Xuan Tian Ming’s carriage carried on its way for another few days and very quickly approached the capital. At the same time, the Feng family’s group was also slowly heading towards the capital.
The reason they were traveling slowly was because it was also performing a funeral. The entire procession of carriages had a white cloth draped over them, even the horses were covered in white cloth. The entire way, the servants held up narrow flags while scattering joss paper. Stammering along, it caused others to feel sad.
Yao shi sat in a carriage with Huang Quan and Wang Chuan. She sneered at the white cloth draping the carriages: “For a son worse than a beast, why have a ceremony.”
Huang Quan smirked, “They said it is also for the second young miss. They aren’t afraid that the second young miss will choke them to death.”
Yao shi’s heart bumped once more and quickly asked: “You are certain that A-Heng did not die?”
Wang Chuan smiled and patted the back of her hand: “Madam, don’t worry. These aren’t just comforting words. Ban Zou personally brought back this news. The second young miss is currently in his Highness’ carriage. His Highness the seventh prince is also there. Thinking about time, they should almost be at the capital.”
Yao shi let out a long sigh, “Now I can be at ease. It really is his Highness the ninth prince that is powerful. We looked for so many days, yet we could not find her. With him coming, A-Heng will be at peace.”
Huang Quan said with a smile: “He is looking for his own wife. Of course he will be more serious.”
Yao shi laughed along with her joke and sighed: “During my time as the Feng family’s head wife, I can say that I have done at least a little for my daughter.”
Wang Chuan said to her: “Young miss returning to the capital with his Highness is a secret matter. It has been announced to the outside that the second young miss and the Feng family’s eldest young master both died in a large fire. Madam, you still need to pretend a little before others. We must help the young miss finish this act.”
Yao shi nodded: “I understand, we…” Before she could finish speaking, the carriage suddenly stopped. Fortunately, they were traveling slowly, so the people in the carriage did not suffer too large of a shock, but they were dazed: “What’s this sound coming from the outside?” Yao shi frowned and raised the curtain to look, “It seems like someone has come.”
Wang Chuan stayed at Yao shi’s side, while Huang Quan stood up and exited the carriage. Not long after, she poked her head back in and said: “Someone is blocking the road.”
At this time, Yao shi also caught a bit of a glimpse. Through the window of the carriage, she pointed at a person up in the front and said to Wang Chuan: “I don’t know if you recognize the people of the Bu family, but look at that one. Doesn’t he look like Bu Cong?”
Wang Chuan had been at Xuan Tian Ming’s side for many years. She naturally knew Bu Cong. Although she had not seen him for many years, she still had an impression of him.
She only glanced at him before nodding: “No mistake, that’s Bu Cong.”
On this side, the two had just recognized Bu Cong before Bu Cong could be seen advancing on his horse. He rushed straight towards the group of carriages from the Feng family.
The people who saw it screamed in unison, but Bu Cong did not stop. He simply held his spear and continued charging towards the carriages.
Bu Cong was a military commander and was a famous man of unusual strength. It was said that he had once completely pierced a stone over 100 jin with his spear. Comparatively, the carriages seemed to be nothing. Without expending much effort, he gently tapped it, and the roof of the carriage flipped over.
This was Feng Jin Yuan’s carriage. He had already received word that the person blocking the road was Bu Cong. His original intention was to hide in the carriage and not meet with him; however, he did not think that he would suddenly feel a cold breeze come from above his head. When he raised his head, he saw the clear sky and that the roof of the carriage had gone flying.
“Prime minister Feng! Are you still not coming out?” Bu Cong angrily shouted and advanced like a beast, “Do you want for this general to dismantle your entire carriage?”
Feng Jin Yuan flew into a rage. Bending slightly, he exited the carriage and pointed at Bu Cong: “You call yourself this general? Then you must still remember that this prime minister is still the court’s standard first rank official? Bu Cong, is this you rebelling?”
The word rebelling placed an extremely large crime on Bu Cong.
But Bu Cong did not care about this at all, “You can say it however you like. Feng Jin Yuan, this general came today just to see are you grieving or not for your dead daughter?” He spoke while shaking his head, “Unfortunately, your son also died. The grief on your face is for your son and has nothing to do with A-Heng.”
Feng Jin Yuan’s face became green with anger, especially after understanding that Bu Cong had come to feel outraged for A-Heng, he felt even more dejected.
“Bu Cong, are you trying to concern yourself with my Feng family’s affairs? Who gave you this right?” In the end, it was a scholar who could not make a soldier understand. Bu Cong’s spear pointed straight at Feng Jin Yuan’s forehead and was less than an arm’s length away. This made it impossible for Feng Jin Yuan to ignore the pressure of that spear. Regardless, he still felt a belly full of anger, but he could not bring himself to say anything.
But even if he did not say anything, it did not mean Bu Cong would not say anything, as he said: “Feng Jin Yuan, you had best not let me find out that A-Heng died an unjust death. Otherwise, I, Bu Cong, even if it means I am rebelling, I will bring my soldiers to level your manor!”
After he finished speaking, he brought back his spear and raised his right hand. To Feng Jin Yuan’s astonishment, the tens of officers behind Bu Cong raised their bows, notched their arrows and took aim at the Feng family’s carriages.
The sound of female screams came from the back. One wave after another, even Feng Jin Yuan began to tremble.
“Wha…. what are you wanting to do?”
Bu Cong coldly smiled, “If I said murder an imperial official, would you believe me?”
Feng Jin Yuan gasped in shock. The arrows had already been aimed. What was there left to disbelieve? The memory of a matter from many years ago suddenly came forth. That year, Feng Yu Heng was only six years old. She was the one he held as his precious daughter to the first wife. Bu Cong begged his family to come and request a marriage, but they had been coldly treated by him…
“Bu Cong.” His facial color recovered slightly, “I know how you feel about A-Heng, but the clan residence caught fire. This was something that nobody could control! Even my eldest son died in that fire, Bu Cong. How could there be any injustice?”
Bu Cong looked at his hypocritical face and felt disgusted, “I really do not understand. Such a fine girl like A-Heng, how could she be born from something like you? How could such a good daughter from the Yao family marry into the Feng manor?”
After he finished speaking, he did not give the slightest bit of breathing room. The right hand that he had been holding high was suddenly put down. The officers behind him with their bows drawn fully loosed their arrows in unison. Every single arrow shot towards the Feng family’s carriage procession.
Feng Jin Yuan’s face turned white in fear. The screams behind him reached another level.
He thought to himself, it’s over.
Instead, he heard countless “thunk” sounds and not the shrill screams of the women.
Picking up some courage, he turned his head and discovered that all of the arrows had landed in the frames of the carriages. Not a single one struck a person. Even those sitting outside the carriages were safe.
Only then did Feng Jin Yuan let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that Bu Cong was merely scaring him and did not really dare take action.
After the arrows were shot, Bu Cong did not speak again. He only went over to a carriage and took its white cloth and put it in his waist. He said: “Take it as me sending A-Heng off.”
After this, he waved his hand one more time and left with his group.
Feng Jin Yuan’s heart finally returned to its original place. He quickly got off his carriage and went to see if the matriarch had suffered from any shock.
When he lifted the curtain, he saw the matriarch holding the window for support with one hand and fiddling around with prayer beads in the other, repeatedly saying: “Amitabha.”
Feng Jin Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, “Mother, you weren’t given a scare, right?”
The matriarch stopped praying to Buddha and slowly opened her eyes. She did not respond to Feng Jin Yuan, instead she asked: “Outsiders are so affectionate and loyal. As a father, what about you?”
Feng Jin Yuan was rendered speechless by the matriarch’s question; however, he also felt a bit unhappy. He also felt that the matriarch was too biased towards A-Heng, so he said with a cold face: “Son also misses Zi Hao.” After he finished speaking, he lowered the curtain and left.
The Feng family’s group continued to advance. Feng Jin Yuan went to sit in Jin Zhen’s carriage. Because of the matter with Feng Yu Heng, Jin Zhen’s facial color was not too good. It was a very pale white. Feng Jin Yuan merely thought that she had been frightened by what had just happened, so he did not think too much about it.
The entire family had been given a gag order. He did not fear that people would not listen to such an order, as once word got out, the entire Feng family would collapse. With it, they too would fall. Even Han shi, who took pleasure in other’s misfortunes could only keep her mouth shut.
The Feng family’s pace was at less than half of Xuan Tian Ming. Before the Feng family even completed half their journey, Xuan Tian Ming’s group had already arrived in the capital.
The carriage went straight to the imperial palace. When they reached the palace, they moved to a small sedan, which was carried over to the Emperor’s Zhao He Hall.
When they entered the palace, it just happened to be in the evening. The Emperor was currently in Zhao He hall wondering if he should try visiting Winter Moon Palace again. He believed that since imperial concubine Yun had come out during the mid-Autumn banquet for a walk, it meant that woman’s feelings had begun to change. If he put in a little more effort, perhaps he would get a chance to see her.
To the side taking care of him, Zhang Yuan watched as the Emperor paced back and forth in this grand hall. His eyes even began to blur from watching him pace back and forth, so he could not help but say: “Your Majesty! If you want to go to Winter Moon Palace, we must go immediately. If we go later, imperial concubine Yun will have gone to rest.”
“What would she do going to rest this early?” The Emperor rolled his eyes but answered his own question, “That’s also true. Even when she was still here, she never thought to wait for Us. Without much to do, of course she would go to sleep early. Go! Let us go over and take a look!”
Just as he was prepared to take Zhang Yuan to go visit Winter Moon Palace, he saw a eunuch trot in, kneel and report: “Your Majesty, his Highness Prince Yu and his Highness Prince Chun have arrived.”
The Emperor was so angry that even his beard stuck up “Those two beasts! Neither earlier nor later, they just had to come right now!” But words were just words, as he still turned around and walked back to his throne. Waving his hand, he said to the eunuch: “Let them in!”
Zhang Yuan shrugged and sighed. It seemed that they would not need to go get turned away at Winter Moon Palace again. But upon thinking it over once more, he had recently heard that the Feng family’s second daughter died in a fire at the Feng clan’s residence in Feng Tong county. He had an impression of that second daughter. It was none other than his Highness Prince Yu’s unmarried princess. Even the Emperor thought very highly of her. Not only did he award her the phoenix hairpin, he also awarded her with the Hou Yi bow. He had met Feng Yu Heng. She was a young girl brimming with cleverness. If she had died in such a way in a large fire, it would be too much of a pity.
“I heard that Ming’er and Hua’er went far away?” The Emperor’s voice sounded out, asking Zhang Yuan.
Zhang Yuan quickly replied: “They left the capital, but where exactly they went, this servant does not know.”
Just as they were speaking, people came into the hall. Xuan Tian Ming’s voice rose before he even entered the hall “I just headed towards Feng Tong county.”
Just as these words came out, a girl dressed in plain clothes could be seen pushing Xuan Tian Ming’s wheelchair. She walked in side by side with Xuan Tian Hua.
The Emperor squinted his eyes and looked at the girl. He too had heard similarly to Zhang Yuan, it seemed that this girl had burned to death in a fire?
“Son(daughter) greets father Emperor.” Xuan Tian Hua and Feng Yu Heng both knelt on the ground. Only Xuan Tian Ming continued to sit in his wheelchair, as he said: “Heng Heng, perform the obeisance for me as well.”
The Emperor snorted, “Alright, enough of the pointless things.” Raising his hand, Xuan Tian Hua and Feng Yu Heng stood. “You following wherever your wife goes. Do you have any future prospects?” The Emperor glared at Xuan Tian Ming then looked at Feng Yu Heng. Only after looking at her for a while did he ask: “I heard you died?”