Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 230: Rescue Alliance (2)

"Tinglan is my sister too, and I won’t ignore her, but even though I can save her this time, what about next time? I hope the Family Head will consider this carefully." Having said this, she turned and left the bedroom.

Looking at the sky outside, the edge of the eastern horizon slowly turned the color of a fish’s belly, hinting that dawn was about to break.

"Chen, you’ve also been up all night with me. Go back early so you can rest a bit." She lifted her eyes to look at Dugu Chen, who had been quietly accompanying her all this while.

"I’m not tired. It’s you who needs to be more cautious with your food and belongings in the future," said Dugu Chen with a gentle smile towards Feng Xuxu.

"Did you figure out what poison was used on Tinglan tonight?"

"Let’s talk about that later." Noticing the night was getting late, he escorted Feng Xuxu back to the Xuanyuan Mansion before turning to return to his own Prince Residence.

Young Master Jueqing watched the two with a frustrated expression, feeling completely invisible to them.

** 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Imperial Palace, Empress’s bedchamber, Kunning Palace

"Xiaoxin, did the Emperor spend the night with Xiahou Wenzhen again tonight?" Empress Song Jing leaned back in her chair, dressed in a white chiffon gown, her dainty and fair feet peeking out from under the hem. She appeared to be casually asking her maid Xiaoxin while looking at a book.

Xiaoxin dared not speak carelessly and reported to the Empress, "Replying to Your Majesty, the Emperor did go to Lady Wenzhen’s residence tonight, but he left after less than a quarter of an hour and promptly went to Lady Bai’s residence, where he has settled down for the night."

Hearing this, the Empress paused in her reading, and then a hint of resignation crossed her face, accompanied by a sarcastic smile. In this deep palace, which woman could have the Emperor’s entire affection? As beauty fades, so does love. Hmph, it’s the power held in one’s hands that’s truly substantial.

"Ha, that’s all there is to it." She put down the book and stood up to walk toward the bed.

Inside Xiangcui Palace, broken shards and dregs littered the floor while trembling palace attendants knelt on the ground, in front of the furious Lady Wenzhen, their mistress.

"Your Ladyship, please calm down." The maid Shiwen handed Wenzhen a cup of water and tried to soothe her.

Xiahou Wenzhen took the tea from her personal maid, glanced at the people on the floor, none of whom could speak up, and then slammed the cup onto the table with a clang, "You all may leave."

The kneeling attendants stood up shakily, eager to get out without raising their heads, fearful that any delay might turn them into scapegoats.

Seeing that everyone had left, Shiwen approached her mistress and said, "Your Ladyship, why be angry at your own health? Lady Bai is just a new face in the palace, basking in temporary favor. Once the Emperor’s novelty wears off, he will return to your side."

"Hmph, Bai Mei, I’ll let you enjoy your days for now." Thinking over what her maid had said, Wenzhen realized there was some truth to it.

"Shiwen, go, get someone to clean this up immediately. Such a bunch of worry warts." Wenzhen furrowed her brows and touched her aching forehead, her lips painted bright red.

Shiwen was relieved to see her mistress’s anger subside and thought to herself that after the storm comes the calm; when their mistress was angry, it was difficult for the servants too.

Before long, Feng Xuxu had been in the Capital City for over half a month. Every day she spent time in her study or went to the front yard to discuss matters with Young Master Jueqing. Sometimes she would stroll around the mansion, and if she felt too cooped up, she would visit Zongzheng Tinglan. In this time, Tinglan’s recovery was going well, and Zongzheng Zehang had seriously considered the situation, deciding to ally with the Xuanyuan Family against external threats.

"Miss, the weather is nice today. Perhaps we can go out for a walk." Lan Lengyun saw that her mistress had not entered the study and took the opportunity to suggest a walk out of the mansion, considering the agreeable weather.

"Yes, I’ve been busy these past few days, but now that the weather is slowly warming up, we can go for a stroll," she said, looking up to see the nice weather and feeling inspired to leave the residence.

Seeing the antique streets and buildings, and the small vendors spread out as far as the eye could see, her mood spontaneously brightened.

"Miss, the Capital City is much livelier than Zhangzhou Prefecture," Baihe said excitedly as she walked.

"Baihe sister, you haven’t been in the Capital City for a few years, so you might not know that this year’s Capital City is much livelier than in the past. Ever since the border trade was opened, many foreign merchants have come to the Capital City. First, to observe our customs, and second, to purchase things unavailable in their countries to sell back home," Lan Lengyun said with a smile, her eyes crinkling as she described the changes in the Capital City.

"The borders have opened? Aren’t they afraid that spies might infiltrate?" Feng Xuxu raised an eyebrow, surprised that the old Emperor had such foresight.

"Miss, it’s mutual exchange," Lan Lengyun replied with a soft laugh.

Feng Xuxu chuckled and shook her head, "Opening the border is a good thing. It seems we need to step up our pace."

She thought about the message from Feng Qi a few days ago, which reported a bumper harvest in Zhangzhou Prefecture this year, with vegetables and fruits making a good profit. She was excited for several days after reading the message.

"Miss, what do you mean by stepping up our pace?" Lan Lengyun asked, puzzled. "Coming to the Capital City, we can’t just do nothing. Winter is nearly over; it’s time for us to start getting busy," Feng Xuxu said with a pursed lip, smiling as she walked forward in high spirits.

Baihe and Lan Lengyun exchanged a smile and began to stroll through the streets alongside their mistress.

Duanmu Yiyun, who was also wandering the streets, saw someone who appeared to be the Holy Maiden of Xuanyuan not far away. Uncertain, she asked the maid beside her, "Xiaoning, isn’t that the Holy Maiden of Xuanyuan up ahead?"

Xiaoning looked where her mistress was looking, thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes, Miss."

"Alright, let’s go over," Yiyun started walking towards where Feng Xuxu was.

"Hello, Holy Maiden, I am Duanmu Yiyun," Yiyun greeted Feng Xuxu with a coy smile.

Feng Xuxu looked up and saw a fair-skinned lady with delicate features but not exceedingly beautiful, greeting her.

"Hello, I’m Feng Xuxu," she replied with a slight smile.

"I remember you, we’ve met in the palace," Yiyun said, blinking.

"Yes, unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance to speak with you, Miss Duanmu, at that time."

"Miss Feng, there’s a nice teahouse up ahead. How about we take a short break there?" Yiyun invited warmly.

"That would be nice; after walking for so long, I am feeling a bit tired."

The two walked side by side for about ten meters before arriving at a teahouse. They ascended to a private room on the second floor, sitting by the window. They ordered a pot of premium Tieguanyin tea and several plates of pastries. The waiter, happy with the tip he received, scurried downstairs to prepare their order.

"I’ve heard that Miss Feng has been visiting the Zongzheng Prefecture often recently, but I still want to remind you to be careful," Yiyun said before turning to look downstairs. If Feng Xuxu hadn’t heard it, she wouldn’t have known that these words actually came from the other party’s mouth.

Feng Xuxu’s eyes narrowed suddenly, a glint of coldness passing through them, but she kept her composure and asked, "What do you mean by that, Miss Duanmu?"