She felt that she had made her parents worry and her daughter suffer because of a man. She truly felt she was extremely guilty.
"Mother, could you please tell me what's really going on?" Feng Yuqin said.
Just then, Lv'e returned, bringing back quite a lot of breakfast.
Xiahe and Lin Xuan immediately stepped forward to help set out the breakfast and then tactfully withdrew.
"Aqin, in the first two years after your father and I got married, things were okay. But later, he completely changed. First and foremost, he targeted your maternal grandfather's family," Yan Aoyun said. She hadn't said anything before because she thought her daughter's temperament wasn't suitable to hear such things. But now she could clearly feel that her daughter was different. Not only could she practice cultivation, but she could also refine pills.
"After your maternal grandfather was framed by your father, his health has never been good. Your eldest uncle came to the prime minister's mansion to look for me, but he got into a conflict and fight with your father. Later, your second uncle was also injured in an official mission and has been bedridden ever since. Your cousins have always been targeted by Feng Qing and some families on good terms with the prime minister's mansion," Yan Aoyun said, unable to hold back her tears any longer.
Feng Yuqin took out a handkerchief and wiped away her mother's tears. "Mother, I can refine pills now. When I'm free, I'll go and visit grandfather, grandmother and my uncles."
"Really?" A glimmer of hope lit up in Yan Aoyun's eyes.
Feng Yuqin nodded. "Don't worry, mother. Can you tell me why you were locked up in the dungeon even though I had already agreed to the marriage alliance?"
"At that time, the news of your marriage alliance came so suddenly that I didn't even have time to react before I was locked up by the second mistress. And without your father's order, do you think I would have been locked up?" Yan Aoyun was filled with hatred when she thought of this. She hated herself for being blind back then and also hated that heartless man.
Feng Yuqin sighed inwardly, thinking that it was really not easy for her mother to have endured until now.
Yan Aoyun continued, "You're my only daughter. Of course, I don't want you to marry so far away. So as soon as I got out, I wanted to go to your maternal grandfather's family for help."
"Although your maternal grandfather's family is not as prosperous as before, in my heart, they are my only hope. But before I could even leave the prime minister's mansion, I was discovered by your father."
"He scolded me for going against him and said that a wife who didn't think about the prime minister's mansion was not needed. The second mistress immediately suggested locking me up in the water dungeon. Hearing this, your father nodded in agreement without any hesitation."
By the end of her story, there was nothing but desolation in Yan Aoyun's eyes.
"Mother, my maternal grandfather's family must have known about such a big event as the marriage alliance. The reason they didn't show up must have something to do with my father," Feng Yuqin guessed.
"Yes, it must be so." A look of anxiety flashed across Yan Aoyun's eyes. "I want to go back and see your grandfather, but I can't even get out of the mansion now."
Feng Yuqin held her mother's hand and comforted her. "Mother, you just stay in the mansion at ease. I'll take care of grandfather and the others."
"I've just dragged you down, Aqin," Yan Aoyun said with a choked voice. "A single gate of the prime minister's mansion has stopped me from moving forward."
Feng Yuqin could understand her mother's situation.
Actually, in principle, she herself couldn't easily leave the prime minister's mansion either.
The fact that she could come and go freely now might have something to do with Mo Xuanye.
Thinking of this man, Feng Yuqin subconsciously rubbed her forehead.
"Mother, the breakfast is almost cold. Let's eat something first. Later, we still have to deal with the villains in the mansion," Feng Yuqin said.
Only then did Yan Aoyun come to her senses. She said worriedly, "Today is the due date of our bet with your father."
"Yes. If I'm not wrong, Feng Qing may come here to show off. After noon, I'm afraid my father and the second mistress will also come," Feng Yuqin said indifferently.
Seeing that her daughter didn't seem worried at all, Yan Aoyun asked curiously, "Aqin, what on earth did you do when you went out the other day?"
While eating, Feng Yuqin told Yan Aoyun everything she could about what she had done.
Yan Aoyun was amazed and couldn't quite believe it. "You've actually done so many things?"
"This is nothing. I don't have enough people at hand now, so many plans have been put on hold," Feng Yuqin said, dissatisfied with the current progress.
In her previous life, she had enough people under her command, so everything she did was highly efficient. Now she really felt that the efficiency was too slow.
Yan Aoyun didn't know why her daughter had changed so much after going out.
But she was sure that this was her own daughter. Even the mole under her ear was exactly the same.
Just as the mother and daughter had finished eating, Feng Qing came swaggering in.
Feng Yuqin remembered that although Feng Qing used to be impulsive occasionally, she rarely did anything stupid. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so badly deceived by Feng Qing before.
Could it be that since her return, Feng Qing's IQ had been constantly dropping?
Feng Yuqin thought this didn't make sense. Instead, she thought it was possible that Feng Qing had had things too easy before, so she could calm down and come up with strategies.
Since her return, Feng Qing hadn't been able to get the better of her, which might have led to some changes in her personality.
However, the first thing Feng Qing said when she saw her was, "Feng Yuqin, you've actually become more beautiful?"
What was going on?
She had come here expecting to see Feng Yuqin in a sorry state. But instead, she saw that Feng Yuqin was even more beautiful than a few days ago.
What on earth was going on? Feng Qing frowned in confusion and asked.
"Did you come here just to say this?" Feng Yuqin said coldly. "Now that you've said it, you can get out."
Hearing this, Feng Qing's face darkened. But thinking that Feng Yuqin would be kicked out of the prime minister's mansion after noon, she felt happy. So she didn't really care about Feng Yuqin's current attitude.
"Feng Yuqin, you still have the mood to eat breakfast here?" Feng Qing glanced at the plates and food boxes on the table that hadn't been cleared away yet and said contemptuously, "If I were you, I'd be packing my luggage and getting ready to leave the prime minister's mansion right away. After all, the time will be up soon, and I won't give you any time to pack your things."
Feng Yuqin gave her a cold look. Her cold voice was tinged with a hint of laziness. "Are you so sure you've won?"
Feng Qing laughed smugly. She stepped forward and looked down at Feng Yuqin sitting at the dining table. "Feng Yuqin, are you still half - asleep? Do you really think you can win? Haven't you heard the rumors about you outside these days?"
"Miss, I heard that she's been in the mansion these two days and hasn't gone out. So she probably really doesn't know what's going on outside," a maid beside Feng Qing said with a smile at the right moment.
Feng Qing pretended to suddenly understand. "So you don't know. As your younger sister, I guess I'm duty - bound to tell you what's going on outside about you, sister. You don't need to thank me too much after you hear it."