The Slender Waist-Chapter 425 - 308: Discussions at Guanlan Pavilion
On the dock, necks craned and eyes searched eagerly amongst the bustling crowd gathered in twos and threes.
Xiaoman also spotted Daman, excitedly rising on her tiptoes and shouting loudly.
"Sister, sister, over here..."
As the ship docked, Daman didn’t wait for the palace attendants to assist her; with a burst of energy, she dashed down the gangplank and embraced Xiaoman.
Lady Chen watched this scene from the cabin and snorted.
"Such improper conduct, no sense of decorum."
Feng Jingteng gazed toward the shore as if he hadn’t heard, while Feng Ying’s eyes darkened slightly. Taking a veil to one side, she tied it around her head, exuding quiet dignity.
The maidservant by Lady Chen quickly praised, "It’s the Thirteenth Lady who is steady, not flustered by circumstances."
Feng Jingteng wanted to say something but, meeting Lady Chen’s eyes, found himself at a loss for words.
"Let’s go. We shouldn’t keep people waiting."
Daman, still held in Xiaoman’s embrace, gently patted her back, laughing, "Alright, alright, we can catch up later, I have not yet paid my respects to Madame."
Xiaoman cried tears of joy.
She missed Daman so much that she couldn’t bear to let go, leading her to turn and meet Feng Yun.
"You should no longer call her Madame, but Princess. Our girl is now the Princess of Yonghuai."
Seeing Xiaoman’s proud expression, Daman smiled gently, her eyes brimming with happiness, "I know, I know."
Feng Yun was probably the woman with the most extraordinary rise in status in the Great Jin Dynasty, from a war prisoner to Village Chief, coming forth once to become a General’s wife, and then the noble wife of the first rank, and now the renowned Princess of Yonghuai.
In Xinzhou City and beyond, who wouldn’t regard her highly?
It was precisely this contrast that Lady Chen found unbearable.
The stepdaughter who had once been meek and deferential before her, always depending on her family and heeding her mood, had now reached such heights that, perhaps only Pei Jue had any control over her...
As long as Pei Jue was willing to stand behind her, whom would she fear?
She could even afford to disregard the Emperor.
Envy and resentment festered in Lady Chen’s heart, and thinking of her late mother, her feet seemed rooted to the spot, reluctant to witness Feng Yun’s current glory.
Feng Jingteng took a few steps and, seeing she hadn’t moved, turned back.
"What are you waiting for? Let’s go."
Lady Chen’s expression dimmed, and she let out a snort from her nostrils.
"It’s not like she regards me as her real mother. Having you as her father is enough. Whether I go or not doesn’t matter."
Feng Jingteng frowned.
The Chen Family was once adept at social graces, taking everything in stride—how had she become so petty with age?
He couldn’t say much, but his tone inevitably conveyed a hint of reproach.
"Meeting the in-laws is important. Don’t breach etiquette."
Perceiving his dissatisfaction, Lady Chen finally fell silent and, surrounded by a bevy of maids and servants, boarded the ship demurely.
At the other end, Feng Yun and Daman were already having a pleasant conversation, and they called her over to meet Wen Xingsu.
"Henceforth, my big brother will have one more sister."
Wen Xingsu smiled faintly and greeted Daman with a bow, "Has our father named the sister yet?"
Daman felt both honored and surprised.
Previously she dared not even look straight at the firstborn of the house; now her status had changed, everything was different, exciting yet unnerving her inside.
"Greetings to my elder brother." Daman bowed, hesitating slightly before adding with a laugh, "Father hasn’t named me yet. It seems he will wait until my mother’s matters are settled."
Formally acknowledging a concubine required no elaborate rituals, yet the issue lay with this concubine having a teenage daughter, the flesh and blood of Feng Jingteng. Although she didn’t need to be entered into the family or clan registries, the extended family and elders had to be informed—a courtesy naturally extended by Daman’s Aunt.
Feng Jingteng arrived just in time to hear the conversation among the siblings and said with a smile:
"I have already thought of a name; I just haven’t told you because today we were meeting the in-laws."
The group looked at him curiously.
Daman harbored resentment toward Feng Jingteng, but in front of Lady Chen and Feng Ying, she was determined to demonstrate filial piety.
"Thank you, father."
A look of hope and yearning shone in her eyes.
Feng Jingteng felt a pang of discomfort and sighed deeply.
The name Feng Yun was given by Lu San Niang, deeply meaningful, capturing the ingenuity of heaven, its brilliance reserved but promising endless possibilities.
Feng Ying’s name reflected Lady Chen’s influence, who desired her to shine brightly, dazzling to all. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
When Feng Liang and Feng Zhen were born, the head of the family was his elder brother, and the names of the two children were bestowed by him. None of his four children bore names he had chosen.
He had indeed pondered the matter of Daman’s name the previous night.
Thus, facing everyone’s gaze, he did not hesitate and, with a smile, stroked his beard and spoke forthrightly.
"What about the character ’Hui’? ’Hui xi wei xi, Nan Shan Zhao Ji’, implying my girl is talented and refined, wealthy and elegant. It matches well with her sisters."
Yun, Hui, Ying.
Daman had lived for over a decade, and only now received a proper name. She looked thrilled and reverently thanked her father.
The father and daughter had been chatting and laughing when suddenly they heard a loud thud from the decking of the boat, as if the impact had set the water trembling.
They all turned around to see Lady Chen standing there, with Feng Ying supporting her by the arm, accompanied by a nursemaid leading two little ones, all with extremely ugly expressions on their faces.
Feng Jingteng’s heart tightened.
"Madam, what’s... what happened?"
Lady Chen’s smile did not reach her eyes.
"The paddle fell off and almost hit my foot."
Feng Jingteng jumped in fright and quickly went back to help her, "Are you alright?"
Lady Chen felt a fire of unknown origin burning in her heart. Glancing at Feng Jingteng, she said with a mock smile, "This consort hardly deserves your lordship’s concern."
His head spinning from her sarcastic tone, Feng Jingteng murmured a low reminder, "I know you’re upset, but no matter how angry, you need to mind the occasion. Today we meet the in-laws, and big brother has made it clear, we cannot afford any slips..."
Lady Chen scoffed at him.
"You consider them in-laws, but do they even regard you as a worthy father-in-law? Don’t flatter yourself."
With that, she shook off Feng Jingteng and walked ahead.
Feng Jingteng’s face was a study in embarrassment.
It was true that Pei Jue had not come to the docks to greet them, but Feng Yun had explained earlier: Pei Chong was indisposed due to an injury, Pei Yao had left Xinzhou a few days ago after a quarrel with Ao Zheng, taking her children with her, and Pei Jue had matters to attend to in his camp and couldn’t spare the time...
While there were reasonable explanations, Lady Chen’s comments inevitably made Feng Jingteng feel slighted.
The carriage headed straight for Guanlan Pavilion. Ao Qi pushed Pei Chong out to welcome the guests. Ao Zheng was also there as company, and indeed, Pei Jue was not present.
Lady Chen sneered inwardly, somehow finding the situation slightly satisfying.
So, General Pei didn’t value Feng Shi Er Niang that much after all.
Regardless of her beauty, she wouldn’t last many spring and autumns; just wait and see her being scornfully sent back to Nanqi like a cast-off wife, crying for the protection of her family...
Pei Chong had prepared a grand gift for the occasion, addressing the guests as "in-laws" with every sentence, considerate and respectful.
He also apologized in person for Pei Jue’s absence.
"Tomorrow the Empress Dowager will be accompanied by the court to return to the capital, my son is arranging the escort and security, and could not come to greet his esteemed father-in-law, so he specially entrusted me to offer his apologies."
Feng Jingteng replied politely, repeating, "It’s no trouble" three times, then inquired further.
"You are returning to the capital tomorrow?"
Pei Chong smiled and said, "Yes. With the alliance between our nations and peace throughout the land, it’s time to return for the New Year."
Feng Jingteng hesitated and frowned, his tone probing.
"I’ve heard that the Young Emperor of your state... has contracted a serious illness?"
Pei Chong glanced at him and replied lightly, "His Majesty is still young, and catching chills is inevitable, but Dajin has countless good physicians, and as the true dragon His Majesty is, he will soon recover."
Feng Jingteng chuckled, lowered his head to sip his tea, and casually remarked, "My worthy son-in-law has been enfeoffed and received the nine dignities. With Dajin having powerful subjects and a weak sovereign, arriving in Central Capital, it would be difficult for him not to become embroiled in factional disputes..."
There was some truth to his words.
In normal circumstances, in-laws could chat about state affairs as if discussing family matters. But as both men held political power, every word was scrutinized for layers of meaning.
Pei Chong immediately responded, "My esteemed father-in-law speaks too seriously. My son may appear to be a competent and battle-hardened general with command over troops, yet he has not been adept at political maneuvering and has shallow roots in the Jin Dynasty court, hardly a powerful figure..."
Sensing Pei Chong’s reluctance to say more, Feng Jingteng ventured to ask, "So, is General Pei also planning to return to Central Capital?"
Pei Chong nodded without hesitation.
"Precisely for this reason, we were so eager to arrange a meeting with our esteemed father-in-law."
He then bowed to Feng Jingteng by way of apology, "The young couple was hastily married in Bingzhou, and we did not have time to prepare a formal ceremony, so it was the Pei Family who slighted Shi’er Niang. My thought is, for both families to sit down and discuss how we can make it up to them?"
Feng Jingteng said, "Might that be too rushed in terms of timing?"
Since the groom’s side was willing to offer compensation, the bride’s side had no reason to refuse, especially since a grand ceremony would ensure the Feng Family would not be at a loss.
Lady Chen couldn’t stand Feng Jingteng’s tone and laughed before interjecting a comment.
"General Pei is too polite. How could this be your family’s fault? If blame must be assigned, it should fall on our Feng Family, for not properly supervising our daughter, who married herself off without a formal engagement, truly ignorant of proper conduct..."
She saw this as an opportunity to reclaim the property the Feng Family had settled in Andu, and her words were loaded with criticism of Feng Yun, directly pointing to her indecorum.
Feng Jingteng frowned upon hearing this, embarrassed yet not daring to utter a word...
Unexpectedly, Pei Chong’s expression darkened immediately.
"Our esteemed mother-in-law hails from a noble family, having been sheltered with silk and jade from a young age, inexperienced in battle, unseen bare bones, surely unaware that at the end of war’s smoke where life and death hang in the balance, matters of propriety and etiquette must stand aside. We of the military class care only about surviving, not about etiquette."
After a pause, he looked sternly at Lady Chen.
"Furthermore, back when both armies faced each other, with lives hanging in the balance, if they had informed madam, would you have dared to drink from that celebratory cup?"
In his day, Pei Chong had been a fearsome general known throughout Nanqi and Dajin. Though he had been off the battlefield for many years due to his disability, his imposing aura remained intact. With just a few words, neither too harsh nor too light, he left Feng Jingteng feeling deeply ashamed.
"A woman’s lack of worldliness leads to indiscretion; General Pei need not stoop to her level," he said.
Lady Chen was left with her dignity affronted, at a loss for words.
Seeing this, Pei Chong signaled to Ao Qi.
"Go and ask if the food and wine are ready, shall we take our seats?"
