“Father, since the wedding is next month, why not let Jiu’er return to Feng Manor first and wait for the day she leaves home?”

Feng Junzhuo had come this time with another very important task — one that Feng Qingyin had specifically entrusted to him.

He looked at Feng Zhenhai, his expression earnest: “It is not proper for a young lady to be out and about at all hours. Take last night’s incident…”

At the mention of that, Feng Zhenhai’s expression immediately soured.

Feng Junzhuo read the shift in mood at once and said quickly, “Father, it would be better to have Jiu’er return to Feng Manor first. Out here, there are too many people and too many loose tongues — one fears that Young Lord Xu’s side may have… reservations.”

“Very well, Jiu’er. You shall return to Feng Manor for now. As for the matter of the Academy…”

Feng Zhenhai thought it over, then sighed lightly: “Since you are to be married soon, the Academy can perhaps… be set aside.”

“Grandfather!” Feng Jiu’er’s expression changed slightly, and she grew agitated.

The Emperor’s decree of marriage was already difficult enough to bear — now they wanted her to go home and sit idle, even forbidden from attending the Academy!

Feng Jiu’er quickly composed her expression and listened as Feng Zhenhai and the Academy Director discussed having her sent home.

After a moment, before the Academy Director could speak, she said quietly, “Grandfather, I… have another task that I cannot speak of to others for the time being. But I cannot leave the Academy.”

She looked at the Academy Director, her words carrying an unspoken implication: “Director, though I cannot speak of this task, you ought to understand.”

She did not say who had given her this assignment, but the Academy Director furrowed his brow and began to think.

This girl — she had been seen keeping close company with the Ninth Imperial Uncle. Could it be that the Ninth Imperial Uncle had given her some sort of task?

The matter of the aphrodisiac from before — word had later gotten around that it had been a task given by the Ninth Imperial Uncle. As for the nature of that task, no one had dared to ask, and the Ninth Imperial Uncle had naturally never said.

So now, the secret task she spoke of…

“What sort of task could a little girl like you possibly have? And even if you did have one, you could simply hand it off to someone else.”

Feng Junzhuo, of course, refused to believe that any important figure would entrust her with anything significant.

She was nothing but a fool — whatever so-called task she had was most likely just some game of make-believe played among people of similarly limited intellect.

And yet she had the audacity to speak of it so gravely in front of Father and the Academy Director, as if it were a genuine matter of consequence!

She, Feng Jiu’er, felt no shame — but he, her own father, felt it keenly on her behalf!

Truly a disgrace beyond measure!

“Academy Director, my daughter is ordinarily a little… a little slow-witted. She tends to talk nonsense — please do not take it to heart.”

Fang Zheng frowned, his expression somewhat odd.

Was this the sort of thing a father ought to say? He had actually called his own daughter… slow-witted?

And yet, from his observations these past days, in what way was Feng Jiu’er a fool?

“Master Feng, the matter of Feng Jiu’er is perhaps not for me to decide.”

In the end, Fang Zheng chose to believe Feng Jiu’er. After all, she had been seen walking alongside the Ninth Imperial Uncle on many occasions — who could say how close their relationship truly was?

If he recalled correctly, he had once staged an entire performance for the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s benefit just to get Feng Jiu’er admitted to the Longwu Academy.

No — this girl was undoubtedly connected to the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s side. Whatever she intended to do was surely something the Ninth Imperial Uncle had instructed her to do.

Therefore, he absolutely could not allow her to simply return to the Feng Family like this. Otherwise, if the Ninth Imperial Uncle asked about it in the future, he would have no way to explain himself.

The Academy Director said, “Studying at the Academy and leaving home to be married are not in conflict with each other. What is more, Young Lord Xu is also a newly enrolled student at the Longwu Academy this year.” “The two of them studying together at the Longwu Academy would give them a fine opportunity to develop feelings for each other.”