Chapter 187 (1/2)
Feng Yu Heng laughed, “Isn’t that just the cold palace. It is the coldest and most desolate place in the Northern part of the palace. Word is that the beloved concubine who was whipped to death by the ninth prince was carried out of the palace through the Northern gate and placed into an unmarked grave. She did not even enter the imperial mausoleum.”
The matriarch trembled. She was now older and did not like hearing mention of dead people. But this matter involving head imperial concubine Bu revealed some information: It seemed the Bu family was about to meet with a disaster.
In reality, the Bu family had already met with disaster. Starting from the moment Lord Bu was smashed to death by head imperial concubine Bu, the Emperor no longer felt any compassion for that family. But, there was still the position of head imperial concubine, and Bu Cong’s position as general was still present; therefore, the feeling of falling out of favor was not as noticeable.
Now, however, the head imperial concubine had lost her power. The general trend of the Bu family was downwards.
“You are saying…” The matriarch hesitantly said: “Could it be that the Emperor will be moving around the officials? Then will anything happen to your father?”
Feng Yu Heng replied with a question of her own: “Does father have any things that can cause trouble?”
The matriarch was slightly startled. Carefully thinking over Feng Yu Heng’s question, she very quickly realized that the question she asked was whether or not Feng Jin Yuan had done anything that could offend the Emperor.
But how should she respond to this?
“The way your father behaves and the things he does are visible to you on a daily basis. Some things should only be talked about within the manor. A-Heng, our Feng family must not go down the same path as the Bu family!”
Feng Yu Heng finished up her massage then said: “Whether or not we will go down the same path as the Bu family, granddaughter does not know. Everything will depend on father’s plans. After all, he is the leader of the family. Nothing any of us says is worth anything.”
The matriarch also knew that Feng Jin Yuan was not someone who was very good at listening to advice. Although there would be times when he would listen to her, whether or not he would end up following through was another matter. In the end, they were just women. The rise and fall of the family never relied on women.
The matriarch sighed then received help from Feng Yu Heng to lean back against the cushions behind her. She then reached out and pulled something out from under her pillow.
“This is for you.” The matriarch handed a piece of paper to Feng Yu Heng, “Your courtyard has become the county office, and I heard that many people have gone to congratulate you. This is a bit of grandmother’s affection. Do not dislike it.”
Feng Yu Heng was slightly surprised then opened up the piece of paper. It was a shop in the capital.
“This is one of my personal shops. There are actually a few more. They are all kept for when you get married and will be used as dowry.”
The matriarch’s words were quite sincere, which caused Feng Yu Heng to feel a warmth in her heart. She then placed the deed safely in her sleeve, “Grandmother, this shop is not far from Hundred Herb Hall. I will think later on what it should be used for. When the time comes and it has earned money, would grandmother be happy with receiving half of the money?”
The matriarch’s eyes lit up upon hearing it, “Half of the money?” She then reacted and recalled that she could not ask for this money and waved her hand, “No, no, it has been gifted to you, so it is yours. Others have brought so many good gifts to your manor. As your grandmother, how can I not express myself at all.”
Feng Yu Heng patted the matriarch’s hand: “Grandmother has given A-Heng a personal shop. How could A-Heng leave grandmother needing money. A-Heng has received your affection, and I hope grandmother will be able to accept A-Heng’s affection.”
The more the matriarch heard, the more she felt this granddaughter was great. She could not help but praise: “In the end, it is thanks to the sharp-eyed and clear-minded Emperor, who knew what type of daughter had the qualifications to be the Feng family’s daughter to the first wife. A-Heng has a noble character and knows to show piety to the older generation. Only this is worthy of being called a good daughter of the Feng family.”
The two looked at each other and smiled. On the surface, the peace was pleasing to the eye. However, the matriarch was thinking that she definitely could not offend this second granddaughter. Whether the Feng family prospered or met with misfortune depended on what she thought. As for Feng Yu Heng, she was currently thinking of the countless times the matriarch had taken money from Chen shi and Feng Chen Yu, but she was still the first to lose her temper. Now, she intimately called her second granddaughter, but she was still the first to arrange for them to send them away after hearing Taoist Zi Yang say she was the star of disaster.
Unfortunately! She had returned, but the real Feng Yu Heng had already died in the mountains in the Northwest. She had promised that girl that she would definitely get revenge.
The next day at around noon, Feng Yu Heng had woken up slightly later. When Wang Chuan entered, she was carrying a set of newly made Winter clothing. It looked to be even thicker than the previous set.
Feng Yu Heng got up and went to grab her clothes, helplessly saying: “It’s so thick. Wearing it will be very cumbersome.”
Wang Chuan smiled and said: “There’s nothing that can be done about it. It’s snowing outside, and it’s extremely cold.”
“It’s snowing?” Feng Yu Heng was stunned then immediately felt a little pleasantly surprised, “It’s good that it snowed. The cold snow will cover up the germs, so the number of sick will be lower.”
Wang Chuan was not as optimistic, taking care of dressing Feng Yu Heng and saying: “But there are some poor people who will suffer more during Winter.”
She paused while putting on her clothes and suddenly recalled the Winter disaster Xuan Tian Ming had mentioned last time. She began to feel a bit of worry, as she put on her outer robe and walked towards the door.
Wang Chuan worried that she would catch a cold, so she quickly followed behind and wrapped a cloak on her.
Pushing the door open, large snowflakes swirled through the air. A cold wind blew through, causing her to begin coughing.
“Young miss, quickly come back inside!” Wang Chuan pulled her back, “It’s currently snowing quite heavily. You just got up, so it would be best if you did not go outside.”
Feng Yu Heng did not argue with her. Removing the cloak, she went to wash up. Qing Shuang brought breakfast for her to eat in her room. Just as she finished eating, Qing Ling ran over from Yao shi’s side. With her head covered in snow, she said: “Madam has invited young miss to go over. Concubine mother An and young miss Xiang Rong have arrived.”