Chapter 180: The Prosperity of the Imperial Capital and the Feng Family’s Young Lord

On the broad official road heading north from Yu Province, after several days of clear weather, the Qin family’s carriage arrived at the outskirts of Lin’an City on the fifth afternoon. It was now late in the twelfth lunar month, merely ten days before New Year’s Eve. Even before entering Lin’an City, the imperial capital’s majestic aura was already palpable. The wide official road could accommodate dozens of fine horses traveling side by side. Despite being the cold winter season, tall green trees lined both sides of the road. Looking ahead, the road was filled with a steady stream of carriages and horses, some heading toward the imperial capital, others leaving the city, all bearing signs of wealth and nobility.

Gazing further into the distance, beneath the light gray sky stood an imposing and vast city like a giant beast. The city walls, built of gray-blue stones and bricks, rose about a hundred feet high. Magnificent towers adorned the top of the walls, with banners fluttering in the wind. One could faintly see armored soldiers standing at attention. Qin Shuang, who was looking through the raised curtain, unconsciously held her breath, feeling that the majestic city towers carried an invisible yet overwhelming presence that prevented her from being as outspoken as usual. She slightly pursed her lips, instinctively becoming tense and reserved.

As the carriage moved slowly forward, the crowds near the city gate became increasingly dense. Suddenly, the sound of urgent hoofbeats arose behind the carriage. Before Qin Shuang could turn around, several young men wearing fox fur robes galloped past the carriage. The sound of hoofbeats mingled with the men’s laughter, as they rode with high spirits, their whips falling rapidly. Their flowing black hair and wind-blown robes inexplicably made Qin Shuang’s heart flutter.

Qin Shuang took a deep breath, her clear black and white eyes sparkling. This was the imperial capital, the place that all citizens of Great Zhou yearned for!

In the carriage ahead, Qin Xiang was also looking outside. The expression in her eyes showed even more excitement than Qin Shuang’s. She stared intently at the handsome figures riding further and further away, her eyes showing a determined, must-have gleam.

Fuling was also looking outside, her eyes slightly reddened. “We’re back, Young Lady, we’re finally back.”

Qin Wan leaned against the carriage wall. Although she wasn’t deliberately looking outside, her peripheral vision could easily catch the familiar scenery. This was the imperial capital, the place she had been away from for four months—

Qin Wan’s pink fist at her side was slightly clenched. Looking at the approaching city gate, she felt as if all strength had left her body, unsure how to react. Her gaze was heavy and deep, and that night’s bloody rain of arrows seemed to suddenly pierce through the barriers of time and space, pinning her down. Her limbs and bones developed a kind of delayed, dull pain, and even her soul seemed to drift.

“Young Lady, look, aren’t those people from the Marquis Manor coming to receive us?”

Fuling’s sudden exclamation brought Qin Wan back to her senses. She straightened her back, forcefully pulling herself out of her reverie. Looking ahead, indeed, several people were standing by the road, gazing in their direction from afar.

Qin Wan’s lips tightened briefly as she sat properly like an armored soldier. Returning to the imperial capital, though the grief was heart-piercing, entering the Marquis Manor now couldn’t be taken lightly. The Ninth Young Lady had lived in the Marquis Manor for more than five years, enough time for the people there to know her well. She couldn’t let anyone suspect her identity.

Seeing Qin Wan’s grave expression and rigid posture, Fuling’s eyes also showed sadness. “Young Lady, we’re back, it’s good that we’re back.”

Qin Wan nodded. The Ninth Young Lady was also an orphan, and her departure from the imperial capital years ago had also been unavoidable. Now returning to the capital, their emotional states were quite similar, so this wouldn’t make her seem too unusual.

“Young Lord, this humble servant pays respects to the Young Lord—”

In just a moment, Qin Yan’s carriage at the front had reached those people. A middle-aged man wearing a dark blue round-collared robe came forward to bow and pay respects. The carriage curtain lifted, and Qin Yan spoke from the window, “Steward Wu.”

Wu Yang had a square face with dark skin and was not tall, appearing somewhat stocky at first glance. However, he had a pair of small but bright eyes, and when he spoke, he always carried a cheerful smile, making him seem much more approachable and outgoing compared to Zhou Huai. If someone didn’t know his position, they might think he was just an ordinary steward of the Marquis Manor. However, as Fuling had mentioned before, the Marquis Manor had two main stewards: one was Zhou Huai, and the other was Wu Yang. While Zhou Huai usually followed Qin Yan, Wu Yang naturally was the person who followed Qin Shu.

For such a straightforward person who didn’t appear particularly shrewd to be the chief steward on the Loyal and Brave Marquis’s side, one could imagine that his inner capabilities were far from what appeared on the surface. Seeing Qin Yan lift the carriage curtain, Wu Yang bowed again and then smiled, “The Marquis knew Young Lord would return today and instructed this humble servant to wait here early this morning. It’s been a month away, Young Lord must be tired.”

Then looking at Zhou Huai who was riding beside the carriage, he added, “Old Zhou must be tired too.”

Zhou Huai tugged at his lips without speaking. Qin Yan glanced toward the city gate and asked, “It’s not late now, why did he send you to receive us?”

Wu Yang had always stayed by Qin Shu’s side, and moreover, the three Qin sisters weren’t important figures. Having him watch over them would have been sufficient, there was no need to specifically send someone so far to receive them.

Wu Yang looked at the carriage procession behind them and said in a low voice, “The city gates have been checking strictly these past few days. We have many carriages, and the Marquis specially sent this humble servant to receive Young Lord, fearing there might be some inconvenience when entering the city gate.”

“Oh?” Qin Yan’s brows slightly furrowed, “What happened?”

Wu Yang’s lips tightened slightly, “It’s unrelated to the Marquis Manor. Please allow this humble servant to report the details to Young Lord after we return.”

Qin Yan nodded, “Very well, let’s go then. Being away for many days, I miss home too.”

With that, Qin Yan lowered the carriage curtain. When Wu Yang had brought several servants out, they had all been on horseback, and now they all mounted again and rode ahead. Soon, the carriage procession approached the city gate.

At the city gate, the majestic and splendid towers of Lin’an City appeared even more imposing. The tall towers cast large shadows, seeming to press down on the people waiting inside and outside the city gate, making them unable to breathe. Qin Yan lifted the carriage curtain to look outside and saw a long queue at the city gate, and soon, their carriages came to a stop—

When the carriages stopped, Qin Wan and the others in the back felt something was amiss. They each lifted their curtains to look and discovered the situation was unusual. Although the imperial capital’s security was certainly stricter than other cities, the sun hadn’t set yet, far from curfew time, so why was the checking at the city gate so strict? Qin Shuang looked around but couldn’t see the young men who had galloped past earlier.

“Waiting like this will take quite a while,” Qin Yan frowned.

Wu Yang hurriedly said, “This way is because this humble servant came to receive you, the Marquis gave me his token.”

Qin Yan gave an “mm” of acknowledgment, and only then did Wu Yang dismount and go forward. He walked to the city gate guard captain and spoke quietly for a few moments. The captain glanced back in Qin Yan’s direction and quickly nodded.

Wu Yang repeatedly thanked him with a smile and then returned to Qin Yan’s carriage.

“Young Lord, everything is arranged. Let’s proceed.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the carriages began to move slowly. Soon, the Marquis Manor’s carriage procession gradually moved past the long queue to the front. Inside her carriage, Qin Shuang watched through a small gap in the curtain, her eyes showing delight as she saw how they, as latecomers, surpassed the queuing line. Among those waiting in line were commoners in simple clothes, wealthy people in luxurious attire, and even dignified carriages with vermillion lacquer, yet all these people could only wait quietly in line.

Qin Shuang felt a surge of pride in her chest, instantly understanding that the Marquis Manor held no low status in the imperial capital. Although she wasn’t born of the Marquis Manor, she would have the Manor’s name backing her when she went out in the future. Thinking of this, Qin Shuang raised her chin slightly – after all, she was the Loyal and Brave Marquis’s niece. What did it matter if she came from Jin Prefecture? Her status was not low!

Just as she was thinking this, the Qin family’s carriages reached the city gate guards. Because there were so many carriages, Wu Yang was going forward to speak with the gate guards, when suddenly, from behind them came the sound of urgent and rapid hoofbeats!

These hoofbeats were different from those of the young men earlier. Although those young men had ridden quickly, they were far from as fast as these approaching riders. Even as they reached the crowded city gate area, these riders hadn’t slowed down, making their arrogant and overbearing intent to charge straight through even more obvious. Almost simultaneously, Qin Yan heard this sound and frowned.

“Make way, make way! The Duke’s Manor’s Young Lord is returning to the city, don’t block the road!”

A rough voice rose above the hoofbeats. Wu Yang turned to look, his expression slightly darkening.

They saw more than ten riders in black clothing approaching rapidly, about to crash into the coming and going common people waiting in line. The crowd scattered in panic as the riders charged straight past the Qin family’s carriages, startling even their horses into restlessness.

The leader was about twenty years old, with strong, regular features and sword-like eyebrows that swept up into his temples. His slender eyes seemed to almost fly upward, and he wore a white form-fitting outfit. He showed no concern for his servants’ savage charging, his face full of arrogant satisfaction. His horse carried a longbow on its neck, alongside a quiver full of bloodied arrows. His followers were similarly equipped with bows and arrows, with bamboo baskets tied to their horses’ backs containing what appeared to be a bloody game.

Wu Yang narrowed his eyes, his friendly smile disappearing, replaced by a hint of wariness.

“Well, well, whose carriages dare to block my path—”

The dozen or so riders completely disrupted the orderly queue at the city gate. The common people scattered around, clearly dissatisfied but not daring to speak up. Seeing the leader seemingly looking to pick a quarrel with the Qin family, their eyes showed a hint of schadenfreude.

The Qin family held high status and power, allowing them to cut ahead in line, but these people were even more excessive than the Qins. However, both the Qins and these riders were high above them, and the common people dared not offend either party. Yet their confrontation could somewhat satisfy the people’s pent-up resentment. The Qin family’s driver tightened the reins to halt the horses, while these dozen or so riders, led by their leader, stopped brazenly beside the Qin family’s carriage. The speaker’s contemptuous gaze swept across the carriage procession, finally settling on the lead carriage.

Qin Yan lifted the curtain and nodded with a smile toward the outside, “Brother Feng, it’s been a while.”

“Oh, if it isn’t Brother Qin—” Feng Zhang, the Young Lord of the Loyal Duke’s Manor, expressed surprise, followed by a somewhat mocking smile. “I heard Brother Qin went south to receive his relatives. Finally returned today?”

Qin Yan smiled politely, “Indeed.”

As he spoke, he glanced at the quiver on Feng Zhang’s horse’s neck, “Brother Feng went hunting today? Seems the harvest was bountiful—”

Feng Zhang smiled, “Not bad.” His gaze swept over the carriages behind Qin Yan, “Brother Qin was gone for so long this time, which elders did you bring to the capital? Such a grand procession—could it be they’re planning to stay in the capital for long?”

Qin Yan maintained his composure and replied softly, “That need not concern Brother Feng. With all this blood on you, you’d better hurry into the city and clean up. The city is under tight security now, and your appearance might raise suspicions.”

Feng Zhang gave an ambiguous smile as he glanced at the carriages behind Qin Yan. Suddenly, his sharp eyes caught movement in the curtain of one of the carriages behind Qin Yan. The curtain lifted and fell, and though Feng Zhang didn’t see anything else, he caught sight of a pair of delicate fair hands. His eyes lit up, and his smile became profound, “So Brother Qin went to escort a beauty to the capital.”

“Naturally, they’re family members, not outsiders.”

Qin Yan responded coolly. Feng Zhang chuckled, scanning the three carriages behind Qin Yan with interest, “Bringing three at once, the Marquis Manor is about to become lively.”

He flourished his horsewhip, “Looks like I’ll need to find a new hunting ground.”

Qin Yan’s eyes grew cold, his smile turning frosty, “Brother Feng isn’t entering the city? If you’re not in a hurry, I’ll go ahead first.”

Feng Zhang naturally noticed Qin Yan’s displeasure, which only confirmed his suspicions. He smiled lazily, “I hunted an excellent white marten today, planning to send it to my aunt in the palace later. Brother Qin should let me go first.”

Qin Yan lifted his chin slightly, “How dare I compete with Brother Feng? Please—”

Feng Zhang was extremely satisfied, laughing loudly as he cracked his whip. While the Qin family’s carriages still needed Wu Yang to explain to the city guards, Feng Zhang and his dozen riders, despite their bloody appearance, weren’t even stopped by the guards. Only after the sound of hoofbeats had faded into the distance did Qin Shuang dare to lift the curtain and look outside. Her previously floating spirit had now turned slightly pale. She had thought the Marquis Manor’s high status and special privileges made them among the most distinguished, but she hadn’t expected someone could come along and speak so sarcastically to her third brother, even entering the city ahead of them—

Qin Shuang dared not look outside anymore, quickly sitting properly after lifting and dropping the curtain. She firmly remembered Qin Yan’s earlier address of “Brother Feng,” and then thought dazedly… so above the Qin family, there was also a Feng family.

After Feng Zhang left, Wu Yang finally approached the city guards with a gentle smile. The guards, still wary of Feng Zhang’s appearance, saw Wu Yang’s friendly attitude and immediately became respectful. They hardly glanced at the carriages carrying boxes and trunks before letting the Qin family’s procession enter the city gate. Upon entering, Qin Shuang’s slightly depressed spirits immediately lifted again.

If for nothing else, the sudden appearance of bustling noise reminded her that she had arrived in Great Zhou’s most prosperous and wealthy capital!

The sun was setting in the west, coating the entire capital in a golden glow. The Qin family’s carriages moved slowly along the capital’s wide main street. Outside the carriages, there was a surge of people and bustling noise. Qin Shuang couldn’t help but lift the curtain to look. As soon as they entered the city gate, she saw one magnificent building after another, these structures arranged neatly with carved beams and painted rafters, stretching from the south seeming endlessly toward the north. Although Qin Shuang knew the capital was extremely large, seeing this scene still shocked her. The capital’s main street was straight, yet she couldn’t see its end, and the buildings became increasingly elaborate and imposing toward the north. When Qin Shuang thought about the imperial city within this capital, she suddenly felt unable to imagine such overwhelming wealth and grandeur.

Qin Shuang’s heart stirred continuously, feeling she had glimpsed the prosperous age of the Great Zhou Empire. Her spirit was both amazed and excited, immediately forgetting the earlier nervousness and fear caused by Feng Zhang. At this moment, she only regretted not sitting with Qin Wan, who could have introduced things to her. Qin Shuang secretly regretted this as her gaze remained glued to the increasingly prosperous streets, with taverns, teahouses, inns, and treasure shops, each more magnificent and dignified than anything she had seen before…

While Qin Shuang couldn’t take in everything fast enough, Qin Xiang also lifted her curtain. Although her expression wasn’t as obvious as Qin Shuang’s, the light in her eyes was bright and intense. Her heart beat extremely fast, and she suddenly felt somewhat contemptuous of her former self. Why had she thought of going to the Bai family in Yi Prefecture? The capital, this unparalleled prosperous and noble capital, was where she should be!

Wu Yang and Zhou Huai both rode their horses at the front, now looking back. Sure enough, only Qin Wan’s carriage curtain remained unlifted. Wu Yang’s eyes showed a moment of surprise, and Zhou Huai smiled knowingly, “What surprises you is still to come.”

Wu Yang raised an eyebrow, thoughtfully looking again at Qin Wan’s carriage. Qin Wan had essentially grown up in the Marquis Manor, and although he didn’t focus on matters of the inner courtyard, he remembered this Ninth Young Lady’s manner clearly. Although she was raised in the eldest uncle’s family, and the Madam had treated her reasonably well, what kind of bearing could be expected from a timid child who had lost both parents at a young age?

Thinking this, he turned and met Zhou Huai’s meaningful gaze.

Wu Yang mentally exclaimed, could it be that this Ninth Young Lady had improved during her time in Jin Prefecture?

The Qin family’s carriage procession entered the city, naturally heading straight for the Loyal and Brave Marquis’s Manor. The procession followed the capital’s main road for about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, soon turning northeast. The entire way was lined with bustling markets and neighborhoods. Qin Shuang and Qin Xiang naturally feasted their eyes, but when the carriages reached Xingle District, seeing the surrounding mansions with high gates and wide courtyards, they finally felt tense. The prosperity and wealth they had seen along the way made them both excited and yearning, yet also somewhat ashamed. They came from the third branch, with their home in Jin Prefecture; they seemed out of place in this capital’s grandeur. Both Young Ladies Qin, who had thought so highly of themselves in Jin Prefecture, became nervous.

Compared to Qin Shuang and Qin Xiang, Qin Wan remained so composed that she showed almost no emotional fluctuations. The only noticeable change was that since arriving outside Lin’an City, her mood had become subdued. Fuling and Bai Ying naturally knew Qin Wan was thinking of her deceased parents and past times, so they both fell quiet. Several times Fuling wanted to lift the curtain to look at the long-missed bustle but restrained herself.

After another cup of tea’s worth of time, the carriages suddenly slowed down slightly.

Wu Yang’s voice suddenly rang out, “We’ve arrived, Young Lord. The Madam has personally come out to welcome the three Young Ladies.”

Qin Yan lifted the curtain to look, and indeed, dozens of people stood packed in front of the Loyal and Brave Marquis’s Manor about a hundred feet away. He raised his eyebrows, smiling warmly. After more than a month away, though he was a grown man, he couldn’t help but miss home, to the extent that before the carriage had fully stopped at the manor gate, he had already jumped down.

“Mother, your son pays his respects.”

Qin Yan stepped forward quickly, respectfully bowing to Madam Hu of the Loyal and Brave Marquis’s Manor.

Madam Hu, wearing elegant dark purple formal clothes and looking dignified, quickly steadied Qin Yan, her eyes slightly reddening, “Good child, good child, you’ve finally returned. I’ve been worried for over a month, fearing something might happen to you out there.”

As she spoke, she looked Qin Yan up and down. Qin Yan smiled helplessly as he supported Madam Hu’s arm, “Mother, don’t worry, I’m not a child anymore.” He turned to look at the three carriages that had stopped behind him, “Mother, I’ve brought the three sisters back.”

Madam Hu reluctantly moved her gaze from Qin Yan, looking toward the three carriages with a faint smile. Almost simultaneously, the curtains of all three carriages were lifted, and several graceful figures emerged, with the main subject coming out last.

Madam Hu’s gaze grew increasingly affectionate. First, she saw Qin Xiang emerge in a pink dress; her expression didn’t change, and her smile even deepened slightly. Then turning her gaze, she saw Qin Shuang in a light purple cape, and Madam Hu’s smile deepened further. Finally, turning to look at the last… under the highly lifted curtain, a snow-white figure bent to exit, and in that instant, Madam Hu’s smile froze.