24
Feng Yongyuan listened to Wu Cheng’s report about what happened at the Li family manor.
His hand, which was holding a brush, trembled slightly.
The powerful character for ‘wisdom’ on the xuan paper clearly showed a smudge where the black ink had strayed outside the lines.
“She said that?”
The young man set the brush down on the edge of the inkstone, his thick eyebrows furrowing deeply.
He wasn’t entirely surprised that Ying Ying would respond this way.
During their month-long journey together, it had become evident that she frequently avoided him.
Although she often smiled, those smiles never seemed to come from her heart.
But even so, expectations were still expectations.
Da Cheng and Wu Cheng observed their master’s increasingly tense expression in silence.
They knew their master well—he had been temperamental and prone to rage since childhood, deeply hating being contradicted.
However, in recent years, there had been noticeable changes.
While still self-indulgent and arrogant, showing no regard for anyone, he had become more composed, as though he carefully calculated every move in advance, sometimes even appearing to anticipate events before they happened.
In just over two years, he had managed to secure extensive connections in the capital.
Every business, big or small, was somehow linked to him, either secretly or openly.
He enjoyed flaunting his power, and anyone who dared to provoke him would find themselves crushed by his web of businesses.
He had intentionally built a reputation as the bane of Da Feng, a label he wore proudly.
Yet, because of these actions, people only saw him as an overbearing, arrogant young man—someone shallow and not to be trifled with.
No one realized that many small businesses and even security bureaus had quietly changed ownership and were now under his control.
“Fine.
I understand,” Feng Yongyuan said, his voice cool and measured.
His grip on the teacup tightened slightly.
“Tell Fang Yi to select some slave children around seven or eight years old, ones who are skilled in martial arts and quick-witted.
Send them for her to choose.”
“Yes.”
“You may go,” Feng Yongyuan added before pausing momentarily and then giving another instruction.
“Keep an eye on things.
If Furen Li shows interest in any young men from other families, make sure to pay them a small visit, but be careful not to harm Ying Ying’s reputation.”
“…” Wu Cheng had no words.
“You insolent brat!
You’ve been back at the manor for so long and haven’t even come to pay your respects!
Do you still consider me your father?”
A voice full of anger boomed as the door to the study was flung open with such force that a few bamboo scrolls on the shelf trembled and fell to the floor with a series of loud thuds.
A man with sharp, handsome features, exuding an air of nobility and power, hurriedly bent down to pick up the fallen scrolls in a fluster.
Feng Ruxue had the soul of a true scholar, deeply ingrained in his very being.
The scrolls that had fallen were copies of works by renowned sages, and any damage to them would be an irreplaceable loss.
“I saw that Father was busy in the main hall, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”
Feng Yongyuan replied indifferently, as he placed the dried xuan paper, filled with his calligraphy, into a drawer brimming with many similar sheets.
The furnishings in the room were all made of polished rosewood, intricately carved with blossoming peony patterns, exuding both luxury and extravagance.
“Busy?
Isn’t it because you’ve been causing trouble?”
The young man smirked and walked over to refill the incense burner.
The brass censer, beautifully etched with layered floral petals and flanked by a pair of yuanyang birds, emitted a faint scent of peonies that gently wafted through the air, creating a more relaxed atmosphere.
“What have I done to displease you this time?”
“You—!” The second prince pointed angrily at his son, but, unable to find the right words, lowered his arm in frustration.
“You, you, you!”
“Yes, Father, it’s me,” Feng Yongyuan nodded.
“You’ve called me enough times by now to make up for my time away from home, haven’t you?”
“You—!” The man was livid.
“You left the capital without my permission, formed connections with the Eastern Frontier General’s Manor, and now there are rumors involving that Miss Li!
Are you trying to shorten my life?”
“How could something like this shorten your life?”
“‘Something like this’?
A’Yuan, I may be a titleless prince, but I still hold the rank of a second prince!
Do you think power and status come without any price or responsibility?”
Although the current emperor was not a suspicious or malicious ruler, widely known for his virtue and compassion, those traits only endeared him to the common people.
Among his siblings, many had already perished as a stark reminder of the harsh reality.
If it weren’t for Feng Ruxue’s decisive choice to avoid the imperial succession struggle in the past by cultivating the image of a scholarly recluse, their family might already be nothing more than a faded memory, their name reduced to paper offerings.
Even so, his second son, Qing’er, hadn’t survived the political storm.
He had stepped into the treacherous royal court for the sake of an ambitious younger sister.
Despite marrying her into the Prince’s Manor, Feng Ruxue had been unable to protect her.
In the end, to shield Feng Yongyuan from being drawn into that same dark vortex, he had no choice but to let his son’s birth mother be consumed by the flames of power.
“Father, don’t worry, I’ve thought everything through,” the young man said.
“I know what concerns you, but I am not like you.
And I am certainly not like my mother.”
“You—!”
Feng Yongyuan’s fingertips tapped lightly on the jade fan hanging as a decoration on the wall.
The smooth, green jade swayed gently.
“The imperial decree that summoned General Li back to the capital this time—it was my own recommendation.”
His voice, still youthful and not fully matured, carried a certain softness, yet was remarkably composed.
“On the surface, it may not seem beneficial to them, but now is the most opportune time.
The borders are peaceful, and the tribes surrounding the eastern cities have been completely subdued.
The crops are abundant, and the people are well-fed and resting easy.
However, the name they remember isn’t that of the emperor.”
Feng Ruxue was stunned, looking at his son as if truly seeing him for the first time.
“Just observe—General Li has spent nearly his entire life on the eastern frontier, yet no one in the capital is unfamiliar with him.
Even though he entered the city quietly, there were still so many people waiting to greet him.
In His Majesty’s heart, there must be some concerns forming, however small.
Whether or not there’s an imperial decree, it’s time for the general to lay down his sword and return it to the emperor.”
“Isn’t this just a ploy because you’re eager to marry that girl everyone’s gossiping about?”
“…” Feng Yongyuan was taken aback, feeling as though he couldn’t fully deny it.
“General Li holds too much power.
Even though he’s honest and not overly ambitious, it’s hard to imagine that His Majesty won’t harbor thoughts about him someday.
If we wait until then, it may be too late to control the situation.
Their household is already in disarray; it’s better to stir things up now, while the pieces on the board are still in place and not scattered.”
“You haven’t forgotten your surname is Feng, not Li, have you?
You seem more concerned about General Li’s matters than you are about mine,” the Second Prince retorted, his tone laced with a small hint of bitterness.
“Everything I’m doing is for your future daughter-in-law, How could you say I’m not concerned?” the young man replied, somewhat frustrated.
“Or are you suggesting I should marry into the general’s household?
Don’t forget to prepare a substantial dowry.
That way, when there’s a grand procession sending the groom to the wedding, the Second Prince’s manor can still hold its head high.”
“You—you—you!”
The Second Prince was so enraged that his face turned beet red, nearly to the point of spitting blood.