She wondered about Wen Mengsheng.
Thinking of him, she felt this trip might be worthwhile. Perhaps she could encounter the young master Wen and ease her longing.
"Since Mother has said so, then I shall make the trip. However, I wonder if First Aunt will permit me to leave the household."
"No matter. We shall say we are returning to Qiongzhou and will visit Fahua Temple tomorrow to pray for peace. Lin Shi would not dare to obstruct us!"
Seeing that her mother had even prepared an excuse, she smiled faintly, her heart filled with thoughts of Wen Mengsheng's appearance.
Little did she know then that her next actions would lead to the execution of the entire Wen family! And that Feng Jinyao's revenge would be complete!
Upon returning to Ning'an Courtyard, Feng Jinyao instructed Yun Xu to find the luminescent powder that Xu Mingyue had sent earlier. She also had Xiuqiu weave three or four red string bracelets, which looked quite ordinary.
"What is Miss doing with these?"
"Sending them to Second Brother to wish him success in the imperial examinations!"
Xiuqiu was puzzled. How could an ordinary string bracelet help the second young master achieve success? She suspected Miss was just speaking casually.
Seeing Yun Xu bring the luminescent powder, she instructed her to fetch a bowl of clear water in a white porcelain cup. She then poured the powder into it, stirred it evenly, and soaked the red strings one by one.
Yun Xu recalled what Miss had said in the carriage. She lowered her head, looking at the red strings dyed in the luminescent powder liquid, and remained silent.
Xiuqiu, however, felt curious. She wanted to ask but saw Yun Xu shake her head, signaling her not to speak carelessly. Only then did she hold her tongue.
Feng Jinyao watched the red strings in the water, feeling an immense sense of satisfaction.
Wen Mengsheng, after waiting for so long, the grand gift had finally arrived. For the sake of their past marriage, she would at least grant you a complete corpse.
The others, unaware of what she was doing, dismissed it as a trivial matter and did not give it a second thought, busying themselves with their own affairs.
Early the next morning, Shen Shi arrived with Bai Sihan.
Feng Jinyao had not recovered from her cold, so she only sent Yun Xu to wait at the entrance. Upon seeing them arrive, Yun Xu handed them a bundle.
"I trouble Third Madam and Second Miss for making this trip. Inside are a few long robes prepared for Second Young Master. The peace bracelet is in the box. The master has performed a ritual on it, and it will surely bless Second Young Master to achieve high honors. However, he strictly warned that it must not be opened casually on the way, or it will lose its efficacy."
"Please rest assured, Miss. We will be careful!"
After Yun Xu had finished her instructions, she smiled and thanked them. As she turned to leave, she quietly said, "I wonder if Young Master Wen has received this bracelet that blesses him with success."
While Bai Sihan might have overlooked other words, the four characters "Young Master Wen" burrowed into her heart like a small snake.
She frowned and looked at the departing Yun Xu, pondering the meaning of her words.
Upon returning to Ning'an Courtyard, Yun Xu reported to Feng Jinyao that she had said everything as instructed to Shen Shi and Bai Sihan. However, Yun Xu did not understand why she had to deliberately utter that last sentence.
Her own young lady clearly detested Young Master Wen, so why would she care if he succeeded in the examinations?
"Don't worry. Those words were for Bai Sihan to hear. Without them, that bracelet would not have reached Wen Mengsheng."
The calculating smile made her seem unfathomable. Though Yun Xu didn't understand, she didn't press for further explanation.
The carriage headed towards Yunqi Academy. The mother and daughter inside the carriage were now rummaging through the bundle.
"Indeed, he is a young master of the Feng family. Look at the fabric of these long robes; they are clearly very expensive. Your father and I have been in office for so many years, yet I've never seen him wear material like this!"
She gently stroked the fabric. The silky texture was neither silk nor brocade, and she couldn't quite identify the material.
Meanwhile, Bai Sihan stared intently at the box. Then, with a determined look, she opened it.
Shen Shi was startled and immediately snatched the box back. "Han'er, what are you doing? Didn't Third Miss explicitly say that this box has been blessed and should not be opened?"
"Mother, you're listening to her nonsense. If it cannot be opened, how will Cousin Feng wear it? And if he doesn't wear it, how will he achieve success?"
Shen Shi suddenly understood. "That's true. Then why did she deceive us?"
"Perhaps she was afraid we would take this bracelet."
Inside, four bracelets were neatly arranged. They looked quite ordinary on the outside; at most, the red threads appeared to have a better sheen.
Bai Sihan picked up one of them and sniffed it gently. It had no scent. She then placed it back into the box.
After a moment of thought, she felt something was amiss and took one out directly.
"What are you doing?" Bai Sihan's action confused Shen Shi, so she explained, "Mother, I don't want to hide it from you any longer. At the Wei family banquet, I fell for someone. He is the son of Lord Wen, the Minister of Personnel. He doesn't mind my humble origins at all and even spoke kindly to comfort me when other young ladies mocked me. The reason I was beaten by the Eldest Princess was also because I defended him. I swear I will marry no one but him in this life! Therefore, if this red string is truly as efficacious as Cousin Feng claims, I wish to give it to Young Master Wen as a token of our affection."
Shen Shi was so shocked by her words that she couldn't quite recover.
"When did this happen?"
"Weren't we invited to admire the snow by the Wei family before the New Year? That's when I met him. I've encountered him a few more times since then, and he has always treated me with special consideration."
"You child, you can endure so much. Why are you only telling me now?"
"Daughter just felt a bit embarrassed."
Bai Sihan lowered her head, her face slightly flushed. She looked like a shy young maiden. Having raised her for over a decade, Shen Shi knew this was a sign of her affection.
"The son of the Minister of Personnel, his status is quite good. How many people are in his family? Does he have siblings?"
"Young Master Wen is an only child. His family originally had two cousins, an elder male cousin and a younger female cousin. However, the elder cousin has now become the驸马 (emperor's son-in-law) to the Eldest Princess. As for that Miss Wen, she hasn't appeared for a long time; I don't know what she's doing."
An only child!
An only child is good. All that his father has earned today will belong to him in the future. If Han'er marries into the family, she won't have to be subservient and can manage the household freely!
"Good, good! This is an excellent match! You are truly my daughter; your ability to discern people is much better than your useless cousin."
Looking at the red string in Bai Sihan's hand, she said with joy.
"It's fine to take just one red string from her. If you win this good husband in the future, you can send her more gifts as thanks."
Bai Sihan nodded upon hearing this.
Although she didn't understand why Yun Xu had spoken that way before leaving, if she could present this bracelet herself, even if Cousin Feng wanted to snatch it later, she would have priority.
The carriage swayed and arrived at the entrance of Yunqi Academy. Because the Bai family's lantern was hung on the carriage, the old servant at the gate mistook it for Bai Silang's return.
He hurried over, only to see a madam alight, accompanied by a beautiful young lady.