The Slender Waist-Chapter 552 - 393: Extort a Sum from Him

As far as Feng Yun knew, Qi Country had plenty of rain this year and wasn’t dry. The weather was favorable for the next two years as well, which was key to Xiao Cheng’s rapid recovery of national strength and winning over the hearts of the people in her previous life.

People of the time believed in destiny.

Originally beset by disasters and military calamities, Nanqi began flourishing after Xiao Cheng ascended the throne, implemented a series of new policies, and coincidentally encountered good harvests, truly a convergence of right time, place, and people.

Thus, among the people, it was frequently said that he was a monarch bestowed by Heaven...

The corners of Feng Yun’s mouth lifted slightly.

"You may enter."

Alou hesitated before looking up, "The person who has come is, is the lord of the mansion."

Having been a servant of the Feng Family since he was young, he had a natural deference to Feng Jingteng and couldn’t change his way of addressing him.

Feng Yun was taken aback for a moment, then smiled, "Please, let him in."

Recently, Feng Jingteng had often sent her messages and items from Bingzhou. Nothing valuable, just "thoughtful gestures", which Feng Yun mostly gave to Xiaoman and Alou, while the contents of the letters were always the same, so much so that she couldn’t bother to read them after a glance.

She did not expect him to come in person this time, and even in the capacity of an envoy.

Was he afraid she would not see him and used this as an excuse?

Feng Yun guessed, and soon Feng Jingteng was led in by Alou.

Feng Jingteng took out a small silk-wrapped packet he had brought with him and had Alou pass it to her.

"Knowing that I was coming to Andu, your great-aunt insisted on sending this from Tai City. She said it was originally part of the dowry for the girls of the Feng Family, and all your female cousins have it. Your wedding was so sudden that the family didn’t have time to prepare..."

Feng Jingteng said, not noticing any change in Feng Yun’s expression as he raised his eyebrows kindly.

"Open it and see if you like it."

"No need to look." Feng Yun gestured for Alou to put it away and bowed slightly to Feng Jingteng.

"Xiaoman, serve the tea."

Business as usual, regardless of family ties.

Feng Jingteng’s brows furrowed, unaccustomed to Feng Yun’s demeanor at that moment. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

He sat down, "Lately, I keep having dreams. Dreams of your childhood, where you’d get hold of something good and come tiptoeing into the study, calling ’Father’ with your tiny crisp voice, your little face flushed with excitement..."

"Lord of the mansion." Feng Yun looked at him, "What brings you to my humble abode?"

Feng Jingteng’s eyelids twitched, he waved his hand lightly, and sighed.

"The official business is not urgent, what matters is that, as a father, I wanted to see how you were doing."

He said and looked around once more.

"Is your husband not around?"

Feng Yun pressed her lips together and stared at him solemnly, without saying a word.

Xiaoman came in with a tray, bending down to serve tea, "Lord of the mansion."

Feng Jingteng’s embarrassment eased somewhat at the sight of Xiaoman, and relaxed a little more, replying with a smile, "Xiaoman seems to have grown taller since I last saw her, have you kept up with your martial arts?"

This was his reminder to her not to forget that once he had sent her to the Beiyong Army camp to protect Feng Yun. It was also an indirect way of telling Feng Yun to remember her father’s parental affection.

Despite sending her away by compulsion, he still had affection for her...

Feng Yun had never been so acutely aware of Feng Jingteng as she was at that moment.

A hypocrite who was selfish, timid, faint-hearted, with a trace of sympathy but not much, wanting to be a good father but only in words.

She said, "I see the lord of the mansion looks weary and pale. Are the days not as good as before?"

Feng Jingteng’s mouth twitched, "Shi’er Niang..."

Feng Yun, "Please, Lord, state your purpose directly. No need for a show of fatherly love and filial piety here; there’s no audience."

Feng Jingteng heard the implication, sighed deeply, and gazed at her intently.

Today, Feng Yun was dressed in a plain green robe with a magnolia hairpin in her hair, looking far too simple.

Feng Jingteng remembered Ayun loved to dress up. She used to spend a great deal of her time and energy on her attire and would even quarrel with Feng Ying over it...

He sighed inexplicably.

"It’s been a long time since we’ve met, your father is very worried about you."

Feng Yun maintained her smile, "Is that so?"

Her emotions remained shallow, she seemed to be smiling, but her eyes were devoid of any trace of it, cold and indifferent.

Feng Jingteng felt inexplicably guilty, his words lacking confidence.

"I’ve heard that the irrigation canal being built in Huaxi Village was spearheaded by you alone? I was thinking, this is a man’s job, yet it falls on you, a woman, to shoulder it, truly burdensome."

Feng Yun took a sip of tea with her head lowered, saying nothing.

Feng Jingteng blathering to himself and receiving a cold reception decided to be blunt.

"The plans for the canal, they probably came from the Feng Family’s books, right?"

Feng Yun raised an eyebrow, "Is the lord implying that Feng Yun, myself, misappropriated the Feng Family’s belongings?"

"No, no, no, no, your father never meant that." Feng Jingteng hastily denied shaking his head with a smile, "It’s just that His Majesty inquired about it, and your father simply took a tiny credit for mentioning it..."

Feng Yun looked at him, baffled.

Feng Jingteng said, "Your mother’s dowry, apart from books, was only more books, nothing else material. Your father saw that you liked them, so he gave them all to you, which constituted a great wealth..."

"Lord, just say it outright. Do you feel that by these books going to me, the Feng Family has been wronged and you want them back?"

Before Feng Jingteng could reply, she scoffed coldly.

"All those books were just gathering dust in a room back then; did you, my father, ever give them a second glance? Indeed, everything from mathematics to irrigation I learned from those books, which were my mother’s belongings, but alas..."

She stared at Feng Jingteng, revealing a trace of lazy mockery.

"Even if Lord Feng regrets it now, it’s too late. Once something enters my study, it’s mine, and thinking of taking it back? Dream on!"

"Father, you misunderstand me," Feng Jingteng sighed, "How could I be so heartless to covet those books? They are the only memory left by your mother..."

"How shameless of you to even mention her?" Feng Yun’s normally good temper flared instantly at his words, "When Lady Chen entered our household, she destroyed all of the relics left by mother one after another. If I hadn’t fought tooth and nail to protect them, those books would have long since turned to ash. And you? What did you do?"

Feng Jingteng, feeling humiliated, cast his eyes down, not daring to meet Feng Yun’s gaze.

"Father is only here today to ask for a few things. Why must you be so agitated, Shi’er Niang?"

Feng Yun scoffed coldly, "What is it that you want?"

Feng Jingteng sighed once more, showing weakness.

"As you know, my words carry no weight in front of your uncle, and my position in the Imperial Court is also awkward. However, if I could relieve His Majesty of his worries and achieve a substantial feat, that would be another matter entirely."

Seeing Feng Yun wearing a smile that was not quite a smile and remaining silent, he pressed on.

"Tai City is promoting education, Qi Jun wishes to learn the mathematical methods from Changmen, and there’s also the well canal project that Lady Yun is working on, oh, and the sugar-making machine from Mingquan Workshop..."

He listed several things in a row, "And there’s more..."

"No more ’and there is’." Feng Yun looked at him seriously, "Apart from the mathematics, I won’t give you anything."

Feng Jingteng felt disappointed, then elated, and a bit perplexed.

"Why?"

Why couldn’t he have the other things, yet she was willing to teach him the mathematics, which in his view, was the most precious?

Feng Yun kept her response brief, "If it benefits others and also myself, then it’s feasible. If it benefits others but not myself, it’s not."

Feng Jingteng’s cheeks twitched, and he kept silent.

Feng Yun’s expression darkened slightly, and without paying him any more attention, she instructed Alou to fetch a mathematics textbook from the village school and hand it to Feng Jingteng.

"But there is one thing Lord Feng should know: no matter what you obtain from me at Changmen, there is always a price to pay."

Feng Jingteng’s expression stiffened slightly, "You mean..."

Feng Yun spoke calmly, "If Lord Feng wishes to gain favor in Qi Jun’s and the officials’ eyes and receive promotions and rewards, I naturally cannot contribute without cause..."

She looked at Feng Jingteng, "I’m planning to build a house for my eldest brother in Huaxi Village. I’ll provide the land. As for the construction costs of the house, let the father bear them."

Feng Jingteng’s pupils dilated with shock.

"What?"

Feng Yun said, "Lady Chen will surely be joyful if Lord Feng does this."

Seeing Feng Jingteng remaining motionless for a long time, she leaned over to take the book, her lips lightly pursed.

"If Lord Feng is unwilling, then never mind. A house has its price, knowledge is priceless. Maybe you can discuss this with Qi Jun upon returning?"

Feng Jingteng’s jaw clenched tight.

In truth, what he had said to Feng Yun was half-truth, half-false.

It was true he sought to gain merit, but this matter was not his own initiative; rather, it was at the behest of Xiao Cheng.

As the current emperor increasingly displayed the decisive nature of a sovereign, Feng Jingteng had boasted and if he couldn’t bring anything back, it would be hard to explain himself to Xiao Cheng, and it would be shameful in front of the Imperial Court and in front of Feng Jingyao...

But to build a house, what colossal expense would that be?

His daughter really dared to think big.

"Shi’er Niang..." Feng Jingteng drawled, "Consider this: your eldest brother is not yet married, and he doesn’t need such a large house right now..."

"Shame on you," Feng Yun snorted in contempt and interrupted him again, "How can you even call yourself a father? Do you not realize how old your eldest son is? Without a proper home, what decent family would want their daughter to marry him? You really are heartless, never considering his needs..."

She made each word count, serious as can be. Feng Jingteng listened to her lecture, and as he listened, he actually began to feel... that she might be right.

Feng Yun wasn’t taking advantage of him.

She would gain nothing from building a house for Wen Xingsu...

And yet she was genuinely offering the mathematics.

Feng Jingteng felt his head spin with her logic, and after a long pause said hesitantly,

"Then I’ll... go back and brief Qi Jun, shall I?"

Only then did Feng Yun’s expression softened, saying "Safe journey," before standing to leave without any pleasantries.

Feng Jingteng let out a heartfelt sigh.

Who knew where she got such a fiery temper... In public, she gave him a little face, but in private, not the slightest bit of kindness. What father and daughter were they? They were more like enemies.

He sighed deeply.

"I thought I’d talk to you about the matter concerning Daman..."

Feng Yun heard him, but without turning, she paused slightly and responded, "I’m not interested in Daman’s matters. You can discuss it with Xiaoman."

She walked faster, soon disappearing into the flower hall.

Feng Jingteng felt a sense of emptiness. He turned to look at Xiaoman, mustering a smile.

Xiaoman swore it was the most amiable and endearing smile she’d ever seen from Feng Jingteng, it caught her off guard, and she could only follow with a smile of her own.

That day, Xiaoman led Feng Jingteng around Huaxi Village, showing him the agricultural tool workshop, the garment workshop, the livestock farm, the pottery workshop, and also the plowed fields and the ditches being dug for the canals, which impressed him greatly.

As the Feng Family estate had always been located here, Feng Jingteng, of course, knew what Huaxi Village used to look like...

But standing on this piece of land with his own two feet, he felt almost as if he didn’t recognize it...