The Employed Empress 114 Chapter 114: Feng and Shen

All of a sudden, Wei Yi Yi had a feeling of being bribed by one of her coworkers.
While Su Mei Fan was busy constructing her words, Xie Yu expertly chomp two dimsums one right after another.
To clear up the evidence, she sipped a mouthful of tea. Putting down her chopsticks, she casually said, "It was not that bad..."
Wei Yi Yi commented, "In the end, rumors are just rumors and cannot be trusted. Though, I always wonder why they can't get along."
At one point, Wei Yi Yi found it funny. Who she expect not to get along is Xie Yu and Feng Lei as in the usual tropes, the scholar lady and military lady are two from opposite fractions.
"...Compare to Concubine Feng naming her servants using Consort Shen's family name to mocked her for years, a few exchanges that end up in tears are not that bad," Xie Yu complete her words in a cool tone.
For scholars, information came hand in hand with knowledge. Being keenly aware of your surroundings is not called as being nosy, rather, it is an important element in acquiring knowledge for survival.
Xie Yu was not the lease ashame for frequently listening to rumors.
"Drawing a cake to satisfy one's hunger* is quite fitting to Concubine Feng's rough manners," Xie Yu generously offered her opinion on the subject.
Wei Yi Yi spat out her tea.
That was deliberate on Feng Lei's part?! Shen Ying?! Shen Rou?! These two name... Feng Lei really did named her servants this way in order to spite Shen Nian Zhen?! Just how deep is their enmity exactly?!
Her head started hurting. She probably acquired a massive headache just now. How could Feng Lei put the emperor's consort in the same level as a servant?
They might be all humans that have each and every right but inside the office, a manager is still a manager and a staff is still a staff!
Why are they like this? How come they end up this way?
All that Wei Yi Yi knew is the Feng family is a three-generation-old general household. They are Da Xian respected protector.
Under their wings, they protect the small families that composed their army. And Shen family used to be one of the smaller clan under the general household.
'Wei Yi Yi' is very knowledgeable about the noble clans but when it comes to the high ranking ladies, madames, and the like... Please press F to pay respect to 'Wei Yi Yi' efforts in the wrong place.
That one took a job unrelated from her college degree! How sad is that!
"In their childhood, I remember that Lady Shen is known as Lady Feng's shadow?" In a guessing tone, Su Mei Fan said. She was pointing that Shen Nian Zhen anger might come from being treated as a servant back then and Feng Lei insisting to treat her as such till this day.
"The eldest son of the Shen family, Shen Shuhang, is General Feng's disciple. The old general supported him until he became a general himself. Lady Shen lived inside the Feng Manor for a number of years to accompany her elder brother. It's inevitable that the two would always be seen together back then. As for Lady Shen being treated as a shadow, I don't know about that," Xie Yu replied with facts instead.
Su Mei Fan turned silent as she seems to be absorbing the what Xie Yu said. After a while, she beamed, as if she remembered something important, and in an ambiguous tone, she said, "...Isn't Lady Shen supposed to be the bride of Feng Lei's twin brother, Feng Lian?"
"What?" Wei Yi Yi face was full of black lines. There's bomb tickling inside her own company building that could explode at any moment and she's always brushing it off, thinking it's just some fire crackle?!
Was it only a matter of time before she witnesses firsthand the 'there's a floating body at the lake' plot? Holy fudge let's keep away dangerous arcs from reality alright!
"That is nothing but a verbal agreement. Concubine Su, Shen Shi is the Emperor's consort. It is inappropriate to bring such topic," Xie Yu reprimanded. Such slanderous claims cannot reach his majesty. If rumors circulated, the emperor will wrongly wear a green hat.
Scared, Su Mei Fan reasoned, "But... but isn't it because Shen family betrayed the Feng clan that Lady Feng entered the palace?..."
"Although Feng Lei is one that cannot stand betrayal from comrades, I don't think she'll go that far to chase after Shen Nian Zhen to get revenge," Wei Yi Yi said.
For Feng Lei, Shen Nian Zhen might be nothing but a side quest.
There's an open secret about the Feng household that 'Wei Yi Yi' knew. For three generation, since they established their clan, Feng manor have a verbal agreement with the imperial family to marry one of their daughter as consort.
And these daughters are trained as soldiers rather than as wives. It was in order to protect the ruling emperor.
To prove that they have nothing but loyalty, these daughters could only be consorts at most and never to be an empress candidate nor be crowned as one.
Rather than saying that they're loyal to the imperial family, it is more fitting to say that they are loyal to the dragon throne.
Whoever the emperor is, they will raise their sword to protect. It doesn't matter what kind of prince he is before or what kind of emperor he might be after.
They are part of the neutral fraction at court that every prince wanted to put a hand on.
Then a controversy happened. The Shen family that has always served the Feng family joined the battle of ascension. They supported the first prince and cemented their relationship by offering their eldest daughter.
The Feng Family end up in a tight spot and it became a sensational topic back then.
Either way, Feng Lei is the only daughter from the main household of Feng manor.
Whether Shen Nian Zhen married Jiang Yu or not, Feng Lei will still enter the palace.
Whenever Wei Yi Yi remembered that she offended a trained military, fear would crawl under her skin. Thankfully, she survived that. Thankfully, Boss shield her from rain!
"The Empress is right," Xie Yu took a small bite out of her food and didn't continue anymore. But if you look at her plate, you will see that all food has been cleanly swept away. "An ambitious horse will never return to its old stable*. Lady Feng might not as eloquent as people expect from a noble lady but she at least knew of such simple facts. It doesn't matter what reason they couldn't get along. What important is that they cannot for what lies between them are nothing but falling blossom and flowing water*."
Wei Yi Yi took a deep breath.
The moment Xie Yu started talking in riddles, Wei Yi Yi has long been left behind from the topic. From the start, she wasn't that interested. And right now, her priority shifted to making Xie Yu stop. This brat even started increasing them! She doesn't want to continue anymore!
'I'm a peaceful person who grew up in a peaceful era away from any bloody murder. If you compare Xie Yu to the accounting professor, she's a lot cuter. Be patient and don't knock her out.'

Chapter end