Transmigration: Of Mysteries and Songs

Ever since his daughter woke up after falling into the water when she was seventeen, he had never been able to guess her thoughts accurately anymore.

Chamberlain Feng looked at Feng Luodi who’d immersed herself in contemplation and he couldn’t help but sigh.

Before Feng Luodi met with a mishap that year, he busied himself with work and the Eldest Madam’s illness, consequently neglecting Feng Luodi, who almost never left the house. That was also because he’d hoped for her to have the demeanour of a daughter from an eminent family. She should play the zither, grow flowers and stay at house obediently. Then, when she reached an appropriate age, he would pick a suitable husband for her.

After that incident, however, his viewpoint completely changed. It made him realise that a daughter like that was similar to a wooden puppet. Repeating the same things every day didn’t count as experiencing life to its fullest. He started to encourage her to go out more and acknowledged the friends she made outside. He also didn’t question why she was so bent on finding the ten famous Guqins.

However, he never expected that his daughter, whom he’d assumed to be a quiet, elegant and low-spirited girl, would actually become friends with influential figures in Chang’an like the number one beauty, Qi Jianqiu and the Four Gentlemen. Moreover, amongst her friends, he discerned that his daughter’s relationship with the Duke of Anping wasn’t ordinary.

One’s life was more important than happiness. This had always been the reason why Chamberlain Feng had prevented Feng Luodi from interacting with Situ. After going through many upheavals, he changed his ideology once again. As long as there was happiness, one’s life no longer really counted as anything.

Marriage was something that would naturally occur when the conditions were right. When Chamberlain Feng acknowledged Situ, he was also naturally willing to protect him. He’d been an official for many years and also understood a little about the fear in the Emperor’s heart as he debilitated with age. Hence, everything that occurred today was within his predictions. Today, he finally made use of the chess piece that he’d planted in the Imperial Palace many years ago. When the Emperor’s people came to the Feng Residence and the Duke of Anping’s Residence, he’d taken out everything he’d prepared to put on an act.

Chamberlain Feng initially thought that his daughter was willing to accept all this but why did Feng Luodi’s expression make him feel anxious instead? How could he possibly feel apprehended by his own daughter? This was ridiculous.

Under Chamberlain Feng’s complicated gaze, Feng Luodi pondered for a while and smiled faintly as she said, “I didn’t expect Father to have a chess piece hidden in the Imperial Palace right under the Emperor’s watchful eyes. I’m truly impressed.”

“This isn’t the main point.”

Chamberlain Feng knitted his brows as he emphasised, “Luodi, it can’t be that you’re unwilling to marry Duke of Anping, right?”

When she heard him phrase it in such a blunt manner, a faint smile blossomed on her face again.

“I’ll follow Father’s arrangements. The betrothal gifts have been accepted and the marriage certificate has already been drawn out, so how could I back out of this now?”

Chamberlain Feng furrowed his brows again, ultimately unable to see through Feng Luodi’s inner thoughts.

Feng Luodi quickly added, “But, it’s better to wait until everything has been settled before we fix the wedding date. Since Father is busy with official affairs, I shall take my leave first.”

Chamberlain Feng watched his daughter leave as she opened the door of the study. The sunlight immediately shone in and diffused throughout the room, blinding everything in sight. Amidst the dazzling light, Feng Luodi’s departing figure appeared ethereal.

When Feng Luodi returned to her own courtyard, she saw Shangguan Yan jump down from the tall Princess Tree, her movements light and graceful like a butterfly. As her red garment fluttered, it exposed her carefreeness and wantonness.

“How old are you and you’re already marrying someone? Tsk tsk, you haven’t even enjoyed the many great and exciting things in this world yet.”

Feng Luodi sat down beside the stone table. She arched one eyebrow and glanced at Shangguan Yan as she said, “There’s also someone who is already pregnant at my age.”

The smile tugged at Shangguan Yan’s lips froze for a second before she sighed helplessly and sat down opposite Feng Luodi.

“Sigh. Can you not hold a grudge? You only know how to aggravate my pain by adding salt to my wound.” Shangguan Yan feigned a hurt expression as she clutched her chest.

Sadly, Feng Luodi wasn’t in the mood to tease her and remained stoic. She didn’t possess the enthusiasm she had in the past and also didn’t look like a nineteen-year-old young lady.

Shangguan Yan’s beautiful eyes lingered on Feng Luodi. She then clicked her tongue and said, “Jeez, if you don’t want to get married, then don’t! What’s up with you, crying alone here? It’s not like you would die if you don’t have a man!”

As soon as Shangguan Yan thought about a certain blockhead who was unable to understand her feelings and always hurt her, the fiery anger in her heart surged upwards and she lost her cool.

Feng Luodi finally reacted and cast a sidelong glance at Shangguan Yan with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

“Is that your inner feelings? Because of a certain someone?”

Shangguan Yan felt the wound in her heart hurt even more now.

Feng Luodi raised an eyebrow and ineffably murmured, “I didn’t say that I didn’t want to get married.”

Shangguan Yan was baffled. In that case, who was the one who motionlessly sat here like a lifeless person with a ‘I’m not willing, I’m not happy’ look on her face? But, Shangguan Yan sensibly swallowed these words back lest she got bullied by Feng Luodi again.

While Shangguan Yan was hesitating about what to say, Feng Luodi spoke again, “Are you really leaving tomorrow?”

Shangguan Yan folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow at Feng Luodi. Her red garment fluttering despite no wind.

“You can’t bear to part with me? Even so, I still have to leave. Tsk, taking over a sect would mean that I have to handle a lot of matters. I really have a tough life.”

However, not a trace of dislike appeared in her eyes as she said this.

Feng Luodi faintly smiled and reached out her hand to catch a flower that fell down.

“You’re not someone who gives up easily.”

Shangguan Yan shrugged. Her countenance remained vivacious with no signs of melancholy nor sadness.

“It’s because you didn’t help me.”

Feng Luodi waved to Scarlet who was near them before glancing at Shangguan Yan.

“It’s because you don’t need it.”

When it comes to Shangguan Yan and Xue Yiqi, even though it appeared as if Shangguan Yan was the one pestering the latter and her behaviour was deemed shameless in other’s eyes, everyone ought to find her haughtiness and her infatuation admirable.

The more arrogant someone was, the more they didn’t want to receive others’ help. In particular, concerning things like relationship barriers, there was no room for even a speck of impurity.

When she heard Feng Luodi say this, Shangguan Yan suddenly smiled. Her smiling expression looked like a hundred flowers in full bloom, scattering in all directions. It was absolutely breathtaking and peerless.

Feng Luodi took a sachet from Scarlet’s hand and passed it to Shangguan Yan. “I embroidered it myself. When you’re unhappy, you can take this out and admire my extremely clumsy embroidery. I guarantee you a belly laugh.”

Shangguan Yan accepted the sachet gratefully, and feeling it in her hands made her smile knowingly.

The two of them then said no more as they sat opposite one another. After a while, Shangguan Yan spoke again in an unexpectedly sweet and gentle tone, “Luodi, what do you think about Jingfeng?”

Feng Luodi was taken aback and it took her a while to react. Shangguan Yan was referring to the Eldritch Physician, Xia Jingfeng.

“The Eldritch Physician?”

Feng Luodi actually had a very deep impression of this Eldritch Physician who was rumoured to have an eccentric temperament. He was carefree like the Jianghu people and also wealthy like the younger generation of the aristocratic families. He seemed to understand the ways of the world and wasn’t detestable, but his bluntness usually left others speechless.

The deepest impression she had of him was his cold temperament. He possessed superb medical skills, helping those on the death bed and healing those injured, but his cold aura caused him to be very unapproachable. Now that she thought about it, she was quite puzzled.

Of course, Feng Luodi was grateful to the Eldritch Physician from the bottom of her heart. The latter had treated Feng Fuyou early this morning, and then rushed to the Gan Residence without stopping for a rest.

He saved her own family and her best friend. This was a favour that she would never forget.

After mulling over it numerous times, she finally said, “The Eldritch Physician’s medical skills are excellent and he has been really kind to me. I still need you to help me think of an idea to express my thanks.”

Shangguan Yan sighed almost inaudibly. She propped her hand on her forehead and said, “You’ll have to think about this yourself. Don’t be so insincere.”

Feng Luodi shrugged. She had already anticipated Shangguan Yan’s response.

Shangguan Yan appeared fine on the outside, but she had a lot of stress pent up in her heart and could hardly sit still. She wanted to go out of the residence and roam around again but it was really lonely when there was no one she could pester.

Situ stood outside the Imperial Palace and remained distressed for a very long time. In the end, he still mounted Whirlwind and stopped by the Feng Residence. A few thousand feet away from the Feng Residence’s entrance, Whirlwind continuously trotted to and fro since his owner had no intention of pulling back the reins.

Whirlwind took no notice of his owner’s complicated feelings and was extremely uncooperative as it stuck out its hooves and stamped on the ground to make noises. It soon attracted the passersby’s attention.

Situ pondered some more before he urged Whirlwind to take a detour to the enclosed wall nearest to Feng Luodi’s courtyard. He left Whirlwind behind and leapt over the wall, landing in Feng Luodi’s courtyard.

Feng Luodi had been sitting silently on top of the tree, deep in thought. Just as she was about to return to her room, she noticed that there was one more person in her courtyard.

The black and gold official attire accentuated Situ’s originally stern countenance to appear even more mighty. Even the flowers that fell unceasingly had no intention of pausing as they brushed past Situ’s shoulders.

Feng Luodi stood there with the flower that Shangguan Yan had picked earlier in her hand. She gazed fixedly at the man before her and slowly revealed an elegant, serene smile that resembled an Epiphyllum flower. At that moment, the time had seemingly stopped moving. The spring breeze that gently blew past her face seemed to have ceased as the two of them silently stared into each other’s eyes. The scenery looked like it came straight out of a painting, extremely breathtaking.

The unease in Situ’s heart finally faded when he saw Feng Luodi’s smile. This probably meant that she wasn’t blaming me, right? Or was this the lull before the storm?

He then inched closer and stopped at a distance where he only needed to reach out his hand to pull the woman in front of him into his arms.

“You know about it already?”

“Yes.”

Feng Luodi slightly raised her head and gazed steadily into Situ’s eyes.

“You’re not angry?”

“Angry at who?”

The smile tugged at Feng Luodi’s lips didn’t diminish one bit as she asked this. Instead, her smile widened when she spotted Situ’s pupils abruptly constrict.

The next second, Situ pulled Feng Luodi into his arms. The latter’s pleasantly surprised voice wafted in his ears and slowly spread to his heart.

“Luodi, I’m very happy.”

Situ repeated this sentence continuously and was no longer able to say anything else.

Feng Luodi extended her hand to stroke Situ’s back. Her face that peeked out slightly was gentle but carried a smile that contained a trace of sorrow.

It was totally unexpected that Situ and she would be forced to fix their marriage due to circumstances. Although this drastic turn of events had fulfilled Situ’s wish, it made her decision even more difficult.

“Let’s get married when everything is settled.”

Situ released Feng Luodi. His pitch-black eyes were currently like the resplendent stars in the sky and incomparably dazzling; it felt as if all the rays of light in the surrounding had clustered together in one place. There was a split second where Feng Luodi didn’t dare to look him in the eyes but she subconsciously got immersed and couldn’t look away.

“Alright,” Feng Luodi heard herself answer.

“Luodi, I’m already looking forward to that day.”

He was the man who was rumoured to be unfeeling and bloodthirsty. He was the man who was triumphant in every battle such that it instilled fear in the Emperor. At this moment, he was like a child whose innocence and childish nature had yet to wear off while expressing his own joy.

Feng Luodi then heard herself reply, “I’m also looking forward to that day.”