Chapter 603: Chapter 603

"If I divorce him, will His Majesty... kill him?" Feng Wan asked cautiously.

Fengyu’s heart softened. She stood up and helped Feng Wan to her feet, promising, "No, he won’t."

She understood Xie Xun well. In matters of emotion, he was meticulous and exacting, stingy and domineering, but when it came to major matters, he was never sloppy. Xie Xun did not care about Yuwen Yu’s life or death; he merely wished to avoid additional disputes. After imprisoning the Yuwen Family for several years, once the influence of the Yuwen Royal Family was thoroughly subdued and the new reforms brought a peaceful and harmonious era, he would naturally grant the Yuwen Family their freedom. Official source ıs NoveI-Fire.ɴet

However, his decision to imprison these people in Qiushan did have a selfish motive. At the very least, it was extremely difficult for children to survive in the harsh environment of Qiushan. After being imprisoned for a few years, even if the Yuwen Family managed to endure Qiushan’s damp cold, their bodies would likely be far from suitable for longevity—a slow, insidious fate akin to boiling frogs in warm water. Whether the children could survive ultimately depended on fate.

This was already Xie Xun’s gentlest approach. He didn’t simply annihilate them outright. Others might perceive it but would not expose it. Fengyu said, "As long as he doesn’t harbor delusions and is content to live as a commoner, Zhixu won’t kill him."

"Yes!" Fengyu promised Feng Wan, "Ayu can promise elder sister this: as long as he behaves and stays within bounds, he will live. But elder sister, you should think about yourself and the children."

Fengyu wasn’t adept at persuading others. In fact, she disliked doing so. Yet, after being City Lord in West State for several years, she had grown accustomed to mediating disputes.

The original inhabitants of West State were essentially a group of bandits. Naturally, the local customs were rugged and fierce. Many former bandits had later taken jobs in the governmental offices, while Nangong Heng—a traditionalist and a stubborn scholar—clashed frequently with them over differing principles and conduct. Initially, their conflicts escalated into violent altercations. Whenever Nangong Heng’s group suffered grievances, they would come to Fengyu seeking justice.

Fengyu had no choice but to maintain fairness, persuading one side while addressing the other, offering both a stick and a carrot, gradually balancing the situation. As a result, whether it was mediating conflicts or finding equilibrium, she was now both skilled and accustomed to it.

"The children are still young. Growing up in an environment like Qiushan, even if they narrowly survive, their health will be feeble. Elder sister, you saw firsthand how I relied on medicine since childhood, unable to go outside during autumn and winter months. I was able to survive only with the Su Family’s considerable wealth sustaining my illness. As for your pair of children in Qiushan, what can they have? Even basic medicinal herbs are scarce. Qiushan is quite far from the Capital City, and should urgent illness arise, seeking help would be virtually impossible. When I was in West State, I interacted with several madams who had children. To them, their husband was merely an article of clothing—whether old or extravagant, it didn’t matter, as long as it could be worn. But their children were their cherished treasures. For their children, they were willing to sacrifice even themselves, let alone an article of clothing." Fengyu said, "Elder sister is still young, and the Feng Family is slowly rising. There are plenty of ’articles of clothing.’"

Feng Wan smiled bitterly, feeling both mocked and reluctant. "Ayu, back when you fled the Capital City with Xie Xun, why didn’t you think this way then?"

At that time, Xie Xun must have been the ’article of clothing’ Ayu spoke of.

"Not necessarily!" Fengyu said indifferently. "I didn’t leave with Xie Xun out of affection for him; I left for elder sister. If I had the choice, I’d rather have stayed with elder sister at Xiangguo Temple."

Feng Wan asked, "If one day, Xie Xun falls into such dire straits, would you also divorce him and abandon him?"

"If we had children..." Fengyu’s heart felt heavy. "Yes!"

She and Xie Xun would both choose to part ways for the sake of the children’s safety.

Just as elder sister would think of every possible way to bargain with Yuwen Jing for Ruyi’s sake.

But this was something she casually said to Feng Wan. If that day truly came, whether she would live and die with Xie Xun or stay with the children, she didn’t know.

When it came to hypothetical, unseen events, people always managed to stay rational. Yet, when those events truly unfolded, whether rationality could remain unwavering was uncertain.

"Elder sister, do you truly love Yuwen Yu so much?" Fengyu asked. When she married back then, there hadn’t been such deep feelings. Could it be that during Yuwen Jing’s reign, amidst the suppression of his siblings, they had formed bonds through shared hardships?

"Ayu, he’s not a villain of the utmost evil. Back then, he unwillingly married me but never spoke harshly or treated me poorly. Throughout these years under Yuwen Jing’s reign, our circumstances have been fraught. He holds only the title of Prince Duan without actual power as a Prince. Because of the Xie brothers, Yuwen Jing feared that civil and military officials might support Yuwen Yu in deposing him. He attempted to kill Yuwen Yu several times. Our Prince Manor, though superficially glamorous, was fraught with peril. Under such conditions, we leaned on each other for survival, and emotions grew naturally. Even when His Majesty caused trouble for the family, he ventured into danger to defend us. I cannot disregard the affection forged through those experiences. His contention for the throne was born from fear—fear of those years filled with anxiety, compelled humility, and suppressed ambitions. History has always favored the victor and cast down the defeated, and no matter the reason, we accept our circumstances in defeat. It’s just that I still worry about the children in Qiushan..." Feng Wan wiped her tears, her heart heavy. "Ayu, I’ve heard your words. Have some tea first; I’ll go talk to him."

"Alright!" Fengyu also felt reassured upon hearing that. Watching Feng Wan’s delicate silhouette leave, she sincerely hoped elder sister would take the children down from the mountain and return home to live.

Elder brother’s gentle nature would surely protect them well.

Yuwen Yu had been unwell recently, coughing frequently. On Qiushan, only basic medicinal herbs were available, and the illness dragged on without improvement. When Feng Wan arrived, Yuwen Yu’s previous concubine, Zhou, was tending to him. Upon seeing Feng Wan enter, Zhou’s expression shifted subtly, displeased and somewhat confrontational, though Feng Wan didn’t know what she had said to Yuwen Yu.

"Elder sister is here! Her Highness the Empress graciously lowers herself to visit you. You must be relieved to be leaving Qiushan soon. Unfortunately, we have no connections and no one to protect us, so we can only stay here and await our fate." Zhou said jealously, with a tint of sarcasm. "I’ll congratulate elder sister in advance then."

Zhou was a woman bestowed upon Yuwen Yu by a Noble Consort. At the time, the Noble Consort felt Yuwen Yu had been wronged by having to marry Feng Wan, so on the day of his wedding, she simultaneously gifted him a concubine—Zhou, a daughter of the Zhou Family.

Her son was slightly younger than Feng Wan’s children. She had once urged Feng Wan to plead with Fengyu to let them leave Qiushan, preferring imprisonment in their former Prince Manor to the harshness of Qiushan.

Yuwen Yu coughed while holding a handkerchief to his mouth, his expression dim as he looked at Feng Wan.

Feng Wan had heard too many sharp, unpleasant words during this time and dismissed Zhou’s remarks nonchalantly. She said coldly, "Zhou, I wish to speak to my husband privately. Please excuse us for a while."

Zhou was displeased but left with a frosty expression. Feng Wan sat down at the bedside and asked softly, "Husband, how is your health today? Ayu brought some medicine for cold; I’ve already sent it to be brewed."

"Why is she here?" Yuwen Yu asked.

"Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Ayu came to see me," Feng Wan replied, gazing directly at him. "Husband, I wish to discuss something with you."

Yuwen Yu sneered, "Divorce, is that it? Feng Wan, you’ve finally run out of patience. All this talk of sharing joys and sorrows, of being inseparable—it only lasted two short months before you couldn’t bear Qiushan’s solitude and damp cold. Since you want to leave, why wait for Fengyu to come? You should’ve told me long ago."