Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 666: The First Time the Empress’s Voice Sounded So Pleasant (1)

Feng Shuhua closed her eyes and collided with the wall, her body sliding to the floor like a kite with its string cut, eyelids trembling as she said to Huang Yi, who rushed over, "Thank her for me, thank the Empress. If there is an afterlife, even as a cow or horse, I would repay her."

Huang Yi supported her, a touch of agitation in his voice as he felt pity for her, seeing the hopeful look in her eyes, he could not help but nod, "Rest assured, I will definitely deliver your message."

Baihe waited outside the Sky Prison for a long time but saw no one come out. In her anxiety, she entered the Sky Prison to find a dark, damp place reeking of decay. She waved her hand in front of her nose to dispel the foul smell and followed the prison guard inside. Just as she was approaching, she heard Huang Yi shout, startling Baihe. She brushed past the prison guard and ran forward, only to see the scene before her: Feng Shuhua lay dying in Huang Yi’s arms.

"Madam Feng, what are you... what are you doing? The Emperor and Empress, they don’t blame you at all." Baihe took Feng Shuhua from Huang Yi’s arms, wiping the blood from her face with her own handkerchief, her voice choked with emotion.

Feng Shuhua shook her head with a smile: "As the daughter of a convicted minister, I deserve to die. I didn’t want to trouble the Empress; after I die, I’ll see my father, my mother, and my brother. I will tell them that Chen Lin is dead too, and his family was condemned to death by the nine familial exterminations. What goes around comes around."

Baihe cried and shook her head, taking out a silver note from her garment, "Madam Feng, look, this is what the Empress sent with me. She didn’t make things difficult for you. How can you be so foolish? I was still waiting for you to make stuffed garden vegetables and lion’s head meatballs for me. There were so many things you promised me." Baihe remembered their time together at Mandala Villa, where although Madam Feng was strict when teaching her and her sisters etiquette, in private she was a kind old lady, always soft-spoken and jovial, never haughty. Yet, to her dismay, upon arriving in Capital City, this was the outcome.

Feng Shuhua extended her trembling hand, gently wiping away Baihe’s tears with a smile, "Don’t cry, please thank the Empress for me."

Baihe, with tears in her eyes, nodded through her sobs, "I will."

Feng Shuhua looked up into the sky, as if she saw someone there, smiled joyfully, and finally slowly and peacefully closed her eyes.

Huang Yi pulled Baihe up from the ground, consoling her, "Let’s go. Feng Shuhua left this world with a smile. She fulfilled her life’s wish and can meet her ancestors with dignity."

Reluctant, Baihe took one last glance at the person on the ground, steeled her heart, and left the Sky Prison.

When Feng Xuxu learned of this, a look of submission crossed her beautiful eyes, and she let out a sigh, "It’s destiny, after all. Go on, give her a proper burial." After all, it was a bond between master and servant.

"Yes, Your Grace, I’ll attend to it immediately." With tears brimming in her walnut-like eyes, the servant bowed and strode out to tend to Feng Shuhua’s final affairs.

Dugu Chen said not a word, offering silent comfort to his wife. Feng Shuhua was indeed a woman of strong character.

The azure sky was dotted with white clouds, and the soft spring breeze brushed past, swaying the long branches of the willow trees and rippling over the surface of the lake. In the blink of an eye, May approached. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

As Feng Xuxu’s belly swelled with the growth of her child, Dugu Chen’s concerns heightened. Aside from taking her pulse daily, he spent the remainder of his time following close behind her, even entrusting the Prime Minister and his own son with official memorandums. He quite abandoned his duties, wholly focused on his wife in both his eyes and heart.

Supporting her not-too-large four-and-a-half-month pregnant belly, she wandered leisurely through the Imperial Palace on this sunny day, followed closely by a particular someone who stuck to her like a shadow.