Chapter 38 I'll make him pay a hundredfold for all the debts he owes...

Fengshan was a sacrificial ceremony held by ancient emperors, originating from the tradition of imperial Fengshan sacrifices. According to Zhang Shoujie's "Zhengyi" commentary on the "Fengshan Book" in the Records of the Grand Historian: "An earthen altar was built on the mountain to worship Heaven and report the merits of Heaven, hence the name Feng. The land on the small hill below the mountain was cleared to report the merits of the land, hence the name Shan."

The Fengshan ceremony was not only a sacrifice to the Heavenly Emperor, but also a grand ritual in which the emperor proclaimed his civil and military achievements to the world. The Fengshan ceremony mainly consisted of two parts: "Feng" and "Shan." "Feng" involved piling earth on a round platform at the summit of a mountain to worship the Heavenly Emperor, increasing the mountain's height to signify attribution of merit to Heaven. "Shan" involved piling earth on a small hill at the foot of the mountain to build a square altar to worship the Earth God, increasing the earth's thickness to repay abundant blessings and grace.

The Fengshan ceremony of the Great Huang Dynasty was held on Mount Jing, a hundred miles away from the capital. Mount Jing was the highest mountain range in the Great Huang Dynasty. The Great Huang Dynasty had been established for several decades and had two emperors. It inherited the ancient Fengshan ceremony and required emperors to perform the Fengshan ceremony once every ten years on the throne.

Unlike Emperor Jianming, Emperor Chongming did not believe in ghosts and gods. During his decades-long reign, he had never held a Fengshan ceremony. Now, with internal and external troubles plaguing the court, he could no longer withstand the memorials from censors and officials, and finally decided to hold a Fengshan ceremony this year.

Three days before the grand ceremony, the emperor and his officials would begin a period of fasting and purification. After the ceremony, a hunting expedition would be held at Jingshan to demonstrate the bravery of the warriors of the great nation.

Today is the first day of the grand ceremony. The massive procession marched at the foot of the mountain, and it took about four or five hours to reach the summit. By then, it was completely dark, and the banners and pennants fluttered in the wind under the bright moonlight. The royal tents, which had been set up by the imperial guards who had come up the mountain earlier, were now being led in by eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs.

Since marrying into the Gao family, Feng Daijie has rarely had the opportunity to return to the palace to visit Consort Su. Today, taking advantage of the grand ceremony of Fengshan, she went to pay her respects to Consort Su after everything was arranged.

The temperature inside the tent was pleasant. Consort Su, dressed in a gold-embroidered robe with a round collar and gold trim, still looked as elegant as ever. She looked at her daughter with a calm gaze and said in a neutral tone, "Sister, have you been feeling unwell lately?"

Feng Dai's baby was three months along. Three months ago, after she learned that she was pregnant with the child of that lecherous Gao Zhizhen, she was so upset that she couldn't eat for several days. Her usually gentle mother, like her father, demanded that she marry that scoundrel Gao Zhizhen. At that time, she harbored resentment towards her mother.

Having not seen her for three months, Feng Dai felt a mix of emotions, like a mother returning home with trepidation. Upon seeing Consort Su, her eyes immediately welled up with tears, and she whispered, "Mother... Mother Consort..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she burst into tears. At that moment, Consort Su's resentment towards her daughter crumbled. She slowly walked up to Feng Dai and patted her back, asking, "Dai, have you been wronged at the Gao residence?"

Hearing her mother's concerned greeting, Feng Dai cried even harder, sobbing, "Mother, Gao Zhizhen... he's not human! He has more than a dozen concubines in his household, and his father is an even bigger scoundrel. He'd hurt any boy or girl, no matter how young! Mother, I don't want to stay in the Gao family anymore! Please save me! Even if it means establishing my own residence... yes, yes, can't a princess establish her own residence after marriage? I want to see Father!"

Consort Su took a deep breath and grabbed Feng Dai's arm. "Dai, if you don't change your impulsive nature, you'll always suffer a great loss. Let me ask you, do you know why your father insists that you marry Gao Zhizhen?"

Feng Dai looked at Consort Su blankly and stammered, "Because I lost my virginity to him."

Consort Su shook her head, her gentle gaze seemingly containing something else, unlike her usual expression. "Gao Yu entered officialdom from humble beginnings, rising from Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai to Minister of Justice, and now he has even joined the cabinet. With his increased power comes greater ambition. His Majesty needs you to win him over to prevent him from developing any improper thoughts."

Upon hearing this, Sister Feng stood there stunned for a long while before saying, "Why? Why should I come?"

Consort Su looked at her good-for-nothing daughter, her eyes filled with intense and complex emotions. "Sister Feng, I have a question for you, and you must answer me honestly."

Feng Dai wiped away her tears. "Please speak."

Consort Su's eyes flashed with a sharp light as she stared intently at Feng Dai, asking, "At the banquet that night, was the idea of ​​putting aphrodisiacs in the wine your own, or was it instigated by someone else?"

"It's my own, Mother..." Feng Dai looked at her somewhat unfamiliar mother, something flashed through her mind, and then denied it, "No, not really. Before that banquet, I was confined by Father. I was so bored that I had Xiao Dezi search for a lot of storybooks for me. Several of those storybooks were about fox spirits using aphrodisiacs to get the men they loved. I thought that since I liked Xiao Yin so much, and this trick had such a high success rate, why not just give him an aphrodisiac and stick with him?"

Consort Su closed her eyes. What a fool! Her daughter, Su Zirou's daughter, had been spoiled by Emperor Chongming into such a fool!

Consort Su's chest heaved, and Feng Daijie glanced timidly at her unusually flustered mother, asking, "Mother, what's wrong?"

"Where's Xiao Dezi? Call him here."

"He's dead."

Consort Su returned to her seat, took a sip of cool tea to calm her anger, and asked, "How did you die?"

Feng Dai shook her head and said she didn't know. "I don't care how he died. He was just a useless dog servant who died after leaving the palace."

Consort Su stroked the gold bracelet on her wrist. The body had been disposed of, leaving no trace. Who was it that orchestrated this with such grand scheme, calculating palace secrets so meticulously? She had been secretly manipulating things all along, and now her daughter had been used to the point of being completely useless...

Consort Su had grown accustomed to her daughter's foolishness once again, and now she only felt exhausted. So she waved her hand and said, "You stay in the Gao residence and don't cause any trouble. When the time is right, I will get your father to agree to let you live in the princess's residence instead."

Feng Daijie stepped forward and hugged Consort Su's waist, crying, "I knew that only Mother Consort was the best to me in this world! Mother Consort, you have no idea, that slut Dou Xiaoquan has seduced Gao Zhizhen more than once, I wish I could kill her!"

Consort Su gently stroked her daughter's hair and said in a calm voice, "Sister, you're too useless if you can't even handle your personal maid?"

Feng Daijie felt a chill run down her spine, said "Yes," bowed, and left the tent.

Outside the tent, the moon and stars were sparse, and the Imperial Guards patrolled back and forth. When Dou Xiaoquan saw Feng Daijie come out, he quickly handed her a cloak and said, "Princess, the Prince Consort said that you should go to the tent to find him when you come out. He has something to tell you."

Her gaze towards Dou Xiaoquan grew increasingly hostile, and Dou Xiaoquan, feeling a pang of fear under that gaze, hesitated before speaking, "Princess?"

Feng Dai looked at Dou Xiaoquan, her eyes suddenly curving into a smile, and said, "Xiaoquan, Jingshan has a uniquely beautiful landscape. Let's take a walk around."

As she spoke, she lifted her leg and stepped forward. Dou Xiaoquan bit his lip and followed behind her.

In the third month of spring, the grass and trees on the top of Jingshan Mountain sprouted, draped in a hazy green in the night. Feng Dai stood on the cliff, looking down at the surrounding layered mountains, and turned to Dou Xiaoquan and said, "Xiaoquan, you have served me for more than ten years, haven't you?"

Dou Xiaoquan agreed. Feng Daijie stroked her slightly protruding belly and asked, "Does Xiaoquan want to leave the palace and get married?"

Dou Xiaoquan felt that the princess had been speaking as if she were possessed lately, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "This servant belongs to the princess in life and in death."

The wind on the mountaintop made their clothes flutter. Feng Daijie turned around, took out a dagger, and forcefully plunged it into Dou Xiaoquan's heart, saying, "Then Xiaoquan will be my ghost."

Dou Xiaoquan stared in disbelief at her master, whom she had served for over ten years, so resolutely stabbing her in the heart. She coughed up blood and asked, "Princess, why?"

Feng Dai's beautiful face was covered in blood, making her look like a madwoman. She looked at Dou Xiaoquan and grinned, saying, "Even if it's something I don't want, I won't allow anyone else to touch it."

Dou Xiaoquan's eyes were broken, and she said in a weak voice, "This servant has never seduced the prince consort."

"Leave those words to the King of Hell." Feng Dai gripped the dagger in her hand, and just as she was about to exert force again, her wrist was seized, rendering her unable to move.

The newcomer was all smiles and had an exceptionally beautiful appearance. Her voice was slightly hoarse as she spoke, "Princess, what I was saying was, how come every time I bump into you, it's a pleasant surprise?"

When Feng tried to push again, she stumbled backward and squatted awkwardly on the ground. Her voice, startled, was somewhat shrill, "Feng... Feng Tan? What are you doing here?"

Feng Tan flung the dagger away, pressed his palm against Dou Xiaoquan's bleeding wound, and replied, "Back from my errand."

Feng Daijie used the rocks to support herself as she stood up, a hint of malice flashing in her eyes. Beside her was a cliff, and Feng Tan was standing with his back to her...

But then Feng Tan whispered in her ear, "Princess, I advise you not to have any dark thoughts, because I have eyes in the back of my head too."

"..." Feng Dai paused, unable to figure out Feng Tan's meaning, and asked again, "What are you going to do?"

It was quite a coincidence. Feng Tan had come all the way from the Linzhang sea area to Jingshan. She had just taken a shortcut and climbed up the mountain under the cover of night when she encountered this scene. She sprinkled some wound medicine on Dou Xiaoquan's wound and said, "Don't worry, Princess, I have no intention of causing trouble. I'll leave after I've bandaged her up."

Feng Daijie gave a sarcastic smile. Last time, this minor official witnessed her embarrassing act of sexual intercourse, and this time he caught her in the act again. This man absolutely could not be allowed to live. She tore open her collar and shouted to the imperial guards patrolling on the other side of the mountain, "Help! Help! Someone is molesting this princess!"

The Imperial Guards quickly arrived at the scene with torches, forming a circle around Feng Tan. The leader of the Imperial Guards, Mu Long, also arrived soon after, bowed to Feng Dai, and asked, "Princess, what happened?"

Feng Dai, clutching her chest, cried and pointed at Feng Tan, saying, "This official is a wolf in sheep's clothing, attempting to insult this princess! Dou Xiaoquan fought to the death to protect me, but this official killed her! Look! The dagger is still there!"

Beneath the flickering torches lay a sharp dagger, and given Feng Tan's hand still gripping the palace maid's chest, it was indeed easy to confirm the crime.

However, Feng Tan showed neither the anger and resentment of someone caught as the real culprit was, nor the indignation of someone wronged. Instead, she methodically bandaged and stopped the bleeding of the unconscious palace maid, making it impossible for Mu Long to tell the truth from the falsehood.

Mu Long was a military officer and rarely interacted with civil officials. There were countless civil officials in Dahuang, and Feng Tan was just a minor official in the Ministry of Justice. Mu Long didn't even recognize him, but he didn't dare to offend him easily.

Since he couldn't offend either side, Mu Long decided to pass the task on to his friend and said to the person behind him, "Go and invite Zheng Qingru, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, to come here."

The Imperial Guards responded and soon brought Zheng Qingru back.

Zheng Qingru was taken aback when he saw Feng Tan clutching the palace maid's wound. After calming down, he asked about the whole story of Sister Feng again before saying to Feng Tan, "Lord Feng, please tell me the story again."

Feng Tan said, "When I arrived, this little palace maid had already been stabbed by the princess. Just as the princess was about to commit further violence, I intervened to stop her, but she turned the tables on me."

Feng Dai's tears flowed freely, her voice filled with utter grievance, "Feng Tan, you're spouting nonsense! Insulting members of the royal family is a serious crime. What evidence do you have that I killed them?"

Feng Tan spread his hands and said, "Won't it be fine once Dou Xiaoquan wakes up?"

Feng Daijie's tearful eyes paused slightly. She's still alive? That knife stabbed her quite deeply!

No, we can't let this lowly official live until this wretched woman wakes up.

The commotion they were causing grew louder and louder. Gao Zhizhen waited for a long time but Feng Daijie didn't return. Unable to bear Gao Yu's urging, he went out to look for her. Suddenly, he saw a group of people bullying Daijie. He rushed forward, shielded his wife in his arms, and glared menacingly at Feng Tan, "How dare you, a mere official, bully the dignified Princess Dahuang? Why don't you take her down at once?!"

Mu Long was filled with apprehension, so he could only say, "I'm sorry to trouble you, Lord Feng. Once the case is handed over to the Ministry of Justice, the truth will be revealed."

Seeing that Dou Xiaoquan's wound had stopped bleeding, Feng Tan stood up and walked towards Feng Dai, looking directly into her eyes and said, "I was promoted in the name of a master detective. Is the princess sure she wants to distort the truth in front of me?"

Feng Dai was taken aback by Feng Tan's imposing manner, but Gao Zhizhen remained arrogant and said, "Feng Tan, is it? I've long heard of your fearlessness in the face of power and wealth, and you even dared to hit my father! But let me tell you, you've met your match today. You're going to jail whether you like it or not!"

As soon as he finished speaking, three claps suddenly rang out from behind the misty boulder.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!" Everyone turned to look and saw Feng Qinghuang stroll out, having watched the spectacle from a secluded spot for quite some time. After all the Imperial Guards knelt in salute, she wearily waved her hand, signaling everyone to rise.

Feng Qinghuang walked up to Feng Dai, her red lips slightly upturned, "Sister, I'll take your maid. I'll assign you another maid later to compensate you, and we'll call it even."

Feng Daijie dared not speak directly to Feng Qinghuang, her face flushed red, and she pinched Gao Zhizhen's arm hard with her fingers.

Gao Zhizhen winced in pain, wanting to argue with Feng Qinghuang in front of everyone to save face for his sister Feng Dai, but when he saw Feng Qinghuang's ambiguous smile, he felt weak in the knees and his impulsive words turned into "The princess is absolutely right."

After saying that, he pulled Feng Daijie away from the scene, and the faint sounds of the two arguing could be heard in the empty grass.

"Gao Zhizhen, you like my personal maid, and you like my sister, so why don't you like my mother too?!"

"Slap! Sister Feng, I'm here to give you face today, don't push your luck!"

"You, you actually dared to hit me! We'll see! I won't let any of you get away with this!"

"......"

The noise from their argument gradually faded away, and the Imperial Guards withdrew. The palace maids brought by Feng Qinghuang carried Dou Xiaoquan back to the tent to heal his wounds. Soon, only three people remained on the once dark and gloomy cliff edge.

Feng Qinghuang slightly curled the corners of her lips and said to Zheng Qingru, "Lord Zheng, this is none of your business."

Zheng Qingru felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the mocking expression on her face. He bowed and walked out into the night.

Feng Qinghuang then looked at Feng Tan, all her charming expression vanishing, her eyes instantly reddening, and she hugged him tightly, "A-Tan!"

Feng Tan smiled and hugged her back, saying, "So it was just a paper tiger."

Feng Qinghuang clenched her fist and punched Feng Tan in the chest, saying, "You're still making fun of me!"

Feng Tan's shoulder blade hadn't fully healed yet, and the blow made her face turn pale. Startled, Feng Qinghuang helped her up and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? Are you injured?"

"It's nothing serious," Feng Tan waved his hand, knowing that the two of them wouldn't have many opportunities to talk, and got down to business, "What exactly is the connection between that palace maid and my mother's death?"

Feng Qinghuang's eyes flickered, and she said, "It's not confirmed yet. Leave this to me. I'll let you know as soon as I've found out. By the way, are you going to start investigating the female calamity case after the Fengshan ceremony at Jingshan?"

Feng Tan said, "That's right. I need to be transferred to the Ministry of Justice to investigate cases. Before that, I need to win over people in the Ministry of Justice to work for me."

Feng Qinghuang asked, "Whom do you intend to turn? How do you plan to deal with Gao Yu?"

Feng Tan walked to the edge of the cliff with his hands behind his back, looked at the endless darkness below, kicked a pebble and let it roll down, and said: "Try to turn Zhen Yongming against his will, and as for Gao Yu, bring him down from his horse."

Gao Yu was the executor of the female perpetrator case; bringing him down could be the first step in overturning the verdict.

Knowing that the road ahead would be arduous, Feng Qinghuang asked again, "A'Tan, how are you going to help Gao Yu dismount?"

Feng Tan raised her face, the bright moonlight hazily covering her, looking at her was like being in the realm of snow-capped peaks, vast and boundless, yet refreshing and soothing.

As the boundless snow fell, the young man spoke calmly, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I will make him pay back a hundredfold for all the debts he owes."

Author's Note: Zhen Yongming is the shrewd old man who appeared in the first chapter, and Consort Su's daughter is such a vicious fool (//`д′//)