She probably wasn't that familiar with him yet, but he called her so casually.
As if realizing his abruptness, he then said, "My apologies."
When he changed his address later, he still didn't refer to her as Miss Feng San.
Feng Jinyao had something to say to him at this moment and didn't want to dwell on such trivialities. She looked at Xiao Tingyi and said very seriously.
"Your Highness, you want to know why I hate the Wen family so much, don't you? Today I will tell you the reason."
He paused, and Xiao Tingyi looked at her intently.
Today, she was completely different from before. It was hard to describe the feeling, a mix of relief and an unwavering conviction.
"Ayao, please speak freely."
"I am dealing with the Wen family because they have allied themselves with the Wei family and the Ninth Prince. The Wei family is trying to drag my Feng family into trouble and put my father and brother to death. So, if I don't cut off their escape route, it will be my Feng family members who will be forced to their deaths today."
Her statement was not false, it just hadn't happened in this lifetime.
Xiao Tingyi's eyes, occasionally revealing hatred, made him understand the general situation.
The Wei family intended to frame Feng Hai using the matters of Jinling City and the Directorate of Transport. It was only natural for her, as a daughter, to stand up for her father. But how did she know about the connection between the Wei and Wen families?
This was something that probably none of the other Feng family members knew.
She had only told half the story, not revealing everything. However, Xiao Tingyi was already very pleased. At least she no longer rejected him as she did in the past, which was a good sign.
He then paused, calmed his mind, and said to Feng Jinyao again.
"I will handle the Wei family's affairs. Ayao, you don't need to worry about your father being implicated. Just wait patiently. He won't be able to jump around for much longer."
"So, Your Highness already has evidence of his corruption through the Directorate of Transport?"
Xiao Tingyi narrowed his eyes, looking at her. Feng Jinxu would never reveal these things to her, so how did she know?
Feng Jinyao knew that trying to deceive Xiao Tingyi with a few words was a pipe dream.
Therefore, after confirming that their goals were aligned, she didn't mind sharing these matters with him, especially since Xiao Tingyi's influence was beyond her reach.
For example, the Wen family's swift downfall was orchestrated by him.
Otherwise, with her own calculations and schemes, she would have had to wait until autumn to truly exact her revenge.
In a sense, forming an alliance with Prince Ding was more beneficial than not.
This was something she had only realized when she saw the heads of the Wen family father and son fall. Otherwise, she wouldn't have rashly approached him for a conversation.
"Ayao, it's better for you not to get involved in some matters."
After all, she was a young lady from a noble family. If she became entangled in too much bloodshed, it might be detrimental to her lifespan.
But he was different. He had lived his life amidst swords and spears, schemes and plots, since childhood. Calculation and scheming had become indelible marks in his blood. He didn't want Feng Jinyao to fall into such a circle because of hatred.
Instead, Feng Jinyao was somewhat displeased by his words.
She narrowed her eyes, looked at Xiao Tingyi intently for a moment, and then spoke.
"Your Highness, since you know I am not an ordinary woman, why do you still impose the world's expectations on me? The path I walk may not be honorable, but I never regret it. Everyone who tries to scheme against my Feng family will pay the price. Even if the road ahead is difficult, I will do it."
Her attitude was so resolute that Xiao Tingyi couldn't persuade her any further.
For some reason, he saw a lot of his own youthful arrogance in Feng Jinyao.
Back then, his mother, favored by the emperor, had been targeted by the Empress's faction multiple times. He, eager to protect his mother, had been fierce. Even though his power was not as great as it was today, and his schemes might not have been perfect, he had never considered retreating.
His own revenge, he would exact himself.
That was the true satisfaction!
Thinking of this, Xiao Tingyi smiled, a smile that seemed to melt away ice as it gently curved on his face.
This made his already handsome and unparalleled features even more captivating.
Feng Jinyao was a little stunned. This was the first time she had seen Prince Ding express any emotion.
Before, he had always appeared aloof, mysterious like a snow mountain lotus, and unapproachable.
With this smile, he seemed to have pulled himself down to the mortal world.
"Good. Since you want to exact revenge yourself, I will lend you a hand. To deal with the Wei family, we must eliminate their claws and teeth one by one. The Wen family is one, and so is the Liang family. Now that Liang Quanbin has established a foothold in Jinling City, I plan to have your second brother go and disrupt this stable situation. If you are interested, find a way to go to Jiangnan yourself, and you can personally witness the downfall of the Liang family."
Xiao Tingyi had never thought he would reveal his plans so completely.
Indeed, she was that special existence, which was why he repeatedly broke his own rules.
After learning of Xiao Tingyi's plan, Feng Jinyao was not surprised.
The Wen family had been executed, and many other implicated officials and nobles had been caught.
Following her method, her eldest uncle had memorialized the Emperor, and naturally, many official positions would become vacant.
Given her second brother's temperament, being sent out to a post was the best option. Therefore, going to Jinling City might offer him a chance for a significant achievement.
Promotion and ennoblement were secondary. The most important thing was to expose the corruption that had been rampant in the Directorate of Transport for years and to do some practical good for the people.
This was much more satisfying than staying in the capital, dealing with the powerful and influential families.
She figured her second brother would be willing!
With this thought, Feng Jinyao nodded and said to Xiao Tingyi.
"Your Highness, rest assured, I will make arrangements."
After receiving her affirmative reply, Xiao Tingyi was satisfied and let her leave.
Before she left, he said to her.
"Ayao, to ensure your safety, I will have two dark guards follow you. If there is anything you find inconvenient to handle yourself, you can entrust it to them. Is that acceptable?"
Feng Jinyao was a little taken aback. This was clearly a tone that did not allow for refusal, so why ask for her opinion at the end?
However, they had never had any prior interactions, so it wasn't strange that he would want to send people to monitor her.
So she nodded and agreed, "Everything will be as Your Highness arranges."
At this moment, Xiao Tingyi did not know Feng Jinyao's true thoughts. He thought she was slowly opening up to him and secretly rejoiced.
After she left, Xiao Tingyi instructed Yang Zhao.
"Notify Xu Lin and have him find two more people to protect Ayao."
"Yes."
Yang Zhao said nothing, but he couldn't help but think, Your Highness, you're already sending almost a small team to protect your wife, and you want to send more? Aren't you afraid that the sentries will be exposed due to the sheer number of people?
Unfortunately, he dared not say such things to his face, otherwise, his name might be added to the list of those secretly standing guard in Miss Feng San's courtyard.