Chapter 604: Chapter 604

Feng Wan’s heart ached deeply. She originally wanted to discuss things with Yuwen Yu, but his words pierced her with unbearable pain. Yuwen Yu lay on the bed, frail and haggard, completely devoid of the dignity and glory of a prince. At that moment, Feng Wan finally realized—truly realized—that they were now nothing more than prisoners, with nothing left.

But what about her two children?

"Husband, even if we were to separate, I still would not leave Qiushan. You and I are a couple bound by hardship, and I will not abandon you. But our children are still so young—how could they survive in Qiushan? I don’t want them to live their entire lives trapped here, nor do I want to one day see their lifeless bodies. I want them to leave Qiushan. My parents and elder brother will surely love them dearly. They’ll sleep on warm beds, eat carefully prepared food, without fear of storms or the harsh winter wind. I wouldn’t have to live in constant worry, fearing they might catch a cold and leave me. When they grow up, our daughter must marry, and Yuan Ge must take a wife and have children. Without a life of comfort and proper education, how could they find their place in the world? It doesn’t matter if we are confined to Qiushan, but they deserve a better life. With Ayu’s protection, no one will look down on them." Feng Wan held his hand, tears streaming down her face. "Husband, separation is merely a piece of paper. Even if their surname changes, you will always be their father. I am willing to stay with you in Qiushan for the rest of my days, but please, let the children descend from the mountain."

Feng Wan had spent the last two months deliberating over this. Their family of four should face life and death together; she didn’t wish for them to be separated by flesh and blood. Yet after both children fell ill one after the other, she began to waver. As Fengyu had said: if one day she were to see the bodies of her children, would it devastate her?

It wouldn’t just devastate her—it would leave her in utter despair, making her wish to follow them in death.

Given their precarious status and the new dynasty’s need for stability, they were destined to remain in Qiushan. Yet the children still had a choice. Even if Fengyu hadn’t come, Feng Wan had already been considering sending word to her family.

"What you mean is that you and I separate, the children take the surname Feng, enter the Feng Family genealogy, and have nothing to do with me in the future?" Yuwen Yu’s tone was sullen. How had it come to this, that the once-distinguished Yuwen surname had become something others shunned like the plague? Follow current novels on novel✦fire.net

The imperial family of old—once synonymous with a lifetime of prosperity and glory for those who joined it—had now become a name others feared and avoided.

"Husband... even if the children’s surname changes, they are still your children. One day, we will reunite with them." Ayu had assured her that the Yuwen family wouldn’t be confined to Qiushan forever. They would have the chance to leave.

"Have you considered this? After the children leave, how long will you stay in Qiushan with me? A year? Two years? Five? You adore the children as if they were your very eyes; when they came down with a cold, you stayed awake all night to care for them, hysterically begging the guards to deliver a letter to fetch a physician. How long will you withstand being apart from them? You wouldn’t last three days. Since their birth, they’ve never left your side. Feng Wan, isn’t this just a stalling tactic? First separation, then sending the children down the mountain. You and I remain imprisoned here. Day and night, you’ll long for the children, and as time goes on, you’ll resentfully see me as ever more loathsome. You’ll blame me for not agreeing to let you leave, and eventually, you’ll grow tired of this existence, your desire to see the children becoming unbearable. Then you’ll leave as well. Feng Wan, why put on this façade of undying affection? If you plan to go, just be straightforward—take the children and leave. I’ll let you go!" Yuwen Yu struggled to prop up his frail body, his voice cold and firm. "Bring me paper and ink. I’ll write the divorce letter. You and I have been husband and wife; let’s part on good terms. When calamity strikes, everyone looks out for themselves—I understand and don’t blame you."

Feng Wan’s heart shattered. She felt increasingly as though she were being cruel. After the children left, would she truly miss them so much that she would come to resent Yuwen Yu and tire of such a life?

Back then, when calamity struck the Feng Family, her husband never once said, "When calamity strikes, everyone looks out for themselves." Instead, he cared for her and looked after her family.

And now, she was about to deprive him of his rights as a father, to have their children added to the Feng Family genealogy—it was she who was abandoning him.

But what choice did she have?

There is no perfect solution in this world.

Zhou Shi, overhearing everything from the doorway, couldn’t hold back any longer. She pushed the door open, her face full of anger. "Elder Sister, you only think of your two children. What about my children? Are my husband, my children, and I to remain imprisoned in Qiushan as well? How are my children supposed to survive? Elder Sister, can’t you take pity on us too?"

Feng Wan wiped her tears, unwilling to let others see her vulnerability. She knew Fengyu’s temperament well. Agreeing to let her children leave the mountain was already a gesture of sisterly affection. There was no way Fengyu would allow all of Yuwen Yu’s children to leave as well.

"I cannot do it," Feng Wan said flatly. "The fact that she’s willing to let my children return home has already filled me with gratitude. She’ll bear disgrace and trouble for this, and I cannot ask her to shoulder any more burdens."

She wasn’t someone so inconsiderate.

"It’s easy for you to say. Your children will go down the mountain to enjoy wealth and comfort, leaving mine here to await death. Why?!" Zhou Shi accused. "If she can take two children, she can take three. Aren’t you the principal wife? Aren’t you also a mother to my child?"

At these words, Feng Wan coldly laughed, her eyes fixed on Zhou Shi.

When Feng Wan was pregnant with her second child, the imperial physician predicted it was a girl, while Zhou Shi’s child was thought to be a boy. At that time, Yuwen Yu suggested that if Feng Wan gave birth to a girl, Zhou Shi’s child could be taken into her name and raised as her legitimate son. But Zhou Shi had adamantly refused. Out of spite, she even schemed to cause Feng Wan to deliver prematurely. Fortunately, the child was nearly full-term and survived. During that time, Zhou Shi was pregnant as well, so she wasn’t punished. Since both Feng Wan and her child survived unscathed, the matter was left unresolved.

"If you had known this would happen, why did you act as you did back then? If the child had been given to me then, he’d be considered mine. Today, he would be allowed to leave. But he isn’t." Feng Wan felt pity for the child—especially since their two children were close in age—but she truly couldn’t bring herself to say yes. "Zhou Shi, given how resourceful you are, you’d better find your own way."

At that time, when Yuwen Yu had suggested having Zhou Shi’s child registered under Feng Wan’s name, Zhou Shi had even summoned her family to pressure her. The Feng Family was in dire straits then, while Zhou Shi’s family held great influence; although Feng Wan was the princess, she had little authority over Yuwen Yu’s concubine. Being a secondary consort wasn’t the same as being a mere concubine—secondary consorts held status and could attend palace banquets, with their family members recognized as legitimate relatives of the manor.

The grievances Feng Wan endured during her pregnancy were finally repaid in this moment.

"Husband, Elder Sister still bears a grudge over that matter. But Tian is your son too—you can’t abandon him!" Zhou Shi knelt before Yuwen Yu, imploring him. "As long as you speak up, Elder Sister will definitely agree. Feng Wan, this is heartless of you. Fengyu is the Empress. It would take just one word from her for us to be set free. Whether imprisoned here or in the Prince Manor, isn’t it all the same? Why must we remain in Qiushan, condemned to die here? All it takes is a single word from you to her. Please, don’t only think of your own children! My son is also your husband’s child. I beg you, Elder Sister. Please..."

Feng Wan shook her head gently. "I cannot do it. I will not make things difficult for Ayu."

Her younger sister had already done so much for her; how could she add to her burden?

"You’re doing this on purpose! Husband, she talks about separation all day long. Sooner or later, she’ll leave you. All this talk about eternal love and loyalty—it’s all lies. She won’t even handle this small matter. How can you trust she’ll stay in Qiushan to suffer with you? She is, after all, the Empress’s elder sister!"