Upon entering the study, Feng Min knelt down heavily. "Father, this matter must be kept secret."

Feng Liyan looked at him coldly.

Feng Min frankly said, "I am not doing this for my own position as heir, but for the entire Marquis's mansion. You know in your heart that once this matter becomes known throughout the world, His Majesty will question us, and our Marquis's mansion will be in great trouble."

Feng Liyan coldly replied, "The crime of deceiving the emperor is compounded by one degree."

Your Majesty has eyes and ears everywhere; one day you will find out.

Feng Min said, "Therefore, Father can be frank with His Majesty in private and apologize. This will not only save His Majesty's face, but also show his loyalty that he dares not deceive the emperor. More importantly, with something in His Majesty has on him, he can feel at ease using my Feng family, and even the Feng family army."

Feng Liyan calmed down completely and slowly sat down.

Looking at the son she raised with her own hands, she felt a mix of pride, heartache, and sadness.

The study was completely silent.

After a long while, Feng Liyan spoke, his voice hoarse, "Get up, the ground is cold."

I was convinced.

Feng Min smiled. "Thank you, Father. Then... what about Mother, or my stepmother?"

Feng Liyan was decisive since he had made a decision. "I will personally comfort her. You take good care of your injuries."

"yes!"

[As expected of Feng**, his reaction was incredibly quick; he immediately turned a disadvantageous situation into an advantage.]

Selfish, ruthless, and calculating—tsk, he's got the makings of a great man, just a bit cold-blooded. No wonder he and Feng Liyan are father and son.

That's the kind of enemy that's truly terrifying.

[Something feels off. Feng Min reacted so calmly and quickly, as if he had planned it all out beforehand. It's illogical.]

Is it possible that he actually knew about his past all along?

[Hiss, maybe! He's too calm; a reaction like Feng Hui's would be more normal.]

That's too cold-blooded; it makes him seem even more heartless.

Hey, I actually admire him. A true man will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Xiao Zhixing's heart skipped a beat, and he realized why Feng Min had desperately tried to get close to her when she fell into the water. He guessed that he wanted to use her identity to eliminate the hidden dangers of her background and consolidate his own position.

The greater his value, the less likely Feng Liyan would abandon him.

As he watched the father and son leave the study, a cold glint flashed in Xiao Zhixing's eyes.

In the hall, everyone watched them come out.

Madam Feng closed her eyes with a bitter smile, seemingly unsurprised by her husband's choice.

Feng Liyan said to everyone present, "Shut up. This matter ends here. Min'er is still the heir of the Feng family."

The group exchanged bewildered glances, then secretly stole a look at Feng Hui, who was still standing in the stone statue.

They suddenly realized that sealing back wasn't so bad after all.

It's truly pitiful to be reduced from a legitimate son to an illegitimate one.

Madam Feng suddenly stood up, turned around and left with her maid, her back view appearing incredibly lonely in the darkness.

The others also got up to leave.

Feng Hui finally came to his senses. He looked at Aunt Feng, who was lying unconscious on the ground, then at his father above, and finally at Feng Min.

It was as if he no longer recognized this world.

Feng Liyan sighed and waved for everyone to disperse.

Feng Min walked towards Aunt Feng, who was lying on the ground. "Someone, help Aunt Feng back to recover from her injuries."

He then passed by Feng Hui's side, paused for a moment, said nothing, and walked away.

Unnoticed, a colorless particle flew into Feng Hui's nose and dissolved instantly.

Feng Hui stood there stunned, swaying slightly, then suddenly hopped on one leg, turned around, and lunged at Feng Min's back, hooking his arm around his neck. His face was contorted with rage and terror. "I'll kill you!!"

puff!

He snatched the ornate dagger from Feng Min's waist and plunged it into his waist.

This sudden change happened so quickly that no one expected the response from Feng Hui to be so extreme and intense.

"Ah!" The Feng family members, who hadn't gone far, screamed, and one of the little girls had already fainted from fright.

"Return it!!!" Feng Liyan's eyes widened in fury. "Min'er!!"

Everyone rushed forward, some pinning people down, others grabbing daggers.

Feng Liyan staggered over and rushed over to support Feng Min, shouting, "Someone! Someone! Call the imperial physician quickly!"

Feng Hui was pinned to the ground. He looked up, his eyes bloodshot, and suddenly burst into laughter, "Hahaha, hahaha, good to be dead, good to be dead, hahaha—"

As he laughed, tears of blood streamed from the corners of his eyes.

Feng Min clutched his stomach, looked back at him expressionlessly, and then disappeared into darkness.

[...I don't know what to say. Even the most hateful person has a pitiable side; fate is cruel.]

Feng Min deserved it!

Xiao Zhixing withdrew and returned to his residence. Feng Hui's stabbing would severely damage Feng Min's vitality and shorten his lifespan.

With Lin Rushu causing trouble again, tsk tsk, I hope he can still survive.

I actually wanted to kill him directly, but I arrived in such a hurry that I didn't make any arrangements, so it was difficult to do so.

Feng Min couldn't die openly at his own hands.

When she got back, she relayed the Feng family's affairs to Lin Rushu.

Lin Rushu acted decisively, arranging for people to spread the story of the true and false heirs of the Feng family in the marketplace that very night.

The news spread throughout Shengjing the next day.

Feng Liyan couldn't wait for Feng Min to wake up and hurriedly went to the palace to confess to the emperor.

Zhao Yunqi twirled the green jade ring on his finger, glanced back at Feng Liyan who was prostrate on the ground, and said in a calm voice, "Feng Qing, get up and go back to take good care of the child."

Feng Liyan expressed his deepest gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Wiping the cold sweat from my forehead, I quietly withdrew and finally returned home feeling completely relieved.

By the afternoon, the rumors had died down and were overshadowed by new ones.

"The Emperor has made his move." Xiao Zhixing dried the canvas, not surprised at all.

If you need someone's help, you should naturally protect them.

That evening, Mo Mei returned and reported, "Feng Min has injured his kidneys and needs to rest. The medicine has been given to him by a servant placed by Madam Feng."

"Okay, tell Rushu to stop moving around."

That medicine made Feng Min's life worse than death, leaving him bedridden.

Even a suspended sentence is still a form of punishment; he has to bear the consequences of the seeds sown by his aunt.

The Feng family hasn't reacted yet, but once they calm down, they will definitely investigate the mastermind behind these events.

They will definitely suspect Lin Rushu, but as long as they can't find any evidence, the Feng family can only grit their teeth and suffer in silence.

Ultimately, it all comes down to Feng Liyan being a scumbag. He favored his concubine over his wife, and as a result, he suffered the consequences.

[I remember in old stories, men loved pampered women who treated them like royalty, but it turned out they were man-eating plants, tsk tsk.]

[I admire Aunt Feng. She pushed her own son to the position of heir apparent while personally ruining her rival's son. Even now that the truth is out, the Feng family has no choice but to continue acknowledging Feng Min's position for the sake of power succession. She has calculated the intentions of Feng Liyan and the Feng family with perfect accuracy.]

I truly admire her, so never underestimate any woman.

Even if Feng Min were bedridden with illness, his position wouldn't change, because he's on the emperor's radar.

Moreover, a Feng family with a weak heir is the kind of Feng family the emperor is willing to rely on.

Xiao Zhixing gave them a thumbs up, saying they were all right and had accurately guessed the emperor's thoughts.

Xiao Zhixing put an X on the character "封" (seal).

Want the Leopard Symbol? Keep dreaming.

A few days later, on the second day after the Northern Barbarian delegation arrived in Shengjing, Xiao Zhixing's fifteenth birthday coming-of-age ceremony took place.

A grand ceremony was held at the King's Palace in Zhengzhou.