As soon as those words left his mouth, a chill shot up Feng Yuzhang’s spine from the soles of his feet, leaving his limbs stiff and numb.
He hastily shook his head. “Your Highness, how could this be? This must be… some misunderstanding…”
Xiao Yunting didn’t budge at all. He let out a cold laugh. “A misunderstanding? The confessions are right here, written in black and white—how much silver the servant boy’s family received, how much the old maid guarding the second gate took, how much the maid delivering the tea accepted—it’s all clearly recorded!”
Then he suddenly snapped, “If this were placed in front of the Grand Emperor, would he think it’s a misunderstanding? Or perhaps you’d rather ask my Royal father—see if he thinks this is a misunderstanding?!”
Feng Yuzhang was left thoroughly humiliated by Xiao Yunting’s scolding.
He opened his mouth. “Even if they did commit a grave offense, it’s still the court’s place to deal with them. Killing someone in private is wrong! Murder is a crime! My grandson didn’t deserve to die!”
Feng Caiwei’s eyes were bright with intensity, locked on Xiao Yunting’s face, as if waiting for his response.
Xiao Yunting sneered and curled his lip. “Who said they were killed? They clearly conspired to harm someone, something went wrong, and they ended up being burned alive. The coroner’s report is crystal clear—none of them had any external injuries. They all died of smoke inhalation.”
Feng Yuzhang had nothing to say. His hands trembled as he looked down at the stack of confessions in his grasp.
Some were from servants of the Eldest Princess’s residence who had been bribed.
Others were from the attendants of Wei Changying and Feng Jun.
Now that something had happened, all these servants were scared out of their wits. None dared hide anything and confessed to the plan that Feng Jun and Wei Changying had devised.
But as for what happened afterward, they didn’t know—after all, once their masters entered the banquet, the servants were supposed to wait outside until it ended.
Feng Yuzhang’s hands were shaking violently.
At that moment, Feng Caiwei suddenly spoke, her voice soft: “Your Highness… did they say which noble lady my brother and Wei Changying were planning to harm?”
Xiao Yunting turned and stared at her coldly. “They didn’t. That servant was reassigned at the last minute to deliver refreshments elsewhere, so he hadn’t yet received word about which lady it was supposed to be. What, are you saying Feng Jun told you who it was?”
For some reason, his gaze felt like blades—so cold it made her blood freeze.
Feng Caiwei had not expected Xiao Yunting to ask such a pointed question. For a moment, she opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
If she said Feng Jun was targeting Qi Yuan, wouldn’t that mean she knew in advance and yet did nothing to stop it?
She bit her lip and said coldly, “No.”
“Exactly,” Xiao Yunting said with a frigid smile. “Because if you knew your brother was about to harm someone and didn’t lift a finger to stop it, then your heart is wicked beyond redemption. If you had stopped him, things might have turned out completely differently. Feng Jun wouldn’t have ended up like this. Isn’t that so?”
Feng Caiwei couldn’t say a word.
Feng Yuzhang clutched the confessions tightly. “So… that’s it?! My grandson just dies like this, and we’re supposed to accept it?!”
Xiao Yunting let out a mocking snort. “What else do you want? If you don’t think this should be the end of it, then by all means, go appeal to my Royal father. See if he’ll intervene. See if the Empress will care. If not, you can take it to the Emperor himself—see if he doesn’t declare that Feng Jun brought this on himself through his own wicked deeds!”
The Yongchang Emperor had ruled on a similar case in his youth. Back then, he’d often snuck out of the palace. One time, he stopped to eat tofu at a street stall and was about to tip the proprietress when officials suddenly showed up and arrested her—accused of murder.
The emperor followed them to the yamen.
It turned out the woman had killed someone. She was a tofu-maker raising two children on her own, constantly harassed by a butcher from across the street. One day, the butcher tried to assault her in front of her kids. She fought back and accidentally killed him.
Upon hearing the full story, the Emperor had the magistrate acquit her on the spot.
Xiao Yunting now fixed Feng Yuzhang with a sharp gaze. “If you want to go, go now. He bribed servants to sneak into the Eldest Princess’s private quarters, claimed all he wanted was to violate some noble lady, and you only see the word ‘just’ in that sentence?!”
Feng Yuzhang staggered a few steps and finally understood Xiao Yunting’s real message:
He was being warned—warned not to stir up any more trouble.
Seeing him go quiet, Xiao Yunting signaled to Xing Min.
Xing Min immediately picked up the confessions and respectfully withdrew.
Xiao Yunting then looked at Feng Yuzhang. “Uncle, it hasn’t been easy for your family to return to the capital. If you truly want the Feng family to prosper—if you want the Empress to have a good future—then you should understand the value of keeping your mouth shut and acting with discretion.”
With that, he turned to leave with the Princess Consort.
But Feng Caiwei could no longer hold herself back. She suddenly called out, “Your Highness!”
Xiao Yunting turned back, expressionless.
Feng Caiwei pursed her lips. “Though Your Highness speaks with such righteousness, saying over and over that my brother deserved to die—deep down, you know the truth. Even if he did deserve it, only the court and the law can pass judgment!”
She stepped forward. “So Your Highness, you know my brother was trying to harm Qi Yuan, and it was Qi Yuan who…”
Before she could finish, Xiao Yunting suddenly reached out and grabbed her by the throat.
Feng Caiwei almost passed out on the spot. Only then did she realize just how terrifying Xiao Yunting was when he truly got angry.
Her eyes widened as she clawed at his hand in panic, her face turning purple with fear.
Feng Yuzhang rushed forward in alarm. “Your Highness! Please, she’s your cousin!”
Feng Caiwei looked utterly terrified.
Xiao Yunting stared at her coldly. “You should be grateful that Feng Jun failed and died. Otherwise, do you really think he’d be the only one dead today?!”
Feng Caiwei was so frightened that all the color drained from her face. Now she understood why Qi Wang had written to her specifically about Xiao Yunting and Qi Yuan.
It turned out the one who would be most enraged if Qi Yuan were harmed—wasn’t Qi Yuan herself.
It was Xiao Yunting.
She struggled in terror. Just as she thought she might pass out from lack of air, Xiao Yunting finally let go. She collapsed to the ground, gasping desperately for breath as tears poured down her face.
Xiao Yunting turned to look at Feng Yuzhang. “Everyone here knows why Her Majesty the Empress was able to rise again. Whether it was Liu Wangfei or the Princess Consort, they all know Qi Yuan and the Qi family played a major role in toppling Duke Chu’s household.”
He gave a final warning: “Uncle, if you can’t control her, don’t blame me for not warning you.”
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