Fengyu waved her hand in front of Fang Lingjun. Fang Lingjun had not entered the palace for six days. Today, she accompanied Mrs. Fang to the palace. During the Beiman Princess’s lessons, her mind was elsewhere, showing no interest in anything. Her entire deanor seed listless and dispirited, which made Fengyu sowhat concerned for her.
After Mrs. Fang and the two princesses had gone for a short rest, Fengyu took Fang Lingjun to the imperial garden to admire the flowers, intending to ask her what had happened. But Fang Lingjun was still distracted. Fengyu thought she must have encountered so major trouble. Fang Lingjun then ca back to her senses and said it was nothing—just that she hadn’t slept well.
"Really didn’t sleep well? If you have any worries, you can tell . If you’re facing any difficulties that you can’t handle, you can also let know—I’ll try to co up with a solution."
Fengyu’s words ward Fang Lingjun’s heart, but she could not reveal her troubles to Fengyu. Although the two spoke freely to each other about most things, this matter was too shocking and unconventional; there was no way she could divulge her brother’s secret. She could only bear it alone. Fang Lingjun felt both regret and relief for having asked Fang Chuning.
She regretted knowing such a secret—it was terrifying.
She was relieved because now she could share a bit of her brother’s burden. Her brother was so restrained, so sorrowful, silently enduring imnse pressure. She should have noticed long ago; from childhood to now, her brother had never been so special to anyone—except Xie Jue.
But Xie Jue had married in Beiman and even had a daughter. Her brother’s feelings ended up being fruitless.
She felt so sorry for Fang Chuning that she had been sowhat depressed in recent days.
"Ayu, I’m really fine. There’s nothing you can do to help ," Fang Lingjun said sadly. "It’s just so trivial matters at ho—you already know my parents’ situation."
ntioning the Marshal and Mrs. Fang took away much of Fengyu’s doubts. Xiaoqi had also said a few days ago that the atmosphere at their ho was tense, which Fengyu had heard about briefly. Every family has its difficulties; Fengyu didn’t know how to comfort her.
After Fang Lingjun left the palace, Fengyu sent people to find Lin Xiao and Zhang Boxin, asking them to take Fang Lingjun for an outing in the countryside to relax when their official duties weren’t too busy.
Zhang Boxin told Fengyu, rather aggrievedly, that in recent days when he invited Fang Lingjun out, she always avoided him. Now that Fang Lingjun was discussing marriage proposals, it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to frolic around with them. As they grew older, they were no longer as carefree and uninhibited as they were a few years ago.
A few days later, the Beiman Royal Family and the Lan family, under the escort of the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry, arrived in Shangjing as a sign of respect. Xie Jue, along with Lin Helin and others, went out of the city to welco them.
The Lan family’s carriages followed those of the Beiman Royal Family. The group was vast and imposing. At the city gates, formal courtesies were exchanged. The Beiman King, also known as the forr Sixth Prince, was sowhat acquainted with Xie Jue. Years ago, he had tried to enlist Xie Jue, using both threats and temptation, and they cooperated briefly. He had never imagined that the brilliant Helian Feng he had encountered back then was in fact the renowned Ningzhou Iron Cavalry Think Tank, Xie Jue.
They had co very close to killing Xie Jue in Fox City—only narrowly letting him escape. A missed opportunity, letting the tiger return to the mountain, now left the Beiman King deeply frustrated and stifled. But ti had passed, and he was now the loser; he could only suppress all his resentnt.
After the formalities, Xie Jue and Lin Helin hosted the Beiman Royal Family and the Lan family, while Fang Chuning led several generals to arrange for the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry soldiers.
Once all the won had been settled, Xie Jue and Lin Helin escorted the Beiman King and several mbers of the Beiman Royal Family into the palace to et Xie Xun. That night, a banquet was held in the palace. Several Princesses—as well as Lan Ningzhen and her daughter—were invited to the palace, with Fengyu personally responsible for the arrangents.
Fengyu arranged the banquet at Changqiu Palace, eagerly awaiting the Beiman won’s arrival. Her primary anticipation was to see Lan Ningzhen and her daughter. Fengyu was truly curious about how Lan Ningzhen, Xie Jue, and Fang Chuning would handle everything. From Xie Xun’s words, he seed prepared to acknowledge this marriage. Was Second Brother really going to recognize his wife and daughter?
She was tight-lipped; even the things she had pieced together herself had not been disclosed to Xie Xun. Otherwise, she wasn’t sure how Xie Xun might react. As for matters involving Xie Jue and Fang Chuning, she would not interfere. Any decisions they made must have been carefully considered.
The Beiman King’s three Princesses, accompanied by several Beiman won—including Lan Ningzhen—arrived at Changqiu Palace in great splendor. Along the way, they had received pointers on Beining etiquette. Though sowhat unfamiliar, Fengyu paid it no mind at all. After they knelt in greeting, she quickly had them rise and gave them seats. What followed was a mont of astonishnt.
The Princesses’ appearances were simply exquisite!
They wore Beiman attire, intricate and jeweled, each adorned with ruby headpieces—stunning and arresting. The Beiman won, accustod to life in the icy wilderness, had snow-white skin and tall, curvaceous figures. At a glance, they were all strikingly beautiful, with deep-set and refined features. The Third and Fourth Princesses, greeting their mother consort, were joyous—it truly felt like a family reunion. Fengyu’s gaze drifted toward Lan Ningzhen and the young girl beside her.
Lan Ningzhen was the tallest among the won, dressed in a pale green long dress with a matching overcoat, understated and elegant, lacking the exotic allure of the Princesses. Her skin was snowy white, and her eyes—charming and fox-like—radiated tenderness, imbued with the graceful temperant of a Beining woman.
Fengyu thought to herself, no wonder Fang Chuning had managed to impersonate Lan Ningzhen in Beiman.
She truly shared a resemblance to Fang Chuning—three or four parts alike, particularly in the eyes. This was truly remarkable. The young girl beside her looked strikingly similar as well, with intelligent and beautiful peach-shaped eyes—a truly lovely child. Seeing the adorable little girl ward Fengyu’s heart; perhaps it was because she already knew Xie Jue would acknowledge her. Soday, this girl would be Ruyi’s elder sister, and Fengyu had specifically brought Ruyi along to attend the banquet.
The Beiman Great Queen had a commanding and prideful deanor. Though they had surrendered, she still carried the inherent arrogance of a Beiman woman, unwilling to yield. Her attitude toward Fengyu was cold and distant, lacking much respect. Fengyu genuinely didn’t mind at all.
The Second Princess Consort, on the other hand, was lively and clever, constantly praising Fengyu for her sweet and charming appearance and admiring the vibrant and bustling atmosphere of Beining Capital, describing it as warm as spring.
Indeed, despite the harsh early spring cold of the Capital, to them, it felt like a pleasant spring day.
Fengyu liked cheerful, sweet-talking individuals, regardless of gender. People who knew how to speak were always likable, so she chose to converse more with the Second Princess Consort.
After about a quarter of an hour, even the Great Queen grew sowhat anxious. It was evident that the two princess consorts didn’t get along very well. Fengyu’s preference for the Second Princess Consort clearly displeased the Great Queen, who awkwardly initiated a conversation with Fengyu.
Fengyu was not one to fawn over those who showed indifference, but she wouldn’t deliberately embarrass anyone either. If the Great Queen wanted to talk, Fengyu was perfectly willing to act as the gracious hostess. With equanimity, she distributed various silks and satins as gifts. Knowing Fengyu’s fondness for jewelry, the Beiman Princesses exchanged an entire box of colorful gemstones, dazzling Fengyu.
"Wow..." Completely captivated, Fengyu couldn’t take her eyes off the gems—they were simply beautiful. Especially on such a sunny day, the jewels refracted rays of magnificent light under the sun. Fengyu thought the silks and satins she had given them were embarrassingly modest by comparison. "These are just stunning."
"Mother Consort, you made the perfect choice. Her Majesty the Empress loves these shiny stones," said the Fourth Princess innocently.
To Fengyu, they were jewels, but to them, they were rely shiny stones.
Fengyu thought to herself, what a waste of such treasures!
Among the gemstones were pearls ground into tiny beads—things they often used for children’s gas, like marbles. Fengyu commanded attendants to collect the jewels and signaled Qiuxiang to prepare more appropriate gifts.
Her initial gifts were prepared based on usual customs, but considering that the Princesses’ gifts were so lavish, Fengyu, being the Empress of the realm, naturally had to match their level of grandeur.
The early part of the banquet revolved around exchanging gifts, and both parties felt pleasantly surprised and satisfied.
Even the haughty and assertive Beiman Great Queen beca more talkative under Fengyu’s gentle and warm smile—as the saying goes, a smile disarms all hostility, regardless of where one is.
At the table of the female guests, harmony ensued. Fengyu mingled and exchanged pleasantries with the Princesses and consorts, granted them gifts, asked after their daily lives, and only then turned her attention toward Lan Ningzhen and the young girl.
Lan Ningzhen was reserved and taciturn, rarely speaking, always lowering her head as though afraid to et anyone’s gaze. She didn’t touch her food and answered only what was asked of her, displaying great caution and timidity.
Ruyi, however, was entirely unafraid of strangers. He had long since run over to grab the young girl’s hand, squealing in his childish voice as he asked her na. The girl responded in fluent Beining dialect.
"My na is Lan Mingzhu," the girl replied crisply.
"My na is Ruyi, and I’m your little brother!" he declared. "My father is Beining’s Prince Yan—his na is Xie Jue, and he’s also your father." Xie Xun had casually ntioned to Ruyi that he had a sister, and Ruyi rembered.
"Ruyi..." Fengyu felt a pang of anxiety. She wanted to intervene but was already too late. Children spoke without restraint, and Fengyu couldn’t help but feel annoyed at Xie Xun’s loose tongue for ntioning this matter to Ruyi prematurely.
Among children his age, Ruyi had only played with Feng Wan’s children before, and they got along fairly well. Knowing that he had a sister, Ruyi didn’t feel jealous at all—on the contrary, he’d been eagerly anticipating it. Monts earlier, when Fengyu had been srized by the gemstones, Ruyi had run to find Lan Mingzhu.
Lan Ningzhen was clearly flustered and wanted to say sothing but hesitated. This matter had yet to be formally confird in the imperial court, yet the won’s gathering seed to establish it once and for all. Fengyu, quick to react, couldn’t refute Ruyi’s claim amidst the aningful gazes of the Beiman Princesses. Instead, she smiled and said, "Ruyi has always wanted a sister, and now he finally has one. The children must be bored at the banquet—Lan, would you mind if Ruyi took his sister to explore the palace?"
"No... I wouldn’t mind," Lan Ningzhen replied softly, also instructing Lan Mingzhu to take care of her little brother.
Lan Mingzhu pulled Ruyi and ran off to play, followed closely by Dongxue and Xia Zhu. Once the children left, Fengyu smiled lightly and said, "Mingzhu is lively and clever. Second Brother will surely be delighted when he sees her."
Lan Ningzhen’s head was bowed so low it nearly touched her chest, making it difficult for Fengyu to discern her expression. But the Beiman Great Queen clicked her tongue mockingly and said, "Abandoning his wife and daughter, and now blessed with such a lovely young girl—who wouldn’t be delighted?"
Fengyu’s smile faded slightly as she responded deliberately, "Second Brother’s and Lan’s affairs are unknown to others, so it’s not for outsiders to comnt. It’s precisely because of their separation back then that they can now reunite as a family. The outco, after all, is a good one."
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