All that could be seen was an indescribable expression on Furen's face.
Fu Lun: ? ? ? Qing'er would like you?
Seeing that Fu Lun didn't believe him, Fu Erkang muttered to himself again, "She talks to me strangely now. I always feel like she's spying on me. I'm really facing internal and external troubles now. If this continues, I'll go crazy."
Fu Lun looked at Fu Erkang with impatience and clicked his tongue. "What's wrong with you? Go and talk to Ziwei properly. Tell her not to stick to the master all the time. She's serving him so well. Tell her to treat the master as a man, not as a father. And Qing'er, I think she doesn't take those vows she made before seriously anymore."
Fu Erkang shook his head, his face full of sincere conviction, and said, "I cannot marry her. I will talk to her about it. When I left the palace, the Empress Dowager asked me to follow the example of the Russian Empress Dowager, but that is completely impossible. I only want Ziwei for the rest of my life."
Fu Erkang made a quick decision, realizing that things couldn't continue like this and he had to cut the Gordian knot. After seeing Fu Lun out, he closed the door and immediately went out to look for Qing'er.
A short while later, in the inn's corridor, they saw Qing'er returning hand in hand with An Ke. Seeing An Ke beside him, Fu Er Kang hesitated. He was genuinely intimidated by An Ke.
Then, thinking of the delicate Ziwei, he felt he could do it again. He strode forward and appeared in front of Anke and Qing'er in a flash.
Anke, not paying attention, mistook it for a petty thief who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Extremely alert, she threw a punch. Then she heard a familiar cry of "Ouch!"
Anke and Qing'er looked closely and realized it was Fu Erkang, whose eyes had been punched by Anke and turned into black eyes. He looked rather ridiculous.
Fu Erkang hurriedly stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes. He was furious inside, but outwardly he had to be respectful to An Ke, which frustrated him. "Miss, may I speak with Qing'er alone?"
Although he punched him, Anke felt no remorse whatsoever. It was what he deserved; if Anke hadn't rushed out so suddenly, where would he have gotten the chance to hit him in the face?
Upon hearing that he wanted to speak to Qing'er alone, An Ke's radar started spinning wildly, and she asked warily, "What do you want to say to Qing'er?"
Fu Erkang gestured to Qing'er with his eyes. Qing'er was also curious to hear what he wanted to say to her, and to see what information she could get from him.
She went along with his wishes, shook her head at An Ke, and gave her a reassuring look. An Ke was slightly worried, but decided to respect Qing'er's choice and followed Xingxing to the pavilion not far away to admire the moon.
After watching An Ke's departing figure, Fu Erkang breathed a sigh of relief. He then walked away, talking as he went, trying to get as far away from An Ke as possible so that she wouldn't rush out and disturb him. "I remember you mentioned Biyun Temple to me a few days ago."
Anke: Just a regular guy, getting all confident again, bro! (￣?^￣??)
He walked away without a care for Qing'er's sprained ankle. He continued talking to himself, "What I want to say is that I still remember. That night, you and I watched the snow and the moon on the outdoor veranda, and talked until dawn. That night will never fade from my memory."
After Anke's analysis, Qing'er's mind cleared up considerably, and she was no longer hindered by the past. "You still remember?"
Fu Erkang took a deep breath, as if remembering this matter was incredibly difficult. "I remember, during this inspection tour, Father specifically talked to me about the previous tacit understanding, saying that Master had already spoken with him. Qing'er, to tell you the truth, if the Empress Dowager had issued the decree back then, I would have gladly accepted it. But now..."
"What's wrong now? Just say what you want to say. We've practically grown up together. I hope there are no secrets between us." Qing'er was straightforward and hoped to uncover the motives of Fu Erkang and the Fu family in the matter of the real and fake princesses.
As it turned out, the two were talking on completely different topics.
Fu Erkang turned around and sighed, "Times have changed, and some things have happened to me. I'm not as innocent as I used to be. I feel like I can no longer give you happiness."
Qing'er realized they weren't talking about the same thing. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but Fu Erkang didn't give her a chance to speak, and kept talking on and on.
"So I hope we won't bring up that unspoken understanding between us again." Fu Erkang frowned, his words earnest, but his eyes hoped Qing'er would agree immediately.
Although Qing'er had listened to An Ke's analysis, she also knew the Empress Dowager's good intentions. She couldn't help but ask a follow-up question, "Please explain more clearly, I don't quite understand."
“Qing’er, I really can’t accept the Empress Dowager’s kindness. There’s no matchmaking thread between us, so let’s just maintain this relationship,” Fu Erkang said in a deep voice. If the Empress Dowager had issued that imperial decree of marriage many years ago, he would have gladly accepted it, because in his eyes, Qing’er was the perfect wife.
With the Empress Dowager's favor and her own status as a princess, she was dignified and elegant, possessing the demeanor of a matriarch. She even had the carefree spirit of a noble lady. Therefore, she particularly wanted others to know about their tacit understanding.
But now he had fallen even more deeply in love with Ziwei, so innocent, so kind, so pure. Fu Erkang greedily thought that he didn't want Ziwei to know about his past. Even though it was something he had once fantasized about. But now, as long as he vehemently denied it, and Qing'er stood by him, no one would reveal it.
Qing'er was stunned. No matter what, he was the first man she had ever truly cared for. How could he insult her with such words? Since returning to the palace, she had heard the Empress Dowager mention a marriage between her and An'an. At the time, remembering their past tacit understanding, she had felt overjoyed when the Empress Dowager spoke of Er Kang.
Qing'er was somewhat incredulous. "So you came all this way to block me just to say something like this?"
Fu Erkang pretended to struggle in pain, saying, "I've been struggling with whether or not to tell you, or how to tell you? But after thinking it over and over, I realized that if I don't tell you now, it will hurt you even more later. If you hadn't asked, I wouldn't have brought it up, but since you asked, I feel bad if I pretend to be stupid again."
Qing'er shook her head. "Do you think saying this won't hurt me? I've noticed something's off between you all along the way. Something's off about you, something's off about Benjamin, something's off about Xiao Yanzi, something's off about Yongqi. Benjamin and Yongqi's eyes are always on Xiao Yanzi, while your eyes are always on Ziwei." Qing'er pointed it out directly and incisively.
Perhaps it's because I've spent so much time with Anke that I don't want everything to be done in circles; I prefer things to be straightforward.
Fu Erkang lowered his head after being spoken to.
Seeing this, Qing'er didn't stop and continued, "What I didn't expect was that all you thought about on the way here was how to hide what happened back then and how to break that tacit agreement? Don't worry, I still have some sense of shame and won't keep bothering you."
Fu Erkang then said to Qing'er in his bubbly voice, "Qing'er, I'm sorry."
"Don't say sorry, what's the use of saying sorry?" Qing'er has her own pride. "Even if the Empress Dowager had arranged a marriage, if you don't want it, I won't cling to you."
After Qing'er finished speaking, she prepared to turn around and leave gracefully, but Fu Erkang grabbed her arm again. "Qing'er."
Qing'er turned around and saw the bright moon hanging in the sky. Instantly, thoughts flooded her mind, and she said sadly, "Since we're going to keep that tacit agreement a secret, what are you doing now? And it just so happens to be the moon. You're anyone's guard, but you're definitely not mine." She pushed Fu Erkang aside and ran away.
Fu Erkang was left standing there, looking guilty.
Anke had become somewhat numb from staring at the moon. He twisted his neck, afraid of disturbing Qing'er, and continued to look at the moon while following his conversation.
But she was still curious, so she pricked up her ears. She had just heard some sounds, but now she couldn't hear them anymore. Could it be that they had moved to another place? Anke was a little curious, so she turned her head to look.
Upon seeing this, An Biao's expression changed drastically. Only Fu Erkang remained on the spot; Qing'er was nowhere to be seen. After a moment's thought, he ran straight towards Qing'er's room. Xingxing followed closely behind, chasing after her young mistress.
An Ke rushed to Qing'er's door, pushed it, and sure enough, the door was locked. She then gently knocked and softly called out, "Qing'er? Qing'er, are you there? Qing'er, what's wrong?"
Qing'er had just collapsed onto the bed and started crying because of what Fu Erkang had said, but now that she heard An Ke's voice, she opened the door to avoid worrying An Ke.
An Ke immediately saw Qing'er's red eyes and her hands clenched into fists. He secretly regretted that the punch he had just given was too light. But now was not the time to dwell on that, so he followed Qing'er to the bedside.
She asked softly what had just happened. Qing'er started sobbing again. Between sobs, she told An Ke everything Fu Erkang had said to her. "I didn't expect him to block me just to say those things. Did he think I would cling to him because of that tacit understanding? I have self-respect and a sense of shame too."
Upon hearing this, An Ke's anger blazed fiercely. Who did he think he was? Someone who only became an imperial bodyguard because of his family and parents? He even wanted to marry a princess? Did he deserve it? Qing'er was a princess of the Qing Dynasty, and what was he? He was a slave of the Qing Dynasty!
"What he said was just him being petty." An Ke calmed down; calming Qing'er down was the most important thing. She'd settle the score with him later. "We stopped caring about that understanding a long time ago, but he's always been so fixated on it. Why is that?"
Qing'er's mind was completely blank; she just stared at An Ke in a daze.
"That's because he felt guilty. I'm curious, how did the Empress Dowager know about that tacit understanding? Even my uncle and father knew? This matter is full of suspicious points." An Ke felt that there was something strange about this. If the Empress Dowager knew, that wouldn't be surprising, after all, they were all with the Empress Dowager on Mount Wutai. The Empress Dowager, who looked after Qing'er, naturally knew about Qing'er's every move.
But the father and the emperor, far away in the Forbidden City, already knew about it. Wouldn't that reveal the instigator of this affair?
"Do you remember what I told you in the palace?" An Ke gently comforted Qing'er. "Qing'er, you are wonderful. Don't let anyone's words make you feel inferior. A blessed woman doesn't marry into an unblessed family, and Fu Erkang is unlucky! Get a good night's sleep, and tomorrow will be a brand new day. I'll stay here with you!"
After listening to An Ke's advice, Qing'er felt much better. Seeing An An here with her, she felt relieved and lay down on the bed. Perhaps because she had just cried, she fell asleep in no time.
Listening to Qing'er's gradually slowing breathing, An Ke tiptoed and covered Qing'er with a brocade quilt. She then wrung out a handkerchief from a basin of water and gently wiped away the tear stains on Qing'er's face.
Then she instructed Shuangxi, who was standing nearby, to keep an eye on Qing'er. Shuangxi knew without being told that she had to take good care of her mistress tonight, so she immediately decided to rest on the soft couch in Qing'er's room.
After dealing with Qing'er's matter, An Ke stamped her foot, preparing to settle accounts with Fu Erkang. Her eyes gleamed with endless coldness. Fu Erkang, very well!
At this time, Fu Erkang was with Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei. Yongqi, who had been summoned by the Emperor for a talk, happened to be passing by and was also called to join them.
At that moment, Little Swallow was playing with the wolf skin Benjamin had brought back for her from the market. She was having a wonderful time, completely oblivious to the beating she had received a few days earlier. She was busy jumping around and scaring people.
Yongqi recognized it immediately and pushed the furry wolf head away. He said to Benjamin, "You bought this again, didn't you? When I first came to town, I saw this complete wolf pelt on the woodcutter's carrying pole. I didn't expect you to have bought it."
“I saw this wolf pelt and thought it would be perfect for Little Swallow to play with.” Benjamin looked at Little Swallow, who was making a ruckus nearby, with a smile in his eyes.
Their small group walked and laughed. Anke angrily went to meet them.
She went straight up and slapped Fu Erkang across the face, shouting, "Fu Erkang, kneel down before this princess!"
This happened so fast that no one else had time to react!
Fu Erkang felt a burning pain on his right cheek, and at the same time, he felt he had lost face in front of the woman he loved. He kept panting and refused to kneel down.
"Didn't you understand what I said? Are you trying to rebel?" An Ke didn't want to waste any more words with him. Seeing that he refused to kneel down, she gave a wink to the hidden guards.
Seeing this, the guard immediately appeared and kicked Fu Erkang in the back of the knee, causing Fu Erkang to fall to his knees with a thud.
Seeing this, Xiao Yanzi immediately took off the wolf skin and said loudly, "Anke, this isn't the palace. How can you make Erkang kneel down like that?"
“Whether it’s in the palace or not, if I, the princess, order him to kneel, he has to kneel! If you’re not happy about it, you can kneel with him. I know you’re loyal, so I won’t stop you.” An Ke glanced coldly at Xiao Yanzi, not taking her seriously at all.
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