CHAPTER 556: CHAPTER 538 ASKING FOR HELP

Yuwen Jing is now imprisoned in Yangxin Palace, and Xie Xun hasn’t killed Chen Mo either. He’s locked both of them up in separate halls of Yangxin Palace. Fengyu had thought they were both executed by Xie Xun, but after walking through the palace today and hearing from the guards at Yangxin Palace, she learned that Yuwen Jing and Chen Mo were both kept alive there, deprived of food and drink, and not yet sentenced. This struck Fengyu as particularly strange—Xie Xun was never someone who indulged in senseless cruelty. If he hated Yuwen Jing, he would assign a charge and execute him outright. Besides, even Chen Mo’s life was spared, which made the situation all the more intriguing.

Unless Yuwen Jing had found Xie Xun’s weak spot.

What could it be?

Who other than her could possibly be Xie Xun’s weakness?

"I’ll kill Yuwen Jing for sure. The Ministry of Justice will convict him, and he’ll either be drawn and quartered or flayed alive. Just wait a little longer," Xie Xun said softly. "He hasn’t got any solid leverage against us. Even if he does, I won’t care."

His hand gently caressed Fengyu’s ear. "He won’t live for long—I promise you."

Fengyu trusted Xie Xun with all her heart, yet a vague unease settled deep within her. It wasn’t that she doubted Xie Xun’s desire to end Yuwen Jing’s life, but rather, it seemed as though Xie Xun was holding back, perhaps for reasons that involve her. She knew full well how intensely Xie Xun hated Yuwen Jing, especially after her elder sister’s death—he would have torn Yuwen Jing apart with his own hands if he could.

As per court etiquette, since Fengyu and Xie Xun were not yet married, she couldn’t stay overnight in the palace. Without the proper status as his wife or concubine, sharing a night in the palace would expose her to gossip and slander, regardless of how little Xie Xun cared about propriety. Therefore, before the palace gates were locked for the night, Xie Xun ordered people to escort Fengyu back to the Feng Mansion. Feng Changqing and Su Yuejiao were concerned that Xie Xun, being used to acting freely on his impulses, might disregard public opinion and allow Fengyu to stay at the palace overnight, which would inevitably swallow Fengyu in a flood of scandal.

For a woman, life in this world was not easy. Even if she were to become Empress someday, she still had to adhere to decorum and customs, unable to act recklessly—the Capital was not Ningzhou, nor was it West State.

Thankfully, Fengyu returned home, which allowed Su Yuejiao to breathe a sigh of relief. After the precedent set by Feng Shu’s pregnancy before marriage, Su Yuejiao discreetly asked Fengyu about her private matters with Xie Xun and was surprised to learn that they hadn’t crossed any boundaries. Considering Fengyu and Xie Xun’s personalities—and comparing them to Feng Shu and Xie Zhang—it would have seemed more likely for Fengyu and Xie Xun to break the rules.

After taking a bath, Fengyu leaned listlessly against the heated couch. Feng Shu’s coffin had already been sent to Ningzhou. She had asked Xie Xun about it, and he didn’t plan to send the Marquis Zhenbei family back to the Capital; they would all be buried in Ningzhou, with only a ceremonial cenotaph established in the Capital. The Marquis Zhenbei family had guarded Ningzhou for generations—it held exceptional significance for them. Since the coffins were already interred, Xie Xun had no immediate plans to relocate the graves. He intended to discuss the matter with Xie Jue before making a decision.

The Marquis Zhenbei family’s cemetery was actually located in the southern suburbs of the Capital. Fortunately, Yuwen Jing hadn’t been deranged enough to desecrate the ancestral graves of the Xie family—the cemetery remained well-preserved, and Feng Shu’s cenotaph would eventually be relocated to the Marquis Mansion’s burial grounds, making future rituals more convenient. After ascending the throne, Xie Xun had Fengyu send someone to West State to bring Ruyi to the Capital.

Her grandmother, father, and mother had never seen Ruyi; seeing Ruyi would surely bring them joy. The political situation in the Capital had largely stabilized by this point. Although General Gao’s fifty thousand troops were still stationed outside the city for now, Marquis An Yuan and Lin Helin had been frequently going out of the city to negotiate, and General Gao’s stance appeared to be softening—if he truly wanted to attack the Capital, he would have done so by now.

Yuwen Jing had lost all power; the former Crown Prince was officially dead, and Prince Duan was imprisoned. The entire Imperial Family had been confined, with rebel resisters executed. The downfall of the Yuwen Royal Family was already a fait accompli. General Gao’s acknowledgment of the new Emperor was only a matter of time.

After regaining his official position, Feng Changqing was actively working with Marquis An Yuan to persuade the noble families in the Capital. Now, civil and military officials were united in their efforts to implement new policies—the military handling army affairs and civil officials managing administrative duties—bringing orderly governance to the Capital.

By tomorrow morning, the news of the regime change would be made public, and official decrees would be distributed throughout the nation, including the military. Within approximately half a month, the message would reach Jiangnan.

Xie Xun commanded the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry; once the dust settled in a few months, and the grand enthronement ceremony had been held, even the Grand Marshal would have no choice but to accept the reality.

While Fengyu was resting in the courtyard, Dongxue came hurriedly, lowering her voice as she said, "Miss, the Madam and Fourth Miss have arrived."

"What are they here for?"

Fengyu draped an outer garment over herself and stepped out to meet them. Though she had been back in the Capital for quite some time, she hadn’t seen the Madam or Feng Ling yet. Ever since the split between the main and secondary branches of the family, a wall divided their estates. This separation had turned the Feng Mansion into two households. Feng Changqing and Su Yuejiao weren’t the type to bicker over petty matters; knowing the main branch had more people and male heirs, they didn’t mind splitting the mansion in two, even though Su Yuejiao had been the one to fund the mansion’s expansion back then. With this wall, the servants from the two branches rarely crossed over, and the families truly became separate.

The main branch’s gates were located to the east, while the secondary branch’s gates faced west—directly opposing directions, making it hard to meet, even though they were just across a wall from each other.

Fengyu and Feng Ling were of similar age, and now eighteen-year-old Feng Ling had grown into a graceful and elegant young lady. Perhaps due to the tense atmosphere in the Capital over the past three years and the awkward position of the Feng Family, Feng Ling no longer carried the arrogance she had three years ago; the haughtiness between her brows had faded, and her entire demeanor had become much more subdued.

"Greetings, Aunt." Fengyu performed a proper bow and directed Dongxue to serve tea. Xia Zhu remained by her side, and Fengyu could already guess what the Madam’s visit was for.

"Ayu, it’s been years—you’ve grown so beautiful I almost didn’t recognize you," the Madam said awkwardly.

Having spent many years in West State, Fengyu had become adept at dealing with all sorts of people, able to navigate social situations skillfully. Yet, given her current mood, she didn’t wish to play games with the Madam, and her expression stayed calm and detached.

"If Aunt has something to say, please speak directly."

The Madam grew more awkward but found herself with no choice but to speak. She had to beg Fengyu. "Ayu, you haven’t met your eldest cousin’s two children yet, have you? They look so much like her—lively and clever at their age. Now they’re going to be exiled with Prince Duan to Qiushan. Qiushan is damp and cold, something even adults struggle with, let alone children. I feel for your cousin and her kids, so I thought... I thought I’d come to plead with you to ask Xie Xun if he could pardon your eldest cousin’s family and let them return?"

The Madam hadn’t seen Fengyu in three years, yet her attitude toward Fengyu remained unchanged from then. She regarded Fengyu as a junior, assuming that as a senior making a request, Fengyu would naturally oblige. For Fengyu, it would’ve been a trivial matter; besides, she always had a good relationship with Feng Wan.

"If I remember correctly, Xie Xun hasn’t taken any action against my eldest cousin. If she had stayed at home with her children, no one would’ve said anything. It was her choice to accompany Prince Duan in exile to Qiushan. Aunt, instead of asking me, wouldn’t it be better to persuade my eldest cousin herself?" Fengyu’s tone grew colder, and she felt increasingly annoyed about such matters.