The Distinctively Different Chun Palace
Xuan Tian Hua returned to the Chun Palace with the palace servant. From when he appeared to when he stopped, he did not take a single look in Prince Lian's direction.
Feng Zhao Lian felt extremely surprised. He felt his own face and said to himself: "Could it be that this face has lost its effectiveness?" He then asked Feng Yu Heng: "Quickly help take a look for me. Could it be that I'm different from before? Has my face become disfigured? The makeup ruined?"
Feng Yu Heng was very helpless: "What's the single thread of relation between whether your face is disfigured or your makeup being ruined?"
Prince Lian did not understand exactly what this meant but was able to guess the rough meaning, thus he said with great self-confidence: "Because my face is the best in the world, there is not a single person that is its match. There has never been a person that seen this face and not wanted to look at it. Even that damn Duan Mu An Guo had become interested when he saw this face. Unless your Da Shun's seventh prince is not a man, there is no exception."
Feng Yu Heng glared at him: "Seventh brother is a man. I can guarantee that, but one surnamed Feng needs to be clear on something. You are not a woman."
"How am I..." He wanted to say how was he not a woman, but after thinking a bit, he could not say it this way, thus he changed it: "How do I not look like a woman?"
Huang Quan could not bear to continue listening and interrupted: "You do look like one. Do you think that everyone is as blind as Feng Jin Yuan? At least his Highness the ninth prince didn't think that you were a woman when he first saw you! His Highness the seventh prince is no worse than his Highness the ninth prince. It's natural that he can tell. Just stop dreaming."
Wang Chuan also nodded along, "Right, do not harm his Highness the seventh prince."
"How did it become harming him?" Feng Zhao Lian was very depressed, but there was nothing that he could do. At this time, Xuan Tian Hua's carriage had already disappeared. There was no longer any purpose in staying. After some contemplation, he felt that it would be better to orchestrate a chance encounter with the seventh prince. Either way, they all lived in the capital. There would still be plenty of opportunities. Thus he waved his hand, "Forget it, I see that Ya Ya is also quite busy. I will be going back first. Let's meet again." After saying this, he left without looking back.
Feng Yu Heng was all kinds of speechless. Pointing at Feng Zhao Lian's back, she said to the two servants: "Why do I feel that him bringing me out was for the sake of taking a look at seventh brother?"
The two servants said in unison: "Young miss only just figured it out?"
At this time, a guard appeared behind Feng Zhao Lian, and Feng Yu Heng was faintly able to hear the guard say: "Master, you must remain firm on this matter. Having your illness treated is most important. Otherwise, if this subordinate dies, I wouldn't have the face to see the prince and princess."
Feng Yu Heng helplessly waved her head, "Let's go. We're also going back." After saying this, she grabbed Zi Rui's hand and began walking back.
Zi Rui was puzzled and looked in the direction of Prince Lian, asking her elder sister: "Who was that elder sister? How did she end up looking so beautiful? She's even countless times more beautiful than our former eldest sister."
Feng Zi Rui was still young and had not seen many beautiful women. In his memories, Feng Chen Yu was the most beautiful one. But now that he saw Prince Lian, Feng Chen Yu was immediately suppressed.
Feng Yu Heng told him: "Whether it's people or matters, you cannot only look at the surface. That person just now, for example, you feel that he should be a girl, but he's actually a man. It's just that he really is very beautiful. It's such that there would always be people that think of him as a woman."
Feng Zi Rui was completely shocked.
At that time, Xuan Tian Hua's carriage advanced at full speed before finally arriving in front of the Chun Palace. From the moment that he exited the carriage, he looked toward the inside of the palace. He immediately felt that something was not quite right.
The usual low-key Chun Palace had disappeared. It had been replaced with a yard filled with flowers of all colors. There were also some small animals, with birds chirping clearly. Upon entering, he could immediately smell a fragrance wafting over; however, it was not the sandalwood that he was accustomed to using. It had been swapped for a fragrance of flowers and fruit. Although it smelled good, no matter how it smelled it, he felt that it was very feminine. The calm and quiet that he had been accustomed to had completely disappeared.
Xuan Tian Hua was completely shocked. Stepping into the palace, he found someone and had the gate closed. After taking just a few steps inside, two small dogs ran over and began circling him, but they did not bark. They just happily wagged their tails.
There were also a few very fat cats that came over and let out a few meows.
In the middle of the yard, the small birds were not held in cages. They just flew around inside the yard. From time to time, they would fly around behind him. This looked to be a very happy scene.
Xuan Tian Hua looked at the tall trees that had been moved in at some unknown point in time. There was also a bamboo fence on both sides of the yard, while colorful gauze hung between the trees. He truly believed that he had gone to the wrong place. This was not his Chun Palace. Instead, it was an exquisite grove. The entire scene was quite refreshing.
But when he looked at the servants in the palace, the way that they dressed had changed. They were no longer wearing the assigned uniforms. Instead, they were wearing what they wished. Every person wore something different. The male servants mostly wore burlap, while the female servants wore all kinds of colorful clothes. The female servants wore embroidered shoes, while the men used coarse burlap to wear as shoes. Not to mention them being barefoot, there were some that had their toes sticking out. They no longer took care of tidying up their hair, and it was all scattered, being tied up like mahua. This was the same for both men and women were the same, and not even the housekeeper could escape this fate.
This was not considered strange. When Xuan Tian Hua passed by the main yard and headed toward the second courtyard, he heard the sound of singing come from inside. There were a few words from a man, then a few words from a woman. They sang together really loudly and were shouting.
He paid attention to the lyrics for a while then gradually figured out the meaning.
The man sang: "You were on that side of the mountains! I was on this side of the mountains! You were on that side of the river! I was on this side of the river! Girl, oh girl, why do you not take one more glance at me!"
The woman sang: "I was on this side of the mountain! You were on that side of the mountain! I was on this side of the river! You were on that side of the river! Brave man, oh brave man, why do you not let me take another glance at you!"
This was a folk song!
Xuan Tian Hua had finally understood. It turned out that this was a folk song?
When he had passed through the hall and arrived in front of the yard, he finally saw the situation clearly. He saw the servants of the palace separated into two groups. There was a group of men and a group of women, with five people in each group. They stood on opposite sides of the courtyard. With hands next to their mouths, they sang to the other side. The lyrics were clearly that of a love song, but the people singing it were clearly not enthusiastic. Their expressions were all bitter.
The one at Xuan Tian Hua's side was the one that had gone out to bring him back to the palace first. He quietly said with a bitter expression: "Your Highness, this is something that must be done in the palace recently. If it's not sung to that miss' satisfaction, we are not given food to eat." As he spoke, he pointed forward and said: "There was a night when his Highness the ninth prince and imperial daughter Ji An suddenly sent that miss into the palace. They said that we must treat her as if she was a venerable ancestor, and we must do whatever she said. We had no right to refuse. If she wanted to plot a rebellion, we would have to help her." This servant was extremely puzzled, "Your Highness, who exactly is this person? Have you seen how she made this palace look? We servants were all worried that if you didn't come back soon, and there really came a day when she said that she wanted to start a rebellion, would we help her or not?"
Xuan Tian Hua facepalmed, "Yes, how could you not help. Didn't they already say that this is a venerable ancestor."
"Huh?" The servant was puzzled. She was so young, yet she was a venerable ancestor?
Xuan Tian Hua waved his hand: "Forget it. As long as she is happy, she can do what she wants! Just endure a little while longer. I will be going into the palace first to report."
Seeing that Xuan Tian Hua would be going into the palace, the servant could not stop him. Stepping to the side, he gave way. But before Xuan Tian Hua could turn around completely, a shout came from behind: "Hua'er!" Immediately following this, a fragrant breeze drifted over.
Exasperated, he could only turn back around. Just as he steadied himself, he saw a person in white charge over. His entire body was embraced. A pair of thin arms wrapped around his neck quite tightly.
"Hua'er! You've finally come back! I've missed you to death!"
Xuan Tian Hua felt like crying, "Why are you here?"
The servant that had come back with Xuan Tian Hua was extremely shocked: "Brother Tian?"
A certain person let go of Xuan Tian Hua with a smile. She then patted the guard's shoulder: "Well said, well said."
Xuan Tian Hua grabbed imperial concubine Yun's hand and walked toward a room. When they passed by the groups of singing servants, imperial concubine Yun loudly said: "You can leave for now. Let's continue tomorrow. I need to talk in private with Hua'er."
The servants had been given this order and left in a rush, fearing that she would change her mind if they were a little slow.
Xuan Tian Hua brought imperial concubine Yun into the hall of the courtyard then dismissed all of the servants. Only then did he helplessly remove the gauze covering imperial concubine Yun's face, asking her: "Didn't Ming'er send you back to the palace? Why did you come running to my place?"
Imperial concubine Yun blinked and said very seriously: "The palace, I've already gone back. I came back out."
"Did you sneak back out again?" He was a little puzzled. How great was imperial concubine Yun's ability that she was always able to escape?
Who knew that imperial concubine Yun would shake her head, "I didn't sneak out. The old man agreed to it. With his permission, I walked out of the palace under his watch."
"How could that be possible?" Xuan Tian Hua did not believe her, "How could father Emperor allow you out of the palace?"
"Why not? Hua'er doesn't know yet, right? There is someone that wants to harm me inside the palace." Imperial concubine Yun had a pitiful look, as she pouted and began venting her frustrations at Xuan Tian Hua.
What Xuan Tian Hua and Xuan Tian Ming feared the most was for their mother to use this tactic. When imperial concubine Yun showed this expression, the two would immediately soften up, "What is it? Who tried to harm you?" Xuan Tian Hua asked this then felt that something was not quite right: "There's always been someone in the palace that wanted to harm you, right? Father Emperor has not gone to the inner palace in 20 years. Those imperial concubines might have begun hating you from a long time ago."
"This time is different. They actually took action." A fierce look flashed through imperial concubine Yun's eyes, as she continued: "You probably still don't know about it, but Winter Moon Palace was set on fire by someone. Nothing was left. It's a good thing that I wasn't in the palace. If I was, I definitely would have been burned to death."
"What?" Xuan Tian Hua was extremely shocked. Even if he was a deity, he would never tolerate someone using this sort of tactic to try and harm his imperial concubine mother. "Who was it?"
Imperial concubine Yun shrugged: "How could I know. I..."
She was just about to say a few words, but a voice came from outside the room, saying: "Your Highness, there is someone outside the palace asking to see you."
Xuan Tian Hua frowned: "I will not see any guests today. Go and turn them away!"
The servant outside did not leave, saying hesitantly: "We servants tried to turn them away, but that person said that you must see them even if you do not wish to."
"Oh?" Xuan Tian Hua was startled, "Who was it that came?"
The servant replied: "He said... said that they are your... ancestor!"
Ancestor Visits
Very well! Ancestor really meant ancestor.
When Xuan Tian Hua saw the two standing at the entrance of the palace, his mind truly was on the verge of collapse.
The Emperor and Zhang Yuan were dressed up as a counselor and a servant. No matter how he looked, it was awkward. Who knew where the Emperor picked up his clothes. They were a bit skinny, and the buttons were also tight. It looked very funny.
Xuan Tian Hua did not receive them at the entrance. He just stood in the front yard. There was a bit of distance until the entrance; however, he was already able to see clearly enough.
The Emperor glared at him angrily and shouted: "You still aren't going to invite this ancestor in!"
Xuan Tian Hua felt his head swell; however, he quickly waved to the guards at the gate: "Let them in!"
The guards never thought that this old man would say such a rude thing, yet he was still permitted to enter the Chun Palace. Also, when they looked at the seventh prince, it seemed that he was not angry. What sort of situation was this? Recently, the Chun Palace had been too weird! First, there was a strange woman, and now there was a strange man. The word ancestor had been used haphazardly, right? His Highness the seventh prince was a prince. His ancestor would be...
The guards all clearly had the same thoughts, as they subconsciously looked at each other. They all saw the same message in the others' eyes. Someone silently mouthed: "The Emperor?"
The others nodded. In this world, who, aside from the Emperor, would dare to say that sort of thing to his Highness the seventh prince?
Thus they withered. What was it that they had just done? They had stopped the Emperor! Did they no longer want to live? They had not lived long!
Everyone lowered their heads and began counting the days that they had left to live.
Speaking of the Emperor and Zhang Yuan, the two entered the yard and were welcomed first by the cats and dogs inside the Chun Palace.
Animals did not care for a person's status. Also, these were animals that liked humans. Upon seeing that someone had come, they very happily charged forward. While wagging their tails, they dove forward!
The Emperor was stunned at first then reacted to what was happening. He looked around the Chun Palace in surprise. From the forest of flowers to the birds flying around, from the cats and dogs running around to the bamboo fences, his gaze finally landed on the colorful gauze that hung from the trees. For some reason, his eyes suddenly became moist.
Raising a hand to wipe his face, he no longer had the same majesty as before. It was replaced with a look of oldness that he had never wanted to acknowledge, as he looked very nostalgic.
Zhang Yuan was able to understand a bit and took half a step back, giving way to the Emperor.
The Emperor turned to the left and walked toward a fence that had a sky blue piece of gauze hanging from it. That piece of gauze was not large. It was a long strip and was roughly the length of half of a forearm; however, it dragged the Emperor's thoughts back to over 20 years ago.
At that time, he had left the palace in plain clothes. He was middle-aged and had deliberately escaped from the guards at his side. He entered the mountains on his own. He ended up straying into a village. A young girl that had just become of marriageable age saw that his arm had been tugged at by some small animals, and she was very anxious. Retrieving some medicinal herbs from the mountain, she tore her own dress to take care of the wound. She also asked the village leader on his behalf to allow him to stay temporarily.
He had been born into the imperial family. The girls that he had met were all noble. They would not expose their feet when walking, nor reveal their teeth when smiling. Any bad behaviors would be corrected by the families.
But the girls of that village were totally refreshing and completely changed his views. It allowed him to understand that girls with their sleeves rolled up to reveal some skin were actually quite beautiful. It turned out that girls could also wade into rivers barefoot with their pant legs rolled up to try and catch fish. It turned out that girls could also get mad and curse at people. They were also able to loudly express their love toward someone in front of others. At the same time, they could smile as though these were things in line with the desires of the heavens and the earth. There was no need to feel embarrassed nor worry about being mocked by others.
And if you agreed, you would take her hand and visit her parents. In a few instants after bowing to the heaven and the earth, you could live together happily. If you did not agree, you would also say it clearly. The girl would not feel too ashamed. They would continue smiling while advising you to find the girl of your dreams. They would then turn around and continue singing or dancing if they wanted. They would very quickly cast these thoughts to the back of their minds.
He was a very able person, and his appearance naturally was not plain. In addition to this, with him being from the imperial family, he was good in both martial arts and academics. He very quickly gained some fame within the village. During one bonfire gathering, there were six girls that had expressed their love to him; however, he only accepted the hand of the girl that had torn her dress to treat his wound. Her name was Yun Pian Pian.
Yun Pian Pian did not know what sort of person he was at that time; however, she was duty-bound to not turn back, thus she married him. The two lived together for a very long time until a plague started and ruined this entire situation. If it was not for the Emperor taking her away at a timely moment, perhaps Yun Pian Pian would have lost her life as well.
The two left the mountain, and the guards received them. They found the best doctors to treat her, and Yun Pian Pian finally discovered what sort of person her husband was.
The Emperor had begun reminiscing and did not want to stop for a long time. Xuan Tian Hua, however, could not allow him to continue reminiscing, thus he went forward and quietly called out to him: "Father Emperor." His voice was clean and was most adept at calming people down.
The Emperor regained his senses and put on a bitter smile. He reached out and poked the piece of gauze; however, he knew that it was not the same piece as before.
"Your mother... is she well?" He asked Xuan Tian Hua, "You just returned to the capital and should have seen her, right?"
Xuan Tian Hua nodded but smiled bitterly, saying: "When has mother ever grieved her situation. Father Emperor should know just by looking at what she did to son's palace. She's very well."
The Emperor was a bit emotional and asked Xuan Tian Hua: "You... can you think of a way to have her see me?" Regardless of whether they were inside the palace or not, the Emperor did not dare go and see imperial concubine Yun rashly. He had called to her from the outside and messed around. He had the ability to stir up trouble; however, he definitely did not have the courage to push the door open and enter. In his heart, Yun Pian Pian was above all else. Back then, if he had not been in a rush to treat her illness, he would have done everything to ensure that he did not expose his identity so easily.
The Emperor's request caused Xuan Tian Hua to feel troubled. He said: "When the servant came by earlier, mother said that if father Emperor came, she... would not see you."
"She won't." This reply was not too unexpected; however, he still put in some effort: "Go and say to your mother that We... just say that I came to ask and see if there is anything that she wants added to Winter Moon Palace while it's being repaired."
Xuan Tian Hua was helpless and could only say: "Then father Emperor, please wait here for a while. Son will go and ask."
He quickly left. At the same time, he brought along all of the servants in the front yard. Imperial concubine Yun had created a garden in the second courtyard. Seeing that Xuan Tian Hua had come over, she took the initiative to speak without waiting for him to speak: "I said that I will not meet with him no matter what. I already saw him once in the palace. We will meet once every 20 years. Just go back and tell him that."
Xuan Tian Hua helplessly returned but saw that the Emperor was no longer standing. Instead, he was sitting with his legs crossed. Facing the bamboo fence and garden, he was petting a small dog that was sticking to him.
He sighed to himself but did not know how to pass along what imperial concubine Yun had said. Seeing each other once every 20 years. How should he tell this old father?
He just sighed faintly and walked forward. Sitting down cross-legged at the Emperor's side, he said: "Son has just returned from the East and wanted to go into the palace to report after seeing mother. Since father Emperor has come, son will tell you about the situation in the East."
The Emperor nodded. It was as though the earlier matters had never happened. He just said: "Speak."
The Chun Palace had been completely changed. On the other side, after Feng Yu Heng dragged Zi Rui back to the imperial daughter's manor, she found that Feng Jin Yuan still had not left. He sat in front of the imperial daughter's manor and was sleeping.
She walked forward and stopped in front of Feng Jin Yuan; however, because he was in too deep of a sleep, he did not notice that there was someone at his side.
Feng Yu Heng looked at this father. He was not yet 40 years old, yet there was already quite a bit of white hair near his temples. His face was also getting quite wrinkled. Even though his eyes were closed, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were still visible.
She admitted that she had never been a benevolent type; however, it was not to the point that she would not leave people with a chance at life. Even if Feng Jin Yuan had tried to harm her many times, she had left him alive.
For example, she knew that Feng Jin Yuan had come for a matter. For this person to remain outside for an entire night without leaving, it was not something that Feng Jin Yuan could do. Thinking about it, it was definitely something difficult that he would request of her.
Feng Yu Heng thought about it. If the request was not too excessive, and she could provide some help, it was possible that she could help. Thus she coughed and tried to get the person on the steps to wake up.
Feng Jin Yuan was immediately woken up. Upon seeing that Feng Yu Heng had returned, his eyes immediately became joyful. His gaze then landed on Zi Rui. An intense fatherly feeling that he had never felt before suddenly appeared.
He spread his arms and shouted toward Zi Rui, full of expectation: "Son, come to father's side."
He thought at first that Zi Rui would happily dive into his embrace. As a result, the child just calmly looked at him then politely cupped his hands. This could be considered as having given a greeting, but he did not even call out to him.
Feng Jin Yuan's gaze immediately landed on the hand that was missing a finger. This caught his attention and reminded him again and again of what he had done to his children. His old face immediately became gloomier. The arms that he had spread remained lifted. He could neither put them down nor keep them lifted. He felt very embarrassed.
Feng Yu Heng could not bear to continue watching this and tugged at Zi Rui, saying gently: "Father is calling you. You should say something."
Zi Rui looked at his elder sister. Although he looked puzzled, he still listened to her and called out without any emotion: "Father."
"Hah! Hah!" Feng Jin Yuan immediately felt emotional, and a couple of old tears appeared in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away and finally felt a bit relieved of the awkwardness.
Feng Zi Rui, however, was completely unmoved by this. It was as though Feng Jin Yuan was putting on a play, which caused him to feel weary.
"Father did not leave for an entire night. Is there something that you need from me?" Feng Yu Heng did not want to put on a performance, thus she went ahead and asked.
Feng Jin Yuan heard her and quickly stood up. He had not slept for an entire night, and he had also sat there for the majority of the day. It was such that he swayed a bit upon standing up.
In the end, Zi Rui was still a child. He hated the person before him, but when he saw that he was about to faint, he still subconsciously went to support him.
Feng Jin Yuan was so emotional that he wanted to pat Zi Rui's head; however, Zi Rui dodged this and quickly returned to his elder sister's side. He did not force the issue. He just laughed at himself. For some reason, he unexpectedly asked a question that caused Feng Yu Heng to lose all of her kind feelings. He said: "The girl that came to find you this morning. Are you two familiar? Where did she go?"
A Leopard Cannot Change its Spots
Feng Yu Heng felt that she was truly too generous of a person. How could she be so foolish as to pity Feng Jin Yuan at a time like this? How could she feel that this person would change after his experiences?
A leopard cannot change its spots. This was the best way to describe someone like Feng Jin Yuan.
Zi Rui did not know what sort of situation had occurred at the imperial daughter's manor in the morning and could not help but ask: "What girl?"
Feng Yu Heng said: "The one that you met earlier."
"Oh." Zi Rui nodded but was still puzzled, "What is father looking for them for?"
Feng Yu Heng snorted coldly, "What do you think?"
Feng Zi Rui was very smart and understood his father very well. Now that his sister had said this, he immediately understood; however, he also recalled what his elder sister had said earlier. Thus he said to Feng Jin Yuan: "Whether it's people or situations, you must not look at just the surface. That girl that you are speaking of, for example. There is a possibility that it's a man."
These words could not possibly be any more normal. The original intent was to say that Feng Jin Yuan's eyes were bad for viewing Feng Zhao Lian as a female. But when Feng Jin Yuan heard them, they had their meaning slightly change. He felt that this brat was taunting him and his body's situation. Instead of saying "a woman might be a man" it was "a man might be a woman."
Feng Jin Yuan immediately wanted to lose his temper. He felt that this son had truly been born for the sole purpose of humiliating him. It would be better to just strangle this sort of child to death.
But just as the anger began to burn, it was immediately quelled. In the end, he was still able to maintain a bit of reason. He knew the reason he had come today. It had been for the sake of asking for help. If he began to argue with Feng Zi Rui, perhaps he would have waited a night in vain.
Thus he forcefully suppressed his anger. He wanted to bring up the main topic with Feng Yu Heng; however, he heard Feng Yu Heng speak first: "Father, you waited in front of my imperial daughter's manor for a night. There must be something that you need of me?"
"Hah!" Feng Jin Yuan subconsciously replied.
However, he heard Feng Yu Heng continue: "It shouldn't be just for the sake of inquiring about that right?" While she said this, her face was filled with disdain.
Feng Jin Yuan repeatedly shook his head, "No, no, of course not."
She nodded, "Then that's good." She then walked into the manor while saying: "Then come in. It happens that I have something to discuss with father too."
Feng Jin Yuan was stunned. There was something that she wanted to discuss with him? This sounded good! Since Feng Yu Heng wanted to discuss something with him, it was the equivalent of giving him some room to negotiate. Of course, it could not truly be considered a negotiation. At least, he would not be too passive this time around.
Thinking like this, he became a bit more alert. He followed behind Feng Yu Heng and went to the main hall. They sat down, and the servants began pouring tea. Feng Jin Yuan felt anxious and rushed to ask: "What is there that you wanted to request of me?"
"Hm?" Feng Yu Heng was startled, "Request?" She then laughed, "Father, what sort of joke is that. What is there that I could ask of you? Also, even if I made a request, what could you accomplish?"
Feng Jin Yuan felt as though his tongue was tied. If she was not making a request, what did she mean by wanting to discuss something with him?
Before he could ask, Feng Yu Heng began speaking once more: "There is indeed a matter, but it's not a request. I figure it should be considered a warning." While speaking, she pulled Zi Rui slightly, who was seated on the same chair as her. She said to Feng Jin Yuan: "Zi Rui is the son of the first wife of the Feng family. Father hasn't forgotten about that, right?"
Feng Jin Yuan was puzzled, "How could I forget about that?"
"Then that's good." She nodded and continued: "As a father, you have a responsibility to provide for the growth of your children. Father has no objections to this, right?"
Feng Jin Yuan still did not understand; however, he knew that Feng Yu Heng was correct, thus he said: "Naturally."
"Un." Feng Yu Heng was very satisfied and finally brought up the main topic: "Since that is the case, would father prepare the school fees to send Zi Rui to school from this Autumn until next Autumn. Zi Rui will be going back to Xiao Zhou to attend the academy."
"Hm?" Feng Jin Yuan finally reacted, "What did you say?"
Feng Yu Heng repeated herself: "I said for father to prepare the school fees for Zi Rui."
"School fees?" Feng Jin Yuan's mind went "boom." He finally understood what Feng Yu Heng's words meant. Zi Rui was the son of the first wife of the Feng family, and he was the head of the Feng family. Preparing money for the son of the first wife could not be any more normal, but... but what money did he have?
Feng Jin Yuan had a very awkward expression on his face. At present, there was not a single cent in the Feng residence's funds. They relied on money being sent each month by the fifth prince to survive. But who knew how the fifth prince calculated it. Aside from the cost of servants and usual expenses, not a single cent extra remained. It was often the case that just as one month's allowance was used up, the next month's would arrive. It was lined up perfectly. Now that he was asked to provide the school fees for Zi Rui, he was truly troubled.
Feng Yu Heng was clear on the situation and sneered to herself; however, she did not say anything else. But Feng Zi Rui was unhappy. Frowning, he asked: "Could it be that father doesn't want to provide the school fees for Zi Rui? Does father feel that Zi Rui is holding the Feng family back?"
Feng Jin Yuan quickly said: "No, no, how should I say it."
"Since that's not the case, why is it that when elder sister brings up the school fees, father looks so troubled? You are someone that has been a prime minister, and you have been the top-scoring scholar. Could it be that father doesn't know what it means to study? Could it be that father doesn't want for the Feng family to make a recovery? Oh." As he spoke, he suddenly realized something, "I forgot that father's hopes for the Feng family have never been with the males. As father sees it, boys that become the top scholars will only be officials. But girls are different. Girls can climb to the highest positions. It's such that countless people will need make considerations for them. Their maternal family will also rise along with them to be below one and above all else. Father, my analysis is correct, right?"
These few words had completely summarized what Feng Jin Yuan had thought of Feng Chen Yu in the past. It was such that Feng Jin Yuan felt a little dazed. Since when had this young son begun to understand such reasoning?
Thinking like this, he immediately thought of Feng Yu Heng. Right, it must have been Feng Yu Heng that had taught Zi Rui about these concepts. Otherwise, based on Zi Rui's age and him not being at home, how could he have analyzed it so thoroughly?
When he thought of this, he could not stop himself from looking toward Feng Yu Heng. His attitude also became antagonistic.
Feng Yu Heng did not think much of it, but Zi Rui was very angry. He asked Feng Jin Yuan: "Father, what are you looking at elder sister for? There's something that Zi Rui has always found rather strange. Since father has always wanted to use daughters to accomplish his goals, why do you treat elder sister so poorly? Not to mention that eldest sister having already passed away, but even if she was still alive, based on eldest sister's abilities, she cannot possibly compare to elder sister in terms of merit. Moreover, could father really not clearly see the situation back then? Precisely who it is that the Emperor wants to give the world to, did father really not know? Zi Rui really cannot understand how the Feng family could treat my elder sister like this, despite her merits."
Feng Jin Yuan truly wanted to find a crack to crawl into from being scolded by this son; however, he heard Feng Yu Heng sneered. He then saw her pat Zi Rui's head and say: "There's no point in bringing this up with father. He doesn't even want to pay for your school fees. With this sort of father, no matter how bright our futures are, we cannot favor him in the slightest. Just treat him like a stranger."
"No, no! You must not!" Feng Jin Yuan became anxious, "A-Heng, what sort of thing are you saying? Blood relations must not be cut off. How can we treat each other like strangers?"
Feng Yu Heng asked him: "You even view us as enemies. Isn't treating you as a stranger intimate enough? What more do you want?"
Zi Rui also said: "That's right! For the sake of getting rid of me and elder sister, you spent quite a bit of money. All of this money added together, it's enough for the school fees, right? Father really is generous."
Feng Jin Yuan refuted it directly, "There is no such thing! Those are unfounded accusations. They're all unfounded accusations!"
Feng Zi Rui's little face puffed up in anger; however, Feng Yu Heng had become accustomed to Feng Jin Yuan's actions. She just pulled Zi Rui into her embrace to calm him down. Only then did she ask: "Then father's meaning is?"
"Zi Rui is my Feng family's son of the first wife. Father will definitely need to pay for the school fees. I wonder how much a year of school fees at Yun Lu Academy is?"
Feng Yu Heng laughed to herself. This was not the first time that Zi Rui went to school. The previous time, it was the matriarch that had withdrawn money from the communal funds, and she had supplemented a large portion. This way, Zi Rui's first time going out would not be shabby. But Feng Jin Yuan did not understand this. Now that she asked for school fees, he ended up agreeing; however, she did not know what sort of reaction he would have after hearing the amount.
"150 taels." Feng Yu Heng calmly said: "That is just the school fees. If we add in food, living accommodation and daily necessities, 200 taels would be the bare minimum for a year. But we know that the Feng residence is no longer doing as well as it did in the past. That's why we will not ask father for too much. Father only needs to provide the 150 taels for the school fees. I will handle the remainder."
She spoke casually; however, Feng Jin Yuan inhaled sharply.
150 tael?
It had to be said that the fifth prince provided no more than 50 taels each month. Those 50 taels, put plainly, were for the servants and for his own daily needs. It was not even enough for the Cheng shi sisters, An shi, Xiang Rong or Fen Dai. Fen Dai would naturally be taken care of by the fifth prince. An shi and Xiang Rong had a shop. the Cheng shi sisters spent most of their time in the palace, taking care of the Empress.
But even if that was the case, how could he bring out 150 taels even if he did not eat or drink?
Sweat appeared on Feng Jin Yuan's brow. The money provided by the fifth prince came each month. He wouldn't be able to save enough if he started now, right? In truth, 150 taels was not a large sum of money. If this was in the past, he would not have paid close attention to it. He would have just gone and taken it out of the communal funds.
However, the current Feng residence was no longer thriving as it had before. How should he acquire 150 taels?
TN: The title of this chapter uses the Chinese version of the idiom: "Can't stop a dog from eating poop."
Heaven and Earth
The formerly brilliant left prime minister was now in dire straits because of 150 taels. When Feng Jin Yuan left the imperial daughter's manor, he did not understand how exactly he had fallen to the ground from heaven. Why exactly had he fallen like this.
Unfortunately, after thinking left and right, he still arrived at the same conclusion: He had chosen to hug the wrong leg.
His son's school fees, huh. On the way back to the Feng residence from the imperial daughter's manor, Feng Jin Yuan only had that one thought. How should he manage to scrape together the school fees for Zi Rui. If he could not even scrape that amount together, how should he bring up wanting to have Feng Yu Heng treat his problem? How should he bring up wanting to have Feng Yu Heng introduce him to a job to earn money?
He had gone with the original intent of asking for help. In the end, he returned with a debt. Feng Jin Yuan found that this second daughter really did not suffer a single loss!
In the blink of an eye, he had returned to the Feng residence. He got out of the carriage and happened to run into Fen Dai, who had also just returned. Feng Jin Yuan wanted to ask Fen Dai where she had gone, but no words came out when he opened his mouth. No matter what was said, he still needed to rely on this fourth daughter at home. He could not offend everyone all at once.
He prepared to lower his head and walk in, but him not paying attention to Fen Dai did not mean that Fen Dai would let him go so easily. In regards to this father, Fen Dai had already had enough. She looked down on Feng Jin Yuan. When she saw Feng Jin Yuan return in a sorry state, she knew immediately that things did not go well, thus she could not help but mock him: "What is it, could it be that when you went to ask your imperial daughter second daughter to arrange a good job for you, you ran into another problem?"
Feng Jin Yuan said in a subdued voice: "I still didn't bring it up with her."
"You didn't bring it up?" Fen Dai was puzzled, "I heard that you waited outside the imperial daughter's manor for a day and a night. How is it that you didn't actually bring up the important matters? What did you end up doing?"
Feng Jin Yuan was also feeling depressed. What did he do? He didn't accomplish his goals and ended up taking on a debt. But he could not say this to Fen Dai. Zi Rui's school fees were something that he had wanted to take on. Only by expressing himself on this matter could he hope to have Feng Yu Heng begin to change her feelings toward him.
At present, he was already very clear on many things. Fen Dai and the fifth prince were just a small benefit for the time being. If the Feng family was to make a comeback, and if he was to stand up once more, the one he would need to rely on was Feng Yu Heng.
With this in mind, Feng Jin Yuan did not think too much of Fen Dai's provocation and taunting. He was understanding. Once the father-daughter relationship with Feng Yu Heng had been recovered, what would Fen Dai be considered? She was just the daughter of a concubine, and the fifth prince was just a prince that was disliked. How could he be compared to the ninth prince.
He straightened out his back and coldly looked at Fen Dai, forcefully saying: "Father went out to handle some business. When has it been up to you to worry about it so much?"
Feng Jin Yuan suddenly becoming strict gave Fen Dai a fright. She subconsciously shrieked: "Have you gone crazy? After being instigated by Feng Yu Heng, you've come here to act crazy to me? What are you thinking?" Fen Dai had never been one to care about others. Standing in front of the entrance, she began to argue with Feng Jin Yuan, "You are currently living in my place, eating my stuff, wearing my stuff, using my stuff, yet you still dare to act crazy with me? Are you insane?"
Feng Jin Yuan became furious: "You are my daughter! I raised you! Could it be that you're only able to feel unreconciled toward the Feng residence and can't share its burdens? Don't think that I will fall to the lowest point because of this. I will tell you that I, Feng Jin Yuan, will make a comeback eventually. Sooner or later, the Feng residence will return to its former glory. When that time comes, lowly daughter of a concubine, do not regret it!"
The sudden firmness of Feng Jin Yuan startled Fen Dai. Just as she was about to fire back, the servant at her side, Dong Ying, tugged at her and whispered into her ear: "Fourth young miss, it's most likely that the imperial daughter promised some sort of benefit."
Fen Dai's heart went "thunk," and she suddenly realized that it was not completely impossible for Feng Yu Heng and Feng Jin Yuan to reconcile. The reason that she dared to act so arrogantly was that Feng Jin Yuan was relying on her and the fifth prince to continue surviving. But once Feng Yu Heng spoke, Feng Jin Yuan's current actions would not be empty nonsense.
Feng Yu Heng had the power to allow the Feng family return to its former glory. She still remembered that the fifth prince had once said: If imperial daughter so desires, the Feng family's recovery would happen in a single night.
She froze in place and continuously wondered about this possibility. She could not help but begin to feel afraid. She did not want to return to the past. She did not want to return to a time when she did not even have a right to speak as the daughter of a concubine. But all of this depended on Feng Yu Heng. Did she have the ability to control it?
Just as she was thinking about it, she saw some horses galloping over before stopping in front of the Feng residence.
The person that got off of the horse looked like a guard. Based on the clothes, it could be seen that he was a guard for the imperial daughter's manor. That guard hopped off of the horse and arrived in front of Feng Jin Yuan. Handing over a wooden box to Feng Jin Yuan, he said: "Master Feng, this is something that imperial daughter wanted this subordinate to deliver."
Feng Jin Yuan was puzzled: "What is it? Why did she not give it to me earlier?"
The guard said: "The imperial daughter forgot about it earlier and only just remembered. The thing inside is a gift that imperial daughter brought back from Qian Zhou. They all came from the imperial family of Qian Zhou. Would master Feng please take care of it."
Feng Jin Yuan felt a little emotional. It had been taken from the imperial family of Qian Zhou. He knew that Feng Yu Heng and Xuan Tian Ming had already conquered Qian Zhou. One could only imagine what sort of treasure lay inside this exquisite little box. That second daughter of his truly had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. It seemed that him waiting for a day and night was not in vain.
"Alright, I will accept it. Please pass along my thanks." Feng Jin Yuan held the box in his hand and watched the guard depart. When he turned back around, he saw Fen Dai staring straight at the wooden box, a look of greed and unwillingness filled her eyes. Feng Jin Yuan snorted coldly then walked into the courtyard.
Fen Dai, however, gritted her teeth and quickly gave chase. She stopped Feng Jin Yuan before he could get very far and said: "Father won't open it to see what's inside?"
Feng Jin Yuan knew what she was thinking. This fourth daughter was extremely greedy. If there were nice things inside, she would naturally try to do her best to get it. But he was not afraid. Things taken from the imperial family of Qian Zhou would not be shabby. The box did not seem to be light in weight. When the time came, he could take any one item and use it to repay the fifth prince for the kindness of taking care of the family. From there, the Feng family would no longer owe him anything.
Thinking like this, he nodded, "Alright, although any item brought out will be extremely valuable, in order to thank the fifth prince for taking care of us for a year, I will choose something to repay him." While saying this, he carefully opened the box.
However, the expected scene did not appear. The box was filled with countless fingers. They were all squeezed together, and the blood caused Feng Jin Yuan to let out a yelp then throw the box onto the ground.
Fen Dai was also given a fright. Looking at the ground, she was so frightened that her feet trembled. She was only able to stand with the help of the servants.
Feng Jin Yuan hoarsely said: "What is this? What is this thing?"
At this time, a servant ran over from the entrance and loudly said: "Master, the subordinate riding the horse from earlier came back with a message before leaving. He said that these are the fingers of all of the members of Qian Zhou's imperial family. They were given to master to allow you to remember how young master Zi Rui's hand became crippled."
The gatekeeper finished repeating this message then ran back.
The ground was littered in broken fingers and nearly caused Feng Jin Yuan to become paralyzed. He stared in a daze, as the panic in his heart reached a limit.
But Fen Dai was very quick to recover. Forcing herself from looking at the broken fingers on the ground, she began cackling. Following this, she said in an even more taunting tone: "After a trip out, you've gained some prestige. I really thought you managed to obtain some benefits from going to the imperial daughter's manor and thought that Feng Yu Heng had changed her mind to help you. Who knew, really who knew, Feng Jin Yuan, you really had the same outcome as these broken fingers! Harming your daughter and killing your son, don't even think of making a comeback in this life!"
Faced with Fen Dai's insults, Feng Jin Yuan did not have the strength to fight back. Sitting on the ground, his mind was a complete mess.
At this time inside the imperial daughter's manor, Feng Zi Rui looked up and asked Feng Yu Heng: "Elder sister, do you think that father can afford the 150 taels?"
Feng Yu Heng said: "That's definitely not possible, but if he's willing to think of something, he should be able to scrape it together."
"Oh?" Zi Rui thought for a bit then asked: "Then what if he isn't able to scrape that amount together? Elder sister, could it be that you don't have the 150 taels, and Zi Rui won't be able to go back to school in Xiao Zhou?"
Feng Yu Heng smiled bitterly, "Silly child, do you really think that we're missing that bit of money! Not to mention 150 taels, even if it was one-and-a-half million taels, your elder sister could afford it. Also, don't you still have your brother-in-law? What are you worried about. The reason that I had him spend this money is to have him take on the responsibility of a father, and the reason that I sent him that box of fingers is to have him know that all of his past doings have not been forgotten. If he wants to be a father once more, I will not object, but if he still has some bad ideas, Zi Rui, remember that you absolutely must not be courteous to someone that has tried to kill you."
Zi Rui forcefully nodded with a look of maturity in his eyes that should not be in the eyes of someone so young, "Elder sister, don't worry. Zi Rui has not forgotten about the suffering of the past. Regardless of whether it's the three years in the Northwest or the time after we came back, all of them have been remembered in my heart. Everyone aspires for a filial relation between father and child, but if he continues to treat us as before, Zi Rui definitely will not be polite!"
Feng Yu Heng smiled with satisfaction, "My Zi Rui has grown up."
"Zi Rui is already nine years old." He emphasized, "I am a grown man. I can protect elder sister."
"Alright, elder sister will be protected by you in the future." She hugged Zi Rui; however, there was something that she had to tell him: "I will bring you to the other residence to see mother. She really misses you."
Zi Rui was stunned and was a bit against it; however, he did not refuse. He just nodded, "Elder sister can make the decision."
"Un." She continued: "We will be going next door to eat dinner with grandfather's family. We'll go and see the uncles, aunties and cousins."
"Then when will I go back to Xiao Zhou?" The child looked up and asked her.
Feng Yu Heng thought for a bit, "Just wait until after eldest cousin's wedding has ended."
"Alright." Zi Rui nodded but said: "It's just a pity that once I leave, elder sister will be the only one left in this imperial daughter's manor. Elder sister, quickly grow up. Once you become of age, you can marry into the Yu Palace. Like that, I can be at ease when I'm away for school."
Year 23 of Tian Wu's rule, Yao Shu's wedding took place on the sixth day of the eighth month...
Yao Shu's Wedding
The sixth day of the eighth month was set by the Lu family. As the left prime minister Lu Song said, that day was carefully calculated by someone that they had asked. It was a very auspicious day.
Yao Xian had never been one to pay much attention to such things. Either way, the sixth sounded fine, thus he nodded and agreed.
However, who knew that this day would see heavy rains. The rain started at dawn and continued with no signs of stopping even when Yao Shu went to meet the bride. There was nothing that the Yao family could do and could only prepare a raincoat to have Yao Shu quickly leave. The outside of the sedan was covered in a rain cloth to prevent it from getting wet.
Yao Shu hurried over and finally arrived at the gates of the Lu family's home. The Lu family had no room for complaints. After all, this was a day that they had chosen, and it was raining on this great day. They had no place to vent their frustrations. It was just a pity that Lu Yao's beautiful clothes would end up getting a bit wet no matter how careful she was.
In her bright-red wedding dress, Lu Yao's face was a little green with anger. In her heart, she complained about the person that had chosen this day. What sort of auspicious day was this. This was clearly an unlucky day.
Fortunately, the Yao family's bridal sedan was very proper. She bent at the waist and entered the sedan, immediately leaving the rain on the outside. The corners of Lu Yao's lips curled into a smile; however, she felt a little worried and anxious. After thinking back and forth, she could not find the source of this anxiety.
At this time, there were a large number of people gathered around the entrance of the Yao manor. Although it was raining, the people were still in good moods. After all, this was the first celebration since the Yao family had returned to the capital. Also, the one getting married was the daughter of the first wife of the left prime minister's manor. This was an extremely important matter in the capital.
The people began discussing in small groups, "It must be said that the Yao family really has a deep relationship with prime ministers. Thinking back, the only daughter had married into the left prime minister's manor. Now, the eldest grandson is marrying one from the left prime minister's manor."
"But the two prime ministers cannot be compared. There is absolutely no chance of Feng Jin Yuan making a comeback; however, the Lu family is at its apex and is being relied upon by the Emperor."
"Hah! That is not so simple to say. Who is able to accurately say what will happen in the future. The left prime minister of our court has never had any good ending. Who knows how long this Lu family can survive for."
This sort of quiet voice was successfully covered up by the heavy rain. At the entrance of the Yao manor, the adults went out to receive the guests, but the younger generation was looking forward to wearing their special clothes. In regards to their eldest brother getting married, these younger brothers were very intrigued.
Feng Yu Heng naturally also went to receive the guests as the younger cousin. Even Feng Zi Rui stood at her side, loudly announcing the arrival of the bride.
Very quickly, Yao Shu's procession entered their sight. The band that had been stationed near the Yao manor's entrance immediately began playing, while the fireworks also began to ignite despite the rain.
Finally, Yao Shu rode the horse and stopped in front of the manor's entrance. When the wedding sedan was steadied, he leaped off of the horse and personally went to the side of the sedan to wait for the bride to come out.
What kicking of the sedan door or shooting of arrows, there were no arrangements for such things. To the Yao family, getting married meant that they would be a family. There was no need for the wife to start things off with a bang.
In truth, everyone knew that a girl marrying into the Yao manor was an extremely great fortune. Not to mention the formidable Feng Yu Heng, who would be their relative and would provide them with stability for three generations, there was also the Yao family's rule that said men must not take concubines. This was already something worthy of envy. Only having one person in their life. How hard was this to come by in this world!
Lu Yao got out of the sedan, and Yao Shu supported her while holding a red umbrella. Although it could not prevent the wedding dress from getting wet, Lu Yao was being taken very good care of. Yao Shu held the majority of the umbrella over her head.
At the same time, a wedding official scattered some copper coins toward the onlooking crowd,. The citizens said "congratulations" while picking up the reward money.
Someone could faintly be heard saying: "Getting married on a rainy day, this bride really is amazing. I wonder if the Yao family's young man will be able to tame her."
While they spoke, the bride and bridegroom had already gone up the stairs. For some reason, Lu Yao suddenly stumbled when passing by Feng Yu Heng. Her entire body began to fall toward Feng Yu Heng.
Feng Yu Heng did not raise her voice and supported her. It looked as though she just helped straighten her out, but she had used a bit of strength to hold Lu Yao up.
"The ground is slippery. Cousin-in-law must be careful." There was a smile on her face, but her voice was emotionless.
Under the bridal veil, Lu Yao snorted quietly and did not give her thanks. She just awkwardly turned around. It was Yao Shu that quickly thanked Feng Yu Heng. Once the two were standing well once more, they began to walk into the manor.
At this time, one of the keen-eyed guests noticed the gold bracelet that Lu Yao had exposed, and they could not help but exclaim: "That bracelet is really beautiful!"
Someone in the know quickly said: "How could it not be beautiful? That was something that craftsman Bai personally worked on at imperial daughter Ji An's request."
Craftsman Bai? Heavens, this sort of person can only be moved by someone of imperial daughter Ji An's status."
"But of course, the Lu family is getting married to the Yao family. Although it looks like the daughter of the prime minister is getting married, but who knew that the Lu family is the one that has gotten a great deal."
The people began to discuss it; however, they also began to follow behind the bride and bridegroom. Because of the heavy rain, the Yao family had set up large umbrellas in the front yard beforehand. When the people were walking under the umbrellas they did not need to worry about getting soaked.
Feng Yu Heng dragged Zi Rui and followed their cousins inside. Zi Rui was small and wanted to check out the excitement. Second cousin, Yao Sen, simply picked up him to give him a good look.
The main courtyard's hall was the wedding hall. At this time, Yao Xian sat to the left side of the wedding hall. Yao Shu's father, Yao Jing Jun sat on the right side, and standing at Yao Jing Jun's side was his wife, Xu shi.
Yao Xian's expression did not appear to be very celebratory. It just looked a little solemn. Yao Jing Jun and Xu shi were outwardly celebratory and could not hide it.
After all, the Yao family's nature was to be kind-hearted. As they saw it, there were no bad people in the world. There was only Feng Jin Yuan, who had truly been misjudged. But at the very least, no matter what happened, as long as someone entered the Yao family's gates, they would treat them exceptionally well. If that person truly did not know what was good for them, they would then be taken care of.
The person officiating the wedding today was the right prime minister, Fung Qing. He had been sent by the Emperor. First, the right prime minister was close with the ninth prince and Feng Yu Heng. Second, it was to have him work with the left prime minister. This would give the court a more intimate feeling.
First, they bowed to the heaven and earth. Second, they bowed to their parents. The couple then bowed to each other before they were sent to the bridal chamber. Everything was going smoothly. Aside from Lu Yao nearly falling while outside the manor, this wedding was completed without any trouble. Even that slip was viewed as extremely normal given the heavy rain.
Feng Yu Heng did not think that there was anything wrong with Lu Yao falling. At that time, she had seen that Lu Yao had accidentally stepped on her own dress, in addition to the steps being slippery. Losing her balance could not have been any more normal. It was just that the angle of her fall was a bit artful, going straight toward her. Was she wanting to cause trouble for her immediately after marrying into the family? She smiled bitterly and thought to herself: Lu Yao, oh Lu Yao, you're marrying into the Yao family, not my imperial daughter's manor. Moreover, your Lu family is wanting to curry favor with me and Xuan Tian Ming. Your actions are going against your lord father's wishes!
With the bride and bridegroom being sent to the bridal chamber, the one taking care of the guests returned to the front yard and sat down under the umbrellas.
Because of the Emperor's respect for this marriage and the Emperor's relationship with Yao Xian and to give a bit of face to Lu Song, all of the princes in the capital were in attendance. They also brought along their consorts. Even the fifth prince brought Fen Dai along.
As for Feng Yu Heng, she was an imperial daughter. She should be in a seat of honor, but she was also a relative of the Yao family. It was natural that she would sit with the members of the Yao family.
It was just that Fen Dai looked over with eyes filled with hatred. With all of the resentment in her gaze, it was impossible for Feng Yu Heng to have not noticed; however, she did not think much of it. She just faintly smiled in reply. Her gaze was as though she was looking at a stranger. This angered Fen Dai so much that she nearly tore her handkerchief.
The eldest prince's secondary princesses came over while holding children. The two children were very adorable, and Feng Yu Heng was extremely happy to see them. She even pulled out two cans of baby formula from her space and gave them away.
In regards to Feng Yu Heng's gift, everyone knew that it definitely was not plain, especially after hearing about how the formula should be drank and the nutrition that it provided. The two secondary princesses both gave their thanks to Feng Yu Heng.
Xuan Fei Yu and Zi Rui began playing together, and the two children began running around. From time to time, they would bump into other people, but since their identities were known, these people were all too happy to have been bumped into. If they could end up saying a few words, how great would that be?
As they played, who knew who suggested it, but the two children ran out of the front yard and headed in the direction of the backyard.
Feng Yu Heng saw it but was in no rush to worry about it. This Yao manor was the former Feng manor. Zi Rui was quite familiar with this area. Moreover, it was the Yao family that lived here. The Yao family, from the masters to the servants, all had similar personalities. She was understanding of this matter. That was why she was at ease to let the two children play as they pleased. She knew that there would not be much danger.
Not long later, Yao Shu also walked out from the backyard. He was still wearing the bridegroom's clothes and began toasting each table.
Everything was following along smoothly, and everything was perfectly normal. Feng Yu Heng thought that everything could be described as perfectly harmonious.
Of course, in the Yao family, this was the atmosphere that should exist, but for some reason, she felt that the peace today concealed a bit of restlessness. She did not know when exactly this would be exposed.
Not long later, Xuan Fei Yu and Feng Zi Rui ran back, one behind the other. This time, they were no longer playing and laughing loudly. Both of them dove toward Feng Yu Heng.
Feng Yu Heng hugged the children tightly. While wiping the sweat from their foreheads, she asked Zi Rui: "It must be you that brought his young Highness to run around."
Zi Rui frowned but did not speak.
Feng Yu Heng's heart went "thunk." She then saw that Xuan Fei Yu wanted to speak, thus she asked: "What is it? Did something happen to you two?"
Xuan Fei Yu nodded and shifted to Feng Yu Heng's side, quietly saying to her: "Deity big sister, Zi Rui and I just went to the backyard to play. Outside of the bride's courtyard, we saw a strange man..."