Chapter 314 Returning in Glory
It's just a simple statement.
Xu Zhenying spoke in a flat tone, even calling her by her name. There was no excitement in his tone, but Fang Ruyu's eyes still reddened slightly. "Your Highness, it's not hard for me. As long as I can help you, that's all."
"How could it not be hard? You're simple and honest, and you're surrounded by a pack of tigers and wolves. You must be trembling with fear every day, worrying about your own situation and your family thousands of miles away. Not to mention, you have to face your ex-fiancé day and night who wants to take your life. I'm afraid only you know the hardships."
Fang Ruyu bit her lower lip.
Xu Zhenying sighed slightly, then patted Fang Ruyu's shoulder like an older sister, "Don't be afraid, you're home."
Just the two words "go home" made Fang Ruyu's tense emotions instantly burst out. Her tears flowed down and she hugged Xu Zhenying and burst into tears.
Fang Ruyu didn't know why she was crying.
She felt that walking here was like walking on a thin rope suspended high in the air. She had to be cautious all the way, on guard day and night, and now she was exhausted both physically and mentally.
She was once the target of thousands of criticisms in the Fang family. Everyone blamed her and hated her, and they wanted to kick her out of the family. Even her parents and sister were scolded so much that they couldn't even raise their heads.
She saw Fang Ningmo's tears.
Seeing my grandmother’s disappointment.
She hated herself immensely.
She resented herself for believing Zhou Heng so easily, resented herself for being stubborn and refusing to listen to advice, and resented herself for dragging her family into an abyss of no return. And all this was because of that damn Zhou Heng!
For countless days and nights, she tossed and turned in bed, always asking herself why she had ended up in this situation.
She was once the famous Fang Ruyu in Bianjing City!
Now he is worse than a stray dog on the roadside.
She always thought that if she could see Zhou Heng again, God would have mercy on her and let her avenge her previous shame, so that her parents could hold their heads high in front of the other members of the Fang family.
So when Xu Zhenying hinted to her half a year ago that Zhou Heng's men might look for her, she expressed without hesitation her determination to use herself as bait to penetrate the enemy camp.
And Xu Zhenying was actually willing to believe her, a person with a criminal record!
He even boldly let her leave Jinzhou Prefecture with the blueprints!
Fang Ruyu often thought that there was no one better than His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
Therefore, she relied on brute force to hold on until now, like a lost traveler who finally found her home.
At this moment, all the grievances, pain, despair, and fear that she had swallowed down in her stomach came out, making her cry on Xu Zhenying's shoulder like a helpless child.
Xu Zhenying could only pat her back gently to comfort her silently, letting Fang Ruyu cry and snot.
Ma Yao was very knowledgeable and tactful. He just bowed to Xu Zhenying, and Xu Zhenying waved his hand to let him leave temporarily.
Fang Ruyu cried for a long time, then gradually stopped shaking her shoulders and calmed down. Then she felt embarrassed, her face flushed, and she said in a choked voice, "Your Highness, I'm sorry for soiling your clothes."
Xu Zhenying smiled, "A piece of clothing is nothing. Just cry it out, and then go back to see your parents happily."
Fang Ruyu nodded and continued to wipe her tears with her handkerchief.
"I heard you used flour to cause combustion and explosions, thereby wiping out Qiongzhou's elite forces?" Xu Zhenying looked at her with a smile, seemingly unconcerned about the snot and tears on her clothes. "Tell me, how did you come up with this idea?"
"It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment idea." Fang Ruyu blushed slightly. "It was raining a lot recently, and Zhou Heng was worried about the gunpowder getting damp, so he kept sending people to check. Then an idea suddenly struck me. I remembered what I'd taught the children in the intermediate class: scattered flour will burn. Then I thought, this detail is definitely unknown to the people of Qiongzhou, and maybe I can use this method to eliminate them without bloodshed."
Xu Zhenying gave her a thumbs-up. "That's a great idea! Although Zhou Heng got a good deal on those several hundred kilograms of gunpowder, it's been sitting in the Qiongzhou warehouse for a while, and it's a significant hidden danger. I didn't expect you to even consider this. Now you've killed two birds with one stone, completely eliminating my worries. You truly deserve to be a member of the Fang family; each of you is my right-hand man."
Xu Zhenying looked at her with an unprecedented gentleness in his eyes, which made Fang Ruyu excited.
Finally one day, Fang Ruyu could stand in front of Xu Zhenying like her sister and cousin, and offer advice for the development of Jinzhou Prefecture, instead of just existing as an unspeakable shame for the family.
Fang Ruyu was not one to speak in official language, so she could only sincerely say, "Your Highness taught me well. If Your Highness had not allowed me to work and let me come into contact with those textbooks, I would never have been able to kill my enemies in my lifetime. At least, the Fang Ruyu of the past could not have done it."
Xu Zhenying smiled and said, "Everyone grows and changes. You're no longer the same Fang Ruyu you once were. You've proven yourself, eliminated your family's enemies, and protected yourself and your family. That's a remarkable achievement."
Fang Ruyu blushed at the praise and kept her head down: "How can it be as good as what Your Highness said? I'm glad Your Highness doesn't despise me."
"Good things are not to be feared. Your trip to Qiongzhou, from a small perspective, protected you and your family and proved your own achievements. From a larger perspective, you not only helped us solve the problem of next year's military expenses, but also eliminated a powerful enemy. With Zhou Heng's death, only a few small fry remain in the east, and it won't be a major threat. Within a year or two at most, the eastern border will be completely ours. This impressive record is something to be proud of!"
"Military expenses?" Fang Ruyu widened her eyes slightly.
Xu Zhenying laughed and said, "You don't know yet, do you? Just for those several hundred kilograms of gunpowder, that cannon barrel, and that Tianyuan Pearl, Zhou Heng spent nearly 600,000 taels of gold and silver."
At the mention of the Tianyuan Pearls, Fang Ruyu immediately burst into laughter. "Your Highness is truly mischievous! Not only did you give me a fake blueprint to trick Zhou Heng, but you even wrote in it that I needed to purchase additional Tianyuan Pearls and crush them to fill the gunpowder. The Tianyuan Pearls are just a few glass balls, and they probably only cost a few ounces of silver. Yet you actually sold them for ten thousand ounces!"
Xu Zhenying laughed: "I just wanted to fool him, who knew Zhou Heng would actually believe it?"
"The people in Qiongzhou are ignorant and foolish. They only think that the Tianyuan Pearl is like glass, transparent and flawless. They also believe that it is really the relic of a great monk after his death as the outside world says. They are willing to pay ten thousand taels of silver for one pearl."
Xu Zhenying held his forehead with his hand: "I really didn't expect them to actually fall for it."
Fang Ruyu smiled shyly, but when Xu Zhenying mentioned that she had actually earned a year's military funds for Jinzhou Prefecture, she couldn't help but feel an indescribable excitement in her heart.
This sense of accomplishment far surpassed the number of banquets she hosted, the number of celebrities and distinguished guests she entertained, and the number of noble ladies who praised her as "virtuous" when she was in seclusion.
She seemed to understand why Fang Ningmo and Xu Yinxi were willing to risk their lives for Xu Zhenying.
Fang Ruyu suppressed the pride in her heart and tried to appear calm. Then she asked, "Your Highness, what are your plans for the future?"
"Let's first fully occupy the Eastern Territory." Xu Zhenying looked at her with a smile. "Now that you've achieved your goal, what are your plans? Are you planning to stay or go back?"
Fang Ruyu's handsome brows knitted together slightly. "I'd better stay. Your Highness has taken over the Eastern Territory, so there will undoubtedly be logistics, education, and agricultural matters to deal with. I've worked in education in Jinzhou Prefecture, and they're short on staff right now. If Your Highness doesn't mind, I'd like to do my bit to help."
"Why don't you go home first?"
To be honest, Xu Zhenying was still a little surprised.
In her impression, Fang Ruyu was a very filial person. Moreover, she had been hovering in someone else's territory for a long time. Xu Zhenying thought she must be like a fledgling leaving the nest, eager to go home.
Fang Ruyu shook her head gently. "I do want to go back, but I'm more needed here. I want to be someone that my parents and sister can be proud of."
Xu Zhenying smiled and patted her shoulder solemnly, "Okay, then you stay here. If you need anything, just come to me."
Fang Ruyu also explained some things in Qiongzhou to Xu Zhenying. Before leaving, she had expected that Xu Zhenying would summon her, so she summarized the work of more than half a year, including some intelligence she had in Qiongzhou Prefecture.
The two chatted until late at night before Fang Ruyu went back.
Unexpectedly, not long after she returned to her room, she heard the sound of small stones hitting her windowsill.
Fang Ruyu was so frightened that her face turned pale, but then she remembered that she was already in the territory of Jinzhou Prefecture and should be safe.
Who is playing a prank?
Fang Ruyu inexplicably thought of a person's face in her mind.
She walked quickly to the windowsill, but saw a figure flash by. Someone came into the house uninvited and without permission.
Although Jinzhou Prefecture does not care about the separation of men and women, and it is common for men and women to stay in the same room, Fang Ruyu still frowned slightly at Ming Xiaoshuang's behavior.
Fang Ruyu let go of her guard and walked to her dressing table, her back to the man. "What are you doing here? You're a minister, and you're actually trespassing into a woman's bedroom. How can this be disrespectful if people tell others about it? Aren't you afraid of being mistaken for a thief?"
Ming Xiaoshuang walked in carefree, as if he were in his own room. He even dragged a stool to sit down, and leisurely crossed his legs. "As long as Miss Fang doesn't say anything and I don't say anything, who would know? Besides, Miss Fang killed hundreds of enemies today, why would she be afraid of a small flower thief like me?"
When it comes to murder, Fang Ruyu seems to recall the earth-shattering explosion that happened in the daytime.
Although she did not see with her own eyes how the enemies were torn to pieces, she could also imagine that their painful wails before death must have been horrific.
Fang Ruyu's face turned slightly pale and she almost vomited.
Ming Xiaoshuang observed his expression and immediately realized that he had said the wrong thing. He quickly said, "Speaking of which, Miss Fang performed a great deed today. From what I heard from His Highness, not only will you be commended for your bravery in a newspaper report, but your family will also be awarded a plaque inscribed as a Family of Honor!"
Fang Ruyu's attention was diverted, and she was surprised and delighted at the same time: "Really?"
"Of course! Who knows? I might even include you in the picture book of the Twelve Female Generals!"
Fang Ruyu quickly asked, "How can I be compared with people like Dean Qiu and Zhang Wanjun?"
"Why can't you?!" Ming Xiaoshuang stood up anxiously. "Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, and you were ignorant at the time. You just need to correct your mistakes. His Highness often says that no one is perfect, but as long as they change, they are all good comrades to us. Besides, you dared to enter the enemy camp alone and deal with them for half a year. Not only did you gain their trust, but you also dealt them a fatal blow and finally earned hundreds of thousands of taels of military funds for Jinzhou Prefecture. I ask you, is there any girl in Jinzhou Prefecture who can be as capable as you?"
Fang Ruyu knew that Ming Xiaoshuang was teasing her, but she still raised the corners of her lips slightly, "You...always exaggerate when you speak."
"You're the one who underestimates yourself! Not to mention your current achievements, just look at the past two years. You've been diligent in education, teaching so many students and bringing so many talented people to Jinzhou Prefecture. Later, you went to the orphanage, helping those girls abandoned by their parents to become self-reliant. They all call you Sister Fang!"
Fang Ruyu was a little embarrassed by his praise and couldn't help feeling shy. "Your Highness has already praised me well today! By the way, what were you doing breaking into my room so late at night?"
Ming Xiaoshuang conjured up a bottle of ointment from behind her and placed it on her desk. His eyes unconsciously swept over her fingers, "Is your hand injured? I'll give you some ointment to apply."
Fang Ruyu stared at the man. Ming Xiaoshuang blushed under her gaze, but she still held her head high and chest out, not giving in at all. "What are you looking at?"
Fang Ruyu smiled lightly, thinking to herself, this fool actually knew that her hand was injured.
She was afraid of being discovered by Zhou Heng, so she ran away in a hurry. She didn't feel any pain when she fell to the ground, but now she felt the pain after recovering.
This guy looks stupid, but he has sharp observation skills.
It can be seen that he is not really stupid.
That’s right, how could there be anyone stupid around Xu Zhenying?
"Okay, thank you very much."
Ming Xiaoshuang saw that Fang Ruyu's fingers were white. She opened the ointment, took out a little snow-white ointment with her slender fingers, and then gently spread it on the red and swollen fingers.
The spring breeze blew, lifting a strand of hair on Fang Ruyu's forehead. Ming Xiaoshuang could only see the silhouette of her eyelashes under the moonlight.
This girl... is really pretty.
Ming Xiaoshuang thought a little foolishly.
Fang Ruyu looked up and frowned, "Why haven't you left yet?"
Ming Xiaoshuang folded his hands awkwardly, "Why, are you in such a hurry to get me out? Don't you want to know about your family's situation?"
"Your Highness told me that everything is fine with my family."
"Then you don't want to know what happened to your family in the six months since you left?"
Fang Ruyu bit her teeth lightly, then looked at the man and said as if admitting defeat: "Okay, go ahead."
Ming Xiaoshuang said proudly, "Since you want to know, why don't you quickly serve me a cup of tea?"
Fang Ruyu had no choice but to do as she was told.
However, Ming Xiaoshuang's joke seemed to have relieved the tension of the whole day a little.
Fang Ruyu also completely relaxed.
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