"Difficult? What do you mean? Are you saying the young lady made things difficult for her? Which eye of yours..."
"Qin Erniang." Xue Xingyue shook her head at Qin Erniang.
Qin Erniang shot Feng Qing a glare and stopped speaking.
Feng Qing's face turned pale, his gaze dimming. "Young lady, Feng Qing can no longer do anything for you, so..."
"I understand, you..." She glanced at Feng Qing and said slowly, "Take care of yourself!"
Qin Erniang followed, but at the doorway, she couldn't help but look back at Feng Qing and say, "You truly are heartless and ungrateful. But if you can do this, the young lady won't be so lenient. There are medicinal herbs and money in the courtyard. As long as you don't squander it, it will be enough for your future."
After speaking, Qin Erniang left.
Outside the main gate, Qin Erniang saw Xue Xingyue looking dejected. She said, "Young lady, don't be disheartened. It's better to see through people like this sooner."
Is that so? She raised her head to look at the sky, feeling an indescribable sense of loneliness.
Feng Qing heard the heavy closing of the door. He slumped as if his body had gone limp and fell backward. He used his left hand to cover his eyes. After a long while, a tear dripped from between his fingers.
"You've made up your mind, haven't you?" The sudden voice made Feng Qing tremble. He moved his hand away and saw a person standing by the bed. He slowly sat up and looked at the person, saying, "Yes, I have. Rather than being unable to do anything like this and needing to rely on others for care, I want to stand up again, to have the same martial arts as before. Only then can I protect her."
"But have you thought it through? This technique, while allowing you to stand up in a short period, is consuming your life. Perhaps you will only live for twenty years, perhaps ten, perhaps..."
"That's enough," Feng Qing replied without hesitation.
"Yi Ning, come over here. How long do you plan to pretend?"
Yi Ning, who had been standing rigidly to the side, chuckled a few times. "Master, didn't Yi Ning do a good job of pretending just now?"
"It was alright!"
"Master, you should praise me more. I think my act was very convincing just now, even Miss Xue didn't notice?" Yi Ning said happily. Xue Xingyue hadn't spoken the entire way until they reached Prime Minister Song's residence.
Upon returning to the residence, news arrived that the Crown Prince's wedding would be next month, with the Crown Princess being the eldest daughter of the Zhao family, Zhao Xiuzhu.
Xue Xingyue was somewhat surprised by this, as Zhao Xiuzhu had previously refused to marry the Crown Prince, even threatening to jump into a lake. Why had she changed her mind? However, considering that the eldest daughter of the Zhao family was to marry the Crown Prince after Song Xiuyuan visited the Zhao residence, she suspected it had something to do with Song Xiuyuan.
However, she wasn't inclined to dwell on these matters, as she had her own pressing tasks.
In the evening, Wu Hen appeared. After a month's absence, Wu Hen looked at Xue Xingyue with resentment.
"Master, have you forgotten Wu Hen? Why did you summon your subordinate so late?" Wu Hen looked unhappy.
"Wu Hen, the situation was unstable before, and moreover, Feng Qing still needed care, so I didn't summon you."
"Then why, after a month without seeing him, did this worm appear?" Wu Hen asked, looking displeased at Feng Qing, who was trying his best to shrink into a corner, attempting to make himself unnoticeable.
Xue Xingyue smiled. "Worm? That's a fitting description. However, this worm will be working with you from now on."
"Why? I refuse to work with him." Wu Hen glanced dismissively in a certain direction.
Feng Qing felt immense bitterness in his heart. He didn't want this either. Who knew his master would abandon him, the new master disliked him, and even the subordinate of the new master was so hateful towards him? He felt so miserable!
"This is probably unavoidable. He will be by my side from now on."
Wu Hen glared fiercely in a certain direction until Feng Qing, feeling the intense gaze, left the place. Only then did he withdraw his gaze.
"Feng Qing, how is he?"
"Master, Feng Qing has a hidden ailment," Wu Hen said after some thought.
Xue Xingyue nodded. "I know."
If she were to believe that Feng Qing would leave, she wouldn't. It was more likely that Feng Qing was planning something. Thinking that her subordinate would rather conceal things from her and even speak of leaving her side to carry out his plans, she felt a pang of guilt. It was her own inadequacy, her inability to protect him, that had given him such thoughts.
"However, Master, rest assured, I don't think that person will harm Feng Qing," Wu Hen said, seeing her dimming eyes.
"I know." That was why she had let Feng Qing leave with peace of mind, hoping that Feng Qing could do what he wanted. He had given too much for her in the past decade. Now, she only wished that her former Feng Wei could live a good life, even if he was no longer by her side.
In the past month, the imperial palace had been bustling with preparations for the Crown Prince's wedding. The reason for such importance was that, on the wedding day, envoys from three countries were said to be coming to congratulate the Jade Kingdom. This was an unprecedented event, so the Emperor placed great importance on it.
The Ninth Princess was also summoned back to the palace by Consort Wan to be properly taught court etiquette. After all, in front of envoys from other countries, the Emperor's most favored Ninth Princess could not disgrace the royal family.
As soon as the Ninth Princess left, everyone in the Song residence became lively, completely devoid of their previous cautiousness and meticulousness.
However, it was extremely difficult for Xue Xingyue to meet Song Xiuyuan, as he left early and returned late, busy with preparations for the Crown Prince's wedding. Besides the wedding, he was also responsible for receiving the envoys from the three countries, all falling on his shoulders.
"Master, Young Master Song has returned," Wu Hen appeared before her.
"Where is he now?"
"In Old Master Song's study. However, I asked Bai Ying, and it seems he will be going to the study shortly," Wu Hen replied.
She nodded. "Alright, I'll go to the study and wait for him."
When Xue Xingyue arrived at the study, Song Xiuyuan had not yet returned. Guards were stationed at the entrance, but upon seeing her, they respectfully addressed her as "Madam." She didn't mind this title, as she still had to use this identity here.
However, she hadn't expected to be able to enter Song Xiuyuan's study so easily.
This was clearly an arrangement made by Song Xiuyuan, otherwise, how could she have entered such an important place?
His study was very neat and elegantly furnished.
The first thing that caught her eye was a large, multi-tiered shelf filled with a dazzling array of books. Upon closer inspection, she realized they were all rare editions. Suddenly, she spotted a brocade box. Though placed in the most secluded corner, it was clearly dust-free. Perhaps due to frequent opening, the brocade box showed signs of wear.