CHAPTER 232: CHAPTER 232: THE PAST

"You..." Lin Yu Yan, poked at her sore spot, had reddened eyes. "It’s clearly she who’s shameless, seducing the young marquis. She should thank me—if not for me, how could she be betrothed to the young marquis?"

"Twisting truths, you’re truly mad!" Lin Xiao didn’t bother arguing with her. Lin Yu Yan, spoiled by him and their elder brother, had grown increasingly malicious.

"Second Brother, don’t you want her?"

"I am not you!" Lin Xiao said coldly. "Back then, you tried to seduce Jiang Yang out of spite against Fengyu, to tarnish her reputation. But during the archery banquet, the young marquis favored Fengyu, and you hated her for stealing his attention. Out of love birthed hate. The young marquis doesn’t like you—that’s not Fengyu’s fault. If it’s not Fengyu, it wouldn’t have been you either. You were merely indulging in delusions, yet you heaped all the blame on Fengyu. She is utterly innocent. You misstepped once, and with every step since, continued to err, yet you still haven’t reflected. It’s simply irrational."

Every word Lin Xiao uttered struck Lin Yu Yan’s heart. She felt both enraged and resentful. "I turned love into hate—don’t you hate? At the palace banquet months ago, if not for you helping her, she’d have long been sent to Prince Kang’s harem. You nearly got beaten to death by Father for her, yet she remained indifferent. Don’t you feel wronged?"

"Why should I hate?" Lin Xiao’s gaze darkened slightly. "How am I any match for the young marquis?"

That one palace banquet, Xie Xun saved her from peril.

He went to great lengths to protect her reputation.

For her, he deceived the emperor.

During the capital’s snowstorm, he realized that Fengyu and Xie Xun were of the same kind: compassionate, with hearts of a Bodhisattva. It was then that he willingly chose to follow Xie Xun.

Between him and the young marquis, Fengyu chose the young marquis. He accepted his loss with grace.

Even without his elder brother or Yu Yan, Fengyu wouldn’t abandon the young marquis for him. All he regretted was his own indecision, failing to understand his feelings earlier. If he’d realized sooner, resolved the feud between Fengyu and Yu Yan, showed Fengyu Jiang Yang’s true colors—perhaps he might have had a glimmer of hope.

A step too late, a lifetime missed.

Lin Xiao steadied his emotions, speaking softly, "Yu Yan, don’t hate anymore. Let her go, and let yourself go, too. Your life is long; don’t let hatred blind you."

"You’re afraid I’ll trouble Fengyu?" Lin Yu Yan asked bitterly. "Her father is already the National General, and she’s latched onto the Marquis Mansion. What could I possibly do?"

"Think what you will!" Lin Xiao lightly shook his head, truly finding no common ground in their conversation.

Xie Xun took Fengyu to admire the lotus flowers. In the palace, the early lotuses had bloomed, their fragrance wafting from afar. Vast patches of pink and white lotuses intertwined, accompanied by the sounds of cicadas and frogs, lush greenery all around. Beneath the palace lanterns, the lotuses were enchanting.

Xie Xun brought Fengyu onto a boat, rowing to the center of the lake. Fragrance rose with the evening breeze, a bright moon hung high in the sky, reflecting against the blossoms and water’s shimmering surface.

Fengyu tilted her head to gaze at the moon. The scenery was exquisite; outside the palace, such a magnificent lotus lake was unheard of. It was said that Noble Consort Xie loved lotuses, so all the ponds and lakes in the palace had been planted with them.

Xie Xun chuckled lightly, "Don’t be fooled by rumors; my elder sister despises lotuses."

"I just heard at the banquet that the Noble Consort liked lotuses. The emperor planted so many to please her."

Lying on the boat with his hands folded behind his head, Xie Xun’s face was bathed in the cool moonlight. "My elder sister fancies plum blossoms."

"What flower do you like?" Fengyu asked with a laugh.

"Pomegranate blossoms," Xie Xun said meaningfully, "Loving the house and its crow."

"Silver-tongued!"

"Completely sincere."

Fengyu greatly enjoyed boating in the heart of the lake, quietly appreciating the moon. Xie Xun relished the rare tranquility. "Once my elder brother marries, he’ll head to Ningzhou with your sister for border defense. After we marry, we’ll also settle in Ningzhou."

Xie Xun had never discussed married life with Fengyu before. For one, her agreement to marry came only after the imperial decree; for another, the Su Family’s business hub was centered in Jiangnan, the Capital, and across twelve provinces. Once Fengyu’s elder sister, Feng Shu, followed her brother to the borders, the business’s focus would need transferring to Fengyu. If she was to go to Ningzhou, what would become of matters in Jiangnan and the Capital?

Moreover, Ningzhou was bitterly cold, unlike the Capital’s bustling brilliance. The Third Miss was used to fine living; he worried about her suffering hardships.

"The Marquis and the wives remain in the Capital. Will all of you brothers relocate to Ningzhou?" Fengyu asked.

Xie Xun nodded. "Yes!"

Fengyu had initially thought only Xie Zhang would head to the borders, not expecting all three brothers to move to Ningzhou. That effectively made them vassal kings—their appointed land would become their true fiefdom. Unless exceptional circumstances arose, future generations might also stay in Ningzhou.

The marquis spared no effort for the family’s descendants. Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, far from the Capital, reduced cavalry numbers, ensuring peace between the house and the imperial family. While vassal kings with armies posed threats to emperors, Marquis Zhenbei held no such title. After reforms, the emperor reclaimed power, gradually balancing relations between sovereign and subjects.

This was the most prudent arrangement the marquis could devise.

"Do you consent?" Xie Xun asked with a smile. "Ningzhou isn’t nearly as flourishing as the Capital."

"Marry a chicken, follow a chicken; marry a dog, follow a dog. What choice do I have?" Fengyu propped her chin on her hand. "Even if you were to beg on the streets, I’d follow."

"You wouldn’t support me?" Xie Xun raised an eyebrow. "You’d let me beg?"

Fengyu laughed softly. The two chatted freely about everything under the sun, the atmosphere light-hearted. Xie Xun had always been curious: "Why do you like jewelry?"

"Girls always love jewelry." Fengyu hugged her knees and sat, her brow slightly furrowed. For some reason, Xie Xun always sensed a trace of loneliness in her. Cicadas chirped incessantly along the lakeside—their noise oddly soothing in Fengyu’s ears. "When I was five, I was kidnapped in Ningzhou for two years, nearly starved to death during a famine."

Xie Xun abruptly sat upright. When he and Fengyu had unexpectedly shared this life together, he’d ordered investigations into her past. Beginning with her arrival in the Capital, nothing prior to her twelfth year had been examined.

"What happened?" Xie Xun’s gaze turned fierce.

"I was abducted inside Ningzhou City; when I awoke, I’d already left Ningzhou. They wore night gear, took me away, but didn’t kill me. That year, I was naive—I revealed my family name, hoping they’d send me home. Instead, I endured several beatings, even lost a tooth. That year, I was terrified, my health poor. Each time I was beaten, I’d develop a fever. They didn’t kill me; they even took trouble treating me. Later, I became smarter, feigned grogginess daily, waiting until they weren’t looking to escape. I tried running six times—all failures. Each time I failed, a finger was broken." Fengyu held up her left hand—her slender fingers bore no trace of their former injuries. "All five of these fingers were broken."

Rage surged through Xie Xun’s eyes. Grasping her hand suddenly, his heart darkened with fury. Who did this?

He vowed to find them and shatter every bone in their bodies!

His Ayu had been a mere five-year-old—how could they torment her like this?

"Back then, it hurt so much. At first, I cried bitterly—then I couldn’t cry anymore. The more I cried, the more they enjoyed tormenting me." Fengyu rubbed her fingers as though still feeling those broken bones’ pain. "They didn’t kill me, relished torturing me, even placing bets on whether I could escape. Like a macabre game of cat and mouse, they reveled in the hunt. But on my seventh attempt, they didn’t expect me to succeed. I hid among water plants for an entire day and night, not daring to move. Hungry, I drank river water and chewed weeds. When night fell, I climbed out of the river, feverish and delirious, yet stubbornly set toward the north. I was truly unlucky—escaping wolves, only to fall into tiger’s jaws. Mistaken for a beggar, I was captured again, caged like livestock, and sold."

Xie Xun’s brow tightened into a knot. Listening to Fengyu recount her ordeal so lightly, his heart clenched unbearably.