A New Betrothal Gift
Upon hearing that they would go and look for His Highness the seventh prince, the two let out a sigh of relief and repeatedly agreed. They were then led by Huang Quan to their new living area.
As for Feng Yu Heng, she immediately began to write a report to the Emperor, telling him about the situation. At the same time, she wrote a letter to Xuan Tian Hua. In this letter, she expressed her anger without any reservation. In short, she was just very angry, and she would definitely need to get revenge. She trusted that Xuan Tian Hua could understand her feelings. Old Eighth also had not thought of going easy on this.
Aside from this, Feng Yu Heng did not remain idle. On that night, she ordered people to bring along the list of roughly 20 people to the mine to capture the people. At the same time, those two would be brought along to expose them. They would stand before everyone to expose the eighth prince’s guilt.
Among the roughly 20 people that had been captured, there were some that were the eighth prince’s specialty soldiers. They refused to acknowledge a single word of what was being said, but there were also people that were not as resolute, especially when they heard the two analyze: “These actions were carried out ahead of time and caught our sons. Next time, if something similar was to happen, you should make preparations to be called!”
Once these words came out, those people were not fools, and they had no choice but to analyze it as well. This analysis led them to the same conclusion. Thus there was another portion of people that were shaken and moved to stand on Feng Yu Heng’s side. They also provided a large amount of evidence of the eighth prince’s guilt. There was even someone that said: “The collapse of the mine was not at all a natural disaster. Instead, it was the eighth prince that gave the order to have us secretly hollow it out and implement a mechanism. Once the order was given, the mechanism would be activated, and the collapse would immediately begin.”
When the people heard these words, they all had a mental collapse. They did not understand why the eighth prince would do things like this. Could it be that they were not Da Shun’s citizens? Could it be that the eighth prince was not one of Da Shun’s princes?
Cries shook the air, and at the same time, the people that had gathered began to loudly curse the eighth prince. Finally, someone loudly suggested: “Let’s work together to report this! Let’s have Imperial Daughter and His Highness the sixth prince help us write a complaint to the Emperor. We must expose the eighth prince’s guilt. This sort of person cannot be left to harm anyone else!”
This suggestion was quickly met with everyone’s approval. Xuan Tian Feng, who had gone with Feng Yu Heng, nodded and even took the initiative to help them write their complaint. Just like this, a few hundred complaints were written up overnight and were sent along to the capital with the people that had begun opposing the eighth prince. Feng Yu Heng dispatched all of her hidden guards to protect them and to ensure their safety.
Once again, the people believed that only someone like Imperial Daughter Ji An was worthy of being a master. The people loudly shouted “Imperial Daughter Ji An” as if those four words were what they believed in. As long as Imperial Daughter Ji An was present, they would live an entire life without worry.
Feng Yu Heng heard these shouts and felt quite gratified. The nerves and exhaustion that she had been forcefully enduring was finally relieved, but with her relaxing, she lost her strength and immediately fell unconscious. The last thing that she noticed was Xuan Tian Feng rushing over to catch her and that person’s concerned expression.
There was nothing wrong with Feng Yu Heng’s body. It was just that she had been overly exhausted, as she spent a full three days and three nights asleep in the manor. When she woke up three days later, she saw Xu shi and Qin shi’s worried expressions.
She rubbed her eyes and nearly thought that she was dreaming. When she finally managed to react, she was moved and sat up to hug the two.
She had always been fighting on her own. In the capital, she still had Xuan Tian Ming, but to speak of any relatives, she was truly living on her own. She did not know how many times she had fantasized about a world where the Feng family could have lived as properly as the Yao family. Unfortunately, she did not have that sort of fortune. By the end, even her own mother discarded her and left.
Feng Yu Heng always felt that she had failed when it came to handling family; however, who knew that two of her aunts would throw aside their family matters in the capital and come to Ji An Prefecture to take care of her. She was so moved that she began crying like a little child. This caused Xu shi to also begin crying. It was Qin shi that pinched her cheeks and intimately said: “How grown are you. You’ll be coming of age in another two months, so why are you still crying like a little child?” Though this was what she had said, Qin shi’s eyes were also filled with tears.
The Yao family did not have any daughters in this generation, and there was only Feng Yu Heng as a granddaughter. They should have doted on her to begin with. It also happened that this child progressed on her own and did not need the Yao family’s assistance. She provided herself with this future. After thinking about it, it was the Yao family that had implicated her and caused her to suffer in the mountains for no good reason. Fortunately, good things came over the suffering, and Qin shi told Feng Yu Heng: “Regardless of whether or not the wedding can be carried out at the same time as your coming of age ceremony, the coming of age ceremony needs to be carried out.”
Xu shi also said to Feng Yu Heng: “We should have arrived a few days earlier, but the cause of the delay came from the day we set out from the capital. The carriage had already left the capital; however, it was stopped by the manor’s hidden guards. It turned out that the Yu Palace’s Lady Zhou had specially gone to the Yao family! It was not just her that went. Guess who went with her?”
Feng Yu Heng thought for a bit then blinked and said: “Could it be that it was the palace’s Imperial Concubine Yun sneaking out of the palace?”
Xu shi nodded, “Indeed, it was Imperial Concubine Yun that came to visit, but she did not sneak out. Instead, she was given permission by His Majesty. She was granted permission as the birth mother of His Highness Prince Yu to visit the Yao manor to discuss your marriage.”
Qin shi also said: “Imperial Concubine Yun really is too beautiful. I’ve lived for nearly half a lifetime, yet I have never seen that sort of beauty before. It’s no wonder that the Emperor has been thinking of her for all these years.”
Xu shi held Feng Yu Heng’s hand and said: “A-Heng, although we have not interacted much, we of the Yao family can see that Imperial Concubine Yun truly treats you well. She is always thinking of you. Such a noble imperial concubine of the imperial palace personally left the palace and came to our manor for the sake of expressing her approval of your marriage. At the same time, she represented the Emperor in sending another large betrothal gift to the Yao manor.
Feng Yu Heng facepalmed, “Wasn’t the betrothal gift already given? The imperial daughter’s manor was given by Xuan Tian Ming!”
Xu shi shook her head and said: “Imperial Concubine Yun said that you were conferred the title of imperial daughter. His Majesty should have given a residence. How could just sticking a sign on your own manor be alright. Speaking of, it’s the imperial family that owes you a residence. It was said that you can personally choose one once you return to the capital. You can take whichever one you want. Regardless of whether or not there is anyone else living in them, they will be taken away.”
“Right!” Qin shi said: “I heard that His Highness Prince Yu gave our A-Heng a personal betrothal gift, but this time, apparently the gift that Imperial Concubine Yun brought out of the palace is even more impressive than before. There was a thick stack of nothing but deeds to farmlands!” Qin shi gestured, and Feng Yu Heng took a look. Very well, it was roughly half a finger in height. That was all in paper! For paper to be stacked that high, could it be that the entirety of the capital was given to her?
“The things were brought directly from inside the palace, and the line took up the entire street. Everyone in the capital gathered to watch the excitement. It was very exciting.” Xu shi sighed, “For Imperial Concubine Yun to express herself like this, that means that this is His Majesty’s intention. To be able to have the support of the grannies in the palace is a fortune that required three lifetimes of effort. As your grandfather said it, seeing the imperial family treat you like this, he can feel at ease.”
Feng Yu Heng did not care about how expensive things were. They were just the nice things that were in the national treasury. If Xuan Tian Ming ended up becoming the emperor, those things would eventually belong to her. But she accepted the Emperor and Imperial Concubine Yun’s intentions, especially since the betrothal gifts had been brought to the Yao family. This meant that the imperial family had accepted the Yao family as her family. They would also receive the imperial family’s favor. This was the thing that she viewed as most important.
She told Xu shi and Qin shi: “Regardless of where A-Heng gets married, the Yao family is my foundation. For my two aunts to be able to come to Ji An Prefecture, it truly is too great. I was just worried about this new manor being too large, and there was nobody to help me take care of it. There are still so many things in the prefecture to handle. Aunties will be able to help A-Heng with a bit of this. A-Heng has relatives at my side to take care of me. This really is something that I have not enjoyed much over the years.”
Her words caused Xu shi and Qin shi to feel a bit of heartache. Fortunately, they had already arrived. In the future, Feng Yu Heng’s life would be left to them to handle. They could also focus all of their attention on taking care of their niece. To the Yao family, who loved daughters as much as life, this was truly something extremely joyous!
Feng Yu Heng woke up and spent a day adjusting before her body completely recovered. On the second day after Xu shi and Qin shi arrived in Ji An Prefecture, Craftsman Bai and Bai Fu Rong also arrived. Feng Yu Heng was extremely happy. As she saw it, Ji An Prefecture was her own domain. It was her home. She hoped to see even more loved ones would gather here. Like this, she would not feel lonely.
She had prepared a three-division residence for the Bai family long before receiving Xuan Tian Ge’s letter. At the same time, she also handed over the accessory shop that she had chosen but had not found the time to open to the Bai family. She told Bai Fu Rong: “Learn how to be a shopkeeper. In the future, when you get married, it will be taken care of by you. It’s best if girls have something to earn their own money. It’s best to not rely entirely on the man. Of course, assisting the husband and teaching the children is necessary, but you should not focus all of your energy on the residence. Only by coming out can you see even more of the world.”
While Bai Fu Rong was being treated in the capital’s imperial daughter’s manor, they had chatted for a while. She had already been brainwashed by Feng Yu Heng. Now, her thoughts were the exact same as Feng Yu Heng’s. She fully wanted to begin a new life in Ji An Prefecture. It would be a life that was completely different from in the past.
As for Craftsman Bai, he had already lived to this age, and he had experienced so many things. He had also lost a lot of faith in the capital. The Emperor was in his waning years, and there were many princes. This sort of situation reminded him of Kang Yi, Bai Fu Rong’s mother. At that time, if it was not for the sake of helping her younger brother ascend the throne, she would not have given up on the young Fu Rong to leave on her own. He hated the imperial family for not having any humanity or feelings of family. When Bai Fu Rong brought up leaving the capital and going to Ji An Prefecture to seek support from Feng Yu Heng, Craftsman Bai immediately nodded to agree.
Feng Yu Heng brought them to take a look at the residence that had been prepared before going to the empty shop that she had chosen. She brought up her ideas of using the jade mine to run an accessory shop and told them that this shop would be given to the two to manage. Because Craftsman Bai was too famous, even if she was an investor, her future share would be smaller. She, Feng Yu Heng, would take 20 percent, and 80 percent would be given to the Bai family.
Craftsman Bai would not agree to this no matter what, and he even said that his portion would be given entirely to Xuan Tian Ming’s army. This was something that the Bai family owed Feng Yu Heng. How could they possibly accept this money.
In the end, with Feng Yu Heng’s insistence, the two sides finally decided to come to a compromise. Feng Yu Heng would take 40 percent, and the Bai family would take 60 percent.
Fu Rong did not continue to hold back with her. Either way, they were already in Ji An Prefecture. In the future, she would just help out with some more things. With the two being good friends, there was no need to argue too much about money.
But Craftsman Bai had brought up this matter, and he definitely had to get a clear answer from Feng Yu Heng. It was in regards to the “boyfriend” that Bai Fu Rong had found on her own, the one at Xuan Tian Ming’s side, Bai Ze…