RMACAUH Chapter 2

Chapter 2 My Husband Was a Hero, Why Did You…

Chapter 2 My Husband Was a Hero, Why Did You…

Feng Yue felt that Wei Xiaofeng was very strange. He showed no joy on the way back to Beijing, his face expressionless like a wooden doll.

He floated anxiously in the air, watching him, unable to do anything but worry.

Upon returning to Beijing, the Wei family, considering him the Guangling Prince’s widow brought back by imperial decree, had a luxurious carriage waiting at the city gate to greet him. However, Wei Xiaofeng did not return to the Wei family but instead had them arrange an inn to stay in, awaiting the emperor’s summons.

Back then, when Feng Yue’s situation was dire, thinking that Wei Xiaofeng had endured scorn and grievances after marrying into the Prince’s residence and that they had never consummated the marriage, making him truly innocent, Feng Yue, acting on conscience, wrote a divorce letter to set him free.

His maternal grandfather was the wealthiest man in Jiangnan. Even if he was not favored in the Wei family, returning to his maternal grandfather’s home would ensure a lifetime of comfort, adorned in gold and silver.

Who knew that his maternal grandfather’s people had only gotten halfway when he secretly ran back, tore up the divorce letter, and insisted on accompanying him into exile in Beichuan, simply because he feared that this disabled person would have no one to care for him.

But where had he ever cared for anyone? This young master, who couldn’t even distinguish between scallions and garlic, secretly cried all the way but refused to return.

One night, Feng Yue fell into a feverish coma due to a wound infection. Wei Xiaofeng, in desperation, knelt before the escorting officials, begging them with tears and kowtows to find a doctor to examine his wound.

At that time, he was still quite handsome. Seeing him weeping with tears like rain-soaked pear blossoms, they harbored wicked thoughts. In the middle of the night, several conscienceless officials tricked him, claiming they would take him to town to find a doctor, but instead, they took him to a low slope, intending to defile him. To protect his purity, Xiaofeng used a hairpin to slash his face twenty times.

When Feng Yue woke up, he saw Xiaofeng with disheveled hair and disordered clothes, his originally fair and beautiful face crisscrossed with bloody marks. He rushed toward him, one hand tightly holding the doctor, his eyes bright and shining with a radiant smile: “A’Yue! A’Yue, the doctor is here! You’re saved!”

Having been pampered since childhood, this young man feared pain the most… He couldn’t imagine the despair Xiaofeng must have felt to slash again and again.

He hated it, yet he was helpless. That hatred festered in his heart day after day, causing his heart to ache and gnaw at his bones, penetrating his marrow.

*

At night, alone in the bedroom of the inn, Wei Xiaofeng seemed to regain a bit of vitality.

But he was only holding Feng Yue’s ashes, talking to himself.

“My husband, I’ve brought you back to Beijing. It can be considered returning your soul to your homeland, letting you find rest, right?”

“I used to be a coward, afraid of everything, only knowing how to hide and cry secretly when wronged. But I won’t be like that anymore because I no longer have anything to fear losing.”

“When I meet that foolish emperor, I will definitely ask him, for the sake of this imperial throne, having his only genuinely devoted younger brother crippled and exiled to Beichuan, does he feel even a shred of guilt?!”

“Even if I can’t harm a single hair on his head, I will make him remember his evil deeds whenever he wakes up in the middle of the night! A’Yue died so painfully and unwillingly in Beichuan, why should he sit securely on the empire A’Yue helped him build, enjoying endless honor and glory for the rest of his life?! I hate him!”

His voice was hoarse, each word soaked in blood, returning to Kyoto from thousands of miles away, carrying a heart set on death.

Feng Yue choked back sobs, “Why are you so foolish? I hate him too, but even though it disgusted me, writing that letter was the only chance I could secure for you, I only wanted you to live well!”

But he couldn’t hear anything, nor could he feel that he was still guarding him.

Feng Yue watched over him until he fell asleep, still crying in his dreams, his slender eyebrows tightly furrowed, tears falling like rain, quickly soaking the pillowcase.

He suddenly remembered the day they returned to the Wei family after their marriage, Xiaofeng’s mother wiping away tears and lamenting: “This son of mine is timid and ignorant, but he treats people with sincerity and innocence. It’s my fault for letting him suffer so much in the Wei family. I only beg Guangling Prince to have mercy and treat him well in the Prince’s residence.”

Feng Yue’s eyes were full of contempt, only saying: “No wonder you two are not well-regarded in the Wei family, crying and sniveling even on a homecoming day, making people disgusted!”

Recalling this, Feng Yue even slapped himself a few times, his spirit feeling only regret and sorrow, but without tears or pain.

Wei Xiaofeng stayed at the inn for three days and was finally summoned by the emperor.

Feng Yue followed him into the palace and saw his brother in the Yuhua Hall after ten years.

He stared at Feng Xiao with wide, bloodshot eyes, his spirit constantly lunging at him, wishing he could devour him alive!

Feng Xiao only felt a wave of Yin energy assault his face, merely frowning slightly. Today, he wore a gold-embroidered dragon robe, a gold crown, and was incomparably noble and dignified. He coldly glanced at the husband kneeling below the palace, and seeing that he was wearing a veil, he couldn’t help but ask: “Why cover your face with a veil?”

Wei Xiaofeng knelt upright, cupped his hands, and replied: “This lowly person’s appearance is completely ruined, ugly and unbearable, fearing to offend His Majesty.”

It was once rumored in Beijing that this fifth son of the Wei family was timid and cowardly, and abandoned by Guangling Prince. Seeing him today, he was not like the rumors said. Although his clothes were rough and simple, he had a spirit like a sturdy pine, neither humble nor arrogant, and his voice was clear and sonorous.

Even Feng Yue was stunned by this appearance, his spirit floating back to his side, the love and longing even more intense.

“Ten years…” Feng Xiao’s expression was momentarily dazed, silent for a long time, then sighed deeply, “Considering your sincere heart for Guangling Prince, this friendship should move heaven and earth. Speak, what reward do you desire?”

Wei Xiaofeng heavily kowtowed, his voice raised high, “This lowly person begs His Majesty to order the Clan Mansion and the Ministry of Justice to thoroughly reinvestigate the Guangling Prince’s rebellion case! My husband was a young and promising general, pouring out his heart and soul to defend the Great Yuan’s rivers and mountains. He was even more loyal to His Majesty, with absolutely no disloyalty. How could he suddenly rebel overnight?! Please, Your Majesty, thoroughly investigate Guangling Prince’s unjust case and restore my husband’s innocence!”

Feng Xiao’s entire face began to twist and contort, his eyes seemingly about to split.

“This case has long been concluded and recorded in the imperial archives and historical records. How can you be allowed to rant and rave here? I appreciate your unwavering loyalty for ten years, this virtue is rare. If you dare to speak wildly before the throne again, you can roll back to Beichuan and never be recalled!”

Wei Xiaofeng prostrated on the ground, his figure trembling, as if the previous impassioned request was everyone’s illusion.

A deathly silence fell over the hall, and the serving eunuchs did not even dare to breathe heavily.

Feng Yue felt heartache and wanted to pull him away, but it was in vain, “You fool, whether I was wronged or not, only Feng Xiao knows best, why must you…”

Perhaps out of guilt or a guilty conscience, Feng Xiao only felt a splitting headache, stroking his forehead, he was about to get up and leave, “Today I am tired, let it end here, you send him out of the palace.”

“Your Majesty!” Wei Xiaofeng seemed to have made some kind of decision, suddenly raised his head to look at the holy countenance before the throne, crawled forward two steps, his eyes full of longing, “Just now this lowly person misspoke, please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

Feng Xiao closed his eyes, supporting his head, and remained silent.

“Before my husband died, he said he had a posthumous item, to be personally handed over to His Majesty by this lowly person. After seeing it, Your Majesty will know his heart.”

Feng Yue’s eyes widened, what posthumous item did he have to hand over to Feng Xiao? What did Xiaofeng want to do?

“Present it.” The Emperor had no defenses against him. Wei Xiaofeng’s existence was like an ant, what threat could an ant pose?

Wei Xiaofeng moved forward on his knees, came under the dragon chair, and looked up at the incomparably noble man before him.

This was the closest chance he would have in his life to the foolish emperor. That compliant appearance was completely torn apart, as if a man-eating demon was bursting out of his skin. He pulled out the hairpin on his head and stabbed it towards the side of the foolish emperor’s neck, his shrill voice echoing throughout the hall, “Go to hell, foolish emperor! My husband is still waiting for you on the road to the Yellow Springs!!”

With a dull thud, before Wei Xiaofeng’s hairpin could stab down, the imperial guard’s blade had pierced his heart. Fresh red blood spurted out, splattering the foolish emperor’s face.

Wei Xiaofeng looked at his face covered in blood, a look of panic, but he laughed loudly, the veil on his face falling into the pool of blood, dyed bright red, the Emperor screamed in horror, so frightened that his hands and feet went limp and he rolled down from the dragon chair.

“Hahahaha… hehehe…” Blood choked in his lungs, bubbling out of his throat, laboring to breathe, like worn-out bellows being pulled.

“Kill him! Kill him!! Quickly kill this monster!!!” The emperor screamed hysterically.

“No!!” Feng Yue’s spirit trembled endlessly, rushing forward trying to protect him.

Countless sword tips pierced through Feng Yue’s spirit, landing solidly on Wei Xiaofeng’s body.

“Ah!!!” Feng Yue only felt so much pain, uncontrollably roaring, “Stop, you are not allowed to hurt him! Stop!!”

Wei Xiaofeng was pierced by countless blades, yet he did not fall down for a moment. The blood all over his body splattered like a sluice gate opened on the smooth floor, his body involuntarily trembled slightly, but a relieved smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

He murmured in a low voice: “My husband was a hero, why do you all have to betray him?”

“Xiaofeng!” Feng Yue’s spirit was in so much pain, it was tearing apart inch by inch in the air, until it completely disappeared.

So painful!

Living was already painful enough, why did dying have to be so painful?

“Xiaofeng,”

“Xiaofeng…”

Heavy teardrops fell,Smash on the sandalwood small table nearby.

“Lord! Lord, wake up! Lord?”

“Hah—!” Feng Yue gasped for breath, suddenly opened his heavy eyelids, only to find himself in a carriage.

The attendant beside him hurriedly supported him, “Lord, be careful, don’t let the wound tear again.”

Feng Yue only felt a patch of icy coolness on his cheek, raised his hand to wipe it, and it was tears.

Mu Yunhua awkwardly turned away, pretending not to see their lord… crying.

Thinking that the wound was really so painful, ordinary people could hardly bear it, that’s why he cried in pain.

Feng Yue, however, habitually wiped away the tears on his face. In the past, he always felt that crying was weakness, but after crying many times, he knew that when the pain was severe, people couldn’t help but shed tears.

Yesterday’s events were like an incredibly real nightmare. Waking up from the dream, he found himself back thirteen years ago. This year, he was twenty years old and had recovered the four northwestern provinces, returning in great triumph.

Feng Yue secretly took a breath. The incense burner on the small table was still burning Heart word burns incense, which could calm the mind.

He leaned his slender and strong body into the soft seat covered with thick fluff, closed his sore eyes tightly, and asked in a hoarse voice, “What time is it?”

Mu Yunhua looked at the hourglass and replied: “It’s 1:15 PM, you said you wanted to go to Fenghe Manor to eat fish with the Second Prince, but that one in the palace… I’m afraid it’s not easy to explain!”

In his previous life, the Second Prince Feng Xiao and the Eldest Prince Feng Chao fought to the death for the position of Crown Prince, but Feng Xiao was still one step short, plotted against and framed by Feng Chao, and was demoted by the late emperor to Fenghe Manor to cultivate his morality.

When Feng Xiao was four years old, his mother was stripped of her position as a Noble Consort due to palace infighting. The late emperor sent him to be raised by his mother, in the year he was just born.

He and Feng Xiao had a brotherly affection from childhood, so they shared the same hatred and were very close.

After the age of fifteen, he followed his grandfather Chen Taipeng on expeditions. Although he was often in the military camp, Feng Xiao often wrote letters saying that he, as an older brother, always remembered him, and told him to take care of himself. He brewed wine and raised fish, waiting for the day he returned to drink together with him after killing the fish.

This time, returning in great triumph, the emperor was overjoyed, the whole country celebrated together, a general amnesty was granted to the world, and a banquet was set in the palace waiting for him to return to the palace.

But he, because of this brotherly affection, blamed his father for demoting his brother to the manor, and it had been more than three years since he was expelled from the palace. Relying on his father and mother’s favor and his own achievements, he actually stood up the emperor and the court officials, accompanying that Feng Xiao in the manor to cook fish and brew wine.