Chapter 10: Farce
Consort Xu, Xu Huayi, was the Empress Dowager’s niece and the daughter of the Xu family’s patriarch. Born into the direct line, she had been doted on since childhood, getting whatever she wanted, which had cultivated a spoiled and willful nature.
Wen Ning’an had heard the servants gossip that Feng Qi had also utterly detested this woman in the past, simply because she was too clueless and proud—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she was foolish. What Feng Qi hated most was when others defied him, so naturally, he had no good feelings for Xu Huayi, who, with her willful and reckless behavior, often offended him without meaning to.
“Greetings, Consort Xu.” Wen Ning’an bowed slightly.
Xu Huayi glanced at Xingxing in Wen Ning’an’s arms. “This one was just passing by and heard a wolf’s howl. So it was this little thing.”
Xu Huayi was very beautiful, with supple skin, a small mouth, and a petite and delicate frame. She could be described as youthful and vibrant, bright and charming.
“However, what sort of decorum is it to bring such a dangerous beast into the Emperor’s bedchamber? If His Majesty is injured, who will be responsible!”
Wen Ning’an held Xingxing a little tighter to prevent the naive little thing from struggling out of his arms, and said lightly, “Then what does Consort Xu intend to do?”
Xu Huayi raised her head haughtily. “Hand this little beast over to this one for discipline.”
Wen Ning’an understood now. Xu Huayi had always liked raising birds, cats, dogs, and other small animals. Now that she saw he had a wolf cub, she found it novel and wanted it for herself.
However, leaving aside the fact that Xu Huayi was not good to her pets—he had heard the servants say that when she was in a bad mood, she would even take it out on these small animals—even if she were, Wen Ning’an would not hand over the Xingxing that Feng Qi had given him.
Not to mention, this person was part of Feng Qi’s harem. Wen Ning’an admitted that he could not face these nominal partners of Feng Qi with a calm heart and without any reservations.
Wen Ning’an nodded slightly. “This is this subordinate’s beloved pet. I am unwilling to part with it. Please forgive this subordinate for being unable to comply.”
Hearing this, a maid beside Xu Huayi immediately put her hands on her hips and shouted, “Insolent! How dare you disobey Her Ladyship? Her Ladyship is our Emperor’s beloved consort!”
Wen Ning’an sneered inwardly.
Seeing Wen Ning’an stand his ground, Xu Huayi turned to the maid. “Bi’er, go and get it for me.”
The maid, Bi’er, immediately stepped forward, intending to snatch Xingxing from Wen Ning’an’s arms.
Wen Ning’an was a general. To fight with an unarmed, weak woman who knew no martial arts was not the act of a gentleman and would only give people something to gossip about. Therefore, Wen Ning’an simply held Xingxing tighter. Someone would naturally help him. The people Feng Qi had left behind were all sharp-witted.
Sure enough, one of the taller maids behind Wen Ning’an immediately stepped forward and tried to pull Bi’er away.
Xu Huayi’s eyes widened. She had not expected Feng Qi’s people to help Wen Ning’an.
Didn’t Father say that the Emperor and General Wen were on bad terms, that the general had suffered a lot of hardship from the Emperor? After all, their relationship had been strained for two years. Even if it seemed to have improved recently, it couldn’t have improved that much. Perhaps the Emperor just wanted to take back Wen Ning’an’s Left Army.
During the standoff between Wen Ning’an and Bi’er, Xingxing was pulled until it hurt. Annoyed, it stood up in Wen Ning’an’s arms and bit Bi’er fiercely.
“Ah—”
Tears streamed down Bi’er’s face from the pain. She clutched her bleeding hand and stumbled back several steps.
“Your Ladyship…”
Seeing the bright red blood, Xu Huayi’s face turned pale with fright. Bi’er was her dowry maid, and they were like sisters. Furthermore, how dare Wen Ning’an order a wolf cub to make her lose face and challenge her status and authority! It was… unforgivable!
In her fear and anger, Xu Huayi turned and ordered her eunuchs and the Xu family guards to seize Xingxing from Wen Ning’an’s arms.
“Kill—kill that beast for me!”
The men behind Xu Huayi rushed towards Wen Ning’an. At the same time, Xu Huayi had her servants unleash a dog that was behind them.
Only then did Wen Ning’an realize that Xu Huayi had also brought her own dog.
After receiving the beast tamer’s command, the large dog let out a low growl with a “woof” and also charged at Wen Ning’an.
Wen Ning’an sighed helplessly. If Xu Huayi ordered her servants to attack, it was self-defense. Even if it were investigated, the fault would lie with the servants who acted, not her. However, if he, a general with heavy military power, acted without permission in the Emperor’s bedchamber, it would be considered rebellion, and he could also be charged with harming the Emperor’s family.
Thus, Wen Ning’an simply held Xingxing and dodged. The inner palace eunuchs were nothing to worry about, but most of the Xu family guards were skilled in martial arts, so he had to be cautious.
Other than the Emperor, no other men were allowed in the inner palace, so these guards were all women, specially trained by the Xu family for the Empress Dowager and Xu Huayi. They served as both maids and guards. Although they were women, their martial arts were in no way inferior to men’s, and they even had more agility. They were truly women who were no less capable than men.
And although it was one against many, Wen Ning’an didn’t have a single scratch on him. His long white robe remained unstained.
Seeing Xu Huayi’s large dog chasing Wen Ning’an, Xingxing, in his arms, was eager to show off in front of his new master. With an “awoo,” it broke free from Wen Ning’an’s embrace and pounced on the large dog’s back.
…
The next moment, Xingxing was yelping miserably under the large dog’s paw.
Wen Ning’an: “…”
Neither I nor Feng Qi are stupid, right? Why is our pet so… hard to describe?
“Awooo—”
Wen Ning’an had no choice but to leap in front of the large dog and snatch Xingxing away. To protect Xingxing, his arm was bitten by the dog. Fortunately, he dodged quickly, and the wound wasn’t deep, just a light graze from the dog’s sharp teeth.
“He’s over there! Hurry up and catch him!” Xu Huayi stomped her foot on the side, annoyed at her subordinates’ incompetence.
Suddenly, the eunuchs and guards all stopped in their tracks.
An eerie silence fell over the surroundings. Everyone stood frozen in place as if they were bewitched.
Xu Huayi didn’t understand. “What’s wrong?”
Bi’er, her face pale, made a gesture towards Xu Huayi. Xu Huayi turned her head abruptly and saw Feng Qi standing behind her with a dark expression. Not only was Fu Che standing beside him, but also one of the maids who had been in the garden, standing behind Wen Ning’an. It seemed this clever maid had gone to report the news.
“Gree-greetings, Your Majesty!”
Feng Qi’s face was terrifying at this moment, and the cold aura around him sent a chill down one’s spine. He was not to be provoked, let alone angered. At this moment, Feng Qi was just looking at Xu Huayi with a blank expression, but his presence was so overwhelming that she couldn’t stop trembling.
“Your Majesty, General Wen, he—he let that beast bite my maid!” Xu Huayi put on a pitiful, tearful expression and even pulled Bi’er’s blood-covered hand in front of Feng Qi.
With tears in her eyes, Xu Huayi continued, “Your Majesty, that beast injured Bi’er’s hand like this. It’s clear that it’s an untamed wild animal. This one was worried that Your Majesty would be hurt by it, so I wanted to capture it and wait for Your Majesty’s judgment. But who knew that General Wen would resist and attack my subordinates in the palace without permission…”
Wen Ning’an frowned. “Your Majesty, please let me explain.”
Feng Qi waved his hand. “No need to explain.”
A chill ran through Wen Ning’an’s heart. Why…
Before Xu Huayi could rejoice, she saw Feng Qi walk over to Wen Ning’an and frown at his arm. “What happened to your hand? Are you injured?”
Wen Ning’an looked at the heartache in Feng Qi’s eyes, not knowing how to react.
Did that “no need to explain” mean…
Feng Qi grabbed Wen Ning’an’s hand and pulled up his long sleeve to check the injury. After seeing the teeth marks on Wen Ning’an’s arm, Feng Qi asked doubtfully, “This…”
Seeing Feng Qi turn to look at him, Fu Che pointed to the large dog not far away. “Replying to Your Majesty, it was probably caused by that dog.”
As soon as these words were spoken, Wen Ning’an and Fu Che felt Feng Qi change instantly.
His previously expressionless face was now filled with a towering rage! It was as if a violent storm was raging in his eyes, ready to devour someone at any moment. His expression was fierce, his hands clenched into fists, cracking audibly.
In his past life…
In his past life, Wen Ning’an had…
How dare Xu Huayi… How dare she!
Feng Qi felt as if his head and heart were about to explode. He couldn’t help but think of how Wen Ning’an had died in his past life. Just thinking about it made him feel like he was going crazy!
“Xu Huayi!”
In an instant, everyone in the garden except Wen Ning’an knelt down, trembling and shouting, “Your Majesty, calm your anger!”
Seeing Feng Qi’s sudden and drastic change, as if he were engulfed in scorching flames, Wen Ning’an also felt a little uneasy, and he couldn’t understand what Feng Qi was so angry about.
Feng Qi felt the hand he was holding tremble. Looking at Wen Ning’an, who didn’t dare to meet his eyes, he felt as if fuel had been added to the fire.
“Xu Huayi acted without permission in the palace, causing trouble and injuring a high minister. Strip her of her title and throw her into the Exposure Chamber! Chen Bi’er committed insubordination by attempting to attack a high minister. Grant her death by strangulation! That dog… tear it to pieces for me! All of Xu Huayi’s attendants, kill them all for me!”
Fu Che, standing at the side, stared wide-eyed, not daring to have the edict written.
This was… this was…
This was not an emperor, this was a madman!
“Your Majesty, just because of this… because of this… you’re sending this one to the Cold Palace? And even starting a massacre?” Xu Huayi knelt on the ground in disbelief. Bi’er was wailing, her cries heart-wrenching, and the others were kowtowing, begging Feng Qi to spare their lives.
Feng Qi sneered, gritting his teeth. “You should be glad that I didn’t have you killed like the others, or torn to pieces! You should be glad that your name has a ‘Xu’ in front of it.”
“Your Majesty!” Wen Ning’an knelt down. “I beg Your Majesty to reconsider!”
Feng Qi roared, “You too defy me? Who do you think I’m doing all this for? For whom! Huh?”
Wen Ning’an suppressed his fear, looked up, and met Feng Qi’s gaze earnestly. “If Your Majesty is truly doing this for me, then please don’t. Does Your Majesty want me to be pointed at by a thousand fingers, blamed by ten thousand people, and become a treacherous minister or an evil demon who brings disaster to the country and incites the Emperor to slaughter at will?”
“If anyone says that, I will go and kill them!”
Wen Ning’an shouted, “Then how many people does Your Majesty want to kill, how many sins do you want me to bear before you are satisfied?! Kill everyone in Bei Miao, the entire world?! Is our relationship to be built on so much blood?”
Feng Qi was stunned, a chill running through his heart.
“Yixin…”
Feng Qi looked around at the people prostrating on the ground, begging him for mercy, trembling, crying, and afraid.
“Heh…”
Feng Qi lowered his head and smiled bitterly.
“Strip Xu Huayi of her title and confine her for three months of reflection. The rest… scram.”
Xu Huayi could only cry, “Thank—thank you, Your Majesty, for your great favor!”
After the crowd had dispersed, Wen Ning’an remained kneeling on the ground.
“The ground is cold. Get up…”
Feng Qi had Fu Che summon the imperial physician to bandage Wen Ning’an’s wound, and then he left the bedchamber. Wen Ning’an didn’t dare to ask where he was going.
After this incident, Wen Ning’an finally understood how much Feng Qi truly valued him. It wasn’t a whim, but an all-consuming, couldn’t-lose-him kind of importance. Along with satisfaction and peace of mind came fear.
After this incident, Feng Qi also understood how terrifying he was, and why Wen Ning’an had never, ever been able to completely let down his guard and rely on him wholeheartedly. He was always guessing, accommodating, considering…
He should have realized it long ago. All of this was his own problem.
In the Imperial Study, Feng Qi looked at the chessboard before him. A dead end.
Click.
No regrets after placing a stone. Feng Qi held a black stone, rubbing it slowly. Take it slow. I can always fight my way out, and win.
