On March 18th, the sun was shining and the sky was clear.
However, in the General's Mansion of Laifeng State, Feng Lingyan's mood was completely opposite to the beautiful weather, and there was no sense of spring at all.
Just after the hour of Si, Feng Jingyun and Mulanjin entered the courtyard of Yueting Nanshe. They immediately spotted Feng Lingyan sitting alone in the pavilion, seemingly lost in thought. Seeing this, they hurried forward.
Mulanjin walked over to Feng Lingyan and sat down, asking softly, "Yan'er, are you missing the princess? Lan'er has already told us that news has come from Youzhou that the princess is still in Youwang Mansion in Youzhou and will return after properly handling the affairs related to Lengyue Kingdom. Not only that, Maochun's wife and husband are also safe and sound, and they have a son. That child is very adorable."
Although Feng Jingyun, who was sitting opposite Feng Lingyan, did not say anything, her eyes were always on the father and son. She listened to their conversation attentively, while gazing at Feng Lingyan with concern.
"Mom, Dad, Lingyan is unfilial and has caused you to worry. Lingyan is fine, she just misses her daughter a little."
Feng Lingyan smiled faintly at Feng Jingyun and Mulanjin. But he knew in his heart that it was difficult for a parent to feel completely at ease until they saw their child return safely.
At this moment, Feng Lingyan's eyes revealed a subtle trace of sadness and longing. Feng Jingyun and Mulanjin, who were sitting beside them, silently looked at their son, their eyes full of concern and tenderness.
At this moment, a hearty laugh broke the brief silence. It turned out that Nalan Yunzhi had arrived not far away and was walking towards the crowd with a smile: "Mother-in-law, father-in-law, Lingyan, what a coincidence, you are all in the garden admiring the flowers!"
As he spoke, Nalan Yunzhi's gaze fell on Feng Lingyan intentionally or unintentionally, as if he wanted to see some clues from his face.
Feng Jingyun nodded slightly in response to Nalan Yunzhi's greeting.
However, Mulan Jin's lips twitched slightly upon hearing this. He secretly grumbled. This was the Grand General's residence. It was perfectly normal for the couple, Feng Lingyan's parents, to be admiring the flowers and plants in their son's courtyard. And yet, the Emperor, Nalan Yunzhi, came to the Grand General's residence and said it was a coincidence that he had run into them... That statement seemed rather strange. Wasn't it?
"Your Majesty?"
Feng Lingyan, who had been lost in thought, was stunned for a moment when she suddenly saw Nalan Yunzhi appear.
Feng Lingyan now knew that Nalan Yunzhi's previous deliberate appearance of dying was mostly a disguise, with the purpose of confusing Xiahou Jing and those officials in the court who had ulterior motives.
Through the incident of Xiahou Jing's rebellion and forcing the emperor to abdicate, Emperor Nalan Yunzhi successfully uncovered a group of ambitious and unsteady traitors and took the opportunity to rectify the government.
As for those officials who had been dismissed, Nalan Yunzhi promoted talented individuals from among the existing officials. Meanwhile, the Spring Examination and Palace Examination held last month had also selected a large number of talented individuals. Nalan Yunzhi employed people in an unconventional way, disregarding family background, and arranged suitable official positions for those outstanding students based on their actual abilities.
And those new batch of students, especially the top students who were qualified to take part in the palace examination, suddenly became "disciples of the emperor", and their support for the emperor naturally became more sincere.
This operation was like a "blood purge", bringing about brand new changes to the original court official system.
"Lingyan, you and I are originally husband and wife, just like a pair of wings. Why do we need to perform such a grand ceremony?" Seeing Feng Lingyan stand up from her seat as if to salute him, Nalan Yunzhixin hurried forward to hold Feng Lingyan's hand, but he dodged sideways.
Seeing Feng Lingyan's dodge, Nalan Yunzhi felt a sudden pain in her heart, but she quickly suppressed the loneliness and still faced Feng Lingyan with a smile.
As the saying goes, "dripping water wears away stone, and a rope saw cuts wood." Nalan Yunzhi understands that now only by giving his whole heart can he win back Feng Lingyan's heart.
"Since the emperor is in poor health, he should have a good rest in his bedroom after dealing with military and national affairs..." Feng Lingyan's words were not intimate, but full of concern. His every move showed the elegant demeanor of a young master.
However, Feng Lingyan's polite yet measured words, when heard by Nalan Yunzhi, were proof that this man still cared about her.
Therefore, Nalan Yunzhi, who had been feeling somewhat dejected just now, was now full of confidence and looked radiant.
"Ahem... Your Majesty, Lingyan, it's time for us to exercise." Feng Jingyun couldn't figure out what these two people were planning for a moment, so he took Mulanjin and said goodbye, returning to Qingrongyuan to practice Tai Chi and square dancing.
For a moment, only Nalan Yunzhi and Feng Lingyan were left in the garden pavilion.
Nalan Yunzhi was delighted. Seeing that Feng Lingyan seemed to be preparing to leave, she quickly made small talk, "Lingyan, Qingcheng is still in Youzhou. The princess Zhengjun, who missed her so much, has also followed her. Poor Longlong and Fengfeng, who were left behind, cry every day looking for their mother and father..."
Feng Lingyan retracted her outstretched foot upon hearing this and asked worriedly, "Li Ge has always been sensible. Even when he went out, he must have made safe arrangements. Didn't he entrust the two children to reliable care?"
Nalan Yunzhi sighed and said seriously, "The second, fourth, and fifth sons do look after them often. But, Lingyan, you know how young people can have so much patience to look after two crying babies. In my opinion, if you have free time, Lingyan, you should go to the palace more often to help take care of Longlong and Fengfeng. That way, my daughter and her husband will have no worries in Youzhou. Isn't that right?"
Hearing Nalan Yunzhi's words, Feng Lingyan, who had originally been thinking about her daughter, couldn't help but feel pity for her grandchildren. After all, these children had just come out of confinement, and their biological parents were not around. It was indeed pitiful...
Seeing Feng Lingyan was moved, Nalan Yunzhi quickly added fuel to the fire: "How about... Lingyan, we will have lunch with my mother-in-law and father-in-law, and then you can come back to the palace with me to see Longlong and Fengfeng? This way, the General's Mansion won't have to send an extra carriage to escort you to the palace. Just think of it as a day off for the coachman. After all, she has a husband, mother, father, and children. It would be nice to let her go back and reunite with her family for a day..."
"This old servant pays his respects to His Majesty!" Just when Feng Lingyan was about to agree to Nalan Yunzhi's request, a voice as loud as a broken gong reached their ears.
"Butler Qian, what's the matter?" Feng Lingyan looked at the butler of the General's Mansion who came in a hurry with suspicion.
Steward Qian quickly glanced at Nalan Yunzhi from the corner of his eye, and then respectfully said to Feng Lingyan, "In reply to the Second Young Master, Captain Duan Yunfei...she brought a matchmaker to the General's Mansion to propose marriage..."
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