Chapter 8: Feng Manor's Messenger

Upon hearing these words, everyone's eyes shone with a light of curiosity. Yao shi stumbled forward a few steps while trembling and holding on to Feng Yu Heng's hand.

"Mother." She glanced at Yao shi. It seemed like she remembered something. Looking again at the carriage, sure enough, the curtain parted to let out an elderly woman.

The elderly woman may appear to be wearing the same clothes as a normal person, but the materials for the clothes were not ordinary. At least for the villagers present, even if they were to save for their entire lives, they could never afford to wear it.

Feng Yu Heng searched her memories again. The year of Yao shi's marriage, her marriage dowry was granny Sun. When Yao shi and her children were exiled to the mountain village, she had been kept back at the manor. Without giving her a chance to think deeply on it, the elderly woman took a few steps to reach Yao shi. She knelt down plainly. "Madam, you've suffered many hardships!"

Yao shi just felt that it was all so surreal. She had not been knelt to even once in the past three years. Nor had she come in contact with anyone related to the Feng family. In her opinion, the Feng manor had set her and her children up to die, then forgotten about them. Yet here before her appeared granny Sun. Her first thought was actually: "Was granny also chased out of the manor?"

Tears flowed from granny Sun's old eyes: "No, no I haven't. Madam, this old servant has come to pick you up with young miss and young master to return to the manor!"

"Return to the manor?" Yao shi was not the only one shocked. Feng Yu Heng and Feng Zi Rui were temporarily stunned. Feng Zi Rui was first to ask: "Return to what manor?"

Yao shi quickly followed up with her own question: "Granny, what is happening? Why did you come to Xi Ping village?"

Granny Sun grabbed Yao shi's hand and spoke emotionally while trembling: "Madam, young miss and young master! The ninth prince has achieved victory. The lord and lady have called for you to return to prepare for young miss' marriage! Madam and young miss, please get on the carriage and return to the manor!"

The sudden news was truly shocking. It shocked the three, mother and children, to the point of speechlessness.

"Mother be careful!" Feng Yu Heng swiftly moved to support Yao shi, who nearly fell down. Fighting the waves of emotions from her memories, she did her utmost to remain calm. Doing her best to maintain an appearance of calmness, she spoke: "This is very sudden. The three of us, mother and children, have not made any preparations to leave. Granny, please wait a short while for us to pack our things, then we can depart."

Granny Sun wiped the corners of her eyes and bowed respectfully to Feng Yu Heng, "The ninth prince will return to the capital in a few days. Please be quick, madam and young miss."

Inside the shaking carriage, Feng Yu Heng was exhausted, as the horses carriage had been moving constantly all night. She closed her eyes and leaned against the carriage wall to get some rest. However, not a single word spoken by Yao shi and granny Sun escaped her ears.

"This time, this old woman will take responsibility for bringing madam, young miss and young master back, but if you ask for the truth, it was done with the blessing of the ninth prince."

"But…" Yao shi hesitated briefly, "A-Heng has been exiled in the village for so many years; I fear that the marriage arrangement is no longer valid?"

"It's valid! It's valid!" Granny Sun became happy upon mentioning this subject. "If it was no longer valid, how could the manor send this old servant to bring you back! You do not know, but this old servant has spent these years dreaming of the day madam could return." Granny Sun choked back tears, while also wiped her tears.

Feng Yu Heng opened her eyes and asked granny Sun: "Since it is still valid, why did the Feng manor still dare to exile us, mother and children, to the mountain village?"

Granny Sun froze and blankly stared at Feng Yu Heng. Yao shi quickly grasped her hand and explained: "Granny does not know that these years in the mountains have been very bitter. Fortunately, A-Heng, this girl, had read some medical books with her grandfather before. If not for her, the three of us would not have survived. Survive we did, but the child has become more and more cold."

Granny Sun nodded. Looking at Feng Yu Heng again, was it really just cold? Why did she feel that there was a sharp look in her eyes?

In any case, the current young miss is better than three years ago. Feng manor is a ruthless place. If she were still the same easy to manipulate girl, she would not survive to the marriage.

"This old servant also does not know." Recalling Feng Yu Heng's previous question, granny Sun spoke: "At the time, this old servant felt it was odd. Since young miss has been engaged to the prince since she was little, why was the Feng family so bold. Now that I think about it, perhaps the Feng family did not think the ninth prince would have so much influence."

"What influence does he have?" Feng Yu Heng was very interested in the original owner's fiance.

"The young miss may not know this, but two years ago, the ninth prince was appointed Grand Marshall by the Emperor and led a campaign to the Northwest border. Recently, he achieved a great victory in the Northwest. Now the ninth prince will be back in the capital in a few days."

So it was like that!

Feng Yu Heng did not ask anything further and closed her eyes again. Analyzing the situation from the surface, it appeared that the Feng family was afraid the ninth prince would come looking to collect his debts. Only this caused the family to rush to bring them back.

But thinking deeper… she furrowed her brows. It seems the matter wasn't really that simple.

The distance from the Northwest border to the capital was great. Even riding at full gallop day and night, it would take 20 days. Feng Yu Heng was not familiar with the geography of Da Shun dynasty, but she was still able to understand basic directions. The carriage had been traveling for close to five days or so when she felt something was wrong. The path to the capital was directly North, but why had they suddenly turned south?