Chapter 601: Chapter 601

Manager Wang and Manager Wen returned to the Capital City in a rush after settling affairs in West State. Fengyu finally had some leisure time as she handed over the business responsibilities to several managers—something she was very confident about. Ruyi, adored by the Old Madam and Su Yuejiao, had almost forgotten about Fengyu and clung to the Old Madam and Su Yuejiao daily. Fengyu, aside from overseeing the repairs at Changshou Palace, had almost nothing to do.

Ever since Xie Xun led the troops out on an expedition, Fengyu occasionally received letters from him. When the Cabinet filed war reports, Nuanyang would inform her. Xie Xun was unstoppable, swiftly reclaiming Liuyang, Xianzhou, Yang Pass, and other territories. General Gao, who occupied some Zhongzhou cities, left them essentially undefended. His troops ravaged cities, leaving chaos for the local populace. Witnessing the refugees left behind as his army marched through, Xie Xun was furious. When he had initially discerned General Gao’s traitorous intent, he should have never let him lead the troops back. At the very least, he should have dispersed the forces.

At that time, he had just ascended the throne, and the country was in ruins, leaving him unwilling to stir up new trouble. He thought that once the new policies were implemented, he’d inevitably step into the Capital Military Affairs; little did he know he’d leave behind such a hidden danger.

General Gao had already joined forces with General Chen of Zhongzhou. Xie Xun pressed forward with rapid marches and stationed his army outside Liling, near Zhongzhou’s boundary, leaving both armies deadlocked. The atmosphere in Zhongzhou grew tense and foreboding.

The Capital City remained tranquil. Fengyu glanced at the war report, believing Xie Xun would soon reclaim Zhongzhou.

Zhongzhou’s actions were purely self-destructive.

The Capital City was already under Xie Xun’s control, and twelve states had sworn allegiance. Zhongzhou, sandwiched between the Capital City and the twelve states, couldn’t possibly stand its ground. Even if Jiangnan and Sannan were at war, the twelve states could still deploy cavalry to encircle Zhongzhou and attack Xie Xun from inside and out. Launching an uprising at such a crucial juncture to uphold legitimacy was futile. The Yuwen Royal Family had already been imprisoned at Qiushan. If the Emperor were slightly more ruthless, wiping out the Yuwen Royal Family entirely, what legitimacy would Zhongzhou still protect?

Wouldn’t that force the Yuwen family to their end?

Those who claim to protect legitimacy are truly the ones hoping for the demise of the Yuwen family.

Worried about Fang Lingjun’s whereabouts, Fengyu dispatched people to the Fang Family to inquire with Mrs. Fang. However, Fang Lingjun hadn’t sent any letters back to her. Ever since Zhongzhou’s rebellion, no communication from Fang Lingjun had reached them.

Both the Grand Marshal and Fang Chuning were stationed on the battlefield. Mrs. Fang, not wanting to distract them, sent household soldiers secretly to Zhongzhou, though no news had returned thus far.

Mrs. Fang knew that Xie Xun had also sent close guards discreetly into Zhongzhou, undoubtedly following Fengyu’s instructions. She was moved. Whether it was to let her avoid the calamity of the Yuwen Royal Family’s downfall or Xie Xun sending people to search for Fang Lingjun, it was Fengyu discreetly safeguarding them from behind. Even if Xie Xun held the Grand Marshal and Fang Chuning’s presence on the battlefield in consideration, treating family members kindly, Fengyu—a Princess of the Yuwen Dynasty—was neither imprisoned nor restricted. Despite standing in the swirl of chaos, she remained unaffected by it. This kindness deeply touched Mrs. Fang.

She hoped that Xie Xun’s guards—or her own household soldiers—could quickly bring Fang Lingjun out of Zhongzhou, away from this trouble-ridden land. After Xie Xun ascended the throne, she had already sent a letter to Zhongzhou, wishing Fang Lingjun to return as soon as possible.

In the blink of an eye, Mid-Autumn Festival arrived.

Besides New Year’s Eve and Lantern Festival, Mid-Autumn is the most significant and celebrated holiday in Beining. For three days, there was no curfew in the Capital City, making it extremely lively. However, the Feng Family lacked the festive mood of Mid-Autumn.

The Feng Family hasn’t properly celebrated Mid-Autumn for the past three years!

Even though the household had split, in reality, it just meant that the Old Feng Mansion had shut the doors separating the main and second branches. The households divided finances and operated independently, but festivities like New Year’s Eve and Mid-Autumn were still celebrated together. Due to friction between the Mistress and Su Yuejiao over the past few years, they’ve only celebrated Mid-Autumn once. This year, before the festival, Fengyu brought Ruyi to the Old Madam’s courtyard to play. Seeing the Old Madam’s hesitant expression, Fengyu decided to consult Su Yuejiao about celebrating Mid-Autumn together.

Su Yuejiao was slightly displeased. It was hard for her to truly understand the Old Madam’s desire for family reunion after all, having recently lost her daughter and with her husband away at war. The grudges with the Mistress had nearly severed their relationship, making it pointless to begrudgingly spend Mid-Autumn together. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novel⦿fire.net

Fengyu knew her mother was unwilling but felt for the Old Madam. Fengyu gently said, "Mother, Grandmother is getting old. Father and Uncle are her sons by blood. Watching her sons split the family during her lifetime has already extinguished her hopes. Losing her hair to grief, sending off her children—even enduring the loss of Elder Sister—Grandmother simply wishes for harmony among the generations of Feng Family descendants. I don’t know how much of Grandmother’s wishes I can fulfill in my lifetime, but I hope she doesn’t have to harbor regrets. Mother, could you make this small sacrifice for her?"

Elderly people always wish for their children to live in harmony and for the whole family to share joy. She is her Grandmother’s granddaughter, just like Elder Sister, Feng Ling, and Elder Brother are also her own grandchildren.

Su Yuejiao felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. Begrudging as she was, she couldn’t bear to disappoint her daughter. "Fine, I’ll go and speak with her!"

Ever since the family split, Su Yuejiao had rarely conversed with the Mistress. After that quarrel, simply seeing her was enough to vex Su Yuejiao. This time, however, she endured her irritation and approached her to discuss plans for the Mid-Autumn family banquet.

Feng Changlin was delighted and had no objections. After all, they were brothers; fundamentally, there was no conflict between them, and they generally maintained cordial brotherly relations.

The real issues stemmed from their wives and the matters involving their children.

During this period, Feng Changlin had consistently encouraged the Mistress to let go of her grievances and stop troubling Su Yuejiao, hoping the family could live in harmony. However, every time the Mistress went to the Old Madam’s courtyard to pay her respects, seeing how the Old Madam doted on Ruyi stirred petty jealousy in her heart. Her daughter was still living with her grandson in the damp cold of Qiushan. Yet the Old Madam pampered the Xie family’s descendants, making her feel resentful. She repeatedly brought up the matter of Feng Wan and the two children to the Old Madam, though the Old Madam never spoke a word on her behalf.

A few days ago, after her little grandson fell seriously ill, if it weren’t for Feng Changlin stopping her, the Mistress would’ve already gone to kneel and beg Fengyu.

Thus, when Su Yuejiao approached her to discuss the Mid-Autumn family banquet, the Mistress also set aside her pride and agreed to host it together. Afterwards, she asked Su Yuejiao if Fengyu could bring Feng Wan and the two children back to celebrate Mid-Autumn together.

Su Yuejiao returned, visibly irritated. Fengyu immediately knew the discussions hadn’t gone well. "Mother, what happened?"

"Your aunt insisted you bring Feng Wan and the two children back, claiming not a single person should be absent from the family banquet and saying she couldn’t bear Feng Wan suffering in Qiushan." Su Yuejiao’s face darkened slightly. "Whether she wants to celebrate or not is her own business."

Fengyu felt conflicted. She had already asked Xie Xun about this previously and even made a special trip to Qiushan to visit Feng Wan. When Feng Shu was away managing supplies for the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry, Feng Wan took care of every trivial detail, and they shared a close relationship. Fengyu didn’t want Feng Wan and her young children to live in Qiushan either.

Xie Xun had made his stance clear. As long as Feng Wan agreed to divorce, she and the children could return to the Feng Family, and the matter would be finished. The children could then be raised as the Feng Family’s descendants, severing their connection to the Yuwen Family.

For Fengyu’s sake, Xie Xun had already made significant concessions. Were it anyone else, he wouldn’t have handled it this way. Feng Wan was deeply grateful but refused to divorce and remained at Qiushan, leaving Fengyu with no other options.

Now that Xie Xun was not in the Capital City, Fengyu couldn’t set a precedence. If she did, it would only invite trouble and tarnish Xie Xun’s reputation. Fengyu didn’t want to damage his standing over this matter.

"I’ll go visit Elder Sister and try to persuade her again."