After more than a decade of internal power struggles, the State of Xia is now plagued by troubles both at home and abroad. To the north, the Xiongnu tribes of the Beidi frequently raid the border; to the south, the State of Chu covets the land across the Yellow River; and to the west, the Zhou Country is constantly seeking to annex Xia to dominate the Central Plains.
In the most recent foreign conflict, the Xia army, led by Eldest Princess Li Rongchun, suffered a defeat at the hands of the Zhou forces. The two nations eventually found themselves at the negotiating table.
Xia faces many internal issues. To appease the Zhou Country to the west and strengthen ties, the court not only agreed to cede the Hexi Five Cities but also promised to send a hostage to the Zhou court, along with a hefty indemnity.
Since the military strength of the two nations is evenly matched, and Xia’s concession of the Hexi Five Cities demonstrated sufficient sincerity, the delegations ultimately agreed that the First Prince, Li Xian, would be sent to the Zhou Country as a hostage.
The speaker may have spoken without intent, but the listeners certainly had plans of their own.
*Replacement?*
A flash of inspiration struck Second Princess Li Rongxia and the others. They all turned in unison to look at Li Feng, their eyes clearly signaling their approval of the scheme proposed by the Fourth Princess, Li Rongdong.
The reason the whole family had gathered today was not only for the Mid-Autumn banquet in the palace that evening but also to comfort Li Xian, who was about to be sent away as a hostage to an enemy state.
If they could convince their father, the Emperor, to send Li Feng to the Zhou Country instead, Li Xian could remain in Quwo City. Furthermore, they could finally get this eyesore out of their sight. It was a perfect plan.
*Oh?*
Empress Ji paused, her teacup halfway to her lips. Her beautiful eyes drifted toward Li Feng, who was kneeling in the hall, and she found herself tempted. She never expected that her most willful and spoiled young daughter would actually be clever for once.
The entire hall fell into a heavy silence.
Li Xian watched as the situation evolved exactly as he had planned. He exchanged a secret glance with Liu Ruyan, unable to suppress the corners of his mouth from curling upward.
Putting all that effort into ruining Li Feng’s reputation was never the true goal; the real scheme was to have this fool take his place as a hostage in the Zhou Country, putting Li Feng in harm’s way—or perhaps even ensuring he never returned.
"Ha! So it finally comes."
Li Feng had already merged with memories from a modern timeline—or perhaps they weren't his—and he was now keenly aware of the shifting gazes of the women around him. He knew exactly what these people were planning.
If not for the fact that he had been too spineless in his past life, he would have truly questioned whether he had been adopted and whether these people before him were actually his enemies. But they still assumed he was as weak and easily bullied as before, and that he would still sacrifice himself for the sake of so-called family affection. They were gravely mistaken.
"Yes, this good-for-nothing should make some sacrifices for our State of Xia!"
"Indeed, our dear brother Li Xian is the future of Xia. He must stay!"
"This little bastard is finally of some use. Let’s all go ask Father to send him to the Zhou Country as a hostage!"
Second Princess Li Rongxia and the others exchanged silent glances. One after another, they pointed at Li Feng, declaring their stance with faces full of disdain. They even hurled insults, quickly forming a united front.
Seeing the three princesses express themselves this way, Liu Ruyan could no longer suppress her joy. She secretly cast a flirtatious glance at her lover.
"I didn't..."
Li Feng’s lips moved, but the familiar feeling washed over him. Every time he was wronged and tried to explain, several sharp glares would always cut him off, as if they already knew the truth but insisted on him bearing the blame.
He knew he only had one mouth, while they had six combined—and that was not even counting his mother, who might not even be his biological parent.
Just like in his past life, now that they realized they could use him as a replacement to face the enemy, they had likely already decided to push him into the fire pit.
Since defending himself was useless, and since his so-called mother and sisters were not on his side—even intent on pushing him into the abyss—why waste the effort?
The most important thing now was to seek help from outside. Even a beggar on the street would be more worth courting than these so-called relatives if it meant avoiding being shoved into that fire pit.
"Heh... I suppose he realizes that fighting back is useless now!" Seeing Li Feng’s lips move without a sound, a flicker of mockery crossed Li Xian’s eyes.
"Li Feng, stop playing deaf and dumb in front of me! Or are you still trying to make excuses? Trampling on my most beloved Imperial Yellow confirms that you have learned nothing but bad habits while in Hexi. I will certainly report this to His Majesty and have you severely punished!" Empress Ji, clearly more calculating, held her teacup and used the incident as a pretext.
Li Feng looked up at his mother. They say that even a tiger does not eat its own cubs, yet his mother was willing to push her own son into a fire pit for the sake of an adopted one.
If not for his good fortune in the previous life, where he received help in the Zhou Country, he would have died in a foreign land long ago—though that experience had left him with an irreparable wound.
Li Feng knew that his mother had never treated him as a son even until the day he died in his previous life, but he still asked with a sliver of hope: "Mother, if I told you that I did not do this, would you believe me?"
"If you have done wrong, why is it so hard to simply admit your mistake to me?" Empress Ji felt nothing but contempt for this useless son, and she scolded him as if she were disappointed in his failure to improve.
Explanation was merely seen as sophistry. Li Feng now stood before a mother who wanted him to go to hell. Fortunately, having lived two lives, he had long since seen these so-called relatives for who they were.
Second Princess Li Rongxia saw that Li Feng intended to deny it, so she pointed at his nose and scolded him sharply: "Li Feng, stop acting innocent! Li Xian and Liu Ruyan both saw it. The evidence is ironclad!"
"Brother, you should know that the Imperial Yellow is Mother’s favorite. I wanted to help, but I didn't dare!" Li Xian was struggling to keep his smirk in check, deliberately offering a fake, difficult apology.
But this was no apology; it was pouring oil on the fire.
"This must have been hard for you, Xian’er. You are the most filial, always thinking of your mother!" Empress Ji was clearly pleased with Li Xian's behavior. She turned back to look at Li Feng, her expression shifting instantly. "Look at yourself! If you had even a fraction of the filial piety that Xian’er has, I wouldn't regret giving birth to you!"
"He was stealing our things at the prince’s residence the year before last, too!"
"If he were even one percent as filial, Mother would have fewer gray hairs!"
"Why talk to him so much? Let’s go together and make Father send him to the Zhou Country immediately!"
Third Princess Li Rongchqiu and the others began dredging up old grievances, accusing their brother one after another, and finally, with righteous indignation, demanding that Li Feng replace Li Xian as the hostage to the Zhou Country.
If there had been any chance for reason before, it was gone now. All they wanted was to finalize the accusation against Li Feng so they could comfortably keep the more prestigious Li Xian at home.
One after another, they echoed each other, effectively "confirming" Li Feng’s crimes and reaching their "final verdict."
Li Feng realized he no longer had a family. He turned to look at the other poisonous woman: "Liu Ruyan, did you really see me trample the Imperial Yellow with your own eyes?"
She was a girl of sixteen or seventeen. Her oval face was only of middling beauty, but she was particularly skilled at dressing herself. She wore an adorable hairstyle and a light yellow dress with floral patterns, while a sachet hanging at her waist emitted a faint, sweet scent.
Even standing among the princesses, her attire was in no way inferior; in fact, it was slightly better.
As an illegitimate daughter of the Liu Family, she would normally have had few opportunities to enter the palace. She had gained fame in the capital by relying on the pursuit of the Second Prince, Li Feng, and had now become his fiancée, successfully entering the top circles of the State of Xia.
Yet who would have thought that Liu Ruyan, who should have been bound to Li Feng’s fate, would deliver the most vicious stab in the back? This was not the first time, and it certainly would not be the last.
The maids and eunuchs in the hall hung their heads. Noticing Li Feng’s uncharacteristically forceful demeanor toward Liu Ruyan, they vaguely felt that the Second Prince was somehow different from usual.