Chapter 49: After Abandoning the Poor Little Apprentice 9 Teacher, You Be My Emperor...
The city gates were wide open, the streets were cleared by officers and soldiers, and a team of well-trained soldiers entered the city in an orderly manner.
The leading general was not wearing armor, but only a red tight-fitting suit, with his hair tied up in a ponytail with a golden crown, looking very neat and tidy. It was a very ordinary outfit, but because the man had an unparalleled gorgeous peach blossom face, his gentle smile was captivating.
"Who is coming to Beijing? Why such a big scene?"
"It seems to be the Marquis of Yongning!"
"Marquis Yongning is back! It turns out that Marquis Yongning is back!" The people looked around excitedly.
Everyone knows the Fu family of Yongning Hou, and Fu Wei of Yongning Hou is an even more famous figure.
Thirty years ago, if the old marquis had not fought to the death to protect Mobei, most of Da'an's vast territory would have been torn apart by those barbarians.
Thirty years later, Fu Weizi inherited his father's business and defeated the group of ambitious barbarians, surpassing his father even more.
The contributions made by the Fu family to Da'an are known to everyone in Da'an.
"Red lips and white teeth, how could the Marquis be so handsome?"
"Has the Marquis married yet? Do I still have a chance?"
"I don't know about that, but our Lord said that we should establish a career first and then start a family! Now that we have defeated the barbarians and are back, it's time to start a family!"
It has to be said that Fu Wei's entry into the city this time was so grand that even the crown prince of the current dynasty did not have such a great honor.
Coincidentally, the prince is now in the restaurant.
Crown Prince Rong Jiao leaned against the window, his eyes sharp as a torch. Although he was only fifteen or sixteen years old, he already had the demeanor of a crown prince, like a sharp sword about to be unsheathed.
"Do you think the people in the city still know who the prince is?"
The attendant said cautiously, "Of course, the people of Da'an all know you."
Rong Jiao sneered: "Liar."
The servant was sweating profusely and didn't dare to speak.
Rong Jiao didn't care and just asked, "Is he going back to the palace soon?"
The attendant said, "Let's go back to the Marquis' Mansion first, and then go to the Treasure Pavilion to choose a gift."
Rong Jiao: "How long will it take?"
The imperial concubine's birthday is in three days. Since Fu Wei is here, she naturally cannot go empty-handed.
"Half an hour."
Rong Jiao: "It's almost time, so we can go take a look."
After all, he has prepared a big show for Fu Wei. If you go too late, you won’t be able to see it.
The current court situation is not optimistic. In the former dynasty, there are foreign relatives and political parties, in the harem, there are arrogant and domineering imperial concubines, and in the northern desert, there is a Fu family whose achievements are greater than their own, eyeing them covetously.
The emperor had been fighting with that group of foreign relatives for so many years, and his health was getting worse and worse. In the end, he was unable to do anything and it seemed that he would not live for many days.
However, the emperor was unwilling to accept this and did not want the throne of the Rong family to be encroached upon by others, so he issued an imperial edict to summon Fu Wei back from Mobei, hoping to use Fu Wei to get rid of the Liu family.
Rong Jiao's purpose of leaving the palace this time was to support Wei.
He had to gain Fu Wei's trust and make him willingly assist him and help him ascend the throne.
Fu Wei was not in a hurry to enter the palace.
The royal family was in decline, and was trying every means to win over the weak. Although the Prime Minister Liu family was arrogant and domineering, they could not do anything in front of him. After all, he had 5,000 elite soldiers stationed outside the capital, and another 300,000 troops in Mobei. As long as he gave an order, who knows who would own the world.
Nowadays, Fu Wei can ignore anyone's face if he wants.
Besides, he had no good feelings towards the royal family and the Liu family.
But he has to go to the Treasure Pavilion first.
The Treasure Pavilion was filled with the daughters and wives of high-ranking officials and wealthy families, as well as the sons of wealthy families who spent money like water. They were all dressed in bright and beautiful clothes, looking dazzling.
Fu Wei is different. He does whatever he feels comfortable with, and the materials he wears are the same as those used by ordinary people.
After all, he had to support his soldiers and take care of his people, so he really didn't have much spare money at the end of the year.
If the imperial concubine wasn't a close friend of his mother's and their relationship wasn't pretty good, he wouldn't have bothered to pay the money.
Guard Xiaoyu couldn't help but gasp when he saw the magnificent Treasure Pavilion. He couldn't take his eyes off it and whispered, "Master, this isn't cheap, is it?"
Fu Wei nodded sadly: "Yes, it's not cheap."
Xiaoyu said, "Why don't we pick something cheaper? After all, the Imperial Concubine has seen everything."
Fu Wei agreed very much, and after choosing carefully, she set her eyes on a golden hairpin.
Who knew that just as she got it in her hand, a young man came over angrily and shouted, "Put it down! That hairpin is what I like!"
The young man in front of him was wearing a gorgeous round-necked robe, a gold collar around his neck, and was followed by countless servants. He was obviously the son of an official.
Fu Weiwei frowned slightly: "Who are you?"
The servant taunted, "Where did you come from, you poor wretch? Our young master is the young master of the Prime Minister's Mansion! Are you scared now? Why don't you return the golden hairpin?"
Liu Yu, the young master of the prime minister's mansion, is indeed well-known, but unfortunately Fu Wei is not afraid of him.
The smiling gouging person said: "I'm sorry, I was the one who saw this hairpin first, I'm afraid it's hard for me to part with it."
Liu Yu threatened: "I don't care if you were the first to see it. I want the hairpin in your hand now. Will you give it to me or not?"
Fu Wei said calmly, "No."
Liu Yu had been tyrannical for so long that even the prince had to show him some courtesy. How could he have ever been treated like this? The young man, enraged, grabbed a fist-sized night-shining pearl and threw it at Fu Wei.
Fu Wei naturally looked down upon this sneak attack. Just when he wanted to teach Liu Yu a lesson, a young man in a snow-white brocade robe suddenly rushed out and blocked the attack for him. The night pearl smashed his forehead and blood flowed, scaring the onlookers.
Fu Wei was also startled, and quickly stretched out his arms to hug the boy and hurriedly covered his wound.
Rong Jiao's face turned extremely pale, his vision went dark, and he fainted before he even had time to see Fu Wei's expression.
Liu Yu was also very scared. It was not that he regretted it, after all, he could kill people and set fires without any consequences, but the person he hurt this time was the current crown prince!
The Liu family is domineering, but now the world belongs to the Rong family.
If he is accused of assassinating the crown prince because of this incident, he will be doomed and his father will beat him to death!
"It wasn't me, it wasn't me. He bumped into me. I wasn't careful, I wasn't careful..."
Seeing Liu Yu's expression suddenly change, Fu Wei couldn't help but look at the young man in his arms. He was wearing a brocade robe and jade belt, his face was as bright as jade, and he was fifteen years old. He was probably the crown prince Rong Jiao without a doubt.
Xiaoyu, who had escaped during the chaos a long time ago, came back with some personal soldiers from the Marquis' Mansion.
"My Lord, we are late. Please forgive me!"
Fu Wei smiled: "It's not too late, you came just in time.
Liu Yu said in disbelief: "You... who are you..."
Fu Wei took out the token from his waist, showed it, and said, "This man intends to assassinate me. Come, capture him for me!"
Liu Yu's eyes went dark, his legs went limp, and he knelt down, trembling, "You...you are the Marquis of Yongning..."
Fu Wei picked up Rong Jiao and said with a forced smile, "It is me!"
If he had offended the crown prince, there might still be room for maneuver, but the person he offended was Fu Wei, the Marquis of Yongning who held a large army. Before leaving this morning, his father was still thinking about how to win over the Marquis of Yongning and was planning to give him a gift.
As a result, I offended myself in the afternoon.
Now, let alone the royal family, if his father knew about it, he would probably beat him half to death.
Liu Yu begged for mercy tremblingly, "My Lord, My Lord, Brother, Brother, I was wrong. I really didn't mean it. I just thought this hairpin looked nice and would be a perfect birthday gift for my aunt."
The imperial concubine was Fu Wei's aunt, so it was hard for him to use the imperial concubine to plead for mercy.
It’s a pity that you offended Fu Wei. No matter how powerful you are, it’s useless in front of him.
Fu Wei sneered and said without hesitation: "Catch him!"
After the farce ended, Fu Wei looked at the prince in her arms and couldn't help frowning.
Doesn’t the little prince ever bring anyone with him when he goes out?
Xiaoyu quickly said, "My Lord, how about I carry him?"
Fu Wei shook his head: "I will come in person, I will take him back to the Marquis' Mansion first, you go find a doctor."
He is a prince after all, he can't be beaten stupidly.
…
Fortunately, Rong Jiao woke up the next day. When the servant came to report, Fu Wei was sitting with his legs crossed in the main hall of the Marquis' Mansion, looking slowly at the housekeeper of the Prime Minister's Mansion.
For the sake of his good-for-nothing son, the Prime Minister spent a lot of money and brought a lot of good things to Fu Wei. There was nothing that Fu Wei had not seen before.
Fu Wei was sighing over the money that the corrupt prime minister had embezzled over the years, and at the same time he thought of his leaky mansion in Mobei, so he took it all without saying a word.
"How did the Prime Minister know that our Feiyun Army was having a hard time? All this was given to our Feiyun Army?"
The housekeeper smiled flatteringly, "Yes, yes. The soldiers fought bravely for Da'an, and the Prime Minister knows it all. When he heard that the Marquis had returned, he quickly asked me to send these little things over. He also repeatedly warned me that if there were not enough, I could ask for more. I must not let the soldiers go hungry."
Fu Wei played with the fist-sized night-shining pearl and nodded with a smile: "The Prime Minister is thoughtful."
Seeing that Fu Wei had lost her earlier harsh tone, the butler breathed a sigh of relief and asked cautiously, "My Lord, that young master has had enough fun in the Marquis' Mansion. Could you allow me to take him back?"
The assassination turned into a joke, and the detention and interrogation turned into a temporary stay.
The hand that was playing with the night pearl paused, and the pair of bright eyes, slightly raised, slowly fell on the butler.
The smile on the corners of his lips hadn't even faded when a chill ran up from the soles of his feet to his scalp, frightening the butler so much that he fell to his knees with a thud.
"My Lord..."
Fu Wei retracted his gaze and chuckled, "Why are you kneeling before me? Aren't you here to pick up your young master? Go ahead."
Upon hearing this, the butler wiped the sweat from his forehead and thanked with a pale face: "Thank you, my Lord."
Xiaoyu received Fu Wei's gaze and led the housekeeper to release the people.
Fu Wei tapped her fingers on the night-shining pearl and said slowly, "Your Highness, are you not coming out yet?"
Rong Jiao, who was hiding in the dark, felt a tightness in his heart and walked out obediently. There was still a bandage on his head, his face was pale and haggard, his brows were slightly furrowed, and he had a kind of sickly beauty like Xizi.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop."
Fu Wei did not comment, but stood up, snapped the night pearl in his hand, threw it into the box containing jewelry, and closed the lid.
Turning around, he saw Rong Jiao staring at the treasures with deep eyes. He smiled and said, "Your Highness, please don't look at them. Although you are the one who was injured, these were all given to me by the Prime Minister. I won't share a single cent with you."
Rong Jiao: “…”
Her hands were clenched tightly under her sleeves, and her lips were pursed, as if she was trying her best to suppress something. Fu Wei didn't say anything, but just watched with a half-smile. It was as if she had made up her mind to see what Rong Jiao was going to do.
"Why, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants it too?"
Rong Jiao stared at him intently, finally unable to resist questioning, "The Prime Minister's family sells official positions and oppresses the people. Everyone says that the Yongning Marquis's family has been loyal and righteous for generations, but now they are no better than this."
Fu Wei sneered and asked him, "Loyalty? How much is that worth? Is it enough to feed my soldiers and horses?"
Rong Jiao: "The imperial court allocates money to Mobei every year."
Fu Wei: "Then, Your Highness, do you know how much money has been allocated? Is it enough for military pay? Is it enough for food? Is it enough to accommodate the remains of the soldiers who died in the battle? Is it enough to pay the pensions?"
Rong Jiao was choked and could not speak.
"You don't know." Fu Wei chuckled. "Kyoto is filthy rich. Your royal family may be declining, but you still live in luxury. Everything you enjoy is taken from the people. If I don't accept this money, it will be my soldiers who starve to death. Tomorrow, when the barbarians cross the northwest border, it will be you who will be the ones to cut off your necks."
Rong Jiao: "But Father..."
Fu Wei said bluntly, "Your father, that fool, can't even keep his own throne. Do you really think he'll care about the affairs of the northwest? If he didn't know he was going to die and couldn't protect you, would I be standing here today?"
"How could I possibly make the crown prince of the dynasty sacrifice himself to save me?"
He thought that by saving himself and comparing himself with the arrogance of the young master of the prime minister's mansion, he would definitely win Fu Wei's favor.
In this way, I can win over Fu Wei.
But he was wrong. Fu Wei was never a crude warrior. He had a sharp mind and had seen through everything long ago, and even went with the flow.
Rong Jiao's face turned pale and looked extremely ugly. He whispered, "Since you already knew it, why did you still help me?"
"Because I can die, but the people must live," Fu Wei shook his head and said, "You bunch of royal nobles are fighting in Kyoto. Who do you think you are harming?"
Rong Jiao: "...So what exactly do you want to do?"
Fu Wei: "This time, I came not to find a master for myself, but to find a wise ruler for the people of the world. After much consideration, I think you are the only one I like."
The so-called pleasing to the eye is of course not really pleasing to the eye, but Fu Wei has decided which party to stand with, which makes Rong Jiao's heart rise to his throat.
"My Lord, are you willing?"
Fu Wei's playful smile was gone, his eyes filled with oppression and hostility. He made a promise that was as valuable as gold: "Rong Jiao, I am willing to support you as my master, protect you, and work with you to create a prosperous and peaceful world. If you dare to betray me, I will do my utmost to kill you."
The faint morning light had disappeared at some point, replaced by the slowly rising sun, scorching hot and illuminating the earth.
Fu Wei stood against the light, like a god descending from heaven, causing the fifteen-year-old prince to stare at her sideways and his heart to beat fast.
Rong Jiao bowed towards Fu Wei, and spoke with a resounding voice, "Rong Jiao is willing to take the Marquis as his teacher. I will not disappoint the people, nor will I betray the Marquis' trust. I will do my utmost to create a prosperous era with peaceful rivers and seas!"
Fu Wei helped the man up, and when their eyes met, they felt a tacit understanding and reached a cooperation.
…
After the old emperor passed away, Fu Wei pushed Rong Jiao to the throne. The two of them worked together to uproot the Liu family and execute all the members.
The last person left in the Liu family is the imperial concubine of the current dynasty.
He is also a close friend of Fu Wei's mother.
It's a pity that the gentle woman who used to feed Fu Wei cakes when she was young has now become a madman because of the destruction of her family, and her eyes are full of resentment when she looks at Fu Wei.
"Fu Wei, you actually betrayed the Fu Liu alliance and cooperated with the Rong family. Aren't you afraid that your parents will crawl out of hell and take your life?!"
Speaking of her parents, Fu Wei felt a pang of pain in her heart, and a chill spread across her body. "If I could really take your lives, I would take yours first."
Imperial Concubine: "What do you mean?"
Fu Wei: "Everyone says my parents died fighting for the people, but don't you really know why they died fighting?"
There was a rare panic in the imperial concubine's eyes, and she stammered, "What are you saying? I don't understand."
Fu Wei said, "The Liu family withheld the soldiers' pay. Even the rations they sent were moldy, inedible rice! My father and mother trusted you so much, yet you stabbed them in the back! Otherwise, how could my parents have died in battle because of a supply shortage?"
"You are the first to betray the covenant!"
"The late emperor was incompetent. This was his sin. But what is your sin?"
The imperial concubine wept bitterly as she spoke, tears streaming down her face, "If a man does not care for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth. How can those lowly people be compared to the glory of our Liu family? What have we done wrong?"
Fu Wei: "That's unreasonable!"
The imperial concubine mocked and laughed: "Fuwei, don't think you've won by overthrowing our Liu family. Don't forget, my father, the Prime Minister of Da'an, was also entrusted by Emperor Taizu to assist the late emperor in ascending the throne. But look at what happened to our family!"
"When the birds are gone, the bow is put away; when the rabbit dies, the dog is cooked."
"The towering tree of the Liu family has fallen. How long can you, this sharp blade that cuts throats, survive?"
Fu Wei remained calm and said, "I won't bother you with that, aunt."
He and Rong Jiao have been together for five years. Although they are not close, he can see his future self from Rong Jiao's dormant and forbearing face.
He would be a wise ruler, but he would definitely not be considered a broad-minded person.
After all, Fu Wei has the support of the people and an army of hundreds of thousands. As long as he wants, he can immediately overthrow the dynasty.
How can the emperor allow others to snore beside his bed? He will not let him go on like this.
But since he dared to help Rong Jiao in this way, and he also guessed the ending, he would not go down this path to death. He had his own way out.
"I know exactly what I have to do and what I'm facing. As for my aunt, I'm afraid she won't be able to see it."
In the dim palace, only the imperial concubine's eyes were bright with resentment, like a poisonous snake stretching out from the darkness and spitting out its core. Her voice was like the evil ghost from hell, hissing and cursing:
"Fuwei, don't be so proud for too long! I will watch you being killed by Rong Jiao. You will lose everything that matters to you. You will be trapped in this cage forever, a life worse than death."
I don’t know if it’s because so many things happened today, or because of the malice that this sentence carries, but Fu Wei actually had a bad feeling in her heart.
"It's time for you to go." Fu Wei didn't stay any longer and gestured to the eunuch beside him, and someone helped him to feed the imperial concubine the poisoned wine.
After a while, Fu Wei saw that the lights in the imperial concubine's palace were turned off.
But the resentful eyes of the imperial concubine were engraved in Fu Wei's heart and lingered there.
After coming out of the imperial concubine's bedroom, Fu Wei went straight to the emperor's bedroom.
He and Rong Jiao made an appointment to have dinner together.
Today's Rong Jiao is no longer the young boy he was five years ago. He has grown into a qualified emperor, decisive and resolute in killing and acting swiftly. Even Fu Wei has to avoid his edge sometimes.
Fortunately, he is not yet fully grown, the Liu family has fallen, and it is time for him to start preparing to return to Mobei.
This will prevent you from ending up with the bow hidden away after the bird is killed.
As soon as she reached the door, Fu Wei discovered that the emperor's bedroom was a little different today. Not only was it brightly lit, but it was also luxurious and wasteful. It was specially decorated with stringed instruments, fine wine and delicious food, like a paradise on earth.
There is incense in the incense burner next to it, which has a very fresh and elegant fragrance that makes people feel intoxicated.
Fu Wei couldn't help but frown.
"What's going on?" Rong Jiao looked at the emperor who was just a young man, and his tone was not good, but rather questioning. The maids and eunuchs in the palace were so scared that they immediately knelt on the ground.
Fu Wei is not afraid.
After all, when Rong Jiao first became his disciple, he was extremely attentive, and over the years he has indeed respected him as a master.
If Rong Jiao did anything wrong, Fu Wei would always speak out frankly, and Rong Jiao never complained. But today Rong Jiao was a little different, even a little weird.
Rong Jiao looked up at Fu Wei and did not answer. Instead, he asked softly, "Is the imperial concubine dead?"
Fu Wei: “Yeah.”
Rong Jiao held Fu Wei's hand. His sharp eyes turned into a pool of spring water only when he saw Fu Wei. When he spoke, he was a little bit coquettish. "The Liu family has finally been uprooted. I am so happy. Teacher, please let me do it this time. I promise it will be just this once."
The eunuch beside him also advised: "Yes, my lord, it is rare for His Majesty to be so happy and interested today."
"Whatever." Fu Wei was also feeling annoyed and had no appetite, but she could find some wine to drink.
So he wanted to find a corner and stay there quietly, but before he could take a step, Rong Jiao grabbed his arm and pulled him to sit on Rong Jiao's purple gold chair.
This scared Fu Wei.
After all, no matter how presumptuous he was, he couldn't climb over the emperor's head.
Rong Jiao did not feel offended, and even rubbed his head against Fu Wei in a very intimate manner. He hugged Rong Jiao's shoulders from behind, poured the wine himself, and handed it to Fu Wei's lips.
The hot and strong aroma of wine hit her face. It was the kind of wine that Fu Wei liked most.
"Master, would you like to try some of the best peach blossom wine?"
Fu Wei doesn't like to be too close to others and pretends to leave.
Rong Jiao, however, held him back and wouldn't let him leave.
Fu Wei: “No need.”
Rong Jiao asked, "Teacher, you don't drink my wine, but are you angry?"
Fu Wei was puzzled: "What?"
Rong Jiao said calmly, "When the birds are gone, the bow is put away. When the rabbit dies, the dog is cooked."
This is what the imperial concubine said!
There were only him and his confidant in the bedroom at that time, so how did Rong Jiao know?
Either his people were instigated to rebel, or... there was someone else in the bedroom at that time.
But no matter which one it was, it was sending a very bad message to Fu Wei, that is, Rong Jiao's power had infiltrated him, and he knew nothing about it.
These words made Fu Wei feel cold all over.
"You sent someone to monitor me?!"
Even the self-proclaimed one came out, which showed that Fu Wei was really angry. The eunuchs and palace maids who were singing and dancing happily saw this and were frightened by the emperor's glance. They hurried out like a stream of water.
Rong Jiao said softly, "How could that be? I'm just afraid that the teacher will be soft-hearted."
Fu Wei was almost laughing out of anger: "You don't believe me?"
Rong Jiao was somewhat helpless: "Teacher, why do you think so? I just care about you."
When did Fu Wei need such care? It's simply unreasonable.
He was too lazy to talk nonsense with Rong Jiao. He had to go back and check everyone around him from beginning to end.
Fu Wei stood up and left.
But just as he stood up, his eyes suddenly blurred, his legs and feet went weak, and he fell back down.
As if he had expected it, Rong Jiao curled his lips and pulled Fu Wei into his arms.
"How could you be so careless and fall down like this?"
Fu Wei looked at him in disbelief: "Rong Jiao, you poisoned me?"
Rong Jiao looked aggrieved and said slowly, "It's not a poison. It's just a medicine that can make a person lose all their strength and become powerless."
Fu Wei couldn't understand why he didn't drink Rong Jiao's wine at all. Wait... wine?!
"The incense in the palace and the wine in this cup are poisonous?"
Rong Jiao nodded calmly: "It is too difficult to plot against you, teacher, but I have no choice. Teacher, you have to forgive me. The Liu family is gone, and now you are the one who has the final say in the court. I can't afford to gamble, so I can only let you down."
That’s great.
That’s great.
He is worthy of being the person I taught him step by step.
It’s cruel and unexpected.
As soon as the Liu family was eliminated, they couldn't help but sharpen their knives and get rid of them.
Fu Wei pressed his hands firmly on the table, sneering, "What an ungrateful person! But don't forget that my Feiyun Army is still in Mobei, with 5,000 elite soldiers stationed outside the city. You've already killed all the Liu family members, leaving most of the court empty. Now is the time to recruit more people, and you dare to attack me? Do you want this kingdom gone?"
"Rong Jiao, you dare to kill me?"
"Teacher, you might be wrong." Rong Jiao caressed Fu Wei's cheek, his eyes full of possession, plunder, and deep love. "I just want to get you, teacher, but I never said I wanted to kill you."
Her pupils constricted, reflecting Rong Jiao's possessed look, and Fu Wei could hardly believe her eyes and ears.
"You're crazy!" He slapped her hard.
A bright red slap mark instantly appeared on the emperor's face, but Rong Jiao was not angry at all. Instead, he became more aggressive and held Rong Jiao's hand, licking his light pink fingertips.
"The teacher looks so good even when he's angry."
"No wonder I felt so happy the first time I saw you."
The moist itch in the palm of his hand flowed all over Fu Wei's body like an electric shock, making his scalp numb. Rong Jiao was so angry that Fu Wei wanted to smash his head!
Fu Wei struggled: "Get out of here!"
Rong Jiao didn't listen. She smiled and kissed Fu Wei on the corner of her lips, saying affectionately, "Teacher, will you be my queen?"
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