NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17: The Spring Festival
“No, this is wrong! I’m innocent!” shrieked Feng Eu Heng as Sun Rong Shu’s guard stepped forward to detain her. “Su Jing Fei set me up! You have to believe me!”
“Xiaojie!” cried the yatou Shan as her xiaojie was forcibly taken from her grasp. “Our xiaojie is innocent! Please! Er xiaojie!” The yatou sobbed, trying to grab ahold of Feng Eu Heng as she was being pulled away by the city justice official’s men.
“This city justice official will send someone to the city lord’s manor to inform the Feng family of the circumstances that took place today.” Sun Rong Shu spoke with a sigh, feeling tired from wasting his time settling such a childish dispute. While he knew of the Feng family’s troublesome nature in throwing around power, Sun Rong Shu was actually surprised by the Right Prime Minister’s da xiaojie Su Jing Fei. He wasn’t one for listening to gossips, but his wife had mentioned to him about the matters within the imperial city that caused Su Jing Fei to come to Fuo Lan. He was initially prepared to deal with a lot more trouble, but Su Jing Fei’s demeanor had really contradicted her infamous reputation. Her calculative words were polite yet cut straight to the point. It was easy to have one’s guard thrown off when facing such an unassuming young woman, and he was just a bit wary of her sharp yet calm nature.
“This lowly one thanks the city justice official for taking his time to come by to settle this matter.” Su Jing Fei bowed respectfully before the older man.
“This one is merely doing his job,” replied Sun Rong Shu stiffly. He honestly didn’t know how to deal with people like Su Jing Fei. “We’ll be taking our leave then.” He turned around to command all the servants as they all left as quickly as they had come.
Su Jing Fei watched the older man leave, stepping forward to take ahold of the altered robe that had been left behind. She was lucky that the Sun Rong Shu was a critical and meticulous man; otherwise, she wasn’t sure if he’d notice the small difference in the clothing like she had. However, she also knew that his honest and upright nature would definitely be wary of her own peculiar nature. She knew she could’ve put up a better facade, but somehow, it seemed like Sun Rong Shu would’ve seen right through her act. So she’d chosen not to act at all. At least, it turned out for the best and Feng Eu Heng was sitting prettily in jail for the time being. Su Jing Fei knew the act of detaining the Feng xiaojie was no real criminal conviction, but it was satisfying to see nonetheless.
“Da xiaojie, it’s getting late. We should return home soon. Da Chun and the others must be worried.” Mu Tan remarked quietly at Su Jing Fei’s side, having noticed her xiaojie’s quiet reflection.
“Yes, you’re right.” Su Jing Fei agreed, quickly wrapping things up so that they could head home. She gave all the workers the rest of the day off, and she also spoke briefly with the shopkeeper to give her a few days of rest time due to the rather traumatic nature of almost being whipped to death. However, the shopkeeper was extremely grateful for Su Jing Fei’s intervention and wanted to repay her; they eventually settled on having the shopkeeper take the next day off before returning to work.
They returned to Mudan-yu quickly and were greeted by very worried and nervous expressions. Su Jing Fei took the initiative to explain, hoping to appease her younger sister’s worries. “The city justice official is an upright and honest man, and he was able to see through Feng Eu Heng’s scheme. There’s no need to worry about her causing trouble for us again. She’s most likely learned her lesson by now.”
Da Chun was seated at a table with Su Jing Fei as food was being set out. Her expression still showed concern for her sister. “The Feng family are very powerful here in Fuo Lan… This one hopes jie jie can be careful around them. They are not good people.” The young girl fiddled nervously with her fingers, looking just a bit afraid.
“I will be careful,” Su Jing Fei promised with a warm smile. “The Feng family may have power here in Fuo Lan, but they cannot do anything openly without receiving judgment from the city justice official.”
“Yes, but what will jie jie do now that Feng Eu Heng has been sent to jail due to the dispute at Lanhua?” Da Chun asked worriedly. “Will you still go to the Feng family’s spring festival celebration?”
“I have already accepted their invitation. It is common courtesy to show one’s face once already committed,” Su Jing Fei replied as the servants finally finished setting the table with food. “I am happy for your worry over me, but there is no need. Come, let us eat and then you can show me how to sew a bit before night falls.”
Da Chun sighed, but she knew her sister was a very capable person. After being rescued from Xia-Wu, her sister has been nothing but kind and gentle towards such a simple and naive girl like herself. She couldn’t help but worry about her strong and brave sister, and Da Chun was well aware that the Feng family will not leave them alone no matter what. The least she could do was worry and warn her sister while spending as much time together as they could to make up for lost time. She was genuinely happy with Su Jing Fei in Mudan-yu, and she thanked the ancestors for answering her prayers.
Su Jing Fei saw Da Chen eating happily, and she couldn’t help smile at the sight of it. Although she had planned to live a peaceful life in Fuo Lan, she knew that she had to show face to the Feng family and let them know that their tyranny will not break apart her family any more. She’d have to be very careful when attending the spring festival celebration; there was no doubt that the Feng family would seek revenge for Feng Eu Heng’s ruined reputation. She just hoped that all her preparations for the spring festival celebration will prove useful.
Over the next few days, Su Jing Fei showed Da Chun the three businesses, so the two young women took many trips in and out of Mudan-yu; they explored Fuo Lan as well, seeming almost inseparable to everyone. However, on the morning of the spring festival banquet, Su Jing Fei sat alone at her dresser while carefully preparing for her entrance into Fuo Lan noble society. So far, she hadn’t interacted with any noble families despite having been in Fuo Lan for a few months now; no invitations and no boring parties for her, luckily. But this was an event that she couldn’t miss, and she couldn’t avoid interacting with others so she had to be meticulously dressed the part of a young noblewoman.
The yatou helped their xiaojie into a plain purplish blue spring clothes that had been prepared by Lanhua; it was a surprising choice for their young xiaojie because the colors and design were quite old-fashioned, unlike the bright pinks and yellows that most young xiaojie wore. However, they were pleasantly pleased with their hard work when Su Jing Fei sat before them. Her long black hair was made up and pinned with the unique pin darts that Su Jing Fei were quite fond of. Although Su Jing Fei’s clothes were quite plain, she had quite a pleasant and appealing appearance.
“Are you sure you want to wear those clothes, da xiaojie?” Xiao Chen inquired as she finished touching up Su Jing Fei’s hair.
“Yes,” replied Su Jing Fei with a smile. “This one think these clothes are quite suitable for me.”
The yatou observed their xiaojie closely before agreeing that she was quite right. Su Jing Fei’s old-fashioned clothing only enhanced her calm and refined appearance without being too bright or eye-catching.
“Have Si Qiang prepare the carriage.” Su Jing Fei said as she stood up. She had originally planned to bid Da Chun farewell, but since it was so early in the morning, she had decided to let the young girl sleep in for the day. With Yize at her side, Su Jing Fei quietly left Mudan-yu and headed to the Feng family’s residence near the lake. To her knowledge, the Feng family owned quite a few residences in Fuo Lan. It was a rather wasteful show of wealth and power in Su Jing Fei’s opinion, however. Su Jing Fei closed her eyes to rest a little bit, but it wasn’t long before she was awakened by the sound of Si Qiang’s voice.
“Da xiaojie, we’ve arrived,” Si Qiang said from outside the carriage. “However, there appears to be a long line of carriages leading up to the residence.”
As the carriage slowed down, Su Jing Fei lifted the ends of the window curtains to observe outside as they slowly approached the Feng family residence. There seemed to be quite a lot of noble families in attendance today. Men and women entered the residence in their separate entrances, so Su Jing Fei’s carriage geared towards the left side of the residence where the women gathered. As they finally approached the carriage, Si Qiang stopped the carriage to help his xiaojie. Su Jing Fei carefully stepped down from the carriage with Yize following close behind. Her gaze swept across the crowd of women who seemed curious of the unfamiliar xiaojie who had just arrived.
“Stay close, Yize.” Su Jing Fei remarked quietly as Si Qiang left them to move the carriage. The young yatou looked a bundle of nerves, but she managed to relax a little as she stepped behind Su Jing Fei’s figure, away from the prying eyes of the women who watched them closely. They were in unfamiliar territory now, and she knew that as soon as she walked into the residence, the Feng family would no doubt begin their schemes of revenge against her.
Su Jing Fei walked forward and into the crowd, but a servant suddenly ran up to greet her. “This lowly one greets xiaojie and welcomes her to the Feng family residence. May this lowly one ask which family the xiaojie comes from?” All the other women had not been stopped, but that was understandable since the Feng family’s servants most likely did not recognize her.
“This is the da xiaojie of the Right Prime Minister’s Su family.” Yize stepped up to announce her xiaojie.
The servant gave a look of surprise before quickly bowing low before Su Jing Fei. “This lowly one apologizes for his rudeness!” Despite his words, he did not step aside to let her past. “This lowly one was instructed to bring Su xiaojie to meet the Feng furens and da xiaojie.”
It appeared that the women of the Feng family were quite eager to meet her. “This one will follow. Please lead the way.” Su Jing Fei replied calmly as the servant began leading them through the crowd of women. They entered a large garden backyard where the women lingered to admire spring flowers; deeper into the garden, a seating area had been setup to receive guests. A grand table and seats were placed on a raised platform next to the general seating area, and there was no doubt that this was where the women of the Feng family seated themselves.
“The da xiaojie of the Right Prime Minister’s Su family has arrived!” announced the servant as he stepped forward and bowed before his masters.
The women at the table stopped talking, their gazes sizing up Su Jing Fei as she stepped forward to give her proper greetings. “I am Su Jing Fei, da xiaojie of the Su family. This one greets the Feng family furens and xiaojie.”
An older woman looked at Su Jing Fei with unconcealed contempt, but it was the middle-aged woman who spoke first. “This one greets Su xiaojie and thanks her for coming to attend the spring festival celebrations. I am Zhao shi, furen of the first son’s family.” The woman smiled and spoke politely.
Su Jing Fei’s eyes darkened for just a moment. If she was the furen of the first son’s family, then that meant she was Feng Ruo Qian’s wife! Su Jing Fei bowed respectfully, tilting her head down to conceal her emotions. “This one thanks the Feng family for their hospitality.”
“Su xiaojie is too polite,” Zhao shi said with a light laugh. “Quite unlike my youngest daughter Feng Eu Heng who only likes to cause trouble. This one hopes Su xiaojie does not take the matters to heart. Feng Eu Heng is only a child after all.”
The woman did not waste any time in throwing out the matter of Feng Eu Heng. If Feng Eu Heng was a child, then wasn’t she as well? If the outcome of Feng Eu Heng’s scheme had implicated Su Jing Fei, they would surely not say the same thing.“There is no need for Furen to worry,” Su Jing Fei replied with a smile. “It was merely a misunderstanding. This one is happy to know that Furen is so kind and understanding.”
“Pah!” The older woman sitting further back made a sound of disgust. Clearly, she wasn’t quite so ready to play nice with Su Jing Fei in front of everyone.
“Please forgive my mother-in-law,” spoke Zhao shi with a small smile. “She dotes on Eu Heng quite often and was very upset about the incident.”
“It is no trouble.” Su Jing Fei replied politely. So the older woman was the Feng Lao Furen and the city lord’s wife. She looked to be quite an unreasonable and haughty woman, but Su Jing Fei knew that the real trouble would lie with Zhao shi. A woman who was married to a man like Feng Ruo Qian was no simple woman.
“Since Su xiaojie is new to Fuo Lan, you must be quite unfamiliar with the noble families. If Su xiaojie does not mind, my eldest daughter can introduce you to a few xiaojie from noble families.” Zhao shi suggested just as a young woman stepped forward.
The young woman had quite a beautiful appearance with her small face and porcelain skin; her delicate features seemed soft and kind, and her gentle voice complemented such an appearance. “I am Feng Eu Mei, da xiaojie of the first son’s family. This one hopes Su xiaojie will allow me to introduce you to some of my friends.”
“This one thanks Feng xiaojie for her kindness.” Su Jing Fei responded with a respectful bow.
Zhao shi urged them to go mingle, and Feng Eu Mei took the initiative to lead Su Jing Fei away from the seating area and back to the large garden. Once they entered the garden, Feng Eu Mei slowed down to walk beside Su Jing Fei, chatting in a friendly manner. They talked about useless things like clothing and jewelry, and Feng Eu Mei inquired a bit about the imperial city since she’d never been there before. However, it wasn’t long before their conversation was interrupted by a group of xiaojie who approached them. They greeted Feng Eu Mei politely and looked at Su Jing Fei curiously.
“Who is this xiaojie?” asked one of the women in a rather rude tone.
“This is the da xiaojie of the Su family. Her father is the Right Prime Minister.” Feng Eu Mei responded quickly.
The women who were all initially curious turned to look at Su Jing Fei with haughty expressions, some giggled and whispered quietly. “This one heard that Su xiaojie used to be engaged with the third prince Chen Hui Zhe?” One of them asked. They suddenly began throwing questions at Su Jing Fei, not caring for her answers as they conversed among themselves.
“But the third prince didn’t want her and instead protected the shu daughter of the Minister of Justice’s Jiang family!”
“So Su xiaojie is just a castaway and used woman then?”
The women all laughed and continued talking. Su Jing Fei glanced at Feng Eu Mei who still kept her kind expression and smile but said nothing. If this was all the Feng family had in store for her, she had severely overestimated them; as they had underestimated her it seemed. If these xiaojie wanted to gossip in front of her, of course she had not choice but to join in. Su Jing Fei turned to Feng Eu Mei with a smile. “Speaking of imperial princes, this one does recall that the Feng er xiaojie mentioned catching the eye of an imperial prince. Does the Feng da xiaojie know anything of the matter?”
For just a brief moment, Feng Eu Mei’s face turned a bit red, but Su Jing Fei couldn’t tell if it was from embarrassment or anger. “Feng Eu Heng is still just a child and is merely speaking nonsense.”
“That’s right!” chimed one of the woman. “Feng Eu Heng is dreaming if she thinks the imperial prince Li Wei Sheng would favor her over Feng Eu Mei. Eu Mei is a thousand times more talented than any other xiaojie in Fuo Lan.”
“Everyone is too kind,” Feng Eu Mei blushed, turning away shyly. “This one has only met the imperial prince a few times!”
Su Jing Fei wanted to laugh at Feng Eu Mei’s contradictory words; one moment the women were insulting Su Jing Fei and in the next, they were praising Feng Eu Mei. That was truly a biased kindness. However, Su Jing Fei was quite curious about the latter statement. If Li Wei Sheng had met with Feng Eu Mei, then he’d definitely met with Feng Ruo Qian as himself prior to Xia-Wu. She had wondered a bit about Li Wei Sheng’s true intentions and motivations. In the movie Blossoms in the Wind, Li Wei Sheng had earned his title as the Emperor’s Left Prime Minister after returning from his travels around Chu; this was after the original Su Jing Fei had already been banished to Fuo Lan. She knew from the movie that he had gone on a secret mission for the Emperor, which is why the Emperor trusted him so much; but how was all of that connected to Feng Ruo Qian and Fuo Lan?
Feng Eu Mei seemed in no hurry to leave as she chatted excitedly with the other women among the flowers. Su Jing Fei stood by with no real purpose and idly admired the flowers at her side. Every once in a while, someone would throw an insult in her direction, but seeing that she didn’t respond, everyone would grow bored. Suddenly, their loud voices quieted into whispers, drawing Su Jing Fei’s attention back from her thoughts.
From across the bushes of flowers, Su Jing Fei could see the figures of young men strolling through the garden. So that was the reason these young women lingered here. It seemed that the garden was an area of intermingling between the two sexes, which was quite rare at celebrations. No wonder the xiaojie suddenly became soft-spoken with demure expressions. Their changes in attitude were like snakes pretending to be harmless sticks; quite funny to see.
“Older brother!” Feng Eu Mei said happily as a group of young men approached them.
The young man leading the group had Feng Eu Mei’s same eyes and Zhao shi’s high forehead, and he looked like quite an ambitious young man from first appearance. His clothes were of the best quality, and he wore heroic blues and silvers. Su Jing Fei had done her fair share of research and knew that Feng Ruo Qian had a son named Feng Ru Weng; with the confident way he walked and seemingly talked, this was no doubt Feng Ruo Qian’s son. However, she didn’t quite expect to see a familiar face among his entourage.
The young man glanced at the group of xiaojie before him until he caught sight of Su Jing Fei. “This one is glad to see that Su xiaojie has recovered from her illness and looking well.” Li Wei Sheng said with a smile. He looked quite amused at seeing her.
“This lowly one thanks the imperial prince for his concern.” Su Jing Fei said respectfully. Speak of the devil, she thought. His appearance could only mean more trouble for her.