Chapter 361: Chapter 351 Critical Illness
The three conversed throughout the journey, each busy with their own matters. Xie Jue parted ways with them in Yang City and returned to Ningzhou.
Xie Xun was heading to Jiaozhou, while Fengyu was returning to West Continent.
After seeing Xie Jue off, Xie Xun and Fengyu were about to part as well. Xie Xun loathed farewells; the last time they separated in Jinzhou, months passed without seeing each other, and his longing swelled like the tides. Now, they had to part again. Yet he also didn’t wish for Fengyu to follow the army—it would be too exhausting. The Third Miss had grown accustomed to luxury, and traveling alongside him meant braving the elements and enduring poorly cooked meals. It pained him to see her like this. From Jiaozhou to Zhongzhou this time, she hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep or a decent meal; though he did all he could to care for her, the harsh conditions made her visibly thinner, her chin sharper.
Fengyu hugged him around the waist, her cheek nestled against his chest with tender reluctance, her heart heavy with sorrow. "West Continent is close to Jiaozhou. When the weather improves, I’ll come find you."
"Don’t trouble yourself. The snow and wind across the Twelve States are harsher than in the Capital City. Stay indoors as much as possible in West Continent. If I have a spare moment during New Year’s Eve, I’ll come to you."
Fengyu’s voice was hoarse. "Alright!"
A gentle kiss landed on her brow, as light as a feather brushing across. She only had time to feel the softness of the touch and his warm breath when Xie Xun’s peach-blossom eyes showed an unmistakable tenderness. "This birthday gift—I like it very much."
From his birthday until the escape from the city with his cousin, they’d shared a carriage along the way but hadn’t had time for a proper conversation. Parting now made him realize how precious their moments together truly were.
"Then every year, I’ll send you a grand display of fireworks."
Xie Xun chuckled. "Who was it that told us to save a little?"
"Wasting it once a year—for you, it’s worth it!" Fengyu’s affectionate words were like malt sugar lingering between her lips and teeth. Xie Xun’s gaze turned even more tender.
"Alright!"
He would look forward to the grand fireworks she promised every year.
Xie Xun kept looking back at Fengyu until he was far away, as if desperately trying to etch her visage onto his heart. Only when the fiery red figure faded from view did he finally stop.
Fengyu remained where she was, watching the army march off into the distance.
Chunlu handed her a letter. It was a letter Fengyu had received before their farewell, from Jiangnan. The inner layer of the envelope bore the distinctive seal of the Su Family Patriarch and was marked as urgent. Fengyu showed no outward emotion and only hurriedly opened it after seeing off Xie Jue and Xie Xun.
The letter was written by the Su Family’s steward and somewhat hastily scrawled. Fengyu recognized the wild handwriting immediately, having received his letters before. Su Ming was critically ill, and Su Yuejiao was trapped in the Capital City and unable to leave. Su Ming had forbidden them from disclosing the news, but his condition had deteriorated to the point of urgency. The steward hoped Fengyu could secretly make a trip to Jiangnan, as he couldn’t bear the thought of the family head facing his final moments without any relatives by his side.
"Grandfather..." Fengyu’s eyes reddened.
Although Su Ming didn’t frequent the Capital City, he often traveled to Ningzhou. During Fengyu’s childhood, he visited Ningzhou several times a year to see her and Feng Shu. After Feng Changlin took office in Liling, which was closer to Yangzhou, Su Ming visited him more often and would bring Fengyu to Yangzhou in the winter for convalescence. Their grandfather-granddaughter bond was deep.
"Is the news reliable? What if it’s a trap?" Nuanyang frowned. "Master just left; I’ll send him a message."
"Stop!" Fengyu furrowed her brows, suppressing her emotions. "The matters in Jiaozhou are urgent; he can’t be distracted. My grandfather is critically ill, and I must go to Yangzhou."
"Miss, please reconsider." Nuanyang knelt, deeply remorseful. When Fengyu saw the envelope bearing the seal, her expression visibly changed. Nuanyang felt he should’ve informed the master, as he feared for Fengyu’s safety if anything happened to her in Jiangnan. Jiangnan was under imperial control; if her identity were exposed in Yangzhou, escape would be near impossible.
"My grandfather was noble and righteous, loyal and courageous, dedicating his life to the service of Yanyang. For my mother, sister, and me, he risked his life multiple times. Now, critically ill and with my mother and sister unable to leave the Capital City, how can I stand idly by? Even if it’s a dragon’s den or tiger’s lair, I must go. This may be the last time we, as grandfather and granddaughter, see each other."
"If Miss has made up her mind, Nuanyang will accompany you to Jiangnan. As long as I’m here, I’ll ensure your safety." Nuanyang rose and ceased his attempts to dissuade her.
If Su Ming truly were critically ill and Fengyu missed the chance to see him one last time, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
"Heading to Jiangnan, we mustn’t attract attention." Fengyu quickly calmed down. "Qiuxiang, you’ll disguise yourself as me and lead the troops back to West Continent. Don’t let anyone notice anything amiss. Nuanyang, Chunlu, select three more guards to accompany me aboard the ship, and make sure we keep a low profile."
Qiuxiang, alarmed, shook her head frantically, but before she could object, Fengyu interrupted her. "Trust me. Go back to West Continent and don’t let anything slip. This journey is dangerous; I can’t take you with me."
"Miss..."
"Nuanyang, make the arrangements."
Nuanyang felt three guards were too few and eventually decided on five, making seven companions including himself and Chunlu. He then wrote a letter to Xie Xun and entrusted someone to deliver it. The group disguised themselves as wealthy merchants from Zhongzhou and boarded a ship bound for Jiangnan.
The ship was chaotic, and the voyage would take several days. Nuanyang rented three connecting cabins; Fengyu shared one with Chunlu, while the others stayed in the adjacent cabin. Because the passengers aboard were mixed, Fengyu toned down her striking appearance before boarding, changing into a plain, muted dress and styling her hair up in a matronly fashion. If inspections occurred, Nuanyang and Fengyu could even pretend to be husband and wife.
Nuanyang fervently hoped there’d be no inspections—he didn’t want to pretend to be married to the Third Miss at all! He couldn’t even bring himself to touch her hand!!