble yourself further for my affairs. I only wish for your well-being."
"Yan'er... I..."
Chu Yanxi's heart rippled with emotion at Feng Ruoyan's words.
He hadn't expected that Feng Ruoyan would still care for him so deeply.
And he had worried that this matter would affect him, all for the sake of avoiding suspicion. At this thought, Chu Yanxi felt utterly ashamed.
"Third Prince, there is no need to say more. I understand your feelings for me, and I also understand your concerns. But please remember, no matter what predicament I am in, my heart will always be with you. As long as there is even a tiny corner in your heart set aside for me, I will be content."
Feng Ruoyan's words deeply moved Chu Yanxi. If not for the bars separating them, he would have already held her in his embrace.
"Yan'er, don't worry, I will find a way to get you out soon. The day you leave the Dali Temple will be the day we get married."
"Third Prince..." Feng Ruoyan called out in a coquettish tone, lowering her head with a hint of shame, but a flicker of successful calculation crossed her eyes.
After Chu Yanxi left, Feng Ruoyan shed her guise of deep affection, replaced by a face full of schemes.
Her only trump card now was Chu Yanxi's love for her. As long as she held onto the man's heart, and when Chu Yanxi ascended the throne, she too would have a chance to turn her fortunes around.
...
"Reporting to Madam, the Third Prince has gone to the Dali Temple."
Feng Jin's hand, holding a pencil, paused slightly. A faint smile touched her lips. "The Third Prince truly can't wait. But he does have some affection for Feng Ruoyan. Knowing that the current situation is disadvantageous to him, he still personally went to the Dali Temple to see Feng Ruoyan. What a moving scene!"
If this kind of affection wasn't turned into a storybook for the world to know, it would be a waste of the deep love between these two lovebirds.
As soon as the thought struck her, Feng Jin's mind was filled with a concept. She began to write down their story on paper.
Coincidentally, her restaurant was about to open, and staging such a play would definitely attract everyone's attention and be a huge hit.
"What are you writing?"
As soon as Ling Mohan entered the room, he saw Feng Jin hunched over the desk, writing diligently, with a smile occasionally appearing on her face.
"Nothing much... just writing a storybook."
Feng Jin didn't have time to look up at Ling Mohan, her pen still flying across the paper.
"Phew, work is done." Feng Jin held up a stack of papers, a satisfied smile on her face. Diligence pays off; she had finally finished.
Ling Mohan leaned closer to Feng Jin and looked at the words written on the paper. What was all this lovey-dovey drama?
"What kind of nonsense are you writing?"
"What's wrong with it? It's great! The male and female leads are deeply in love and intertwined. When the female lead is imprisoned, the male lead stays by her side, marrying her despite his mother's obstruction... In the end, their love is too deep for fate, and they both commit suicide for love."
Feng Jin was truly impressed by her own imagination. The story she wrote was deeply moving.
Even she was touched. Look how well she had adapted the love story of Chu Yanxi and Feng Ruoyan, beautifying the two of them and even turning them into positive characters. She was too kind.
"If you staged your storybook, it would be strange if anyone actually watched it. What's so interesting about these melodramatic love stories?"
"What do you know? Do you know how popular these tragic dramas were in our era? Haven't you heard of the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai?"
Ling Mohan shook his head sincerely. "I really haven't heard of it."
Feng Jin's eyes widened. Could it be a time paradox, or had it not been written yet?
Regardless, it didn't matter much to her. Instead, her storybook was bound to be a huge hit. What name should she give it?
After much deliberation, Feng Jin wrote a few words on the paper: 'Twin Lotus'.
She needed to make some more changes. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai transformed into butterflies, so hers would transform into flowers.
Feng Jin added a few more strokes to the paper, and after repeatedly checking it several times, she finally put down her pen with satisfaction.
"Now you've turned it into a ghost story."