Chapter 590 – Persuading the Feng Clan (1)
Jiang Pengji was plotting to take over all of Wanzhou, and there was no way around the place known as Shangyang County.
Feng Jin enthusiastically volunteered to be the envoy, while Jiang Pengji dispatched hundreds of elite guards for protection.
The early winter snowflakes drifted down, and with no war in the north, Feng Jin planned to seize the opportunity to persuade his parents upon returning home.
If successful, they would only need to concentrate their military forces to attack Chengde County in the spring of the coming year.
Wei Jingxian held her one-year-old daughter, Changsheng, as she accompanied her husband, Feng Jin, onto the carriage. Maidservants and gifts took up three more carts.
Though Changsheng was young, her lively and active personality shined through. Speaking clearly and logically, she quickly grew bored in the small carriage. Before long, she was nestled in Wei Jingxian’s arms, pouting as if she were a piece of sun-drenched cabbage in the midday heat.
“Daddy—carry me—”
Upon seeing Feng Jin enter the carriage, Changsheng’s dark, grape-like eyes sparkled, reaching out with her chubby arms like two plump lotus roots.
“Alrighty, Daddy will carry Changsheng. Is this position okay? Don’t jump around; Daddy’s old bones can’t handle your antics.”
Feng Jin laughed as he scooped up Changsheng, who gleefully bounced on his legs, enjoying her own little game.
After playing for a while, he grew tired and started sweating, while his daughter remained full of energy, causing him to secretly grumble.
Feeling his plight, Wei Jingxian took the boisterous Changsheng into her arms. “By pampering her like this, you’re letting her sit uncouthly and stand uncouthly. When we arrive in Shangyang County and meet your parents, it’d be bad if she embarrassed herself before them.”
Feng Jin chuckled, “Changsheng has a sweet mouth and knows how to charm people; Father and Mother will adore her, no doubt. Besides, she’s been alive for a year and a half, and they’ve yet to see her. No matter how rambunctious she gets, they won’t be angry.”
As the saying goes, “Grandparents favor their grandchildren,” and older generations not only enjoy well-behaved younger ones but especially delight in lively and charming ones who are not rude.
Moreover, Changsheng was the only daughter of the direct lineage’s third generation; being unique in this aspect, her parents had no reason not to favor her.
“That’s right, Changsheng is the sweetest of them all—”
Changsheng didn’t understand her parents’ words but recognized her name. Dazed, she mimicked them while nibbling on a piece of sweet cake.
Feng Jin raised an eyebrow at Wei Jingxian, as if to say, “See, I’m not wrong,” while Wei Jingxian smiled softly.
The journey from Fengyi County to Shangyang County stretched quite far, and along the way, there were impoverished folk suffering from lack of clothing and food.
As they moved further from Fengyi County, the common people’s conditions grew increasingly dire, with remnants of walls and ruins visible everywhere.
It had been a year and a half since the earthquake in the capital, yet life for the populace had not improved. The Green Garment Army and Red Lotus Sect wreaked havoc in the north. The common folk either collaborated with them or faced exploitation and theft, leading to a disrupted farming cycle in spring and autumn. Many villages lay desolate, overgrown with weeds, appearing forlorn and deserted. Feng Jin chose a wide road to avoid the risk of sleeping in such places.
He was a young man, full of vigor, yet Changsheng was still small and needed to be shielded from the cold winds.
Under the protection of elite soldiers, Feng Jin and his wife stepped onto the long-awaited land of Shangyang County.
Due to the Feng family, the city walls of Shangyang County were tall and grand. To avoid a bad omen with the capital, these walls were slightly lower than those of the capital city.
Even with towering and sturdy walls, the marks of the earthquake and several military disasters had left indelible scars.
Feng Jin went through considerable effort to prove his identity. His wife, child, and maidservants were allowed to enter the city, but the hundreds of soldiers needed to surrender their weapons. Regarding this issue, Feng Jin had no choice but to wait for the Feng family steward to come and negotiate while holding Changsheng.
He thought that his parents would send only a steward, but to his surprise, it was his older brother who arrived.
Feng Gui, the legitimate eldest son of the Feng family, now twenty-five years old.
“Eldest Brother!”
The dashing young man almost didn’t recognize his own second brother, who was holding a child and standing outside the city.
“Hua Yu, you’ve finally returned.”
Feng Gui felt a surge of emotion and quickened his pace, though he retained his composure.
Wei Jingxian took the initiative to hold Changsheng, so the child wouldn’t interrupt the heartfelt reunion of the brothers.
Once they exchanged pleasantries, she then brought Changsheng to greet Feng Gui. He had already received news that Feng Jin was returning home with his wife and daughter. Seeing the chubby and bright-eyed Changsheng, his affection surged to a peak. “Is this my niece? She resembles her mother.”
Wei Jingxian taught Changsheng to call Feng Gui “Uncle,” and the little girl pleasantly obliged, calling out clearly while reaching up for a hug.
Feng Gui, accustomed to shy children like his own two sons, was taken aback by Changsheng’s enthusiasm and confidence. Excited, he scooped her up, and she returned the favor by playfully slapping his cheeks, leaving behind wet kisses.
Feng Jin watched, his expression slightly dismayed.
Feng Gui was stunned for a moment before breaking into a warm smile, saying, “Hua Yu’s little girl is not shy, clever, and lively. This isn’t the time for reminiscing; Hua Yu, hurry up and take your wife and niece into the city. Your parents are waiting for you.”
Feng Jin hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the guards. Feng Gui understood and instructed someone to notify the city guards.
Once inside the city, the gloom settled over Feng Jin’s expression.
Compared to the bleakness outside Shangyang County, the populace inside appeared relatively stable, but compared to the memories of its former prosperity, the difference was stark. Not only had the population diminished, but many of the structures bore an air of decay, patched up and tattered.
“Is everything alright at home after last year’s earthquake?” Feng Jin asked.
Feng Gui, cradling the somewhat heavy niece, replied, “Everything is fine at home, but it’s hard on the common people of Shangyang County… Sigh, the Green Garment Army and the Red Lotus Sect are rampaging outside; the governor leads troops to quell the mobs, but the results have been minimal…”
Changsheng, with her bright, grape-like eyes, was fascinated by the whiskers Feng Gui had grown and reached out to tug at them—
Feng Gui: “…”
Feng Jin could only hurriedly apologize on behalf of his unruly child.
If it weren’t for Changsheng’s antics, he would have started growing out his whiskers much earlier.
“No worries, no worries. It’s rare to see such a lively child nowadays; at least she’s better than my two boys, who are shy and timid like little girls. Your sister-in-law is quite strict, keeping them as stiff as wooden dolls…”
Feng Gui had been helping to defend the city for the past two years and had spent little time at home. His two sons had begun their education at the clan school, while his wife had been raising them most of the time.
Feng Jin sensed something amiss in his brother’s tone. “Eldest Brother, is there trouble at home?”
Family troubles?
“It’s nothing,” Feng Gui replied nonchalantly and then addressed Feng Jin, “Her temperament… If your sister-in-law has suffered any grievances, there’s no need to bear with it. By the way, Hua Yu… today’s family banquet will only discuss family matters…”
Feng Jin’s heart sank, and he smiled lightly, “Eldest Brother, of course.”
