Chapter 10: Recalling Prejudices

He wore a bamboo hat, making it impossible to see his face. Only a pair of hands, as white as jade and as delicate as spring onions—matching the color of his robes—were exposed. As Feng Qingcheng looked at the person standing before her, a flash of white that had drifted past the wall a few days ago surfaced in her mind, though she did not know if there was any connection between the two.

"Miss Feng, please extend your hand." A voice as gentle as jade rang out. Feng Qingcheng felt a momentary trance, then extended her hand as instructed.

The man placed two fingers on Feng Qingcheng’s pulse and fell silent. A moment later, he withdrew his hand and said to Prime Minister Feng, "The illness afflicting your wife and two daughters is indeed quite rare, but I will do my best."

"Then I shall trouble the Divine Doctor." Prime Minister Feng said happily; as long as there was hope, that was all that mattered.

"However, I have just arrived in the capital and have many things to attend to. I am afraid I must trouble Prime Minister Feng to wait a few more days. This is the address of my residence in the capital; please send someone to find me there in ten days."

After saying this, the man turned and drifted away. Feng Qingcheng watched his retreating back, feeling a sense of familiarity, yet in this era, how could she possibly have any acquaintances?

"Qingcheng, have you... been living here all these years?" Before she could dwell on it, Prime Minister Feng’s trembling voice sounded in her ear. He really had been a senile old fool; to only start caring about his daughter now—was it perhaps too late? Feng Qingcheng frowned. "Father, I have always lived here. Didn't you know that?"

"I'm sorry, Qingcheng, it is my fault for not taking good care of you." Prime Minister Feng wiped away tears. "Qingcheng, come, let us not live here anymore. We shall move to a different place."

Feng Qingcheng nodded noncommittally. Moving was fine; she hadn't wanted to stay here anyway. If she hadn't been busy preparing for the opening of her medical clinic, she would have found a way to move long ago, preferably far away from those treacherous concubines and their daughters.

"My Lord, are you truly going to let Qingcheng move into the Lanyue Pavilion?" Upon hearing the news, the Second Madam could no longer care whether the red rashes on her face and body were fit to be seen. She rushed out to block Prime Minister Feng, sobbing and wailing as she tried to stop him. "My Lord, I have been with you for over a dozen years, and you have never even let me step foot in the Lanyue Pavilion. By what right does she get to live there?"

Feng Qingcheng searched her memory for information regarding the Lanyue Pavilion. Her vague impression was that her mother had lived there when she was a child. Ever since her mother passed away, the place had been isolated by Prime Minister Feng, with no one allowed to enter or leave. It was practically the only forbidden area in the Feng residence.

She didn't know why Prime Minister Feng had suddenly decided she should live there, but since it was the place where her mother had resided, she didn't mind staying there. It would be a pleasure to be far away from those crazy women.

"What is it, Second Mother? Do you have an objection to me living in the Lanyue Pavilion? Or are you trying to overstep your status as a concubine and place yourself above me, the legitimate daughter?" Feng Qingcheng let out a cold snort. It seemed the punishment she had received was too light—so light that she still lacked self-awareness.

Her hand, hidden within her sleeve, moved casually. A pellet-sized object shot silently toward the Second Madam. The movement was so fast that no one saw it—or rather, no one except for the cloud-like shadow lying silently on the wall.

Immediately, the Second Madam let out a cry of pain, rolling on the ground in a wretched state while incessantly wailing, "Itches! Itches! It’s itching me to death!"

"Has Second Mother’s strange illness flared up again? Nanny Su, why aren't you helping her back? If the condition worsens and something happens, and she cannot attend the banquet in a month, that would be the crime of deceiving the Emperor. Tsk tsk, what a disaster that would be," Feng Qingcheng said indifferently, her expression as calm as ever.

The Second Madam’s face changed; she felt as if her entire body had been plunged into a frozen wasteland, and she began to shiver uncontrollably.

"Why aren't you helping her back? What are you still standing there for?" Prime Minister Feng snorted coldly. "If you're sick, stay in bed and behave yourself. Are you trying to spite me on purpose?"

"My Lord, I wouldn't dare." The Second Madam leaned on Nanny Su, feeling the chill recede slightly. She spoke with grievance, but because her body felt as if a thousand ants were burrowing into it, she had no time to argue with Feng Qingcheng. Moreover, she dared not be sharp-tongued in front of Prime Minister Feng, so she could only let Nanny Su help her stumble away.

"Father, let's go." A sweet smile replaced the expression on Feng Qingcheng’s face as she took Prime Minister Feng’s arm and walked toward the Lanyue Pavilion. In the moment she moved, another pellet-like object flew from her hand, accurately shooting toward the wall. The white figure leaped up and vanished without a trace once more.

"Father, I forgot to grab a few things. You go ahead; I will head to the Lanyue Pavilion myself in a moment." Feng Qingcheng said to Prime Minister Feng. He nodded; feeling guilty toward this daughter, he naturally agreed to whatever she said.

Xin'er went ahead to clean and tidy the Lanyue Pavilion. Once Feng Qingcheng turned back, she darted rapidly in the direction where the white-clad figure had disappeared. Although she did not know light-foot kung fu, her ability to scale walls and vault over roofs was no worse than anyone else's. Within a few leaps, she had landed outside the Prime Minister's residence.