To Send Off Imperial Daughter
“A letter came from the South. Feng Jin Yuan’s group of three has been living their lives, and they are putting on airs. There are already rumors spreading from Lan Zhou that say that Imperial Daughter Ji An has moved to the South to live with her father and mother. They also said that Imperial Daughter Ji An has already canceled her engagement to this prince and will be getting married to the eighth prince.” He rubbed his nose and was not in a great mood. “Lan Zhou’s prefect is one of old eighth’s people. From time to time, he will go to Feng Jin Yuan’s courtyard to sit for a while. To the outside, he is going to greet Imperial Daughter Ji An.”
Feng Yu Heng laughed from hearing this, “Saying it like this, the three really are pretending quite well.” She shrugged, “Is it possible for them to not be similar? Speaking of, only Fu Ya is a fake. The other two are the genuine father and mother. Forget it, this step was something that they themselves chose to take. In the future, they will also need to endure the outcome that comes. Xuan Tian Ming, you telling me about these things means you want to ask about my attitude on it, right?”
He nodded, “That’s right. After all, I need to go to the South first. At that time, if there are any movements from the three, I need to be prepared. Your attitude towards Yao shi is very important. It will determine whether she lives or dies.” Xuan Tian Ming spoke very coldly but realistically, “Their chance of survival is not high. At the very least, from my side, I do not hope for them to exist in this world and cause trouble for you.”
“Then just get rid of them.” Feng Yu Heng said very coldly: “In the past, I severed ties with the Yao manor and Xiang Rong, but that was all just a play for all to see. The goal was protection. But when I severed ties with Yao shi, it was done in earnest.” She did not say anything else. In regards to that mother, aside from the face, there was nothing else that caused her to feel sentimental. But looking at that face was too much, and it left her feeling disgusted. If this was her mom from her previous life, she definitely would not be like this. “Speaking of, deliberate a little more on that Feng Jin Yuan person.” Feng Yu Heng suddenly recalled something, “Last time I saw Feng Zhao Lian, he specifically brought up Feng Jin Yuan. The other portion of Qian Zhou’s treasure map was suspected of being in Feng Jin Yuan’s hands. The reason that he moved next to the Feng residence was to make it easier for his hidden guards to enter the residence to search; however, nothing was ever found. He said that if we want that treasure, we need to obtain the truth from Feng Jin Yuan. I was thinking that since we have one portion, if Feng Jin Yuan really has one part, it must not be wasted. With two parts in hand, we should be able to find a rough location. What do you say?”
Xuan Tian Ming laughed, “Money grubber.” He then brushed her small nose, “Alright, since he has it, we will keep him alive.”
As the two spoke, Yao Xian’s voice could be heard from inside the space. Feng Yu Heng quickly used her consciousness to bring him out then handed the injured over to Yao Xian to take care of. She then brought her maidservants and hidden guard and left the tent with Xuan Tian Ming to rush toward the capital.
She had not slept for an entire night, and Xuan Tian Ming suggested that she rest for a day. Leaving the next day would not be too late; however, she did not agree. She just said that she would be sitting in a carriage. If she became tired or sleepy, she could catch up on sleep there. Xuan Tian Ming knew that she was stubborn, thus he did not advise her any further. He just helped look over the things that needed to be brought along then advised the people that would be accompanying her. Only then did he feel a little more at ease.
Feng Yu Heng would be bringing quite a few people along with her this time. Aside from Wang Chuan and Huang Quan, there would be nine hidden guards from the manor plus Ban Zou for a total of ten. Riding ten fast horses, they would be following along. Also, the chef from Refined Deity Building was also being brought along. There was also a man from the treasury that was brought along. As for the rest, they were employees of Hundred Herb Hall that Feng Yu Heng was bringing along. Including Wang Lin, there were a total of 20 people.
This was a very large group. Adding on the carriages that carried their luggage, there were a total of 30 carriages in the group. Xuan Tian Ming laughed that this was like a secured merchant group, which caused Feng Yu Heng to secretly say: “Everything of value is inside my space. Anyone that wants to rob me without opening their eyes can be considered unlucky.”
In regards to this, Xuan Tian Ming was thoroughly convinced.
Right before leaving, the Yao family turned out in force to send her off. Xiang Rong carried her own bags and followed along. Not even her maidservant, Shan Cha, was brought along. The little maidservant cried and shouted from the back to be brought along. In the end, Feng Yu Heng showed mercy and allowed her to come.
Feng Yu Heng did not sit in her imperial carriage. First, it stood out too much. Second, it was too luxurious, and it was not suited to traveling long distances. The carriage that she sat in was a new one that Xu shi had made. Two horses pulled the carriage, and the cabin of the carriage was very large. Aside from the entrance on one side, the other three sides all had seats, and these seats could all be folded. When they were all lowered, it could form a large bed. On these seats were cushions made of rabbit skins that were directly wrapped around the seats. They were very comfortable to sit on, and it also served as a padded mattress when part of a bed. It was soft and warm. Under the seats, there were some drawers that were filled with snacks and a blanket. Because the capital was still cold, each carriage had a clay brazier placed inside to warm up its occupants.
Xuan Tian Ming was very satisfied with this new carriage and even thanked Xu shi a great deal, which caused Xu shi to feel extremely moved.
Feng Yu Heng would be leaving the capital that day, and there were quite a few people that had come to send her off. Xuan Tian Ming and the people of the Yao family could be considered family. An shi naturally needed to come and send off her own daughter. She did not come empty-handed. Knowing that she could not give anything great and that Feng Yu Heng was not lacking in nice things, she made a number of pastries overnight. Holding two large baskets, she sent them over for the sisters to eat on the way.
Aside from them, the eldest prince, the second prince, the sixth prince and the seventh prince, Xuan Tian Hua, all came to send them off. These were all people that Feng Yu Heng had interacted with. Xiang Rong secretly said to Feng Yu Heng: “His Highness the fourth prince also wanted to come, but he could not leave home.”
Feng Yu Heng helplessly let out a wry smile. She really did not have much of a relationship with the fourth prince, and they were even considered enemies in the past. As for Xiang Rong, she ended up coming along with her. Who knew just how much of a tantrum the fourth prince was throwing at home.
Of course, this was their matter, and she could not do anything about it, as she went to chat with the other princes for a while. The eldest prince secretly handed her some banknotes, fearing that she would be lacking in money when going out. But he was very clear that this younger sister was not lacking in funds in the slightest. Not to mention old ninth providing her with more than enough, but she herself was also quite wealthy. Just based on the case of things disappearing in the capital, no matter how he thought about it, why did he feel that it was not unrelated to this younger sister?
The second prince did not give anything. He just handed over a painting that Xuan Fei Yu had asked him to bring over, saying that he had drawn it himself. The sixth prince, however, was extremely unique, giving Feng Yu Heng a book. The book was handwritten, and the ink was very new. It seemed to have just been written. Feng Yu Heng guessed that it should have been written by the sixth prince himself; however, she did not know what had been written. Now was not the time to look. She could only express her thanks and did not say anything else.
The princes did not send her too far and only watched her depart from the imperial daughter’s manor. As for those that sent her to the city gates, there were the ninth prince, Xuan Tian Ming, and the seventh prince, Xuan Tian Hua.
Feng Yu Heng and Xiang Rong sat in the same carriage. Also in the carriage were Wang Chuan, Huang Quan and Xiang Rong’s maidservant, Shan Cha. When they arrived at the city gates, it sounded as though there were even more voices coming from the outside. It seemed as though more and more people were coming to send them off. Feng Yu Heng was puzzled, while Xiang Rong could not endure and lifted the curtain to look outside. With this glance, she was given a shock- “Second sister, there are a lot of citizens outside. Both sides of the street are lined with them. I can’t even see the end of them!”
With her saying this, Wang Chuan and Huang Quan also lifted the curtain to take a look. Sure enough, there was a large hoard of commoners that had rushed over to send her off. Everyone was holding baskets in their hands, with some containing steamed buns, some containing eggs and others even had potatoes. They were not things of great value, but they were the best things that the poor commoners could provide.
Feng Yu Heng also leaned over to take a look. Aside from the poor commoners, there were also some people from wealthy families taking part. The things that they held were relatively good. There were some that carried various fabrics, and there were some that held accessories. There was even one that simply held up banknotes.
No matter what they brought, these people that participated in sending them off were expressing the same sentiment: “Send off Imperial Daughter Ji An!”
“Imperial Daughter must not forget about the citizens in the capital. You must return quickly!”
“Imperial Daughter, don’t worry. We will help you take care of the imperial daughter’s manor. We definitely will not allow anyone to mess with the imperial daughter’s manor!”
“Imperial Daughter, accept our meager thoughts. Take them along to eat along the way. We are all thinking about you!”
Each and every shout carried their genuine feelings. Feng Yu Heng could not sit still inside her carriage and called for it to stop. She then climbed out of the carriage.
Xuan Tian Ming quickly came over to help her out, and the two faced the crowd together. She did not know what to say. There were too many people shouting. Even if she spoke, her voice would be drowned out. Feng Yu Heng thought for a bit then simply performed a deep bow. She put her thoughts into a very-direct action.
After this bow was performed, the citizens began to cry. Regardless of whether they were men or women, rich or poor, they all fell to the ground and began to cry. The contributions that Imperial Daughter Ji An had made to the capital and to Da Shun had been imprinted on their hearts. Even if it was the wealthy merchants that usually did not look up to anyone, they would still remember Hundred Herb Hall and the treatment that they and their family members had received. They would also remember that their aging mothers did not need to drink bitter medical soups when they fell ill. All of the good that Feng Yu Heng had done was catered to the commoners, but with Feng Yu Heng leaving, the people felt that the standard of living that had been elevated over the past two years had suddenly fallen back down.
In the future, they would need to return to drinking bitter medical soups. Many people were thinking that they must not fall ill. They absolutely must not fall ill!
The people sobbed while sending off Feng Yu Heng. Even after Feng Yu Heng returned inside her carriage, she did not accept a single one of the things presented by the citizens. She just expressed her thanks. As for whether or not she would return, she only left behind one message: “That will depend on whether or not those people that chased me away will forgive me.”
She, Feng Yu Heng, had never been a saint. When there was a chance to make use of something, she definitely would not miss out on it. As for being able to make use of the citizens to oppose the eighth prince, perhaps she was the only one in the world capable of doing it.
Even after the carriage left the city, Feng Yu heng did not sit inside the carriage. Instead, she sat with Xuan Tian Ming inside his imperial carriage.
Xuan Tian Ming and Xuan Tian Hua stayed with the caravan until a fork in the road 10 li to the Southwest of the capital. Xuan Tian Ming pointed to the road leading West and said: “Continue along that way. You should reach a small county by the time night falls. You will rest there tonight.”
Xuan Tian Hua also said: “That county is called Bai Shui County. There is only one inn over there, and I have already sent a fast horse ahead to help you book the entire inn. It will be enough for all of you to rest in.”
Feng Yu Heng smiled and said: “Seventh brother, you’re too domineering. If we book it completely, where will the other people stay?”