Who Did It?
The sudden accident caused everyone to sway, but it was fortunate that Feng Yu Heng, Huang Quan and Wang Chuan were all capable in martial arts. Even Xuan Tian Ge was not the usual weak girl. Although she was shocked at first, she very quickly managed to recover. The group reacted extremely quickly, especially Feng Yu Heng. When she noticed that this carriage was about to flip, she had already grabbed a hold of Xuan Tian Ge. Wang Chuan also protected them from the side. Huang Quan then grabbed Xuan Tian Ge’s servant, and the group rushed out of the carriage at the moment that the carriage flipped. It was just that the ground outside was too slippery, and the servant slipped but did not suffer any major incident.
Very quickly, people began to gather around. The imperial guards feared that they might be a step late and immediately moved into battle formation. Even the Emperor personally exited his carriage to look over. Among the five people, only the servant had been given a shock. The other people were quite well, Xuan Tian Ge was even able to throw a tantrum: “What happened? Who chose this road? How were you driving? What was just run over? Were you hoping to flip this palace princess over?!”
The Emperor heard this and was extremely distressed. He quickly stepped forward to comfort her. Xuan Tian Ge was someone proficient in human relations, as she began to act spoiled toward the Emperor. It was to the point that even her parents could not bear to watch, yet the Emperor was extremely able in enduring Xuan Tian Ge’s actions. He doted on the only daughter of the Xuan family to an extreme. Falling from the carriage was no small matter. While protecting her, he quickly gave an order to investigate! Things had to be investigated!
But after all kinds of investigation, it was nothing more than an unexpected accident. The wheel of the imperial carriage had suddenly fallen off. There was nothing like an assassin, which allowed the people to feel at ease. The Empress quickly had people arrange a new carriage for them. At the same time, she pulled the Emperor back to the Emperor’s carriage. The other people then gradually returned to their carriages. There was also a small group that wanted to watch the excitement that remained.
At this moment, Feng Yu Heng was squatted near the imperial carriage that had been flipped, looking at the broken wheel. Wheels made of wood were actually quite sturdy, especially on an imperial carriage for a palace princess or those of that rank. These imperial carriages were made by the best craftsmen and had been put through all kinds of tests to ensure that there were no problems. Even if Xuan Tian Ge had used it for a long time, the palace would have people that took care of maintaining it, especially before setting out. They would need to have inspected everything before feeling at ease to let Xuan Tian Ge climb in. Before this palace princess’ carriage could get even halfway, the wheel fell off. This sort of situation really was quite unexpected.
Feng Yu Heng looked for a while then finally turned her gaze on the coupling and furrowed her brow. The cracking did not appear to have been from an accident or from aging. Feng Yu Heng could ascertain that it looked like it had been bent in wait for an accident to occur.
But the person that did it should understand that this sort of small accident could not possibly injure Xuan Tian Ge. It was even more unlikely that it would harm Feng Yu Heng, who was very likely to ride with her. Thus this small incident was nothing more than a warning. Or it was a declaration of war with a small show of force to let them know that it was not just others that could suffer a loss in this world. The opposition was also able to do a bit of something without anyone knowing. Although these actions were incredibly small, it was very possible that it could be something big.
“A-Heng.” Xuan Tian Ge saw that there was something off about her expression and went forward to ask: “Is something wrong?”
Feng Yu Heng did not want to speak more about it in this place and only shook her head, telling her: “The wheel was damaged. It’s fine. Just leave it to the servants to take care of. Let’s go to another carriage.” She stood up and pulled Xuan Tian Ge then squeezed her hand. This let Xuan Tian Ge know to not continue asking. At the same time, she looked around. Among the people watching the excitement, she successfully found Feng Xiang Rong, Feng Fen Dai, Lu Ya and Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu. Feng Yu Heng’s gaze lingered on Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu for a while, and she was looking back at her. The two looked at each other, and she slightly curled the corners of her lips up into a faint smile then went with her servants back to her imperial carriage.
The new carriage was one that had been vacated by others. At best, it looked like it belonged to a noble official of the court. Although it was not as big as the earlier one, it was still very comfortable to sit in. Only when they got in, and the group set out once more did Xuan Tian Ge ask once more: “There was a problem, wasn’t there?”
Feng Yu Heng nodded, “It seemed like it was done on purpose. After you get back to the palace… or when we arrive, immediately send someone back to keep an eye on the person that takes care of the carriages in Wen Xuan Palace. Although there isn’t too much evidence, as for that incident with the imperial carriage, he is the one most unable to avoid being implicated.”
Xuan Tian Ge nodded, her expression becoming solemn.
In the other imperial carriage, Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu was furrowing her brow while looking at her palace servant, Yue Xiu: “Did you notice the way that Imperial Daughter Ji An looked at me? She even smiled. What was the meaning of that smile? It looked gloomy and filled with bad intent.”
Yue Xiu was also puzzled and could only console her: “Imperial Concubine, don’t take it to heart. Imperial Daughter Ji An has always been bizarre. Perhaps that is just her usual expression, and there isn’t anything special about it.”
“Usual expression, huh?” Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu smiled bitterly, “This One does not think so. Who isn’t able to guess what Imperial Daughter Ji An is thinking. It’s inevitable that this matter with the imperial carriage will be placed on my head. But in the end, this was not done by This One, thus I am not afraid of her.” While she spoke, she thought a bit and added: “Yue Xiu, take a guess. Who was it that did it to that carriage?”
Yue Xiu was startled, “Imperial Concubine feels that the imperial carriage flipping was not an accident?”
Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu laughed, “How could it be an accident? If it was an accident, why did nobody else have an accident? Why would it be their carriage that flipped? That is Palace Princess Wu Yang and the only daughter of Da Shun’s imperial family. We should all be clear how much better her imperial carriage is than ours. If that sort of carriage can lose a wheel, wouldn’t our carriage completely come apart? Thinking about it now, anyone that dares to take action against Palace Princess Wu Yang really is bold.” As she spoke, her expression gradually sank, “Mo’er hasn’t sent a letter back. Why does this One keep feeling a little uncomfortable?”
Yue Xiu consoled her: “The distance is great. At the very least, it would take another month.”
“I just hope that’s the case.” Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu let out a long sigh, “Let’s just hope that this One’s letter did not go amiss and successfully reached Mo’er. Right, this One had you arrange people to secretly pick up Fu Ya. Did they go?”
Yue Xiu nodded, “Imperial concubine, don’t worry. MIss Fu Ya’s carriage is following along from behind. There are hidden guards from His Highness’ palace protecting it. Nothing will happen.”
“That’s good.” Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu leaned against the carriage and closed her eyes, “Massage This One’s legs.”
The mighty group continued to head toward the hunting ground in the East. After a long time, the people in the carriages had become drowsy from the bumpy ride. Xuan Tian Ge, however, was still very awake, as she endlessly gossipped with Feng Yu Heng. She spoke about imperial concubines and other noble people. In all, Feng Yu Heng heard all about what kinds of things those women did for the sake of fighting for favor. Feng Yu Heng was also quite interested in hearing it. That feeling was more entertaining than watching historical dramas in her previous life.
But from a more human perspective, she sympathized with those imperial concubines. In the end, the Emperor’s women were not able to be completely free before entering the palace. Even if they were free, they had their own fantasies. It was this era that had created this situation. They were also products of their environments and were tragic figures.
She lifted the curtain once more and removed a bit of the charcoal smell. She also became a bit more spirited. She then began to take in the group of carriages in the back while saying to Xuan Tian Ge: “When burning charcoal, the windows can’t be kept closed the entire time. From time to time, a bit of air needs to be allowed in; otherwise, we will suffocate.” While she spoke, she saw that there was a carriage with the curtain being opened from the inside. A girl looked out and happened to see her. The girl was startled then nodded to her before putting down the curtain.
At this time, Xuan Tian Ge happened to come over and look out. She immediately saw Lu Yan, who had nodded to Feng Yu Heng, thus she began a new conversation: “The Lu family is far worse off than it was in the past. Their businesses have been suppressed to the point of no longer being able to make a comeback, and they lost a large amount of money. Lu Song no longer has the same force as he did before. A-Heng.” She grabbed Feng Yu Heng’s hand and said: “I know that you are worried that your relatives will get implicated, but have you ever thought that fates are determined from birth? Your birth came with a fate, and at the same time, their fates were determined from birth. None of this is your fault. Even without you, they would also need to face this sort of problem. This is something that life should have, and it’s not something that can be avoided.”
Feng Yu Heng nodded, “I understand that logic, but I still want to try. I will do everything possible to make sure that my relatives don’t suffer too much harm. At the very least, I hope that they don’t get hurt. As for what you said, they have their own fates, so I will let them endure their own fates. My fate is extra, and it should never have fallen on them to endure it.”
Xuan Tian Ge could not quite understand these words, thus she simply stopped asking and closed her eyes to rest.
This trip took over six hours, and they only arrived at the hunting ground when the sky was dark.
The hunting ground was protected and taken care of throughout the entire year. They had already set up tents according to the list of names sent by the palace earlier in the day. Feng Yu Heng and Xuan Tian Ge had noble statuses, and they had their own tents. As for the imperial concubines and princes, they also had their own tents. As for the officials, each family had their own tents. The ones that had brought daughters would have a small room on the inside, while the couple would stay in the outer room.
Wang Chuan and Huang Quan very smoothly brought their things into the tent. Feng Yu Heng, however, was a little inattentive while sitting inside. Wang Chuan was attentive and walked over to quietly ask her: “Young miss, is there something weighing on your mind? Are you thinking about the imperial carriage flipping over?”
Feng Yu Heng shook her head, “It really isn’t that. Wang Chuan, I’ll ask you. How much of an understanding do you have of the Empress’ family?”
“The Empress’ family?” Wang Chuan did not think that she would ask about this. She was stunned at first but immediately said: “The Empress is very adept as a person. For the sake of avoiding danger, she did not speak of her family. At this moment, they are just living normally. A few years ago, they were let out of the province and are no longer in the capital. In addition to this, the Empress herself was without children. The princes have already become grown, and not a single one was raised by her. That’s why her family did not have much to strive for. Why did young miss want to ask about this? Is there something with the Empress…”
“It’s nothing.” Feng Yu Heng shook her hand. She did not want to think wildly about things that she was uncertain about, “I just wanted to ask about it because I very rarely hear people speak of it. I was just curious.”
Just as she was speaking, someone from the outside came to report: “May I ask if Imperial Daughter Ji An is inside? This servant came to deliver something to the imperial daughter!”