The Poorest Prince
In Ban Zou’s eyes, the sixth prince was getting closer with his master without any good intentions. His master had now grown up, and her figure was far better than it was when she was young. Her abilities had also improved with each passing year. The sixth prince had definitely taken an interest in his master, thus he thought of ways to get closer. Really, this girl already had someone, so what were these people getting eager for?
Of course, Feng Yu Heng did not know what her hidden guard was thinking. Over the past few days, she had not seen much of Xuan Tian Feng. She just knew that he was handling the matters with the school. He was always busy with this, bustling about. She had heard that the construction of the school was proceeding very quickly, and those students that wanted to study and the families that wanted to get in the good graces of Ji An Prefecture took the initiative to help provide the money. This increased the speed of the construction of the school by quite a bit.
During this time, she had used the sixth prince’s name to do quite a few things for Ji An Prefecture. Although he did not say anything, she always felt a bit embarrassed, thus she had been hesitant about how to bring it up. Should she just give a simple thanks or should she speak about something else with a bit more style?
Seeing that she had a conflicted expression, Xuan Tian Feng seemed to be able to guess what she was currently thinking, and he could not help but laugh, saying: “There’s no need to think so much. I did not come to Ji An Prefecture for the sake of pursuing personal profits. In truth, in my 20-odd years of living, I have never asked for a profit. If it really was calculated, it would be a loss. I need to pay you some reparations because you took me in and allowed me to live in Ji An Prefecture. There was also no need to spend money to build a living place. I have gained a benefit from coming from Ji An Prefecture!”
“What sort of thing is sixth brother saying?!” She felt better internally. There was no need to split the money! That was good, “It’s just a living place. I also felt that this manor was too empty. With you living in it, it gives it an air of being lived in. I was thinking that if you wanted to build your own manor, there are still plenty of residences left behind by the Teng family. They are all very magnificent, and I have kept them all. Sixth brother can choose any of them.”
Xuan Tian Feng shook his head, “No need, I do not have the mind to support my own house. Just finding a small yard to live in is best. Moreover…” He was a bit embarrassed to say: “I am not worried that you will laugh when I say it, but I currently do not have the money to support a residence of my own. Everyone says that the most useless thing is a scholar. Among the princes in Da Shun, I am the poorest. If it was not for Father Emperor and eldest imperial brother helping with the Xian Palace in the capital, it could not possibly be sustained. I don’t know how to make money. Any money that makes its way into my hands will be spent on books. Or it would be spent on paying scholars to write books. Like this, the treasury in the palace was completely emptied out.”
Feng Yu Heng was stunned. Although she had also heard Wang Chuan and Huang Quan analyze that the sixth prince was not as good as the other princes at making money, she did not think that he would be this shabby. She did not dare believe it, but she felt that the sixth prince was not the type of person to lie. She just remained frozen for a while then suddenly said: “How about… I give you some money! I… I still have some foundation.”
Xuan Tian Feng laughed, “Your things are yours. How could I reach out to take your money? In the future, when it comes time to pay the salary for the school, just pay it on time.” He picked up the teacup and calmly began drinking tea.
Feng Yu Heng quickly nodded and thought to herself. Not only would she give him a salary, but she would give him a bit more. That school would simply be put under Xuan Tian Feng’s name. She was not missing that bit of income from the school. But it would be best if someone skilled with money was sent to help manage the funds; otherwise, this prince would have the money spent in ways that could not be easily perceived. In the end, scholars were scholars, and their way of thinking was different from others. Based on her feelings, Feng Yu Heng felt that Xuan Tian Feng was quite a good person because she very rarely met this sort of person. Between people, there was often too much of trying to take advantage of the other; however, Xuan Tian Feng was an exception. He was the same as Xuan Tian Hua. It gave the imperial family a feeling of cleanliness.
“Thinking about it, you won’t be staying in Ji An Prefecture for very long, right?” Xuan Tian Feng counted the days for her, “At most another two months, and I fear that you will need to head out for the South.”
“That’s right! After I leave, Ji An Prefecture will need sixth brother to help put in some more effort.” She spoke what she was earnestly thinking. No matter who Ji An Prefecture was handed to, it left her uneasy. It could be said that no matter who it was handed to, they could not keep it steady. Although things currently looked to be moving along smoothly, she had not interacted with the merchants and residents for very long. What if someone began to have disloyal thoughts after she left. Without someone that could keep things steady, what should be done? That was why the sixth prince was most suited to this job. Who could possibly be so blind as to openly oppose a prince? She very earnestly said to Xuan Tian Feng: “Sixth brother, you being able to stay in Ji An Prefecture is best for me. It will be more than a month or two when I go down to the South before returning. If you are not in the prefecture, I really would not know what to do.”
In regards to this, Xuan Tian Feng very naturally agreed, saying: “Don’t worry. No matter how useless I am, I am still a prince. Moreover, isn’t there still the prefect of Yu Zhou? It would not be the case that this place would descend into chaos. As for you, the South is dangerous. The swords and arrows on the battlefield do not have eyes. You must be careful.”
Feng Yu Heng nodded, “Sixth brother, don’t worry. This is not my first time going onto the battlefield. I understand such things.”
Xuan Tian Feng also knew that this younger sister had great abilities, thus he did not say anything else. He just sighed and said: “I very rarely inquire about the things in the capital. I just occasionally heard that the Feng family’s second young miss was set to marry Ming’er. That brat has never been very obedient since childhood. In the past, Lord Ding An’s daughter took an interest in him, and he set their residence on fire; however, who knew that you two would become so attached.”
With this being mentioned, Feng Yu Heng’s mood improved, and she simply had Wang Chuan and Huang Quan swap out the tea for wine. Since the moonlight was good, she would toast the sixth prince.
Xuan Tian Feng did not refuse, and three cups of wine entered his belly. He then heard Feng Yu Heng speak of how she and Xuan Tian Ming had met in the mountains of the Northwest, as she exaggeratedly said: “When I first saw him, I had truly been completely stunned by his appearance! I had never seen such a cool person before. There was also that purple lotus flower on his forehead! Sixth brother, say, how could a person possibly have a purple lotus flower between their eyebrows? At that time, I nearly thought that he was some sort of wicked spirit! But what sort of spirit could end up injured like that. I could not bear to watch and treated him.”
She spoke at length about their first encounter then spoke of how she had used the 20 taels of silver given by Xuan Tian Ming to bring her mother, her younger brother and a granny back to the capital from Xi Ping Village. She spoke about how bad the Feng family was and how badly they treated others. As she spoke, all kinds of memories surfaced in her mind; however, there was no longer that hatred from before. Instead, she felt a bit nostalgic about that colorful Feng Manor, including Feng Chen Yu’s face.
“I had really never seen such a beautiful girl before.” At this time, she was also willing to give Feng Chen Yu a relatively objective assessment. Although there were many beautiful celebrities in the modern world, the majority had been made to look that way through surgeries. Putting aside Feng Chen Yu’s wickedness, her beauty really was something seen once a generation. “In truth, if the Feng manor was not that bad, I would not have treated them so coldly. After all, they are relatives. Unfortunately, the world is not that beautiful. Forget it, forget it, at the very least, Xuan Tian Ming is reliable. To me, this is the best retaliation.” She happily reminisced about the past and unconsciously told Xuan Tian Feng about many things of the past.
Slowly, she began to speak about the situation in the South once more, as she told Xuan Tian Feng: “I came to Ji An Prefecture for the sake of making it more convenient to reach the South. All of the money is for the sake of supporting Xuan Tian Ming’s army. Sixth brother, you know that once the supplies enter the eighth prince’s control, it will definitely not reach Xuan Tian Ming’s army. If the soldiers can’t eat their fill, there’s no way to fight this war. That’s why I will support them from the back. He must not be left isolated. He and I are one.”
When she spoke, her chin was slightly pointed up, and her expression was filled with youthful spirit. Xuan Tian Feng felt as though he was currently speaking with a strange girl. As for that feeling that he felt for Feng Yu Heng that he could not quite describe, it underwent a very substantial change at this time. It could be said that those feelings had finally been exposed, and it allowed him to finally recognize it. He understood that the feelings that he had for this girl were not what he had originally believed. It should instead be… a deep admiration!
Everything in Ji An Prefecture continued along its tracks, and the school that the sixth prince, Xuan Tian Feng, was personally helping construct was completed after 13 days. It then began to officially take in students. On that day, Feng Yu Heng brought Xiang Rong to watch the liveliness, and this caused students and their families that had come a long way to feel moved.
Xiang Rong looked at the prosperous prefecture, and everyone had something to do. Her mind also became lively. She did not want to sit around idly, but she did not know what would be best for her to do. With her becoming anxious, she appeared very troubled.
Feng Yu Heng also had some plans for her, as she said to Xiang Rong: “How about you also open an embroidery shop in Ji An Prefecture! You can be considered familiar with this sort of business. Either way, there are still quite a few empty shops in the prefecture. Let’s pick one in a good location and begin preparing. I still have quite a few embroidery items, and a large number were given to me by my Persian master. The appearance is a more foreign one, and the end result will be very fresh. It will definitely be well-received. If you manage the business well here, concubine mother An will have a place to live in the future. I know that you do not like staying in the capital, and Ji An Prefecture is a very good place to call home. Although concubine mother An is one of Feng Jin Yuan’s concubines, and this status is not one that can be removed, once you have a proper home in Ji An Prefecture, I, as your elder sister, would be able to feel at ease.”
Feng Yu Heng’s plan for her younger sister was very good. As for An shi’s status as a concubine, it was actually quite easy to take care of. She never believed that Feng Jin Yuan would be able to live properly after coming to the South to help Fu Ya with this matter. With Feng Jin Yuan dying, An shi would naturally be free.
To be a good person, one must know how to feel gratitude. She still remembered that Yao shi had once said that when they left the capital, An shi had grabbed Zi Rui’s collar and thrown in a handful of silver. Thinking about it, without that bit of money, they would not have been able to survive in Xi Ping Village.
Xiang Rong did not think that her second sister would already make such a good arrangement for her life. She had even made considerations for An shi. This made her feel very moved. The young girl was already bashful, and now that she felt moved, she did not know what to say. She just began to cry, as tears welled up in her eyes. It was Feng Yu Heng that said: “I have left a residence open near the imperial daughter’s manor for you. It’s 20 paces away from the entrance of the imperial daughter’s manor. It very close. When Concubine Mother An comes, that side can be tidied up, and it can be considered your home in Ji An Prefecture. There’s no need to thank me. We have already had more than enough of the life that we have lived over the years. I just hope to have some more family members at my side to have the appearance of a family. To be able to have a warmth of family and regain everything that had been lost…”