In a short while, they reached the front courtyard.
The sharp - faced old woman pushed open the door and went in to report. Lin Wanyu and Chunqiao lowered their eyes and stood quietly at the entrance of the main hall, waiting.
Time ticked by. They waited for as long as it took to burn half a stick of incense before the door of the main hall slowly opened.
This time, different from last time, He Shulan supported Granny Zhou's hand and stepped out.
As she passed by Lin Wanyu, she glanced at her sideways. Her elegant and noble face now looked a bit gloomy.
Lin Wanyu suddenly felt a chill in her heart, as if she was surrounded by ice.
Just as she was about to bow, Granny Zhou, who was standing beside He Shulan, spoke.
"Please move to the flower parlor, Miss Lin and Chunqiao."
"Yes."
Lin Wanyu and Chunqiao both bowed respectfully and replied obediently.
After He Shulan left with Granny Zhou, Lin Wanyu and Chunqiao walked towards the flower parlor beside them.
There was already a maid guarding at the entrance of the flower parlor. When she saw Lin Wanyu and Chunqiao coming, she pushed open the door behind her.
"The princess has ordered that Miss Lin should go in, and Chunqiao should wait at the door."
Lin Wanyu responded, lifted her skirt, stepped over the threshold, and walked in.
There was a large landscape screen in the middle of the hall. He Shulan and Granny Zhou were sitting behind the screen at the moment. Faintly, their tall and short figures could be seen moving.
Outside the screen, besides Lin Wanyu standing in the hall, there was also a man in his fifties sitting on a rosewood chair.
The man was dressed in a long green satin robe embroidered with bamboo. There was a gold belt around his waist. Every gesture of his exuded an air of nobility. It was obvious that he was of a high status.
Lin Wanyu only glanced at him and then lowered her eyes and bowed one by one.
After she finished speaking, He Shulan's voice slowly rang out.
"Lord Feng, this is the concubine my son newly took in. Originally, this was just a trivial matter of jealousy among the concubines in the inner courtyard. I called her here today to apologize to you and your daughter. Lord Feng, please don't be so strict with the children."
Now Huaijin treated Lin Wanyu like a treasure. It would be best to resolve this matter and make it a small issue!
In this way, Huaijin wouldn't be angry with her because of this girl.
Lord Feng, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, looked up at Lin Wanyu, snorted, and put the teacup in his hand on the table.
"Your Highness the Princess may not know yet. Yunyun has passed away. She died of her injuries. She was beaten to death."
Now that Lord Feng was in the right, he spoke more boldly. He sat there with his back straight.
He Shulan frowned and pretended to just learn the news. "Then, according to Lord Feng, how should this matter be handled?"
Lord Feng's eyes slowly fell on Lin Wanyu. After a pause, he said in a deep voice, "As the saying goes, an eye for an eye. Since Your Highness the Princess said this was a matter of jealousy among the concubines and said this girl would apologize to my daughter, why not let her follow my daughter to the underworld? Then she can apologize to my daughter there."
Hearing this, Lin Wanyu's body trembled. She almost lost her composure.
She always kept her eyes lowered. She took a deep breath and pinched her fingertips to calm herself down.
By now, she couldn't just sit and wait for death.
Inside the screen, Granny Zhou frowned when she heard Lord Feng's words.
She bent down, leaned over to He Shulan's side, and deliberately lowered her voice. "Your Highness the Princess, think twice. It's rare that the heir apparent has someone he likes. If you dispose of this girl while the heir apparent is away, he will surely be angry when he finds out."
He Shulan helplessly rubbed the center of her brows. "Don't I know that? But this vixen is the one who caused this trouble. If I don't agree with Lord Feng today and this matter becomes widely known, Huaijin will surely be criticized in the future, and his reputation will be ruined."
As she was thinking, Lord Feng spoke again. "I wonder what Your Highness the Princess means. If Your Highness has concerns and doesn't know how to judge this case, then this old minister can only report it to the Emperor and see how His Majesty will decide."
All the civil and military officials in the court knew that this Lord Feng was a stubborn and upright man. It was already a concession that he came to the prince's mansion first instead of directly submitting a memorial to the Emperor.
After weighing the pros and cons, He Shulan had to compromise. "Then let it be as Lord Feng said!"
If this matter was reported to the Emperor, it was actually a family matter of the prince's mansion. At most, the Emperor would scold them a few times, but it would be hard to stop the gossips.
The Emperor had few heirs. When the daughter of the Wang family married into the prince's mansion and with the support of the prime minister's mansion, with Huaijin's ability, it was not impossible for him to strive for the throne.
So it was best to resolve this matter with the least cost.
"Thank you, Your Highness the Princess."
Lord Feng stood up, bowed with his hands clasped, and then ordered his attendant outside the door to arrest Lin Wanyu.
Lin Wanyu tightened her hands hanging by her side slightly. When the attendant came to arrest her, she raised her hand to caress her lower abdomen. Just as she was about to open her mouth and lie that she was pregnant to delay time, a clear and gentle voice came from the door.
"The person was beaten by this heir apparent. Lord Feng, instead of talking to this heir apparent, you come to the prince's mansion to show off your power while this heir apparent is away? As a third - rank official, aren't you ashamed to bully a little girl?"
Hearing this, everyone looked up and saw a man in a long green brocade robe walking in.
There was a hint of disdain on his handsome face. In his deep and unfathomable eyes, there was a chilling frost that was hard to fathom.
Lu Huaijin's voice was cold and harsh, with a terrifying sense of oppression.
Seeing this, Lord Feng immediately bowed with his hands clasped. "May Your Highness the Heir Apparent be in good health. This minister came today because of the matter of my daughter, Feng Yunyun. Just now, Your Highness the Princess said it was just a matter of jealousy in the inner courtyard and had handed over the person responsible to this minister for disposal."
After he finished speaking, Lu Huaijin looked up at the person sitting inside the screen. After a moment, his gaze slowly fell back on the attendant who was holding Lin Wanyu's arm.
Lu Huaijin squinted his eyes slightly, stepped forward, lifted his robe, and sat down. He said in a deep voice, "Sichen!"
Sichen, who had been guarding outside the door, understood. He quickly walked into the hall, grabbed the attendant's hand, and with a little force, removed it from Lin Wanyu's arm. Then he flipped his wrist, broke the attendant's hand, and kicked him out of the door.
The incident happened so fast that no one in the hall had time to react. The attendant was already lying at the door, spitting blood.
A moment later, Lord Feng looked back at Lu Huaijin in disbelief. His lips moved, but the words of questioning were swallowed back.
Although Lu Huaijin was young, the power he had accumulated from years of battles made people not dare to underestimate him.
Moreover... Lord Feng glanced at the guard who was still spitting blood. His heart skipped a beat.
He really didn't expect that Lu Huaijin would dispose of his man right in front of him without giving him any face.
"Your Highness, do you want to ignore the law?"
Lord Feng stammered for a long time and finally came up with such an empty - sounding question.