Chapter 194: Hello Chang’an
Chapter 194: Killing Intent
The visitor was Miss Chang's trusted servant from the Marquis of Ying’s household.
Facing the stern and expressionless face of Nanny Liao, Feng Min felt an inexplicable sense of panic. “...Nanny Liao, why have you come?”
The servant surnamed Liao replied, “Madam instructed me to visit your esteemed residence to ensure that no details are overlooked and that nothing delays the joyous event. I will stay with you, Miss Feng, until the bridal sedan arrives tomorrow.”
Had this been yesterday, Feng Min might have interpreted this as a gesture of regard for her status as a concubine. But at this moment, it only made her anxious.
Was she here to monitor her?
Noticing Nanny Liao glancing toward her maidservants, Feng Min had no choice but to signal them to withdraw.
Once the two were alone, Nanny Liao asked, “I hear that the young lady from the Chang family came to deliver trousseau gifts for you today?”
“Yes...”
“What did she say to you at the banquet?” Nanny Liao’s eyes were full of suspicion as she lowered her voice. “Did she suspect you of anything?”
Feng Min’s heart skipped a beat—so the Ming family had been watching her every move?
“No…” she replied, striving to remain calm. “She just made a few sharp remarks to mock me and my grandmother... She didn’t mention anything else.”
If she admitted that Chang Suining suspected her, or brought up the matter of her injured hand, would the Ming family even spare her life?
The thought sent cold sweat streaming down Feng Min’s back.
It was unclear whether Nanny Liao believed her or not. She merely nodded slightly and instructed, “Tomorrow is the day you leave for your new household. To avoid any complications, it’s best that you stay in your courtyard and focus on your preparations.”
Feng Min nodded in agreement.
Watching her walk away, Nanny Liao’s brows furrowed ever so slightly, as if in thought.
---
That night, Feng Min tossed and turned in bed, her excitement and anticipation of the past few days replaced entirely by restlessness and unease.
---
At the same time, Chang Suining was also wide awake.
On her way to the Feng household earlier that day, she had pondered: if Feng Min was truly a knowing participant or even an accomplice, why would she dare to marry into the Ming family? Did she not fear being silenced?
But upon seeing Feng Min, whose face was filled with joy yet whose demeanor was tightly strained, she suddenly understood.
When people are caught in extreme fear and tension—especially those with limited wisdom or life experience—they often see only one path ahead and stubbornly push forward on it. If that path also happens to align with their long-held desires, they can become trapped in a blind dream, unable to awaken.
But if someone were to intervene and shatter that illusion, that fragile dream could collapse instantly.
---
Exhausted from her tension and fear, Feng Min eventually drifted into a brief sleep.
Since her return from Dayun Temple, she had struggled with insomnia, haunted nightly by visions of Changsun Xuan and her servant’s final moments.
But this time, she dreamed of her own death.
In her dream, it was her neck being strangled. A hand tightened around her throat, choking the life out of her.
Feng Min jolted awake, sitting up abruptly and gasping for air.
Though the dream had ended, the suffocating fear of death lingered.
Overwhelmed by terror, Feng Min instinctively raised her hand and looked at the peace talisman clenched tightly in her palm. The words and warnings in Chang Suining’s eyes replayed in her mind.
And the person strangling her in the dream? It was none other than Miss Chang—the wife of Marquis Ying—her future mother-in-law.
Mother-in-law, marriage...
Would the Ming family truly treat her well, as her grandmother had claimed?
Her grandmother had said that as long as she used her leverage wisely, maintained her boundaries, and bore children for the Ming heir, her days would only get better. Was that really true?
But speaking of her grandmother... Her grandmother had clearly known that Chang Suining had come to visit today, so why hadn’t she brought it up afterward? Was she simply too busy with tomorrow’s arrangements to ask?
In the dimly lit room, Feng Min glanced at the water clock and saw it was just past the second watch.
She hurriedly got out of bed and put on her outer garments.
“Where is Miss Feng going?” The maid guarding the outer room heard the movement and came in to check.
“I’m going to see my grandmother,” Feng Min said. “I’m leaving home tomorrow… I want to have a chat with her.”
The maid suspected nothing and accompanied her.
Feng Min’s unease had grown unbearable.
She was both terrified and flustered, and at the same time suspected that Chang Suining’s words earlier in the day had been calculated to use her, to manipulate her.
She needed her grandmother to help her make sense of everything, to assure her firmly that she was merely overthinking due to her nervousness.
Her mind was in chaos, and she urgently needed the guidance of her grandmother—a woman seasoned by storms and skilled in reading people’s hearts—to help her sort things out.
When Feng Min arrived at Madam Jie’s courtyard, the maid guarding the corridor informed her, “The Madam is currently in the small prayer hall. Shall I announce your visit?”
“No need, I’ll go myself,” Feng Min replied and turned to her own maid. “You wait here. I want to speak with Grandmother alone.”
There were things she couldn’t let anyone else hear.
Her maid complied.
Feng Min proceeded alone to the small prayer hall.
Madam Jie, having lived as a widow and devout Buddhist for years, had a small prayer hall set up within her residence.
Feng Min thought to herself, Grandmother must be burning incense and praying for my peace and fortune after marriage, given the late hour. Although Grandmother is strict with me, she has always taught and raised me herself. I am her only granddaughter. Moreover, my marriage into the Ming family would bring great benefits to Grandmother as well...
These thoughts reinforced Feng Min’s conviction that Madam Jie would undoubtedly think and act in her best interest.
At least, she believed this firmly—right up until the moment she overheard that conversation in the prayer hall.
Feng Min initially chose to hide because she saw Nanny Liao walking out of the prayer hall.
Why was Nanny Liao here too?
After the figure disappeared into the distance, Feng Min, crouched beneath a small window on the side of the prayer hall, was just about to go in and meet her grandmother when she heard Nanny Qiao’s disgruntled voice from inside.
“...She’s just a servant, yet she dared to threaten the old Madam!”
Threaten?
Feng Min froze in shock. Had Nanny Liao threatened her grandmother?
Moments later, Madam Jie’s calm yet cold voice emerged from within.
“Chang Suining came today. Min’er is naive and shallow; she may have already shown some flaws. Fortunately, she will be married tomorrow and won’t have the chance to say much. In that case, the burden of this complication falls solely on me. For Miss Chang to send someone to issue a few reminders is understandable.”
A strange unease rose in Feng Min’s heart. What does she mean by ‘she won’t have the chance to say much’? Why does Grandmother’s tone sound so odd?
She soon understood where this odd feeling came from.
“...The words were so harsh, far more than mere reminders. In the past, Marquise Ying wouldn’t have dared to speak to you like this, let alone send a mere servant to do so!”
“You know I can now only be called Lady Dowager,” Madam Jie said with a cold laugh. “Given my current position, what is there to quibble over? As long as my son’s promotion is settled soon, a few harsh words are nothing.”
“But wasn’t it Miss Chang who caused your demotion back then?” Nanny Qiao, having lived a life of dignity by Madam Jie’s side, felt stifled by the humiliation. “And as for the promotion, isn’t it being secured by exchanging the young lady? It’s hardly a favor you owe her!”
“Besides, we’ve already found out that the Ming heir is now... impotent. Who knows how long he can keep his position? Yet Miss Chang still dares to act so high and mighty before you!”
Beneath the window, Feng Min’s eyes widened in shock.
Impotent?
What does that mean? Why am I still marrying him?!
“In that case, there’s even less need to argue,” Madam Jie replied with another cold laugh, her tone indifferent. “What’s the point of contending with a woman who will soon lose her standing in the Ming family? Securing the benefits we deserve is the most practical approach.”
As for savoring the satisfaction of vengeance? That will come in due time.
Hearing this, Nanny Qiao no longer dwelled on the attitude of the Ming family’s servant. However, after a pause, she couldn’t help but ask with some pity, “...But if the Ming heir is truly impotent, then the young lady won’t have the chance to secure her position through offspring. Doesn’t that mean she loses her last chance at survival?”
“That is her fate,” Madam Jie said, slowly rotating the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand. Her voice remained steady. “She made the wrong choice herself; no one else is to blame. Feng Min owes her life to the Feng family, which raised and nurtured her. Now, if her life can be exchanged for even a shred of benefit for her father, then it won’t have been in vain.”
Hearing these words, Feng Min felt as though she had fallen into an icy abyss.
Inside the prayer hall, Madam Jie knelt before the Buddha, her eyes closed in prayer. “...May sending off this wretched creature tomorrow bring peace to the Feng family. May my son’s official career go smoothly, and may Hui’er excel in his studies at the Imperial Academy and one day bring glory to the Feng family...”
“...”
Tears streamed silently down Feng Min’s face, but beneath the tears, there was only bitter irony.
So, Grandmother had known all along that the Ming family wouldn’t treat her well, and might even silence her. Yet not only had she refrained from warning Feng Min, she had gone to great lengths to deceive her!
All of it was to trade her life for her father’s official prospects!
Her grandmother’s every thought was for her father, her brother, and the Feng family. But what about her?
Was she to be discarded by the Feng family, by her grandmother, and sacrificed for the family’s gain?
What had she done to deserve this?
The reason she desired to marry the Ming heir was that her grandmother had told her from a young age to marry high. It was also her grandmother who had introduced her to Marquise Ying and the Ming heir, planting the seeds of this ambition!
Only now did Feng Min realize that every step she had taken was part of her grandmother’s plan...
But the moment something went wrong along the way, her grandmother had been the first to abandon her!
“It’s late. There’s still a wedding to prepare for tomorrow. Lady Dowager, you should retire and rest…”
A wedding?
Feng Min let out a mocking, silent laugh, wiped her tears, and disappeared swiftly into the darkness.
Returning to her courtyard with her maidservant, she gazed at the double-happiness paper cutouts on the window lattice. What had once radiated joy now seemed steeped in a chilling coldness.
This wasn’t a wedding; it was a funeral.
Feng Min didn’t know how she managed to lay herself back in bed.
To ensure she was well-rested and had a pleasant complexion for the wedding the next day, her maid extinguished the light in her chamber and retreated quietly.
In her hand, Feng Min still clutched the talisman tightly.
How ironic it was that the one to warn her of the deadly nature of this marriage wasn’t a beloved family member, but an outsider, someone she had grievances and fresh enmity with.
What should she do now?
Tell her father and mother?
Her father, down to his bones, was the same as her grandmother. He wouldn’t abandon the official position just within reach, nor risk offending the Ming family for her—a so-called "scourge." He’d likely slap her hard across the face before dragging her to consult with her grandmother.
As for her weak and ineffectual mother, she’d probably just weep endlessly and faint in fright, completely incapable of offering any help.
Feng Min bit down on her lip, trembling.
The only one who could save her was herself.
Once she was inside the towering walls of the Ming family, it would be as if she were locked in a cage, with no hope of escape!
Escape?
Yes…
Rather than foolishly hope for an opportunity after entering the Ming family, why not flee now?
If she escaped now, perhaps there was still a slim chance of survival!
This was the only path left to her.
---
Midnight, as frost lightly coated the rooftops, and the world was silent.
Feng Min, clutching a heavy bundle, slipped out of her bedroom. Without disturbing her slumbering maidservants, she moved swiftly toward the courtyard gate.
She carefully pulled the gate open, but as soon as it cracked ajar, she was met with a pair of cold, murky eyes.
“Ah!”
Feng Min screamed in fright, stumbling back a couple of steps.
“Where is Lady Feng planning to go at this hour?” Granny Liao asked impassively.
Granny Liao had spotted Feng Min hiding in panic outside the small shrine earlier that evening.
This young lady was too naive and foolish—attempting to escape now was an impossible endeavor.
“I… I couldn’t sleep. Since tomorrow is my wedding day, I wanted to see my mother and have a final chat with her!” Feng Min stammered, her face pale as she turned and bolted toward the exit.
Granny Liao didn’t stop her but turned to the maidservant who had come out after hearing the commotion.
“My lady?” The maidservant ran over, worried. “Granny Liao… What is happening to my lady?”
“Lady Feng said she wanted to speak with her mother.” Granny Liao turned her gaze toward Feng Min’s retreating figure, her tone carrying a hint of puzzlement. “But I couldn’t help noticing… Lady Feng seemed to be carrying a bundle.”
A bundle?
The maidservant’s heart sank. Why would her mistress be carrying a bundle in the dead of night?
“I’ll go and see!” she said hurriedly.
As Granny Liao walked a few steps forward, two shadowy figures emerged silently from the darkness.
These were the men she had prepared in advance under Lady Chang’s orders, specifically to handle any unforeseen circumstances.
“Go,” Granny Liao commanded, her voice cold. “And remember to keep it clean. After all, the lady is attempting to flee on her own—her maidservant has witnessed it firsthand. This has nothing to do with our Ming family.”
“Yes!”
The two figures responded and swiftly disappeared into the shadows.
Granny Liao’s lips curled in faint disdain.
If Lady Feng was unwilling to obediently comply, even if they tied her up and brought her back, she would likely raise a scene the next day. That would be far more troublesome.
Keeping her alive up until now had only been for lack of a proper excuse. But if she ran away on her own, that changed everything.
She went missing in her own home; the Feng family couldn’t possibly pin that on the Ming family.
On the contrary, when the bridal sedan arrived the next day and there was no bride, the Ming family would have every reason to demand an explanation from the Fengs.
It was just as well—the Feng family was simply too lowly, unworthy of an alliance with the Ming family.
Granny Liao glanced toward the direction Feng Min had fled, a trace of ruefulness in her gaze.
A fool suddenly growing wise was no blessing. She could have lived a few more days otherwise.
---
Under the cover of darkness, Feng Min clutched her bundle and desperately pushed open the rear courtyard door.
At that moment, the two shadowy figures closed in rapidly. One of them suddenly unsheathed a long blade from behind their back.
The sound of the blade leaving its scabbard echoed sharply in the still night, and a cold glint flashed in the air.
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