novelraw Chapter 752 - 731 Turmoil
Chapter 752 - 731 Turmoil
Fengyu was exceedingly inattentive during her studies at the Imperial College, often neglecting her lessons for days at a time. As a result, while studying alongside the Princess and Beiman Noble Ladies, Fengyu showed an entirely different demeanor after becoming the Empress. She was warm and always smiling, a stark contrast to the cold and unsympathetic Third Miss from back in the day. Perhaps her years as City Lord in West State gave her perspective, handling countless trivial disputes taught her the difference a smiling face could make.
After ascending as Empress, she seemed to have welded the smile permanently onto her face. The Beiman Women—tall, fierce, and intimidating in their strong majesty—viewed Fengyu as little more than a delicate, pampered girl from a noble household, one who seemed fragile and must be doted on. Surprisingly, this led to the Beiman Noble Ladies taking an extraordinary liking to Fengyu. Her grounded demeanor and willingness to admit her past inadequacies, paired with her resolve to learn with them now, fostered mutual respect.
The Beiman Noble Ladies, unversed in literature and Beining culture, were deeply gratified by her humility and her decision to study alongside them. It created a bond built on shared shortcomings, bringing an unexpected camaraderie with the wives and noble ladies. This strategy was nothing short of masterful.
When these noblewomen returned home, they couldn’t help but sing praises of the Empress, unintentionally smoothing paths for court diplomacy and minimizing obstacles. Upon hearing this, Prince Jingbei uttered a sardonic remark: "Such cunning from the Beining people—no wonder Xie Jue managed to sow discord among us back then. Are such manipulations etched into their very bloodline, a skill everyone seems to possess?"
At least Fengyu had won over his household’s wives and daughters. Even the notoriously temperamental Princess Consort Jingbei, who had once forced Xie Jue to kneel in the snow as punishment—ordering him to be caned—was now without reprisal from Xie Jue. Xie Jue had never sought revenge, even forgiving Prince Jingbei for his collusion with Yuwen Jing in the past.
Dugu Jing was frequently summoned to the palace by Xie Xun, subtly implying that as long as the Beiman Royal Family submitted earnestly, Dugu Jing would be entrusted with leading troops, ensuring his talent would not be squandered.
Such magnanimity left Prince Jingbei awestruck.
Dugu Jing had never imagined such a turn of fate. He thought his days would be spent idly in the capital as a minor marquis, but instead, he was offered military command.
Xie Xun conveyed that once Beiman submitted, Sannan too would surrender. Other restless small states on the western and northern border plagued Beining’s frontier. If Dugu Jing wished to lead troops to expand the empire’s territories—and if the treasury allowed—Xie Xun would not object. However, Beining could not initiate warfare recklessly; heedless militarism would invite disaster.
In this climate, Prince Jingbei naturally leaned toward supporting the Imperial Family, tirelessly persuading the High Priest to accept Beining Royal Family’s conditions. He began to grasp that Beining, vast and abundant, did not believe in the Heavenly God. The priestly system they reverenced had no foothold in Beining, meaning the High Priest’s power would inevitably diminish within Beining. Recognizing this, combined with the wives and daughters acclimating to life in the capital, Fengyu’s deliberate concessions to Beiman households subtly encouraged their loyalty. Prince Jingbei and Dugu Jing grew increasingly assertive in their negotiations.
However, the relations between the noblewomen of the two cultures were far from harmonious. As fate would like it, conflict brewed. On this day, Fengyu was at the academy teaching Princess Consort Jingbei and others the arts of tea brewing and flower arranging. Truthfully, such leisure pursuits for noblewomen were meant to cultivate their temperament. Fengyu approached her studies three parts earnestly, seven parts distractedly, and was dully bored when Qiuxiang suddenly rushed in, whispering in her ear, "Mistress, Miss Lin and the Fourth Princess of Prince Jingbei have got into a fight. It has spilled over to harm the eldest Princess."
Fengyu, busy arranging flowers, pressed her scissors heavily against the table, startling the elderly master teaching flower arrangement, who feared she had offended the Empress.
Fengyu rose gracefully with a chuckle, saying, "Take your time, ladies—I have a matter to attend to. You may continue as you like."
It was Princess Consort Jingbei’s first time seeing the Empress’s smile fade so noticeably, revealing an authority she had never displayed before. As Fengyu left, a servant of Princess Consort Jingbei hurried to report the same news.
A crowd had gathered at the archery range, made up of young men and women divided sharply—Beiman on one side, Beining on the other. Though Fengyu had already heard rumors of cliques ostracizing the Beiman Noble Ladies, the sight of it enraged her. As Empress, she had humbled herself to study unappealing lessons only to ensure Beiman’s smooth assimilation into court life during these early stages, yet there were those who dared pull her efforts down.
The Chief Eunuch called out, "Make way for Her Majesty!" The feuding youths immediately knelt en masse. Lin Yunong, who had previously been stubborn and furious, was pulled gently by the hem of her skirt by the eldest daughter of the Honglu Temple Minister’s family, prompting her to kneel as well.
"Long live Her Majesty!" the group chorused.
Fang Lingjun, who had just arrived to watch the commotion, knelt too upon seeing Fengyu’s displeased expression, silently cursing whoever had caused this trouble.
Princess Mingzhu, now the Grand Princess of Beining, had been inadvertently caught in the altercation. As soon as Fengyu arrived, she helped Mingzhu up, clearly exhibiting favoritism. Lin Yunong’s expression grew noticeably colder.
"Mingzhu, are you hurt anywhere?"
Mingzhu, though young, had inherited Lan Ningzhen’s impressive stature. Still in her early years, she displayed elegant composure, surpassing Beining children several years older in height. She had grown into a fine beauty, beloved by various senior members of the Xie family. She often doted on Ruyi, and the siblings shared a close bond, elevating her status in the eyes of Xie Jue and Xie Xun, who had developed genuine affection toward her.
Fengyu naturally extended her affection to Mingzhu due to her bond with Ruyi.
Candid and delightfully straightforward, Princess Mingzhu shook her head, saying, "Aunt Empress, Mingzhu is fine—don’t worry."
Fengyu lifted Mingzhu’s sleeve, revealing black-and-blue bruises that, though unsightly, didn’t damage the bones. The wounds appeared to be surface-level abrasions, neither broken nor bleeding. Despite their alarming appearance, Mingzhu, who was training in archery, was indifferent to the injuries, far from seeking sympathy from Fengyu.
Fengyu took Mingzhu’s hand and led her forward, instructing Qiuxiang to summon the Imperial Physician while ordering all those present to stand.
This archery range was shared between the academy and the Imperial College, intended for the girls to train today. Beining and Beiman, with relatively relaxed gender boundaries, allowed for shared access. However, today saw a significant influx of male Imperial College students. A quick headcount by Fengyu revealed over twenty boys in attendance, vastly outnumbering the Beiman Noble Ladies.
"Seems the Imperial College is awfully leisurely today? Or perhaps all the young masters happen to have archery courses now. Where is Mr. Liu?" Fengyu asked smoothly, sipping tea as she spoke.
Mr. Liu was the instructor for archery lessons.
The fiery young men displayed hints of embarrassment, though most wore expressions of brazen confidence. One youth stepped forward and said, "The Beiman Women flaunt their superior archery skills, bullying our sisters. We’ve come to demand justice for them."