The Slender Waist-Chapter 789 - 561: The Will of Heaven Cannot Be Defied

Chapter 789: Chapter 561: The Will of Heaven Cannot Be Defied

Feng Yun did not go to the execution ground.

Early in the morning, Wen Xingsu visited the residence.

The siblings hadn’t seen each other for a while. Feng Yun warmly entertained him, ordering tea, fresh fruits, and snacks to be prepared. She accompanied him in the garden’s waterside pavilion.

This season was the height of blooming flowers. The light breeze carried the fragrance of blossoms, making the atmosphere exceptionally pleasant.

Feng Yun brushed her sleeves and poured tea for Wen Xingsu.

"Elder brother, you came alone. Why haven’t I seen sister-in-law?"

Wen Xingsu observed her expression for a moment. Seeing that she wasn’t affected by Feng Jingyao’s imminent execution, he let out a quiet sigh of relief and smiled:

"The Princess Chang went to Jingxin Temple yesterday to pray for His Majesty. Ping’an accompanied her mother on a journey and will return in three days."

Rumors regarding the new Emperor’s strange illness had been spreading through both the court and the common folk recently. Everywhere, people were probing for news. Pei Jue, however, returned to the residence without saying much.

Feng Yun hadn’t gone to the palace to visit the Emperor. Instead, she privately called in Yao Ru to inquire, gathering some general details.

"The Princess Chang is quite thoughtful." Feng Yun smiled faintly and looked at Wen Xingsu. "Doctor Yao said His Majesty’s health is fine, and the illness is merely in his heart. Elder brother, do you know what His Majesty’s heart ailment might be?"

She had never been guarded in her conversations with Wen Xingsu.

Wen Xingsu took a sip of tea from his cup, slowly raised his gaze, and said:

"It’s because of the Defense Map."

"The Defense Map?" Feng Yun was surprised.

Wen Xingsu didn’t answer directly but instead softly asked, "Why would there be a Defense Map in the Yonghuai Royal Residence? Yaoyao, do you know?"

Regarding the Defense Map, after Pei Jue’s birthday banquet, many different theories arose.

But there was one point on which everyone miraculously agreed—no one believed that Duan Wu was capable of stealing the Defense Map.

Thus, there was only one possibility: The Defense Map was already in the Pei Residence, and Feng Ya, who happened to be staying there, had the convenience to steal it. Hence, her clandestine meeting in the side chamber with the map seemed entirely plausible.

Feng Yun understood Wen Xingsu’s implication.

Her eyelids lowered slightly, and she shook her head.

"To be honest, Elder Brother, neither the Prince nor I know why the Defense Map ended up with Duan Wu. Duan Wu has also refused to explain."

Wen Xingsu gave her a glance and said, "Duan Wu is being executed today."

Feng Yun responded with a light hum and slowly raised her gaze, smiling, "He’s a loyal servant of Nanqi. He will reveal what he must, and conceal what he should. Such a person holds no further use alive."

Seeing Wen Xingsu’s brows furrow deeper, she smiled faintly and asked:

"Could it be that Elder Brother also thinks the Defense Map issue is related to the Prince and me?"

Wen Xingsu’s dark eyes became solemn, and he said calmly, "What I think doesn’t matter. What His Majesty thinks is what matters..."

The waterside pavilion fell into dead silence.

A gust of wind swept through.

The air was cold and suffused with a sense of killing intent.

Feng Yun stared at Wen Xingsu for a long time.

The two of them had grown up together. Often, their thoughts didn’t need to be spoken aloud to be understood.

But after a moment of silence, Feng Yun spoke, "Elder Brother, please speak plainly."

Wen Xingsu set down his tea cup, considered carefully, and then said:

"The Princess Chang entered the palace to meet His Majesty. The siblings talked for an hour, and His Majesty revealed that his heart ailment is connected to the Prince of Yonghuai..."

Feng Yun chuckled softly and shook her head with indifference, "Will His Majesty truly fall ill from suspecting that the Prince stole the Defense Map?"

Wen Xingsu pursed his lips slightly, his smile carrying a trace of deeper meaning, "The specifics of His Majesty’s statement were not fully disclosed by the Princess Chang to Ping’an, so I cannot confirm. I only heard Ping’an mention... His Majesty pleaded with the Princess to let him go..."

"Let him go?"

Feng Yun’s gaze halted, her brows lifting slightly. "His Majesty is the ruler of the realm, commanding the entire world. Isn’t such a statement absurd?"

Wen Xingsu nodded lightly and said softly, "It is said that His Majesty was frightened, that he feigned illness to avoid attending court. He even declared that he would abdicate the throne to the Prince of Yonghuai..."

Abdication?

Feng Yun’s heart contracted.

The afternoon sunlight stretched into the waterside pavilion, sprinkling across Wen Xingsu’s young and handsome face, glaringly bright. Feng Yun looked on, her vision momentarily blurred.

She knew Yuan Yin was timid.

Back when he was ordered to attack Yecheng, his terror on the battlefield had reduced him to trembling, earning him ridicule among the Northern Yong Army.

And before his ascension to the throne, Pei Jue had specifically imprisoned his son?

"Ha."

Feng Yun chuckled.

Her low voice bore neither joy nor anger.

"What did the Princess Chang say?"

Wen Xingsu quietly studied Feng Yun.

The silence dragged, and the air grew stale.

After a moment, faint sighs could be heard.

"The Princess Chang has gone to great lengths to preserve her Yuan family’s empire. How would she agree to such a request? She believes the Emperor is possessed and went to Jingxin Temple to seek the luminous treasure mirror from the abbot."

Who in the world wouldn’t want to be Emperor?

No wonder the Princess Chang suspected Emperor Wenzhi had lost his mind.

Feng Yun looked at Wen Xingsu and lazily asked, "Elder Brother, do you suspect that the Defense Map issue was orchestrated by Pei Jue intentionally to intimidate His Majesty?"

Wen Xingsu shook his head, the corners of his lips carrying a gentle smile.

"I cannot make such claims. I only know that if the Prince of Yonghuai ascends to the throne, the lands of Dajin will surpass their current prosperity, flourishing boundlessly..."

Feng Yun: "Then it will no longer be Dajin’s territory."

Wen Xingsu paused, then smiled, "That’s true."

With that, he inclined his head slightly, his expression steady, "My words from years past still hold. Having joined the Jin Camp, I will solely follow the Prince of Yonghuai."

Wen Xingsu’s statement eased Feng Yun’s tension.

No matter whose hands created the Defense Map, at this critical juncture, her elder brother remaining on her side was paramount.

As for other matters, they were Pei Jue’s burden to bear.

-

Pei Jue returned only after Wen Xingsu had taken his leave from the residence.

He summoned Feng Yun, handing her the list of gifts from the birthday banquet.

"The Princess said that these things shouldn’t be handled by her. You should keep them. If you truly don’t want to deal with them, just pile them in the storage and leave them there."

Feng Yun smiled slightly, signaling Xiaoman to take the items away, "Who would complain about having too much money? Since the Princess isn’t handling them, they’re mine now."

Seeing Pei Jue remain silent, she lowered her gaze again and spoke with admirable deference,

"I am the Chief Historian of the Royal Mansion. These matters fall within my duties, and I bear no intent to shirk. Handing them to the Princess was simply out of respect..."

This was an explanation.

A rare explanation from Feng Yun.

Pei Jue glanced at her and nodded.

He had no intention of saying more, his gaze drifting lightly.

"Your elder brother visited?"

Feng Yun hummed lightly. Noticing servants present in the room, she gestured for them to leave. Once they had all retreated, she sat beside Pei Jue and relayed Wen Xingsu’s words one by one.

Unexpectedly, after hearing them, Pei Jue frowned, "I already know."

Feng Yun had thought this was a monumental secret. But seeing the penetrating clarity in Pei Jue’s gaze, she picked up her cooled tea, took a sip, steadied herself, and smiled:

"This event truly defies explanation. It’s quite bizarre that a Defense Map could lead to a request to abdicate? Too timid, don’t you think? Besides, the Prince hasn’t really crossed any boundaries with him."

Pei Jue didn’t reply.

The room fell quiet for a moment before he said:

"I didn’t cross any boundaries, but someone did."

Feng Yun was startled, "Who?"

Pei Jue’s dark eyes were deep, "The day I visited the palace, His Majesty dismissed everyone, leaving only me in the Imperial Presence. He poured out his grievances, saying he wasn’t a wise and capable ruler who could govern the nation. He expressed willingness to abdicate the throne to me, as long as his family could live safely and unharmed..."

These words were strange.

Even though Pei Jue held great military power, the line between ruler and subject wasn’t easily overturned. Moreover, the imperial clan wasn’t entirely in decline—at least the Princess Chang still held the family’s dignity. How could Emperor Wenzhi easily relinquish the throne?

Feng Yun asked, "When did you ever endanger his family’s lives?"

Pei Jue’s lips curled into a cold smile, "When I inspected the Defense Map today, I faintly caught a whiff of a peculiar fragrance..."

"Fragrance? What kind of fragrance?"

"Snow Plum Makeup."

Feng Yun froze slightly, her brows lifting ever so faintly.

Snow Plum Makeup was a scent that nowadays only Li Sangruo carried.

And Li Sangruo had been confined in the palace all this time. She had no opportunity to steal the Defense Map, let alone hide it on Duan Wu...

There was only one person capable of approaching Li Sangruo and possessing the skill to orchestrate such a delicate deception.

Feng Yun said, "Tang Shaogong?"

Pei Jue’s face darkened.

Feng Yun calmly glanced at him.

"What does the Prince intend?"

Whether Tang Shaogong was truly a remnant loyalist of the Xie Family Army, his actions were aimed at elevating Pei Jue. But did he have another motive? For Pei Jue, the supreme throne was already within reach.

As long as Pei Jue dared to take that step, the world as they knew it would be upturned...

Pei Jue reached out, pulling her by the waist.

"Are you afraid?"

A breeze stirred, lifting Feng Yun’s hair. The quiet fire burning in her eyes spilled out through her smile.

"I’m not afraid."

She slowly leaned her head against Pei Jue’s shoulder, gazing at the swarm of tireless moths under the eaves.

"If destiny is unyielding, I will follow it."