Chapter 359 – Winds of Change in the Capital (Sixteen)
When Wu Ma Jun found an excuse to send Princess An Yina away, Feng Jin let out a sudden sigh and spoke to Jiang Pengji.
“You really shouldn’t have come to this capital.”
The clamor downstairs gradually quieted after Fatty Fang’s departure, restoring the previous elegant atmosphere.
As soon as she entered the room, Jiang Pengji unceremoniously replaced the tea set and prepared a cup for herself, slowly saying, “My father is far away in Chongzhou and too preoccupied to send my sister off for her wedding. I’m the only male in the family; if I don’t come, who will?”
Feng Jin replied, “In that case, once your sister’s wedding is over, you should leave at your earliest convenience.”
Jiang Pengji chuckled softly, “You and I are old friends; who drives away a guest upon arrival like you do?”
Feng Jin shot a disgruntled glare at her, as if to say—if you don’t heed good advice, misfortune is right before your eyes.
He helplessly chuckled, “Alright, alright, I won’t push you away now?”
The two chatted about recent events, and the atmosphere became more cordial.
Feng Jue, Huang Song, and Xu Ke listened quietly by, occasionally showing thoughtful expressions.
Feng Jue was particularly puzzled; he knew exactly what kind of temperament his elder brother had.
Though seemingly gentle and able to converse with anyone, Feng Jin was actually quite cold, distant, and hard to approach.
In contrast, Jiang Pengji didn’t give off quite the proper vibe one would expect; instead, she had a slightly rebellious spirit.
This friendship between them seemed rather out of place.
“Since the capital is so chaotic now, why did you bring your whole family here?”
His wife was about to give birth, and Feng Jin was acting so nonchalantly.
The topic circled back to the situation in the capital, and Jiang Pengji thought of Wei Jingxian’s pregnancy. With turmoil approaching, why wasn’t Feng Jin staying with his wife at home to ensure a safe delivery instead of coming to the capital? If anything happened, escaping wouldn’t be easy.
Feng Jin revealed a hint of a bitter smile, spreading his hands and saying, “This matter isn’t something I can decide.”
Jiang Pengji initially looked confused, but seeing Feng Jin’s expression, she vaguely understood, her starry eyes widening slightly.
She asked, “Has the situation really escalated to this degree?”
“Otherwise?” Feng Jin raised an eyebrow in response.
To put it plainly, Feng Jin was a hostage representing the Feng family, living in the capital to appease the Emperor.
The influence of the Empress’s family and the eunuchs were both handpicked by the Emperor to deal with the aristocratic clans, essentially two vicious dogs ready to pounce.
In recent years, the Emperor had grown more dim-witted, forging alliances with the Northern Frontier and Dongqing. This move alerted many aristocratic families to the brewing storm. To protect their families, some chose to cling to court politics while others pretended to be defeated and gradually retreated.
Feng Ren had withdrawn from office, obviously among the latter.
However, the Emperor didn’t trust the Feng family.
Perhaps for this reason, Feng Jin and his wife had only moved to the capital after their wedding, living a secluded life.
Watching the capital grow increasingly tense while his wife’s belly grew larger day by day filled Feng Jin with immense mental pressure.
The two didn’t delve deeply into the topic, as Huang Song was still present, and certain topics had to be avoided.
Having stayed long enough, Huang Song sensed he wasn’t welcomed and soon found an excuse to leave the tea house, while Feng Jue accompanied him.
Feng Jue quietly said, “Second Brother has been under a lot of pressure lately. Don’t take it to heart, Uncle Gao.”
Though Huang Song was a eunuch’s descendant, his god-grandfather was quite powerful, and even though Huang Changshi had courted the Emperor’s favor, he was a bit of a fence-sitter, catering to both sides without offending either.
Otherwise, Feng Jue wouldn’t befriend Huang Song.
Huang Song shook his head, but his eyes kept darting toward the private room. He whispered urgently, “Not long ago, my grandfather arranged a job for me, tying me to the capital’s Guards… If Second Brother encounters any difficulties in the capital, call on me, I’ll help as much as I can.”
Feng Jue nodded discreetly, acknowledging the favor.
“I’ll discuss this with Second Brother. Thank you for your kind offer, Uncle Gao.”
After sending Huang Song off, Feng Jin finally breathed a bit easier and spoke candidly, “With how chaotic the capital is, Lan Ting really shouldn’t be here. Even if he found some lame excuse, he should’ve pushed it off. Hasn’t Lan Ting noticed that the Emperor has been finding ways to summon all the aristocratic scholars to gather here? Even those with posts outside have been called back… I can’t help but feel anxious…”
Regardless of whether it was Jiang Pengji, Feng Jin, or Feng Jue, all the aristocratic heirs in the capital were essentially hostages.
Although the Emperor had yet to reveal his true intentions, this action was enough to incite worry.
“Now that everyone’s already here, can we just escape overnight?” Jiang Pengji rolled her eyes, snorting softly, “Before coming to the capital, plenty of people warned me—yet here I am. I want to see what tricks are being played here.”
Feng Jin had a headache and discreetly mouthed—Imperial Guards are on the move; there may be an usurper!
Jiang Pengji’s gaze sharpened, and her mind instantly cleared.
The Imperial Guards were currently under General Fang’s command, who was a staunch supporter of the Emperor, thus firmly placed in the Emperor’s inner circle. If the Guards acted up now, it meant the Emperor was attempting to tighten control over the aristocratic families, pressuring them to relinquish their power.
Furthermore, Feng Jin added, “There may be an usurper,” making the Imperial Guards’ movements even more intriguing.
An usurper?
With several princes vying for power and the formidable Changshou Wang lurking, it’s hard to say who this possible usurper would be.
“In essence, this is just a show of mantises catching cicadas with the hidden behind it,” Feng Jin, having stayed in the capital for a while, understood the situation clearly. “But who is the mantis, who is the cicada, and who is the sparrow, depends on their skills. Lan Ting, take my advice—stay low for a while, prioritize your own safety, and once this tumult passes, the situation should become clearer.”
Upon hearing Feng Jin’s serious advice, Xu Ke looked back with a complex expression.
It felt like an ominous sign.
This flag being raised, wouldn’t it come back to smack him in the face?
“I know.”
Jiang Pengji responded on the surface, but what she truly thought remained known only to her.
After all, the tea house was Changshou Wang’s territory. Though Jiang Pengji could assure confidentiality in their conversations, she didn’t want to discuss such important topics in someone else’s domain. Feng Jin understood this unspoken agreement, and they both skillfully dropped the subject.
At that moment, Feng Jue returned to the private room.
Seeing his troublesome younger brother, Feng Jin pressed his lips into a line, appearing quite displeased.
Unfazed, Feng Jue jovially took his seat.
“Saving people requires wisdom. If you don’t have the ability and shift the blame, is this what our Teacher taught you? Father doesn’t approve of you mingling with those of questionable character, yet you persist. That Huang Song has an impure nature; you call him brother, and nearly got into trouble today.” Feng Jin frowned, not pleased, and calmly reprimanded, “If Lan Ting hadn’t been here to bail you out, tell me, how would you have dealt with it?”
Feng Jue seemed completely unperturbed, smiling as he replied, “I find Uncle Gao to be genuine and worth befriending.”
Upon hearing this, Feng Jin’s smile turned into a cold sneer.
