Chapter 548 - 530: The Throne
Inside the Marquis Mansion, Su Yuejiao and Fengyu were anxiously waiting for news. As time ticked by, both were consumed with worry. Fengyu was still engulfed in the grief of Feng Shu’s passing. The mother and daughter sat together in the darkened chamber, Fengyu clutching her chest in pain. Anxiety, fear, and regret swirled within her, plunging her into despair. She desperately thought of Ruyi; only by recalling Ruyi’s smile and demeanor could she temporarily alleviate the sorrow of Feng Shu’s death.
Suddenly, in the dead silence, they heard footsteps. Su Yuejiao’s heart leaped to her throat. Could it be Xie Xun and the others returning? Fengyu and Su Yuejiao exchanged a glance. Cautiously, they moved closer to the hidden chamber’s door. The chamber had a small, concealed window through which sounds from the courtyard could be heard. The exit was well-hidden, and Su Yuejiao and Fengyu were crouched below the vent. Even if someone discovered the hidden chamber, it would be difficult to spot them.
"Search everywhere! The Capital City has been combed through. Other than the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, nowhere has been left unchecked. They must be hiding here."
Fengyu heard a rough voice—it must be the Jinyi Guard searching for someone.
They had actually come to the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion!
The sound of hurried footsteps shifted from one courtyard to another. This hidden chamber was located in Xie Jue’s courtyard. Because of Xie Jue’s frail health in his youth, he had taken an interest in mechanical techniques and built the chamber within his room. It wasn’t in the main courtyard nor in Xie Xun’s courtyard, making it relatively inconspicuous.
"Master, we’ve searched everywhere. There’s no trace of anyone."
In the courtyard, a Jinyi Guard reported his findings.
Su Yuejiao grasped Fengyu’s hand tightly, bracing herself for discovery. "If we’re exposed, stay close to Mother. Don’t be afraid!"
She would fight to her last breath to protect Ayu.
Fengyu nodded. She wanted to reassure her mother that she was no longer the helpless young woman from three years ago. However, she said nothing, merely keeping a tense watch on the ventilation shaft.
Above the vent lay the courtyard.
"Master, there are footprints here. The Marquis Zhenbei Mansion has been abandoned for years; they must have returned recently."
"The tracks lead to the main courtyard. Let’s search there!"
Su Yuejiao and Fengyu waited another hour. The movements outside gradually ceased, and the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion returned to silence. Su Yuejiao exhaled in relief. "I wonder how Xie Xun and your father are doing."
The Jinyi Guard’s manhunt had thrown the city into turmoil. It seemed Yuwen Jing was gaining the upper hand.
Fengyu feared Xie Xun might lose in this deadly confrontation. Yet, a stubborn belief in Xie Xun’s invincibility bolstered her spirits, convincing her he would prevail.
As dawn approached, Ying Si arrived to guide them out of the hidden chamber. Xie Jue’s Shadow Guards, elusive and enigmatic, always came and went without a trace. When Fengyu saw the bloodstained dark robe Ying Si was wearing, her heart sunk with panic. Where was Xie Xun?
Had he been injured as well?
"Please don’t worry, my lady. The Prince has triumphed and is now handling aftermath affairs in the Imperial Palace. I’ve been ordered to escort you both back to the Feng Family."
"Why are we returning to the Feng Family?"
Ying Si hesitated briefly before replying softly, "General Feng is at the Feng Family Mansion, waiting for you."
Xie Xun feared no accusations of regicide. Indeed, he had intended to kill Yuwen Jing with one decisive strike. However, Grandmaster Zhang had staggered forward, trembling, and stopped Xie Xun from striking the fatal blow. Yuwen Jing was imprisoned in the Yangxin Palace, and Feng Shu’s corpse had been carried out of the Imperial Palace by Feng Changqing and returned home.
When Su Yuejiao and Fengyu arrived back at the Feng Family Mansion, Feng Shu’s body was already enshrouded in a coffin. Old Mrs. Feng, taking charge, had dressed her in a crimson wedding gown. Her body, long stiff and icy cold, was carefully adorned with makeup by the family’s most skilled artist, giving her an almost radiant, lively appearance. A floral decoration had also been affixed to her forehead.
Dongxue and Xia Zhu, who had been brought back from the palace, knelt silently weeping beside the coffin. Chen Lin had died at the hands of the Jinyi Guard while protecting them during the escape. When Su Yuejiao and Fengyu saw the mourning decorations adorning the Feng Mansion, they initially thought Feng Changqing had died in battle. Su Yuejiao’s legs weakened, nearly causing her to stumble over the threshold. It wasn’t until she caught sight of Feng Changqing standing by the coffin that she realized Feng Shu had returned.
Three years had passed. Her daughter had finally come home.
Fengyu felt her vision darken, her entire world spinning. Unable to stand, she was steadied by Feng Changqing as Su Yuejiao collapsed in front of the coffin, weeping uncontrollably.
"Shu’er, Shu’er..."
She caressed Feng Shu’s lifeless face, overcome with grief. If only time could rewind, she swore, she would never have allowed Xie Zhang to return to the Capital City. She would have arranged for their marriage in Ningzhou long ago. Why had they waited for Beiman’s submission? Perhaps an earlier union, with children and a settled life, would have severed Yuwen Jing’s obsession and spared them this tragedy.
"I’m sorry... Mother is so sorry," Su Yuejiao sobbed, slumping over the coffin until she lost consciousness.
Fengyu slowly approached. Deep down, she had always resisted believing this reality. If she neither saw her sister alive nor her corpse, she could convince herself that her sister still lived—even if it was in the palace she despised most. As long as she lived, there was hope.
But now, seeing her sister in a wedding gown lying inside the coffin, the last spark of hope within her was extinguished. Sister...
"How beautiful..." Fengyu murmured. "Sister looks just as beautiful as the day she got married."
The makeup was identical to what her sister had worn on her wedding day—the happiest day of her life. It almost seemed as though she had died on the very night of her marriage, in the moment of her greatest joy.
Tears slid down Fengyu’s cheeks, dripping onto the delicate wedding gown. She panicked and reached out to wipe them away. "Sister, I’m so sorry. I’ve dirtied your wedding dress. Please, don’t be mad."
Despite her physically frail and spiritually sensitive nature since childhood, Fengyu had never believed in ghosts or gods. Yet, over the years, she had gradually come to believe that perhaps there truly were spirits. Perhaps her sister’s soul was still nearby, watching over her now.
Fengyu smiled faintly, her voice trembling as she spoke. "I know you’re tired, Sister. It’s because of us—our incompetence—that you had to endure such suffering in the palace. But now you’re free. Go find Brother-in-law and rest easy. Ruyi is in good hands. Second Brother is an excellent father. Xie Xun and I will treat him as our own. He’ll grow up healthy and strong, and I’ll do everything in my power to ensure his life is peaceful. Sister... please don’t worry anymore."
Overwhelmed by the weight of grief, Fengyu’s already weak body gave out, and she fainted in front of Feng Shu’s coffin.
When she awoke, Dongxue and Xia Zhu were caring for her. Qiuxiang and Chunlu were still far away in the West State.
Fengyu felt numb. When Old Mrs. Feng decided to send Feng Shu’s coffin to Ningzhou, the pain in her heart deepened. Her sister and brother-in-law had bowed to heaven and earth, their bond as husband and wife unshakable. It was only right—in love and duty—that they be buried together in the Xie family’s ancestral tomb. To rest in the wedding gown, alongside her husband, was surely her sister’s final wish.
"Third Miss, don’t be sad. At least the young lady is finally free," Dongxue said gently. "For the past three years in the palace, she was but a walking corpse. To be free is a blessing. She always worried about you. Knowing you’re safe, and that Ruyi is safe, she... she can now rest in peace."
"I understand." Deep in her heart, Fengyu had always known this. Her sister was free now. But her sister must also carry regrets—she never got to see Ruyi.
More than death itself, her sister had surely yearned for a life with Ruyi in Ningzhou.
She had been so close!
If only one step hadn’t been missed, her sister’s wishes could have come true.
It was her haste, her lack of careful planning, that had ultimately led to failure.
Fengyu steeled herself and sat up. "What is the situation in the palace now?"
"Second Master says the Prince has taken control of the Imperial Palace. But... it seems there are complications," Xia Zhu and Dongxue reported. Having been rescued by Shadow Guards, they were unaware of the details within the Yangxin Palace.
Fengyu had little interest in the broader political situation. What she wanted to know was, "Is Yuwen Jing dead?"
Yuwen Jing was confined in the Yangxin Palace, under the tight watch of Zhang Boxi and the Kyoto Capital Guard. Without Xie Xun’s orders, no one was permitted to approach him.
Because of Yuwen Jing’s imperial edict, Grandmaster Zhang, the royal clan, and the civil and military officials were embroiled in heated debates over the throne.
They were pushing to crown either Prince Duan or the Crown Prince as the new emperor.