Yao shi felt that Feng Yu Heng had recalled the years that they had spent in the Northwest. At that time, how could they even have time to worry about celebrating the new year, as they could not even eat warm food for the rest of the year. When it was the new year, just being able to eat some steamed buns was already a very happy matter. At that time, she felt that she definitely owed her children, but there was nothing she could do. Now that they had returned, their lives were better. For their first new year’s celebration, she was able to understand Feng Yu Heng feeling this way.
Thus she walked over to Feng Yu Heng and hugged her daughter then also began to cry.
Feng Yu Heng knew that she had misunderstood, but she did not want to explain. Her feelings could not be understood by anyone. Two eras and different locations, she had no ability to return to her own era. The feeling of being away from her hometown was one that others would be unable to understand.
For a while, the atmosphere in the room became sad.
Fortunately, a young servant very quickly ran in with a smile. Seeing that everyone in the room was wiping away tears, she could not help but be startled: “Madam, young miss, how come both of you are crying?”
Although Feng Yu Heng was a rather special existence to the people of the Feng manor, people were still a little afraid of her, but they would not say it. But to the servants of Tong Sheng pavilion, she was very easy to approach. So long as the servants did not make any major mistakes, she would not punish them. Even if they were not careful while working and broke something valuable, she would not punish them too severely. This in addition to the high salary, everyone liked the second young miss Feng.
This servant went and pulled on Yu Heng’s sleeve then shook it, saying: “Young miss, stop making dumplings for now. Quickly, come and take a look in the yard! Go quickly, quickly!” Without letting go of Feng Yu Heng’s hand, she pulled her out.
Once Feng Yu Heng left the room, everyone else followed her. Nobody could have thought that when they stepped out of the room, they would hear a “boom” sound. High in the sky, a splendid firework exploded. An extremely large and colorful explosion filled the sky, immediately lighting up the entire county princess manor.
Following this, another one rose into the sky, boom boom boom, another three exploded. Everyone lost themselves in this sea of flowers, and for a moment, everyone forgot where they were.
Feng Yu Heng was also shocked. The splendid fireworks gave her a feeling of having returned to the 21st century, and she could not help but ask the servant at her side: “Who is it that’s setting off fireworks?”
The servant giggled but did not reply, only pulling her sleeve and running forward.
Everyone followed over. Only then did they notice that the fireworks were placed in the front yard, directly under the sea of flowers. There was a man seated in a wheelchair heading towards them. That person wore a set of purple robes, and his face was covered in a gold mask. Under the light from the fireworks, a purple lotus flower could be seen in the hole at the forehead area, and he appeared extremely bewitching.
Feng Yu Heng froze in place and stared straight at that person. That person also looked at her, and the two just stared at each other. Under the splendid flowers in the sky, a tenderness filled the manor.
“Young miss, quickly go over!” Who knows which servant pushed her, but she stumbled forward and rushed over. That person went forward to catch her, as she perfectly landed in his lap.
Feng Yu Heng was originally assured that she was quite a shameless person, but her face still turned red, and even the base of her ears burned hot.
“Xuan Tian Ming, when did you get here?” The fireworks in the sky were too loud, so she raised her voice and yelled this question: “You came to my county princess’ manor, but why did nobody come to report it?”
Xuan Tian Ming smiled and pinched her nose “I came to see my own wife. Is there a need to report it? Also, aren’t you always saying that you want to be surprised? Take a look, does this count as a pleasant surprise?”
Feng Yu Heng vigorously nodded, “It does.” The fireworks were powerful. Even in the 21st century, they would be considered romantic.
Very pleased with herself, she thought about it. When she previously watched some idol dramas, she felt that things like fireworks were extremely stupid. But now that she was the protagonist, she truly found this sort of situation extremely romantic.
“Thank you.” She said, “Xuan Tian Ming, thank you. I was originally thinking about home and the place that belonged to me, but now that you have arrived, my heart is much more at ease.” She told him about her feelings without too much thought, and she did not care too much if he could understand what she meant.
As for Xuan Tian Ming, he was already very accustomed to her saying these weird things from time to time, and he was even more accustomed to her doing some odd things, thus he only scratched her small nose a little then said: “For the sake of accompanying you for the new year, I sent people to prepare these fireworks two months ago. Take a good look at them. Even in the palace, it’s very difficult to see such beautiful fireworks.”
Feng Yu Heng vigorously nodded and watched wholeheartedly.
In truth, as she saw it, the level of craftsmanship for fireworks in this era was too much worse than the craftsmanship for fireworks from her previous life, but the meaning was different. These were gifted by Xuan Tian Ming, and they belonged to her. The things that belonged to her were the best. This was Feng Yu Heng’s criteria.
She suddenly thought of something then happily hopped up, “Xuan Tian Ming, I prepared a new year’s gift for you.” While saying this, she pulled out a small pouch and handed it over, “You always say that I’m only occupied with fighting and killing, but take a look, I am also quite capable in things like sewing. Here, I made this myself.”
Feng Yu Heng had sewn before with thread, but the things she sewed were human flesh. Speaking of, this was truly the first time that she truly used a needle and thread. But as she said before, if she was able to sew flesh, what of a small bag. Just because the threadwork was good, it did not mean that the embroidery was good. The pair of mandarin ducks would have become a different kind of teal without the help of some servants in the manor.
But Xuan Tian Ming still felt it looked good, so he immediately placed it on his waist. He also seriously nodded towards her: “Beloved wife, it’s very good.”
Feng Yu Heng’s small face turned completely red once more.
Yao shi invited Xuan Tian Ming to join them for dumplings. Even his retinue joined up with the servants of Tong Sheng pavilion. Ban Zou was also called out by Feng Yu Heng, so he and Bai Ze could eat a meal together to start the year.
For a while, Tong Sheng pavilion was very lively, and even Xiang Rong said: “The meal to celebrate the new year here is much more lively than in the manor.”
The crowd was lively for a full two hours, at which point they began to feel a little tired. Only then did they think of the late hour and realize that it was time to sleep.
Feng Yu Heng personally sent Xuan Tian Ming off from the manor and helped him into his carriage. Right before the carriage set off, Xuan Tian Ming told her: “Our matter was successful.”
Feng Yu Heng’s heart was moved, as she knew that he was definitely talking about the play that they put on together with the eldest prince; however, she did not know what sort of success he was talking about. But there was no rush, either way, they would need to enter the palace for the new year’s banquet. She trusted that she would receive the answer tomorrow.
That night, Tong Sheng pavilion was very lively, and the fireworks could even be seen from the Feng manor’s side.
Feng Fen Dai stood in her yard and looked over. Her small hand was clawing at a wooden post. One swipe at a time, she swiped away a patch of paint.
She definitely did not believe that Feng Yu Heng had set them off herself. She knew just from thinking about it that Xuan Tian Ming had come.
She just could not understand. What part of Feng Yu Heng did he fancy? So what if they were engaged from a young age? Based on his personality, wouldn’t canceling the engagement be as easy as saying so? But why did he favor Feng Yu Heng so much?
After Pei’er died, she no longer had a reliable servant at her side. A couple days prior, the Li Palace sent someone over to deliver the new year’s gifts. At the same time, they prepared some gifts for the Feng manor, which gave her quite a bit of face. The matriarch was very happy, but Feng Jin Yuan’s attitude was not very clear. He was very polite to the person from the Li Palace, but he did not appear very happy.
Aside from sending some things, the Li Palace also sent her a maidservant. The girl was 16 years old, and her name was Li Luo. She appeared good-natured, was very skilled in her work and speech, and she was very likable. Fen Dai liked her quite a bit.
At this time, Li Luo was at Fen Dai’s side. Seeing Fen Dai scratch away at the paint on the pole, she could not help but shake her head and advise: “It’s cold outside. Fourth young miss, how about coming inside?”
Fen Dai’s heart was filled with anger, as she rushed to ask: “Tell me, why does he set off fireworks for her? Why did I not get any?”
Li Luo said: “If young miss likes it, just tell his Highness at a later time. His Highness adores young miss a lot and will definitely meet young miss’ request.”
Fen Dai froze, and her heart could not help but flicker and sway. She nearly misspoke. She really wanted to ask why his Highness the ninth prince gave them to Feng Yu Heng and not to her. Fortunately, with her relation to the fifth prince, Li Luo naturally thought of that side, which allowed her to let out a sigh of relief.
“Un.” She nodded then stood up and entered her room. While walking, she said: “At a later date, I will definitely ask his Highness for some fireworks.”
Fen Dai’s mood was bad, and Feng Chen Yu was not happy either. This was the first new year since Chen shi died. No matter what was said, Chen shi was still her mother. In such a time of happiness, how could she not miss her.
Now that Chen shi was no longer alive, Feng Zi Hao had also died, the Chen family had suffered from a string of attacks, and Yi Lin was no longer at her side, Chen Yu suddenly felt as though she were in complete isolation. On the night of new year’s eve, she actually did not have a single person to talk to. Previously, she had been the Feng family’s daughter of the first wife, which carried a large amount of honor, but now… she raised her hand to feel the wound on her head, now, she was an ugly woman that had her looks taken away. How exactly should she carry on down her path?
Xing’er lit a candle then went to her side. Placing the candle on the candle holder, she saw that Chen Yu’s hurt expression. She could not help but console her: “Eldest young miss, thinking too much will harm your body. You absolutely must not think too much. Allowing for the wound on your forehead to heal smoothly is most important.”
Chen Yu did not have too much of an intimate feel for Xing’er. Although this girl had completed a very large matter for her, she was unlike Yi Lin, who had accompanied her for many years, and she did not have any secret connections to the Chen family like Yi Lin. If she wanted to inquire about the Chen family now, it would be harder than ascending to the heavens. Chen Qing was her eldest uncle’s only son. Now that he had been locked in prison, any chance at the imperial exam in Spring was lost. What they did not know now was whether they could preserve his life.
“Tell me, doesn’t Feng Yu Heng deserve to die?” Chen Yu still needed someone to talk to. She could not continue to hold it in. Pretending to be kind and virtuous in front of others was already hard enough. If she had to continue pretending when away from people, then it would be better if she were dead.
Fortunately, Xing’er already had a good grasp of Chen Yu’s true face, so she did not find it odd, as she agreed with her: “Everyone who gets in eldest young miss’ way deserves to die.”
These words rang true with Chen Yu’s personality. “You are correct. She is in my way; therefore, I must flatten her before I can carry on down my path. It’s not just her. There is also Han shi. Her child absolutely must not be allowed to be born!”
Chen Yu gritted her teeth fiercely, as her face twisted.
“Eldest young miss, don’t get angry. You still need to go into the palace tomorrow, so you should sleep earlier tonight.” Xing’er helped her tidy her bed while saying, “When you’ve entered the palace, you will be able to see his Highness the eldest prince. His Highness treats young miss so well. Young miss can tell him about any grievances that you have suffered!”
Hearing the girl mention the eldest prince, the corners of Chen Yu’s lips finally curled into a smile, as an idea suddenly came to mind…