The Slender Waist-Chapter 604 - 436: What’s the Trick?

The punishment of Lady Chen by flogging as per village rules, stirred up quite a commotion. Not only in Huaxi Township and Andu County, but even the Tu Fort Master and Lady Tu from far away in the Tu Family Fort got wind of the incident.

On the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, the Tur couple set out before dawn, hurrying to Huaxi.

That day, the sky showed the long-missed sun.

The winter day was bright and beautiful, with a radiance that filled the sky.

Feng Yun received news from his servants and personally led people to welcome them at the entrance of the village, affording Lady Tu Boshan an extremely grand reception.

The scale of such a welcome was utterly different from when Lady Chen arrived that day. Before they even got there, the whole of Huaxi knew that a distinguished guest was coming to Feng Yun’s house.

By coincidence, Feng Yun was hosting a banquet that day, and what Lady Tu Boshan saw was the liveliest and most harmonious scene in Huaxi.

The landscape here was picturesque, every face carried a smile, each expression radiated happiness and warmth. As she moved through the area, it was as if she had entered an idyllic paradise without conflict or pain, tranquil and comfortable...

"No wonder some say Huaxi is a paradise on earth. Seeing it today, it truly lives up to its reputation."

As the carriage came to a stop, Lady Tu took Feng Yun’s hand and began effusively praising her with a beaming smile.

Feng Yun had been to the Tu Family Fort, where the layout and design were peerless, and aesthetics were apparent everywhere. She could only smile and politely usher her guests inside, considering it a compliment.

"Compared to your ingenious ideas, it’s nothing worth mentioning. To be honest, I’ve actually taken notes from the Tu Family Fort."

Lady Tu was overjoyed, glanced at her husband, and humbly said, "That being the case, Ayun has excelled her teacher, surpassing the blue with her own shade of indigo."

Feng Yun smiled, "My lady, you really know how to flatter someone."

Tu Boshan laughed from the side, "She often speaks of you at home too, praising you endlessly. Now that she’s finally here, let her fulfill her wish and shower you with compliments all at once. Otherwise, when we go home, it’s my ears that will suffer..."

Lady Tu shot him a reproachful glance and made a dismissive sound.

"Don’t talk nonsense and scare Ayun; I won’t let you off the hook for it."

After saying this, she turned to Feng Yun and, once again, showed a tender motherly smile, grasping her hand without letting go.

"Old Tu isn’t entirely wrong. You’re such a likable child, capable, open-minded, without faults. If my own two troublemakers were half as sensible as you, I’d be thoroughly satisfied."

Tu Boshan burst out laughing, "You see, you see, here it comes again..."

Laughing together with the couple, Feng Yun said, "What I said is true as well. Changmen’s layout took many of the Tu Family Fort’s clever designs into consideration. Especially the workhouses, which were personally overseen by Uncle Wentian, constructed entirely in accordance with the architecture of the Tu Family Fort... I simply adapted them to the local conditions, adding some rural elements."

Lady Tu responded, "It’s precisely because of that, it has its own unique charm."

The two exchanged a smile, eyes filled with admiration.

After not seeing each other for some time, they felt no restraint whatsoever.

Lady Tu, guided by Feng Yun, wandered all around.

The more she saw, the more she liked it; the more she praised it. However, Tu Boshan parted ways with them halfway, making a visit to Chunyu Yan’s Yun Village.

With him gone, Lady Tu became even more enthusiastic, finding everything about Feng Yun more to her liking, even deeming Huaxi Changmen superior to the Tu Family Fort.

With a banquet being served continuously, people were regularly coming and going, creating a bustle akin to a busy marketplace, and the air seemed to carry the fragrance of food.

This indeed was a life of leisurely contentment!

Lady Tu looked towards Feng Yun with a chuckling smile, her eyes narrowing to slits with delight.

"This doesn’t look like a small village at all; it’s even more bustling than our Tu Family Fort. Someday I’ll definitely use my personal funds to purchase two acres of land here, build a small residence for myself. Whenever I quarrel with Old Tu, I’ll move over here."

Feng Yun began to laugh, "Thank you for the praise. In my heart, I am extremely pleased right now; all my efforts haven’t been in vain."

Her original intention was actually to create a fort.

It’s just that, at present, there was no fertile ground for development.

The Imperial Court is currently very sensitive about forts.

The great Imperial Court would not allow a "small court" to exist. As for those obedient ones with deep roots that openly pledge allegiance to the Imperial Court, such as the Tu Family Fort, for now, it turns a blind eye; as for the others,

To Feng Yun’s knowledge, under the Western Capital Dynasty, several forts of various sizes had been quietly abolished...

Without a whisper, these incidents didn’t catch the public’s attention, but Lady Tu and Tu Fort Master were well aware of them, hence their not only presenting a generous wedding gift for Ao Qi’s wedding but also making a special trip to Changmen.

Of course, Lady Tu knew nothing about Feng Yun’s subtle feelings.

Therefore, in front of Feng Yun, she was warm yet cautious in her every word and action.

Fearing it might be too little or too much.

Luckily, Feng Yun was cordial with her, which gradually relieved her of her worries, allowing them to chat about daily life.

"I heard that you beat up your stepmother?"

Feng Yun stopped in her tracks, chuckling softly with a sigh.

"Has Madam also heard about it? It really is true that good news never goes beyond the gate, while bad news spreads far and wide."

Actually, before punishing Lady Chen, she had pondered it over carefully. Between beating and not beating, she weighed her options back and forth, and only then did she make the decision to "beat," which was far from the calm and collected appearance she presented.

There were many reasons not to beat.

Social conventions, the fear of others’ words...

And then there was Wen Xingsu, looming in the middle, which gave her a moment’s hesitation.

But there were only two reasons to beat—

One was for Queque.

In her last life, the person most responsible for the suffering she and her son endured was Xiao Cheng, it was Feng Ying, and even more so, it was Lady Chen behind Feng Ying.

Between the three of them, there was a chain—Lady Chen came up with ideas, Feng Ying whispered in ears, and Xiao Cheng supported them.

Especially when it came to the seemingly trivial matter of confining Queque to Zhaode Palace, it was entirely Lady Chen’s idea.

Two was for her deceased mother.

Even though she was young when her mother died, the affair between Feng Jingteng and the Chen Family that led to her mother’s distressed and pained death still left an impression on Feng Yun...

Furthermore, her mother’s tragic death— it would be difficult to say that Lady Chen did not play a part behind Feng Jingteng and the Feng Family members...

After all, her private relationship with Feng Jingyao was always very good.

Having been reborn, Feng Yun considered her return as merely gaining back some years of life, no longer caring about worldly rumors, and she felt no affection for the Feng Family whatsoever.

Her hesitation was only whether hitting Lady Chen would have any impact on her and Changmen, whether it would make things difficult for her eldest brother. As for anything else, she had not considered it.

"Does Madam think I should not have done such a thing?"

Lady Tu, of course, did not know about her past life’s affairs, so considering the misdeeds in this life, she believed that Feng Yun shouldn’t have done it.

"It’s not that you shouldn’t have hit her, it’s just that hitting her, for Ao Qi, might only provide a moment’s satisfaction, but could leave many gripes for criticism and foul words, hardly worth it."

Feng Yun began to laugh, "They will simply say I am cruel and heartless, disregarding social norms. No matter, even if I hadn’t done it, people would talk. Now that I have, I feel pleased with myself."

Lady Tu pondered for a moment, "Why does Ao Qi hold such deep grudges against her stepmother, to the point of risking her reputation?"

In the past few days, Feng Yun had heard too much of such talk. She never explained anything, but suddenly, she felt like speaking to Lady Tu.

"Consider that beating as one I dealt on behalf of my deceased mother," she said.

Lady Tu slightly started at this.

The Tu Family Fort allowed Tu Fort Master only one wife, so Lady Tu had not experienced the heartbreak of having her husband turn his love to another, nor had she vied with a concubine for his affections. Despite this, having lived half her life, she had seen and heard plenty.

She sighed, "In that case, it is indeed rightful. Avenging one’s mother is just and natural, no matter who the other person is."

Feng Yun chuckled softly, "Madam is enlightened."

Lady Tu looked down at her snow-white hand and couldn’t help but pull it towards her, saying affectionately:

"I heard from Old Cong that Ao Qi was educated by her mother. Is it true that Ao Qi’s mother brought five thousand books as her dowry?"

Feng Yun saw the sparkle of curiosity in her eyes and smiled faintly.

"If Madam does not mind, let’s visit the study."

Lady Tu was overjoyed, "Then may I shamelessly seize the opportunity to see it for myself?"

The two women looked at each other, like friends forgetting their age, and made their way to the study, shoulder to shoulder.

In the Tu Family Fort, Lady Tu was adored by her husband and loved by her subordinates, but she was not just a pretty vase with nothing to offer.

She was a keen learner, and many of the fort’s advanced designs originated from her.

In many matters, Tu Boshan appeared at the forefront, while Lady Tu supported him from behind. Outsiders would marvel at the Tu Fort Master’s prowess, not knowing that it was Lady Tu who was the truly exceptional one without revealing her talents.

By comparison, Tu Boshan seemed more of a simpleton.

Feng Yun knew about these things because of her long-standing interactions with the Tu Family Fort and Cong Wentian, as well as her experiences staying at the Tu Family Fort in her past and current life.

She had guessed that Lady Tu would be interested in her study and had earnestly invited her, but she didn’t expect that after spending less than a quarter of an hour in the study, Lady Tu’s pale face began to redden gradually, increasingly flushed with visible excitement...

Feng Yun hesitated, "Are you alright, Madam?"