Chapter Thirty-Five: The Joint Tribunal

“Kneel.” After taking his seat, Prime Minister Feng began to interrogate Feng Qiuji.

Fine, she thought, kneeling as ordered. A wise person knows when to yield; whatever accusations they threw at her today, she would simply accept. She had never imagined that her brief excursion outside the manor would bring about so much trouble.

She glanced at her mother, who sat nearby, watching her with a heart full of pain and secretly dabbing at tears with a handkerchief. Truly, the heart of a mother knows no bounds! Her daughter, once so obedient, had now left the manor without permission and failed to return for the night.

“Father, Mother, your daughter admits her mistake.” The moment Feng Qiuji knelt, she sincerely confessed, baring her soul. She always believed in taking the initiative in such situations; from her experience, if she admitted fault with enough earnestness, matters would rarely escalate further.

“If you know you were wrong, then tell us exactly what your mistake was.”

Such an elementary question—how little they thought of her! She answered without hesitation, “I shouldn’t have left the manor without permission, nor stayed out all night.”

“And?” came the next question.

“And? That’s all,” she replied, blinking in confusion.

“Since you returned, you haven’t shown a shred of remorse. Anyone can see that,” the third lady chimed in from the side.

“Oh, thank you for pointing that out, third mother, but I wonder if it’s your eyesight that’s the problem,” Feng Qiuji answered.

“You! How dare you talk back!” The third lady left her seat, hurried to the prime minister’s side, and clung to his sleeve, swaying it as she pleaded, “Husband, you must stand up for Yun’er. She tried to stop Qiuji from leaving and ended up injured herself. She can barely walk without assistance now. If you don’t punish Qiuji properly, what is to become of the family’s discipline?”

“Is that so? Funny, I recall that yesterday she was only limping a bit, not so helpless as to need support.” With that, Feng Qiuji glanced at the thickly bandaged foot of Feng Yun’er.

“Qiuji, go and apologize to your sister,” her father ordered.

“Yes, yes, I’ll apologize immediately,” Feng Qiuji replied with resignation. Yesterday, she had warned Feng Yun’er not to move around, and now, her injury was somehow her fault again.

“Second sister, I’m sorry,” she said humbly and sincerely.

“Hmph.” Feng Yun’er snorted, refusing to look at her.

So be it, Feng Qiuji thought. If she won’t accept my apology, that’s her problem. Everyone in this household is unreasonable; she had no idea how her mother had endured it for all these years—what fortitude! If it were her, she’d have put up with it once or twice, but never for so long.

“I now sentence you to kneel before the ancestral tablets for twelve hours,” her father pronounced.

“Yes, yes.” Another kneeling punishment—couldn’t they come up with something new? Truth be told, Feng Qiuji loathed kneeling most of all.

“His Highness, Prince Xin, has arrived!” Suddenly, a young servant announced from outside.

She turned and saw Ling Zexin striding in, dressed in a greatcoat and waving a folding fan with exaggerated flair, despite the snowy weather outside.

Always so theatrical, she thought—snow on the ground, and yet he insisted on carrying a fan!

“Greetings to Your Highness,” Prime Minister Feng said hurriedly, leading everyone in the room to kneel in salute.

“Prime Minister, please rise,” Ling Zexin replied, helping him up. His gaze landed on the yellow-clad woman seated on a chair.

“Your Highness, this humble woman is injured and unable to kneel. I beg your pardon,” Feng Yun’er said, blushing and turning her face away as she noticed his eyes upon her.

She had met Ling Zexin once at the palace and had secretly fallen for him ever since. Rumor had it that he was a notorious rake, but she did not care. Even if she could only be his concubine, she would accept it gladly. Now, seeing him in all his finery, playing so elegantly with his fan, his entire bearing was one of roguish charm and unrestrained grace—her feelings for him only grew stronger.

Feng Qiuji sighed at this display of maidenly shyness from Yun’er. So Yun’er really did have feelings for Ling Zexin. As for Ling Zexin himself, he looked as frivolous as ever, his flirtatious eyes wandering all over the room. She truly could not fathom what anyone saw in him; after all, the type of man she despised most was exactly the unfaithful sort.

“Why are you looking at me like that, Royal Sister-in-law?” Ling Zexin asked, sidling over with a grin.

“Nothing. It’s just that after not seeing you for a few days, you seem to have grown more handsome.”

“Is that so? Of course! I—” Ling Zexin began, swelling with pride, clearly about to launch into another round of self-praise.

“Turns out I was just seeing things,” Feng Qiuji cut him off, rolling her eyes. “You wouldn’t come to the Prime Minister’s residence for no reason. What brings you here today?”

“Oh, nothing special. It’s just that I heard you’d returned home and missed you a bit, so I came to see you.”

“I’m your royal sister-in-law. Even if you miss me, it’s useless. Didn’t your royal brother give you the breakup money to deliver to me?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“Oh, then do as you please. I have things to attend to.” With that, Feng Qiuji turned to leave. After all, she was a criminal in the household at the moment.

“Wait.” Ling Zexin caught her arm, curiosity lighting his face. “What are you so busy with?”

“I left the manor without permission last night and failed to return, so my father is punishing me with kneeling. What, do you want to join me?”

Ling Zexin immediately understood. Smiling, he bowed to the Prime Minister. “Prime Minister, my royal sister-in-law was with me last night. She did nothing disgraceful. As for the kneeling… I think we can let it go.”

“If Your Highness says so, then we’ll spare her this time,” the Prime Minister replied quickly, his face full of smiles. Everyone could tell Ling Zexin was lying, but as a prince, it would be unseemly to expose him directly, so the matter was dropped.

“Husband…” The third lady grew anxious at the thought of Feng Qiuji escaping punishment and tried to protest, but the Prime Minister silenced her with a glance, and she dared not continue.

The way Ling Zexin had sided with Feng Qiuji was noticed by everyone. Feng Yun’er, seeing the object of her affection show such favoritism, grew even more displeased with Feng Qiuji; her dislike deepened further.

“Oh, then I’ll go back to my room and sleep.”

“Since I’m here, royal sister-in-law, why not show me around the manor?” Ling Zexin was puzzled by her coldness; she hadn’t treated him this way before.

How could he know that Feng Qiuji’s mind was troubled? The reason, of course, was Ling Zetian. Last night had been his wedding night with Qin Ruyan, the woman he’d always loved. Surely, as husband and wife, they had consummated their marriage. The thought left Feng Qiuji deeply unsettled.

To give someone her blessing was one thing, but actually doing it was far from easy. Pride, she realized, only brought suffering. Yet even if she let go, nothing would change. Ling Zetian would still marry Qin Ruyan, and it had nothing to do with her.

Poor, unrequited love! All she wanted now was to collect her breakup money, leave the palace, leave the Prime Minister’s residence, and depart the capital altogether. She dreamed of finding some idyllic place and surrounding herself with handsome men, far from the troubles of the world.

She looked Ling Zexin up and down, then shot him an impatient glance. He really didn’t know how to pick his moment; today she was in no mood for company and just wanted to return to her room. Pointing to Feng Yun’er on her chair, she said, “Let my second sister show you around. She’s far more familiar with the manor than I am; I’m sure she’ll make your tour enjoyable.” Since Yun’er liked him so much, she might as well play matchmaker.

“Then I’ll trouble Second Miss,” Ling Zexin replied. Since Feng Qiuji had spoken, he couldn’t refuse without embarrassing Yun’er.

Feng Yun’er, meanwhile, was clearly delighted—an unexpected chance to be alone with Prince Xin. She was determined to seize the opportunity.

“But Second Miss’s injury…” Ling Zexin glanced at her bandaged foot, hesitating.

“It’s nothing, nothing at all,” Yun’er hastily assured him.

See? Nothing serious, yet she made it seem dire just to get me punished! Feng Qiuji couldn’t fathom whom she had offended—why did so many seem to dislike her? Sakura Luo’s animosity made sense, since they were rivals in love, but Yun’er… Ah, the hearts of women are unfathomable!

In any case, it was no longer her concern. The sooner she could shift all responsibility away from herself, the better. Now she only awaited Ling Zetian’s breakup money so she could pack her bags and leave, determined to avoid further entanglements and keep her life simple.

“Oh, by the way, royal sister-in-law, if you have time, you’d best return to the palace soon.”

“And why would I do that?”

“You’re the empress. It’s understandable to visit your family for a few days when you’re homesick, but you can’t stay away forever!”

“Empress? Didn’t His Majesty confer that title on Miss Qin?”

“No, my royal brother only made her a noble consort. You’re still the empress—how could he depose you?”

He hasn’t? Feng Qiuji was stunned. Ling Zetian didn’t intend to let her go after all? Making Qin Ruyan a noble consort—wasn’t that the very definition of wanting both options at once?

Despicable! These noble sons were all the same, and the emperor was the worst of all!

“Qiuji, since that’s the case, return to your room at once and pack your things. Later, you’ll return to the palace with His Highness, lest the emperor worry,” the Prime Minister said, secretly delighted that the emperor still had his daughter in his heart.

Very well, Feng Qiuji thought. Even her father was eager to send her away now. She bowed respectfully and said, “Yes, I’ll go pack right away.”

－－－－－－Author’s Note－－－－－－

The girls are all back at school by now, aren’t they?

Heh heh, I’m still lazing at home. It’s great!

Are you jealous? Well, too bad. Study hard while you’re at school!