The two brothers were like they were standing on either end of a seesaw, with an abyss below.
Both could only move little by little. Any misstep would drag the other and themselves into the bottomless abyss, never to recover.
Lu Qingwan could no longer harbor any complaints towards Feng Xiwu in such a state.
Gripping Feng Xiwu’s hand, she said in a deep voice, "Don't be sad. Aren't we able to go back now?
For so many years, Emperor Gengshi still couldn't take your lives. And with little Yuan'er, we will only get better and better."
Feng Xiwu looked at her serious little expression and all his sad emotions vanished.
"You don't need to act so vengeful. There's no such thing as one owing the other between my imperial brother and me.
Imperial brother did his utmost to save me, and I've also put in considerable effort to protect imperial brother over the years. We are both working towards revenge together.
In the future, I will still try my best to kill Emperor Gengshi, but I won't take on all the responsibility myself.
Right now, you are my biggest responsibility, the kind that I'll carry for a lifetime."
Lu Qingwan felt awkward. For a fleeting moment, she had indeed treated Feng Xiwu like a wilting cabbage.
He was clearly capable and resourceful, yet in Da Gan, he had Emperor Jingyou, and in Da Qin, he had an unnamed elder brother who were both so indebted to him that it greatly limited his potential.
Having been seen through by Feng Xiwu, Lu Qingwan sheepishly rubbed her face. "Alright, it's best if there's no talk of repaying favors.
After returning to Da Qin, what are your plans?"
Without realizing it, the awkwardness from their long-awaited reunion had disappeared.
Feng Xiwu rejoiced inwardly and seized the opportunity, subtly drawing Lu Qingwan into his future plans.
"I returned to Da Qin under the guise of the Longevity Festival. Even if he wanted to make a move against me, he wouldn't dare to do it too openly.
It's just that Emperor Gengshi originally intended to bestow a marriage upon me to control me, but Imperial Brother strongly facilitated the marriage alliance instead.
Once we return, the attitude of the ladies in the court towards you won't be very good. You don't need to tolerate it; just fight back directly.
As for other matters, I'll tell you slowly. The journey back is still long enough for you to thoroughly understand the complex relationships in Zhongzhou."
Lu Qingwan raised an eyebrow. "Excluding the time you were injured and unconscious, and the time spent traveling, you didn't stay in Zhongzhou for very long, did you?
He's already trying to bestow a marriage upon you? How wary is he of you?"
Feng Xiwu shook his head. "He's not wary of me, but of my father's virtuous reputation."
Lu Qingwan was confused and about to ask when Li Su entered with a tray, followed by Li Jin carrying a bubbling sandpot.
Feng Xiwu then took Lu Qingwan's hand and sat her down at the simple dining table. "Before the late emperor passed away, he was bedridden for six years. My father then supervised the state for six years.
During these six years, although my father never left Zhongzhou, Da Qin's territory expanded by a full third.
During years of continuous warfare, the treasury still grew annually, the people lived and worked in peace, and the court was harmonious.
It can be said that Da Qin's current extraordinary status is inseparably linked to my father."
Clearly, when the former crown prince was assassinated, he was still an innocent infant.
Yet, when speaking of the former crown prince's virtue and talent, he seemed proud as if it were his own, even becoming animated and gesticulating without realizing it.
"Even now, twenty-three years later, the officials and people of that time still praise my father highly.
Emperor Gengshi has not been able to depose Imperial Brother and establish his own son as the crown prince, which is also greatly related to this.
Even the fact that I could be recognized as part of the royal family without a royal genealogy was because those old officials, remembering my father's grace, vouched for me at the risk of angering Emperor Gengshi.
Emperor Gengshi was forced to grant me a royal genealogy due to the pressure.
Tell me, can he not be wary of me?"
Lu Qingwan suddenly understood. "One Crown Prince is already enough to give him a headache. Now that there's you, it will only make those old officials feel that the former Crown Prince has a successor.
Even if they don't intend to do anything, the mere fact that they gravitate towards you out of gratitude for the former Crown Prince is enough to keep Emperor Gengshi up at night, isn't it?"
Feng Xiwu nodded proudly. "Precisely."
His smug demeanor made Lu Qingwan unable to help but chuckle. "To make Emperor Gengshi so wary, why do I feel like you're quite pleased about it?"
Feng Xiwu didn't deny it. "Rather than killing him with a knife, I'd rather scare him to death. It seems to be showing initial results, and I'm preparing to press on."
Lu Qingwan, having lived two lifetimes, had never heard the phrase "press on" used in such a manner.
Speechless, she pouted. "Eat your meal. Let's agree beforehand: you handle your own troublesome admirers; I won't be your shield."
...
As they spoke, their attention shifted to the dining table, and the two chatted about everything under the sun.
From Da Gan to the Three Kingdoms, and then to Zhongzhou, their conversation flowed effortlessly, and their previous tense demeanor had vanished.
Outside the tent, Li Yang let out a long sigh.
"You scared me to death! The way the Princess Consort was acting today, I almost thought she was going to take both of you down with her. Thankfully, thankfully..."
His head was struck by something. Li Yang turned back indignantly, but before he could curse, he was reprimanded.
"Can't you have some filter on your mouth?
If you continue to speak so carelessly after following the Prince to Zhongzhou, you'll eventually cause trouble for him."
Li Yang sheepishly rubbed the spot where Li Qing had hit him. "I was just worried!
You know how frustrated the Princess Consort has been lately, don't you?
Whatever grievances the Prince has, they are his own. But the grievances the Princess Consort suffers are mostly brought about by the Prince.
The Prince still hides things and doesn't say anything, so how can it be the same?"
Li Qing, who had always followed rules and never gossiped about their masters in private with colleagues, did not hit Li Yang’s head this time.
Instead, he looked at him with a kind of incredulity, as if looking at a monster.
Inside the tent, Feng Xiwu finally had some time to enjoy a meal. He habitually served Lu Qingwan a dish. Before he could even take a few bites, he heard Li Yang's heart-wrenching remark.
That sentence, "But the grievances the Princess Consort suffers are mostly brought about by the Prince," was like a thorn that pierced his heart, causing unbearable pain.
Yet, he knew better than anyone that Li Yang was speaking the truth, and he couldn't argue against it.
After much hesitation, he couldn't think of a suitable way to phrase anything. Lu Qingwan, however, quietly took hold of one of his fingers.
"I never thought a simple home would be my sanctuary. When there are storms, the fact that you are willing to face them with me is enough for me to be content."
She said this without looking at Feng Xiwu.
"To wear a crown, one must bear its weight.
I suffered many grievances when I married you, but I also enjoyed many honors that others could not give me.
I am not some pure scholar who seeks no fame or fortune. I am just a worldly person who is greedy for wealth and likes to be in a superior position.
Whether it's the Regent of Da Gan or the Prince of Qin in Da Qin, I like any identity that allows me not to be subordinate to others.
But the premise is that the person in that position must be you."