"Young Master Gu, the young madam said you must finish all your work today. If you don't, I'll have to deliver the bill for what you owe to the Zhennan Prince's manor!"
"You… you win this time!"
Gu Beichen said this hatefully, resignedly picked up the hoe, and began to work diligently.
It was his bad luck to fall into Feng Jin's hands. He accepted his fate.
...
"You're back. I just picked these tangerines; they're very sweet. Try one."
Seeing Ling Mohan at the door, Feng Jin popped a peeled tangerine into his mouth.
"What's wrong with you today? You've been looking glum. Did something happen?"
Sensing Ling Mohan's unusual mood, Feng Jin asked.
"We exploded the cave today, but the waterproofing inside the cave hasn't been done well. It gets damp on rainy days, and the gunpowder gets wet, making it all unusable."
Ling Mohan had been researching waterproofing and damp-proofing issues with them all day, but they all had different opinions and couldn't come up with an effective method.
"Lay a layer of plastic sheeting on the ground first; it can prevent the ground from getting damp. Fill in all the uneven depressions around the edges…"
Ling Mohan's eyes gradually lit up, and his face was filled with surprise.
Those renowned engineering masters were not as good as his wife. With just a few words, she had solved a major problem.
"My wife is indeed clever, much better than those well-known but useless good-for-nothings."
Feng Jin handed Ling Mohan a cup of tea. "Since the matter is resolved, Young General, don't look so downcast."
"With my wife here, nothing is a problem."
Ling Mohan leaned against Feng Jin with a fawning expression, his tone full of flattery.
"Stop fooling around. You were going to tell me about Chu Yanxi. How did His Majesty handle the court matter?"
The matter of Chu Yanxi had been the talk of the town for the past two days. The royal family's reputation had been thoroughly disgraced.
"His Majesty was furious upon learning of this matter and ordered Chu Yanxi to be confined to his residence for reflection."
"And what about Feng Ruoyan's matter? How did His Majesty handle it?"
"His Majesty merely ordered the Minister of the Grand Court of Revision to re-examine the case. However, the Empress, upon learning of this, insisted that Feng Ruoyan had bewitched the Third Prince, leading him to commit such a grave mistake. She knelt in the imperial study without rising, begging His Majesty to retract their engagement."
"Unexpectedly, the Third Prince threatened his own life. The Empress was helpless and had no choice but to agree to the marriage, though Feng Ruoyan could only be a concubine."
"A concubine… heh…"
Feng Jin couldn't help but sneer. Feng Ruoyan and Madam Sun had schemed tirelessly to marry Chu Yanxi as the official consort, hoping to become empress in the future.
After all their machinations, they had not only lost the position of the official consort but had now been reduced to a concubine. It was truly laughable.
Harming others ultimately harms oneself. That saying was indeed true. She really wanted to see the expressions of Madam Sun and Feng Ruoyan at this moment.
"Allowing Feng Ruoyan to be a concubine was already the Empress's greatest concession. Even if the Third Prince was unwilling, he had to agree."
Ling Mohan told Feng Jin everything he had learned after several inquiries.
"Being a concubine, Feng Yuanping must have lost all face. He must regret giving birth to Feng Ruoyan. Their grand plan has fallen through, and moreover, Feng Ruoyan is now involved in a lawsuit. His Majesty has personally ordered an investigation, so Lord Wang would not dare to be negligent. We just have to wait for the final verdict."
Feng Jin could already foresee Feng Ruoyan's future fate. The Empress was narrow-minded and always indulged her only son. The daughter-in-law she favored must also be subservient and pleasing to her. How could she allow a woman who incited the Third Prince against her and defied her wishes to threaten her?
Feng Ruoyan's true torment would begin after she married the Third Prince.
...
After the imperial decree for Feng Ruoyan to marry the Third Prince as a concubine was delivered to the Prime Minister's manor, Feng Yuanping's old face turned as black as charcoal, and Madam Sun collapsed on the ground, sobbing incessantly.
Feng Ruoyan, who was recuperating in bed, got up immediately upon hearing this news and ran to Feng Yuanping, crying.
"Father, I cannot be a concubine! That Liu Menghan, born of a lowly maid, can marry the Third Prince as the official consort. I am your嫡长女 (legitimate eldest daughter), how can I be a concubine? Father, please beg His Majesty to retract the decree…"
Feng Ruoyan absolutely could not accept being a concubine. A concubine was the lowest rank of a secondary wife, no different from a bed-warming maid.
If she were to marry as a concubine, wouldn't she be bullied to death by that Liu Menghan?
"My lord, please go to the palace and beg for mercy. Let Yan'er be a secondary consort, at least."
Feng Yuanping looked coldly at the crying mother and daughter, slowly stood up, walked in front of them, and said, "Yan'er, the imperial decree has been issued. All of this is the result of your own actions. You reap what you sow, and you must bear the consequences yourself."
"Guards, pack Miss's things and send her to the Grand Court of Revision."
"Father, I won't go to the Grand Court of Revision! Father… I won't go… I won't go!"
Feng Ruoyan screamed madly. The Grand Court of Revision was a grim and terrifying place. If she went there, would she still have a chance to live?
Once she went, it would prove that she had indeed done those things.
How would the entire capital look at her then? She couldn't bear so many people pointing fingers at her.
"Father, I am your legitimate daughter. If I go to the Grand Court of Revision and become a concubine to the Third Prince, how will you maintain your dignity!"
Feng Yuanping's expression stiffened. He looked at Feng Ruoyan with fierce eyes. This was the daughter he had doted on and spoiled for years, and today she dared to threaten him.
*Slap!* With a crisp sound, Feng Ruoyan clutched her burning cheek, stunned for a moment, and looked at Madam Sun in shock.
"Mother…"
"You wretched girl, you caused your own mistake and dare to trouble your father! Get out to the Grand Court of Revision now!"
Madam Sun understood Feng Yuanping's temper very well. Feng Ruoyan's defiance just now meant a dead end for her. She had to deal with Feng Ruoyan before Feng Yuanping did.
"Mother, you… you're making me go to the Grand Court of Revision too…" Feng Ruoyan didn't understand Madam Sun's good intentions at all, believing Madam Sun was also abandoning her.
"Yan'er, what you just said is indeed true. Your going to the Grand Court of Revision as a concubine would indeed disgrace my Feng family. However, if you were a lowly庶女 (concubine's daughter) of the Feng family, becoming a concubine to the Third Prince would be your greatest honor."
Feng Ruoyan completely collapsed onto the ground, looking at Feng Yuanping incredulously, her lips trembling slightly, her eyes filled with terror.
Madam Sun also panicked, tightly grasping Feng Yuanping's robe, and tearfully pleaded, "My lord, don't you have any regard for our past affection? I was willing to be your outside consort back then and endured countless scorn. Back then, I only saved you by losing my child—it was a boy!"