Shaking her head, Nanny Xun said, “I don’t know how to read. You want to write?”
“Ah… yes, His Highness Yin asked this servant to practice writing.” Looking away guiltily, Feng Yue said, “But if Nanny doesn’t know how to read, this servant will just practice on my own.”
Finding her behavior strange, Nanny Xun got up, first washing and changing clothes, then sat properly in front of her and asked, “It’s not even dawn yet, how did His Highness Yin come to tell you to practice writing?”
Blinking repeatedly, Feng Yue bit the brush and smiled foolishly, “Who knows what masters think? He even gave this servant a pile of books to read, all stacked in the back courtyard.”
Curiously getting up, Nanny Xun went to look behind the house, and indeed there was a large pile of papers and books, so she returned to ask Feng Yue, “Books from the General’s mansion?”
Feng Yue nodded, “Yes, they’re definitely from the General’s mansion!”
“It’s not proper to pile them here. Why didn’t His Highness let you read in the library?”
“These… seem to be ones His Highness wants to take back to the envoy’s residence for me to read,” lying on her bed, she lowered her head and said, “When we came, His Highness mentioned that the General’s mansion had many books, and he must borrow some to take back.”
Frowning slightly, Nanny Xun gave her a puzzled look – this child, speaking so nervously, how could anyone believe it was true?
She turned to go out and ask someone, but as soon as she opened the door, she saw Dianchai, Yi Zhanzhu’s attendant, coming with others. Standing outside, she said, “These are all the books His Highness Yin requested. His Highness said to have Feng Yue carry them back to the envoy’s residence herself, then return to report.”
Nanny Xun frowned, looking at the books in the servants’ arms behind her, then glancing back toward the rear courtyard, shaking her head, “Feng Yue is still injured, how could she possibly carry so many books?”
“That’s not my concern,” rolling her eyes, Dianchai said, “I’ve delivered the message. His Highness requests Miss Feng Yue to return before noon without fail.”
With that, she waved for people to put the books at the doorway and turned to leave.
Nanny Xun’s expression darkened. She stared at the books for a while, then turned to enter the room, crouching down seriously to ask Feng Yue who was lying on her bedding, “Have you offended His Highness Yin as well?”
“Hm?” Feng Yue, who had been desperately thinking of a solution, was caught off guard by this question and looked up blankly, “His Highness Yin?”
Whether she offended him or not, he always acted like everyone owed him their lives!
Sighing, Nanny Xun said, “Miss Dianchai just came and delivered another pile of books. Said His Highness Yin wants you to carry them back to the envoy’s residence alone and return before noon… isn’t this making things difficult for you?”
“That’s wonderful!” Almost jumping up in excitement, Feng Yue grinned, then met Nanny Xun’s shocked gaze and immediately pressed herself back down, softening her tone, “This servant means, how could they do this! How can they treat people like this!”
This child must have been beaten silly, Nanny Xun thought pityingly. After some consideration, she said, “I’ll help you find someone with an ox cart, so you can transport both piles of things back.”
“Thank you, Nanny!” Feng Yue was so moved she grabbed Nanny Xun’s hands and said, “This servant will never forget your kindness!”
Patting her hands, Nanny Xun smiled and got up to leave. As soon as her shadow disappeared from the doorway, Feng Yue immediately jumped up and ran to the back courtyard.
Fortunately, Nanny Xun couldn’t read, so she couldn’t understand these confidential letters, account books, and various lists – that was one crisis averted. Carefully tucking them one by one into the books Dianchai had just delivered, Feng Yue felt that Yin Gezhi still had a conscience, not truly leaving such a difficult task for her to complete alone. Otherwise, they might have had to collect her corpse.
With the ox cart ready, Nanny Xun helped Feng Yue slowly load the books. Dianchai watched at the back gate, somewhat uncomfortable with Nanny Xun’s help, but seeing Feng Yue’s painful limping, she let it pass.
Piles of books passed before her eyes, but Dianchai didn’t even look, directly ordering people to let them through.
And so, the determined little servant Feng Yue, despite her injuries, carried the General’s mansion’s most precious secrets painfully along the road back to Yin Gezhi’s lair.
Yin Gezhi leisurely drank tea in the General’s mansion. Soon after, Dianchai came to report, somewhat dissatisfied as she criticized Nanny Xun, then said to him, “It rather wastes Your Highness’s intention to train her.”
“It’s fine,” he said indifferently, “No need to fuss too much over a servant girl.”
“Indeed,” Yi Zhanzhu nodded, “We have more important matters to attend to. Crown Prince’s brother has agreed to aid the poor, and now I need to order clothing styles and materials. Will Brother Yin accompany Zhu’er?”
“Certainly,” Yin Gezhi nodded, gracefully accompanying her out, following her from the fabric shop to the money house and back to the fabric shop, then accompanying her to eat wontons at a street stall, and very considerately protecting her through the crowded streets. The entire morning passed without a single word of complaint from him.
Yi Zhanzhu was deeply moved, feeling that her Brother Yin had returned to her. All around were voices of admiration, saying how fortunate she was, how impressive this young man was, and such – very pleasing to hear.
Within a few hours, Ye Yuqin received news that left him puzzled: “Accompanying Zhu’er?”
“Yes, according to witnesses, His Highness Yin had no one else by his side. His gaze remained fixed on Miss Yi, appearing quite devoted.”
He knew Yin Gezhi had always liked Yi Zhanzhu, but he had thought Feng Yue would gradually replace Yi Zhanzhu in his heart. Unexpectedly… perhaps the unattainable is always the most desirable?
But his liking Yi Zhanzhu was a good thing – though they couldn’t truly be together, his affection for her would make him more lenient toward General Yi. Previously, he had worried that Yin Gezhi would take any opportunity to kill Yi Guoru. Now with Yi Zhanzhu present, he could rest a bit more easily.
Waving his fan, His Highness the Crown Prince felt that, at least for now, Yin Gezhi could be fully relied upon.
As soon as noon arrived, Feng Yue promptly returned to lying down in Nanny Xun’s room.
Nanny Xun asked, “All moved?”
“All moved. His Highness surely won’t make things difficult for this servant anymore.” Grinning with extreme happiness, Feng Yue hugged her pillow and said, “Now I can sleep peacefully for two days.”
Not just peacefully – she could even have sweet dreams for a few days, happily awaiting the coming storm!
The list the Crown Prince wanted quickly reached his hands. Although Ye Yuqin found the speed incredible when he received it when he investigated the names on the list, each one proved accurate – all people with countless connections to General Yi.
Now things would be easier to handle. With the tiger away from home, the young master of the house directly raised the knife in his hand and severely chopped off the tail the tiger had left at home.
Leng Yan was arrested and thrown directly into prison, completely baffled by his own handwritten letters and account books. He had no idea how these things had fallen into the Crown Prince’s hands. Eighty imperial guards and ten commanders from the Imperial Army were imprisoned in what became known as the “Imperial Army Purge.” Overnight, many people found themselves in prison without knowing what had happened.
On another rainy day in Buyin City, Feng Yue stood in the cool pavilion, holding her lower back and smiling, “A fierce storm indeed, a fierce storm.”
In the capital, the most important military power lay with the Imperial Army and the City Guard. The Crown Prince moved swiftly and decisively, stripping both to the bone in less than a month. Anyone with a brain knew he was moving against General Yi.
An elderly official kowtowed in court until his head hit the pillar, saying the Wu Kingdom would follow Wei Kingdom’s fate – while soldiers fought at the borders, royal power turned its blade toward the soldiers’ hearts.
The usually mild-mannered Ye Yuqin immediately threw down his fan in court, his face full of anger as he said, “Our Great Wu Kingdom’s soldiers, the royal family’s Imperial Army, have become someone else’s heart? Minister Liao, what do you mean by these words?”
These words left the elderly official speechless. Yes, everyone knew the recent arrests were all General Yi’s people, but how could that be said directly in court? Whoever’s people they were, once they became government officials, they should be the government’s people!
Thus, those who wanted to plead for mercy all sent memorials to the Emperor’s study. The old Emperor couldn’t be bothered to look at them and passed them to the Crown Prince instead.
So Ye Yuqin took these memorials and visited each house to have heart-to-heart talks, frightening the group so much they trembled and dared not say another word.
Yin Gezhi should have returned to the envoy’s residence after everything was done, but he didn’t want to leave. Feng Yue didn’t want to go out either, so she hugged a pillar of General Yi’s mansion and smiled, “This eave is so wide, ah, the wider the better – no rain can reach us.”