"People from the Prince's Mansion?"
Watching the scene in the hall, Li Wei's anger, which had just flared up, turned to icy coldness. Like the rest of his family, he deeply disliked the Prince's Mansion.
Li Kuangren and his wife were sitting in the side seats.
Li Kuangren stared ahead with an icy expression. Feng Mi lowered her head, her lips pursed and her small fists clenched tightly.
Li Changsheng, who usually spent his time either sleeping on the Primordial Blood Tree or experiencing the life of ordinary people on the streets of Green Valley Town, also arrived. He glanced at the visitor, his expression a mixture of amusement and anger.
Sitting opposite them was none other than Feng Chunlin from the Prince's Mansion!
This eldest son of Feng Qingyang seemed to have become younger. He sipped his tea, appearing particularly cautious and restrained.
"Tap, tap, tap!"
As Li Dalong and his wife arrived, Feng Chunlin abruptly stood up, but before he could speak, Li Dalong snorted, "What's this? Feng Qingyang doesn't dare to come himself? He has to send his son instead? Don't you think that's looking down on our Li family a bit too much?"
"Well... Father is unwell."
Feng Chunlin lied through his teeth. However, he also knew a bit about the truth behind Azure Cloud region's current state. He even suspected that if his father came in person, he might not make it out of the Li family residence alive.
Li Dalong sneered. "Speak then. What brings you here this time? If it's not important, and Feng Qingyang doesn't come in person, we have nothing to discuss."
"Understood."
Feng Chunlin wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Well, you see, dear in-law..."
"Don't you 'dear in-law' me!"
Li Dalong's gaze turned icy. "Mi'er married into our Li family, and she held her wedding ceremony here. She is now a member of the Li family. But our Li family does not acknowledge your Prince's Mansion. We truly cannot afford such a lofty connection; it might shorten our lifespans."
Such harsh words, however, didn't spark any anger in Feng Chunlin. Instead, the guilt in his eyes deepened.
"In that case, I'll get straight to the point."
He sighed. "The reason for my visit is that Father has ordered me to request that the Li family allow Mi'er to return home with the children."
In an instant, the hall fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.
All eyes were fixed on Feng Mi.
At this moment, Feng Mi abruptly raised her head. Her fists clenched tighter and tighter, her eyes were bloodshot, and she growled, "Brother, go back and tell Feng Qingyang that I was very happy for those twenty-some years. I had a father who loved and cherished me."
"But later, I realized my happy life was a lie. It turned out I was always just a tool to be used whenever convenient. I can't fathom what kind of father would drug his own daughter for his own purposes. I've repaid any debt I owed him."
"From now on, I want nothing more to do with him, nor do I want any connection to the Prince's Mansion. He can forget about ever laying a finger on my son or my daughter!"
Hearing this, Feng Chunlin didn't press the matter further. He simply sighed and, as he reached the doorway, turned back to Feng Mi with a gentle smile. "Little sister," he said, "you've always been gentle by nature. Take good care of yourself in the Li family. If anyone bullies you, don't bother telling Father; just let your brother know."
"And you, Changsheng," he continued, "don't waste your time. You're not getting any younger, you know. It's time to find a wife."
"As for everything else..."
"Leave it to me."
Feng Chunlin left with his people, his figure looking somewhat weary.
"Brother!"
Feng Mi gazed at her brother's retreating figure. It seemed she still had someone she could rely on in the Feng family.
Li Changsheng rubbed his nose and went back to lie down on the Primordial Blood Tree. Looking up at the sky, he muttered, "Here we go again with the nagging..."
Just as he said that, he let out a long sigh.
"In that family, it seems only my uncle is a decent person."
...
Half a month later.
At the Prince's Mansion.
By now, Feng Chunlin had returned home, bringing no one back with him.
Feng Qingyang was still standing where he had played chess with Li Yaowen that day, watching the flowers bloom and fall on the tree without turning around. "They refused to return?" he asked.
"Yes."
Feng Chunlin recounted the events at the Li family residence one by one. Upon hearing this, Feng Qingyang sneered. "That old country bumpkin! He dares to disown us as in-laws? He's not worthy of being my in-law anyway. So be it."
Feng Chunlin frowned. "Father, I saw that Mi'er and the children are doing well in the Li family. We don't need to..."
"Hmph! What do you know?"
Feng Qingyang let out a cold snort, which startled Feng Chunlin into lowering his head. In a deep voice, he said, "My granddaughter's aptitude is no less than Changsheng's. Having her return home will naturally be of great use. Chunlin, you must understand that everything I do is for our family."
"Here's what we'll do. Send someone to keep an eye on the Li family. If the opportunity arises, bring Changyao back here."
This time, Feng Chunlin didn't offer any objections. He calmly nodded. "Yes, Father. I'll take care of it."
With that, Feng Chunlin headed out of the house. He watched the busy servants and maids within the family estate. The buildings of the Feng family stretched out endlessly, yet his sigh grew even longer.
He used to believe that his father was willing to sacrifice everything for the Azure Cloud region. He had been raised with this belief. His father had told him that the land of the Azure Cloud region belonged to the Feng family, and the Feng family could do anything for the Azure Cloud region.
Now, it seemed he had always misunderstood his father's intentions. The father he imagined lived in another world. The father in reality lived in a world of lies.
He suddenly felt envious of the Li family.
Generation after generation, they had none of these schemes. In Li Dalong's eyes, he only saw concern for his descendants.
He continued walking forward, Feng Chunlin's gaze grew increasingly cold. He entered a dark chamber where many retainers of the Feng family were gathered.
"Young Master!"
The retainers bowed in greeting.
He continued walking forward. Ahead, on a stone chair, sat one of the ancestors of the Feng family.
Feng Chunlin bowed respectfully. His expression was resolute, and his voice rang out clearly.
"Ancestor, Father, he..."
"...is getting old."
---
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