Chapter 726 - 520: Enemies on a Narrow Road

Feng Yun said indifferently, "Get up."

Daman shook her head, kneeling sincerely and persistently.

Feng Yun glanced at her, sat down, and calmly poured tea.

Daman quickly crawled forward, took the tea cup from her hands skillfully just like she had done countless times before, and placed it squarely in front of Feng Yun.

The sound of flowing water entered the ears.

Feng Yun silently appraised her.

There was no blame, no questioning, just a tranquil gaze pouring out like water, making Daman feel thoroughly chilled from head to toe.

"My lady." Her hands rested on her knees, her eyes downcast.

"Daman is ashamed before my lady, please punish me," she said.

Then she kowtowed again, bowing low to the ground.

Feng Yun let out a faint cold laugh, "What fault do you have?"

Daman said, "I have not been in contact with my lady for two years... Does my lady resent me?"

Two years.

It had already been two years.

Feng Yun raised her hand, touched the tea cup, and said indifferently:

"Everyone has their own aspirations. Once you went to Tai City, you were no longer my maid, and I could no longer control you. Stand and talk, a distinguished concubine of the Princely Heir, kneeling before me, what would people think..."

Her tone was calm.

Since the day she sent Daman away, she had already prepared for the worst, and there was nothing to be mad about.

"My lady. Daman is ambitious, but not greedy. I am not the favored lady of the Princely Heir as others assume..."

Daman’s gaze firmly fixed on Feng Yun, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"In these two years, the Princely Heir has not favored me. I have not forgotten my lady’s instructions, nor did I not want to contact my lady, but I had no opportunity, and feared that any slip might lead to failure..."

Feng Yun gave a smile.

Bowing her head, she fiddled with the tea set.

It was unclear if she believed it or not.

Daman was very nervous, her palms sweaty.

"It’s one thing for the Feng Family to keep a close watch on me, but the Princely Heir too... Everyone says he favors me, but everyone around me is his spy; he has never truly trusted me..."

Feng Yun raised her eyebrows.

She knew Xiao Cheng was suspicious.

But Xiao Cheng was very clear about how Daman came to be by his side.

"Do you think by not contacting me he wouldn’t suspect you’re my person?"

"He is suspicious, but he has no proof. Moreover, he kept me close as he wanted to probe about my lady through me, and I did not wish to fulfill his wishes, so I simply cut off contact."

Daman bit her lower lip, speaking in a low voice, "Insignificant messages have no meaning to convey, and if crucial messages are intercepted, not to mention whether I can save my life, the meaning of my lady placing Daman in the Qi Palace would have been ruined."

Feng Yun glanced at her.

"So you mean to say, you discovered some important intelligence?"

Daman looked at her and nodded her head.

Then, under Feng Yun’s watchful eyes, she picked up a pair of scissors, deftly cut open the lining of her sleeve, and pulled out a note.

The note had signs of being burnt, with eight characters barely visible—

"Already entered Pei Residence, waiting for the opportunity."

Daman said, "I secretly picked this out from the furnace."

Feng Yun narrowed her eyes, inwardly shocked.

Already entered Pei Residence, who could it be?

Daman continued, "Since the Princely Heir ascended the throne, he has prioritized peace, but in these two years, under various pretenses, he has sent many spies to Jin..."

She then lowered her eyes again.

"Unfortunately, Daman is incompetent, I thought of many ways, but still couldn’t get the registry of those spies, only know that from the Imperial Court to the common folk, there are the Princely Heir’s people everywhere..."

Feng Yun’s tone softened a bit.

"Xiao San is cautious, this kind of matter, I’m afraid aside from him, only less than three people would know, how could you easily get to the details?"

She lightly touched the paper that was only left with one corner.

"To have obtained this, you have already made a great contribution."

Daman finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"My lady..."

"Elder sister," Feng Yun corrected her, smiling slightly, "I heard Feng Jingteng named you Feng Hui? Since we are blood relatives, we should address each other as sisters."

The corners of Daman’s eyes suddenly began to well up with tears.

"Elder sister...," she stammered, "Others only see me favored above the entire Imperial Harem, but they do not know that in these two years, to avoid the traps set by Lady Chen and her daughter, I couldn’t even sleep in peace, often waking up from nightmares in the middle of the night, fearing that one day I might die an unnatural death..."

Feng Yun started laughing.

"Xiao San allows them to run rampant?"

Daman cast her gaze down.

"My brother-in-law is indeed protecting me..."

"Brother-in-law?" Feng Yun’s expression darkened.

Daman suddenly realized she had misspoken and quickly corrected herself, "Qi Jun is keen to protect me, but he is entangled with the nation’s affairs and the well-being of all under heaven. How could he spare so much effort to always watch over the Imperial Harem? Elder sister might not know, but their schemes, truly, are too numerous to guard against..."

Feng Yun smiled.

What is there not to know?

She knew all too well the tricks of Madam Feng Ying and Daughter.

And Xiao Cheng...

If he truly wanted to protect someone, how could he fail to protect them?

Daman didn’t notice the change in Feng Yun’s expression as she slowly lifted her skirt to show Feng Yun the marks on her body.

"They might have found the issue with the Golden Boudoir Guest. I don’t know when, but they secretly mixed some powder into the ointment bestowed by the emperor. Fortunately, I only used those ointments on my body, and took extra care of my face, always using the prescription my mother gave me, made by my own hands. Otherwise, my face would have been ruined..."

"Luckily I noticed early and immediately stopped using them. But even so, I still can’t recover to how it was before... Just now, out of nervousness, look, another rash has developed."

Feng Yun’s brows twitched.

"How is Feng Ying doing?"

Upon hearing this, Daman couldn’t help but laugh.

"Her face is even worse than the marks on my body. Unfit to be seen by others, flushes red, densely covered in rashes, and unbearably itchy when it’s cold or hot, or if the wind blows..."

She paused, then looked askance with schadenfreude, snickering.

"Because of Feng Ying’s face, she hasn’t served in bed for two years. Elder sister might not know, but Lady Chen is nearly driven to desperation. The Feng Family is still waiting to embrace a Little Prince to consolidate their position."

"Feng Ying loves beauty so much, now she can only cover her face with a veil, almost becoming a bizarre spectacle in Qi Palace. The concubines in the palace dare not speak openly, but they all laugh at her behind her back."

The palace’s most abundant supply is of those who trample others to climb higher, shamelessly vile people.

Feng Yun said, "You’ve had a hard time."

Having received consolation, Daman’s spirits lifted. She immediately sat up straight, beginning to recount to Feng Yun about the happenings in the Qi Palace over the past two years...

Feng Yun listened on.

Some were extremely familiar, so much so that merely hearing the beginning let her know the end.

She had experienced them before.

Some were indeed fresh, such as the tortoiseshell cat.

Using a cat to infuriate Lady Chen and her daughter to the point of stomping their feet, Daman truly had her revenge. And such incidents had been frequent over the past two years, causing much embarrassment to Feng Ying.

But what of it?

Unless the Feng Family falls, Feng Ying remains aloof and high above.

So, what they most wished to do now was to heal Feng Ying’s face, to allow her to serve the Imperial Presence.

Only after serving in bed and truly becoming Xiao Cheng’s woman could Feng Ying rightfully ascend to the empress’ position...

Otherwise, with her current appearance, not only would the Feng Family hesitate to mention making her empress, but the entire Imperial Court might also have objections...

An empress must grace the nation with dignity, how could she present herself with a ruined face?

That would damage the majesty of Daqi.

The two talked for a long time in the room until Daman’s servant reminded her, and only then did she reluctantly bid farewell and leave.

Feng Yun sat alone for a moment, reviewing the damaged letter Daman had brought numerous times, each word seemingly branded in her mind, before finally placing it in a secret compartment in the bookshelf.

Having settled everything, she called for Ge Guang to inquire.

"Has the King returned?"

Ge Guang was slightly surprised.

If the King had returned, he would surely have come to find his wife.

He shook his head.

Feng Yun felt uneasy, waved her hand, "Xiaoman, accompany me to Lady Tu’s quarters..."

She wanted to talk to Lady Tu, to alleviate some of the unease in her heart.

But upon hearing this, Ge Guang said, "Tu Fort Master and Lady Tu have gone to Yun Village. The Princely Heir personally sent someone to invite them."

Feng Yun remembered this matter.

She glanced at the ledger on the table, stood up, and asked Xiaoman to bring her the Wind-Gown to put on.

"I’ll also go and enjoy a drink."

Night had fallen, yet Huaxi was still awake.

In the manor, many people were coming and going, preparing for tomorrow’s wedding banquet.

On the main roads outside, there were occasional passersby. The sky twinkled with stars, and the moonlight shone like water, reflecting off the lights, all immersed in busyness and joy.

Feng Yun walked along the small path towards Yun Village.

In the dim lantern light, at the entrance of Yun Village, there stood a person quietly, seemingly blending into the night, features blurred, the fluttering of his garment adding an unfounded sense of mystery, bringing a familiar pressure...

It was a gaze from a monarch.

And a trauma response from a past life...

Feng Yun instinctively slowed her pace.

After two years, both Xiao Cheng and she had changed much...

But in this moment, under not so bright light, they still recognized each other easily.

Feng Yun faltered slightly.

This gathering suddenly lost its appeal.

She turned around quietly.

A clear, powerful voice came from behind, like a stream in a gorge, filled with stories and vicissitudes, reaching deep into the heart.

"Ayun, wait..."