Chapter 324 The Cold of Jade, Chilling to the Bone

"Cousin... Cousin..."

Dressed in dark green robes, Yun Jian leaned against the windowsill, almost blending in with the green trees beside him.

Hearing the call, the white-robed young master sitting inside the room slowly turned his head, revealing a face as exquisite as jade.

It was the cold chill of jade, piercing to the bone.

He should have been like a jade stone come to life, but there wasn’t the slightest glint of light in his jet-black eyes—only endless, desolate stillness.

"What are you doing here?"

His voice was flat, devoid of joy or sorrow.

The room was filled with bright, festive decorations, and a set of wedding robes was draped over a nearby rack. But amidst it all, this splash of white was so jarringly out of place that it seemed to radiate no warmth at all.

Yun Jian beckoned to him. "Come here."

Feng Yin hesitated for a moment but rose to his feet nonetheless.

Perhaps from sitting for too long, his body had grown stiff. He swayed for a moment, waiting until he’d recovered before slowly walking to the window.

"What is it?"

Yun Jian glanced around, and only when he was sure no one was there did he whisper, "Today, they spread the news that you’re marrying that Pei Chanjuan. Within an hour, red fireworks appeared in five different directions around Yizhou City. The smoke from the explosions lingered in the sky for a long time."

"I’ve heard the Silver Armor Army has Cloud-piercing Arrows, which they use specifically to send signals and summon people. Do you think this has something to do with the Empress?"

Even though his heart was already cold enough, at the mention of the Empress, a faint ripple stirred in Feng Yin’s lifeless eyes.

’Your Majesty...’

"Is that all you came to say?"

Yun Jian reached out and grabbed Feng Yin’s arm, his gaze both firm and pained. "Cousin, we haven’t reached the end of our rope yet. Maybe there’s still a chance."

Feng Yin gave a light cough, his mouth filling with the metallic taste of rust. But he was already able to swallow it down without a change in expression. ’I can’t let Yun Jian worry any more than he already is.’

"How is my mother?"

Yun Jian replied, "She can sit up now. I just had someone help her eat, and she also had a bowl of ginseng soup."

Feng Yin said, "That’s good."

’It’s true, we haven’t reached the end of our rope, but I’m out of time. And I no longer care.’

But then there was Yun Jian.

Feng Yin looked at him. "You should leave."

Yun Jian stared right at him, his eyes stubborn. Feng Yin snapped coldly, "Listen to me!"

Because Feng Yin’s features were so strikingly beautiful, when he stood next to Yun Jian, it was Yun Jian who actually looked older. But now, with his expression hardened, Feng Yin finally carried the authority of an elder brother.

Yun Jian glanced at the red wedding robes in the room, then back at Feng Yin in his white clothes, and finally, reluctantly, he left.

Not far away, someone witnessed this scene, and the information was quickly sent off in several directions.

Liuyun Pavilion was Pei Chanjuan’s residence. At the moment, the entire place was filled inside and out with all sorts of wedding items, and servants bustled back and forth, busy with their tasks.

A young male servant hurried inside, heading straight for the woman surrounded by a group of maids.

"Miss, the groom saw his cousin again. I was too far away to hear what they said, but judging from his demeanor, he showed no signs of anything unusual."

The young servant recounted in detail what he had seen, and a report like this was delivered every hour.

The seated woman was slightly plump, with thick eyebrows, heavy lips, and upturned eyes. There was also a conspicuous black mole at the corner of her mouth. Her features could certainly not be called attractive, yet she insisted on wearing heavy, garish makeup: smeared blush, blood-red lips, and a floral appliqué on her forehead made from a mix of pearls and cinnabar. Every detail was a visual assault.

She didn’t think she was ugly. On the contrary, she wore a look of satisfaction, utterly captivated by her own appearance.

Hearing that her dear groom was staying put obediently, Pei Chanjuan smiled in satisfaction. She picked up a golden hairpin, stuck it in her hair, and continued to admire her own beauty.

Pei Chanjuan had once been an innocent young lady of a prestigious family. But ever since her first crush called her ugly, choosing to fall in love with the steward’s daughter rather than marry her, she had been dealt a heavy blow.

After two days of wallowing in despair, she drugged her crush and slept with him, opening the door to a whole new world.

She didn’t care what others thought. All she wanted was her own pleasure.

So what if those men found her ugly? She was the daughter of a Commandery Prince, powerful and influential. They had no choice but to submit, and even had to flatter and curry favor with her.

But after meeting Feng Yin, she was stunned by his celestial beauty and felt she had been wasting her life until then.

As expected of the man who caught the Empress’s eye—he was truly the finest specimen in the mortal world.

For such a beautiful man, she was willing to offer the best of everything she had: money, power, and her genuine heart. She even sent away her few male concubines.

Feng Yin was reserved and proud, unwilling to get close to her.

But that didn’t matter. Tomorrow was the wedding. In the bridal chamber, she had plenty of ways to train a man.

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Xiao Li wouldn’t have known if she hadn’t investigated, but once she did, she was shocked by what she found.

The Feng Family had moved to the nearby Lishan in the second month after Xiao Li fell into a coma. Aside from Feng Yin, who was serving as an official in the Capital City, Madam Feng and Feng Yu were also brought along.

Less than a month after their arrival, Feng Yu was married off by the Feng Family Patriarch to an illegitimate son of Prince Pei. The child she’d since given birth to was already almost six months old.

It was unclear how Feng Yin ended up in Yizhou, but Madam Feng’s health was poor. She had been bedridden for three or four months and had almost died several times.

’Is the Feng Family just planning to torment this mother and her two children?’

The Feng Family was a scholarly lineage, filled with educated people from top to bottom. But being literate didn’t mean they were good people.

Ever since Feng Yin had forcefully taken the position of Family Head and carved off a portion of the Feng Family’s wealth to give to the Empress in exchange for their safety, everyone in the Feng Family had been blaming him.

They blamed him for using the Feng Family’s money to curry favor with the Empress. They cursed him for his "unseemly" relationship with her, which shamed the family. They cursed him for being unfilial and disloyal, for causing his own grandfather’s death.

These people had no idea that the only reason they were still alive was because of what Feng Yin alone had exchanged for them.

Otherwise, after the few times Imperial Tutor Feng had caused trouble, Xiao Li would have had more than enough reason to liquidate the Feng Family.

After the Feng Family’s fortune dwindled, internal divisions began to form. When they moved back to Lishan, those family members who were accustomed to luxury simply couldn’t accept such a drastic change in circumstances.

The greater the fall, the more they hated Feng Yin. Finally, they dragged him down with their own hands and offered him up as a sacrifice in exchange for everything they wanted.

And they said it with such self-righteousness, as if this was something Feng Yin owed them.

"Idiot."

Xiao Li cursed Feng Yin.

’That blockhead who’s read himself stupid!’

He was the model gentleman raised by a scholarly family, burdened by heavy moral shackles. Because he had the Feng Family’s blood in his veins and had received their grace, he couldn’t just stand by and watch the family be destroyed.

Yet he couldn’t bear to spend the last shred of pure, genuine affection between him and the Empress by asking her for help with the Feng Family’s affairs.

In the end, he was caught in the middle—not just in a difficult position, but facing total annihilation.

The Silver Armor Guards were not clear on the details of Feng Yin’s situation, and the place where he was being held was under heavy guard, making him completely unreachable.

Xiao Li didn’t say much more, but the Silver Armor Guards couldn’t accept being useless in front of their Empress. So, despite their busy schedules, they found the time to lie in wait, and eventually, they brought a bound person to Xiao Li.

The sack was opened. An enraged Yun Jian was just about to start cursing when he found himself staring into a pair of smiling, mischievous eyes. The stunningly beautiful and formidable woman before him was like a demon who had just spotted a delicious little snack. The corners of her lips curved up, and her laughter was as bewitching as a devil’s. "Well hello there, little one."