Chapter 594: Chapter 594

The army marched through the night, rushing to depart. Fengyu stood atop the city wall to bid them farewell. The moon hung high in the dark sky, its light cool and water-like. Fengyu watched the mighty Ningzhou Iron Cavalry surge like a tide toward the far horizon, barely able to make out Xie Xun’s figure anymore. She recalled her childhood, sitting beneath the tree near her Ningzhou family home, watching her father and mother leave in the distance.

Back then, she was young and felt a mix of resentment and longing, always questioning why they left home so frequently. Now her mindset was entirely different. She understood that Xie Xun’s battle was for the stability of Beining, and that this war, with countless watching, could not afford defeat. She hoped for Xie Xun’s triumphant return and resolved to wait for him at the city wall until his homecoming.

After Xie Xun personally led the expedition, the capital fell under the authority of Lin Hongyuan and Lin Helin. Compared to Lin Hongyuan, Xie Xun trusted Lin Helin more. The capital itself remained quiet, free of alarm or dread; people continued with their lives, eating, drinking, playing as usual. After Xie Xun left the capital, Ruyi began living permanently at the Feng Mansion, cared for by Fengyu and Su Yuejiao.

Su Yuejiao and Fengyu both treated Ruyi as a treasure in the palm of their hands, indulging him almost to excess—wanting stars and denying the moon. Perhaps due to growing up under Xie Xun’s silent influence, Ruyi’s disposition had grown markedly domineering. While in West State he was obedient and considerate; now, in the capital, he verged on becoming a "Little Tyrant."

Focused on raising her child, Su Yuejiao entrusted the Feng and Su families’ businesses to Fengyu, a role Fengyu excelled at. After Xie Xun ascended the throne, the Su family’s business confiscated by Yuwen Jing returned to Fengyu’s hands.

The trading house had been infiltrated by many of Yuwen Jing’s people, and its management was in chaos. Numerous veteran shopkeepers had been dismissed. Fengyu consolidated all stores and properties, reorganized with new divisions, reassigned personnel, and invited back the shopkeepers Yuwen Jing had dismissed. Baofeng Bank was reopened, and now the Su family’s trading house was considered a power among noble clans. No one dared to offend them. With this influence, their shopkeepers negotiated deals with immense self-assurance.

With Xie Xun gone, the minds of elite women in the capital began stirring again. Every woman sought to align themselves with Fengyu, to grow closer to her. Fengyu couldn’t spend her life hiding behind Su Yuejiao, avoiding all socializing.

The Marchioness of Marquis An Yuan invited Su Yuejiao and Fengyu to her birthday banquet, and Fengyu accepted cheerfully. The Marquis had joined the expedition, charged with calming and governing any recaptured territories by Xie Xun. In his absence, the Marchioness took charge of the household.

Due to wartime, the birthday banquet was low-key; the Marchioness only invited families with close ties. Fengyu, close friends with Princess Xue Lan, accompanied her mother to the banquet.

The Marchioness and Princess Xue Lan greeted their guests at the doorway, warmly welcoming them and treating them as honored guests. The Marchioness and Su Yuejiao both hailed from Jiangnan and were close friends in their younger years. Their families maintained close relations, and the Marchioness had even served as the presiding guest at Fengyu’s coming-of-age ceremony. Fengyu had always respected her greatly, never failing to attend her birthday celebrations whenever she was in the capital.

The relationship between Su Yuejiao and the Marchioness remained steadfast over the years. Even during the past three years when the Feng family was under public scrutiny, the Marchioness and Marquis An Yuan never severed ties with them. Su Yuejiao was deeply grateful for their unfailing support of the Feng family.

The Marchioness, not wanting Fengyu to be troubled by meddling elders, asked Princess Xue Lan to take her to the inner courtyard to play. Princess Xue Lan was more than happy to oblige.

Her engagement to Zhang Boxi had already been finalized. She was now preparing for marriage at home, though the ongoing war meant the wedding might need to be postponed.

Princess Xue Lan invited Fengyu to her private quarters to chat, with Qiuxiang, Chunlu, and the princess’s maids waiting in the courtyard.

Knowing her wedding was approaching, Fengyu brought her a set of jewelry as part of her bridal trousseau. Princess Xue Lan cherished the gift, aware it was jewelry designed and created by Fengyu herself—an increasingly rare treasure to obtain. This set of turquoise jewelry added both beauty and stature to her dowry.

As close friends often do, their conversation inevitably turned to Princess Xue Lan’s wedding. Fengyu remembered three years ago, when she left the capital, Princess Xue Lan had not liked Zhang Boxi. Once, while they were dining at Wangjiang Restaurant, they happened to encounter Zhang Boxi and a group of aristocratic youths, and their meeting ended in quarrels. Normally gentle and shy, Princess Xue Lan had been provoked by Zhang Boxi to the point of anger, leaving an impression of him as a reckless and arrogant libertine.

Later, the three of them ran into Zhang Boxi and Lin Xiao, as well as Zhang Boxin, dining at Mudan Building in rowdy revelry. Fang Lingjun, who had grown up alongside Zhang Boxin, spoke freely and even mocked them for indulging in women and living debauched, carefree lives.

Fengyu worried that Marquis An Yuan had sacrificed Princess Xue Lan’s marriage for an alliance with the Kyoto Capital Guard, forcing her into this match with Zhang Boxi. After all, Princess Xue Lan wasn’t raised by Marquis An Yuan and the Marchioness. When they first brought her home, she was overshadowed by their affection for the girl they mistakenly raised, Zhou Xuejia. It was only over time that their relationship with Princess Xue Lan deepened.

Being raised in the countryside had left Princess Xue Lan with a gentle and submissive temperament, a stark contrast to Fengyu and Fang Lingjun.

"Ayu, rest assured, I’m willingly marrying Zhang Boxi. Father and Mother didn’t force me," Princess Xue Lan said with a soft, warm smile. When she was first engaged, she endured endless ridicule—people mocked her for stooping so low, a princess marrying someone from the insignificant branch of the Zhang family. Their statuses were worlds apart. Even Lin Yu Yan sneered at her, saying that despite her noble lineage, she could only marry a rakish libertine like Zhang Boxi. "It’s true I grew up in the countryside. I wasn’t groomed as a grand noble daughter nor do I have the grandeur of a family matron. I don’t even possess the confidence befitting a princess. Father, Mother, and my brothers doted on Zhou Xuejia for ten years while I lived those years in the countryside. After returning home, my relationship with my brothers remained distant. The elite clans in the capital are shrewd individuals; they all see that the bond between my brothers and me is not close. After my parents passed away, I was left without anyone to support me in my family. For them, I held little strategic value. Thus, the high-ranking households in the capital showed little interest in proposing to me—firstly, they disdained my years spent in the rural countryside; secondly, they saw my gentle nature as inadequate for the role of a commanding family matron; thirdly, they knew my brothers would stand by Zhou Xuejia but might not care for me. When Mother sought a match for me, she considered all this carefully. She aimed for a family with upright values, hoping I could live a peaceful and harmonious life. Later, Father needed to secure an alliance with the Kyoto Capital Guard and asked for my consent. If I’d refused, he wouldn’t have forced me. But I understood Father’s urgency in consolidating ties with the Kyoto Capital Guard—marital bonds are the most reliable way."

Princess Xue Lan paused for a moment. At first, she didn’t want to get married. She loathed Zhang Boxi, finding him libertine, arrogant, and domineering. She feared strong-willed men deeply, wishing instead to find a gentle, good-natured husband. Zhang Boxi was nowhere close to what she envisioned.

"Later, Zhou Xuejia’s scandal with the Eldest Young Master Li came to light and was harshly criticized. My brothers went through great lengths to defend Zhou Xuejia, knowing full well that Zhang Boxi was raucous and irreverent, yet they didn’t spare a thought about me. In their hearts, Zhou Xuejia might as well be their real sister. I felt hurt, and perhaps it was my own lack of tolerance to blame. When I first returned to the family, Zhou Xuejia constantly opposed and provoked me, but I endured it quietly. Mother couldn’t bear seeing me suffer and sent Zhou Xuejia away, and then my brothers accused me of being narrow-minded and unable to tolerate others. They resented me for driving away Zhou Xuejia. Over the years, I worked hard to earn their approval and affection, only to meet setbacks time and again. My frustrations mounted, leaving me deeply troubled. At my lowest point, I escaped into a dead-end mentality. So, I went to Zhang Boxi myself and asked him if he wanted to marry me. If he did, he should come propose marriage at the Marquis Mansion. At the time, I simply wanted to leave the Marquis Mansion. I thought marrying anyone was fine—marrying Zhang Boxi could even help Father strengthen his alliance with the Kyoto Capital Guard. So I decided, why not just marry him?"

Princess Xue Lan spoke of these events with a heavy heart. Back then, Fang Lingjun had her own troubles, tangled up in a chaotic web of relationships with Li Si and Zhou Xuejia. She couldn’t offer solace. Burdened with grievances and sorrows, Princess Xue Lan had no one to confide in. Once she returned to the Marquis Mansion at the age of ten, others found her nature too meek and passive to foster friendship. She barely had any friends to begin with.

Regarding matters with Zhou Xuejia, she couldn’t fully share details with her mother and had to keep everything bottled up. Now, seeing Fengyu, she vented it all in one go, her eyes reddening with distress. Fresh chapters posted on n0velfire.net

"Ayu, you don’t understand... After I got engaged, people mocked me, saying I was degrading myself... They were so cruel." Princess Xue Lan hugged Fengyu and cried bitterly, as if pouring out all the years of accumulated grievances in one moment.

Fengyu embraced her, gently patting her shoulder with heartache. "Xue Lan, don’t be afraid. From now on, I’ll stand with you. Whoever dares to bully you, I’ll help you take revenge."

It was just like the old days in the capital; whenever someone tried to ridicule or mistreat Xue Lan, Fengyu and Fang Lingjun would step in to defend her.

"Zhang Boxi will thrive and earn you the rank of First-Class Noblewoman. Those girls who mocked you will never have an identity more dignified than yours, nor enjoy greater favor. Zhang Boxi will never dare mistreat you." Fengyu had always known the Heir of Marquis An Yuan and the Second Young Master held no affection for the sister raised in the countryside, treating her with indifference. "You don’t need your brothers’ support. You have us, your sisters, standing behind you. Don’t be afraid."