She was quite good-natured, losing nine out of ten games but still persisting in playing chess with Prince Ding.
Every time Xiao Tingyi saw Feng Jinyao's attitude, he felt as if he were seeing another self.
His chess skills had also been honed step by step, and Elder Xu had suffered greatly, "teaching him all he knew" for a long time.
When facing Feng Jinyao, he was exceptionally meticulous.
Therefore, although he would lose, the number of white stones lost each time was gradually decreasing, which was a sign of progress.
"In two more days, my second brother should arrive in Dongdu City, and I need to go home with him."
"Alright."
No matter how reluctant Xiao Tingyi was, they were not yet married, and it would not be good to "live" together so rashly.
Walls have ears, and if they were discovered by chance, it would only be gossip for him, something that would pass in a few days.
But for Feng Jinyao, it was much more dangerous; her reputation, the Feng family's reputation, everything would be ruined.
One only had to look at Bai Siruo.
This time, Feng Jinyao's move caught Xiao Tingyi completely off guard.
She captured nearly twenty of his stones, and Xiao Tingyi looked at Feng Jinyao dotingly and said.
"Ayao is indeed remarkable, your progress is much faster than mine."
"Your Highness flatters me."
They spent several leisurely days here, listening to news during the day, playing chess, and occasionally picking flowers in the back mountain.
Most importantly, Xiao Tingyi had taken her to Yunxiao Pavilion.
She took in the myriad lights of Dongdu City, a feeling Feng Jinyao had never experienced before.
Standing here and looking down, she suddenly felt that her desire for revenge seemed a bit too obsessive.
Because she knew the outcome in advance, she always unconsciously projected herself and made decisions for others.
Her original intention was naturally good, but she hadn't considered the other party's feelings, whether they were willing to walk the path she had arranged, was unknown.
When people face the vastness of the world, they always feel their own insignificance.
That was why she had such thoughts.
Xiao Tingyi quickly noticed and his voice brushed past her ears like a clear breeze and bright moon.
"Cause and effect are cyclical, and retribution is inevitable. As long as the final outcome is good, it doesn't matter if the process is ruthless."
For him, if he had hesitated every time before taking action, he would have died a thousand times over by now.
Therefore, he did not consider himself a benevolent person.
To be able to protect those he wanted to protect with his own strength was the great way he recognized in the world.
Fortunately, his thoughts had not gone astray, otherwise, he would have been a monstrous prince who brought disaster to one side.
Feng Jinyao thought to herself, but the slight unease in her heart was dispelled by his words.
Yes, she had never considered herself a good person or a lady from a reputable family.
Being able to protect her family and live a peaceful life was the greatest value of her rebirth.
After understanding this, she looked at the brilliantly lit Dongdu City below with a hint of excitement in her eyes.
With her second brother's return to the capital, a bloody storm was inevitable.
Perhaps the Wei family and the Ninth Prince would become history in this situation.
As for Liang Quanbin, who had been completely used, Xiao Tingyi felt he was a dead man from the moment he decided to take up the post of Supervisor of the Grand Canal.
Time always passed exceptionally quickly.
At dusk on the third day, Feng Jinyao's carriage met up with Feng Jinlin.
Xu Mingyue was also accompanying them.
As for General Meng and his party, who were escorting Liang Quanbin and the Wei family's hidden operatives, they had entered Dongdu City an hour earlier.
They should be entering the palace soon.
When Xu Mingyue saw Feng Jinyao, her first reaction was to pull her back and forth, her expression very anxious.
She was afraid that something unexpected would happen during this trip to the southwest; as a delicate young woman, injuries were difficult to recover from.
Feng Jinyao naturally understood her worry and anxiety.
It felt good to be cared for by someone.
So she said, "Sister Xu, please rest assured, I am fine."
"It's good that you're fine, it's good that you're fine. After you left for half a month, I kept having nightmares, dreaming that you had an accident in the southwest. I was afraid your second brother would worry, so I didn't dare to say anything, and I even wrote the wrong characters when teaching at the academy."
"Good sister, people say dreams are the opposite. Am I not standing here alive and well?"
"What opposite? That girl Hehuan wasn't..."
She almost blurted it out with her quick tongue and immediately realized she had said the wrong thing.
Feng Jinyao's eyes darkened; this matter would always be a knot in her heart.
Xu Mingyue stepped forward to comfort her, "It's my fault, it's my fault. Let's not talk about this anymore, let's enter the city quickly."
Yunxu, who was by her side, saw this and immediately lifted the curtain, saying to Feng Jinlin outside the carriage.
"Second Master, we can go."
"Alright."
The group did not have much luggage and thus slowly drove into the city gates.
At this moment, the city gates were bustling with activity, with many people coming and going, so few paid attention to them.
However, on a nearby wine building, Wei Dalang stared at Feng Jinlin, wishing he could shoot him dead with an arrow immediately.
How could this son be as stubborn and audacious as his father!
He was truly detestable.
If he had to consider his father's dying order not to harm this group, he would have already set up archers along their path and shot him full of holes.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
Fortunately, he made no move, otherwise, Xu Lin's Ding Wang Mansion's hidden guards would have immediately sent him to see the King of Hell.
Alas, Wei Dalang did not know until his death who his enemy was!
Upon hearing the news of Feng Jinlin and General Meng's arrival in the capital, Duke Wei was not at all anxious.
He was currently planning something bigger, and a mere involvement in the corruption of the Grand Canal would not shake his foundation.
Even with Liang Quanbin, it would not matter.
What he held in his hand was the lives of his entire Liang family.
Right or wrong, he believed Liang Quanbin would have his own plans when they reached the imperial court.
General Meng, bringing the two men, went to see Emperor Qi first.
This was also a secret order from Emperor Qi; he wanted to see how far the Wei family's influence extended!
Liang Quanbin was also full of calculations, figuring out how to extricate himself and the Liang family.
There would definitely be involvement, but at worst, he would be dismissed from office.
Now that he had fallen out with the Wei family, he could not count on them for any further assistance. Fortunately, there was still Changyi Bo; Liang Quanbin was not too afraid of this.
Before entering the palace halls, Liang Quanbin was confined alone in a side hall.
When a palace servant entered to bring him tea, they whispered in his ear.
"The young madam of the Liang family is pregnant, and young master Liang and the concubine Liang are in mortal danger. The life and death of the entire family depend on you, Lord Liang."
Then, before he could react, they disappeared from his sight.