Feng Yun felt as though the sky had collapsed. She opened her mouth to question what her father was saying, but Feng Ying cut her off with a sorrowful cry, "Aunt, Ying'er knows you've resented Grandmother since childhood, blaming her for failing in her maternal duties due to her illness, but how could you act so cruelly?"
Feng Yun instinctively replied, "I hated her for not helping me, but—"
Feng Ying didn’t let her finish, immediately turning to kowtow before the emperor. "My aunt’s crimes are also the fault of the entire Feng family for failing to oversee her properly. I beg Your Majesty to punish us!"
The two of them, grandmother and granddaughter, played their roles perfectly, pinning all the blame squarely on Feng Yun.
Lin Yunshi burned with anger but finally understood why the county magistrate had advised her not to present her late grandaunt’s letter in court.
Given the wolfish nature of the Feng family, they would surely find scapegoats—there was no way to bring them down!
"Guards! Drag this woman away. Announce her crimes publicly, parade her through the streets for three days starting tomorrow, and administer a hundred lashes. Let the world see clearly that Great Xia is built on filial piety, and we will not tolerate such unfilial wretches in our midst!"
At the emperor’s command, the guards swiftly seized her.
"No—I’m innocent! Your Majesty, I’m—"
Feng Yun tried to plead her innocence, but someone clamped a hand over her mouth and hauled her away.
The hall fell silent, though the atmosphere eased slightly.
The emperor’s expression toward the Feng family softened as well.
After all, he still needed Feng Huan. He spoke in a measured tone, "Since the matter concerning the late Mrs. Feng has been clarified, and neither General Zhenbei nor Elder Feng is implicated, let this matter rest. However, regarding her funeral arrangements..."
Elder Feng bowed. "Your Majesty need not worry! This old servant will ensure a grand ceremony, restoring the dignity and honor she deserves!"
Feng Huan added solemnly, "Your Majesty, my mother suffered greatly in life and met such a tragic end. I wish to use my military merits to request a noble title for her." Though she was not his birth mother, she had treated him kindly in his youth. Regrettably, his long postings in the northern deserts had kept him from visiting often. A noble title would be but a small recompense.
The emperor considered briefly and saw this as an excellent way to quell public outrage.
"Granted! Posthumously confer upon Mrs. Feng the title of Second-Rank Noble Lady!"
The Lin family burned with envy—a Second-Rank Noble Lady! What an immense honor!
But Lin Yunshi found it bitterly ironic. No one had cared for the woman in life, yet in death, she was showered with honors. What use was that?
The emperor glanced at Yin Shun, signaling for the court to be dismissed.
Just then, a eunuch hurried in. "Your Majesty, the Chief Minister requests an audience."
The emperor’s eyelids twitched, and the Feng family’s hearts sank.
Yan Zheng had arrived!
Everyone knew how fiercely protective he was of his wife—and the Feng family had previously offended her over the Duke of Chu's Mansion affair.
His timing couldn’t be worse. He was clearly here to stir trouble.
The emperor realized this too but had no choice. Clearing his throat, he said, "Then... let the Chief Minister enter."
Yan Zheng strode in, clad in official robes, his demeanor unhurried yet commanding.
Feng Ying’s gaze locked onto him the moment he appeared, unable to look away.
He reached the center of the hall and gave a slight bow. "Greetings to Your Majesty and Empress Dowager Su."
The emperor nodded, while the empress dowager pointedly ignored him.
Yan Zheng’s eyes swept across the room, and he chuckled softly. "How lively it is here. It seems I’ve missed quite the spectacle."
The sarcasm in his words made the Feng family’s expressions darken.
To make matters worse, his infuriating father-in-law added coolly, "The Chief Minister hasn’t missed much—just an unfilial daughter staging a grand act of righteousness. Hardly worth watching."
Elder Feng’s brows furrowed deeply. The emperor interjected, "Enough. Chief Minister, what urgent matter brings you here?"
Yan Zheng retrieved a thick stack of memorials from his sleeve and handed them to Yin Shun. "Your Majesty, I am here to deliver these petitions from the Censorate. I humbly request Your Majesty’s review."
"The Censorate? What have those old censors sniffed out now?" the emperor joked. But the moment he opened the first memorial, his smile vanished.
He flipped through several more before tossing the stack back at Yin Shun. "These old men work too quickly! From the incident at the palace gates until now—barely two hours—and they’ve written so many memorials, all impeaching the Feng family?"
Yan Zheng replied without batting an eye, "Your Majesty, today happened to be a Censorate meeting, so all the senior censors were present. The Lin girl carrying the coffin into the capital had already drawn their attention. After the incident at the palace gates, they were outraged and clamored to see Your Majesty. To spare Your Majesty the trouble, I suggested they submit written memorials instead."
The emperor groaned at the names listed.
Just the mention of Senior Censor Yu or Senior Censor Wang was enough to give him a headache.
"Thank you, Chief Minister, for holding them back. Otherwise, my ears would never know peace!"
Still, with so many memorials condemning the Feng family, ignoring them would only invite further uproar.
The emperor declared, "Then, for the crime of negligence, let them be fined half a year’s salary and confined to their homes for a month. Does that suffice?"
Yan Zheng made no comment but handed over one particular memorial.
The emperor frowned, then passed it to Empress Dowager Su. After a glance, she nodded. "Censor Hou makes a valid point. The Feng family has raised such an unfilial beast, tarnishing their reputation. It would indeed be inappropriate for them to marry into the imperial family."
Gasps rippled through the hall.
Prince Qin strode forward. "Mother! This has nothing to do with Ying’er!"
Empress Dowager Su shot him a cold look. She may have favored Feng Ying, but the imperial family’s dignity mattered more.
Once Feng Yun’s crimes spread across the land, she could not allow the royal family to be tied to such disgrace.
"Emperor, I shall take charge of this matter. The betrothal between Prince Qin and Feng Ying is hereby annulled."
"Mother!!"
Murong Jin cried out, first glancing at Chu Ruoyin before turning desperately to Feng Ying. "I’ve already wronged one woman—I cannot wrong another! I beg you to reconsider!"
Feng Ying’s face paled. Though she had longed to marry Yan Zheng, Prince Qin had been her fallback. Now, even that was gone. Her prospects for marriage would only grow bleaker.
"Empress Dowager! Your servant and Prince Qin share deep affection. I cannot bear to part with him—I beg for your mercy!"
Empress Dowager Su remained unmoved. To the emperor, she said, "I am weary and shall retire. The edict will follow shortly."
The emperor bowed. "We send off Mother respectfully."
"Farewell, Empress Dowager!"
As Empress Dowager Su walked away resolutely, Murong Jin’s face twisted in anguish—yet, inexplicably, he felt a strange sense of relief.
Feng Ying clenched her sleeves, her fingers nearly drawing blood...
The Lin family, the Chu family—these vile women who had ruined her marriage and her reputation—she would make every single one of them pay.
Outside the palace gates, Chu Ruoyan waited for Yan Zheng and the others.
Seeing them emerge with smiles and lighthearted conversation while the Feng family slunk away in dejection, she knew they had succeeded.
A faint smile touched her lips as she moved to greet them—until Murong Jin rushed out, calling, "Ruoyin, wait!"
