The Slender Waist-Chapter 678 - 490: Feng Yun Grows Suspicious_2

She smiled faintly, walked past Chunyu Yan, and sat down at the prepared seat.

"Then I won’t keep the Princely Heir for dinner. You should go back early, sort out the account books, and we can reconcile them tomorrow."

Hmph!

Without mentioning the account books, Chunyu Yan wasn’t that angry.

But once they were mentioned, he remembered.

He had covertly taken advantage of Feng Twelve, giving her so many benefits. This heartless thing, after reviewing the account books, not a single word of thanks was expected, but she didn’t even mention it.

All his kindness had been fed to the dogs.

"Fine," Chunyu Yan, sashaying in his flowing robe, replied, his laughter extremely pleasant—as no one could discern the expression beneath his mask.

"Then, Feng Twelve, you’d better be ready."

Feng Yun hummed in acknowledgment, "You may take your leave."

Chunyu Yan was frustrated.

Where was the logic in dismissing a guest like this?

Hmph!

Chunyu Yan slightly lifted his hand and bowed, "Farewell."

Feng Yun: "I won’t see you out."

Chunyu Yan felt an itch in his teeth, flicked his sleeve, and turned to leave.

Xiang Zhong hurriedly followed, eyeing the fresh clothes and shoes the Princely Heir had put on today, and couldn’t help but sigh...

He should at least have let the Princess see what he had done for her before leaving.

Chunyu Yan suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Xiang Zhong, not paying attention, collided with him.

"Ouch!"

He crashed into Chunyu Yan’s back, his nose tingling, stars flashing before his eyes, almost shedding tears.

"Princely Heir... Are you hurt by this lowly one’s bump?"

Chunyu Yan glanced at him, said nothing, and turned coldly to walk back to Feng Yun.

"How dare you, Feng Twelve, after being away for so long, you really have nothing else to say to me?"

Feng Yun slightly knitted her brow, shaking her head.

Seeing Chunyu Yan looking like a debt collector, she slightly narrowed her eyes.

"Does the Princely Heir have something to say?"

"Yes." Chunyu Yan didn’t wait for her to finish speaking and spoke forcefully. Then, he quickly shot a look at Xiang Zhong, and said clearly:

"During the New Year festivities, I prepared fireworks but had no one to watch them with. For Lantern Festival, I made lanterns but no one appreciated them. For the Kite Festival, I made kites and had no one to fly them with..."

After speaking, he stared at Feng Yun with icy cold eyes.

Feng Yun shivered.

"So, do you have someone to accompany you for Qingming Festival to offer paper money?"

Chunyu Yan was taken aback.

He regained his composure, realizing she was teasing him.

"No. I never honor ancestors."

Feng Yun smiled, "You scared me. I thought the Princely Heir was holding a grudge, ready to sacrifice me..."

"Feng Twelve!"

Chunyu Yan’s blood boiled, that familiar feeling of being too frustrated to get angry yet unable to suppress his rage came back.

He glared at Feng Yun, nearly shooting fire from his eyes...

Feng Yun curled her lip slightly, "I’m hungry. If the Princely Heir wants to argue, kindly make another appointment."

As Chunyu Yan looked at her somewhat haggard face, all his grievances and dissatisfaction evaporated.

"Enjoy your meal. I’ll take my leave now."

Xiang Zhong squinted, observing his master looking so cheap and felt inexplicably embarrassed on his face.

Chunyu Yan left.

After Feng Yun finished her meal and came out, she saw Xiang Zhong waiting outside, accompanied by two servants and a pile of things...

Fireworks, lanterns, kites.

That was close, thankfully there was no paper string.

Xiang Zhong was quite the smooth talker, "The Princely Heir said, all these are trifles made by ourselves, not worth much, just some toys for the Princess to play with."

Gifts from the Princely Heir were not easy to refuse.

Feng Yun nodded slightly, letting her people accept them, and then selected a set of the Four Treasures of the Study from the storeroom as a return gift.

In her view, it was merely an exchange of courtesies.

Xiang Zhong, however, was thrilled, holding the gift as if he had obtained some peerless treasure and ran back to the manor.

"Princely Heir, Princely Heir..."

Then, outside Chunyu Yan’s room, he tripped over the threshold and fell flat on his face.

The inkstone broke.

The ink slab also shattered into two halves.

Xiang Zhong’s eyes widened in shock.

Chunyu Yan ground his teeth angrily, "Xiang Zhong, you are dead meat!"

-

Feng Yun had no idea about the drama unfolding next door in Yun Village.

Having had her fill, she strolled in the yard to aid digestion, glanced at the wall of Chinese roses and the rampant wild roses growing beyond the fence, and not feeling sleepy yet, summoned Xing Bing and Alou to her study to inquire about recent events.

Alou reported on internal matters within the estate.

Xing Bing’s report was about external affairs, hidden affairs.

"We did not expect the lady to return at this time. As soon as the war started, quite a few families fled Andu, heading south. Now, Andu is in a state of anxiety."

Feng Yun looked up.

"All going to Nanqi?"

Xing Bing nodded, "Yunchuan route is treacherous and inconvenient to travel to... While in Nanqi, ever since Xiao Cheng ascended the throne, it has been like a complete renewal."

Despite appearing weak in the wars of those years, opting to ally and ask for peace, Xiao Cheng actually had a knack for statecraft.

Right at the beginning of his reign, he executed a large number of old officials and then reduced the taxes, improved agriculture, developed water conservancy, favored the people’s livelihood, welcomed good suggestions, valued virtuous scholars, and after such vigorous reforms, in less than two years, Nanqi started flourishing. Despite ongoing internal and external troubles, he unprecedentedly won the praise of the populace and unity within the court.

This was beyond Feng Yun’s expectations.

In her previous life, although Xiao Cheng also made many efforts after acceding, he was nowhere as strategic and effective at governing the nation—

Feng Yun stared at the flickering lights.

A strange thought suddenly leapt to mind.

The changes in Xiao Cheng in this life, along with Pei Jue’s rebirth, suddenly gave Feng Yun a hair-raising illusion.

Could it be... Xiao Cheng also had memories of his past life?

Otherwise, why, without her help, had he managed to find and successfully turn Hu, Chu, and Han?

Why else would he favor her so greatly, a complete change from his indifference and ruthlessness in his previous life, offering both advice to return to the country and tender care? If it hadn’t been for her own rebirth, she might have been misled, thinking that Xiao Cheng’s love for her had grown deep.

How terrifying.

If he had indeed been reborn...

Then his seemingly caring attitude would be even more nauseating. It made her even more suspicious that all his kindness was ill-intended, harboring an ulterior motive.

"Alou—" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Feng Yun pondered for a moment, then turned to give a command.

"You go early tomorrow morning and invite Master Ren. Tell him I have matters to consult with him."

Alou bowed, "As you command."

Feng Yun then turned to Xing Bing.

"I’ll trouble you, Brother Xing, to make another trip to Little Jieqiu. I need to see Hou Zhun."

Xing Bing felt a chill in his heart, looking at Feng Yun’s serene face, "I understand."