Qian Zhou's Ruler's Safety Is at Risk
The change in the city wall caused both Feng Yu Heng and Xuan Tian Ming to feel a tingle on their scalp. They realized that they had made a serious mistake.
Song Zhou City's walls were hollow.
Countless boards began to move, as soldiers began to appear one by one; however, they did not charge forward. Instead, they raised bows and arrows and began to shoot at where they stood.
Although Feng Yu Heng could see that they were not tracking shots, with the enemy having numerous people shooting numerous arrows combined with the strange movements of the wall, the rain of arrows in the wind and snow immediately caused her and Xuan Tian Ming to get separated.
Both of them pulled out their whips and began swinging them around. At the same time, they desperately tried to get closer to each other. Xuan Tian Ming even began to wave his cloak around, catching bundle after bundle of arrows with it; however, these arrows continued to be shot toward him.
Finally, the two got a little closer together, and Feng Yu Heng heard Xuan Tian Ming shout: "Think of a way to get down." After saying this, he suddenly used qinggong and soared down the city wall. He had chosen to jump into the city. While soaring, his movements were very mysterious. Moving in a weird manner, he managed to avoid all of the arrows.
Feng Yu Heng understood that the reason he chose to jump down first was to not be a deadweight because Xuan Tian Ming knew that with the two separating, she could not bring him with her into the space. This allowed Feng Yu Heng to hide inside without need to worry about him. That's why he jumped down first, allowing Feng Yu Heng to use her space to follow after.
She went with this plan. When Xuan Tian Ming jumped, she immediately moved her right hand to her left wrist, entering her space. She then used the space in the room to appear, again and again, finally arriving behind Xuan Tian Ming, not too long after him. She also landed at his side.
The two met up and immediately clasped hands. The force of this was quite strong, as though they wanted to fuse their hands together, never to be separated again.
Xuan Tian Ming led her along in a hasty retreat, rushing toward a large street in the city while opening up some distance from the city wall to stay out of range of the archers.
But after running for a while, they found that the enemy did not chase after them. It was just that the top of the wall fell silent once more in an instant.
However, the silence was temporary. Very quickly, countless soldiers rushed out from the boards on the icy ground. Like ghouls from the underworld, they gave chase with swords held high. In the blink of an eye, the two were completely surrounded. At the same time, the thunderous sound of a beating drum filled their ears. Following this came the sound of a horn. The army continued to march to the beat of the drum. Moving in a mystical manner, the layers of people continued to move like a moving human wall.
Feng Yu Heng and Xuan Tian Ming stood back to back and vigilantly observed the changes. After a while, Xuan Tian Ming said: "It's Qian Zhou's thousand wall formation."
She was puzzled, "What is a thousand wall formation?"
He said: "It's a battle formation composed of at least 5000 people. It uses a drum and horn to keep the beat and complete the changes necessary in the formation."
While speaking, the sound of the drum grew louder and louder. Feng Yu Heng watched a group of soldiers suddenly stabbed their swords forward with the beating of the drum. Even for someone adept at dodging like her, a button was cut off.
Xuan Tian Ming protected her and quietly said: "You must be careful. If things really look bad, just dive into your space."
Feng Yu Heng shook her head, "No good. It's too noticeable. Moreover, we can't stay in there forever without coming out. Do you have a deep understanding of this thousand wall formation? Do you know how to break through?"
While the two spoke, the enemy army moved once more. This time, it was the second and third rows that attacked when the first row bent down. The second row of soldiers stabbed forward, and the third row held their feet. Without caring if they struck their targets, the soldiers were pulled back immediately.
The horn sounded once more, causing the troop to continue moving.
Feng Yu Heng was annoyed, "The spinning is giving me a headache."
"This is also one of the benefits of the thousand wall formation." Xuan Tian Ming spoke while looking all around, "These soldiers are not afraid of it. The most pressing matter at the moment is to find the person controlling the formation. The ones beating the drum and sounding the horn are most important." Although he said this, the people controlling the formation were hidden the furthest back in the formation. To find them through the heavy snow and strong winds was easier said than done.
The large formation continuously changed, and wave after wave of attack came. Under the constant attacks, Xuan Tian Ming had no choice but to give up on finding the person controlling the formation. Instead, he focused entirely on fighting.
Feng Yu Heng knew that this could not continue like this. She was an expert when it came to formations. As long as the person controlling the formation was still present, this formation would be unassailable. A few thousand soldiers against just two people. It would be odd if they did not die of exhaustion.
She retreated to Xuan Tian Ming's side and used his body to protect herself. Xuan Tian Ming saw that things were not going well and protect her well. Very quickly, he saw Feng Yu Heng pull something strange out of her sleeve and put it on her eyes. He did not know what it was, but after seeing Feng Yu Heng put it on, she began to look around. He then knew that this must be something used to find the person controlling the formation.
In truth, his guess was not wrong. Feng Yu Heng had indeed put on a pair of glasses used for searching. Not only was it better for seeing through things, but it also had a magnifying ability. It could see things that were over ten li away. Even if she could not see with perfect clarity, she could still faintly see the things that Xuan Tian Ming could not.
Very quickly, there was a nine-story-tall tower to the Northeast that caught her attention. It was the highest structure in Song Zhou City. At this moment, every floor of the tower was filled with people and covered in drums. The sound of the drumming was coming from that side. Combining with the sound of the horn, it entered the ears of the people and controlled their hearts.
"Over there!" She pointed in the direction of the tower and said to Xuan Tian Ming: "Think of a way to get us a little closer. I have a method for dealing with them."
Xuan Tian Ming knew that if Feng Yu Heng said that she had a method, there was definitely a method. He smiled slyly and pulled the little girl into his embrace, loudly saying: "Hold on tight. Husband will bring you over!"
Just as he said this, Feng Yu Heng immediately felt her feet leave the ground. Thousands of soldiers were below their feet, and Xuan Tian Ming used his qinggong to soar up. At the same time, he moved his whip and opened up a gap in mid-air.
However, the soldiers of the thousand wall formation expected that they would use qinggong. The horn sounded out, and the people in the thousand wall formation were raised up. One by one, the soldiers stood on each other's shoulders. In the blink of an eye, they formed a wall as high as they had leaped. Xuan Tian Ming thrashed his whip around, and the human wall was unable to endure this sort of beating, resulting in a loud collapse.
But no matter how much it collapsed, they had a large number of people. With one collapse, more soldiers rushed forward to take their spots. Gradually, Xuan Tian Ming's whip began to slow down. The swords of the enemies cut through his hair ends, removing a small lock of hair. But immediately following this, the whip straightened out and became a spike, piercing through the heart of a person holding a sword.
Feng Yu Heng stared straight at the tall tower, saying in a low voice: "Alright, this place is good. A little higher, just a little higher!"
Xuan Tian Ming moved as she instructed, repeatedly using his qinggong to get higher. Finally, Feng Yu Heng raised her right hand and took aim at the person at the top of the tower. With a "bang" sounding out, a bullet flew out. The shock was enough to cause the people of the thousand wall formation to fall into slight disarray.
The bullet accurately struck the person beating the drum in the forehead, and that person fell from the tower without any warning.
Just as Xuan Tian Ming was about to shout good, he saw another person climb to the top of the tower, taking the place of the person that had fallen. The beat that had become erratic with the loss of one person was quickly righted back to normal.
"Hit the drum not the person!" Xuan Tian Ming could see what had happened, urgently saying: "The drums used for the thousand wall formation is made of human skin. There aren't too many prepared. Hit the drum. Hit a few more of them."
After Feng Yu Heng experienced failure from hitting the person, she immediately understood that she needed to hit the drum. Once Xuan Tian Ming's words were said, she immediately pulled out a gun once more and shot at the drums in her line of sight.
"Bang, bang, bang, bang!" After numerous gunshots, the drums were ruined and fell silent, while the formation became disjointed.
Xuan Tian Ming used his qinggong to repeatedly change direction. After Feng Yu Heng finished emptying the bullets from one gun, she pulled out another and continued shooting.
During this time, the enemy had brought in another three drums. In the end, they were all destroyed. All that remained was one drum on the backside of the tower. Its weak sound could faintly be heard, but it was not enough to support the entire formation. Thousands of people in the formation suddenly had no direction and fell into complete disarray.
Xuan Tian Ming laughed loudly. Holding his wife's hand, he waved around a whip and freely gave chase.
Feng Yu Heng raised her small chin and proudly said: "Say, do you think that this is considered beating a dog in the water?" After saying this, she shook her head, "The people of Qian Zhou are lower than dogs."
At this time, Duan Mu An Guo was throwing a tantrum on the top floor of the tower that housed the drums. Pointing at a lazy-looking woman, he loudly cursed: "Are your eyes blind? Do you not see how many people are dead? Where are your people? Where are your drums? Why do you not call people to bring up new ones?"
The woman was dressed in a red dress that was extremely glamorous. Faced with Duan Mu An Guo's urgent cries and insults, she continued to look carefree, only asking him: "Do you think that those people do not wish to live? Do you think that drums don't cost money? Why do I need to use my people and my drums to fill this hole in your Song Zhou? Duan Mu An Guo, what sort of piece of shit are you? You actually dare to point at this prince and shout wildly?"
This woman was none other than the utterly-infuriating Prince Lian. Duan Mu An Guo was already on the verge of exploding with anger. Not only did she not care, she even picked up a piece of fruit and began eating.
Faced with this question, Duan Mu An Guo repeatedly rolled his eyes. He always felt that there was a great deal of anger that was on the verge of surging up. He told Prince Lian: "Don't forget that it was Qian Zhou's ruler that order you to come and help protect the North. If this Song Zhou is lost, I want to see how you will explain it to your ruler!"
"So scary, so scary!" Prince Lian patted her chest with a look of shock appearing on her face, "The ruler! What a bold official. Hahaha!" She suddenly began to laugh with such arrogance that even Duan Mu An Guo could not help but retreat to avoid being attacked, "The ruler of Qian Zhou, that brat is already finding it hard to protect himself. How could he still have the time to worry about you."
"Hm?" Duan Mu An Guo was stunned, "What do those words mean?" Qian Zhou's ruler was having a hard time protecting himself? Had Prince Lian gone crazy?
"There's not much meaning." Prince Lian curled her lips into a sneer then stood up, "Duan Mu An Guo, think carefully. Why has the matter of the dragon vein in Jiang Zhou has been suspended? Why have all of the soldiers aside from this prince's subordinates been pulled back to Qian Zhou's territory? Think about it carefully. This prince will be going to see a friend!"
After she said this, she turned around and descended the tower.
My Man and My Woman
Amidst the wind and snow, a bright-red dress was very eye-catching. Feng Yu Heng immediately recognized Prince Lian. Unfortunately, now was not the time to reminisce about the past. Although the formation had been broken, the enemy army was numbering in the thousands. Even if they did not fight back, cutting them down one at a time would still exhaust them.
Prince Lian leaned against the railing of the tower with both hands and had two guards protecting her on each side. The red dress was blown very beautifully by the wind. While watching, she praised: "Ya Ya, your talent is amazing, and this prince feels utterly inadequate."
"Hmph!" Following this, Duan Mu An Guo let out a cold snort, "You only feel inadequate? Based on what this commander sees, your Highness Prince Lian doesn't know any martial arts at all."
Prince Lian did not get angry and nodded very seriously. She then pointed to the guards at her side: "If the masters all know martial arts, what's the point of keeping these guys around? Duan Mu An Guo, this prince has taken a great interest in physiognomy today from having seen quite a few ancient texts and examples. Right now, seeing how your glabella is dark while your eyes are dim, I fear that a calamity of death will befall you!"
"Nonsense!" Duan Mu An Guo angrily raised his hand and subconsciously wanted to slap her.
But the four guards at Prince Lian's side were not so easy to handle. One of them reached out and grabbed Duan Mu An Guo's wrist. "Commander, pay attention to your status."
Duan Mu An Guo had a martial background, but he was indeed getting old. In addition to not regulating his private affairs, his body had long since been drained dry. If it was not for the assistance of some supplements to keep him hanging on, how could he still have his current vitality.
His hatred for Prince Lian was extreme, but now that the generals of the North had all been taken away by Prince Lian, he was the only one left standing at the top of the tower. Even if he wanted to throw a tantrum, he did not have the right to do it. Duan Mu An Guo felt annoyed in his heart; however, he was still wondering about what Prince Lian had said earlier. He could not help but ask: "What exactly happened to Qian Zhou's ruler?"
Prince Lian rolled her eyes beautifully, saying with a smile: "That's not something you can worry about."
Duan Mu An Guo knew that his wordplay was not enough to take on Prince Lian, who had always had a twisted personality. With a belly full of anger and no place to vent, he simply stood to the side and fell silent. At least now that there were thousands of soldiers as enemies, even if the ninth prince and imperial daughter Ji An had extremely great abilities, they would have trouble overcoming the numbers. A hero could not take on many enemies. With 5000 people, even exhaustion would be enough to kill them.
But at this time, Prince Lian, who had already turned around and moved to observe the fight, suddenly spoke up, saying something that nearly caused Duan Mu An Guo to suffer internal injuries out of anger. She said: "Ah! How could this prince have forgotten. My troops are from Qian Zhou, yet why must they sacrifice their lives for some lowly northern provinces? No good, no good." She grabbed a guard at her side, "Quickly tell them to stop! Have them all stop! Stop fighting!"
Duan Mu An Guo became covered in a cold sweat, quickly saying: "That must not be done! What are you doing? Qian Zhou dispatched soldiers to protect these provinces. This was part of the alliance treaties that this commander swore to Qian Zhou's ruler. You were given an imperial order. Do you know that retreating your soldiers now would be defying imperial orders?"
"Imperial orders?" Prince Lian helplessly shook her head, "Duan Mu An Guo, oh Duan Mu An Guo, what was it that this prince said again? The ruler is having trouble protecting himself. How could he have any time to worry about any alliance treaties."
Duan Mu An Guo's heart was filled with urgency! This Prince Lian repeatedly said that Qian Zhou's ruler was having a hard time protecting himself, but what exactly did this mean? In what way was he having a hard time? Could it be that there was some internal strife in Qian Zhou?
A drop of cold sweat dripped down from his forehead, as he suddenly recalled that Prince Lian had said earlier that the troops excavating the dragon vein in Jiang Zhou had already been pulled back to their territory. Now, all that remained in the three provinces were Prince Lian's forces. Those troops had been recalled in a hurry. At that time, he felt that it was odd, but it happened to coincide with word of Duan Mu Cong's death. That caused this matter to be left until a later time. Now that it had been brought up once more, Duan Mu An Guo had to think about it carefully. The more he thought, the more he felt that this hasty retreat made it seem as though there was some sort of large problem in Qian Zhou. Could it be... that there was another struggle for the throne?
But normally speaking, this was not possible. This ruler's brutal methods were not something a normal person could compare to. Back when he had seized the position, he did not hold back in the slightest. None of his brothers met with a good ending, including Prince Lian, who had been ruined from a young age. The current Qian Zhou, everyone that could potentially threaten the throne had been killed. All of his children were still young. Where could there be anyone to fight with him!
Duan Mu An Guo thought about this endlessly in his mind. At this time, he just saw Prince Lian spread her arms and hook them around the necks of the guards at her side, calling out: "Let's go. Bring this prince to meet with an old friend. While we're at it, let's help out commander Duan Mu by taking care of the people that need to be taken care of."
Once this was said, Duan Mu An Guo finally regained some composure. He thought to himself, so what if you are arrogant, you still need to obey your ruler's orders.
But at this time, two of Prince Lian's guards leaped up and acted as though they were carrying some sort of treasure and brought her to the middle of the army. At the same time, the other two guards stabbed their swords forward, the tips of their swords waving wildly, as they flew straight toward Xuan Tian Ming and Feng Yu Heng.
Duan Mu An Guo's heart began to feel moved; however, he did not dare to lean too far forward. In fact, he did not even dare to expose himself on the outside. He was still able to remember how those people earlier had died. He also recalled that hole in the middle of Duan Mu Cong's forehead. Da Shun's imperial daughter Ji An had a unique weapon, and he had to defend against it.
Hiding in the tower, Duan Mu An Guo watched the two guards from Qian Zhou stab their swords forward, and he had already begun to imagine Xuan Tian Ming and Feng Yu Heng immediately dying under their blades. But he never thought that the dignified Prince Lian of Qian Zhou would secretly be helping them... The two swords actually stabbed through two assassins from the North that had mixed in with the army.
The heart of the battle was already very close to the tower. After Duan Mu An Guo watched the two assassins that he had secretly dispatched get stabbed through the chest, his head immediately exploded, but he quickly made a reasonable decision. He did not continue to linger, as he turned and immediately ran away.
Prince Lian's appearance caused the people of the army that had been doing their best to chase after Xuan Tian Ming and Feng Yu Heng to suddenly stop. Everyone put down their swords where they stood. Only when Prince Lian was put down by her guards did a few people come forward at the same time to kneel and shout in unison: "Long live your Highness Prince Lian!"
Feng Yu Heng frowned upon hearing this. Was it not enough for there to be a problem with the woman? There were even problems with all of her subordinates? What sort of time was this. In front of the enemy, they actually had the mind to salute?
Xuan Tian Ming had heard about Prince Lian before, thus he was not too surprised. He just retracted his whip and flicked it a few times to remove the blood. He then helped Feng Yu Heng tidy her hair, which had become messy over the course of the battle. He then tied her cloak on a little tighter, asking in a quiet voice: "Were you injured?"
Feng Yu Heng shook her head: "No injuries."
"Are you cold?"
"A little."
Upon hearing a little, Xuan Tian Ming quickly removed his own cloak and tightly wrapped up the girl. Underneath the cold and unfeeling mask, there was an unconcealable tenderness.
Prince Lian stood across from the two and watched. She did not even get a chance to tell the soldiers to rise. She just spoke to a guard at her side: "Do you see that? The people that are most lacking in conscience are people like this. You save her, but she does not know how to be grateful. She only knows how to fawn on other men. It really is a waste of this prince's efforts."
Feng Yu Heng frowned and looked at her, correcting: "It's not other men. This is my man."
"Then what about me?" Prince Lian moved forward and asked her with a smile, "What about me, what about me?"
"You..." Feng Yu Heng thought a bit, "I figure you can be considered my woman."
"Then," Xuan Tian Ming spoke up and pointed at the soldiers, "Woman of this prince's woman, what do you have to say about today's matters?"
Prince Lian smiled and kicked the soldiers at her side, "Get up, get up. Everyone, get up for this great one! Retreat! Hah, retreat a bit further back!" Not long later, thousands of soldiers were chased back dozens of steps, only keeping her guards at her side. Seeing that they had retreated a reasonable distance, Prince Lian said: "There's not much to say. This prince just came to get some revenge on Duan Mu An Guo. I had to tear him down a peg. Not to mention helping with defending these northern provinces, even if there comes a day when you come knocking at Qian Zhou's capital, as long as Duan Mu An Guo is present, this prince will open the city's gates for you!"
When this was said, Feng Yu Heng immediately felt the hatred that she had felt back when they were in the tunnel. It was a hatred that Prince Lian felt for Duan Mu An Guo. She did not know the origin of this hatred. One was a member of Qian Zhou's imperial family and the other was an official of Da Shun. The two were completely unrelated. How did such a deep-rooted hatred come to be?
Xuan Tian Ming looked at Prince Lian inquisitively for a while then nodded, "So it was like that." These words had two layers of meaning and were very easy to understand. He had understood Prince Lian's explanation. He had a deep understanding, thus he could also see the truth hidden under Prince Lian's exterior.
He reached out and pulled the girl closer, saying quietly: "Don't pay too much attention to him."*
"Hey!" Prince Lian became unhappy, "Xuan family's old ninth, aren't you being a little too controlling? You can control the heavens and earth, but you'll also control who your wife can be friends with? In this life, this great one has only this one good friend. If you dare to cause a mess for me, do you believe that I will call those 5000 soldiers back?"
Xuan Tian Ming nodded, "I do."
"Then you still..."
"This prince is fine with it."
Feng Yu Heng facepalmed. Alright, she believed it. Xuan Tian Ming's arrogance ran up against Prince Lian's arrogance. The two really were in an equal match!
"One surnamed Feng." Feng Yu Heng raised her eyebrows and looked at her, "Such a grand favor will be granted to us with a cupping of your hands? Since Qian Zhou dispatched soldiers to protect the northern provinces, it must be a result of the ruler's orders. How will you explain when you get back?"
Prince Lian's eyes lit up, "Ya Ya, are you worried about me?"
Xuan Tian Ming frowned and corrected her: "She's A-Heng."
"I'm happy with calling her Ya Ya! You're so annoying!" This person once again began arguing with Xuan Tian Ming, "In any case, I can be considered as a life-saving benefactor. Is there such a person that is as ungrateful as you? I'll tell you that if it wasn't for this great one being here, if it wasn't for the people in the tunnels being this great one's subordinates, and if it wasn't for this great one chasing away Duan Mu An Guo's soldiers, do you believe that Song Zhou City would have been so easy to break into?"
It wasn't broken into, right? Feng Yu Heng looked in the direction of the city's gate and found that the thick pieces of ice were still there.
"Hah, telling you guys about this is pointless. I've already done the good deed, thus this prince will not bother putting my name on it. But Ya Ya, you must remember that you owe this prince a favor, and it is a rather grand favor. When this prince asks you for that favor, you must not refuse!"
Feng Yu Heng furrowed her brow slightly. Prince Lian continuously mentioned the word favor. Exactly what sort of request would she make?
*TN: Him and her are pronounced the same in Chinese but written differently.
Large Pit in Song Zhou
Prince Lian withdrew her troops and removed the large chunk of ice blocking the city gate. She turned around and faced the thousands of soldiers before waving behind her and saying: "This prince will be leaving. Ya Ya, remember that Duan Mu An Guo is getting old and won't be able to survive for much longer. That alone is not enough to dread. What's truly frightening are the children and grandchildren that he has scattered around the world. Who knows just how many that old thing pumped out. Even fewer people will know where he sent them. This secret is perhaps something that even he does not know."
Even when leaving, she was abnormal. The current Prince Lian really did have a bit of a royal bearing. The bright-red dress billowed in the wind, and she was once again filled with confidence.
"The entirety of the area under Song Zhou is hollow." Prince Lian said: "Back when he helped Qian Zhou secretly dig at the dragon vein, he used Qian Zhou's money to construct an underground palace under Song Zhou City. At this time, I fear that old guy has already run away without a trace!"
While saying this, he waved his hand and changed his tone to be much more relaxed: "Alright comrades, let's go home! Ya Ya, we'll meet again in Qian Zhou!"
Amidst the crowd of green, there was a single dot of red. In this massive army, she alone stood out. With a charming aura, it was unique and caused people to want to look at her a bit more.
Xuan Tian Ming pulled a certain person's face back, no longer letting her continue watching. Feng Yu Heng said: "Don't be so stingy. Although she is a person from Qian Zhou, she has indeed helped me out a number of times. Most importantly... she is beautiful!"*
"There are plenty of beautiful women. If you like, this prince will bring some more into the inner palace for you in the future. Just spend all your time looking at them. But there is one point that we need to agree on, those people cannot be called my concubines. I figure they should be considered your playmates."
Feng Yu Heng snorted coldly, "If you truly have the heart, just find some male concubines. This imperial daughter will find them more appealing." She rolled her eyes. Not wanting to continue any longer with this person, she turned around and walked toward the city gate.
Xuan Tian Ming followed behind with a smile on his face. While walking, he discussed with her: "In the worst-case, just find some good-looking eunuchs. Either way, they're just there for you to look at."
The two bantered until they arrived at the entrance of the city. Working together to open the gate, Xuan Tian Ming then shot off a signal firework. At the same time, this communicated with the army to enter the city.
However, after everything was taken care of, a loud rumbling sound suddenly came once more. The ground shook with a deafening grumble.
The two were extremely shocked and looked in the direction that the sound had come from. Feng Yu Heng subconsciously said: "It wouldn't be an avalanche, right?"
Xuan Tian Ming shook his head, "It doesn't seem like it. The source of the doesn't seem too far. It must be in the city. Although the North is surrounded by snowy mountains, Song Zhou City is located on flat ground. It's impossible for an avalanche to occur. Let's go and take a look."
The earthquake stopped very quickly, and the extremely loud sounds did not continue for too long. The two rushed in the direction of the sound. The closer they got, the more familiar with were with the area. "This is the way to the Winter Palace." Xuan Tian Ming calculated the distance to the source of the sound to be around where the Winter Palace was. He very quickly came to the conclusion, "Something must have happened in the Winter Palace."
"Un." Feng Yu Heng nodded; however, she could not think of what could happen to cause such a large tremor. Normally speaking, if this sort of thing happened in the modern world, her first reaction would definitely be to assume that the Winter Palace had been bombed, but this era only had fireworks. It did not have explosive charges. Bombing the Winter Palace was not a possibility, then what could it be?
From the city gate to the Winter Palace was not a short distance. The two ran on the streets and did not bother with hiding in the space like before. Running openly in the streets combined with the movements of soldiers in the streets caused the people that were too afraid to open their curtains to run out of patience. Unable to hold back their curiosity, they peeked out of their windows. Some of the braver ones even went outside and looked around. Some of the even wiser went in the direction of the Winter Palace, but the people that ran over all had flustered expressions. There were also some madams that began wiping away tears.
Only when everyone was gathered around the Winter Palace did Feng Yu Heng understand why those people were crying. It was more accurate to say that the Winter Palace was already missing. All that remained in its place was a very deep pit. That pit was so deep that the end could not be seen because of the snow. The entire Winter Palace had sunk underground. When it had begun sinking, the snow gathered to the sides also began to sink down, covering up the Winter Palace.
That loud boom was the sound of the Winter Palace sinking. The entire thing had sunk, causing a large tremor. It brought down everyone inside the Winter Palace, not sparing a single one.
Countless citizens collapsed in tears next to the pit. Everyone was screaming the same thing: "My daughter!"
Feng Yu Heng told Xuan Tian Ming: "The Winter Palace conducts selections for concubines in the same way that the imperial palace looks for talent. Most outrageously, the girls that participate in these selections must not be older than 13 years old. Only by being eliminated from the selection can they choose to marry of their own volition. Once they have been selected, they must go and take care of that old man, Duan Mu An Guo. They must spend the rest of their lives in the Winter Palace."
There were some citizens that tried to jump into the pit. While crying, some people began trying to dig up the gathered snow, hoping to try and dig people up from underneath.
This was an idiotic idea, but it was the only thing that they could do. Xuan Tian Ming made a prompt decision and loudly said to the citizens: "Everyone, go back to your homes and bring out all of your tools. There must still be survivors down there. Each person saved is a life saved!"
Some people heard him and ran back to fetch tools, but there were also some that did not move. They just watched vigilantly with looks of wariness on their faces.
He was not in the mood to argue with these commoners. Picking up the military knife given to him by Feng Yu Heng, the two leaped into the pit with their blades out. They began to work together with the citizens. At the same time, he shouted while digging: "In a moment, Da Shun's army will be entering the city. Song Zhou is part of Da Shun's territory, and you are all Da Shun's citizens. The goal of Da Shun's army is to protect the citizens. Only with the army entering the city can the people down below be dug up."
He just continued to dig while consoling the citizens. Gradually, the citizens that were originally cautious also joined in, digging with them. Very quickly, more and more of the citizens in the city gathered in the area. They all began participating in the rescue efforts.
Feng Yu Heng told Xuan Tian Ming: "The Winter Palace was built as a replica of the imperial palace. The place under our feet is the location of the inner palace."
Xuan Tian Ming nodded, immediately waving for people to gather and dig.
Da Shun's troops entered Song Zhou City four hours later. There were citizens that had been arranged to welcome them and bring the soldiers straight to the Winter Palace.
With the soldiers joining in, the speed of the digging increased by many times. During this time, Feng Yu Heng saw people from the Illusory Hall arrive, but the woman with the surname Qi was not there. Only Shen Yu Ning and Zhang Ling Xi had brought a group of young girls over.
When Shen Yu Ning saw Feng Yu Heng, she was slightly startled then nodded toward her; however, she did not know what she should say. Instead, it was Zhang Ling Xi that tugged her sleeve and quietly said: "Regardless of whether or not she is Xiao Ya, we have our duties as people of Song Zhou."
The two arrived at Feng Yu Heng's side, and Zhang Ling Xi said: "The Winter Palace has an underground dungeon. After your situation was concluded, the officials that had come to Song Zhou to celebrate were all gathered there. That includes Xiao Ya's family along with the lord prefect of Song Zhou."
Shen Yu Ning took a deep breath and looked at Feng Yu Heng once more. She still felt that the girl before her truly resembled Fu Ya. Aside from the bearing, there was practically no other difference in terms of appearance. She gathered herself and sighed before saying: "Please save them. Uncle Fu and aunty Fu are quite pitiful."
Feng Yu Heng understood her feelings. Shen Yu Ning and Fu Ya were very close. She would naturally be closer with the Fu family. In the end, this was a result of her not being thorough with her plans. She had to take responsibility for this.
"Don't worry." She patted Shen Yu Ning's shoulder, "I'll do all that I can."
Just as they were speaking, a citizen suddenly began shouting: "We got one! We dug one up!"
Everyone ran over to look, but they just saw two soldiers pull a young girl out of the snow. The girl was very young and looked to be around the same age as Feng Yu Heng; however, her belly was very large. Based on her belly, it seemed that it was full term. The girl seemed to be awake, but her expression was very pained. Holding her belly with both hands, a cold sweat appeared on her forehead despite the cold temperatures.
Feng Yu Heng stepped forward and felt the girl's pulse with one hand while the other gently felt her belly. At the same time, she bent down and gently said: "Don't be scared. I am a doctor. With me here, it will be fine."
The girl was calmed down, but the abdominal pains continued, and more sweat appeared on her forehead.
Upon seeing that the situation was dire, she quickly ordered for the pregnant girl to be carried indoors. But once this was said, there was a citizen from Song Zhou that immediately said: "The area around the Winter Palace belongs to lead Duan Mu. There are no other buildings. If this girl is carried a further distance, I fear that the child will be born before she can get inside!"
Only then did she realize this point. She had also been muddled by panic. She had forgotten about the Winter Palace's surroundings.
Just as she was panicking over the situation, Xuan Tian Ming moved forward and made a prompt decision, directing: "Carry her up to flat ground!" He then ordered the soldiers: "Stand side by side and create a small encirclement. Take off your armor and lay it on the ground." After saying this, he removed his own cloak and covered up the girl's body. Patting Feng Yu Heng's arms, he spoke in a gentler tone, "I'll be troubling you."
She smiled wryly and waved her had, climbing back to the surface with the soldiers. What mention of trouble or not, ever since she had made the decision to come to the North, she had already made up her mind and planned to endure any hardship. She even thought of suffering injuries and sacrificing herself if necessary. Compared to that, this bitter of hardship was easy.
The soldiers acted as Xuan Tian Ming ordered, and this caused the citizens of Song Zhou to feel quite moved. Some of the people wearing more also removed their outer layers to lay them atop the armor. This managed to create a temporary bed.
Feng Yu Heng directed the soldiers to place the pregnant girl on the clothes. Then, everyone aside from her turned around and formed a circle. This managed to open up a bit of space. There was even another circle of soldiers on the inside that held up large cloaks above, providing cover for both Feng Yu Heng and the pregnant girl.
The pregnant girl was on the verge of being in labor; however, she was not an obstetrician. Her space did not have any medicine that could induce labor, and the conditions did not allow her to perform a C-section. Everything would rely on the girl herself. At most, she could only provide a helping hand at the most critical moment.
The birth of a child was a difficult trial for the women of the ancient world. Even in the modern world, there could still be unexpected problems that would arise. For a girl around 13 or 14 years of age to safely give birth under these circumstances, everything was an unknown.
*TN: Once again, the pronoun for he/she/him/her are all pronounced the same in Chinese.
Disaster
The entire birthing process continued for one hour. The girl fainted a few times and was woken up again by Feng Yu Heng giving her an injection. At the critical moment, a pair of scissors cut the cervix and finally allowed the girl to successfully give birth to a girl.
The girl was very weak, but the baby was very healthy. The sounds of crying filled the air and helped to ease the tense atmosphere.
An old woman came forward and helped hold the child. Someone else also came forward to take care of the girl that had just given birth. Feng Yu Heng set up an infusion for the girl then began to explain the basis of the infusion to the people looking on in confusion.
Someone recognized her and asked: "Are you imperial daughter Ji An?"
The northern provinces too were far from the capital. In addition to Duan Mu An Guo's deliberate planning, the people lived a very closed-off life. For the most part, the people spent their entire lives within the three provinces. At most, they would head down to Bian An County. That's why they had very little understanding of the central region.
But there would always be people traveling around. Visiting merchants were an example. The officials that had come to celebrate Duan Mu An Guo's birthday were also an example. Like this, divine doctor imperial daughter Ji An's fame was spread. Although she was not as famous as Song Kang, she was still an imperial daughter. This status alone was quite overbearing.
Seeing that someone asked, Feng Yu Heng nodded, stating directly: "Indeed." While she spoke, she did not stop moving her hands. She would occasionally take a look at the infusion device, fearing that the cold temperature would freeze the medicine.
When the people saw her admit it, they also began to rejoice. Smiling, they said to the girl that just gave birth: "You really are fortunate! To have the imperial daughter of the country personally help you give birth, this is a fortune that isn't the result of just one lifetime of good deeds."
The girl did not appear to be happy. Her body was weak, and she repeatedly looked toward the child, a look of attachment appearing in her eyes.
The old woman holding the child said: "It's a very beautiful baby girl. She looks very similar to you."
To have been selected as a concubine to enter the Winter Palace, how could she have not been pretty; however, the already ugly look on the girl's face became a little worse. She repeatedly muttered: "Why is it a daughter? Why would it be a daughter? In the North, a daughter is the one thing that must not be born!" While saying this, she cried, "A girl will live to the age of 13 at most. After turning 13, she will have to enter that Winter Palace and suffer all kinds of humiliation. It would be better to have not given then to give birth to a daughter."
Feng Yu Heng told her: "That won't happen. Don't worry, Duan Mu An Guo's Winter Palace has already sunk. From this day forward, there won't be anyone else to steal away girls as concubines. The girls of the future will have freedom. They will be free until the day they become of marriageable age. They can then marry the man that they love. I promise you that your daughter will definitely live very well."
A glint of light flashed through the girl's eyes. It was clear that Feng Yu Heng's words allowed her to see a glimmer of hope. But the words that followed caused that hope that had suddenly risen to completely disappear.
Someone said: "Quickly, quickly take that child and burn it! Or sink it in a frozen lake. It must not be allowed to live in this world!"
These words caused everyone to freeze, but there were people that reacted very quickly, understanding what they meant, thus a majority of the people participating in the rescue efforts began to burst with energy. Covering up the earlier joy, they all shouted: "Right! Burn her! She is Duan Mu An Guo's daughter! She must not be allowed to live in this world!"
With a mention of Duan Mu An Guo, the majority of Song Zhou's citizens felt a hatred that reached their bones. Daughters that were not of marriageable age were sent in one by one into the Winter Palace. Though they had been exempted from paying taxes, the girls that were too young could not endure the harm done. A large number of girls were carried out as corpses less than half a year later. The families of deceased concubines of Winter Palace were no longer exempted from paying taxes, and their lives would be as difficult as in the past. They also ended up losing a daughter.
It was not all families that were filled with greed. Those that sold their daughters for a few benefits were in the minority. The vast majority did not wish for their daughters to enter the Winter Palace, but they could not stop the people from the leader's residence coming to snatch them away. How many girls had refused to comply and killed themselves in the entrances of their homes. How many young boys watched the girl that they loved get ruined by an old man.
The hatred that everyone felt for Duan Mu An Guo was buried deep in their hearts. In the past, they did not dare express it. Now that Duan Mu An Guo had suffered a major defeat, and his Winter Palace had sunk, the people were no longer afraid with Da Shun's soldiers also having appeared in the city. But Duan Mu An Guo had already disappeared without a trace, thus the people had no place to vent. Now that a child of Duan Mu An Guo had suddenly appeared, how could they be willing to spare her?
Someone said: "If this child lives, it will definitely want to get revenge for him."
Another person said: "Duan Mu An Guo killed our daughter. Now, his daughter is before us. Let's burn her to death to get revenge for our children!"
In an instant, the crowd was filled with fury. Someone even wanted to try and rush toward the old woman to snatch the baby. The old woman was given a fright and dodged behind Feng Yu Heng. The surrounding soldiers immediately lowered their spears to stop the people outside.
The crowd could not rush in, and shouting very quickly began to fill the air. Their contents were: "Burn her! Burn her!"
It was as though the baby could understand, as it began to cry louder and louder until it cried itself hoarse.
Feng Yu Heng stood in place, feeling a little helpless. She had managed to successfully deliver the child with great difficulty. This was also a person's life. Although she had Duan Mu An Guo's blood flowing through her, what sort of wrong did this newborn child commit? She could not watch idly while the child was burned to death.
She looked around for Xuan Tian Ming, hoping to get his attention; however, it was at this time that the hem of her clothes was gently tugged. She looked down and saw the girl that had just given birth. The girl pointed at the baby and gave her a pleading look.
Feng Yu Heng understood what she meant and immediately gestured for the old woman to bring the child to the girl. Upon receiving the child, the girl that had been extremely weak seemed to have recovered part of her strength. A smile appeared on her face, and her complexion improved.
Feng Yu Heng thought that this was what an expression of motherly love was like, right? This was the most normal reaction when a mother saw her child, right? She had experienced this sort of feeling with Yao shi before, but it had been when Yao shi was hugging Zi Rui. When it came to her, it was much more polite, as though she was dealing with a stranger.
The girl tightly held the baby, kissing it and pinching its small cheeks. She loved it to pieces. As for the baby, it was extremely lovable. It immediately stopped crying and began smiling. This caused an unbearable feeling in some of the people that had called for the baby to be burned.
Feng Yu Heng let out a faint sigh then looked up to see Xuan Tian Ming walk toward her through the crowd, thus she moved to receive him. Just as the two met up, they heard someone let out a shriek from behind. Immediately following this, the sound of everyone inhaling sharply could be heard.
She quickly turned around. With just a glance, she could not help but feel shocked. All that she saw was the girl with a cold expression. Holding the child with one hand, she firmly wrapped her other hand around the baby's neck. She was putting in so much force that her knuckles turned white. As for the child that had been in its mother's embrace was already out of breath. Its small face had turned blue, and its eyes were bulging out. With its mouth hanging partially open, it had a very pained look on its face.
She quickly went forward and snatch the child away; however, she immediately realized that the child had already died. A newborn baby was already extremely weak. If a grown girl forcefully strangled it, its throat would collapse and spine would break almost immediately. Feng Yu Heng stared straight at the child then looked at the girl. She had no way of reconciling that look of motherly love with her current crazed look.
Xuan Tian Ming did not want Feng Yu Heng to continue holding a dead baby, thus he immediately ordered for someone to take the baby away. With a perplexed look on her face, Feng Yu Heng repeatedly shook her head at the girl. He even heard her said to the girl: "I could have protected your child. Why bother with this?"
The girl also shook her head. Retracting her cold expression, it was replaced by one of suffering and despair. She said: "What's the point if you can protect it? You can protect one, but can you protect ten or one hundred? There are more pregnant girls in the Winter Palace than can be counted. I even feel that Duan Mu An Guo has no clue how many children he has. Either way, girls are brought into the palace one after another, and children are born one after another. It's just unknown how many of them are alive or dead after this disaster. You cannot raise them. There are so many children. Not to mention saving all of them, but even if you only saved half, that is still quite a few. Those are all Duan Mu An Guo's children. They're right. Sooner or later, it will result in a disaster. It's better that she died. It's better that she died."
As the girl spoke, she began to lose her voice to the sadness. Her cries while looking at the child shook the emotions of all present.
Feng Yu Heng helplessly sighed. These concubines were all still children themselves. How could they possibly act as mothers? Marrying at a young age, this was a tragedy caused by this era.
Xuan Tian Ming had similar laments. He waved his hand and said to the soldiers: "Continue digging. Just save as many as possible."
This rescue effort continued for three days and three nights. Guan Zhou's prefect, Zhao Tian Qi was dug out on the second day and only had light injuries. Fu Ya's parents were found on the morning of the third day; however, they had suffered from a lack of oxygen for too long. Even if it was Feng Yu Heng, they could not be saved.
After three days and three nights of rescue efforts, the number of people saved was not many, and not another concubine pregnant with Duan Mu An Guo's child was found alive.
On the morning of the fourth day, Song Kang, who had been left behind in Guan Zhou, finally arrived. He arrived just in time to provide Feng Yu Heng with some assistance.
After accepting treatment from Song Kang, Zhao Tian Qi took the initiative to manage the chaotic Song Zhou. He was an official from the area. Although he had been posted in Guan Zhou for the entire time, he had been to both the capital and Song Zhou. The citizens were rather familiar with him, and their impression of him was quite good. They were quite quick to accept him.
Feng Yu Heng and Song Kang brought all of the medical officers accompanying the army and the doctors that were already in Song Zhou to begin providing treatment to the refugees. Regardless of the person's original status, why they had been buried under the Winter Palace, or whether they were friend or foe, anyone that was dug up would be given the same treatment.
The soldiers set up tents around the area. They alternated shifts to rush down the pit to save people. The Winter Palace was large, and there were apparently 2000 people that were buried underneath. From the day it started, Xuan Tian Ming and Feng Yu Heng practically did not get to close their eyes much. Occasionally, imperial daughter Ji An could be seen sitting among the sick while nodding off. The ninth prince would go forward and carry her off to bed; however, once she touched the bed, she would immediately wake up and begin a new round of treatment without a second word.
On the seventh day, Xuan Tian Ming announced that they would stop digging. Even if they could dig up any more people, they would already be dead. It would be better to just keep them buried. As for the treasures that had been dug up from the Winter Palace, he announced that they would be divided equally to all of the citizens in the three northern provinces.
On the eighth day, all of the people that had been rescued, including the concubines of the Winter Palace, including the officials that had sought help from Duan Mu An Guo and including magistrate Lu, kneeled before Xuan Tian Ming and Feng Yu Heng and kowtowed deeply!
Ten Thousand Miles of Hardship for the Hearts of the Citizens
Feng Yu Heng did a quick count and estimated that there were no more than ten officials from Da Shun that had come to celebrate a birthday. Including their families, the majority could not be saved.
Someone crawled forward a few steps and said while wiping away tears: "This guilty official's lowly name would sully your Highness and imperial daughter's ears. It would be fine to not bring it up. This trip to the North was made with the hopes of currying favor with Duan Mu An Guo in an attempt to take another step forward in the official ranks; however, who knew that Duan Mu An Guo had such a strong ambition and actually submitted to Qian Zhou. That made my attempts to curry favor become a treasonous act. Despite all the twists and turns, it was my own mistake and it must be punished. I originally thought that this would be an inescapable end; however, I did not expect your Highness and imperial daughter to put forth so much effort to save us, actually managing to dig us up. The grace of being reborn will be difficult to repay in this life. I would like to spend the remainder of my life making amends for this crime. This guilty official wishes to remain in the North to help it develop a brighter future!"
With him speaking out first, the rest of the officials made their stances clear, stating that they wished to do something of merit for Da Shun.
Xuan Tian Ming nodded but did not answer the officials. He just faced the citizens of Song Zhou and loudly said: "This prince will make some impartial remarks. In truth, whether these provinces belong to Qian Zhou or Da Shun does not make too much of a difference to the average citizen. If it belonged to Qian Zhou, you would still be living here. If it belonged to Da Shun, you would still be unable to see his Majesty every day. The politics and division of territory was originally something managed by the court. As for the thing that is actually related to you is whether or not you can live well. Whoever can provide you with the best life is the one that should be your ruler."
His words caused the citizens to think carefully. Everyone then fell silent and did not discuss it with anyone else. They focused their attention on Xuan Tian Ming while thinking about what he had just said.
As for Xuan Tian Ming, he had not finished speaking. He continued: "In the past 100 years, the greatest failure of Da Shun's court was trusting the Duan Mu family to lead the North. This was especially true with Duan Mu An Guo. He tried to implant the idea of having your roots come from Qian Zhou in your minds. He wanted you to feel that Qian Zhou is better. He wanted you to feel that you needed to be with Qian Zhou. But in truth, your roots are here. This land did not move. You have lived here for generations, but is there any difference from before? Instead, it was Duan Mu An Guo that used the benefit of being exempt from taxes to leave you with no choice but to send your underaged daughters into the Winter Palace, allow them to die or suffer humiliation to survive. What you did not know, however, was that Da Shun has never collected taxes from the North for over 100 years!"
These words immediately caused a ripple in the crowd. The officials of Da Shun, including Zhao Tian Qi, began to help Xuan Tian Ming tell the citizens about Da Shun's policies for the North. It was only now that the people of Song Zhou suddenly understand that they had all been scammed by Duan Mu An Guo. This scam had lasted for many generations.
Of the citizens, there was an old man that was the first to react. They just saw him move forward and kneel on the ground while shaking before loudly saying: "Would your Highness the ninth prince please give us justice. Would your Highness the ninth prince please give us a peaceful life!"
Building a country and keeping the peace, soldiers marched thousands of miles for the hearts of the citizens. At this moment, even Feng Yu Heng felt emotional.
She raised her head slightly but saw that Xuan Tian Ming's gold mask covered up a look of pride, while a look of determination and brightness could be seen in his eyes. Through the wind and snow, it gave everyone a feeling of trust.
Xuan Tian Ming said: "Da Shun will not give up on any citizen. Regardless of whether they are wealthy or poor, happy or suffering, as long as they have Da Shun in their hearts, Da Shun will not allow anyone to fall into an abyss of suffering." He stopped speaking here and looked around the crowd. In the end, his eyes stopped on the prefect of Guan Zhou, Zhao Tian Qi. He then raised his voice and loudly said: "Zhao Tian Qi, come forward and hear this decree!"
Zhao Tian Qi's nerves were given a shock. He quickly ran forward then kneeled on the ground, "This official, Zhao Tian Qi, is present!"
Xuan Tian Ming said: "Zhao Tian Qi, this prince was given an imperial order to lead an army to the North toward Qian Zhou and has been given the right to determine the leader of this area. I have the power to appoint and dismiss any officials of the North. With Duan Mu An Guo defecting to the enemy, the North was unified from that day forward with him removed. He became a wanted criminal in the world, his properties confiscated and extended family punished. Starting today, this prince confers you the title of leader of the North. I hope that you can do your part to support the citizens and will not disappoint this prince. Once Qian Zhou has been pacified, this prince will return to the capital and will personally confer you your title and officially present it to you."
Hot tears appeared in Zhao Tian Qi's eyes, as he kowtowed deeply. Without worrying about his status, he began to cry.
It had been over ten years. He had watched the North develop a foul atmosphere under Duan Mu An Guo's leadership. He had watched as the policies enacted for the North by Da Shun's court fail to reflect the reality presented by Duan Mu An Guo. To the ambitious Zhao Tian Qi, needing to work in Guan Zhou for a while was a heavy blow.
After ten years, he did not just send one or two reports to the court; however, they were all intercepted by Duan Mu An Guo's people. Eventually, he stopped sending them. Instead, he secretly kept a ledger for Duan Mu An Guo. He also kept track of every official from Da Shun that went to the North.
This day finally came for Zhao Tian Qi. He promised to Xuan Tian Ming and all of the citizens present: "The remainder of my, Zhao Tian Qi's, life will be offered to the North."
Xuan Tian Ming's army remained in Song Zhou City for another five days before setting up camp in and out of the city. They helped the citizens whose houses had been damaged by the fighting. At the same time, they sent the treasures that had been dug up from the Winter Palace over to the new prefectural office. They were recorded by Zhao Tian Qi then distributed to the citizens.
Xuan Tian Ming and Feng Yu Heng used these few days to explore the underground palace built by Duan Mu An Guo using Qian Zhou's money. At the same time, they repaired the city's defenses.
The soldiers that had been kept in Guan Zhou arrived later on. On that day, Feng Yu Heng walked on the street and somehow ended up arriving in front of the former Fu residence. In the past, although the Fu residence could not be considered a particularly wealthy family, it did still have a proper entrance. The home was not large; however, it was a proper home.
Unfortunately, the front gate had been cut down and turned into firewood. Part of the wall in the yard had collapsed. There were clear signs of fire on the inside. Upon stepping foot into the yard, she saw that the main hall had been burned beyond recognition.
Wang Chuan followed along beside her and helplessly said: "The soldiers repairing homes have not reached this side yet. It's something that will be done in the next few days." She asked Feng Yu Heng: "Young miss, do you want to go in and take a look? That girl, Fu Ya, returned home earlier this morning. Huang Quan is with her."
Feng Yu Heng was startled, "She went home?" There had been many things happening in the army over the past few days, and there were numerous people injured. She really did not have a chance to visit Fu Ya. Hearing that Fu Ya was inside, she quickly went in.
The damage to the Fu family home's front yard was severe, but the inner rooms were still fine. When Feng Yu Heng walked in, she saw Huang Quan standing at a door to a small room. Seeing Feng Yu Heng arrive, she quickly ran over and quietly said: "It seems that there is a memorial hall inside. This servant heard Fu Ya crying inside."
Feng Yu Heng faintly sighed and stepped forward. Knocking on the door, she said: "Fu Ya, may I come in?"
The inside fell silent for a moment. Following this, Fu Ya's voice could be heard: "The door isn't locked. Come in."
Feng Yu Heng pushed the door open and was assailed by the smell of charcoal. Looking up, she saw that there were a few memorial tablets lined up.
She glanced at Fu Ya then gently stepped forward. Retrieving three sticks of incense from the incense holder, she held the three in her hand and bowed three times before sticking them in the incense burner. Only then did she turn around and say to Fu Ya: "I'm sorry. This situation was a result of my incomplete thinking and poor planning. That is what caused you and your family to be implicated. I don't know how I should make it up to you. If you want, when I return to the capital with the army, I can bring you back with me. You will definitely receive good treatment."
Fu Ya looked at the girl in front of her. She had heard long ago that this was Da Shun's famed imperial daughter Ji An. Although the two had similar appearances, their statuses could not be more different.
The two sized each other up and were a little flustered. Even Feng Yu Heng questioned it once more. Could there really be two people that looked so similar in the world?
"Fu Ya." She called out to her, "Consider my suggestion."
Fu Ya smiled bitterly, "This can't be blamed on you. This was a choice that our family made. Even without you, I would have entered the Illusory Hall all the same, and I most likely would have been chosen to enter the Winter Palace. Then with Duan Mu An Guo running away and the Winter Palace sinking, perhaps I would already be dead down there. How could I still be standing here to burn incense for my parents and ancestors. It would be likely that my parents would have sent the younger generation off. Based on my mother's health, how could she endure such a blow. In the end, she would also have passed away. Speaking about it like this, I should be thanking you."
Fu Ya was quite an optimistic person. She told Feng Yu Heng: "Imperial daughter, there is no need to feel conflicted. You are my family's benefactor. If you really want to help me with something, just help me repair the residence and give me a bit of money. I wish to buy my parents a set of good coffins."
Feng Yu Heng choked up and turned away. She only looked back at her after a long while. Reaching into her sleeve, she very quickly pulled out a small pouch from her space. "There are some silver ingots in here. Use these for now. I have some banknotes here, but because of Duan Mu An Guo's governing, none of the banks here can communicate with the banks in the capital. Even if I gave it to you, you wouldn't be able to use it. Use these for now. Go back to the prefectural office with Huang Quan later. I will give you some more."
Fu Ya looked at the pouch in her hand and quickly shook her head: "No need for any more. This is enough."
Feng Yu Heng gently patted the back of her hand, "Just treat it as letting me feel a little more at ease." As she spoke, she pulled something out of her sleeve. Seeing Fu Ya's confused expression, she pulled her over to some nearby chairs and sat down, "I saw that you and I were born with many similarities, and this has left me feeling rather close to you. Allow me to fulfill my desire to be an elder sister. I will help you do your nails."
Fu Ya's nails had been left untreated for many days and had become a little long. She wanted to pull her hands back in embarrassment; however, Feng Yu Heng held them tightly. In addition to this, Fu Ya was very curious about the tools for treating nails, thus she did not continue to struggle. She paid close attention to the nail treatment process.
When all ten fingers had been treated, she did not stop lamenting: "Is this something from the capital? It's really good."
Because of the surprise of the nail clippers, she did not notice Feng Yu Heng placing a portion of the fingernails into her sleeve.