The Slender Waist-Chapter 62 - 49: The Fox’s Scheme

Huan Da Lang thought about the wheat flour and eggs, feeling quite satisfied; however, not two miles out of the city, he was confronted head-on by a few thugs.

They were his creditors.

Each one emanated a murderous aura, brandishing firewood knives.

Huan Da Lang’s face turned pale with fear, and he instinctively pushed Huan Jiao forward.

"Don’t kill me, don’t kill me. I can use her to pay off the debts. How about I use my sister to pay off the debts? She is the Great General’s concubine; I assure you, you’ll be pleased... Ah..."

A spurt of fresh blood sprayed from his mouth.

Huan Da Lang looked down to see the firewood knife pierce through his chest.

Huan Jiao, terrified, widened her eyes and screamed, turning her head to flee, but the thug’s knife was faster, and she barely felt the pain before her body went limp and she quickly lost consciousness...

"What a pity, such a beautiful little charmer..."

"Idiot! Didn’t you hear what Huan Da Lang said? She is the Great General’s concubine; she saw us commit murder. Leaving her alive would spell disaster. What do you want, your life or the woman?"

"The boss is right..."

"Hurry up and pack up the valuables, let’s go!"

—

By the time Huan Jiao’s body was discovered, dusk had set in, and some kind-hearted person had even reported it to the authorities.

He Qia went to take a look, got a rough idea of the situation and then had people send the two corpses back to the Huan family, leaving it to his parents to deal with.

In times like these, countless people starve to death. There are bones in the wilderness, and no mat to collect the dead. If not for He Qia being present at the General Residence, Andu County would now be a land of chaos.

A gambler murdered over debts, wasn’t that what he deserved?

Who has the spare time to bother...

The Great General had assigned him to manage the affairs and pacify the people’s hearts, not to solve crimes.

But Huan Jiao was a person from the General Residence, so He Qia still politely requested to see Feng Yun and passed on the message.

Not for any reason other than the fact that the General had said the matters of the inner house were for her to decide.

Feng Yun thanked He Qia and instructed Alou to inform everyone else of Huan Jiao’s accidental death and took the opportunity to write a note to Pei Jue.

A few words, filled with respect and mourning.

"Thy concubine Huan Jiao met a tragic death."

She expected Pei Jue to respond as usual, either by ignoring it altogether or by sending back a "Noted," but to her surprise, Zuo Zhong hurried back from the camp, bringing her a blood-stained fox pelt and a letter.

"The fox was hunted by the General yesterday. It was hastily dealt with at the camp. The General said to make a cloak for the lady to keep warm in the winter..."

Zuo Zhong was full of excitement.

He couldn’t wait to speak volumes of good on behalf of the General.

Feng Yun gave him a look and opened the letter.

This time, there were more words than usual, still in Pei Jue’s customary writing style—forceful and scribbled.

"As the beginning of autumn approaches, yet you have the mood to add to my troubles."

The message was ambiguous.

Was killing his concubine the nuisance, or was sending the letter the nuisance?

Zuo Zhong stretched his neck, seeing the lady’s calm expression without a hint of joy, he worried for the General, so he helped put in a word.

"The General said, so far there is only the lady in the inner house. Where could there be another concubine?"

Such words, one could tell at a glance, were not spoken by Pei Jue.

Feng Yun dismissively flashed a sarcastic smile at Zuo Zhong and then called Xiaoman over.

"Take the Left Guard to eat something in the dining hall before he leaves."

Eating was important; Zuo Zhong did not refuse.

The camp’s rations were too poor, which made him quite envious of Ao Qi and Ye Chuang, who worked here. Because Feng Shi Er Niang was very good at running a household—using the same rations, she could always come up with variety, especially after opening Tianzhuang, her property seemed to never lack food.

In just a short period, those previously sluggish Meiling men, under her care, were now full of spirit; even the maids and women had healthy glowing complexions. When they went out, compared to the emaciated farmers who had fled famine, they looked like people from two entirely different worlds...

Xiaoman brought out a few wheat flour buns and a bowl of wild vegetable soup.

"Left Guard, eat while it’s still hot."

In this weather, the buns were hard to cool.

Zuo Zhong bit into one, eating with great satisfaction.

The bun was fluffier than those in the camp and had a slight sweetness, making the dough pleasantly chewy.

Then, with a sip of the soup.

Even though it was made of the same wild vegetables, the camp’s version was astringent and bitter as if for swine, while the soup from Changmen Academy’s kitchen was different—oily, salted, with eggs, fragrant and appealing.

Zuo Zhong truly wished that the General would write to Shi’er Niang every day.

Xiaoman watched him devour his food and leaned in with a low chuckle, "Left Guard, speak well of the lady in front of the General, and Xiaoman will often save some tasty treats for you."

Zuo Zhong stared at the young girl smiling from ear to ear, and it took him a long while to swallow, as he had taken too big a gulp, which left him coughing incessantly.

Xiaoman could not stop giggling.

Zuo Zhong’s face turned red.

Fortunately, the General did not acknowledge these women as his concubines, otherwise, just for the few glances he stole earlier, he probably would have endured thirty military floggings. No, fifty, or perhaps even eighty?

Before Zuo Zhong could fully contemplate this matter, Xiaoman had already cheerfully left; the lady was leaving the estate to attend to some affairs, and Xiaoman was to accompany her, something she was most eager to do.

Shi’er Niang mostly lacked the demeanor of a mistress, but when she turned fierce, she was very fierce. She was different from many people, making even the maids around her stand out, each one sharp and cunning, yet so vivid and lively.

Xiaoman asked cheerfully, "Miss, where are we going?"

Feng Yun wanted to go to Huayuejian to find Chunyu Yan and investigate the whereabouts of the Ge Guang and Ge Yi brothers, but she hadn’t figured out how to do so.

During the last kidnapping by Chunyu Yan, although she was at the center of the whirlwind and her mind was somewhat fuzzy from being poisoned, she understood that Chunyu Yan and Pei Jue had fought.

Pei Jue hadn’t mentioned the extent of their fight, but with General Pei’s dominant nature, coupled with Chunyu Yan’s obsession with saving face, the outcome was certain to be grim.

However, strangely, Chunyu Yan didn’t seek troubles afterward.

It was as if nothing had happened.

Feng Yun speculated that Pei Jue had used some kind of tactic, but she felt it wasn’t appropriate to ask him...

"Miss," Xiaoman suddenly called out to her, pointing ahead to Mingyue Alley.

"I heard that Huan Ji was caught by her brother right there."

Daman also peered forward and said, "The officers from the Hall of Political Affairs said that the death of the Huan siblings was tragic, the blood they shed had soaked into the street..."

In Andu City right now, rumors were rife, and news spread in an exaggerated fashion.

Feng Yun smiled without responding.

When they passed by the teahouse in Mingyue Alley, she glanced over.

The door was tightly closed, no one around; only a few neighboring shops were open, but none had any customers.

Since He Qia took over the administration of Andu, the livelihood of the people had slightly recovered, but major businesses were mostly in the hands of prominent households. Before the war, these families either moved south with all their members or hid to observe the situation. It was difficult to stimulate the economy with just the small business of peddlers and vendors.

"Pull down the curtain," Feng Yun instructed.

Xiaoman complied with an "oh" and turned her head, asking with a wrinkled nose:

"Why would Huan Ji go to Mingyue Alley? She didn’t know anyone from Mingyue Alley when she was at Yutangchun, so why visit this teahouse?"

Feng Yun teased, "With such curiosity, how about I send you down to investigate?"

Xiaoman quickly stuck out her tongue and held her tongue.

When the lady spoke like that, it meant she was not very pleased.

Even if she used a cheerful tone, if Xiaoman persisted, she would inevitably face reprimand.

The donkey cart quieted down; however, Feng Yun’s thoughts became active.

This teahouse seemed quite interesting...

—

Huayuejian.

Chunyu Yan lay lazily under the shade of a tree, with two maids fanning him vigorously. Upon the green bricks before him knelt about a dozen servants, each with a bruised face, punished under the blazing sun.

With a smile touching his lips yet silent, the Mountain Eagle Mask he wore exuded an eerie chill, like a grim reaper ready to claim souls at any moment...

The day General Pei had come to borrow grains, the Princely Heir had already severely punished them once.

Who would have known that the Princely Heir would then be beaten by General Pei...

And it was on the very face that the Princely Heir treasured most.

How could the Princely Heir swallow such an affront?

If he didn’t go back and hit General Pei, he would take it out on them instead.

A displeased Princely Heir would drag them out for practice. Their bodies could hardly bear it anymore, but their minds were filled with questions...

Last time, the Princely Heir said they hadn’t guarded well...

But where exactly had they failed?

The grains were willingly lent by the Princely Heir.

The beating was also duly earned by the Princely Heir.

How was it their fault when he had lent the grains and then, in a moment of whimsy, decided to kidnap Pei Jue’s mistress?

The Princely Heir’s dog-like temperament was truly reckless.

They wouldn’t mind being punished, but with his narrow-mindedness, if one day he became the Prince of Yunchuan, the century-old foundation of Yunchuan Country might be destroyed by his hands.

Kneeling under the sun, the group of servants were sweating profusely while inwardly resenting when a doorman came to report.

"Princely Heir, Feng Shi Er Niang requests to see you."

Chunyu Yan’s eyes sharpened.

She dared to come?

And to come knocking at his door?

"Let her in," Chunyu Yan instructed, his gaze slightly lifting and his laughter changing, the fierce light bursting from his eyes would make anyone shiver.

Feng Yun entered alone.

When she saw Chunyu Yan, he was busy lashing someone.

Seemingly weary from beating, he was sweating profusely and panting as he threw down the whip, resting hands on his hips, and coldly sneered at her.

"What are you here for? To die?"

As the servants heard the Princely Heir’s mood turn volatile again, they trembled nervously.

Unexpectedly, the gentle and delicate lady seemed oblivious to the Princely Heir’s anger, glanced at the servants kneeling in the sunlight, showed a moment of surprise, and then greeted with a smile.

"I am here to apologize to the Princely Heir," she said.