"Silence!" Elder Feng's face darkened, his finger nearly jabbing into Feng Huan's face. "How dare you ask? If it weren't for the daughter you raised—that reckless fool Feng Ying—who had the audacity to offend the Chief Minister, would we have fallen to such a state?"
Feng Huan paled. "Y-you mean Little Dai’s incident was truly orchestrated by Ying'er? How is that possible?"
Elder Feng scoffed. "Are you an idiot? A mere maidservant wouldn’t dare frame the Chief Minister without her mistress’s orders. Does she have the guts of a bear or the heart of a leopard?"
Feng Huan’s legs gave way, and he slumped into a chair. Feng Shuo, the second son, murmured, "Father, at this point, blaming Ying'er won’t help. We should focus on what to do next. After all, back then..."
He barely uttered those words before Elder Feng’s brows furrowed deeply. "Eldest, leave us and think carefully!"
Once Feng Huan had stumbled out, dazed, Elder Feng lowered his voice. "You’re right. Third Yan has already sent Xie Zhizhou, the newly appointed Tanhua, under the guise of inspecting the river, to investigate the embezzlement of disaster relief funds and the bribery from years ago. Fortunately, I’ve long since covered our tracks, and with so much time passed, I doubt they’ll find anything..."
Feng Shuo, however, was less optimistic. "Father, I fear you underestimate Third Yan."
Elder Feng raised an eyebrow as his son continued, "Think about it. Ever since Elder Brother returned to the capital, we’ve suffered one humiliation after another—first the disgrace at the Qujiang Banquet, then the scandal with Lady Lin. Sacrificing Feng Yun cost us the alliance with the Earl of Pingxi’s Manor. Later, Ying'er’s betrothal to Prince Qin was broken, and she made a spectacle of herself at the Shuntian Prefecture, ruining her reputation. Now, marrying into a noble family is out of the question..."
"Every single one of these incidents bears Third Yan’s fingerprints!"
Elder Feng’s voice turned grave. "What are you implying?"
Feng Shuo glanced around to ensure no one was listening, then whispered, "Third Yan, as the Chief Minister, has no personal grudge against our family. Why target us so relentlessly? The one pulling the strings must be..." He pointed upward, "...him!"
Elder Feng’s eyes widened as he sucked in a sharp breath. "Y-you’re certain?"
If it truly was the Emperor’s will, what hope did the Feng family have to resist?
Feng Shuo pressed on, "His Majesty likely isn’t planning to move against us immediately, but his patience must be wearing thin. Otherwise, why would he send instructress matrons to humiliate the women of our household—something never done to other generals’ families? I suspect he’s waiting for Xie Zhizhou to gather enough evidence to revoke your Iron-Certificate of Immunity lawfully. So..."
His tone darkened, eyes gleaming with ruthlessness. "We might as well seize the opportunity during the royal hunt in two weeks and—"
He drew a finger across his throat.
Elder Feng recoiled. "Have you lost your mind? Have you forgotten how Princess Ansheng died? Even she failed—and you dare entertain such thoughts?"
"Father! Do we have a choice? Do you realize that under this house arrest, even our servants are barred from leaving? If this lasts ten days or more, we’ll all starve to death!"
Elder Feng fell silent. Feng Shuo pressed, "He’s already slapped you in the face. How long do you think the Iron-Certificate will protect us? Besides, Princess Ansheng was betrayed by Third Yan, a spy. Our plan is secret! Once the deed is done, we’ll pin it on remnants of the previous dynasty. With the Emperor gone and the court in chaos, Third Yan’s reign as Chief Minister will end!"
Elder Feng was sorely tempted, but failure meant annihilation.
After a long hesitation, he shook his head. "No... The stakes are too high. Let’s wait. If the assassins I’ve sent can kill Xie Zhizhou before he returns to the capital, the Emperor will lack evidence. Perhaps he’ll spare our family..."
"Father!"
Feng Shuo fumed. What was one Xie Zhizhou? If he died, wouldn’t the Emperor just send another?
But his father’s mind was made up. With a frustrated stomp, Feng Shuo left.
---
At the Yan residence, thanks to the scandal at Lucky Tavern, the Emperor had graciously granted the Chief Minister three days of rest.
So when Shadow returned, Yan Zheng was in Chu Ruoyan’s chambers, watching her play with their dog.
"Fubao, Fubao," she teased, waving a piece of boiled cartilage. "Before Second Sister sent you back, did she tell you who her sweetheart is? If it’s the blind prince, bark once. If it’s the pitiful cousin, bark twice..."
The little dog barked—three times!
Chu Ruoyan blinked in surprise. Yan Zheng chuckled, pulling her into his arms. "Shadow’s here."
Turning, they saw the mute boy nod and hand a small notebook to Meng Yang.
Meng Yang’s expression turned serious. "Just as you predicted, Feng Shuo believes the Emperor is targeting the Feng family. He urged Feng Ping to assassinate His Majesty during the royal hunt in two weeks. But Feng Ping is too cowardly—he only sent assassins to kill Xie Zhizhou and prevent the evidence from reaching the capital."
"Assassins?" Chu Ruoyan tilted her head up at Yan Zheng. "Isn’t harboring assassins a capital offense for a general?"
"If not for the Iron-Certificate, he’d have been executed eight hundred times over," Yan Zheng replied flatly, rubbing his temples. "Is Feng Ping a turtle? How many slaps to the face does it take for him to rebel?"
Meng Yang stifled a smirk. Chu Ruoyan burst out laughing. "Chief Minister Yan, such words are beneath your dignity."
Yan Zheng kissed her forehead. "Replying to my wife—if we don’t force the Fengs to rebel, how else can we justify wiping them out?"
Chu Ruoyan knew his fury stemmed from Feng Ying’s slander against her virtue. But since she’d promised to let him handle the aftermath, she held her tongue.
After a moment’s thought, Yan Zheng said, "If they want Xie Zhizhou dead, let him return to the capital immediately. Have him flee convincingly—no interference from our men, lest we alert them." Then he paused. "Ah, my love, isn’t your cousin Xue Ling visiting Guardian Temple in two days?"
Chu Ruoyan’s eyes flashed with understanding. "You want Xie Zhizhou to flee to the temple, where my cousin can ‘rescue’ him and kindle a romance?"
Yan Zheng nodded, but she shook her head. "Xie Zhizhou is decent, but his grandmother is trouble. She recently brought Cousin Liu from the countryside. Marrying Xue Ling into that household is risky. Best not involve her."
Yan Zheng conceded. "Then have Xie Zhizhou take the route to Sleeping Buddha Temple. The monks can aid him."
Meng Yang acknowledged the order.
---
Two days later, at the Cao estate gate, Old Madam Cao clasped Xue Ling’s hands. "Dear child, your mother is with child, and my old bones can’t endure the journey. I must trouble you to pray for our family’s blessings."
"Grandmother, you honor me. The Cao family’s kindness in taking me in is more than I deserve. Offering incense is nothing. But..." Xue Ling hesitated.
Old Madam Cao urged, "Speak freely."
"Then I’ll be blunt. My cousin mentioned that Guardian Temple’s monks failed to act during Old Madam Feng’s passing. Might we visit Sleeping Buddha Temple instead?"
Old Madam Cao nodded and said, "Very well. Any temple will do, as sincerity is what truly matters. Do take care on your journey."
"Yes, Granddaughter will remember," she replied.
