==Chapter Thirteen==
Traveling was exhausting, even when merely sitting in a carriage.
After five days on the road, even Feng Wenzhou—who was never seen without a book—had stopped reading. Their party couldn’t take the main roads, and the bumpy paths left Feng Wenzhou looking rather green after five straight days in the carriage.
Although they had hired guards, their safety didn’t rely entirely on them.
The Feng family had also provided matrons and nimble-footed servants. These servants’ families depended on the Fengs for support, so even on long journeys, there was no worry about them daring to betray their masters.
Feng Wenyu no longer had time for melancholy reflections. She lay slumped in the carriage, completely numb.
After a long while, Jinshu’s voice sounded from outside:
“Young Miss, the guards say we’ll reach Wuzhou City in half a day. They’re asking if you’d like to rest there.”
It wasn’t just about resting—with so many people in their party, they needed to stock up on provisions and supplies in the city.
Feng Wenyu immediately came to life. Her eyes brightened, and before she even sat up, her voice carried outside: “Yes! Yes!”
Only after sitting up did she regain her composure. Clearing her throat lightly, she said:
“We’ll rest in Wuzhou City for a day before setting out again.”
Feng Wenzhou didn’t object, his face even showing a hint of anticipation.
Jinshu chuckled quietly, understanding why her young mistress was so excited—the journey had indeed been exhausting.
She didn’t delay, quickly going to relay the message.
Before sunset, the party finally entered Wuzhou City. With their travel permits in hand, the city guards let them pass immediately after inspection without any hindrance.
The group checked into an inn. After their luggage was settled, Feng Wenyu had Jinshu fetch a bucket of hot water. Only after washing up did she feel human again.
Shuyao said with heartfelt concern:
“Young Miss has suffered so much.”
Feng Wenyu didn’t dare accept this sympathy. During the journey, she had seen many common travelers. Compared to those people, merely sitting in a carriage couldn’t truly be called suffering.
She instructed: “Go ask the inn to prepare several tables of food. You’ve all worked hard on this journey—take some time to rest.”
“Send someone to fetch Second Young Master too. Tell him to stop fussing over his precious books and come down for dinner.”
After speaking, Feng Wenyu sat before the bronze mirror. Jinshu dried her dark hair before selecting a jade hairpin from the jewelry box to adorn her mistress’s hair. She then carefully put the jewelry box away—while traveling among crowds, there were always petty thieves about, and one couldn’t rely on public security being good.
Feng Wenyu didn’t wear much jewelry, finding it cumbersome. Simplicity was better.
When she went downstairs, Feng Wenzhou was already waiting for her. Their large party occupied four tables just by themselves. With the guards included, nearly half the main hall’s tables were taken. As it was dinner time, the inn didn’t have a single empty seat left.
Wuzhou City had no curfew, and the market outside the inn was bustling in the evening.
Unfortunately, Feng Wenyu had no interest in joining the excitement. She and Feng Wenzhou sat at a table alone. Just as they were about to start eating, an inn attendant approached looking troubled:
“Young Master, Young Miss, there are no empty seats left. Would you be willing to share your table with this gentleman?”
At the same time, the person standing behind the attendant spoke: “My apologies for disturbing you.”
Feng Wenyu looked up and saw a young man dressed in a blue robe, holding two scrolls of scriptures. His demeanor was cool and elegant, with refined features, though his brows were slightly furrowed at the moment, carrying a hint of embarrassment and apology for disturbing the peace.
Feng Wenyu accidentally met a pair of warm, clear eyes, and both of them froze for a moment. The young man snapped back to reality, his cheeks slightly flushed as he averted his gaze to avoid being presumptuous, though the tips of his ears grew warm with heat.
Feng Wenyu didn’t notice this detail. Her gaze eventually settled on the scriptures in his hand, and realizing that he might also be a candidate for the exams, she nodded and said:
“It’s no trouble. Please have a seat, young master.”
Pei Yan breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Feng Wenzhou frowned slightly. He wasn’t entirely in favor of sharing the table with this stranger, but he had no intention of contradicting Feng Wenyu.
Instead, just as Pei Yan was about to sit down, Feng Wenzhou silently stood up and changed seats, moving from across Feng Wenyu to her right-hand side.
Pei Yan understood the implication and sat somewhat awkwardly in Feng Wenzhou’s original seat.
This position was the farthest from Feng Wenyu.
Feng Wenyu cleared her throat softly. Since she had already invited him to sit, she didn’t want to appear unfriendly. Curiously, she asked:
“Are you from Guangling, young master?”
Pei Yan looked up in surprise, taken aback. “How did you know, miss?”
Feng Wenyu smiled, her almond-shaped eyes curving gently:
“My ancestral home is also in Guangling. I noticed your accent sounded familiar earlier.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a faint delight appeared on Pei Yan’s face. He instinctively looked up, but as his gaze fell on Feng Wenyu’s face, he quickly lowered his eyes again. Still, he visibly relaxed a little. “So that’s how it is.”
Feng Wenyu took note of all this, entirely unsurprised. She had deliberately brought up the topic of Guangling for this very reason.
Interpersonal interactions were never a challenge for her.
Pei Yan briefly introduced himself: “My surname is Pei, with the given name Yan. May I ask for the names of the young master and the young lady?”
In a chance encounter like this, names were usually unnecessary. But perhaps because they shared the same ancestral hometown, Pei Yan offered his name anyway, his gaze lingering gently on Feng Wenyu.
Feng Wenzhou frowned, displeased, and interrupted his gaze:
“My name is Feng Wenzhou, and this is my younger sister.”
He did not introduce Feng Wenyu by name. Pei Yan noticed this, and so did Feng Wenyu. She found it somewhat amusing but had no intention of upsetting her second brother.
Fortunately, the dishes Pei Yan had ordered arrived just then, breaking the somewhat awkward atmosphere.
Feng Wenyu noticed that he deliberately wiped his wooden chopsticks clean and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow slightly. The next moment, her gaze subtly swept from the cloud patterns on his sleeves to the jade pendant at his waist.
This was an instinctive reaction for Feng Wenyu.
In Jingcheng, even a random stone thrown might hit a noble or a duke. The ability to read people and discern their backgrounds was almost ingrained in people like her.
Guangling belonged to Jiangnan, a region known for its wealth.
Just the craftsmanship of Pei Yan’s robes and the jade pendant at his waist were clearly expensive, not to mention his demeanor and bearing. With just one glance, Feng Wenyu guessed that this young man likely came from a prominent family.
But soon, she dismissed the thought. After all, he was just a passerby—there was no need to pay too much attention.
Pei Yan seemed to hesitate, as if he wanted to say something, but Feng Wenzhou had already picked up his chopsticks.
No talking during meals.
Pei Yan was no fool; he instantly grasped Feng Wenzhou’s implication. He let out a bitter laugh inwardly—so he had been mistaken for a lecherous rogue.
But Pei Yan could also understand Feng Wenzhou’s displeasure.
Feng Guniang possessed such a lively charm that she likely attracted many suitors vying for her favor. It was only natural for her brother to find such attention tiresome.
The three of them fell silent.
The moment Feng Wenyu set down her chopsticks, Feng Wenzhou immediately spoke up: “Let’s retire to our rooms early. We have another long day of travel tomorrow.”
He had no intention of giving Pei Yan any opportunity to converse with Feng Wenyu.
Though Feng Wenyu often called him a bookworm, Feng Wenzhou was far from foolish. Since sitting down, no matter how much Pei Yan tried to restrain himself, his gaze would inevitably drift toward Feng Wenyu.
This behavior was all too familiar to Feng Wenzhou.
In the past, his elder brother’s classmates had often looked at his younger sister the same way—including Gu Yushi in the beginning.
Feng Wenzhou concluded inwardly: They were all drawn by nothing but shallow attraction!
Feng Wenzhou’s hostility was unmistakable, leaving Pei Yan speechless. He even felt somewhat bewildered—had his earlier actions truly been so offensive?
Feng Wenyu shot a slight glare at Feng Wenzhou before turning to Pei Yan with an apologetic whisper:
“Please take your time, Young Master Pei. My brother and I will retire first.”
Pei Yan suppressed his emotions entirely, responding only after a delayed pause.
It wasn’t until they reached the upper floor, away from outsiders, that Feng Wenyu frowned and asked: “What was that about? How could you be so rude in front of others?”
Feng Wenzhou turned away, grumbling discontentedly:
“He’s the one who wasn’t behaving properly.”
Feng Wenyu found him exasperating but didn’t want him to remain so inflexible. He was about to take the Provincial Examination and would eventually enter the imperial court. Whether he liked it or not, he needed to maintain decorum outwardly.
“Just remember this: unless others act improperly, you must not embarrass them.”
Otherwise, it would only reflect poorly on him.
Feng Wenzhou reluctantly replied, “I understand.”
Only then did Feng Wenyu let him return to his room.
Feng Wenyu assumed she would never see Pei Yan again, so after admonishing Feng Wenzhou, she put the matter out of her mind.
But she never expected to encounter Pei Yan again so soon.
A month later, Feng Wenyu’s party was already nearing Yangzhou City, with only three to five days of travel remaining.
Just as Feng Wenyu was about to fall asleep, she felt the carriage come to an abrupt halt.
She jolted awake, her Dai Mei brows furrowing slightly as she nervously glanced toward the window, though she dared not lift the brocade curtain.
Though she had heard rumors of bandits on the road, their journey had been peaceful so far, and she had gradually relaxed. This sudden stop made her heart race—had they truly encountered bandits?
Jinshu’s voice sounded from outside:
“Guniang, someone has stopped our carriage. Would you like to step out and see?”
Feng Wenyu was confused. If bandits had intercepted them, Jinshu would never have asked whether she wanted to disembark.
If it were merely beggars or travelers, the guards could have handled it themselves.
Puzzled, she lifted the curtain and stepped out of the carriage. Before she could ask any questions, her eyes widened in shock at the disheveled group in front of the carriage:
“Young Master Pei?!”
Pei Yan was equally astonished to see Feng Wenyu.
He felt ashamed—it seemed that every time he encountered Feng Guniang, he was in a state of embarrassment.
Feng Wenzhou also descended from the carriage, positioning himself protectively in front of Feng Wenyu as he frowned at Pei Yan: “What is the meaning of this?”
It was Pei Yan’s servant who spoke up with a grief-stricken face:
“Bandits! We encountered bandits on the road and barely escaped with our lives, but all our belongings were stolen by the bandits!”
Bloodstains still remained on their clothes, making the sight truly alarming.
Bandits?
Feng Wenyu and Feng Wenzhou exchanged glances, their expressions turning grave.
Pei Yan had clearly never been in such a wretched state before. He appeared deeply embarrassed and said quietly:
“I wonder if Feng Guniang is also returning to Guangling? Could you possibly give my servant and me a ride?”
With human lives at stake, Feng Wenyu didn’t hesitate: “If Young Master Pei doesn’t mind, I’ll have my servants clear out a carriage for you.”
Pei Yan showed gratitude: “I’m already deeply thankful that Feng Guniang is willing to give us a ride.”
Even though Feng Wenzhou disliked Pei Yan, he didn’t voice any opposition at this moment.
“Since there are bandits around, we shouldn’t linger here.” Feng Wenyu frowned deeply, “Jinshu, go inform the escorts – we need to depart as quickly as possible!”