The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

"This old minister is guilty. This old minister has failed in his duty to educate his son. This time, Feng Yu has caused a great disaster in the capital. This old minister has heard about this matter. If this old minister had known earlier that he had such wolfish ambitions, this old minister would have personally killed him and apologized to the Emperor. Now that things have already happened, this old minister can no longer regret it. Cough cough..." Old Master Feng was heartbroken. Every word he uttered was an accusation of Feng Yu's crimes, and also a confession of his own failure to discipline his son. He seemed to be too emotional and kept coughing, which made people feel more pity for this seriously injured old man.

Finally, after coughing for a while, Old Master Feng kowtowed heavily to the ground, saying, "Your Majesty, please punish this old minister for failing to properly educate his son!"

Bai Yi and An Mi listened intently, their eyes flashing. What a cunning old master Feng! Every word seemed to be an apology, but behind each one was an attempt to shirk responsibility. He was pushing everything onto Feng Yu, completely separating the Feng family from Feng Yu, letting everyone know that Feng Yu's private making and possession of the dragon robe was merely his personal act, something he himself was unaware of beforehand. The Feng family was innocent, and even his fault was simply that he had failed to properly raise his son.

This act of distancing themselves from the Feng family and protecting the Feng family seemed to be exactly what Bai Yi and An Mi had anticipated, and even more so, what Emperor Mingde had expected.

Emperor Mingde listened attentively from beginning to end, remaining unmoved even when he saw Old Master Feng kowtowing. After a moment of silence, Emperor Mingde chuckled and said, "So, Old Master Feng has also heard about this matter. Alas, the matter of Feng Yu has not only disappointed me but also caused me immense grief. How I have treated the Feng family and how I have treated Feng Yu is evident to Old Master Feng, Empress Feng, and all the officials present. I have always respected Old Master Feng and held the Feng family in high regard, considering them my right and left arms. I never imagined that my right and left arms would one day betray me. What difference is there between this and cutting off my right and left arms?"

In the main hall, Emperor Mingde's voice, word by word, was resounding and exceptionally loud. Old Master Feng lowered his head, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, but he was still suppressing something.

Emperor Mingde paused, then continued, "I trust the Feng family. Even if Feng Yu did indeed possess the imperial robe, I believe this matter is merely Feng Yu's personal desire, and we absolutely cannot implicate the entire Feng family. Therefore, I summoned you, Your Excellency, to the capital for this very reason. The evidence of Feng Yu's possession of the imperial robe is conclusive, and he harbors rebellious intentions. He deserves to die, but even if he does deserve to die, I want Your Excellency to witness it, after all, he is a member of the Feng family!"

"Your Majesty's kindness to the Feng family is witnessed by Heaven and Earth. As for that rebellious son Feng Yu's actions, this old minister has nothing to say. However, this old minister and the rest of the Feng family are loyal to the Great Jin Dynasty and Your Majesty without the slightest disloyalty. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly." Old Master Feng took a deep breath and kowtowed heavily to the ground once again.

Empress Feng saw every move Old Master Feng made, and her hands under her sleeves tightened unconsciously. The Emperor was deliberately suppressing the Feng family in front of so many people!

But her father was helpless, and so was she!

A sense of satisfaction rose in Emperor Mingde's heart. He stepped forward and gently helped Old Master Feng to his feet. "Old Master Feng," he said, "I am a wise ruler. I know who is loyal to me and who is disloyal. The Great Jin Dynasty is a bright and just dynasty. Our ancestors have never tolerated anyone who is detrimental to our dynasty. I will never let those who attempt to overthrow our Great Jin Dynasty go unpunished. Old Master Feng, the Feng family has always been loyal to me and to the Great Jin Dynasty. Rest assured, I will not hold a grudge against the Feng family because of Feng Yushi."

Emperor Mingde's words reached everyone's ears. Not only the officials present, but also Old Master Feng felt a chill in his heart. Emperor Mingde was warning everyone that he would not let anyone who had disloyal intentions off lightly!

"Your Majesty's enlightened virtue is a blessing to our Great Jin Dynasty and to our Feng family!" Old Master Feng declared loudly. This time, his confrontation with Emperor Mingde had truly left him severely weakened.

“However…” Emperor Mingde suddenly frowned, looking troubled.

Old Master Feng wasn't stupid; he could guess what Emperor Mingde was going to say next. Thinking of Feng Yu, Old Master Feng's heart clenched, but he still had to hold back. "Your Majesty, please speak freely. As for how to deal with Feng Yu, we will leave it to Your Majesty to decide."

"Alas, it's probably too late to deal with Feng Yu now." Emperor Mingde sighed again, thinking to himself that Old Master Feng's acting skills were truly superb, as if he really didn't know that Feng Yu was dead.

Since he wants to act, then he'll play along and continue acting.

"What do you mean?" Old Master Feng asked, frowning.

Emperor Mingde shook his head and gently touched his forehead. "Let the Empress tell you about this."

Empress Feng seemed not to have expected that Emperor Mingde would ask her to speak, but since it was the emperor's will, she had no choice but to comply.

Empress Feng took a deep breath. "Father, Yu'er committed an unforgivable crime, deserving death. But before the Emperor could issue an order, he committed suicide in the Imperial Prison. That day, when I visited him in the prison, I saw him with my own eyes, already dead..."

Empress Feng stopped there and didn't continue. Old Master Feng's body stiffened, and he staggered, seemingly too weak to stand steadily. After all, he was his grandson. Even if he had committed a serious crime, shouldn't he at least be allowed to see him?

"Damn it! Haha, he deserves to die! So be it, so be it!" Old Master Feng's emotions suddenly seemed to go mad. He laughed for a moment, then stopped abruptly. "Your Majesty, he deserves to die!"

Emperor Mingde saw the reaction of Old Master Feng. Did he deserve to die?

Upon hearing about Feng Yu's possession of the imperial robe, perhaps Old Master Feng was convinced that Feng Yu deserved to die!

For the sake of the Feng family, Old Master Feng didn't hesitate to sacrifice Feng Yu. He was truly ruthless!

"Although he secretly possessed the imperial robe and harbored rebellious intentions, he certainly deserved to die. According to his crimes, I could have had him ground to dust and his body extinct. However, considering that Feng Yu had done a lot for the Great Jin Dynasty, I have arranged for him to stay in his temporary residence and prepare for a grand funeral. I have done my utmost in this regard." Emperor Mingde sighed and patted Old Master Feng on the shoulder.

"Your Majesty's kindness is etched in my heart. I will be even more loyal to Your Majesty in the future to atone for Feng Yu's sins," said Old Master Feng, bowing respectfully.

"That's good then, Your Majesty. This welcome-back banquet was held for you today, but unexpectedly, so many things have happened. Your Majesty is injured and, having learned of Feng Yu's matter, must be feeling terrible. It's getting late, so why don't you rest for now?" Emperor Mingde spoke slowly, his brow slightly furrowed as if he were thinking about something. However, after a moment, his brow relaxed, and he said to Empress Feng, "How about this, Empress, you personally escort Your Majesty to the residence where Feng Yu was temporarily staying. Let him stay there for now. After all, Your Majesty should also see Feng Yu..."