Chapter 359 The Feng Family Has Sought Alternate Support from the Crown Prince
Lu Yuan was already gloomy because he hadn't tasted any pleasure, and now that he heard that Feng Shaoyuan and Feng Yuan had come to the capital, his eyes turned even colder.
In earlier years, the Feng family was disliked by the emperor, and the entire clan moved south to live in seclusion in Xuzhou.
Having heard of Jiang Zhi's recent predicament, I submitted a memorial requesting permission for Feng Shaoyuan to travel to the capital to visit her.
The Emperor was already quite satisfied with the Feng family's sensible behavior in recent years, so he granted their request.
I thought they would arrive in a few more days, but they arrived much sooner than I expected.
Leaving aside Feng Yuan for the time being, he still remembers how close Feng Shaoyuan and Jiang Zhi were back in Fuli.
He utterly loathed the identity of his cousin.
Jiang Zhi was in no mood to care about Lu Yuan at this moment, and quickly put away the divorce papers on the table.
She couldn't even sit in her wheelchair anymore, and repeatedly called for Ruying and Anyue, asking them to prepare a carriage to take her to the dock to pick up someone.
Qingxing advised, "Miss, your injury shouldn't be moved. Young Master and Miss will surely understand. Let me go and fetch you."
She had been with her young mistress since childhood and was very familiar with her cousin, Feng Shaoyuan.
“How can this be the same?” Jiang Zhi ignored Qing Xing’s advice. “They’ve gone to great lengths to come to the capital, how can I just sit here and wait? My cousin and cousin are really something, why didn’t they write to tell me sooner?”
She thought for a moment and then instructed Qingxing, "When the teacher wakes up, send someone to tell him to have the two south-facing guest rooms cleaned up. Cousins can't stay in an inn when they come to the capital. Also, assign a few servants to take care of their daily needs."
After she finished giving her instructions, Ruying and Anyue pushed her out the door.
Jiang Zhi was helped into the carriage. Just as they were about to depart, she felt the carriage suddenly sink. Lu Yuan stepped in and sat down next to her.
“Lord Lu, what is this…” Jiang Zhi glanced at him sideways.
Lu Yuan's voice was deep, "I have nothing to do today, so I'll accompany you to pick someone up."
Jiang Zhi was afraid that there wouldn't be enough time and didn't want to get entangled with Lu Yuan any further, so she could only let him go.
The carriage rumbled along and soon arrived at the dock on the Bian River.
Ships are numerous and come and go frequently.
Jiang Zhi sat in her wheelchair as a gentle river breeze blew by. Soon, she saw two familiar figures disembarking from one of the boats.
Ruying and Anyue pushed her forward.
"Cousin Shaoyuan, Cousin Yuan'er!" She waved, and the two saw her and immediately stepped forward.
"Zhi'er, why did you come to pick me up in person? I'm familiar with this capital city. You should be resting at home while you're injured."
"Cousin, you've lost so much weight!"
Feng Shaoyuan, dressed in a blue cloth robe, had a relaxed and cheerful demeanor. A beauty mark adorned the corner of his eye, and his eyes, like ink-black jade soaked in spring water, were slightly furrowed as he looked at her with disapproval.
Feng Yuan, with her fair skin, delicate oval face, and bright, intelligent girlish charm, also showed worry in her eyes at this moment.
Jiang Zhi looked up at the two of them, and for some reason her eyes felt hot.
Having lived in Kyoto for so many years, she has never had a close relative with whom she could confide.
Her mother died early, her grandmother was estranged, her father ignored her, and Wang Yuru and her two children were even more neglected.
Even though Feng Shaoyuan and Feng Yuan are only temporarily returning to Beijing, she is overjoyed.
"It's not convenient to talk here. Let's go back to the manor first. You must be tired from your journey. We've prepared a feast to welcome you back."
Jiang Zhi held Feng Yuan's hand affectionately.
Feng Shaoyuan glanced at Lu Yuan beside him and gave him a perfunctory greeting, but his brows furrowed even more.
"Why is Commander Lu with you? Where is your brother-in-law?"
Before Jiang Zhi could speak, Lu Yuan smiled and said, "Since Lord Shen is unwell, I will take care of him."
Upon hearing this, Feng Yuan immediately recalled the entanglement between the three of them in Xuzhou.
How come they still haven't sorted out their relationship after all this time?
She squinted at Jiang Zhi and found that she just pursed her lips and didn't refute.
The group returned to the Shen residence together.
Since it was inconvenient for Lu Yuan to enter the mansion, he saw Jiang Zhi and the others to the gate and then left.
However, he wouldn't just let Feng Shaoyuan and Jiang Zhi live under the same roof.
He returned to the Northern Garrison Command, changed his clothes, and went directly to the palace to meet the Emperor.
Shen Ci'an had just woken up when he heard a servant report that his wife had gone to the dock to pick someone up. He asked a servant to help him get up and go out, when he saw the three of them coming in intimately.
Feng Shaoyuan inquired about Shen Ci'an's health and handed over the gift that his parents had entrusted to him to deliver.
After dinner, at Jiang Zhi's insistence, Feng Shaoyuan and Feng Yuan temporarily moved into the Shen residence.
Feng Shaoyuan lived in the front courtyard, Feng Yuan moved into the side courtyard with Jiang Zhi, and Shen Ci'an stayed in the study.
Jiang Zhi learned from Feng Shaoyuan that he had resigned from his position as a teacher at the academy and would be staying in the capital for quite some time.
Feng Yuan, on the other hand, simply considered it an opportunity to accompany Feng Shaoyuan to relax and experience the local customs and culture of the capital.
The next morning, Jiang Zhi, pushed in a wheelchair by Ru Ying and Anyue, took Feng Shaoyuan and Feng Yuan out to the street.
It was Feng Yuan's first time in Kyoto, and she was very curious about everything here. Jiang Zhi let her walk around and look at things, and in a short while, she bought a lot of novelties that were not available in Xuzhou.
Feng Shaoyuan couldn't help but speak up to stop her, "Yuan'er, your cousin isn't feeling well and can't walk too much. Let's go to a nearby teahouse to rest."
In a private room on the first floor of Shuyu Tower, Feng Yuan was captivated by the storyteller and listened with great interest.
After Jiang Zhi and the others finished serving the refreshments and tea, she asked Ru Ying and An Yue to stand guard at the door. Only the two of them remained in the private room before she spoke in a low voice, "Cousin Shao Yuan, is there another important matter for you in the capital this time?"
Feng Shaoyuan took a sip of tea. "I can't hide it from my cousin. I do have other purposes for coming to Kyoto."
Jiang Zhi thought to herself, "Just as I thought."
When she got married, such a big event, the Feng family, in order to avoid suspicion, only sent a wedding gift and did not visit her in person.
The fact that I'm staying in Kyoto for so long now must mean it's not just to visit her.
"Do your uncle and aunt know?" Jiang Zhi asked.
Feng Shaoyuan nodded. "His Highness the Crown Prince sent a secret letter to my father, and he specifically instructed me to come. In the coming days, I will be secretly meeting many people with my grandfather's token, so I'm entrusting Yuan'er to your care."
It turned out to be Xiao Xuanyou's idea.
After a brief moment of surprise, Jiang Zhi quickly understood.
My maternal grandfather had many students in the past, and many of them are still officials in the imperial court today.
As the crown prince, Xiao Xuanyou could easily bring these forces under his control by leveraging the Feng family's influence, which would make his efforts twice as effective.
"But if the Emperor finds out about this, the Feng family will be in deep trouble," Jiang Zhi couldn't help but worry.
Feng Shaoyuan reassured her, "The Crown Prince will send people to help me secretly, so don't worry, cousin."
Jiang Zhi lowered her voice, "Cousin, do you mean the Feng family has already sided with the Crown Prince?"
“A new emperor brings a new court,” Feng Shaoyuan smiled. “His Majesty is getting old, and the Feng family must make plans for the future.”
The current emperor is wary of the Feng family, so they can only live in a remote corner. But now the crown prince is in his prime and needs the Feng family's help, so the Feng family will naturally seize the opportunity to gain a foothold in the capital and the court in the future.
“Okay, if there’s anything I can help you with, cousin, just let me know,” Jiang Zhi said seriously.
She didn't care about the court intrigues; all she wanted was for the Feng family to be safe and sound.
Feng Shaoyuan couldn't help but raise his hand and pat her head. "Just take good care of Yuan'er for me. She's impulsive and lively, so don't let her cause trouble here."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
