Chapter 228 Chapter 228 The Man Behind the Scenes

Fu Wenxiao went to find Yu Li and learned that she was in Xuanyou Garden.

The gate of Xuanyou Garden was open, and there were guards guarding the door. Some guards were busy fetching water to the garden.

"What are you doing?" Fu Wenxiao asked.

Seeing him, the guards stopped to salute and replied, "Madam wants to wash the white-browed tiger because its fur is not clean."

Fu Wenxiao was not surprised after hearing this. Seeing that Yu Li often washed the black horse, he knew her requirements for these animals. They must be kept clean.

Maybe it was her first time to raise an animal, so she had a lot of requirements.

I heard that she had never raised any animals before, and had never even seen normal animals, so she was so fond of the black horse. Now that there was a tiger, she naturally found it rare as well.

Fu Wenxiao walked into the garden and saw the white-browed tiger lying on the grass and Yu Li who was busy.

There were a few maids nearby. They rolled up their sleeves and helped to wash the tiger's hair.

"Li Niang." Fu Wenxiao called out.

Yu Li turned around and smiled when he saw him, "Xiao brother, you are back! Look, this is the big tiger that the saint gave me."

Her tone was joyful, she really liked this big tiger.

Fu Wenxiao was about to go over, but was rejected by her again.

Yu Li said: "It's dirty here, don't come here, so as not to dirty your clothes."

Although there are many people taking care of the beasts in the Rare Bird Park, few dare to approach them, let alone clean them. Only when the old emperor wants to watch a beast fight will they be specially cleaned to avoid offending the eyes of the nobles.

So the tiger's body is quite dirty, with a peculiar smell of a wild beast.

She couldn't stand it anyway.

Fu Wenxiao wanted to help, but there were too many people helping here and there was no room for him to intervene.

He didn't leave, but stood aside and watched.

Yu Li and the maids took the tools for washing animals and washed them, pouring buckets of clean water on the big tiger. The water that flowed down was dirty.

Look at the big tiger again, it is lying there obediently, not moving.

Its wet hair covered its body, making the big tiger look particularly strong and plump.

After washing the big tiger's back, Yu Li turned it over easily and continued to wash its belly.

When they washed a certain part of the big tiger's belly, the maid's face suddenly turned red and she looked embarrassed.

Yu Li only took one look and understood why the maid was like that.

It turned out to be a male tiger.

She didn't make things difficult for them. She asked the guards to come and wash the tiger's belly. She washed her hands and went to talk to Fu Wenxiao.

Fu Wenxiao asked someone to bring some food over. After she washed her hands, he took a piece of snack from the basket and fed it to her. He asked, "Li Niang, are you hungry?"

“A little bit.”

Yu Li looked at the sky and it was almost time for dinner.

Her hands were still wet, and she was too lazy to wipe them, so she just let them drip with water and opened her mouth to eat the snacks he fed her.

One of them was feeding the other eating. The afterglow of the setting sun fell on them, stretching their shadows wildly.

In order to prevent the big tiger from hurting people, Yu Li still stayed there.

After the guards washed it clean, they were allowed to leave, leaving only the couple at the scene.

Yu Li carried the big tiger to a clean place, let it bask in the sun, and stayed away from it.

The two stood on a rockery not far away, watching the big tiger slowly stand up, then retreat in fear, away from the direction where Yu Li was, making a whimpering sound from its mouth, sounding pitiful.

Looking at it, it is all wet, with its hair sticking to its body, and it looks so frightened and cowardly, it is really pitiful.

Although Fu Wenxiao was used to Yu Li's intimidation of those animals, he still couldn't help laughing when he saw such a cowardly beast.

"It's so fat." Yu Li couldn't help but say, "It should lose weight."

I’m afraid such a fat tiger can’t run fast, right?

As for why it could run so fast that day, it was probably because it was scared by her, otherwise it wouldn't have been able to run fast.

Fu Wenxiao said, "I heard that the saint hasn't watched beast fights for many years. They probably haven't been tamed for a long time."

Most of the ferocious beasts in the rare bird garden were raised for the admiration of the nobles in the palace. Sometimes beast fights were held and there were special people to train the animals.

However, in recent years, the old emperor seldom watched animal fights, so these beasts were kept well fed and well-fed, without much training, and they grew stronger and stronger.

Yu Li said that these were not a big deal, and said: "Since it is my pet now, I will let it exercise more in the future."

She has already made a plan on how to train it in the future, to train it together with the dark horse, to make it adapt to herself, and maybe it can be her mount in the future.

Anyway, no matter what animal it is, as long as it can be her mount, she is not picky.

Fu Wenxiao turned to look at her. Seeing her smiling, he smiled too. "Mother Li likes this white-browed tiger very much?"

"I like it!" Yu Li nodded. "It's furry and chubby, so cute. It must be very majestic as a mount."

Fu Wenxiao was speechless. Riding a tiger was indeed majestic.

After watching for a while, the two left Xuanyou Garden and went to the flower hall to have dinner with Zhou and others.

After dinner, Fu Yanhui and his sister pestered Yu Li, asking them when they could go see the big tiger, as they also wanted to see the big tiger.

They have been extremely excited since they learned that Yu Li brought back a tiger.

"Sit still!" Zhou said. "Tigers are ferocious beasts and they can bite people. They especially like to bite tender-skinned children like you. You must not get close to Xuanyou Garden, okay?" She warned them seriously, fearing that they would not know the dangers of wild animals and secretly go to Xuanyou Garden to see the tigers.

When she learned that the old emperor actually rewarded Yu Li with a tiger, she was not very happy.

The two children were very well-behaved, and seeing her serious expression, they promised not to sneak over.

"Grandma, can you take us there?" Fu Yansheng looked expectant. "We will be good and listen to you."

Fu Yanhui also pulled Zhou, "Grandma, my sister and I want to see the tiger."

How could Zhou stand their coquettish behavior? She had to agree and repeatedly reminded them that if they went with Yu Li to see the tiger, they must be obedient and not run around.

After instructing the two children, she looked at Yu Li, seeming to want to say something but stopping herself.

"Mom, don't worry, I will take good care of Yan Hui and Yan Sheng." Yu Li promised, thinking that she was worried that the tiger would hurt someone.

This is indeed something we need to pay attention to.

Zhou naturally believed that she would protect the two children. She wanted to say something, but because the children were still there, she couldn't speak and just kept silent.

When the two children were taken to rest by the maids, and there were few people around, Zhou lowered her voice and complained to Fu Wenxiao: "Why did the saint give Li Niang a ferocious beast?"

This is bullying Li Niang because she is easy to talk to.

Even someone as soft-hearted as Zhou felt that the old emperor was really bullying her this time. He wanted to offset Yu Li's merit in saving the emperor with just a ferocious beast. This merit was too cheap.

Fu Wenxiao's expression remained unchanged as he said, "Perhaps the Saint didn't know what reward to give to Li Niang for the time being, so he thought that she liked animals, so he gave her a white-browed mountain lion as a reward."

Zhou was suspicious, "Is that true?"

Fu Wenxiao comforted her a few more words and sent her back to her room to rest, telling her not to worry.

"I'm not worried, I just can't bear to see anyone bullying Li Niang." Zhou murmured, "Our Li Niang is such a good child, it would be great if she could serve as an official in the court..."

Listening to her quiet complaints, Fu Wenxiao couldn't help laughing, feeling that the wet nurse's temperament seemed to have changed a lot.

In the past, she would not have dared to think so. Even though her grandmother and mother held great power at the time, she would have kept to her duties and would not have dared to dream that a woman could serve as an official in the court.

In this world, it is too difficult. Even the Empress Dowager could not break the rules set by the world.

Until she met Yu Li, she gave courage to many people. They had a blind trust in her and felt that as long as it was her, anything was possible.

Even if one day she became an official in the court, they would think it was the right thing to do.

Someone as capable as her has transcended gender. It would be narrow-minded to ignore what she deserves just because she is a woman. Sooner or later, her achievements and abilities will no longer be able to be suppressed.

After letting Zhou go and rest, Fu Wenxiao returned to the yard.

Thinking about what Zhou said before, his expression was cold. If the wet nurse knew what Li Niang encountered in the palace today, she would understand that the reward was just an excuse.

He lowered his eyes to hide the coldness in them.

When he returned to the room, Yu Li had already finished his shower and was sitting by the window enjoying the breeze. He walked over, reached out and held her in his arms.

"I just finished taking a shower." Yu Li pushed him away, "Go wash up quickly."

Even though he looked clean and not dirty, she still disliked that he hadn't taken a shower yet.

After the Dragon Boat Festival, the weather became hotter day by day, and the capital city was as hot as a steamer during the day.

In such weather, after running around outside for most of the day, sweat and dust stuck to the body, and I looked dirty and embarrassed.

Only he seemed to have been running around outside all day and there was no change.

Fu Wenxiao smiled helplessly and went to the bathroom to wash up first.

Half an hour later, he came out of the bathroom, wearing a single garment embroidered with green bamboos. The collar was tightly covered from the neck to the feet.

Yu Li looked at him, then looked at his rolled-up sleeves and trouser legs, was silent for a moment, and then did what he had to do.

They are all in the room, and she is not allowed to cool down.

Fu Wenxiao sat down next to her and put his arm around her.

This time Yu Li did not refuse, and even took the initiative to snuggle into his arms, putting his hand on his arm, trying to absorb the coolness from his body.

It's really comfortable to lean on this in the summer, and it can cool down automatically.

Fu Wenxiao lowered his head and saw her rubbing against his chest. His face turned red when her rubbed his clothes open.

He felt a little embarrassed, but couldn't bear to push her away, so he reached out and embraced her, and asked, "Li Niang, how was your time in the palace today?"

Although the people below passed on information to him and let him know what happened in the palace, it was only a rough idea.

Yu Li told him about his entry into the palace.

She first said that when she went to the rare bird garden, she saw the old emperor and the young concubine hanging out in broad daylight.

"The old emperor is so old, yet he still took such a young beauty as his concubine. That beauty is a few years younger than me." Suddenly she found that his embrace was a little tight, and she looked up in confusion, looking at him doubtfully, "Xiao brother, what's wrong with you? Are you angry?"

Fu Wenxiao's expression was very ugly, which made her puzzled.

This was the first time he was so furious. He seemed to be about to get angry, but then he suppressed it.

Fu Wenxiao was in a bad mood indeed. If it weren't for his self-restraint, he would have wanted to curse someone. The person he cursed was naturally the licentious old emperor who was disrespectful in front of the younger generation.

It would be fine if he was just being lewd, but he actually did that in front of her...

He loved her too much to bear to let her see those unbearable and ugly things.

Facing her clear eyes, Fu Wenxiao took a deep breath and said, "I'm fine."

She didn't quite believe it, but she had eyes to see, so she asked him what was going on.

Fu Wenxiao had no choice but to say, "The saint...has a bad personal character. If you encounter this kind of thing again in the future, don't watch it."

The fact that he could say such things shows that the old emperor was indeed criticized in that aspect.

As a minister and a junior, Fu Wenxiao could not criticize the old emperor's licentious behavior, but he was also not happy with the old emperor doing such things in front of Yu Li.

He couldn't stand the lack of respect for her.

Yu Li said: "I don't care! It's just that the old emperor is so old and in poor health. He should cultivate himself and not harm those young girls."

She didn't believe that a teenage girl would like a man old enough to be her great-grandfather.

Fu Wenxiao lowered his eyes and nodded in agreement: "You are right, the saint has indeed reached the age where he should cultivate his character."

The two of them quickly skipped over this topic, and Yu Li continued to talk about the next thing.

After she finished speaking, Fu Wenxiao said directly: "The Saint summoned you to the palace today to test you."

"Testing me?" Yu Li thought for a moment, "Are you testing whether those animals are really afraid of me?"

He hummed, this seemed quite strange, but it was not surprising that a saint so suspicious would test her.

Yu Li felt that the old emperor was really sick. Why would he test such a thing? Wasn't he afraid that if it was fake, he would be in danger?

Or is it that he relies on the many guards around him to protect him even when facing ferocious beasts?

Yu Li recalled the day of the palace banquet, when the old emperor was surrounded by a group of courtiers and princes. None of them carried any weapons, probably because it was safer in the palace. The guards all retreated far away, and when the beast ran towards them, even the guards were unable to react in time.

But today, there are many more guards with swords around the old emperor. If a ferocious beast suddenly attacks, those guards can indeed stop it. No wonder he is not worried.

Yu Li's expression turned cold.

Fu Wenxiao could tell that she was in a bad mood, so he bent down and kissed her face, then hugged her in his arms and patted her.

Yu Li quickly calmed down and muttered, "He also asked me to call him uncle."

"Don't call me if you don't like it." Fu Wenxiao said softly.

She said "oh" and changed the subject, "By the way, is there any news about the assassination of Duanwu?"

It’s been more than half a month, there should be news, right?

She seemed to have not heard any rumors recently, and after a long time, she almost forgot about it. It was only when she met the old emperor today that she remembered it.

Fu Wenxiao said: "Fang Bihe has already found out that the mastermind behind the assassination of the saint is a foreigner."

"Foreigners?" Yu Li was puzzled. "Which foreigners?"

"Some were sent by the Northern Di people." Fu Wenxiao explained, "The Northern Di people have been eyeing Daqing covetously and have always wanted to destroy Daqing. When the previous emperor was in power, he was assassinated by the Northern Di people."

Yu Li was a little surprised, "Is this tradition passed down from generation to generation?" After assassinating the father, he continued to assassinate the son. Does he have to wait until the next emperor comes to power to continue the assassination?

Anyway, as long as the Northern Di are not destroyed, they will continue to move south.

Isn't it right to say that it is passed down from generation to generation?

Fu Wenxiao was almost amused by her, but when he thought about the situation in the northern border, where the Fu family army had been guarding the northern border for many years but was guarded against by the king, the smile on his face slowly fell.

He lowered his eyes and continued, "In fact, there were three groups of assassins."

"Ah?" Yu Li was surprised. "There are actually three groups of assassins? Is the old emperor so unpopular?" Three groups of people actually came directly to assassinate him.

Are they going to kill him right there and then?

This time, he was really amused.

The haze in Fu Wenxiao's heart was swept away. He hugged her and kissed her, then said with a smile: "The first group was arranged by the saint, and the second and third groups were assassins from Beijiang and Nanzhao."

Yu Li was puzzled. "The old emperor's men? What did he do? He sent people to assassinate himself. Does he want to die?"

"That's not the case. He just wants to test you."

Yu Li: "...Why is he always testing me?"

Seeing her puzzled expression, Fu Wenxiao thought it was adorable. "Of course I am testing your ability to see if you are a talented person."

The old emperor's suspicion would make him test her several times until he was sure she had the real ability.

However, he probably didn't expect that in addition to the people he arranged, there were also alien assassins, and those alien assassins were not necessarily sent by aliens.

There is no need to tell her these.