Lady Feng was actually the second legitimate daughter of the Feng Family. Above her were two older brothers and a twin sister.
Although the twins were born at the same time and looked very much alike, the treatment they received at home was worlds apart. Her sister, Feng Linlang, was showered with love and favor from their parents and brothers.
As for Princess Consort Qi, Feng Suiyu—just her name hinted at her neglected status—she was often overlooked by her family. Wherever her sister was, Feng Suiyu easily became invisible.
So when it came to her first betrothal, her parents never even asked for her opinion. But when arranging a match for her sister, they were extremely selective.
They had been keeping an eye out for promising young men as early as two years in advance.
When it came to Feng Suiyu, however, they hastily picked a groom from an ordinary family. Fortunately, her fiancé proved to be capable—within a few years, he passed the provincial imperial examination and became a juren.
Just as the two families were preparing for the marriage after her fiancé completed the metropolitan exam the following year, Prince Qi came to the Feng Family to propose.
Without much hesitation and without informing Feng Suiyu, her parents canceled her previous engagement and arranged a betrothal with the Prince’s household.
Two months after Feng Linlang’s wedding, Prince Qi and Feng Suiyu were married.
“So sudden? Usually, the six formal betrothal rituals—from proposal, asking the name, acceptance, betrothal gifts, setting the date, to the wedding procession—take at least half a year for families who pay attention to tradition. Was the prince’s marriage really so rushed?”
“It was because the old emperor’s health was failing at the time, which made Prince Qi eager to marry the daughter of a military family.
Moreover, Feng Suiyu’s marriage into the prince’s household as princess consort stirred up intense jealousy in Feng Linlang, who had always overshadowed her younger sister. She privately caused Feng Suiyu a lot of trouble.
When the Feng Family and Prince Qi’s household were arranging the marriage, Feng Linlang hadn’t yet married but was already at the stage of setting the wedding date with her own fiancé.
So Feng Linlang, who wanted to replace her sister and get engaged to Prince Qi herself, had no way to back out of her own betrothal.”
“I don’t believe she never thought about having her sister stand in for her!”
“She really did consider it. But both Prince Qi’s household and the family of the Heir of Yongning Count, where Feng Linlang was to marry, were respectable families.
After weighing the pros and cons, their parents did not agree to the eldest daughter’s plan.
Besides, Feng Linlang had been courting Chai Jin, the Heir of Yongning Count, quite a lot in private to win his heart.
So Chai Jin recognized Feng Linlang alone as his future wife and would never accept Feng Suiyu.
To that end, Feng Linlang even secretly dressed Feng Suiyu up to look like her and sent her to meet Chai Jin—but he immediately saw the difference.
After all, the two had been intimately acquainted; it wasn’t hard for him to tell.”
“Sounds like the sister wasn’t a very good person!”
“Feng Linlang was just overly proud. She had always had the best of everything. Suddenly, seeing her younger sister ‘marry beneath her’ was a blow to her pride.
If you ask whether she liked Prince Qi, the answer is no. Prince Qi’s status was the only thing he had going for him; he was far inferior to Chai Jin!
Spoiled and doted upon all her life, she never realized that everything she had was the best—including her husband.
In the end, Feng Linlang ‘had no choice’ but to marry Chai Jin. Their parents also felt that the eldest daughter’s marriage was inferior to the second’s and that she suffered a great injustice, so they gave her a generous dowry to make up for it.
Feng Suiyu was no less accomplished than the Feng family’s Feng Linlang. Had she not married into Prince Qi’s mansion, her future prospects would have been far inferior to her sister’s.
However, Feng Suiyu’s life as the prince’s consort was not as ideal as Feng Linlang had imagined. Prince Qi’s respect for her was superficial at best.
Prince Qi had a notorious reputation for being a libertine. Not long after their marriage, he found the new princess consort too dull and overly serious.
He never stopped to consider that a refined lady from a noble family could hardly compare to the many courtesans and mistresses he kept in the pleasure quarters.
Originally, the two sisters rarely met after marriage, only returning to their parental home occasionally. But when trouble arose, nothing could stop them from coming together.
Once, when their mother fell ill, the two sisters returned home to care for her. During a break, a drunken Prince Qi mistakenly entered the wrong room and happened to catch Feng Linlang in the midst of changing clothes.
By this time, Feng Linlang had seen through many things in life, and her relationship with her younger sister had gradually softened. In fact, they were even closer than before their marriages.
“Then what happened? That scoundrel didn’t mistake Feng Linlang for Feng Suiyu, did he?”
“At first glance, he probably did think she was Feng Suiyu. The sisters looked about eighty to ninety percent alike, but their temperaments differed greatly. Feng Linlang’s married life was much more carefree, so she appeared more relaxed than her sister, the princess consort.
It didn’t take long for Prince Qi to realize it was actually Feng Linlang.
Instead of retreating, he pretended to be drunk and shamelessly called out Feng Suiyu’s name.
But Feng Linlang was far smarter than Feng Suiyu. The moment she saw Prince Qi’s expression, she knew he was faking his drunkenness. She immediately called him out and ordered him to leave at once.
Prince Qi, however, refused to back down. He claimed that he had always wanted to marry Feng Linlang, and that marrying Feng Suiyu was only because the two sisters looked so much alike.”
“Feng Linlang didn’t believe his nonsense, did she?”
“Of course not. Though she once wished to marry into Prince Qi’s mansion before her marriage, it was supposed to be a proper, formal union—not like this.
Now, he was her brother-in-law. If they crossed that line, how could she face anyone?
Feng Linlang was a strong and proud woman. She was already married, and her married life was harmonious. She would never stoop to such disgrace, even if he was a prince.
During the struggle, Prince Qi’s feigned drunkenness intensified, and he threatened Feng Linlang: if she refused him, he would shout out and tell the Feng family that she was the one seducing him!”
Moon Floating Light was inwardly seething, wanting to unleash a hundred curses on the disgusting Prince Qi standing in the hall.
In the end, she could only grit her teeth and sigh, “That vile creature is worse than a dog! Xiao Zhuzi, I don’t care when the truth about Prince Qi comes out, but right now, you have to castrate him for me!
He’s disgusting beyond words. Today, he must be as impotent as Eunuch Qian!”
Eunuch Qian muttered, “I was enjoying the show just fine—do I really have to get involved here?”
“Exactly! Though Feng Linlang was frightened by him, she stood her ground and refused. Prince Qi then tore off her intimate pouch, claiming it was a token of their love.
In reality, it was a thinly veiled threat meant to silence her.
After this incident, Feng Linlang wanted to return to her husband’s home the very next day, fearing another encounter with that beast.”
Later on, Prince Qi seemed to have Feng Linlang completely under his thumb. Like a hawk swooping down on chicks, he seized every opportunity to harass her. He had already pocketed quite a few of her handkerchiefs, hairpins, and bracelets, leaving Feng Linlang so frightened that she didn’t dare return to her family’s home for a while.
“Ah… does Princess Consort Qi know about this? Does Chai Jin know?”
“Not at all. Princess Consort Qi is completely in the dark. Chai Jin vaguely sensed that his wife’s mood was off, but no matter how much he asked, he couldn’t get her to open up. Such a shameful matter—even though she’s not at fault, society is harsh on women.
If anyone found out, Prince Qi might only be branded a womanizer, but for Feng Linlang, it would be a fate worse than death!
However, there is one person who knows the truth very well—that person is Xie Zhiyao.
She has no intention of rescuing her aunt, nor does she plan to tell her own mother about this.
In order to curry favor with Prince Qi, she even repeatedly urged Feng Linlang to submit to her own father.
You have to say, Feng Suiyu gave birth to a truly ungrateful daughter—she might as well have given birth to a roast pork bun!”
