Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 147 Favoritism

Chapter 147: Chapter 147 Favoritism

"Lin Yu Yan is truly audacious, daring to deceive me." Princess Huazhen despised being deceived by others. "Fengyu wants to recruit a live-in son-in-law; how could she possibly seduce Xie Xun? Clearly, she’s trying to use someone else’s hand to strike down her opponent. I almost fell for it."

"What if Fengyu is lying?" the bodyguard asked.

"To me, she appears naive and innocent, like a little rabbit. On the other hand, Lin Yu Yan acts with a venomous heart, wielding her blade to harm others. Naturally, I trust little Ayu." Princess Huazhen fancied herself a judge of character.

Fengyu knelt on the gray flagstones. Though her knees were bruised, she did not tell Feng Shu—partly because she didn’t want her elder sister to worry, and partly because the storm had already passed, and there was no need to stir up new waves.

Fengyu comforted her sister, saying, "Both the previous emperors endured succession struggles, palace coups, and lacked substantial private estates. The Emperor and Empress’s family holdings are all in Ningzhou, mostly appropriated for military use due to ongoing wars. Even with tightened palace expenditures, very little wealth can be saved. When Prince Kang was granted a mansion outside the palace, the Emperor allocated only ten thousand silver taels to him. He hardly seems like a man adept at generating income. Yet ten thousand silver taels is still a considerable sum—otherwise, he wouldn’t have swallowed Duke Ning Mansion’s land deeds. The grandfather-and-grandson duo surely argued before the Empress. Princess Huazhen thought I was instigating Prince Kang, attempting to defend his honor. But it’s nothing significant, sister, no need to worry."

"You didn’t discuss anything else?"

"She was rather strange. She asked me about the sort of husband I would prefer and even offered to pick one for me. I told her I wanted to recruit a live-in son-in-law, and then she enthusiastically introduced several eligible noblemen. Coincidentally, those few are already on my list—not overly assertive, easy to handle, and their characters are passable." Though Fengyu had felt Princess Huazhen’s hostility while being punished to kneel, she couldn’t discern what action had suddenly appeased her displeasure. To Fengyu, Huazhen seemed mercurial and unpredictable.

Feng Shu frowned but treated the conversation as idle chatter.

Fengyu lowered her gaze. She believed that Princess Huazhen held animosity toward her because of Xie Xun. Yet suspicions aside, Huazhen hadn’t mentioned Xie Xun once from beginning to end, nor would Fengyu dare to bring him up. Instead, she wisely confined the topic to live-in sons-in-law. The matter passed without further incident.

She chose to feign complete cluelessness, pretending to know nothing.

Besides, she and Xie Xun were entirely innocent. Despite all these days recovering from her injury, Xie Xun hadn’t even come to see her.

The gold was given away for nothing!

Fengyu sent someone to Wangjiang Restaurant to inform Manager Zhou that she would host esteemed guests there in the evening and requested a quiet private room, leaving the neighboring rooms empty. Considering the status of the attendees—all of noble lineage—there could be no negligence in food preparation.

Feng Shu handed Manager Zhou a menu featuring several signature Ningzhou dishes. She instructed him to prepare fine wine and personally overseen the arrangements to ensure everything went smoothly.

Manager Zhou had initially considered closing the restaurant for regular clients to focus solely on serving them, but Fengyu deemed it unnecessary. Business could proceed as usual; there was no reason to disrupt half a day’s earnings.

Making money was more important!

That evening, Wangjiang Restaurant was brightly lit and bustling with excellent business. The third floor’s private seating had been properly arranged. The Four Sisters of the Feng Family arrived early, settling into the private room before Manager Zhou personally served tea and refreshments.

Both Fengyu and Feng Ling were dressed modestly in light peach-colored spring attire, wearing fewer hairpins and jewelry. Feng Shu donned a lake-blue long dress, her hair adorned with rose-bead flowers and a jade hairpin freshly crafted by Fengyu—a look both elegant and composed. Feng Wan’s ensemble stood out more brightly: a lotus-green front-clasp jacket paired with a matching white water skirt, her head adorned with a golden hairpin and dangling tassels, emanating radiance and charm.

Lately, Feng Wan had only met Prince Duan twice, with most of their interactions happening through written correspondence. The nursing nuns assigned to her had been sent back to the palace, as she was now proficient in etiquette and decorum. Her wedding to Prince Duan was scheduled for the beginning of April, leaving little time for them to nurture their relationship. Feng Wan had come to terms with it—past events were like smoke drifting into the distance, and life always needed to move forward.

Feng Ling and Fengyu understood their roles as mere companions, careful not to overshadow their elder sisters. Synchronized in thought, they decided to keep silent. Feng Ling leaned by the window, gazing at the nightscape below. The streets were gradually clearing of pedestrians; lanterns adorned each household door, illuminating bustling neighborhood festivities with dancing, singing, and music faintly drifting up to the restaurant floor.

"Sisters, they’re here!" Feng Ling excitedly gestured toward the street below, where the Princess Mansion’s carriage had arrived, followed by the carriages of Prince Duan and Prince Kang.

Fengyu asked, "Should we go downstairs to greet them?"

"No need," Feng Shu said coldly. "There’s no reason to make a spectacle."

Feng Wan seemed slightly nervous. As the private room door was pushed open, a figure draped in an elegant white brocade robe stepped in. With refined features and an air of nobility, it was none other than the Crown Prince, Yuwen Jing.

His gaze lingered on Feng Shu’s face as a faint smile curled upon his lips.

Feng Shu froze momentarily. Considering the Crown Prince’s busy responsibilities, his appearance at Wangjiang Restaurant to dine with them was eyebrow-raising. But her shock lasted only a moment as she rose, following her sisters’ lead.

The Four Sisters of the Feng Family were about to offer their bows when the Crown Prince raised his hand graciously. "No need, please be seated."

Princess Huazhen, along with Prince Duan and Prince Kang, entered the private room sequentially. Prince Kang, upon seeing Fengyu, couldn’t help his irritation, raising his fist as if in jest. Fengyu paid him no mind.

At the Kyoto Capital Guard Office, Xie Xun—despite being a demanding commander—occasionally displayed unexpected generosity, allowing those who weren’t on duty to head home early. Lin Xiao, Zhang Boxin, and Zhou Liyu, along with Cai Wensen, were all absent from their posts. Zhang Boxi and Li Pengfei remained behind to oversee the office. Upon hearing of their colleagues’ free time, they couldn’t help but feel envious.

When Xie Xun first took up his position, Zhang Boxi had tested him with a show of defiance. Yet over time, he submitted wholeheartedly to Xie Xun’s authority. Zhang Boxi, a long-time veteran with significant clout in the Kyoto Capital Guard, found himself well-regarded by Xie Xun, who bore no grudge and made skilled use of his abilities. In fact, Zhang Boxi found greater ease under Xie Xun’s command than during Li Pengfei’s tenure.

Zhang Boxi belonged to the direct lineage of the Zhang Family. His father, a concubine-born son of Grandmaster Zhang, held a position at the Ministry of Justice. Although his official rank wasn’t high, he wielded considerable practical authority.

Among Zhang Boxi’s elder brothers, some were particularly capable, yet others were idle and directionless, pawns in their father’s strategy to place them in minor roles within the Kyoto Capital Guard. Unlike them, Zhang Boxi had little ambition for the bureaucratic world, preferring to socialize among Capital City’s aristocratic young men, indulging in the allure of pleasure districts. However, Xie Xun’s influence had stirred a modicum of earnestness in him recently. Zhang Boxi’s exuberant personality and penchant for networking left him well-informed. After the uproar that ensued at Lin Cheng’s wedding banquet, this band of aristocrat brats had, through adept maneuvering, invoked the name of the young Marquis as a shield to escape punishment.

Zhang Boxin didn’t share in their fortune!

Zhang Bolan, bruised black and blue with a nosebleed lasting several days, found his stepmother and madam in tears, imploring Mr. Zhang to penalize Zhang Boxin severely. At first, Zhang Boxin himself admitted forthrightly that his actions stemmed from resentment toward his eldest brother and that he deserved the beating, accepting punishment without complaint. But after the whip lashes and being forced to kneel in the ancestral hall, he still refused to repent.

Mr. Zhang, partial to his concubine and her offspring, heavily penalized Zhang Boxin. In an act of grief and anger, Mrs. Zhang physically clashed with Mr. Zhang, who unintentionally struck her across the face. With Zhang Bolan’s mother egging her on, Mrs. Zhang coughed blood from the turmoil, leading Zhang Boxin to lash out against both his father and his stepmother.

The principle of filial piety dictates that striking one’s father is an unforgivable offense. Should Mr. Zhang report this to the authorities, Zhang Boxin’s career would end in ruin, with punishments ranging from three years in prison for lesser offenses to execution for more serious ones. Mr. Zhang, losing a tooth to Zhang Boxin’s outburst, cursed his son as ungrateful and disloyal, declaring his intent to sever ties with him. But news of the incident soon reached Grandmaster Zhang, who alerted Xie Xun.