Chapter 13
At night, the East Gate Market was as noisy as the day. In front of the high and low attics, strings of red cages were hung high. Under the curtains, there were laughter and singing and drinking, and the atmosphere was festive. Feng Huanhuan jumped into the restaurant, went to the theater, and then climbed onto the bridge. The sound of sheng, flute and pipa lingered, and the sleeves of the cloud building danced. She spun around, no one was watching her, and she was having a lot of fun.
Han Fengci disappeared in the crowd, his eyes were as bright as stars.
Time passed by, and under the moonlight, the shadows of the swaying dead trees half covered the Prime Minister's Mansion. Under the green tiles and white walls, the two of them walked leisurely on the stone-paved path, quiet and gloomy. Occasionally, a few lonely servants walked quickly with their heads down, as if there were ghosts chasing them. She suddenly stopped and looked at Han Fengci, "I haven't been to the Prime Minister's Mansion for some years. Why is it so strange?" Then she looked in the direction of the servants and muttered, "Why are you walking so fast?"
At night, those two grape-like eyes were shining. She shook her little head, had some ideas, and pulled Han Fengci's sleeve and went in that direction.
Because it was winter, the dark garden was gloomy and cold. The wind blew hard. Apart from the chirping of sparrows, there were only the rustling of withered branches. Feng Huanhuan tightly grasped Han Fengci's sleeve and walked and looked again. After a while, there seemed to be a vague residence. With the help of the moonlight, the bleak and lonely yellow earth mud courtyard, surrounded by weeds and dilapidated walls, looked like a dilapidated warehouse. Even the eaves under the eaves were still cracked and dangerous, as if they could collapse at any time. The two stepped on the pedals and approached step by step, and suddenly heard bursts of noise. The two looked at each other and went to find the sound.
Bai Tiao sat at the broken wooden table, looking straight at Handan, who was sitting on the same level with her. Her eyes were always half open. After a while, her face turned pale, her body leaned forward slightly, and she covered her face and coughed lightly. Handan saw it from the corner of her eyes, but did not stand up to take care of her. Bai Tiao did not care, as if she had long been accustomed to her behavior. So after resting for a while, she turned her head and asked, "How is Huan'er?"
"How can it be bad? Miss, just take care of yourself. Miss Feng is right. She has a doting father above her and a meritorious brother below her. Who dares to bully her? Even the Sixth Princess has to greet her politely when she sees her."
A maid actually dared to gossip in front of her master. Who gave her the courage, Feng Huanhuan wondered.
Bai Tiao still sat there with his back straight, his eyes cold and indifferent, like an ice cave, without any response. Handan clenched her fist and pounded the table, as if she was angry: "Miss, is it because Young Master Feng has made great contributions that the Sixth Princess dare not go and provoke Feng Huanhuan? Why are we the only ones to be punished?"
"And that Han Liqing. That day, she and Han Liqing were arguing in public without any manners of a lady from a wealthy family..."
At this moment, Bai Tiao's cold and pale face finally showed a hint of anger, and she immediately interrupted Handan's words, "Handan! Be careful with your words! If you keep talking nonsense like this, you will definitely cause trouble in the future." She glanced at him coldly, and then said, "The Prime Minister's Mansion will not help you by then, you'll have to take care of yourself."
She had already said what she should and shouldn't have said. Now, they should worry about their own future. But she should never, ever, gossip about the Feng family.
"Miss, why are you so biased towards Feng Huanhuan? If she really cares about you, why doesn't she come to the Prime Minister's Mansion to speak for you? The master will definitely give face to the Feng Mansion. Do we still need to live in this mud house with four walls like a cage?" Handan was dissatisfied and completely ignored Bai Tiao's advice.
Bai Tiao turned away, obviously not wanting to say anything more. She slowly stood up, holding onto the edge of the table. It seemed like she was struggling, and the goose down shawl on her shoulders slid down slightly, and Handan did not help. Feng Huanhuan saw clearly that Handan's eyes did not leave Bai Tiao, and she looked at everything coldly.
It was not until Bai Tiao staggered to the wooden bed and lay down that Feng Huanhuan withdrew her gaze and looked at Han Fengci, then nodded and indicated that they should go out and talk later.
The gray mud house gradually faded away from sight, and Feng Huanhuan took a deep breath, as if she had been holding her breath for a long time. Han Fengci laughed softly, "Why are you holding your breath? No one else can hear you."
She tilted her head and glared at him, "What do you know? This is not something I can control. A thief should act like a thief." Then she frowned and said, "I didn't expect Bai Tao to be locked up here."
Without further ado, she asked suspiciously, "Do you think there's something wrong with this Handan?"
"Obviously something is wrong. A maid is so rude and disrespectful to her master." Han Fengci paused and said, "I don't know what she was like before. Huan'er, please tell me."
She looked up and lost herself in memories. "When I first met Handan as a child, she was very timid and afraid of being kicked out of the Prime Minister's Mansion if she did something wrong. One time she got seriously ill. If my brother and I hadn't gone to the Prime Minister's Mansion to look for Bai Tiao and found that Handan looked wrong, she would have been feverish. Finally, after asking her carefully, we found out that she was bullied by the servant boy in the mansion."
"She is always like this, afraid of causing trouble for others. Over the years, I have had little contact with the Prime Minister's Mansion because of the incident with the man in black, but the few times I ran into her on the street, I found that Handan was becoming more and more unruly. Especially on the day at the Jewelry Pavilion a few days ago, she even dared to confront the Sixth Princess. I don't know why she became like this."
Han Fengci listened carefully, considered for a moment, and asked, "What about Miss Bai?"
Even though Feng Huanhuan didn't want to admit it, she couldn't ignore Bai Tao. She hung her head, a little frustrated, "She has changed since that incident. Before, she was indifferent, but she had a smile on her face. But these years, she has become cold and has not smiled for a long time."
In fact, every time she saw Bai Tiao's cold and aloof look, she deliberately wanted to annoy her, irritate her, and scold her. Even though she seemed unreasonable and overbearing, she really wanted to see her face show some unnecessary expression. Even if... she hated her.
The next day, Feicui walked towards Zuixin Pavilion with a safflower-colored cloak. Under the eaves, the light yellow curtains were blown by the wind, revealing Feng Huanhuan, who was holding her cheeks and covering her eyes, with an unrelieved deep sorrow between her brows. She sighed repeatedly. The young lady had been looking so depressed since she came back last night. She slowly approached, put the cloak on her shoulders, and then tested the temperature of the hand warmer. It was just right, not hot, "Miss, warm yourself up."
Feng Huanhuan took it and hid the hand warmer in her sleeves, her thoughts still flying. Last night, Han Fengci sent her back to the boudoir. He said that Bai Tiao must have a secret, and tonight, she needs to find out again. She thought hard about the past. Bai Tiao seemed to let Handan do whatever she wanted since she was a child, and mostly watched with cold eyes. Even if Handan was wrong, at most she would just scold him a few words. Now when she recalled it, she felt guilty. She and Bai Tiao had known each other since childhood, and because of her brother, Bai Tiao often took care of her more. Many loopholes in the past fell like drizzling rain, and she felt ashamed.
She had the same dinner as her father as usual, but the taste was bland and inedible.
Feng Nianxiang had long discovered that his little girl was worried, and the rice in the lotus bowl was almost turned into porridge by her. So he asked tentatively, "Who made Huan'er unhappy?" Then he pretended to be angry and said, "Daddy will beat that kid up right away."
Feng Huanhuan said weakly, "No, Daddy." Suddenly, she raised her head, her eyes shining, "Daddy, did the Sixth Princess come to you to complain?"
Feng Nianxiang frowned and looked her up and down, obviously wondering if she had gotten into trouble again. Feng Huanhuan pouted and said unconvincedly: "Why are you looking at me like that? Why would I take the initiative to provoke that razor-faced Sixth Princess!"
Feng Nianxiang rolled his eyes, then raised his eyebrows, as if to agree, "You did describe it very accurately, a razor-like face."
Feng Huanhuan finally laughed, "Daddy, am I awesome?"
Feng Nianxiang nodded and said, "Well, Huan'er is smart, and whatever he says is right. How dare Daddy refute him?" He stroked his beard and asked casually, "What happened between you and the Sixth Princess?"
Feng Huanhuan dragged a chair closer to Feng Nianxiang, her cheeks puffed up, and she recounted in detail what happened in the Jewelry Pavilion that day. She couldn't tell him about her and Han Fengci's night visit to the Prime Minister's Mansion. Bai Tiao was now locked up in that mud house, and it must be that the Left Prime Minister was angry. So, she asked tentatively: "Dad, do you think the Sixth Princess will complain to the Left Prime Minister? Will he vent his anger on Bai Tiao? On the first day of the new year, Handan came to the mansion to give gifts, and her face was swollen. It was obvious that she was beaten. Do you think Bai Tiao will be punished?"
Feng Nianxiang stroked his beard, squinted his eyes, and had some thoughts in his mind.
He was not actually familiar with the left prime minister, but they had often met in the court. However, Qingci was a close friend of the prime minister's wife Wan Ningwu, and they had a close relationship. She often brought Wu Bai to the prime minister's residence. Since Qingci passed away, leaving behind a half-grown Huan'er, Wan Ningwu often brought Bai Tiao to the Shangshu Mansion to take care of the pair of children. In his heart, he was very grateful.
But life is always contrary to one's wishes. In the third year after Qingci left, the left prime minister brought back a woman of unknown origin as a concubine. Within a year, he promoted her to the second room. Wan Ningwu was the daughter of Wan Zhang, the emperor's mentor. How could she bear to serve the left prime minister with a woman of unknown identity? After another year, Wan Ningwu went to Guanyin Mountain and lived with Buddha from then on.
The past was just a moment, and now Huan'er has grown up. He collected his thoughts, looked at Feng Huanhuan, and said, "Huan'er, the affairs of the Prime Minister's Mansion have always been complicated. Daddy has told you and your brother since you were young that Daddy does not object to your interactions, but you must be careful in what you say and do. Now Bai Tiao is older than you and has reached the age of marriage. The old fox, the Left Prime Minister, must have made some plans for Bai Tiao. Therefore, even if Bai Tiao does something against the will of heaven and earth, he will not punish her severely. However, it is a pity for Bai Tiao, this girl, because her temperament is like her mother. She has been meticulous and clear-minded since she was a child. It is a pity that she was born in the Prime Minister's Mansion."
Feng Huanhuan also knew a little about Bai Tiao's mother, as her brother had told her. Aunt Wan had often come to look after her since she was little. Bai Tiao had changed her diapers, taught her to read, and taught her etiquette. Unfortunately,... things did not go as planned.
She looked at her father, as if there was something more important, so she moved closer, "Dad, everyone knows what my brother is thinking, and now my brother will be back soon. You are our father, at least before my brother comes back, you can't let Bai Tiao be taken away, right?"
Feng Nianxiang looked at Feng Huanhuan carefully, his eyes were no longer kind and gentle, but full of cunning and scheming. Feng Huanhuan's eyes were erratic and her heart was shaking. In just half a breath, Daddy withdrew his gaze, but did not say much. She took a deep breath and muttered in her heart: She was scared to death. If she continued to watch, she would reveal the matter of visiting the Prime Minister's residence at night.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
