Help the Emperor, Control the World!
In regards to the things that happened during the palace banquet, the other members of the Feng family were not too clear. Feng Jin Yuan leaned towards siding with Chen Yu, so he was naturally a little provoked by those words. Now that Feng Yu Heng had said this, everyone finally knew. So it seemed that not only had Chen Yu worn a set of red clothes and snuck into the palace, she had also dared to steal the multicolored stone!
An shi looked at Chen Yu and helplessly shook her head: “Eldest young miss wanted to enter the palace is understandable, but why do you want to harm husband? It must be known that they were before the Emperor and the Empress! If there were the slightest mistake, then the punishment would have been death!”
Everyone followed along and nodded. Feng Jin Yuan knew deep down that Chen Yu originally wanted to harm Feng Yu Heng. Unfortunately, her ideas were simple and were seen through by Feng Yu Heng.
“It was father that misplaced things. Do not falsely accuse your eldest sister.” Feng Jin Yuan said this and originally wanted to glare at Feng Yu Heng, but he recalled the fear he felt at Shu Ya courtyard and lowered his gaze.
Feng Yu Heng put on a troubled face and looked at Feng Jin Yuan, saying: “Why does father such things? A-Heng is just the daughter to a concubine. How could I have the courage to falsely accuse eldest sister? Where does father want to send A-Heng to?”
“You…” Feng Jin Yuan felt it was harder and harder to understand the words coming out of this daughter’s mouth. This daughter was somehow very similar to the ninth prince, being able to say black is white and a square is a circle all without blinking a single time.
Feng Yu Heng looked at her father’s ever-changing face and felt that this was quite funny. The dignified prime minister willfully continued to manage the affairs of the family poorly. He believed that a husband devoting himself fully to the country was good, but he did not know that if the family was unhappy, nothing was possible.
Yao shi stood next to An shi and watched as her daughter went blow for blow with Feng Jin Yuan. As though she had not seen anything, she would occasionally say something quietly to An shi, completely ignoring this matter.
An shi also found this surprising. It seems that three years in the Northwest had not just changed Feng Yu Heng, it had also changed Yao shi.
“Father.” Chen Yu, who had been sitting on the bed, finally spoke. The black make up had been removed from her face, leaving just a pale white. “Recently, mother is no longer on the mortal coil. Chen Yu’s position as daughter to the first wife does not really matter. Would father give this position to second sister. Chen Yu… Chen Yu will not fight for it.”
When she said these words, a couple of tears slowly dripped down her face and fell to her blanket. This sight caused Feng Jin Yuan to truly hold her dear.
The matriarch sighed and said: “What sort of things are you saying? The daughter to the first wife is the daughter to the first wife. What sort of logic is there in changing it all the time?”
The matriarch felt regret the instant these words came out. She knew that she had made a mistake, as she looked around the room. Aside from Chen Yu and Feng Jin Yuan, everyone looked towards her, their gazes all saying the same thing: Is the Feng family’s daughter to the first wife something that is changed all the time?
The matriarch turned her away from everyone. Chen Yu paused for a while then took a deep breath and spoke loudly: “Father, Chen Yu no longer has anything. This position as daughter of the first wife, it is fine if I do not have it.”
“Nonsense!” Feng Jin Yuan became furious: “You are the Feng family’s daughter to the first wife. This point will never change!”
“But…”
“There are no buts!” Feng Jin Yuan warned Chen Yu, “You have not lost anything. Remember, however it was in the past, it will continue to be in the future! Everything you have lost, you must seek to gain it back!”
A light flashed in Chen Yu’s eyes, as she looked at Feng Jin Yuan with expectation: “Then the phoenix hairpin…”
“Hmph!” Feng Yu Heng sneered impolitely. So she was waiting for this chance.
Chen Yu continued, every word she said sounding reasonable: “Everyone knows what the phoenix hairpin represents. That hairpin was fine while it remained in the palace, but now that it has come out of the palace… what would it make the third prince think?”
Saying it like this, Feng JIn Yuan could not help but ponder.
What Chen Yu had said was not wrong. What the phoenix hairpin represented was something everyone knew. Feng Chen Yu had the aspect of the phoenix, and this was not some secret. Although it was not fully disclosed, there were plenty of people in a small group who knew about it.
Now that the phoenix hairpin had landed in Feng Yu Heng’s hands, what would the third prince, whom the Feng family had decided to support, think about it?
Feng Jin Yuan subconsciously looked towards Feng Yu Heng and happened to see her taunting gaze looking over at him. Not waiting for him to speak, Feng Yu Heng took the initiative and said: “Father shouldn’t be wanting me to give the phoenix hairpin to eldest sister, right?”
Yao shi could no longer endure watching this and said: “That is something the Emperor personally award. How could it be transferred to someone else?”
Feng Jin Yuan did not dare glare at Feng Yu Heng, but he did dare glare at Yao shi: “As a woman, what do you understand? When did you get a turn to speak?”
“At the time when the Feng family carried my mother into the manor on her palanquin. Has father forgotten?” Feng Yu Heng’s face revealed a gloomy look once more.
Feng Jin Yuan did not dare look at her, but he was still angry, so he could not help but shout: “That time was that time.”
“What?” Feng Yu Heng was angry, “It seems that in the future, when father says something, just listening to it for the moment is enough. Later on, it can’t be taken as truth.”
“A-Heng.” The matriarch could not longer endure watching, “Don’t get angry with your father.” Her voice was not loud, and it clearly was without much confidence.
Feng Yu Heng smiled towards the matriarch, “Then give us a judgement, grandmother.”
“What judgement?” Feng Jin Yuan sat next to Chen Yu’s bed. As he comforted Chen Yu, he said in a self-serving manner: “It is in your hands, so it is yours. You can obviously transfer it to someone else!”
“Is father going to come steal it?” Feng Yu Heng took a couple steps forward and looked at Feng Jin Yuan. She felt this matter was very funny, “Father stealing daughter’s things. It truly would be a fantastic tale! Like this, everything belonging to A-Heng has been gifted by someone. Even the courtyard was a gift from someone else. Father, if you are going to persist with this way of thinking, you may as well steal it all!” As she said this, she looked towards Chen Yu: “Eldest sister, simply wanting a phoenix hairpin is no fun. That Tong Sheng pavilion of mine is much better than this courtyard of yours. How about you steal that as well?”
“Impudent!” Feng Jin Yuan was so angry that his lungs were on the verge of bursting, “How did I end up having a daughter like you?”
“Well, this matter is something you can not blame me for.” Feng Yu Heng curled her lips into a sneer, which made Feng Jin Yuan’s face turn bright red, “At the time you gave birth to me, you did not discuss anything with me. Now that you feel regret, who can you blame?”
Feng Jin Yuan turned his head away. He wanted to scold Feng Yu Heng, but when the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back down. He truly did not have the courage to continue speaking with this daughter. There were times he truly wondered if she was actually his child. His impression of Feng Yu Heng was completely different.
He turned and comforted Chen Yu: “Don’t argue with her. Do not worry, what is yours will sooner or later become yours.”
Chen Yu wiped her tears and nodded, but she heard Feng Yu Heng say: “Is that so? Father, you had best not regret it.”
After saying this, she turned towards the matriarch and bowed: “A-Heng is not liked here and will return first. Grandmother, take more care of your body. Tomorrow, A-Heng will see how you are when I come to pay respects.”
The matriarch’s heart relaxed a little. Although this granddaughter was a bit prickly, she still treated her well. The matriarch originally liked Chen shi for gifting her jewels. After Feng Yu Heng returned, she slowly began to bore of those things and also began to look and see if Feng Yu Heng was giving her any exotic medicines.
The matriarch sighed with some emotion. Watching Feng Yu Heng’s back, she then looked at the still sobbing Chen Yu. Finally, her gaze landed on Xiang Rong.
But she was startled when she looked. She did not know when it happened, but she could see a trace of similar to Feng Yu Heng on Xiang Rong’s face. The coldness, the ruthlessness and…. the despair.
An shi noticed the matriarch looking closely at Xiang Rong and felt a little shocked. Gently walking forward a couple steps, she blocked the matriarch’s line of sight.
Xiang Rong also slightly raised her head, the coldness becoming even more apparent in her eyes. She had always known that this family was apathetic. She had seen it time and time again, and she had been disappointed time and time again. This time, however, she began to lose all hope.
She came out from behind An shi’s back and bowed the matriarch. Completely ignoring Feng Jin Yuan, she chased after Feng Yu Heng.
But before she could get very far, a voice shouted from outside “An Imperial decree has arrived!”
The people of the Feng family were very shocked. Feng Jin Yuan was the first to stand up, as he nervously glanced at Chen Yu.
Chen Yu was also afraid. She had knelt outside the palace’s gates for an entire night. Heavens knew if the Emperor and the Empress felt they had not vented their anger and had sent an Imperial decree to punish her.
“Father…” She trembled as she spoke. Lightly tugging on Feng Jin Yuan’s sleeve, her white face appeared very pitiful.
Feng Jin Yuan patted the back of her hand, “Daughter, do not worry. Father is the prime minister. Whatever the Emperor says, it will not be too extreme. Remain in the room for now. Father will go out and take a look.”
With Feng Jin Yuan taking the lead, everyone from the Feng manor, except Chen Yu, went to the front yard.
They left late. When they arrived, Feng Yu Heng was already there and talking with the eunuch that came to deliver the decree.
Feng Jin Yuan was startled upon seeing the eunuch. Zhang Yuan? The Imperial decree was actually sent by Zhang Yuan?
“Eunuch Yuan also has not rested for the entire night, yet you have come to deliver a decree. You truly have worked hard.”
Zhang Yuan was the eunuch at the Emperor’s side. Normally speaking, if there was nothing important, he would not personally deliver a decree. Today, however, he had come to Feng manor. It was truly unknown what sort of Imperial decree had come.
Feng Jin Yuan quickly went forward. When he reached his side, he wanted to exchange greetings; however, the jovially chatting Zhang Yuan immediately became expressionless. Shaking the imperial decree, he announced: “Feng family’s second young miss, Feng Yu Heng to receive the decree!”
Feng Jin Yuan was startled. It was not for Feng Chen Yu?
The matriarch also glanced in Feng Yu Heng’s direction. Intuition told her that this was definitely a commendation. Ever since Feng Yu Heng returned to the capital, she had never fallen once. When had anything ever gone poorly? What news had been bad news? Now that an Imperial decree had come, what could it be?
Everyone in the Feng family knelt along with Feng Jin Yuan. Zhang Yuan opened the imperial decree and read it out in an official tone. The words were still those same words, and the order was still the same. In the end, it was nothing more than recognition of her magnificent skills with a bow and arrow during the banquet.
But when he had read halfway, an imperial guard who had been behind Zhang Yuan came forward, a bow in hand.
“Da Shun Country’s sole treasured bow, Hou Yi’s bow. From this moment onward, it will belong to Feng family’s second young miss, Feng Yu Heng. The one receiving the bow may enter the military’s barracks, assist the three armies, aid the Emperor and command the world!”
Everyone let out an uproar!
Even Feng Yu Heng was stunned. Raising her head, she looked at the bow in surprise.
The body was made of cold black jade and string made of ice cicada1. Set with many colorful gems, when it was held in someone’s hands, the entire thing became brighter. It was as though there was a layer of light on it. It was divine and mysterious.
“Princess, receive the decree and the bow!” Zhang Yuan gestured for the guard to bring the bow over to Feng Yu Heng, “This is something personally gifted by the Emperor. Would princess please take care of it. Also, there is something else the Emperor wished to inform princess. The phoenix hairpin, like the Hou Yi bow, is one of Da Shun’s treasures. Not only should princess take good care of them, they may not be transferred to another person! Anyone who covets the phoenix hairpin will suffer the same punishment as if it were stolen.”
1: Not sure what to call it, so I went with a literal translation.