Chapter 587 - 423: Within an Inch

Feng Yun’s days of recuperation were extremely dull.

When she didn’t have time to read, she longed for the leisure to stay in her room all day, but now that she genuinely couldn’t go anywhere, trapped in this small space, she felt as if she were about to go mad.

"My foot isn’t so badly hurt that I need to stay in bed..."

"Madam, look how swollen your foot is," Xiaoman immediately objected.

Huanhuan followed suit, "The king specifically instructed before he left that Madam must take good care to rest, not to run around carelessly and worsen the injury..."

Feng Yun raised her eyebrows, "Who has the final say, I or he."

Huanhuan drew her neck in and lowered her head, "Madam has the final say."

Feng Yun deflated, "Nevermind, just bring me my paper and brush."

The vast Changmen, with its many affairs, did not cease to function due to Feng Yun’s foot injury.

Even with quite a few people to assist her, she still needed to deal with a large number of matters every day.

Especially...

Now there was also Ao Qi’s marriage to concern herself with.

And those coal balls shipped out from Changmen.

It had been three or four days since Hou Zhun and Ren Rude left Huaxi, and there was still no news, causing her to feel a simmering anxiety, fearing another mishap...

"The paper and brush are here."

The writing desk and the four treasures of the study were placed in front of the bed, and the two maids carefully supported Feng Yun as she sat down on the cushion.

Feng Yun propped herself up by the waist and looked at her swollen ankle, exhaling sharply.

"In such a state, I truly feel like painting a picture to commemorate this."

Xiaoman said, "To paint how Madam’s foot injury looks?"

Feng Yun hummed with a smile, "Not today, I’ll do it when I have time."

She then commanded, "You two go rest, it’s fine as long as Aozai is with me."

Aozai moved his tail and ears, sticking beside her leg to show he understood.

Xiaoman, however, was reluctant, "How can that be? The king has commanded us to stick by your side closely..."

Feng Yun stared at her with a smile in her eyes.

Xiaoman quickly swallowed back the words she hadn’t spoken.

"I can be of use, I’ll stay and grind the ink for Madam."

As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves, grabbed the ink stick, and then signaled to Huanhuan and Peipei.

"You go down, with me and Aozai guarding Madam, we’ll call you if anything is needed."

"Yes."

Compared to Xiaoman, the other maidservants were not so casual and were very cautious in their actions in front of Feng Yun.

Feng Yun did not object, and once they had gone, she gave Xiaoman a blank look.

"Look at how spoiled you’ve become. I was planning to keep you around for a few more years, but since you’re so annoying, I’ll have to send you away sooner..."

She said it seriously, with a straight face, scaring Xiaoman quite badly.

She was just a breath away from kneeling, had Feng Yun not chuckled.

"Madam, please..."

Feng Yun’s mouth twitched, "I was joking, couldn’t you tell?"

Xiaoman laughed out loud, showing a few white teeth.

"I was joking too, Madam didn’t catch on either."

She was smug about it.

Feng Yun shook her head with a smile, inadvertently thinking of Daman.

In the past, when they both attended to her, Xiaoman was also lively and cheerful, but it was Daman who often seemed scheming, full of cunning plans...

After reflecting for a moment, Feng Yun turned her attention back to the paper and began to write.

She had the habit of writing down plans and clearing her mind before doing anything, but this time, putting pen to paper was particularly strenuous...

She had never managed a wedding before.

"Xiaoman, send someone to invite Granny Han and Madam Chang over."

Madam Chang was the steward who had come over with the Ao Residence caravan, having previously served in Madame Pei’s courtyard. Feng Yun had initially observed her to be a shrewd and capable woman, not leaving her in the manor but having them go to Ao Qi’s residence in Andu instead.

Granny Han, however, arrived promptly.

She had grown older, so Feng Yun was reluctant to trouble her with worries. Yet Han A’po was not one to sit idly by—having risen early this morning, she had gone to dig for herbs with a bamboo basket on her back...

Barely stepping out of her home, she heard Feng Yun’s summons and hurried over.

"Poor Shi’er Niang, is your foot hurting again? Come, let Granny rub it for you..."

Feng Yun chuckled softly, "My foot is fine; it’s my brain that has a bit of an issue."

With a gasp, Han A’po looked at her anxiously.

Feng Yun smiled and said, "The Ao Residence has entrusted me with handling Xiaoqi’s wedding. There are some customs that I’m not quite familiar with, and I still depend on Granny to clear up my confusion..."

Han A’po let out a long sigh of relief.

"I thought it was some grave matter. It’s just this. Leave it to Granny..."

Her own elder sister from her maiden home used to be a matchmaker, so she was not unfamiliar with big wedding preparations and rituals, speaking confidently as if she was listing her own family treasures.

As she spoke, Feng Yun wrote everything down.

By the time Mrs. Chang from Andu City arrived, Feng Yun had already finished writing.

"Mrs. Chang, please have a look. If there’s anything improper, point it out, and we can discuss it in detail..."

Mrs. Chang had a smile on her face and was very polite, "No need, no need. The wife has said, everything is up to the Princess to decide. I am but a servant; how could I dare make presumptions about the Princess’s decisions..."

While she said this, her hand was already picking up what Feng Yun had written.

In the households of great clans, there would be a few literate people by the mistress’s side.

Mrs. Chang was one such individual.

After looking it over for a moment, her brows suddenly furrowed.

"With all due respect, may I ask if the Princess thinks the bridal procession’s rituals are a bit too complicated?"

The implication in Mrs. Chang’s words was the sentiment of the Ao Family.

Feng Yun narrowed her eyes slightly, "According to Mrs. Chang’s opinion?"

Mrs. Chang said, "The bride’s family is far away. As the wife mentioned, they set out from Cangyan Mountain at the end of last month..."

She laughed again, as if reluctant to correct Feng Yun.

"The chieftain of the Heibei tribe has dispatched a procession of two hundred and twenty people for the bride, bringing along a substantial dowry. That is to say, the bridal escort has already begun. We might as well just host a grand banquet for the guests at the residence, and if other protocols can be dispensed with, let’s dispense with them. After all, the groom isn’t too thrilled about this marriage..."

Feng Yun heard the message loud and clear.

It wasn’t that Ao Qi was indifferent to the wedding; rather, the Ao Family was also not entirely pleased with this daughter-in-law.

In their minds, the ideal bride would have been a lady from a literate and repute family, not a chieftain’s daughter from a remote desert...

The chieftain of Heibei Gorge might dominate his region, but in the eyes of the Ao Family, he was probably akin to a barbarian...

Of course, the Ao Family wasn’t short of money.

They felt it was a matter of face that their son was being slighted; more importantly, the Ao Family needed to convey a message, to let those who laughed at Ao Qi behind his back understand that the Ao Family was not marrying the chieftain’s daughter out of desperation...

The subtleties were intricate and could hardly be captured in a few words.

Feng Yun pondered for a moment and then looked up with a smile,

"I’ll have someone ask Xiaoqi, and then we can decide."

The matter of Ao Qi’s marriage should be decided by Ao Qi himself. Especially since it would create even more trouble if the bride were to feel slighted by her because she had prematurely agreed to this...

Feng Yun wouldn’t shoulder such blame.

Mrs. Chang agreed continuously, not saying much beyond that...

Feng Yun sent Ge Guang to the Red Armor Army camp at Shiguan to pass a message to Ao Qi.

Unexpectedly, Ge Guang came back not with a reply from Ao Qi, but with another piece of news.

Ge Guang said, "I couldn’t meet General Ao at the Red Armor Army camp. The guards said that Li Zongxun amassed tens of thousands of troops and launched a surprise attack on Wenchang Palace last night; General Ao had led his troops to battle before dawn."

Feng Yun picked up her tea cup, carefully wiped away the tea foam, her voice so calm it betrayed no emotion.

"This Li Zongxun, his timing really is impeccable..."

Ge Guang pursed his lips, hesitated, and lowered his voice,

"When I left Shiguan, I inadvertently ran into General Hou’s messenger. He was injured and asked me to rush back to the estate to inform the mistress... The coal shipment from Changmen to Chuzhou has been robbed..."

He clenched his fist slightly, his face filled with tension. Glancing at Feng Yun, his expression was full of concern.

The mistress cared so much for the coal, having busied herself with this trade for so long...

Ge Guang dared not imagine how she would react to the news, replaying the scenario in his head countless times on his way back...

But to his utter surprise, upon hearing the news, Feng Yun burst into a smile.

"Well robbed!"