The Slender Waist-Chapter 162 - 119: Reluctance

Feng Yun saw Daman and Xiaoman standing by the mountain path, and not far from them was Ye Chuang with two guards. All five of them were looking at her with a gaze that seemed both worried and suspicious.

Feng Yun said, "Crown Prince Chunyu is eccentric, insisting on discussing business up in the mountains."

Xiaoman, who wasn’t cunning, believed her as soon as she heard it.

She let out a long sigh of relief immediately.

"This servant girl was scared to death! My lady, next time could you please let this servant accompany you?"

Feng Yun hummed in acknowledgment and silently walked towards Ye Chuang, politely performing a curtsy.

"I’ve worried Guard Ye."

Given Ye Chuang’s status, it wasn’t appropriate to say much. He glanced briefly at the stone path halfway up the mountain and smiled, "It’s good that my lady is unharmed."

Feng Yun smiled faintly and walked down the mountain.

Ye Chuang followed and said softly, "My lady need not fear Crown Prince Chunyu."

Feng Yun looked back, somewhat puzzled.

Thinking he hadn’t made himself clear, Ye Chuang earnestly bowed and said:

"Even though he is the Crown Prince of Yunchuan, a distinguished guest of Jin Country, if he disrespects my lady or forces you to do something unwillingly, you can certainly refuse... With the Great General’s support, no one dares to trouble you."

Feng Yun said, "I am fortunate for the General’s compassion."

The crux of the matter, Feng Yun understood very well without need for Ye Chuang’s explanation.

Otherwise, why could she be so courteous to Pei Jue, yet not show a good face to Chunyu Yan?

It was nothing more than leveraging one power against another.

Seeing no expression on her face, Ye Chuang added another line.

"We all follow my lady’s commands unequivocally."

Feng Yun thanked him repeatedly, her mouth full of gratitude, but her mind remained exceptionally clear.

The reason they obeyed was because of Pei Jue.

What’s not under my own control, not my own people, can be used, but one must not rely on them too much.

-

Daman was silent all the way. When it came time to assist Feng Yun to bed, she suddenly asked in a low voice:

"Did my lady really only discuss graphite business with Crown Prince Chunyu?"

Feng Yun looked up at her, "What else then?"

Daman appeared hesitant to speak further.

In front of Feng Yun, she had always been more mature and steady than Xiaoman, and had always thought that she should be more favored than the other servant girls.

But she distinctly felt that Feng Yun trusted Xiaoman far more than her.

A lot of information she found out only through Xiaoman’s mouth.

The duties Feng Yun entrusted to her were fewer than those to Xiaoman, mostly miscellaneous tasks.

This realization made her anxiously aware that, for some reason, she had been excluded by Feng Yun. Alou, Xing Bing, and even the Ge brothers received more trust from the lady than her, who attended by her side.

Daman hesitated for a moment.

"This servant dares to ask my lady if I have done something wrong?"

Feng Yun narrowed her eyes to look at her, expressionless.

"What do you want to say?"

Daman slowly knelt down in front of her bed.

"If this servant has made a mistake, my lady can punish me as you see fit. I beg my lady not to alienate me, not to push me away."

Feng Yun looked at her for a long time.

"Do you know what’s different about you and Xiaoman?"

Daman looked up, shaking her head desperately.

Feng Yun said, "Xiaoman wouldn’t ask me this."

Daman looked at her, staggered.

Feng Yun said, "Leave."

Seeing that she had already lain down, absentmindedly caressing the Jian Shui knife by the pillow, her eyes cold and devoid of any master-servant affection, Daman nervously got up and left.

When did Feng Shi Er Niang change?

Daman wracked her brain thinking.

Tracing back, it seemed to start on the day when Andu City was breached.

The frail and delicate lady suddenly became tough and indifferent, ignoring everyone’s sorrows. The lady who had been devoted to Xiao San suddenly gave up years of affection overnight, able to be intimate with Pei Jue, able to exchange affections with Chunyu Yan without any shame...

What happened to my lady?

Daman sat by the window, gazing at the moon.

Slowly, she touched her own cold face.

This face that many say bore some resemblance to Feng Shi Er Niang.

-

The Tu Family Fort treated guests with great courtesy.

Feng Yun slept in and when she woke up, the fort’s maids had already brought the meal.

There was noodle soup, clear porridge with vegetable buns, as well as pickled radishes and salty vegetables, all looking delicate and delicious.

A maid of the Tu Family said, "Lady Tu instructed that my lady does not like greasy food, so breakfast should be light. I don’t know if it suits my lady’s palate?"

There was a dish of braised pork at yesterday’s banquet that Feng Yun didn’t touch at all. It wasn’t that she didn’t like it, but it was a little far from her, making it inconvenient for her to reach for the dish.

She had not expected Lady Tu to observe so carefully.

"It’s all food I like, please thank Lady Tu for me."

"Thank me for what?" A laughing voice came through the curtains.

Lady Tu entered with a beaming smile, followed by two maids. As soon as she saw Feng Yun, she couldn’t help but soften her expression.

Just like an old mother seeing her well-behaved daughter, coaxing her to eat, never tiring of watching her.

"Ayun, does it taste good?"

Lady Tu sat in front of her, staring at Feng Yun as she asked.

Receiving such care, Feng Yun felt somewhat embarrassed.

"The clear porridge is refreshing, and the noodles with vegetable-stuffed buns are perfectly to my taste. You are too kind, Lady," Feng Yun replied.

Lady Tu’s smile deepened at this, crinkling the corners of her eyes.

"Good Ayun, you must come to the Tu Family Fort more often in the future."

Feng Yun smiled, "I will, Lady."

As if reminded of something, Lady Tu then said, "They say you are now the Village Chief of Huaxi? Such a beautiful young lady, made to serve under that Pei King of Hell, becoming a Village Chief, what a torment..."

Feng Yun: "Lady, it’s what I wanted to do."

Lady Tu still looked at her with pity, as if wanting to pull her out of the deep and fiery pit under Pei Jue.

"What do you think about the Crown Prince of Yunchuan?"

After pondering for a moment, Feng Yun replied, "Very well."

Lady Tu laughed, "Then why don’t you go to Yunchuan with him? It’s safe and steady, and you wouldn’t have to make a living under the King of Hell."

Feng Yun didn’t know what to say.

Lady Tu was sincere.

In her eyes, following Pei Jue was far less preferable than being with Chunyu Yan.

Only, Lady Tu had no idea what she really wanted...

To follow which man was no longer within the scope of her feelings; it was simply a matter of using whoever was more useful.

"I’ll consider it carefully, Lady," Feng Yun said, playing along with a hint of shyness.

Only then did Lady Tu brighten up, smiling cheerfully:

"Guess what good thing I’ve brought you?"

Feng Yun felt quite embarrassed, "Lady, you have already given me so much, there’s no need for more..."

"This is a must," said Lady Tu with a smile, instructing a maid to bring over a tray.

On it were several deeds.

"The Princely Heir has urgent business, and left the fort before dawn."

Lady Tu explained, "Before leaving, he didn’t want to wake you, so he didn’t send someone to call you. But he asked Old Tu to be the middleman and sign the deeds. Isn’t this what Ayun wanted?"

Feng Yun’s heart skipped a beat, and she took the deeds to look.

Chunyu Yan had prepared the contract for the graphite business exactly as she had requested, with only one change, which was to add the Tu Family Fort, offering a thirty percent profit share.

This was also Feng Yun’s original idea,

First, because the Tu Family Fort had existing collaborations with Chunyu Yan, it would be impossible to leave them midway; second, the Tu Fort Master was a trustworthy partner; third, the Tu Family Fort could be an excellent retreat.

Receiving thirty percent of the profits, the Tu Family Fort would also undertake efforts worth no less than that profit share. And being the intermediary could guarantee that neither side would breach the contract.

Feng Yun could see through to Chunyu Yan’s shrewdness in this.

Yet, such a man, surprisingly not favored by the Prince of Yunchuan...

Incredible.

Feng Yun signed the deeds decisively.

Then, she discussed the matter of carving through the mountains and constructing roads with Tu Boshan, asking him to bring in two artisans.

"The Yunchuan Stone is hard with few fissures; we can take advantage of this winter’s harsh cold to start with explosives, followed by heating and dousing with vinegar to induce thermal shock, causing the rocks to crack, and then we can carve the tunnel through this tough nut," she explained in detail.

Tu Boshan was extremely impressed upon hearing her plans.

"It’s a pity that the Princely Heir is not here; otherwise, he would never regret signing this contract," he exclaimed.

The two artisans, however, looked worried.

"The explosives Your Ladyship mentioned are quite challenging," one said.

"I also have my doubts. Just saltpeter, wood ash, and sulfur can make explosives? Unbelievable," another added.

Feng Yun smiled slightly.

"If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t dare to mention this, but we are in Tu Fort... There’s probably no other place in the world that can produce such explosives except for Tu Fort," she revealed.

This was a realization she had only upon returning to Tu Fort in this life.

In her previous life, consumed by romantic sorrows, she failed to notice the existence of Tu Family Fort, a creation that was almost divinely inspired.

Their eating and living utensils were different from those of the world, and superior to others...

The "Master" often mentioned by these artisans must be an extraordinary recluse, or perhaps a divine sage sent by the Creator to guide them out of confusion, which allowed the Tu Family Fort to possess technology beyond this world, yet they also knew how to keep a low profile and not show off.

Originally, Feng Yun just thought of using fire and vinegar along with alternating heat and cold to carve through the rocks. It was last night when Chunyu Yan brought fireworks, which reminded her of the "explosives" mentioned in her mother’s book that she decided to give it a try.

After the meal, Feng Yun waited while the artisans prepared the Wooden Ox Waterwheel, and Tu Boshan took her to the mountain behind.

The fireworks from the previous night had left several charred black spots on the rocks.

She looked at them and said with a smile, "If fireworks can leave marks on stones, the power of explosives will surely be many times greater."

Tu Boshan and several artisans, having a rough idea of what explosives were from her description, were both curious and excited, peppering her with incessant questions along the way.

When they stopped, Feng Yun found herself at a stone hollow in the rear mountain.

Surrounded by sheer cliffs, the only pathway was guarded by soldiers, making it very secretive.