The Slender Waist-Chapter 812 - 577: Tucking the Tail (Eve of the Finale)
The birth of the prince ought to be announced across the land.
News spread swiftly, like snowflakes carried by the wind. Many came to Changmen to offer congratulations and pay visits, their numbers seemingly endless. Yet Feng Yun, still in her confinement period, refused all visitors except for Lady Tu, Puyang Yi, Wenhui Yingrong Chaiying Nankui Luoyue Guanwei, and the unavoidable Princess Chang...
She kept a close watch on the Little Prince, as if her eyes were fixed on him.
Ordinary people were not allowed near.
On the fifth day of the first lunar month, someone from the Feng Family arrived.
A single carriage brought gifts, accompanied by only two attendants. It was far more subdued than the ostentatious displays of their past, devoid of the arrogance they once carried.
When Feng Jingteng stepped out of the carriage, Xiaoman almost couldn’t recognize him.
In three years, he seemed to have aged more than ten; white hairs now sprouted at his temples...
Beside him, Feng Liang and Feng Zhen had grown taller.
Feng Zhen, still quiet as before, approached Feng Yun with great caution, softly offering greetings to his eldest sister.
Feng Liang had changed greatly. The unruly, mischievous young lord of the Feng Family had matured into a youth whose personality had turned reserved. He performed his salutation and stood silently to the side, his face showing no excess emotion... 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
Feng Yun was aware of the Feng Family’s circumstances.
Over these three years, Feng Jingteng often sent letters.
However, Feng Yun always read them without replying.
Feng Jingteng sat for a while and spoke at length about the affairs in Tai City.
Most of it concerned Daman, who, favored though he was, had not sired any children after many years—blessed yet bereft of fortune. As for Feng Ying, who had married Xiao Cheng as a legal wife, she now kept to the desolate Fanghua Hall, untouched by the Emperor, as if she resided in the Cold Palace.
He also lamented Wen Xingsu, whom the Feng Family had raised, now married with children in Da Yong, enjoying wealth and splendor, yet never having sent a single letter back to him or to his mother.
Feng Yun stared at him.
At this moment, Feng Jingteng truly looked like an old man.
He rambled on and on, his mouth overflowing with dissatisfaction and complaints.
She remembered her previous life.
When she had been trapped in the Cold Palace and sought help from this father, he had no white hairs yet. His face, weathered yet still handsome, bore that same look of helplessness, though his demeanor back then was entirely different.
At that time, his helplessness stemmed from being unable to help her, unable to save Queque, yet it did nothing to affect his own life. He still reveled in extravagance, leading a carefree and affluent existence...
Now, when the helplessness pertained to his inability to alter his own fate, joy had vanished from his life.
Pain, when striking oneself, is indeed different.
"Shi’er Niang..."
Feng Jingteng sighed softly as he noticed her staring absentmindedly at him.
"Where is my little grandson? Why not bring him out, let me take a look?"
As a father, making such a request seemed reasonable to him.
Unexpectedly, Feng Yun refused without a moment’s thought.
"The child is asleep; Minister Feng need not disturb him."
With that, she called Xiaoman in, handing a return gift to each of the three, then said indifferently:
"The journey is long, I won’t keep Minister Feng. Xiaoman, have Alou escort our esteemed guests to the pier..."
The years-long dredging of Changhe had been completed before the New Year, and the pier was now operational.
The pier led directly to Mingquan, making travel highly convenient.
Feng Jingteng looked at her distant demeanor, then at the two children beside him. His eyes welled with tears, and suddenly he lowered his head, covering his face as grief overwhelmed him.
"Shi’er Niang, the Feng Family has suffered such calamity. As a daughter of the Feng Family, do you truly feel no pity whatsoever?"
Feng Yun smiled faintly.
"When I faced my own calamity, who in the Feng Family felt pity for me?"
Feng Jingteng fell silent, his lips trembling as he stared at her and asked:
"Do you truly intend to sever ties with your family and never speak to us again? Will you not even let your child call me grandfather?"
Feng Yun lightly furrowed her brow, her expression indifferent.
"I thought allowing Minister Feng to step foot into Changmen again was already an act of profound benevolence, repaying enmity with virtue."
Feng Jingteng’s gaze turned desolate.
He stared at her for a long while before his red-rimmed eyes revealed a bitter smile.
"How did your eldest uncle die back then?"
When Feng Yun heard he was coming, she knew he would ask about this matter.
To be precise, Feng Jingteng, having been long suppressed by Feng Jingyao, might not have held deep affection for this elder brother. But Feng Jingyao’s death had directly given Xiao Cheng the excuse to begin reckoning with the Feng Family, costing it dearly. To him, the loss outweighed any benefit.
Feng Yun replied, "He was executed at the execution ground. Shouldn’t Minister Feng already know this?"
Feng Jingteng said, "Your eldest uncle would never have stolen the Defense Map. This must either be a misunderstanding or someone framing him. Shi’er Niang, if we can uncover the truth, the Feng Family can overturn the case. We cannot leave this stain upon us..."
