The Slender Waist-Chapter 580 - 416: Ill Intentions

The Grand Princess set foot in Huaxi Village for the first time and got a great start, with her sons and daughters now particularly affectionate towards her. Except for worrying about Puyang Zong’s fingers, she seemed to have let go of the other vexing matters overnight.

That same day, she sent someone back to Taiping Garden to fetch a set of head ornaments, which were placed in a gilded and jade-encrusted jewelry box, and had them all sent to Changmen.

Feng Yun opened the box, and her eyes immediately lit up.

She came from a reputable family and had even been the Empress of Nanqi in her past life; she was no stranger to fine things, yet she was still astonished by the value of the head ornaments.

"The Grand Princess really doesn’t hesitate to give..."

Xiaoman was also so surprised she could hardly close her mouth, "Good heavens, how beautiful... How much money must this be worth... No, how many Xiaomans would this be worth?"

Feng Yun gave her a glance and put it back, "Put it away."

Xiaoman happily complied, caressing it once over before embracing the box and placing it in the storage room.

Feng Yun had yet to learn of Puyang Zong’s "metamorphosis." Having received such a significant gift, she naturally had to reciprocate.

Therefore, the next morning, she had Aunt Xu take a group of servants to Puyang Yi’s estate. Besides delivering fresh fruits and vegetables grown by her own family, she also had the idle land around Puyang Yi’s yard planted with vegetables...

The Grand Princess, who grew up in Jin palace, had no experience living on an estate and initially resisted the idea. Puyang Yi had repaired the estate, yet she had never visited it.

Who would have thought that once settled in, she would find it a completely new world?

The newly built residence was even cleaner and tidier than she had imagined, and even the concerns she had initially been most worried about, like mosquitoes, rats, ants, and the inconvenience of latrine facilities, were well resolved...

Puyang Yi felt proud to see her mother satisfied.

"Looks good, doesn’t it? All of this, it’s all Ayun’s design."

After hearing her daughter’s stories, the Grand Princess was surprised for a moment and then looked at Feng Yun with new eyes, "This girl is impressive. It would be good for you to interact with her more."

Then, as if something suddenly occurred to her, she abruptly turned her head:

"What about you and General Wen?"

Upon hearing this, Puyang Yi’s face darkened.

"Mother, please don’t mention things that are one-sided. It’s not worth tarnishing General Wen’s reputation with people wagging their tongues."

The Grand Princess glanced at her and changed to a smile.

"Alright, alright, no more talking about that. Come with me for a walk around the village."

In the village, one could hear praise for Feng Yun everywhere.

The Grand Princess couldn’t help but feel amazed and incredulous that a woman could achieve so much.

As the influentially positioned Grand Princess, when Pei Jue acted without imperial sanction to marry in Bingzhou or during the repeated clashes with Li Zongxun, she had already had Feng Shi Er Niang investigated.

One could say that before being presented to Pei Jue in Andu County, despite her exceptional beauty, she hadn’t shown any outstanding traits. Some even said she was slow-witted and dull, unworthy of marrying Xiao San.

Feng Shi Er Niang’s reputation was well-known, but more for negative reasons than positive...

"How exactly did she manage this?"

This was the shared mystery for many upon reevaluating Feng Yun.

Yet Feng Yun herself knew that her so-called "competence" was nothing extraordinary.

It was the lesson from her previous life, the strength from having died once.

It was the oral and practical teachings of her mother and that vast collection of all-encompassing books.

These were the things that had shaped her into the Feng Yun of today... 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

-

He Qia and his son, along with Wen Hui, made their way to Huaxi Village that day as a family.

Bringing gifts both big and small, they visited Feng Yun and also paid their respects to the Grand Princess and Puyang Zong.

When He Qia went to visit the Grand Princess at "Yi Garden" where Puyang Yi was staying, Wen Hui and He Chuandong remained at the estate.

Having not seen each other for a while, Wen Hui appeared more radiant and cheerful, indicating a happy married life. She began conversing with Feng Yun about family matters.

Feng Yun asked, "So, your mother-in-law was sent away from Andu and she really hasn’t come back?"

Wen Hui twisted her mouth as if she wanted to smile but felt it inappropriate, so she tucked away her smile and whispered:

"It’s not that she doesn’t want to return; it’s my father-in-law who won’t allow it. He says she needs to reflect properly and think things through before that can happen..."

Feng Yun thought it over; it had been a while since that decree from He Qia, who seemed determined to give Madam He a hard time.

"And what of Mistress Yang? How is she now?"

Wen Hui shook her head, "I’m not very informed on that matter. Ever since the Marquis of Xuanping fainted at the He Residence’s banquet and developed hysteria, forgetting all those incidents, Mistress Yang has kept her lips sealed. No matter how she’s interrogated, she refuses to confess and tells everyone that the child in her womb belongs to my husband, which has become the talk of the prison. She repeats it so often that some, with softer ears, believe her words..."

Speaking to this point, her brow and eyes darkened.

"She’s pesky, but she can’t kill anyone. She’s the type who would rather harm herself than to let others be comfortable. Staying in the Governor’s Office prison for so long without spilling a word... Hmph! She actually evokes a bit of admiration."

"Don’t be too quick to admire her," Feng Yun glanced at her, with a smile that was not a smile, "She’s merely choosing the lesser of two evils. Stubbornly refusing to confess, she might still hope to find a slim chance of survival by relying on the Yang Family’s marital connections and the child she’s carrying. Once she tells the truth, everything will be over. Do you think she hasn’t thought that through?"

Wen Hui laughed, "Madam is right, the woman is strangely shrewd, calculating everything so clearly, we almost fell for her schemes."

Feng Yun pursed her lips lightly, saying nothing.

Sometimes being too clever is what leads to doing foolish things.

As she and Wen Hui talked at length in the inner residence, He Chuandong paced restlessly around the estate, like a son-in-law visiting his wife’s parents’ home, unable to sit still or stand comfortably, until He Qia returned from Yi Garden.

Feng Yun prepared tea in the flower hall and invited He Qia and his son to sit down.

Today, without Pei Jue present, she was the only one to entertain them.

Feng Yun did not mention the matter she had discussed with Wen Hui, but He Qia brought it up on his own initiative.

"Yang’s third lady’s belly is growing larger by the day, and keeping her in prison isn’t really a solution..."

He glanced at Feng Yun’s expression, then sighed.

"She harbors ill will toward the He Residence, yet my clumsy wife is very fond of her. The child in her womb is also innocent..."

Feng Yun watched him beat around the bush without coming to the point, drank a sip of her tea, and smiled an enigmatic smile.

"The Grand Princess has entrusted this matter to the Governor, and so the Governor shall decide. Whatever he thinks, he may do."

Feng Yun was a gentle and graceful person, at least in the eyes of others.

Having known her for so long, He Qia had never seen her lose her temper.

Yet the smile emanating from those soft, beautiful eyes felt like a cold blade on his skin at that moment, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

"At the Grand Princess Residence earlier, we also touched on this matter. The Grand Princess feels that with so much time having passed, it isn’t appropriate to procrastinate further..."

He paused, noticing Feng Yun’s lack of expression, and tension suddenly gripped his heart.

"The Marquis of Xuanping’s Princely Heir has died, the Marquis has succumbed to hysteria without cure, and the Marchioness has made multiple pleas to Taiping Garden and the Governor’s Office, wishing to save that child... In my view, they have already received their retribution... How about handing over Yang’s third lady to the Marchioness of Xuanping, allowing her to rest and nurture her pregnancy until the delivery of the blessed child?"

Feng Yun was not surprised by his suggestion.

Despite having sent his wife back to her parental home, He Qia still cherished the bond of husband and wife and would not go to extremes.

Moreover, the Marchioness of Xuanping would certainly have made repeated visits to the Grand Princess Residence and the Governor’s Office to plead her case initially.

Being of noble birth and a person of status, it wasn’t a good look to make a fuss every day.

Feng Yun said calmly, "The Governor can make the decision."

Without a clear answer from her, He Qia felt somewhat uneasy, picked up his teacup with downcast eyes, sipped it lightly twice, and then sighed.

"Let’s proceed with that, then."

Feng Yun smiled and nodded, saying no more.

He Qia looked at He Chuandong and his wife sitting beside him, his face breaking into a smile, sharing a few stories about the young couple’s blissful marriage, showing great respect for Feng Yun as if she were "family from her parental home."

In the end, Wen Hui said she would stay for two more days in the estate before returning to the residence. The He family father and son didn’t make any fuss, left a pile of gifts, and took their leave.

The next morning, Feng Yun received news that Yang’s third lady had been taken from the Governor’s Office prison by the Marchioness of Xuanping...

When Wen Hui heard about it, she pursed her lips, appearing not very pleased.

Feng Yun understood her thoughts, or else she wouldn’t have chosen to stay in Changmen specifically.

This was about giving the He Family a gesture...

But she didn’t want Wen Hui to be entangled in these messy affairs, so after they finished washing up, she invited her to accompany her.

"Today a batch of coal balls are being shipped out from the village, I need to check on it. Since you’re here in the estate, come with me for a walk."

Wen Hui naturally agreed.

As the two of them, accompanied by a few servant girls, just stepped out, Guan Wei and Awan came out from the rooms. Guan Wei looked meticulously dressed, while Awan was plain, her expression somewhat reluctant.

Guan Wei approached with a smile, bowing to Feng Yun and greeting Wen Hui before speaking:

"I heard that the Coal Ball Workshop is selling coal balls, and Awan and I also thought of following Madam to join the excitement..."

Feng Yun gave her a glance, lightly brushed her sleeve, and walked on with a smile.

"Follow along then."