At the same time, she lamented how in such chaotic times, even the empress of a Kingdom was not free to control her fate, so how could ordinary people decide their paths?
“The old woman said my royal father was beheaded for someone else’s military merit. Is that true or false?”
Peng Bai fell silent, his gaze heavy. Feng Miaojun understood and laughed coldly: “The Wei Kingdom wouldn’t even give him his final dignity?” Based on the memories remaining in this body, the original owner had been gentle and mild-mannered. If not for experiencing severe trauma, she would never have lashed out violently. Conversely, after learning about the destruction of her country and family, she suppressed her feelings for too long until they suddenly erupted.
When pushed too far, even a rabbit will bite.
“War and chaos.” Peng Bai sighed. When An Xia Kingdom fell, he had already escaped with the young mistress and hadn’t witnessed that scene personally. But how brutal was the siege of the An Xia King’s palace? Which general didn’t urge his men to kill without restraint?
In such chaos, anything could happen.
“You’ve grown up, so I won’t hide these old matters from you anymore.” He didn’t know whether to feel comforted or saddened. “The Wei ruler promised great rewards to the first troops to break through the palace gates, so the Wei soldiers were like ravenous wolves. Although our King took his own life to apologize to his kingdom, the Wei intruders who entered the palace first beheaded him to claim merit. However, at the final burial, his head was reunited with his body, and he was given a grand funeral alongside the Queen. The Wei King personally wrote a eulogy.”
This act by the Wei King might have stemmed from respect for another ruler, or perhaps it was meant to display his magnanimity to the world.
So that old woman hadn’t spoken incorrectly; her words just carried the typical arrogance of the victorious Kingdom.
Feng Miaojun remained silent for a long time. Peng Bai thought she was too grief-stricken to speak and tried to comfort her: “The Queen wouldn’t want to see the young lady so distressed. The fact that I could find you on this journey must be due to her blessing.”
Feng Miaojun smiled slightly: “I’m fine. I’ve already cried several times and feel much better now.”
Peng Bai noticed that although she seemed sorrowful, her expression remained composed. He couldn’t help but wonder if the young lady’s personality had changed after these events. After all, Princess Changle had been pampered by the King and Queen since childhood. Even after being adopted by the Feng family, no one had ever dared to scold her. Although she was naturally obedient, she still had the precious dignity of royal blood. She was never able to remain calm in difficult situations before. How had she become so composed and level-headed now?
He had also wondered earlier if the Princess, having been lost in the wilderness for many days, might have been possessed by some mountain spirit or ghost. After all, what kinds of strange creatures couldn’t be found in these deep mountains and ancient forests? But seeing her clear and rational conversation, and her ability to ask about past events, she was undoubtedly herself.
If she had truly transformed in this way, it would have been beneficial. After all, the An Xia Kingdom no longer existed, and she was no longer a princess.
Feng Miaojun also knew that she was different from the original owner. No matter how she tried to conceal it now, it would eventually be revealed, so she might as well be honest. Seeing that the unusual expression had faded from his face, she asked: “That old woman, how did you deal with her?”
Peng Bai snorted: “I’ve already avenged you!”
Feng Miaojun shook her head, her expression calm: “I’m not angry with her, but after I pushed her down, I also kicked her once and cursed, ‘Who do you think you are to speak ill of my royal father and mother! Old witch, your dog head isn’t even worthy of being exchanged for military merit!’ I’m afraid she might spread these words, and if ill-intentioned people hear them, it could bring us trouble.”
Peng Bai felt that the little princess had given him too many surprises today, and he had become somewhat numb. First, the servant’s improper discussion about the fall of An Xia Kingdom, then Feng Miaojun’s unusual behavior—several servants had witnessed it all. If they mentioned it to others, it would become evidence against them. After all, the An Xia Kingdom had been destroyed by the Wei Kingdom, and the Feng family now resided within Wei territory!
Why would a young girl defend a fallen kingdom unless she was an An Xia remnant? Once anyone reached this conclusion, the Feng family would face enormous trouble.
Peng Bai’s understanding of this wasn’t surprising, but Feng Miaojun had always been labeled as obedient and well-behaved rather than intelligent. She had been sent out of the palace when she was only nine years old and had grown like an ordinary child for the past two years. How could she have understood the implications so clearly?
He exhaled deeply: “Young lady, rest assured. That woman surnamed Wang will never again speak nonsense. The kitchen maid nearest to you is one of our people. Besides her, no one else could hear clearly what you said.”
Feng Miaojun let out a soft “Ah,” understanding the situation.
She had originally thought Peng Bai would intimidate the woman, but he had directly silenced her permanently. This efficiently eliminated future problems, since people who gossiped about the An Xia Kingdom could similarly gossip about her. However, having been influenced by legal principles for many years, she had never considered casually killing people and hadn’t thought in that direction.
Hearing him describe killing someone as casually as slaughtering a chicken, she didn’t know what to feel.
“You killed…” she choked slightly, forcing herself to continue, “How many did you kill?”
“I wouldn’t dare kill many. I only arranged for the death of old woman Wang; the others couldn’t be touched,” Peng Bai explained. “There were other people in the small kitchen at that time. If they had all died together, suspicion would fall heavily on us. Besides, you pushed her down and spoke to her alone by the courtyard, so others couldn’t hear clearly.” But Wang had to die because she had heard Feng Miaojun say the words “royal father and mother.”
Hearing him emphasize this twice, it seemed that no outsiders would know what she had said to Wang. Even in these chaotic times, there was still some law, and killing required careful handling of the aftermath. When Peng Bai mentioned “our people,” he likely meant those assigned by the An Xia King and Queen to watch over her.
Peng Bai waited for a while, and seeing no response from her, immediately realized: he had spoken too directly and bloodily—how could a young girl bear it?
He regretted his lack of tact, but the princess truly didn’t seem like an eleven-year-old girl.
As Peng Bai was about to change the subject and rectify his mistake, Feng Miaojun yawned again: “I’m tired. I’ll sleep for a while. Wake me up for meals.”
￥￥￥￥￥
Peng Bai changed horses midway, and it took Feng Miaojun three days to return to Ziping Village in Zi County.
Her foster mother, Madam Xu, had already received the news and rushed to the estate. As soon as they entered the house, she embraced Feng Miaojun tightly and wouldn’t let go, crying while saying: “You scared me to death! If even An’an were gone, what would I do!”
Feng Miaojun could feel her body trembling and noticed the dark circles under her eyes. These details were not easy to fake, showing that this foster mother truly cared for her. The Feng family was small but unlucky; Madam Xu had lost her beloved daughter two years ago and her husband a year ago. She had already poured all her affection onto Feng Miaojun—how else could she endure such successive blows?
Madam Xu was reminded of past hardships and continued crying, overwhelmed with emotion. Feng Miaojun said softly: “I’m very hungry and tired, and I’d like to bathe.”
“Of course, of course!” Madam Xu quickly wiped her eyes and instructed the servants to prepare food and hot water. Before the table was even half set with delicious dishes, Feng Miaojun’s bowl was already piled high with the food that Madam Xu had served her.
The Feng family had no rule against speaking during meals. At the table, Madam Xu asked questions like beans pouring from a bamboo tube. Feng Miaojun answered each one, her mouth constantly moving, leaving her no chance to eat.