After Yunwan awoke, Yan Ning, seeing that she was alright, had Pengxian Garden prepared for her to stay in. Although it was far, it was an excellent place to recuperate. After settling Yunwan in, Yan Ning, still troubled by her doubts, couldn't very well visit He Di to inquire whether anything unusual had happened at He Shen's residence. She could only send someone to inform He Di's gatekeeper to invite He Shen to Yinmo Pavilion.
Same restaurant, same private room, yet different moods. The political landscape in the capital is constantly shifting, and for every official and their family, a day apart feels like a year.
Sitting opposite Heshen once again, Yan Ning felt a deep sense of desolation. Such favor was hard to maintain; how could he, who had manipulated others so easily, willingly allow himself to be dragged along by the emperor's hair?
Before she could ask, Heshen said leisurely, "I don't know why Yunwan acted that way, but if you want Yunwan to be safe, don't mention this matter again. The servants of Heshen who witnessed Yunwan's body emitting strange light yesterday have all become mute. The servants from the Fifteenth Prince's mansion and the palace maids serving the Tenth Princess that day have also been replaced!"
People with children will consider their flesh and blood in everything they do. Although Yan Ning had doubts in her heart, she could only suppress her desire to get to the bottom of things. If she pursued the matter further, it would implicate her own daughter.
Li Shiyao's embezzlement case implicated Yongxing, resulting in a three-year salary deduction and a period of confinement at home for reflection. Had it not been for Yongxing having leverage over a group of former subordinates and the strong advocacy of Fukang'an and Agui on his behalf, Yongxing's faction would have been on the verge of collapse.
When Fukang'an returned to his residence, he mentioned to Yan Ning what Yongyan had done. After speaking, he looked at Yan Ning and sighed, "If Heshen were a military general, perhaps we wouldn't be so at odds now! My wife is being taken care of by him like this, and I don't know whether to be happy or worried!"
His words were full of jealousy, without a trace of anger at losing face. Yan Ning couldn't help but be surprised, wondering when he and Heshen had tacitly reconciled in court.
On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, less than half a year after returning to the capital, Fukang'an was appointed general by the Emperor and sent to Taiwan to suppress the Lin Shuangwen uprising. Before leaving, he used the excuse of missing someone to remove Yan Ning's jade pendant. Yun Wan's jade pendant was lost somewhere when she was ill. Consort Rong and the Emperor, considering that Yun Wan had been bedridden due to the shock of lightning, did not pursue Yun Wan's crime.
A few months before the Tenth Princess's wedding, Consort Rong passed away. Because she was only a consort, it wasn't considered a national mourning period. However, both Yunwan and Dexuan were so grief-stricken they couldn't eat. They had grown up beside Consort Rong since childhood, and their feelings for her were no less than those of the Old Madam. Yan Ning, her handkerchief soaked with tears, saw Consort Rong off. As a woman herself, she didn't know what she could do for Consort Rong. She could only do as Consort Rong had said before her departure, "I lack no posthumous honors, only people who will remember me every year on this day! I only ask that you not let Yunwan and Dexuan forget me."
Through Yunwan's words, Consort Rong gifted the Tenth Princess with the rare and precious treasures she had kept in the palace during her lifetime, and hundreds of pieces of jewelry and jade were displayed in Yikun Palace. The Tenth Princess, remembering Yunwan's sincere feelings for her, melted away the estrangement that had arisen in her heart due to Fengshen Yinde.
The peach blossoms have faded, spring's beauty gone; the joys and sorrows of human life have turned and turned. Consort Rong's words seemed like a premonition; the grief she brought to the palace was quickly overshadowed by the Tenth Princess's joyous occasion, even the mourning clothes were removed early and replaced with red silk. Yan Ning dared not speak of the Emperor's heartlessness, but only followed Consort Rong's long-cherished wish, instructing De Xuan and Yun Wan to remember to burn incense for her every year on the anniversary of Consort Rong's death.
When the Tenth Princess married Fengshen Yinde, she was granted the title of Princess Gulun Hexiao. Their wedding caused a sensation throughout the capital. The procession carrying the gifts stretched along the streets, and even high-ranking officials like Agui held jade ruyi scepters and accompanied the golden sedan chair.
Fukang'an was not in the capital, so Delin, as the eldest son of the Fucha family, accompanied Fu Chang'an to deliver congratulatory gifts. A year ago, the reason for Yunwan's unexplained fainting spell with Di was still unknown, and Yan Ning dared not let her child risk his life again. Dexuan and Yunwan wanted to join in the fun, but she stopped them, also claiming illness and not leaving the mansion.
To prevent the unruly Yunwan from escaping, Yan Ning kept watch over her at Pengxian Garden. The morning dew, illuminated by the sunlight, shone brilliantly, sparkling like jewels. Suddenly, Fengshen Yinde, dressed in a long crimson robe, appeared at Pengxian Garden, causing Yan Ning to lose all interest in the morning light. Just as the morning star rose, Delin left. Judging by the time, Fengshen Yinde should now be on his way to welcome Princess Guren Hexiao.
Butler Luo followed behind Fengshen Yinde, looking troubled. Fengshen Yinde was now the consort of Princess Gulun, and his title was one rank higher than that of his brother-in-law, Fulongan. Butler Luo naturally dared not call the guards to stop him.
During the year that Yunwan pretended to be ill, Fengshen Yinde often came to keep her company and help her pass the time. However, she hadn't seen him for the past two months, and Yan Ning assumed he was busy preparing for his wedding. For the past year, Yan Ning hadn't thought much of it, but today, seeing him rush to find Yunwan even during the wedding procession, she knew exactly what he wanted from her.
Yan Ning quickened her pace, blocking Feng Shen Yinde in the courtyard, preventing him from meeting Yun Wan. Feng Shen Yinde had been confined to the mansion for months, practically under house arrest. He was only allowed to leave the mansion now for the wedding ceremony, and his handsome face held a pleading expression. "Madam Fucha, please allow me to see Yun Wan. After today, my status will be different from what it was before!"
Yan Ning felt a pang of sympathy, but she didn't want her daughter to get involved in the murky waters of imperial politics. She firmly refused, saying, "From the moment you were betrothed to Princess Guren Hexiao, your status destined you to be unable to walk the same path as Yunwan!" As she spoke, she curtsied to him, "This concubine greets Your Highness!"
Fengshen Yinde took a few steps back, his expression pained. He turned and left, his red figure disappearing at the courtyard gate. Yunwan came out of the main house and walked to Yan Ning's side, staring blankly at the spot where Fengshen Yinde's figure had disappeared. Yan Ning asked with some worry, "Do you know his feelings for you?"
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