Fire
At this time, the mourning hall did not hold just people of the Feng family. The majority of those present were Feng Jin Yuan’s colleagues who had come to offer their condolences.
Feng Zi Hao acting up like this was completely beyond everyone’s expectations. They could not help but be stunned in place. Getting closer was bad, but they also could not retreat.
If Feng Yu Heng wanted to dodge his wild swings, that would be too easy; however, before this any people it was clearly Feng Zi Hao who wanted to bully her. She could not allow them to think that it was her who was bullying Zi Hao. With that in mind, staggered about while dodging and looked to be in a very difficult situation.
Upon seeing this situation housekeeper He Zhong did not wait for his master to give any orders. He quickly led the officials who had come to offer their condolences out into the yard.
Meanwhile back in the mourning hall, Feng Zi Hao had already backed Feng Yu Heng up against the coffin.
Feng Yu Heng dodged while calling out: “Eldest brother, what are you doing? Mother died of an illness. What does it have to do with A-Heng?”
“Died from illness my ass!” Feng Zi Hao absolutely did not believe it, “She was killed by you. It’s all because of your mistreatment!” Feng Zi Hao wildly screamed. Closing his eyes, he raised the sword and violently swung it in front of him.
For some reason, this sword was particularly sharp. When this sword was swung down, it struck directly into Chen shi’s coffin, directly removing a corner from the sandalwood coffin.
Perhaps it was because he put too much strength into the swing, but Zi Hao became unsteady. Losing his footing, he fell and knocked over the incense case. The fruits left as an offering were also spilled onto the ground.
Chen Yu originally felt that watching her brother slash at Feng Yu Heng was very fun. However, at this time, upon seeing Feng Zi Hao break Chen shi’s coffin and knock over the incense case, spilling incense all over the ground, she immediately felt her heart become knotted. That coffin held their birth mother. Chen Yu rushed forward to stop Zi Hao from continuing his rampage, but she did not think that after the case of incense had been knocked over, they would light half of the candles, which would then light the white cloth holding the mourning flowers. A fire suddenly broke out, and it immediately caught on to Chen Yu’s dress.
Feng Yu Heng had escaped to the side long ago. Seeing that a fire had started, she loudly yelled: “Quickly come put out the fire! A fire has started!”
Everyone became panicked. A mourning hall catching fire was not a good thing. Add in the fact that Chen Yu was in the middle of the fire, and her dress had caught fire. Feng Jin Yuan anxiously pulled a servant’s mourning belt and began using it to try and beat away the flames on her body. He could not by bothered by the burns on his hands, as he only thought of putting out the flames on her body.
Thankfully, there was a well in Jin Yu courtyard. A quick-witted servant brought up some water from the well and put out the fire. Very quickly, the fire was put out.
Although the fire had been put out, the smoke was very thick. The inside of the mourning hall had been terribly burnt. All that remained was the corner of the coffin that had been cut off. All of the other offerings had been burned to ash.
Feng Jin Yuan could not be bothered to deal with Zi Hao and carried Chen Yu from the mourning hall.
The fire on Chen Yu’s body had been extinguished, but her clothes had become ragged from the fire.
A maidservant came and covered her in a cloak. Chen Yu anxiously checked her arms and fingers. At the same time, she raised her head and asked the maidservant: “My face, look and see if my face has any wounds.”
It would have been better if she did not ask. Upon raising her head towards the maidservant, the servant stumbled back a few steps in fear. Pointing at Feng Chen Yu, she said: “Eldest young miss, your eyebrows…”
Feng Yu Heng also ran over and asked Chen Yu: “Eldest sister, how are you?” Then, she also looked towards her eyebrows, and her expression was even more exaggerated than the maidservant’s: “This… eldest sister has become disfigured!”
Feng Chen Yu’s heart plummeted. Just now, she had felt the flames drift up. Although they had been blocked by her hands, her forehead had still been slightly burned.
She reached up with her hand to feel her eyebrows. It was bare with absolutely nothing there.
“My eyebrows?” Chen Yu was so frightened that she could not even cry. Grabbing Feng Yu Heng, she continued to ask: “Is there nothing left of my eyebrows?”
Feng Yu Heng nodded: “Not a single hair remains.”
Feng Jin Yuan had also noticed that she no longer had eyebrows, but he did not ask Chen Yu anything. Instead, he turned to ask Feng Yu Heng: “Do you have any method to help your eldest sister grow her eyebrows back?”
Feng Yu Heng looked at her father and remained silent for a long time.
Feng Jin Yuan angrily gritted his teeth: “I am asking you a question!”
“Father.” Feng Yu Heng’s gaze became colder, “The manor’s head wife passed away and I obediently kept watch over the coffin. Eldest brother returned from the academy and did not ask a single thing before trying to kill me with a sword. Why does father not ask if I have been injured? Why does father not care about the daughter that narrowly escaped death? Could it be that father is like eldest brother in thinking that mother died because of A-Heng? Then A-Heng will need to carefully investigate the cause of mother’s death. When the time comes, if there is anything that requires father’s cooperation, I hope father will not offer up an excuse not to.”
After she said this, she stood up, flicked her sleeve and left.
At this moment, a loud and clear report came from Jin Yu courtyard’s gate suddenly came “His Highness Prince Chun has arrived! His Highness Prince Yu has arrived!”
Feng Yu Heng’s feet stopped moving, as she raised her head to look at the two who had already entered the courtyard. One wore a set of white clothes and one wore a set of purple clothes. One was steady and refined, and the other was devilishly mysterious.
Feng Chen Yu went mad. Grabbing the cloak covering her body, she covered her face and subconsciously whispered: “His Highness Prince Chun? Prince Chun came? Do not let him see my face! Do not let him see my face!”
Xuan Tian Hua’s ears were good and had heard these words. Looking then at Chen Yu, who was still seated on the ground, he said with curiosity: “Why do you not allow this prince to see your face?”
At this time, everyone in the Feng manor finally managed to react and paid their respects to the two princes. Everyone knelt and saluted them. Xuan Tian Hua raised his hand: “You may all rise. Today, this prince came with imperial little brother to offer condolences to the Feng manor. There is no need for such formalities.”
Feng Jin Yuan rose with everyone else but did not know how to have these two offer their condolences.
The mourning hall had been terribly burned. The funeral that was hosted by the Feng family could be considered dignified during the morning, but now it seemed they would once again become the laughingstock of the capital.
Xuan Tian Hua ignored Feng Jin Yuan. Instead, he very directly asked the girl seated on the ground: “Girl, why are you doing this?”
Feng Jin Yuan pondered a little then suddenly loudly aid to Chen Yu: “Put your hand down! The two princes are present. How could your rudeness be tolerated!”
Feng Yu Heng understood. Feng Jin Yuan wanted Chen Yu to give up on her thoughts.
But how could Chen Yu be willing to reveal her unsightly situation to Xuan Tian Hua. No matter what was said, she was unwilling. Turning around, she wanted to leave, but she was stopped by Feng Jin Yuan. He then brought Chen Yu back and pulled both her hands down in front of Xuan Tian Hua.
“I don’t want to!” Chen Yu screamed. Finally, her face was seen by Xuan Tian Hua.
“Pft!” Xuan Tian Ming could not hold it in and let out a laugh.
Xuan Tian Hua, however, inspected Chen Yu’s face for a long time then asked: “Feng manor’s servant?”
Feng Jin Yuan was very satisfied with this outcome and quickly said to Xuan Tian Hua: “Your Highness is funny, this is this official’s daughter to the first wife, Chen Yu.”
This time Chen Yu really did cry without care and said to Xuan Tian Hua: “Your Highness! Your Highness has met me before. I originally did not look like this. Just now, the fire in the mourning hall burned off my eyebrows. Your Highness, do not worry. These eyebrows will grow back very quickly. Would your Highness please not hate Chen Yu!”
“Shut your mouth!” Feng Jin Yuan angrily scolded Chen Yu then said to a servant: “Quickly take the eldest young miss away!”
The servant immediately dragged Feng Chen Yu towards the courtyards in the back. Feng Chen Yu was carried away while screaming: “Your Highness must believe me! My eyebrows will grow back very quickly!”
Xuan Tian Hua looked at Feng Jin Yuan and very seriously asked him: “Would Minister Feng give this prince an explanation?”
Feng Jin Yuan’s forehead was covered in a cold sweat, “Would your Highness please not blame us. Just now, the mourning hall suddenly caught fire and Chen Yu became frightened.”
Just as he finished saying this, Feng Zi Hao, who had been standing in the back with the help of some servants yelled out without waiting for Xuan Tian Hua to respond: “I beg your Highness Prince Chun to support my mother!”
Feng Zi Hao rushed forward in a rush of madness. He was about to kneel before Xuan Tian Hua and begin complaining about Feng Yu Heng, but something suddenly flashed before his eyes. Before he could have any reaction, that thing violently struck him in the chest. The force behind this strike was so great that it sent Feng Zi Hao flying. When he landed, a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed from his mouth, and he immediately fainted.
“Eldest young master!” The manor’s servants became terribly terrified and quickly went to see his injuries.
Feng Jin Yuan was also anxious, but he did not dare go to look. Instead, he led the people of the Feng manor, including the matriarch who had just entered the yard, in kneeling on the ground.
“We beg Prince Yu have mercy.” He did not dare offer up any excuses. Heavens knew what sorts of things the ninth prince was capable of when unhappy. He could only beg for mercy. If all went well, then Zi Hao’s life would be preserved.
Xuan Tian Ming, however, did not even want to look at him. He only turned to Feng Yu Heng and said: “You’ve followed this prince for so long, yet how do you still clumsily cause people to get angry?”
She raised an eyebrow and shot a glare at Xuan Tian Ming. This glare carried a message saying: “Xuan Tian Ming, if you say another word, you are dead meat.”
That person very clearly understood Feng Yu Heng’s temper, and he had understood the unspoken words in the glare. Thus he very quickly changed his tone and said: “If someone wants to kill you, then you should do your best to kill them first. If this sort of person dies at your hands, then it is proper self-defense. Even if this matter makes its way into the courts, this prince will explain this reasoning to father Emperor.”
Xuan Tian Hua continued, his tone remaining kind. His meaning, however, was exactly the same as Xuan Tian Ming: “This prince just happened to be present for the future Princess Yu encountering an assassination attempt. At a later time in court, I will definitely bring this up with father Emperor.”
Hearing these words, the matriarch’s mind exploded. She felt as though the times were repeating themselves! Chen shi had passed away, but her son had done something she would have done!
Feng Jin Yuan quickly went to beg the two princes for mercy: “Would the two princes please calm their anger! This official’s son just lost his mother. He has suffered too great a stimulation and lost his reasoning. He did not really want to assassinate his second sister! Would the two princes please be merciful in judgement.”
“Hmph!” Xuan Tian Ming snorted, “Lord Feng really is interesting. This prince will become your relative in a few years. It stands to reason that I should call you father-in-law. But future father-in-law, you went a little too far in ingratiating yourself with this king. How can you always send your loved ones for me to practice my whip on?”
As he said this, he pulled at his whip and looked around the yard. In the end, his gaze fell on the matriarch.
Feng Yu Heng quickly spoke up: “That’s not possible! How could father push grandmother to the front? Grandmother’s age is already so advanced, how could she handle being whipped by you? Xuan Tian Ming, even if my father wants to do such things, I definitely will not agree!”
The matriarch was so scared that her soul nearly flew away. Hearing Feng Yu Heng speak up like this, she really thought that Feng Jin Yuan was going to use her to defend against this strike. She could not help but glare at Feng Jin Yuan.
Feng Jin Yuan had been wronged. He really wanted to curse at Feng Yu Heng and accuse her of causing trouble and sowing discord; however, when he looked at Xuan Tian Ming’s mask-adorned face, the words that were about to be spoken were immediately retracted.
He did not dare.
Housekeeper He Zhong waited at the side for a long time. At this time, he could not longer continue waiting and crawled over to Feng Jin Yuan’s side and quietly said: “Master, this isn’t good. Madam’s corpse has been burned.”