"Princess, I dare not deceive the ruler. Every word is exactly as Fengyu said herself," Lin Yu Yan added fuel to the fire, speaking in solidarity with Princess Huazhen. "During the Lantern Festival, she even lured the little marquis to take her to see the lanterns, deliberately dressing garishly. She has no shred of shame."
Princess Huazhen grew angrier as she listened. "Lin Yu Yan, if you dare lie to me, I’ll cut out your tongue."
Lin Yu Yan turned slightly pale with fright. "Princess, I swear, not a word is false."
Princess Huazhen flung her sleeves and stormed away. By coincidence, not far from where she walked, she saw Fengyu emerging from Linlang Pavilion. Fengyu was no longer in a wheelchair. She’d come to Linlang Pavilion to pick up the latest hair adornments she’d designed for Feng Shu, all featuring delicate rose elements, understated and elegant.
Princess Huazhen approached head-on. When rivals meet, their eyes blaze with fury. Before Fengyu could even bow, she was yanked forcefully by the princess and thrown onto her carriage, taken back to the Princess Mansion.
"Miss..." Qiuxiang and Chunlu were furious and frantic, unable to even pick up the hair adornments scattered on the ground. Zhang Da hurried home to report the incident.
Upstairs on the second floor, Lin Yu Yan watched Princess Huazhen take Fengyu away, her thoughts venomous: Fengyu is frail and sickly—she’d be better off dead at the hands of Princess Huazhen.
In the Princess Mansion, Fengyu knelt on the cold, hard bluestone floor. A ferocious white tiger paced around her menacingly. Princess Huazhen reclined carefreely on a long bench in the courtyard, her gaze icy as she looked at Fengyu. The courtyard was surrounded by the princess’s guards.
A mere snap of her fingers, and the white tiger could tear off Fengyu’s head.
It was well known that Emperor Jianming doted excessively on Princess Huazhen, granting her the freedom to keep a white tiger that roamed unchecked in the palace. Once, the tiger had injured Consort Xie. Though the emperor cherished the consort, he didn’t execute the tiger to atone for her. Princess Huazhen then relocated the tiger to the Princess Mansion. She rarely lived in the mansion herself, residing mostly in the deep palace, but whenever she did stay at the mansion, she enjoyed taking the tiger into the streets, frightening many commoners.
The white tiger’s massive frame radiated a crushing sense of oppression, its sharp fangs fully visible. Yet Fengyu merely stared at it calmly, showing no trace of fear. Both tigers and wolves respond to human emotions—the more fear you display, the stronger they become.
"Fengyu, you’re quite bold, aren’t you? Not afraid of it at all," Princess Huazhen leaned forward slightly, whistling. The white tiger roared and lunged at Fengyu, its mountain-like body and fierce claws hurtling forward.
Another whistle from the princess, and the tiger stopped abruptly, inches away from slashing her face with its claws. Fengyu’s face was slightly pale, but Princess Huazhen, unable to spot any fear in her eyes, found herself mildly disappointed.
"What is it the princess ultimately desires?" Fengyu suppressed the annoyance in her heart. The Yuwen family truly was tiresome—particularly these three siblings born of the same mother.
"What a face—so enchanting, so pitiful. Even I feel a pang of pity, almost reluctant to harm it," Princess Huazhen bent closer, her slender white finger lifting Fengyu’s chin and pressing against her soft skin. "Little Ayu, how did I fail to notice before that you’re so captivating?"
The next second, it seemed as though she might kiss Fengyu. Fengyu could already smell the faint scent of powder on her face.
The atmosphere was ambiguous, yet malicious.
"The princess is a peerless beauty. Ayu, with my plain looks, is unworthy and ashamed," Fengyu replied slowly, contemplating quietly—could this be about the ten thousand silver taels from Prince Kang?
"Hahaha..." Princess Huazhen laughed exuberantly, her spirits soaring. "Do you really think I’m beautiful?"
"Beautiful!" Fengyu praised her earnestly. The Crown Prince and Princess Huazhen were both extraordinarily attractive. Prince Kang’s looks were not far behind either. Emperor Jianming had been one of the most handsome men in Ningzhou in his youth.
Princess Huazhen tilted Fengyu’s chin upward, chuckling, "Little Ayu, is this how you use sweet words to bewitch men?"
What was she talking about? Was she accusing her of enchanting Prince Kang and taking the ten thousand silver taels? But debts should be repaid—wasn’t that only natural? Even the deeds had been returned. Was this harassment by Princess Huazhen really over Prince Kang?
Fengyu, still recovering from serious injuries, felt the cold bluestone floor biting into her knees painfully. As an icy nail seemed poised to pierce her throat, she thought with disgust: Her heart was truly too soft—she should’ve dealt with Duke Ning more thoroughly. Without him, there’d be far fewer problems.
"What is the princess talking about? This humble servant does not understand," Fengyu maintained her composure, meeting her gaze without flinching. "If I’ve done anything to displease the princess, I ask for her guidance."
Princess Huazhen snorted coldly and released her, causing Fengyu to topple to the side. Supporting herself with her left hand against the ground, she began coughing weakly. Seeing her frail and exhausted state, Princess Huazhen wrinkled her nose disdainfully. Was Xie Xun truly fond of this kind of delicate, feeble woman?
It must be her who had seduced Xie Xun, stirring a man’s instinct to protect.
"Little Ayu, I hear that since your engagement was annulled, you’ve not yet become betrothed. How about I arrange a match for you?" Princess Huazhen looked down at her from above, her gaze as if she were observing an insect.
Fengyu’s heart skipped, but she answered flawlessly, "Matters of marriage are determined by one’s parents. This humble servant dares not overstep."
"Are you implying that if I grant the match, you wouldn’t accept?" Princess Huazhen sneered. "Or is it that little Ayu dreams of soaring to become a phoenix?"
Fengyu thought the princess was referring to Prince Kang. "As a humble servant, I would never dare harbor such delusions. The princess overestimates me. My grandmother has even considered having Ayu marry into her husband’s household as a live-in son-in-law."
"You want to bring in a live-in son-in-law?" Princess Huazhen was stunned, momentarily forgetting her royal demeanor. "Have you gone mad?"
Outside the Princess Mansion, Chunlu and Qiuxiang waited anxiously. Feng Shu arrived on horseback with Chen Lin and Zhang Da following close behind. In a rare display, Feng Shu galloped freely through the capital, her posture resolute and radiant. She dismounted with precision, accompanied by Chen Lin, Zhang Da, Xia Zhu, and Dongxue, as she stormed toward the Princess Mansion. The guards at the mansion entrance raised their swords to block her path. "Who goes there? This is the Princess Mansion; without the princess’s summons..."
"Move aside!" Before he could finish, Feng Shu coldly drew Chen Lin’s longsword and deflected their weapons, stepping boldly into the mansion. The guards were stunned.
Had she gone mad? Did she not fear the extermination of her entire clan?
As they attempted to intercept her, Chen Lin produced a token. "This is the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion’s eldest young master’s command. Stand down!"
Xie Zhang had handed this token to Chen Lin years ago to use when necessary to intimidate others. Feng Shu never used it—one, because she rarely needed it, and two, because of her strong independence and self-reliance. She avoided using the mansion’s influence unless absolutely necessary to prevent inviting trouble for them.
But with Princess Huazhen seizing Fengyu in broad daylight, she had no scruples left.
Seeing the token of the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion and understanding who Feng Shu was, the guards dared not block her further.
A few of her companions followed Feng Shu into the mansion.
She strode through the Moon Gate and courtyard, encountering a white tiger lying languidly beneath a tree, its sharp eyes staring at them. Sensing the presence of strangers, the tiger rose lazily and began advancing toward them. Chen Lin stepped slightly in front of Feng Shu, his thumb pressing against the hilt of his blade, its edge flashing ominously. Feng Shu’s heart raced with worry, fearing that something terrible might have already befallen Fengyu in the Princess Mansion when suddenly the sound of laughter echoed. "Little Ayu, you are far too entertaining, hahaha..."