Chapter 28 He fell into a trap; everything went black, and he completely lost consciousness. ...
Jiang Lili felt a chill run down her spine. What did her godfather mean by that smile?
Before he could think any further, firecrackers exploded at the palace gate, and Jiang Lili quickly stood beside Sheng Honghai and knelt down to pay her respects.
Emperor Chongming was in a good mood today and loudly called for them all to rise. He then said to Feng Qinghuang beside him, "Does Yongle still remember this place? It's the palace I specially granted for you when you were a child. Look, this paulownia tree has grown so thick!"
The sycamore tree in the courtyard has a thick and sturdy trunk. It was planted by Emperor Chongming himself the year Feng Qinghuang was born, and now it has finally welcomed its owner again.
Feng Qinghuang smiled and said, "Your subject remembers."
The lanterns in the courtyard illuminated the area as bright as day. A young girl stood gracefully under the paulownia tree, her gentle expression mirroring that of Empress Xiaoxian. Emperor Chongming felt a pang of sadness and said, "My good child, you must have had a hard time wandering outside for so many years. Now that you've returned, stay in the palace. Your father will never let you suffer again and will find you an excellent marriage!"
"Father, in order to find a good marriage for your long-lost legitimate princess, has discarded my marriage like trash and thrown it to some scoundrel!"
"Let me go, let me in!"
"Sister, stop making a fuss and go back with Mother!"
"Mother, let me go! Why should I marry that scoundrel Gao Zhizhen just because she's back?!"
Hearing Feng Daijie making a fuss outside, Emperor Chongming's eyes flashed with impatience. "Daijie, come in and answer."
Feng Daijie snorted coldly at the guards blocking her way outside the door, lifted her palace skirt, and stepped into Yongle Palace.
Consort Su was stopped outside the palace. The guard said apologetically, "Your Highness, I am sorry. Without His Majesty's orders, I dare not let anyone else into Yongle Palace."
Consort Su forced a smile and said, "Alright, I'll wait here and won't make things difficult for you."
Sister Feng Dai had refused to attend the ceremony today out of spite, and this was the first time she had seen Feng Qinghuang. Upon seeing her appearance, her eyes instantly welled up with tears.
The phoenix pattern on the lychee-red satin fabric, and the phoenix crown presented by the northern frontier, make the noble and refined attire even more elegant and graceful.
Feng Qinghuang, her fingers adorned with red nail polish, touched Feng Dai's sleeve and said affectionately, "Father, this must be my younger sister."
Feng Dai shoved Feng Qinghuang's finger away, her voice shrill, "Get away! Who's your sister!"
Emperor Chongming looked displeased. "Sister, don't be so tactless."
Upon hearing this, Feng Dai's pent-up grievances burst forth all at once, and she cried out with tears streaming down her face, "Understanding the bigger picture? What is the bigger picture, Father! Am I not understanding enough?! Give me Dai's name, Dai's, Dai's, waiting for you... What is the meaning of my existence to you? Waiting for your lost legitimate princess?!"
Emperor Chongming's face turned ashen, and Sheng Honghai hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down! Princess Daijie is childlike and has been favored by you for many years. Now that Princess Yongle has returned, half of your favor has been taken away from her. It is inevitable that she will feel resentful. Why should Your Majesty hold a grudge against your own daughter?"
"No way!" Feng Dai shouted angrily. "Father, am I your daughter or your tool? Before I came of age, I was just a hope you had for your sister. After I came of age, I was nothing more than a tool for you to win over your subjects... It is because Father treats family ties so coldly that you have been childless for so many years!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongming's chest heaved, and he slapped Feng Dai'er across the face. "Slap!"
The emperor's wrath had far-reaching consequences, and the eunuchs standing in the palace courtyard immediately knelt down, saying in unison, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
Feng Qinghuang lowered her eyes to look at Feng Dai, who was covering her face and crying, and said softly to Emperor Chongming, "Father, please don't be angry. Just as Eunuch Sheng said, my sister is just a child. Why should you get angry with her? My sister and I haven't seen each other for a long time. Tonight is a good time to catch up! Consort Su has been waiting for Father outside for a long time. Father, please go and see her. Don't let Consort Su worry."
Feng Qinghuang bore many traces of Empress Xiaoxian, and Emperor Chongming felt grateful, his anger subsiding somewhat. He said to the disgruntled and tearful Feng Dai, "Thanks to your sister, I will spare your life today. If there is a next time, you will remain in your palace until you are married!"
Emperor Chongming left, and Sheng Honghai hurriedly followed, with the eunuchs following behind as they filed away.
Feng Qinghuang's personal maid, Shang Chunxiang, had been by her side since she left the palace. Now that she had returned to the palace, she was in charge of all the palace affairs of Yongle Palace. With just one glance, she understood Feng Qinghuang's meaning and waved her hand to signal all the palace maids who remained to serve her to step aside.
In the blink of an eye, only the two sisters remained in the huge courtyard.
Feng Qinghuang was tall and slender, and had been standing all day and was exhausted. She turned around and sat down on the sandalwood chair under the paulownia tree. With her bright red fingernails, she gently peeled open a tangerine, took a segment and put it in her mouth. "Sister, why don't you like me?"
Seeing that Sister Feng Dai turned her head away in annoyance and did not answer, Feng Qinghuang laughed softly, her voice carrying a hint of coquettishness, which was completely opposite to her dignified and proper demeanor just now.
She slowly stood up, took the remaining half of the orange and brought it to Feng Dai's lips, saying leisurely, "I don't care why you don't like me, but since you're in my way, I can't just ignore it."
Feng Qinghuang's smile became even more alluring. With a gentle release of her slender fingers, the tangerine she had brought to Feng Dai's lips fell to the ground. "I've only been back in the capital for a day, and the torn collar of my dress, the palace boots with silver needles stuck in them, the drugged wine... all of this is your doing, my dear sister."
“If there’s a next time,” Feng Qinghuang said, seemingly affectionately patting Feng Dai’s head, her breath warm against her ear, her eyes sharp as a beautiful snake, “I’ll show you what the most venomous heart of a woman can be.”
After saying that, she gently crushed the orange segments that had fallen to the ground, and the orange juice burst open and seeped into the soles of Feng Dai's feet.
Feng Dai's heart pounded with fear.
*
After the terrifying snowy night, the convoy left the abandoned infant tower and headed towards Kangjiang County. Kangjiang County was a thousand miles away from the capital, covering an area of three hundred miles, and was a superior county with a tax revenue of 82,000 shi of grain. The dock in Kangjiang County led directly to the Linzhang sea area. Once there, they could board ships and split into convoys, so that the convoy would no longer be a moving target to attract attention.
The sky was a clear, high blue today. Magistrate Liang Baoquan of Kangjiang County received a letter from the prefect early in the morning, instructing him to properly entertain the distinguished guests from the capital and not to displease his superiors.
The Prefect of Dahuang held the rank of fourth grade, placing him among the high-ranking officials in Dahuang, equivalent to the Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. For the Prefect to send a trusted confidant to deliver a message, he must be an extremely high-ranking official!
Liang Baoquan watched the imposing procession approaching in the distance, wiped the cold sweat from his brow, and whispered to the chief clerk beside him, "Is there anything I've overlooked in my arrangements? Is the attire inappropriate?"
The registrar wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "I have checked carefully, and there are no oversights in your arrangements, and your attire is not inappropriate!"
"Very well!" Liang Baoquan straightened his official hat and said, "Tell everyone to be on their toes and not to mistreat the distinguished guests from the capital!"
"Of course, of course... Look, sir, they're here!"
The convoy moved very quickly, with soldiers on horseback and the imperial envoy in a sedan chair. The tall, fine horses rode side by side, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived at the stone tablet in Kangjiang County.
Feng Tan, carrying the baby, stepped off the carriage first. He looked Liang Baoquan up and down and asked, "Are you the magistrate of Kangjiang County, sir?"
"Yes, yes..."
"Is there a wet nurse?"
Yes, yes...
"ah?"
Liang Baoquan came to his senses and saw the handsome young man from before walk up to the thirty-two luxurious carriages in the middle of the caravan and say loudly, "Sir, none of the brothers got a good rest last night. Let's not travel during the day today. Besides, today is New Year's Eve. Let everyone get some rest, and we'll achieve twice the result with half the effort!"
Zhu Qi, perched high on horseback, gave Feng Tan a thumbs-up and chimed in, "Yes, sir, my butt is practically bleeding from sitting on it!"
Menghe Nabuer had been taking care of the baby all night and was now snoring loudly in the carriage, exhausted. Feng Tan took the child but didn't know how to care for him, and couldn't let the child stay with the group indefinitely. She could only try to find a reliable person to take care of the child.
"Wah wah..."
The baby had no sense of time, waking up and falling asleep intermittently. He had only been quiet for less than an hour when he started crying again. Feng Tan rocked and coaxed, "Okay, okay, stop crying. I'll give you some milk in a little while, okay?"
Xiao Yinshi lifted the sedan curtain and watched the clumsy movements of the young man holding the baby in the sunlight. He said, "We'll rest here tonight and board the ship tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, all the soldiers smiled with relief. They had been traveling for more than twenty days without a single day of rest, and then they had encountered an assassination attempt. Even an iron man couldn't withstand such an ordeal. If they didn't rest, they would really be exhausted to death.
Liang Baoquan quickly stepped forward to lead the way, saying as they walked, "Sir, you and your entourage must be tired from your journey. The Kangjiang Post Station is rather simple, and you may not be used to it. Why don't you go to my residence? My house is spacious, so you can have a good New Year! By the way, what is your surname, sir?"
"My surname is Feng," Feng Tan said with a smile, glancing at Liang Baoquan's attire. "Magistrate Liang, we are of equal rank, there's no need for such formality."
The journey to Liang Baoquan's residence was neither too long nor too short. Feng Tan hadn't had a chance to take a bath during the past two weeks of travel, so as soon as she arrived at her room, she asked the servant for a bucket of hot water and took a comfortable hot bath.
Feng Tan took out a replacement breast wrap from her bag, tied it tightly to her chest, washed the wrap she had worn for half a month, dried it with a heater, and carefully put it into her luggage.
After making sure everything was in order, Feng Tan came out again at 7 PM.
Under the cover of night, the distant mountain ranges appear hazy and vast. Kangjiang County is located east of the Linzhang Sea area, and the climate in the twelfth lunar month is not as cold as that of the capital.
Tonight is New Year's Eve, and festive couplets and New Year pictures are pasted everywhere in the county magistrate's mansion. The servant who was waiting at the door to greet Feng Tan after her bath saw her come out and hurriedly said, "My lord, my master invites you to the front hall for a banquet."
"Has the wet nurse fed the baby enough?" Feng Tan asked.
The servant replied, "Everything is done as you instructed. The child is in the front hall now."
In the front hall, Liang Bao, dressed entirely in a deep blue silk robe, stood anxiously by the door waiting. Seeing Feng Tan arrive first, he hurriedly took two steps to greet him, saying, "Lord Feng, my humble abode is simple and I'm afraid there may be some shortcomings in our hospitality. Please forgive me, sir. Please offer Lord Feng a seat!"
The servant was stumped and stammered, "Lord Feng should be sitting..."
Feng Tan understood Liang Baoquan's intention. The capital had sent two imperial envoys to inspect the salt tax. Liang Baoquan still didn't understand Xiao Yinshi's official position. She sat on a chair at the lower right and said, "The official accompanying me holds a high position. He is Xiao Yinshi, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the current court."
Liang Baoquan's voice trembled slightly, and he stammered, "Your Excellency, will you... personally investigate the salt and salt tax in Kangjiang County?"
Feng Tan looked at the sleeping baby in the wet nurse's arms and replied, "The main focus is on border areas, especially salt-producing regions like the Linzhang sea area. Kangjiang County is not included in the scope."
Liang Baoquan said, "That's good, that's good..."
Feng Tan laughed and said, "What, is Lord Liang falsifying accounts?"
"Lord Feng! You can't just say things like that! I, Liang Baoquan, have served as the magistrate of Kangjiang County for seven years and have never stolen a single penny of the people's hard-earned money. If you don't believe me, you can search my house and see if I have any extra private property!" Liang Baoquan said indignantly.
Feng Tan had only meant it as a joke, but he hadn't expected Liang Baoquan to react so strongly. He quickly said, "Lord Liang, please don't take it to heart. It was just a joke, don't take it seriously!"
Liang Baoquan chuckled sheepishly, "No, no!"
The two chatted casually for a while, but Feng Tan realized that Liang Baoquan, who seemed honest and kind, was actually very secretive. After talking for so long, she hadn't gotten any useful information. "Lord Liang, please don't stand there. Let's have a meal."
"But Lord Xiao..."
“He’s very particular,” Feng Tan waved her hand. “He won’t come. We don’t need to wait for him.”
Upon hearing this, Liang Baoquan breathed a sigh of relief.
Feng Tan knew that Xiao Yinshi was renowned for his ruthlessness when he served as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but she did not expect that it had spread to this extent. Officials in the border areas turned pale at the mere mention of his name.
Speaking of his son, Feng Tan suddenly remembered the important matter and asked Liang Baoquan, "Lord Liang, how is the matter I asked you to do this afternoon?"
Liang Baoquan said, "Don't worry, Lord Feng, I have found adoptive parents for this child. The couple has been trying to have a child for many years but have never had one. Now that they have this little one, I guarantee they will treat her like their own child!"
Feng Tan took out three silver notes that Ren Pingsheng had given her when she left the capital. "I would like to trouble Lord Liang to give this money to the couple. It is a small token of my appreciation."
Fifty taels of silver can ensure a family of three a worry-free life for decades.
Once the guests and hosts were seated, hot dishes and soups were served one after another, and Feng Tan unceremoniously picked up his chopsticks and began to taste them.
The maid brewed two more cups of hot tea. Feng Tan took a small sip and exclaimed, "This tea is wonderful. It has a refreshing fragrance and a sweet aftertaste. It's a rare and delicious flavor."
The premium tea produced by Dahuang in the southwest of Cangshan Huima Peak is made from ancient tea trees that are a thousand years old. The mountain is steep and the ancient tea trees are even rarer, making the harvesting cost extremely high. As a result, the annual yield is only ten kilograms.
When she was a child, she went to the Taiji Hall and saw Sheng Honghai quietly scolding the tea master eunuch for his poor tea-making skills, saying that such good tea was wasted. Out of curiosity, Feng Tan took a sip. The tea leaves picked and made from ancient tea leaves tasted very different from ordinary tea leaves. The unique taste left a deep impression on Feng Tan.
How could Liang Baoquan have such exquisite tea? It wouldn't have been a problem for him to serve such tea to ordinary officials, since ordinary people wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The coincidence was that Feng Tan happened to have drunk this tea before.
Seeing that the official from Beijing enjoyed the tea, Liang Baoquan quickly and respectfully replied, "I'm glad you like this tea, Lord Feng!"
Feng Tan lowered the depth of thought in his eyes and replied with a forced smile.
Liang Baoquan's mansion was not beyond the bounds of regulations for a county magistrate, but whether the saying "a clean prefect for three years, 100,000 taels of silver" is true or false cannot be concluded immediately.
Liang Baoquan appears to be timid and honest, but Feng Tan always felt that he had a shrewdness that was different from this temperament. The combination of the two made him seem somewhat unpredictable.
Liang Baoquan poured Feng Tan another cup of wine and said with a smile, "I have also completed the other matter that Lord Feng instructed me to do during the day. The cargo ship that went out tonight will soon dock. You and your party may board the ship before you leave."
Kangning County is located near the sea, and cargo ships frequently come and go at the docks. The convoy consisted of a large number of people. Japanese pirates invaded the waters off Linzhang every year, and everyone present was an official, so it was most convenient for cargo ships to go out to sea.
Feng Tan thanked him politely again, took a sip of wine, and was about to take his leave to rest when he suddenly heard a commotion outside the courtyard. A servant boy came running over nervously, his breath unsteady, and said, "Your Excellency, something terrible has happened! A bunch of unruly people have come with torches and kerosene and are blocking the door. They say that if Kangning County also follows the example of the islands in the waters off Linzhang and offers their daughters in exchange for good weather next year, they will burn your mansion down!"
Liang Baoquan's expression suddenly changed, and he turned to Feng Tan, saying, "Lord Feng, I must go and attend to matters concerning this county. I apologize for any shortcomings in my hospitality tonight!"
After saying that, he strode hurriedly toward the courtyard. Feng Tan lowered her eyes slightly, thought for a moment, and followed him.
Outside the gate, villagers, carrying torches and furious, blocked the entrance. The burly man at the head of the group said, "Lord Liang, I, Li Dadao, am from Peach Village. Yesterday, the Sea God Cult sent a message saying that you, Lord Liang, have agreed to send girls through the evil gate every year, and that I should hand over my daughter. Lord Liang, is this true?!"
Liang Baoquan looked bitter and sighed, "Da Dao, this matter is not so simple. I cannot explain the specific reasons here. Please come in with me."
Li Dadao angrily shouted, "If you have something to hide that you want to say to me privately, then say it right here, sir!"
Villagers from all the villages in Kangning County echoed in unison, "Yes, let's say it right here!"
Liang Baoquan hesitated, then sighed and rubbed his forehead, saying, "Alright, since the villagers insist, I will tell you the reason. In the Central Plains, agriculture and sericulture are the foundation of life. Our Kangning County is different. Being isolated overseas and with limited arable land, we can only rely on fishing to pay taxes. But alas, the Japanese pirates have been invading every year, and each time it is the Sea God Sect who helps us resist them. If we don't follow their wishes, what will happen if the Japanese pirates come again..."
At this point, Liang Baoquan burst into tears. “Not being able to pay taxes is a minor matter; at worst, I, Liang, will be dismissed from my post! But my fellow villagers, how can I risk the lives of the entire county to resist the Japanese pirates? The imperial military commissioner cannot protect us completely. I am the head of the county, the shepherd of the people, and your father and mother. How can I watch the people of the entire county be bullied by the Japanese pirates year after year! I will bear the infamy of sacrificing the lives of a few young girls for the peace of the county!”
The villagers' initial momentum in demanding an explanation weakened, replaced by expressions of worry.
Thinking of his daughter, Li Dadao insisted, "If the Japanese pirates dare to come to my house, I'll fight them to the death with my axe. Why should my daughter have to be sacrificed!"
Liang Baoquan secretly winked at the registrar and said loudly, "Fellow villagers, this is merely a temporary measure to deal with the Sea God Cult. I have already petitioned the provincial prefect, governor, censor, and military commander. Let us await their support and not panic! However..."
The elderly woman standing in front, her head wrapped in a handkerchief, asked, "But what?"
Liang Baoquan sighed again, his face filled with melancholy, "However, with the villagers making such a fuss tonight, the Sea God Cult will surely get wind of it, and it will probably be difficult for them to refuse to offer the girl..."
"Sir, what should we do?"
"My lord, we acted impulsively tonight, you can't abandon us!"
Hearing the villagers' anxious voices, Liang Baoquan waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Don't worry, everyone. Although things have become a bit tricky because of your commotion tonight, there is still a way to turn things around! So, please calm down and have a good New Year at home. I will do my best to protect everyone's safety!"
Liang Baoquan's reassurance had an obvious effect; the people of Kangjiang County had no suspicions, thanked him profusely, and quickly left.
Feng Tan stood at the back of the crowd, vaguely feeling that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Are Japanese pirates really that powerful in the waters off Linzhang?
No, Yu Fangyi clearly led his troops to wipe out the Japanese pirates before the Lunar New Year. It's impossible for them to make a large-scale comeback in such a short time!
What exactly is wrong?
In a flash, Feng Tan thought of something, but in that instant, her consciousness became increasingly clouded. She leaned against the door, barely able to stay upright, and in her daze, she saw a wicked smile on Liang Baoquan's lips and a tall figure in a black cloak slowly walking out of the alley behind him. Then everything went black, and she completely lost consciousness.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
