Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 652: Cheng (5)
"Sister-in-law, I’m late."
Feng Xuxu saw the urgency in his expression and frowned, "Is your matter settled?"
"Yes, it has been taken care of."
Then neither spoke. Feng Qing and the others, with the addition of Shan Yi and his group, slowly pulled away from the fray and fell to their knees before Feng Xuxu, "Please punish us, my lady."
Looking at them, Feng Xuxu smiled and shook her head, "Rise. Why would I punish you? You deserve a great reward instead."
The men looked at each other and slowly rose, standing quietly behind Feng Xuxu, watching as the remaining personnel were being purged. It wasn’t long before they were shot to death with a barrage of arrows, riddled with more holes than a honeycomb.
The palace coup was over before the sun had even set, and it was all tidied up. Even those few spies in the palace were dragged out into the open. Now it was clear who was human and who was a ghost.
"Are those two your good brothers?"
Lou Qianyu naturally noticed the two men, one lying down and the other kneeling, and laughed coldly, "Yes, thank you for your aid, sister-in-law."
Feng Xuxu, however, waved her hand dismissively, "No need. Even if you hadn’t killed them, I would not have let them go unpunished. No one gets away with offending me."
After all the bodies in the courtyard had been cleared away, the night had already fallen. After this incident, they didn’t dare to be careless; everyone took turns standing watch outside their master’s room.
The next day
A solemn tolling of the Palace Bell disturbed Feng Xuxu’s sleep. She opened her eyes to see the sky just beginning to flush with the light of dawn, hours before sunrise. She wondered why the Palace Bell would be ringing at this hour, but listening closely, she heard three tolls - a summons for the Ministers. Feng Xuxu faintly guessed it marked the end of the palace upheaval, now spurring into action those Ministers who had been wavering.
Yesterday afternoon, during the coup, Xiao Jiazhen, who had been in her room all along, had not shown up. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to, but because Yingsu had deliberately kept her unconscious and hadn’t revived her with water. She only awoke late at night, groggy from her deep slumber.
In the days following the coup, there was a profound silence. Sitting by the window, Feng Xuxu’s thoughts flew in disarray. In the blink of an eye, she had been away for over a month. She wondered how her husband and children were doing now. With the New Year just ten or so days away, her longing for home grew deeper. She sighed softly and picked up the papers Lou Qianyu had sent the night before. She opened them one by one; they all pertained to the conditions of the fields, largely similar, with only a small portion detailing more severe issues that would be more troublesome to manage, though it was just a matter of time.
Having read these reports, she felt her purpose for being here was fulfilled. Thinking of the two collaborative projects, it was clear that, for the moment, the Sunset Kingdom’s priority was the cultivation of good farmland. Addressing the issues with saline-alkali soil would likely take another two months, and any collaboration would have to be delayed. There was no longer any need for her to stay here.
As soon as she thought of returning home, her heart began to burgeon with impatience, spreading like seeds germinating in soil. Seeing that it was still early outside, she thought she could reach a town by night. So, she called Mei Lenglei, who was waiting outside the room, "Get everything ready. When I return, we will set off for home."
Mei Lenglei was slightly stunned, but after recovering, he responded with a cheerful smile, "Your Majesty, I’ll take care of it right away."
Feng Xuxu’s good mood was infectious; even walking felt lighter. Stepping out of the palace gate, she saw two guards standing there. Seeing that it was Empress Jinghe coming out, they bowed respectfully, "Empress Jinghe."
