Chapter 10, Secret Communications

This leap signifies a fierce woman, one who does not fear authority, leaving behind a figure that commands respect and admiration. It can erase the stains left by the relentless entanglement of Yan San Shi, and it can also eliminate the influence of her former fiancé Shen Yu Nan and her ex-husband Yang Shang Bao.

On this occasion, after Feng Yan returned to the capital victorious, the emperor made an exception and conferred upon him the title of Weiyuan Marquis. The wives of distant relatives and close acquaintances of the Feng family occasionally brought their daughters to visit the Feng residence, allowing the young ladies to flutter around Feng Yan, employing various tricks to attract his attention. In his annoyance, he looked down even more upon those young ladies.

According to Ping An, Feng Yan had joined the army and had indeed suffered some hardships, but fortunately, a deputy general had defended him vigorously. On one occasion, the deputy general was injured, and a female military doctor came to care for him attentively. After he recovered, the deputy general developed a special affection for the female doctor. What was unexpected was that the female doctor was actually a spy sent by the enemy; she obtained intelligence from the deputy general and escaped in the middle of the night. After the incident, the deputy general was dealt with according to military law and was beaten to death. Feng Yan collected the deputy general's body and did not speak a word for three full days. When Feng Yan was promoted to general, one of his most capable subordinates lost his life on the battlefield while trying to save a woman. Since then, whenever Feng Yan saw a young woman, he would turn his face away.

Feng Yan's expression turned serious, and his bamboo leaf-like eyebrows slowly arched as he said in a voice only You Wu could hear: "If you jump into the lotus pond, I will marry you"

When Yan San returned to the Yang family, he expressed his willingness to divorce his wife in order to remarry You Wu, and he also stated that he would assist You Wenda in returning to the capital. He believed that upon hearing this news, You Wu would surely yield. However, after waiting for a long time, You Wu did not respond with a single word. He suspected that Yang Siming had not conveyed his message to You Wu. Today, in front of everyone, he reiterated his intention to divorce and remarry, thinking that You Wu would consider his words for the sake of You Wenda. Yet, when he saw You Wu sweetly calling out to Feng Yan without even glancing at him, he was momentarily taken aback. Today, in front of everyone, he reiterated his intention to divorce and remarry, thinking that You Wu would consider his words for the sake of You Wenda. Yet, when he saw You Wu sweetly calling out to Feng Yan without even glancing at him, he was momentarily taken aback.

Yan San Shi was determined to win over You Wu. He cleared his throat and said, "Wu Niang, I will go write a divorce letter right now and then propose to the You family."

When Yan San Shi saw Madam Guo looking at him, he frowned and said: "The matter of spreading rumors has nothing to do with me"

You Wu met Feng Yan's gaze, and in his eyes, she saw her own reflection. In an instant, she averted her eyes, bent her waist, and leaped into the lotus pond.

In a moment of urgency, Feng Jingyi stepped forward and said, "Elder brother, grandmother mentioned a few days ago that you ... ... "

Liucai was also aware of Lady Feng's various concerns, and said: "The general has always been reluctant to approach women. Now that he has finally spoken up and expressed his intention to marry Miss You, Lady Feng should be pleased."

Liu Cai smiled and said: "Just now, there were rumors that the general and Miss You have feelings for each other. Lord Yang happened to be drunk, believed the rumors, and wrote a divorce letter, claiming he wanted to facilitate the union between the general and Miss You. Miss You took the divorce letter and jumped into the lotus pond. The general did not even frown; he jumped into the pond to rescue Miss You, casually stripped off the clothing of Scholar Wei to cover her, and carried her to the guest room. The doctor had already checked Miss You's pulse and said that she had only soaked in the water for a moment and was not seriously harmed; drinking a bowl of ginger soup would dispel the chill. Now, Madam Guo and Madam Song are gathered outside the guest room, saying that although their family’s elder wrote a divorce letter, Miss You was once their elder, and given the current situation, they should stand up for her. They want the general to provide an explanation. The general publicly stated that he would marry Miss You."

Such swift skills, we all failed to catch a glimpse

The events unfolded too quickly; after a moment of stunned silence, everyone reacted. Suddenly, a lady nearby exclaimed shyly, "Scholar Wei, where is your clothing?"

You Wu quickly weighed the options and still believed that Feng Yan was tougher than Wei Zheng, and had more strength to confront the Yan family. Moreover, such a cold and hard man was not easily harmed, so she decided to continue relying on Feng Yan and not change her target for the time being

Many onlookers were aware that Yan San Shi, in order to obtain You Wu, devised a scheme to frame You Wen Dao, resulting in You Wen Dao being demoted. This forced You Wu to marry into the Yang family to escape the calamity. It is also not impossible to say that he spread rumors and created trouble to compel Yang Shang Bao to write a divorce letter.

Everyone's spirits were lifted; it seems that the beauty's thoughts are indeed focused on General Feng

Wei Zheng crossed his arms, his face flushed as he said: "Feng Yanqi stripped me of my clothes and draped them over Miss You."

Feng Yan's cousin, Feng Jingkan, arrived just in time to hear Yan San's words, and he could not help but feel anxious. Yan San, in order to win over You Wu, dared to spread rumors under the guise of Feng Yan's name, compelling Yang Shangbao to write a divorce letter while intoxicated, clearly disregarding the Feng family. In this situation, everyone evidently believed that four men were vying for one woman, and Feng Yan was already caught in the midst of it. If Yan San were to succeed in obtaining You Wu, it would surely spread that the Feng family could not compete with the Yan family, and that Feng Yan was inferior to Yan San.

Upon hearing the words "granddaughter-in-law," Lady Feng's eyes lit up, the effects of the wine dissipated entirely, and she inquired, "What is going on?"

Moreover, it is said that Madam Feng could not hold her liquor well. After drinking some wine soup, she lay down for a while and felt somewhat better. Just as she was about to go out, her maid Liu Cai lifted the curtain and entered, saying: "Madam, the garden is extremely lively. It is quite possible that you will soon be able to marry in another granddaughter-in-law! Allow me to congratulate you in advance, Madam!"

Feng Yan stood by the lotus pond, seemingly taken aback for a moment, then jumped into the water. He quickly lifted You Wu's body and leaped onto the lotus pond. Before anyone could clearly see what had happened, he had already embraced You Wu and leaped to the side, heading towards the direction of the side room

Everyone only felt a flash before their eyes, and then they saw Miss You Wu leap down, splashing water everywhere, and could not help but exclaim: "Not good, Miss You has jumped into the water!"

"General, I..." You Wu whispered softly, her voice winding and melancholic, filled with a longing that was both tearful and unspoken, concealing endless emotions.

Madam Guo, witnessing Wei Zheng's confession, felt a secret joy in her heart, wishing she could take Yu Wu's place in accepting it. Upon hearing Yu Wu address him as 'General', she realized that Yu Wu intended to cling to Feng Yan, which made her anxious. Feng Yan was not as soft-hearted as Wei Zheng and was not easily manipulated. If things went awry, it would be like carrying water in a bamboo basket, leaving nothing at both ends. In that case, Master Yang would surely claim he was confused after drinking and that the divorce letter he wrote was invalid. This would mean that the Yang family could not rid themselves of the calamity that was Yu Wu. No, today, having spoken these lies against her conscience, she could not let it all go to waste. Therefore, she raised her voice and said: "There have been rumors that the General has an affair with my family's matron, which led my family’s master to write the divorce letter. Now, seeing the General's attitude, it seems unrelated to this matter. We must ask, who exactly is spreading these rumors? Who dares to use the General's name to slander others? This matter involves the General, and the General must investigate it." As she spoke, her eyes turned towards Yan San Shi.

Feng Jing, the younger brother of Feng Yan, is 22 years old this year, yet he is already married with children, having a son and a daughter. When he was young, he had a good relationship with Feng Yan, until their parents complained that their grandmother, Lady Feng, was biased, which led to Feng Yan leaving home to join the army, causing some concern. Now that Feng Yan has returned victorious from battle, the Feng family has prospered because of him, and naturally, Feng Jing is making every effort to mend the relationship between the second branch of the family and Feng Yan. Moreover, seeing that there is not a single woman by Feng Yan's side, and that he is being picky and unwilling to marry, Feng Jing could not help but secretly ask Ping An, a servant who has always been by Feng Yan's side, for information.

You Wu detected a glimmer of hope in Feng Yan's expression, and thus she pressed on with renewed determination, her voice filled with heartfelt emotion as she called out: "General, I..."

After Feng Jing learned about the reasons behind Feng Yan's disdain for women, he couldn't help but sigh. Disliking women is one thing, but Feng Yan is already of a certain age and must marry and have children to continue the lineage. Having communicated this to Madam Feng, she became anxious upon hearing the reasons and declared that as long as Feng Yan likes a woman, regardless of her family background or appearance, he is allowed to bring her into the family. Nevertheless, since the spring, Feng Yan has not shown any interest in a single woman.

Ah! Lady Feng was both surprised and delighted. The surprise came from the fact that just a moment ago, she was still the matriarch of the Yang family, her peer, and in an instant, she had reverted to Miss You, becoming a younger generation. The delight, however, stemmed from the fact that Feng Yan was finally willing to take a wife.

Feng Jing noticed a slight change in Feng Yan's expression, realizing that his words had taken effect, and couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh of relief

Upon hearing You Wu's tone, Feng Yan's eyes flickered slightly, a cold smile appeared at the corners of his mouth, yet he remained silent

Feng Yan was originally skeptical, but upon hearing the words of Madam Guo, he became convinced that the rumors were indeed fabricated by Yan San Shi. Out of hidden anger, if Yan San Shi were to succeed today, what face would the Feng family have left?

Wei Zheng expressed his feelings, believing that You Wu would surely be moved and readily agree. However, to his surprise, You Wu remained unmoved and sweetly called out to Feng Yan. For a moment, he couldn't help but ponder that perhaps You Wu was afraid that his family, the Wei family, could not withstand the pressure from the Yan family and did not want to burden him, which was why she hardened her heart and chose to ignore him

Madam Feng, seeing that Feng Yan was indifferent to marrying, could only speak harshly, stating that after her birthday, if Feng Yan still had not taken a liking to any woman, she would take matters into her own hands and arrange for Feng Yan to marry his cousin, Xu Mingzhu.

Madam Guo sneered and said, "What does it have to do with anyone? Are we supposed to spread rumors ourselves, putting the Grand Lady in such a situation, just to facilitate your smooth acquisition of her?"

At this moment, Yang Shangbao, half-closing his eyes and with a smile on his old face resembling a chrysanthemum, heard Yang Siming's report and clapped the back of his chair, saying: "Good, Feng Yan jumped into the pool to rescue Wu Niang, and the two established a physical relationship in front of everyone, thus creating a fait accompli. This is indeed a bloodless victory over Yan San Shi."

Madam Guo murmured: "The old lady is drenched all over; what would happen if you all saw her clearly?"

Upon hearing Feng Jing's words, Feng Yan couldn't help but compare Xu Mingzhu and You Wu in his mind, muttering to himself that if he really had to marry someone, You Wu would certainly be a better choice than Xu Mingzhu

Although Shen Yunan had broken off his engagement with You Wu, today he publicly acknowledged You Wu as his fiancée, believing that she would surely remember their past affection and respond to him by publicly criticizing Yan San Shi, seeking justice from the crowd. To his surprise, You Wu paid him no mind, which left him secretly enraged. Was she trying to climb the social ladder by associating with Feng Yan? Truly, her mind must be clouded; what kind of person is Feng Yan that he would take an interest in her?

Madam Feng nodded and said: "Although Miss You was once married to Yang Shangbao as a secondary wife, Yang Shangbao is elderly, and she naturally remains a maiden. If Yan'er wishes to marry her, then he should proceed with the marriage."

Upon hearing this, Feng Yan's expression slightly changed. He glanced at You Wu, then looked at the three men below who were vying to marry You Wu, with particular attention on Yan San Shi. He couldn't help but snort through his nostrils. The rumors had already spread that this young lady from the You family had feelings for him. If he did not take action now, it would only allow Yan San Shi to succeed, which would tarnish his reputation if it got out