"You dare!" Lady Chen’s eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Feng Yun.
"I am your mother!"
Feng Yun hooked a smirk on one side of her lips and said to Xing Bing:
"Take her away, let her sober up before we talk."
Xing Bing frowned and saluted, "Yes."
A group of iling’s followers brandishing steel swords charged forward with imposing montum, while Lady Chen ducked and dodged amidst the chaos, letting out a terrified scream.
"Shi’er Niang!"
"Feng Shi Er Niang, have you gone mad?"
"Ah—"
Feng Yun turned around and didn’t look back.
The reborn her didn’t like to indulge others’ faults.
She had allowed the Chen Family to strut about at the entrance of the village for so long without dispatching troops from iling or the Imperial Guard Camp, simply letting the Village Guard step in, all to expose Lady Chen’s shortcomings.
Ard troublemaking, only then could they violate the village rules.
To violate the village rules, only then could she, in this bustling place and under the gaze of all, justly punish Lady Chen.
She had everything planned out, except Awan’s actions had taken her by surprise.
Sharp-tongued indeed, a formidable one.
As she left, she threw a glance at Awan.
Awan had already shrunk back into the crowd, wishing to go unnoticed, hoping that her lady had not heard her nonsensical, appalling words...
Feng Yun smiled faintly and boarded her palanquin.
The east of the village had shifted from its forr location by at least three miles outwards; this village entrance had once been all farmland, but now looking around, it was all houses and shops...
Huaxi Village had developed too quickly.
Hence, the village entrance was now far from Changn. Feng Yun, being lazy, had taken a palanquin there.
The palanquin swayed gently, passing through the crowd of onlookers, who automatically parted to both sides, then so followed along...
They all wanted to see how Feng Twelve would punish her stepmother.
The rumored rules of Huaxi Village also stirred the curiosity of outsiders.
The greatest difference between Huaxi Village and other villages was that its people hailed from all over the land, unlike several nearby villages where villagers typically shared one surna, at most three, all relatives living together...
Therefore, Huaxi Village had no ancestral hall, nor did it have family elders. During this period of rapid expansion, what it relied on was the "Twenty Rules of the Village" established by Feng Yun, which disciplined the villagers and ensured the normal order of the village.
Under the three Great Pagoda Trees, Alou had already prepared the Incense and Candle Offering Table, with rows of stoic, imposing guards holding swords on each side.
Lady Chen could never have dreamt that Feng Shi Er Niang would display such boldness, completely disregarding propriety, showing disrespect to her stepmother as a daughter...
By the ti she was escorted from the east end of the village by a few of iling’s followers, Feng Yun was already sitting stably under the Great Pagoda Tree.
A chill wind blew over, suddenly increasing the coldness.
Huanhuan specially brought over a brazier to warm her, Xiaoman considerately prepared a hand warr and tucked it into her sleeve, and her concubines were busy tending to her needs; Guan Wei personally brought a cape and draped it over her shoulders with great care...
The outsiders who ca to witness the spectacle initially thought this was the concubines currying favor with the mistress, but after hearing the inside story from the villagers, they realized they were not the Prince of Yonghuai’s concubines.
Then they were astonished and dumbfounded.
Feng Twelve had so many beautiful concubines serving her day in and day out; truly, she enjoyed incredible good fortune. How many n in this world could be as pleased as her?
Feng Yun watched the crowd that had co to enjoy the drama grow larger and larger, a trace of amusent slowly appearing in her dark eyes as she calmly watched Lady Chen, who was red-faced with anger.
"Alou, recite the village rules," she commanded.
Alou replied and stepped out from behind Feng Yun, reciting in a clear voice.
Lady Chen grew desperate, struggling as she shook her shoulders, unable to escape the restraint of iling’s followers, and in the tumult, her neatly arranged hair ca undone.
Her long hair cascaded down, and with her hoarse screams, she looked like a deranged woman.
"Natural justice and social order cannot be violated. Feng Twelve, are you defying heaven? I am your mother; where in the world is there a reason for a daughter to punish her mother?"
Murmurs of discussion rose all around.
In those tis, respect for the Five Bonds and Eight Virtues was preached, with filial piety being paramount.
To avoid infamy, one should not add to their parents’ troubles.
Children should handle vexations on behalf of their parents.
Provide for them with food and clothing, speaking softly and gently.
When parents reprimand, children should not complain.
In other words, parents were the children’s heaven, mountains that the children could not climb over...
Although Lady Chen was Feng Yun’s stepmother, in those tis, step-parent and step-child relationships were very common, without distinction...
What Feng Yun was doing was akin to committing a grave offense against the common decency of the world.
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