What if the divorce cannot be obtained?
Wouldn't that ruin A Yao for life!
Feng Hai was unwilling to climb this marriage, and was thinking of how to refuse it, when he heard his wife immediately say.
"The Grand Secretary is joking. My youngest son is not yet married, so it might not be appropriate for my sister to talk about marriage first. However, our Feng family is full of affection for Ming Yue. I wonder what the Grand Secretary thinks? You have met my youngest son, Feng Jin Lin, haven't you?"
It was clearly meant to pave the way for the Prince of Ding, but who knew that the Feng Hai couple would bring it to his Ming Yue.
Even if Xu Ge Lao had a silver tongue, he could only prevaricate when it came to his granddaughter's affairs.
In the end, he fled in a hurry without even drinking a few sips of tea.
Watching his hurried departure, Madam Feng was anxious. It seemed that the marriage for the second child was in jeopardy.
She was so anxious that she couldn't eat or sleep well for the next few days.
Although there was no conclusion to the marriage proposals from both sides, the matter of asking wealthy merchants to donate money was progressing quickly.
The Great Jin Dynasty has been established for more than ten generations. Apart from occasional unrest on the borders, most of the time it has been prosperous and peaceful.
Over the centuries, there have naturally been many wealthy merchants in the private sector.
After the imperial court issued this decree, the Chi family in Jinling City, the Min family, the Feng family and the Hua family in Liangzhou in the northwest, and other wealthy merchants responded quickly.
For them, the money was sometimes so much that they didn't know how to spend it. This time, spending money not only improved the status of merchants in the Great Jin, but also helped to restore the reputation of merchants who were often seen as cunning and treacherous. It was a win-win situation.
As the imperial plaques were sent out one by one, the flowing silver and grain, cloth, and flour rushed towards the capital.
Xu Ge Lao was responsible for operating this matter in Dongdu City, while Feng Jin Xu was appointed to receive it in the southwest.
When the imperial court needed people, those court officials who used to clamor the loudest would fall silent.
There was no choice. Even though they knew that Feng Jin Xu and Wen Zhong He were father-in-law and son-in-law, they could only send him to the southwest.
Coincidentally, there was another important matter to be handled on this trip to the southwest, which was to transport the materials prepared by the Ministry of Works for the construction of the embankment. Therefore, Emperor Qi, for the first time, appointed someone everyone had not expected.
It was the Sixth Prince.
Everyone in the court was shocked.
Ever since, the First Prince and the Ninth Prince had been in a stalemate in the court. Now, why was the Sixth Prince also involved?
Although he had handled some errands with the First Prince before, they were mostly running errands, which was different from this trip to the southwest for disaster relief.
Anyone with discerning eyes could see that if this matter was handled properly, the status of the Sixth Prince, and even the status of Consort Liu Xian in the harem, would rise with the tide.
How could this not arouse envy?
It was the First Prince who came forward to guarantee it, and he and the Sixth Prince acted like brothers, which silenced others.
Feng Jin Xu had no choice but to obey the order, but a faint worry arose in his heart.
Immediately after the court session, he sent the news to the Prince of Ding in the southwest, so that he could make preparations early.
On a certain day before they packed up to leave, the Feng family received something from the southwest.
When they opened it, it turned out to be a jar of green weasel. Feng Jin Xu immediately felt that something was wrong. When he looked at the message, his heart sank by more than half.
This was He Huan's urn.
Inside was also a jade pendant that He Huan always carried with her, something she never took off.
Fu Yi also had one, but the pattern was different.
Although Feng Jin Xu felt it was difficult to speak of, he still told Fu Yi about it before setting off.
His sister died saving A Yao, so she was naturally a benefactor of the Feng family.
All they could do was return the遺物 to Fu Yi and listen to what he wanted.
As Fu Yi tremblingly took his sister's urn, tears dripped onto the green weasel porcelain, looking so crystal clear, but filled with profound sadness.
"I shouldn't have agreed to let her stay in the first place."
This was the only sentence Fu Yi left behind, and then he turned and left with the urn.
She was the sister he had doted on since childhood, and before she left, she was still smiling so brightly and freely. Now, only a handful of ashes remained.
No one could accept this.
Feng Jin Xu did not force him too much, but let him handle He Huan's funeral.
If he couldn't go to the southwest due to excessive grief, he would understand.
Upon hearing the tragic news, Madam Wen was also silent for a long time.
It was a pity that this flower-like woman had not enjoyed a few days of peace since she entered the Feng family.
She ordered three hundred taels of silver to be sent for He Huan's funeral expenses. Her father wept silently, while her stepmother was secretly overjoyed to the point of closing her mouth.
This dead girl was quite accomplished this time. One little life exchanged for the wealth of the old couple for the rest of their lives.
If they couldn't make ends meet in the future, they could go to the Feng family to cry a few times with the reputation of saving their master, and they might even get more.
Therefore, they did not skimp on anything and gave He Huan a grand funeral.
The night before Feng Jin Xu was to depart, Fu Yi returned in black.
His beard had clearly just been shaved, revealing a pale blue trace. His eyes were red with bloodshot, and he must have been busy with He Huan's funeral these past few days. His body had also become much thinner, but his emotions were very calm.
"My lord, your subordinate will accompany you to the southwest."
"Fu Yi, you don't have to go."
Fu Yi shook his head and said with firm eyes.
"I've been by your side protecting you since I was a teenager. I'm used to it after so many years. He Huan had a thin fate. She didn't have a mother's love when she was young, and she didn't marry well when she grew up. It's all my fault as an older brother for not being able to give her a good life. So I can only hope that she will be reborn into a wealthy family in her next life, and live a life without worries."
As he spoke, his eyes turned red again.
It seemed that he remembered many childhood memories with He Huan, and he began to chatter endlessly in front of Feng Jin Xu.
Feng Jin Xu did not interrupt him, but quietly listened.
It was not until late at night that Fu Yi realized.
"Do you feel better?"
"Much better."
Feng Jin Xu was not good at comforting others, so he could only listen to him quietly.
The brother and sister grew up together, and their feelings were naturally deep. As for him and A Yao, although they were also siblings, they were not as close as Fu Yi and He Huan.
In an instant, he felt that he had neglected too much.
Before, it was his wife and children, and now it was his younger siblings. A sense of guilt arose in his heart.
After everything was over, he hoped to treat Feng Jin Lin and Feng Jin Yao better, and be a brother who doted on his siblings like Fu Yi.
Early the next morning, Feng Jin Xu and the Sixth Prince, carrying Emperor Qi's expectations and the supplies collected from wealthy merchants, set off for the southwest.
Madam Wen and her daughter prayed for their husband every day at home.