The Minister Behind the Curtain Chapter 9

Qing Wangfei immediately composed herself, though her eyes remained blood-red. “You’re very pleased with yourself, aren’t you, Feng Lezhen?”

Feng Lezhen replied, “My man staying loyal to me is simply his duty. What’s there to be pleased about?”

Qing Wangfei let out a mocking laugh and suddenly walked toward her. Chen Jinan immediately stepped in front of Feng Lezhen, shielding her and staring at the Wangfei coldly.

Qing Wangfei noted his move. Though she halted, her tone was full of disdain. “Her Highness only brought this one person. Does she really think he can take on the hundred guards of the Qing estate?”

“I could’ve come alone,” Feng Lezhen said, gently pushing aside the man blocking her. Chen Jinan paused, then obediently took a step back. “Even if your estate has a hundred guards, what can they do to me?”

“Men!” Qing Wangfei roared, and a wave of people surged forward. She gritted her teeth and pointed at Feng Lezhen. “Kill her!”

The guards were stunned and froze in place, not daring to move.

“What are you waiting for?! Kill her! Kill her!!” Qing Wangfei screamed hysterically, but still no one stepped forward. Enraged, she grabbed a vase and hurled it outward. Chen Jinan pulled Feng Lezhen back just in time. The vase shattered at their feet, scattering shards in every direction—one sliced across his face, drawing blood.

“You’re insane,” Feng Lezhen said quietly.

Qing Wangfei clutched her chest, her face pale as she collapsed to the floor. She couldn’t catch her breath for a long time. Her supposedly loyal servants stood outside the door, not even daring to breathe, let alone enter to help her.

The standoff was broken by Ah Ye rushing in with the Liang family parents. Qing Wangfei had barely recovered, but upon seeing her beloved older brother, she immediately clung to that hope. “Brother…”

Smack!

Father Liang slapped her across the face, knocking her carefully styled hair loose. Qing Wangfei stared in stunned disbelief, her mind blank.

“My daughter!” Mother Liang screamed in anguish upon seeing the scene behind the screen. Lord Liang rushed over and together they pulled their unconscious daughter out.

“The antidote?” On the way there, they had already been briefed on the situation. Father Liang immediately turned to Qing Wangfei and demanded, “Where is the antidote?”

Qing Wangfei trembled and couldn’t speak before he bellowed again, “I asked you—where is it?!”

Only then did she seem to awaken from a nightmare. With trembling hands, she took out a porcelain bottle from her sleeve. Lord Liang quickly poured out a pill and fed it to his daughter. As they prepared to leave, he offered the remaining antidote to Feng Lezhen.

“Your Highness’s kindness today—I will never forget. We left in haste, but I’ll pay my respects properly another day.”

“The banquet hasn’t dispersed yet. In her current state, it wouldn’t do for Miss Liang to leave like this. Let her rest in a side room tonight and leave tomorrow,” Feng Lezhen said gently.

The Liang couple quickly agreed. As they stepped out, Mother Liang suddenly stopped, turned to glare at her spoiled sister-in-law, and said bitterly: “In the past, I tolerated your torment, but now you’ve laid hands on my daughter? I won’t forgive you. As long as I draw breath in the Liang household, you are not welcome under our roof. If you show up again, even if the family falls into chaos, I’ll fight you to the end.”

“Sister-in-law, I didn’t—”

Qing Wangfei tried to explain, but the Liang couple had already left with their daughter.

Their brief visit completely shattered Qing Wangfei’s last shred of dignity. She collapsed on the ground, limp, her red-rimmed eyes blank with despair. Feng Lezhen watched her coolly, the night’s events now reeking of rot—it was disgusting even to look at.

She no longer lingered and turned to leave with Chen Jinan.

“Feng Lezhen, are you satisfied now?” came the soft, hoarse voice of Qing Wangfei from behind.

Feng Lezhen stopped and looked back with amusement. “You plotted with a wicked heart and now want to blame me when it backfires?”

“If you hadn’t killed Qing Wang back then, how would things have come to this?” Qing Wangfei glared at her with hatred.

The smile faded from Feng Lezhen’s face. She said nothing.

“He was just one step away—just one step from becoming emperor! If you hadn’t suddenly turned on him and killed him, I’d already be empress today…” Qing Wangfei’s voice choked with emotion. “You killed the brother who loved you the most. Why do you get to live so well?”

“What should I have done instead?” Feng Lezhen asked coldly. “Cry every day, sink into grief, suffer endless nightmares, and die a miserable death?”

Qing Wangfei remained silent, staring at her with bloodshot eyes.

Feng Lezhen sighed. “For the sake of our past friendship, I’ll give you a word of advice—know when to stop. Don’t end up throwing your own life away.”

“No,” Qing Wangfei whispered, her tone deranged. “As long as I’m alive, you’ll never know peace.”

Seeing that she was beyond reason, Feng Lezhen gave up on persuading her and turned to go.

“Feng Lezhen, I’m not the only one who wants to see you suffer,” Qing Wangfei called after her. “Just wait. Your retribution is already on the way.”

Feng Lezhen’s gaze flickered slightly. After a pause, she smiled faintly. “Then I’ll be waiting.”

The carriage from the Eldest Princess residence was already waiting at the gates. Qin Wan stood beside it and immediately lifted the curtain upon seeing them. Feng Lezhen stepped in slowly, followed by Ah Ye and Qin Wan, while Chen Jinan packed the footstool and climbed up to drive with the coachman.

As the carriage rolled down the main road, the smile faded from Feng Lezhen’s face.

“Where’s Fu Zhixian?” she asked.

“Your Highness, Lord Fu has already returned to the Fu residence. He entered through the back and likely didn’t want to alert his family,” Ah Ye replied.

Feng Lezhen gave a slight nod, and Qin Wan asked, “Earlier, Ah Ye only gave a brief message—what exactly happened?”

“Investigate Qing Wangfei’s recent contacts and whether she’s been to the palace,” Feng Lezhen said calmly. “She’s kept a low profile these years. For her to act now, it couldn’t have been on her own. Find out who’s behind her.”

Qin Wan immediately acknowledged the order.

“And the person I told you to find—any news?” Feng Lezhen asked.

Qin Wan’s first thought was Chen Jinan, but she quickly realized the Eldest Princess wasn’t referring to him, but rather the elderly servant from the palace she had asked about before.

“There were eight people who served the late emperor,” Qin Wan explained. “When he passed, only Li Tong remained to assist the new emperor. The other seven drank poison and followed him in death.”

Upon hearing Li Tong’s name, Feng Lezhen recalled the agony of the poison in her past life. Even her voice turned three shades colder. “They’re all dead?”

“There’s one still alive,” Qin Wan replied. “He was from the same hometown as Li Tong and was close to him. Perhaps out of that sentiment, Li Tong spared his life and sent him back to his village. He may still be alive, but…” She frowned, “but he’s no different from a dead man. The poison has reached his bones—he’s been insane for years. Nothing can be gotten out of him.”

“Where is he?” Feng Lezhen asked again.

“He’s already been brought over. He’s currently locked up in the secret prison of the Eldest Princess Residence.”

“This must not be revealed to anyone,” Feng Lezhen reminded.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Qin Wan replied.

The carriage was still speeding along. Feng Lezhen lifted the curtain to glance outside and saw they were heading back to the Eldest Princess Residence.

“Ah Ye,” she spoke calmly.

Ah Ye, half-dozing, immediately sat upright. “Your Highness!”

“What did Fu Zhixian do after returning home?” Her tone was even, as if she were inquiring about someone unrelated.

Ah Ye hesitated for a moment. “I don’t know. The person we had watching him said that once he got home, he had several buckets of cold water brought into his room.”

Watching the street blur past, Feng Lezhen fell silent for a while before saying, “Go to the Fu residence.”

The carriage made a sharp turn at the next alley and rushed toward the Fu estate.

Fifteen minutes later, the carriage stopped at the rear gate of the Fu residence. Ah Ye jumped down and knocked gently. Someone quickly came to open the door.

“Greetings to Your Highness.”

It wasn’t Feng Lezhen’s first visit. The servants of the Fu household were already used to it. Without announcing her arrival, they respectfully led her in. Ah Ye and Chen Jinan followed. Qin Wan still had matters to attend to, so after seeing them off, she departed.

The Fu residence, home to a scholarly family, had an elegant layout. They passed through a quiet garden and soon arrived outside Fu Zhixian’s courtyard.

Feng Lezhen continued inside. Chen Jinan was about to follow but was stopped by Ah Ye.

“Her Highness is meeting with Lord Fu. Let’s not intrude,” she said quietly.

Chen Jinan silently watched Feng Lezhen’s figure disappear, then turned to Ah Ye.

“What is it?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Did Her Highness kill Qing Wang?”

“You’re blunt,” Ah Ye chuckled. “Yes, it was Her Highness.”

Chen Jinan nodded. “Then we’ll need to be careful around the Qing household. With hatred this deep, it’s necessary.”

And he stopped there.

“…That’s it?” Ah Ye was speechless. Nothing more to ask?

Chen Jinan looked confused.

“Yes, Qing Wang once aspired to the throne. Although he was only recognized as the previous emperor’s son for a few years before returning to the status of a royal clan member, and was eventually granted a title after marrying, someone who once stood just a step from power would never be content as a mere idle prince.”

She continued, “Back then, as the late emperor lay dying, the court was split into two factions—one supporting the current emperor, and the other backing Her Highness and Qing Wang. In fact, their side held greater influence. Had Her Highness not killed Qing Wang, even if the emperor had passed the throne to the current ruler, he might not have been able to take it.”

“I see,” Chen Jinan nodded.

Ah Ye asked, “Aren’t you curious why Her Highness and Qing Wang, once so close, suddenly turned on each other?”

“Her Highness must have had her reasons,” Chen Jinan replied with steady eyes.

Ah Ye: “…” There’s no talking with this blockhead.

In the side courtyard, Feng Lezhen sat at a stone table, staring at Fu Zhixian’s brightly lit bedroom.

She remembered that in her past life, Fu Zhixian fell seriously ill after attending the Lotus Banquet. When he next came to visit her at the Eldest Princess Residence, he had visibly lost weight. She had asked what happened, and he merely said he’d caught a chill. He never once mentioned anything about the Qing Wang household.

Wounded and still soaking in cold water—no wonder he fell ill. Feng Lezhen toyed with the antidote in her hand but made no move to enter. She had seen enough of the world to know that even the strongest aphrodisiac would only last a couple of hours. Though there’d be some lingering effects, they were nothing compared to the initial torment.

As night deepened and the daytime heat faded, Feng Lezhen dozed against the stone table, lulled by the chirping insects. She was startled awake only when the midnight watch drums sounded.

The lights inside had already gone out. Fu Zhixian hadn’t come out at all. She figured this must have been how it went in her previous life too—he endured it alone, never seeking a random solution.

Weighing the antidote in her hand, Feng Lezhen finally rose and walked toward the bedchamber.