Although Feng Linyuan's face remained calm, his fingers couldn't help trembling slightly. His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was strangely soft.
"Seems that in his eyes, the reputation of a subjugated king sounds better than that of a fatuous one."
Feng Linyuan was obviously in a state of extreme anger. This time, even Bai Zheng's face turned ugly.
She understood better than anyone else how her husband was feeling at the moment. Just an edict of self - reproach made the other party act as if the sky was falling.
What about what the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion had been through and what Feng Linyuan had endured in the past six years?
Was it all supposed to be that way!
"If even a mere edict of self - reproach is too much for Your Majesty, then His Highness the Fifth Prince may as well go back. There is no shortage of capable people in Yongding City. Without the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, it won't make much difference to the Great Zhou."
She stood up, walked to Feng Linyuan's side, not even glancing at Feng Jingyi, and simply said coldly, "Show the guest out."
"My Lord Marquis!"
Feng Jingyi stood up excitedly. He stubbornly stayed where he was, with the veins on his forehead throbbing.
Mo Li frowned, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, please."
Feng Jingyi's face was extremely ugly. His eyebrows were knitted together, clearly in a state of inner struggle.
A subjugated king... The people of the Great Zhou...
After all, he was not Feng Linche. He didn't have Feng Linche's cold - bloodedness. Feng Linche could ignore the people, but he couldn't do such a thing.
Seeing that he didn't move, Mo Li hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and grabbed his arm. Just as he was about to say "Forgive my rudeness", he suddenly heard Feng Jingyi say in a deep voice.
"I agree to your request!"
Mo Li immediately withdrew his hand.
Feng Linyuan and Bai Zheng both looked back in surprise, looking at Feng Jingyi with a mixture of doubt and hope.
They saw that he had already regained his calm. It seemed that he had made up his mind. His eyes were extremely determined, and he looked directly at them without evasion: "My Lord Marquis, rest assured. Within a day, Father Emperor will write the edict of self - reproach and hand it to you. I hope that you will keep your promise. The people of the Great Zhou are waiting for you to save them."
After saying that, he bowed and turned to leave.
Feng Linyuan and Bai Zheng exchanged a look, and finally slowly, they smiled with a sense of relief.
Feng Jingyi was very efficient. After one night, the edict of self - reproach personally written by Feng Linche had been sent to the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion.
Along with it, there was also the military tally sent by Wang Lin.
That was the military tally that Feng Linche had given to Wang Lin in a fit of anger when he sent him to mobilize troops to rescue Feng Jingxuan.
This counter - attack didn't last long. With Wang Lin as an insider and the mobilization of 30,000 troops outside the city, by the time Princess Yunxi and Zhuo Yi were detained and sent to the palace gate, Feng Linche had just finished his lunch.
"Creak" - the door was pushed open.
Feng Linche was sitting on the edge of the bed. His reaction was already very dull. He slowly raised his head, squinted his eyes, and looked out of the door with difficulty.
He saw a pair of dark cloud - patterned boots step into the room first. After they landed, they were covered by a sky - blue robe embroidered with dark patterns in silver thread.
Right behind, there was a pair of pink - silk embroidered shoes studded with pearls, but they only showed for a moment when stepping over the threshold and were soon hidden under a pleated moon - shaped skirt.
"You're here quite quickly."
Feng Linche said indifferently.
He had already guessed who the visitors were. He smiled self - deprecatingly, then raised his eyes and looked towards the door.
Sure enough, it was Feng Linyuan and Bai Zheng who came in.
Feng Linyuan's long black hair was tied up with a jade crown. His eyebrows were like the distant mountains, extending into his hair. Under his eyebrows, his eyes were as deep as the stars. Once you looked at them, you couldn't take your eyes off.
He no longer needed to wear that half - mask. He stood there straight and elegant. Just by standing there, he seemed to outshine everyone in the room.
The woman beside him stood gracefully. Her skin was fairer than snow. Her long black hair was simply coiled into a bun. Her elegant long dress was tied at the waist, and her eyes were as gentle as water.
The two of them standing together were truly a perfect couple. Those who saw them felt that in their presence, everything in the world lost its luster.
They were still young and had a long and promising future. And he, on the other hand, was already old...
Thinking of this, a wave of sadness welled up in Feng Linche's heart. He couldn't catch his breath and coughed until his face turned pale.
Feng Linyuan and Bai Zheng stood still on the spot and didn't say a word. They just quietly, with their deep, bottomless black eyes, stared intently at the old emperor sitting on the imperial couch, hunching over.
Just two nights had passed, and Feng Linche seemed to have aged rapidly. His once majestic and glorious imperial demeanor was long gone, leaving only a decaying and weak shell.
Feng Linyuan's eyes were dark, as if he wanted to pierce through this decaying and weak shell and into his past of being tough, cruel, and self - centered...
That cold, indifferent, and even slightly mocking look deeply hurt Feng Linche's heart.
For some reason, suddenly a surge of anger welled up in him. He overturned the small table with the cups and plates left from his lunch. The delicate porcelain was smashed everywhere, and a few fragments bounced up and hit his own legs, causing a dull pain on his skin.
But he didn't care at all. He just staggered to his feet and pointed at Feng Linyuan: "You, you came here on purpose to laugh at me, didn't you?!"
Feng Linyuan seemed not to fully sense his emotions. He still looked at him calmly, neither saying a word nor defending himself.
Feng Linche felt as if he had punched the cotton, and he couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed. He coughed awkwardly.
But then Feng Linyuan suddenly spoke.
"Have you ever regretted it?"
Feng Linche looked up in surprise, but then quickly regained his composure and lowered his eyes. There was an undercurrent in his eyes, hiding some unknown emotions.
"Father once said that you grew up together. He knew your character and had known your thoughts for a long time. You are jealous, suspicious, and don't trust anyone, including the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion.
To protect the Marquis Mansion, Father always did things carefully, not daring to overstep the mark even a little bit. He always told me not to be so high - profile and not to outshine the royal family.
I was young and hot - tempered at that time. I was not convinced and once asked him, 'Our Marquis Mansion has sacrificed so many heroes for the Great Zhou. Why does Your Majesty still guard against us?'
Father didn't know how to persuade me at that time. He never said anything bad about you in front of me. Father said - "
When Feng Linyuan said this, his voice was a bit low, and the blackness in his eyes became even darker.
In front of his eyes, it seemed that Feng Zhen at that time appeared again, with an indescribable helplessness and dejection, clearly emerging through the long years -
"Your Majesty also has the surname Feng. A Yuan, we and him have always been a family."
After Feng Linyuan finished speaking, he didn't say anything more. His expression returned to calm, and even his deep gaze changed. When it landed on Feng Linche, it became firm and clear.
Feng Linche suddenly felt a burning sensation in his throat.
That look made him, for a moment, seem to return to his youth and see the young Feng Zhen.