Chapter 233 (2/2)
Xuan Tian Ming nodded, “There is. A portion of third bro’s army is retreating from the North, but it is not much. It does not look like he brought them back out of fear for eldest brother. Instead, it looks like they are contending with us and deceive the public. The soldiers that had been pulled back are now gathering at Gan Zhou, and he set up a headquarters just outside.
“You mean to say that he does not at all believe father Emperor’s attitude towards his Highness the eldest prince. Does he already believe that it was our doing?”
“It’s possible.” Xuan Tian Ming thought for a while then said: “But his troops did stop in the third city from the Northern border and did not continue advancing. In another few days, they should be able to meet up with your father.”
“It’s fine to just call him Feng Jin Yuan.” She absolutely did not want to hear “your father” or anything similar, “Have you put any thought into what happens if Xuan Tian Ye does not fall for it, and he insists on gathering the majority of his troops to the North then forms an army with Qian Zhou. Will he immediately launch his offensive?”
Xuan Tian Ming shook his head, “He won’t. So long as the imperial throne can be obtained through legitimate means, nobody would want to use war to obtain it. But we can not allow his army to remain in the North for too long. When the time comes and they become too close with the Qian Zhou country, it will be a serious problem sooner or later for Da Shun. That’s right,” He suddenly said: “Feng Jin Yuan reached the disaster area today. As expected, he indeed met secretly with someone from Qian Zhou. What was expected was that the person who sought him out was a woman.”
“A woman?” Feng Yu Heng felt this news was a little unexpected. Why would a woman look for Feng Jin Yuan?
“The spy is still continuing to investigate. Aside from waiting, there is nothing else we can do. Third bro is cautious by nature. Even if he has some doubts about eldest brother’s matter, he will definitely be making some preparations. Let’s wait and see,” He patted her hair and suddenly changed the subject, “Do you blame me for pulling you into this fight for the imperial throne?”
Feng Yu Heng was stunned for a moment then obediently shook her head, “I don’t. Although I do not want to admit it, I am still Feng Jin Yuan’s daughter. Being born in the prime minister’s manor, even if the one I met was not you, there would be another person. It’s impossible for Feng Jin Yuan to hand me off to a normal citizen. The daughter of the prime minister’s manor, regardless of whether it’s the daughter of the first wife or the daughter of a concubine, they must all be raised with aspirations of being matched with a prince. Thus this fight is one I can not escape from.”
“But you just don’t like it, right?” He could see the weariness in her eyes, “You are only twelve years old. How could that be an age where you should be enduring days like these. Either way, it’s my fault for not being able to provide you safety and comfort.”
“I fear that if it were someone else, my days would be even worse than now.” She smiled in a childish manner that was filled with endless sorrow, “If possible, I hope that I can live a life without conflict when I grow older. But even if I do not have that fortune, I will not resent anyone. If you will fight in a flurry of swords, then I will do the same. Xuan Tian Ming, you were the first person I met. Just like life, if you are alive, then I will be alive. If you die, then I will do my best to get revenge…”
When Xuan Tian Ming personally sent Feng Yu Heng back to the county princess’ manor, the Feng family’s servants were standing outside with lanterns. An shi and Yao shi were running around and asking the servants: “Has there been any news of the second young miss?”
The servants all shook their heads then immediately went out to search.
Xiang Rong was so anxious that she was crying. While wiping away tears, she said: “It’s all my fault. If I sat in the same carriage as second sister, this would not have happened.”
Yao shi was worried, but she still had to console the child: “Even if you sat in the same carriage, the result would have been both of you being lost. Don’t cry. Let’s wait a little longer. Perhaps she will be back very shortly.”
Chen Yu also stood at the entrance to county princess’ manor with a cloak on. What nobody expected was that she was actually even more anxious and worried about Feng Yu Heng’s safety than Yao shi. Not only did she send out all of her servants to search, she would even go run around the surroundings from time to time.
At this time, they heard Huang Quan shout from the other side of the road “Second young miss has returned!”
These words allowed everyone to let out a sigh of relief, especially upon seeing the Yu Palace’s carriage approach. This allowed Yao shi to be even more at ease.
Feng Yu Heng returning to the manor late caused a small disturbance, but everyone believed her explanation of having met with his Highness Prince Yu on the way back and went to sit in the Yu Palace for a while.
However, Feng Yu Heng sent Ban Zou out that night to retrieve the corpse of the dead carriage driver and return it, along with some money for a good burial, to the family. The amount of money was enough to make the family believe he had died from an illness, but that arrow caused Feng Yu Heng to have a night filled with nightmares.
When she woke up the next day, Huang Quan was seated at her bedside, using a handkerchief to wipe her forehead.
She felt her head hurt and that she felt a bit cold. Feng Yu Heng immediately realized that she had most likely caught a cold.
“Young miss caught a cold yesterday. This servant only noticed when I came this morning and you were sweating non-stop.” Huang Quan switched to another handkerchief and continued to wipe her sweat, “I’ve been wiping away your sweat for the entire morning, but you just will not stay dry.”
She did her best to sit up and kicked off a thick layer of blankets, “Covering me up in so many blankets, how could I not sweat.” She was speechless, as she finally understood why adults would always wrap a child up and force them to sweat. It turned out that it was something that had been passed down from the ancient era. “Go change the towel, and don’t use a hot one.”
Huang Quan objected: “You are already sick, so how could a cold towel be used?”
Feng Yu Heng was helpless, “It’s because I am feverish that I need a cold one to reduce my temperature and not increase it. Just go and listen to me. I am a doctor.”
Huang Quan felt that this was true. Her young miss was a divine doctor. How could she not handle such a small illness, thus she quickly ran out to fetch a new towel.
But she very quickly ran back, her face filled with delight over someone else’s misfortune. She told Feng Yu Heng: “Sure enough, his Highness the fifth prince sent someone to discuss marriage with the fourth young miss.”