Chapter 492 – Marrying Off Feng Huaiyu
Noticing someone was watching her, Shangguan Wan turned to look, discovering that the observer was a youth of astonishing beauty, the Young Master.
Li Yun secretly nodded in approval, feeling satisfied with her alertness, while Shangguan Wan found it puzzling.
Shangguan Wan and Nong Qin had already eaten a bit and thought it inappropriate to indulge further, but as the tender, crispy grilled meat doused in strange sauces wafted enticingly in the air, their taste buds were aroused, and saliva began to flow… well, they weren’t actually that full…
With that in mind, who cared about modesty? Grill it, eat it!
“Lan Ting gege… no wait, now I should call you Lord… life has never been this comfortable…”
Shangguan Wan typically mixed her meals, rarely eating solely meat, but thinking a few more bites might be sickening, she ended up finishing two whole plates of sliced meat, and if her stomach had more room, she could surely eat more.
“Just eat your grilled meat, no amount can shut your mouth.”
Jiang Pengji delicately flipped through the meat on the grill, her eyebrows raised slightly, her cool voice tinged with a bit of indulgence.
Shangguan Wan sighed, “Growing up really isn’t worth it…”
Jiang Pengji turned her eyes sideways, giving her a glance, and asked, “What’s wrong now?”
Shangguan Wan replied, “If I were still younger, the Lord would never scold me for eating too much; he would probably coax me to eat more.”
Jiang Pengji sighed, adding a small heap of meat to her plate with clean shared chopsticks.
With a helpless tone, she said, “Your good intentions have been mistaken for ill motives—eating too much meat isn’t good, you might end up with a tummy that doesn’t digest well. Look at you, misunderstanding my concern for the grilled meat; such an ungrateful little thing. Here, take all the grilled ones…”
Watching the interaction between Shangguan Wan and Jiang Pengji, Qi Guanrang raised his eyebrows slightly and exchanged glances with Xu Ke, both wearing expressions that suggested they were enjoying the show.
“Ah, the youthful love… so nice to be young…”
Qi Guanrang teased in a low voice, and Xu Ke responded with a knowing smile as if to say ‘We both understand.’
Generally speaking, their Lord was already sixteen years old, but besides his first fiancée—now Lady Feng Jin, Wei Jingxian—it seemed there were no other romantic interests.
Their Lord was still young, and they weren’t too anxious about it; moreover, with their Lord being so tender-hearted, how could women not be drawn to him?
On this matter, both men shared a similar view: establish a career before settling down.
Speaking of marriage, Xu Ke and Qi Guanrang were worried about Lady Feng Jin and their Lord’s relationship.
Lady Feng Jin was the current wife of their Lord’s former fiancée, and did they think that duo was truly innocent?
As it turned out, Lady Feng Jin truly was a magnanimous person, not bothered by those gossiping winds.
In fact, during last year’s New Year feast, he graciously attended with his wife and child.
Now, with the emergence of Shangguan Wan, who shared a close relationship with their Lord, they felt… good things might be on the horizon.
In fact, when Qi Guanrang remarked on “youthful love,” Wei Ci, holding his cup, had a slight tremor and spilled some wine.
Lady Feng Jin looked particularly conflicted.
Being a person with a secret known only to a few was tough, watching his teammates speculate without being able to explain.
“Let them guess; it won’t turn into reality anyway.” Wei Ci calmly pulled out a gray napkin, wiping the spilled wine from his hands.
If their Lord showed kindness to any male, that could spark some gossip, but with Shangguan Wan, he had no worries.
Hearing Wei Ci, Lady Feng Jin smiled slightly, “I think the same way.”
The two exchanged a knowing glance and clinked their cups together.
Wei Ci’s health was still frail, and the wine he drank was medicinal, approved by several doctors, to gradually ward off the cold.
“Jingxian is in Xiangyang; Longsheng, born last year, can talk and walk now. Do you want to go take a look?”
Hearing this, Shangguan Wan’s eyes lit up.
“Of course, I haven’t seen Sister Jingxian in ages.”
When they finally met, the two would naturally sigh and share their experiences over the years.
Upon learning that Shangguan Wan had finally gotten rid of the Zhang Family’s troubles, Wei Jingxian couldn’t help but feel happy for her friend.
Earlier, with the message exchanged, Shangguan Wan had told Wei Jingxian that she was going to marry a dead man. The betrothal gifts included a copy of Four Books for Women, and the future mother-in-law openly humiliated her in public, urging her to properly study the Four Books and to correct her pre-marital ‘undesirable’ habits… Back then, Wei Jingxian was furious about that.
How could a dignified noble lady from the Shangguan family tolerate such a vulgar woman’s humiliation?
However, every family has its difficulties, and Wei Jingxian was busy being a hostage in the capital alongside Lady Feng Jin, making her own security a priority.
The only thing she could do was comfort Shangguan Wan, providing little real help.
Holding Longsheng, Wei Jingxian said, “Now things are good; there’s no need to worry anymore.”
Shangguan Wan sighed, “Yes, back then, I was the Shangguan family’s Shangguan Wan, but now I’m just Shangguan Wan.”
“Aunt…”
Longsheng had recently taken to remembering names, repeating them endlessly when she caught one.
Shangguan Wan looked at Longsheng’s appearance and couldn’t help but have a daring thought.
“Sister Jingxian, are you just staying at home with Little Longsheng?”
Wei Jingxian paused for a moment, “Yes, Longsheng is still young and doesn’t like sticking to a wet nurse or maid…”
Little Longsheng was small and temperamental; servants truly couldn’t handle her, so she had to be kept close.
“Sister Jingxian, have you ever thought of finding a job?”
Wei Jingxian was taken aback, looking at Shangguan Wan in confusion.
“Why do you suddenly ask that, Wan’er?”
Shangguan Wan couldn’t articulate why she asked, just that she felt Wei Jingxian was well-versed in classics and histories, knowledgeable about sage morality. While her talents wouldn’t compare to someone like Feng Jin, they were surely better than those uncultured fools.
It just seemed such a waste to be trapped in a small inner courtyard.
Shangguan Wan, due to her own experiences, lacked a sense of security deep down.
In the past, she thought it sufficient for a noble girl to fulfill her responsibilities; now though, that life felt perilous.
After careful consideration, she spoke her mind, and Wei Jingxian didn’t show anger, instead reflecting thoughtfully.
Wei Jingxian sighed, “Everyone has their own way of living… Longsheng is still young; I can’t help but worry.”
Later that evening, before bed, Wei Jingxian discussed this with Lady Feng Jin.
Lady Feng Jin was in the process of disrobing when he paused halfway, saying, “Once Longsheng grows a bit more, you might give it a try.”
Wei Jingxian was puzzled, as if she hadn’t recognized her husband at all.
Lady Feng Jin chuckled, “Lan Ting has set up a female troop and even ‘disguised himself as a woman’ to teach recruits, hiring women into the government office, and letting Nong Qin take the lead. What do you think he’s up to? His identity couldn’t be hidden forever, and with his nature, he wouldn’t do something like this without reason. Right now, it’s all groundwork. Once everyone is accustomed, I think it’s high time we have a proper Lady Lord. It’s quite dull for you to stay in the back courtyard with Longsheng; life is far more expansive than just the inner courtyard.”
