While Feng Zi Hao cried and screamed, the servants who had gone to search Jin Yu courtyard had returned. Of them, two servant girls were clearly hurt, as they walked while crying.
The matriarch asked with disgust: “What happened?”
Granny Zhao walked over to the matriarch’s side and grabbed her arm, replying: “They were beaten by the head madam. Seeing us come to search her courtyard, the head madam began to cause a stir. She grabbed the two girls and continuously beat them.”
The matriarch was furious: “How is that sort of vile woman suited to being our Feng manor’s head wife!”
Granny Zhao pulled at the matriarch’s sleeve and brought something in her hand forward: “This was found underneath the eldest young miss’ pillow.”
These words were heard by everyone. Each and every person craned their necks and looked over. Even Feng Zi Hao limped over.
When the matriarch picked the thing up, her hands trembled. Having lived to such an age, what had she not seen before. A doll that seemed to be used in witchcraft had been found underneath Feng Chen Yu’s pillow.
She look on the backside of the doll. It clearly said the three words Feng Zi Hao and had his birthday. The matriarch felt her heart go cold. Why did none of these grandchildren let her have peace of mind!
“Feng Chen Yu!” Feng Zi Hao became hostile upon seeing this thing, “Feng Chen Yu! You vile and poisonous woman! You actually dare to curse me so!”
Feng Chen Yu suffered an even greater injustice than Dou E1. When had she put something like that under her pillow? Even if Feng Zi Hao was not a serious person, he was still her full brother. How could she harm him?
“Grandmother!” Her eyes filled with tears, as her body trembled slightly, “Chen Yu did not harm brother. That tiny doll was not stabbed by Chen Yu!”
“Then why was it found under your pillow?” Feng Zi Hao cursed and pointed at Chen Yu: “I merely lay on your pillow once, yet this woman would want to curse me to death!”
“I did not curse you!”
Brother and sister started arguing in front of everyone. Feng Yu Heng pulled Zi Rui to the side, and the two surveyed the scenery while chatting: “Zi Rui should not learn from eldest brother, in the future. Do you understand?”
Feng Zi Rui vigorously nodded his head: “Do not worry, sister. Zi Rui is a good child and won’t do bad things.”
The matriarch’s body was already in pretty bad condition, with the daily anger over one thing or another, this had continued for many days without respite. She felt her blood pressure steadily increasing, with a similar feeling to that day in Pine courtyard coming forth.
She reached for her sleeve in fear and pulled out the small bottle of medicine that Feng Yu Heng had given her. Pulling open the stopper, she poured some directly in to her mouth. After a while, she finally felt stabilized.
Subconsciously, she thought again of how good Feng Yu Heng was. Looking again, she saw that her granddaughter was holding her youngest grandson and chatting in the garden. The brother and sister looked close. Feng Zi Rui’s strong and good-natured appearance became more and more appealing.
Looking again at the brother and sister on the other side, they too were born from the same mother, but they were in the middle of an ugly argument. If it weren’t for one of them being injured and the other still remembering restraint, the two could begin fighting at any moment.
The matriarch couldn’t help but glare at Yao shi. If it weren’t for the Yao family having an incident, the Feng manor would be passing much better days!
While the yard was still bustling, Feng Jin Yuan had returned from court.
The prime minister’s face was dark to begin with, but the moment he entered the yard, he heard Feng Zi Hao angrily curse: “That time, how did I not sleep with you?”2
“Whose superior are you? Who do you want to sleep with?” Feng Jin Yuan felt that he must have committed some sin to have given birth to such a thing. He rushed forward three steps, placing him directly in front of Feng Zi Hao, and slapped him twice. Feng Zi Hao was hit so hard that he became confused.
Feng Zi Hao also did not clearly see who it was that hit him. He subconsciously began cursing: “Which bastard dared hit me?”
Looking again, he saw that it was his own father and immediately became listless.
Chen Yu dropped to her knees and grabbed Feng Jin Yuan’s robes, crying: “Father, Chen Yu has truly been treated unjustly. Chen Yu truly has not done anything like cursing brother!”
Feng Jin Yuan glanced at Chen Yu then turned to look at senior Daoist Zi Yang. Frowning, he asked: “Why did senior Daoist come?”
The matriarch pulled Feng Jin Yuan over and explained everything that had happened. Feng Jin Yuan stomped the ground “Foolish!”
The matriarch did not understand, “How is it foolish? That year, did you not express no doubts towards senior Daoist’s words? He said that A-Heng was the star of disaster and said that Chen Yu would have the fate of the phoenix. Aren’t these things currently… currently being fulfilled.”
Feng Jin Yuan had originally felt that Zi Yang coming to Feng manor at this time was a little confusing, but mentioning the star of disaster, he could not help but think of the things that had happened the past few days. It seemed that from the moment Feng Yu Heng returned to the manor, the Feng family had not had a single respite. Could it be that this girl really have ill-matched horoscopes with the Feng manor?
Just as he cast an uncertain look towards Feng Yu Heng, housekeeper He Zhong, who had been standing at the gate, suddenly sprinted before him. Leaning close, he whispered a few words.
Feng Jin Yuan’s face became cold. He hastily pointed at Zi Yang and said to He Zhong: “Quickly! Tie him up and throw him in the firewood storage shed! Quickly!”
He Zhong did not say a word and gestured for a group of servants. In just a few movements, Zi Yang was tied up tightly.
Nobody understood what was happening. Zi Yang’s mouth was stuffed with a piece of cloth, so not a sound could escape.
Feng Jin Yuan truly did not have time to explain and merely warned everyone: “The things that happened today must never be brought up again!”
At this time, a slightly lethargic but playful voice came from the main gate: “What must never be brought up again?”
Immediately following was a shrill and awkward voice that announced: “His Highness Prince Yu has arrived!”
Everyone in Feng manor’s head went “boom” and blew up!
Prince Yu? Arrived?
That venerable saint of victory had personally come?
Feng Jin Yuan’s calf became cramped. He had been the prime minister for many years, and dealing with princes could be considered a daily occurrence. But this was the ninth prince. He was completely unable to approach him. Even when they had arranged the marriage between him and Feng Yu Heng, he heard someone say that the ninth prince was not present. Agreeing to have the marriage arranged was him giving the Empress face. When it came time, he had the final say in the actual marriage.
Thus, the matter of this marriage was forgotten by a great many people. Even the Emperor forgot and arranged a marriage for the ninth prince with the daughter of the Wang family.
The reason he had the idea of changing it to Chen Yu was because the ninth prince had just returned victorious, thus he would become established as the crown prince. When the time came, he joined the other officials in pressuring the Emperor. He had already changed allegiances, so maybe changing the marriage arrangement would be possible. Just based on Feng Chen Yu’s pretty face, even if the ninth prince refused at the time, he would eventually succumb to her feminine charm.
But now, Feng Jin Yuan began to regret having interacted with the ninth prince. Aside from his ever climbing rank, this person’s personality became harder and harder to read, which made Feng Jin Yuan avoid him as much as possible.
Like now, that person suddenly came to the Feng manor, and their Feng family had made no preparations. Even more problematic, how could the ninth prince arriving bring about anything good. He worried that it would cause even more misfortune.
With the words of his Highness Prince Yu arriving, a jade sedan was carried in by four porters. Lazily sitting atop the sedan was a man dressed in a purple robe. A golden mask covered his face, glittering in the sun and blinding everyone.
Feng manor’s people all knelt and welcomed him, shouting: “Long live his Highness Prince Yu.”
Feng Yu Heng slightly raised her head and stared at Xuan Tian Ming and saw that he also happened to be looking towards her. Their eyes met, and both sides gave the other a supercilious look.
Xuan Tian Ming seemed to have no intentions of letting the porters put the jade sedan down. He merely raised his had lazily, as the eunuch said: “You may rise!”
The people of Feng family finally stood up.
Feng Jin Yuan took the initiative and went forward, saying: “We did not know that his Highness Prince Yu would arrive. Please excuse me for not going out to meet you and hope that his Highness will forgive this offense.”
Xuan Tian Ming looked at Feng Jin Yuan. While remaining silent for a long period of time, he simply waved around a whip he held in his hand.
Feng Jin Yuan knew that it was this whip that took the lives of several tens of imperial guards.
“Lord Feng still has yet to respond to this prince’s question.” Xuan Tian Ming spoke. Clearly, he was speaking leisurely, which made people think that he was about to fall asleep. But when those words came out of his mouth, his tone leaked a deadly coldness and also a trace of charm. It was like the blooming purple lotus flower between his brows. People were scared to look straight at him but it made them want to look.
Feng Jin Yuan wiped some sweat from his brow and helplessly said: “It’s nothing. It’s nothing.”
“Hm?” Xuan Tian Ming straightened his back from the jade sedan and leaned forward: “Is lord Feng questioning this prince’s ears?”
“This one does not dare.” Feng Jin Yuan thought to himself, how could I dare to question you. “Just now it was just some family matters. I fear that speaking of it would ruin his Highness’ peace and quiet.”
“Oh.” Xuan Tian Ming nodded and did not continue asking. But he just continued sitting on the sedan without speaking. He sat there soaking in the sun, as though he were falling to sleep.
Feng Jin Yuan was truly helpless. Pulling himself together, he asked again: “I don’t know for what reason his Highness came to Feng manor today…”
“If you didn’t mention it, this prince would have almost forgotten.” Xuan Tian Ming finally began to speak, “This prince came to deliver a meal to the future princess.”
Feng Yu Heng face-palmed. Suddenly remembering that day at Refined Deity Building, Xuan Tian Ming had said that she was skinny. He had also said the Feng family, to this point, still dared to not feed her. She thought it was just a passing statement and did not think this person would actually do something.
Feng Jin Yuan did not understand. Puzzled, he asked: “Deliver food? Deliver what food?”
Xuan Tian Ming pointed at Feng Yu Heng: “Our family’s Heng Heng had been thrown out to feed the wolves deep in the mountains of the northwest for three years. She’s so thin that she’s only skin and bones. This prince thought that returning to the capital, the Feng family would properly compensate her right? Who would knew that when meeting her yesterday, I found that she was still this skinny. Since your Feng manor can not afford to raise your daughter, this prince has come to raise her. She is to be married in to the Yu palace.”
These words of his were a direct hit to the Feng family’s face; however, there was nobody present who dared to refute him. Feng Jin Yuan did not dare. The matriarch did not dare. The other people could only lower their heads.
But there was one person dared to talk back “How could the Feng family not afford to raise a daughter!”
Everyone turned their heads. The one speaking was Feng Zi Hao.
Xuan Tian Ming obviously could not speak directly to Feng Zi Hao, but he did not intend to ignore him; therefore, the one responded was the long whip in his hand.
With a “snap” sound, Xuan Tian Ming whipped it over, directly striking Feng Zi Hao’s body. This strike narrowly missed taking his life.
“This prince is speaking. When did you get a turn to interject?!”
1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Injustice_to_Dou_E
2: Here, Feng Zi Hao is using a very self-important way of saying I.