Chapter 45
Upon hearing this, Fu'er immediately hid in Ning Shiyu's arms, covering her head and face with his cloak, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Ning Shiyu was also taken aback.
Before he could come up with a solution, he heard Wei's voice outside the carriage, "Yu'er, how could you be so confused? In broad daylight, quickly bring the person inside."
"I chased everyone away from the doorway."
Ning Shiyu, mindful of Fu'er's shyness, immediately denied it, "Aunt, you've misunderstood. The carriage collapsed just now, it wasn't what you saw."
Madam Wei blushed and interrupted Ning Shiyu when she heard his clumsy explanation: "Only a three- or four-year-old child would believe such a reason."
"If the carriage really collapsed, would it be reasonable for Mu Li and the coachman to stand outside and not move?"
"The train carriage was shaking so badly just now, anyone with eyes could tell what was going on."
"I just got back to my residence and saw it all with my own eyes. You still want to lie to me?"
Fu'er blushed and her eyes reddened. Ning Shiyu hugged her, kissed her cheek, and whispered to comfort her, "Don't be afraid, we'll go back to the manor now."
"I'll go downstairs and say hello to my aunt."
Before Ning Shiyu could even step out of the carriage, Wei called out, "Is that Miss Fu'er inside?"
Fu'er couldn't lie, and subconsciously replied, "Mm."
Only after answering did I realize I had spoken out of turn.
She was so embarrassed she almost cried.
Ning Shiyu was both amused and exasperated. "Silly girl."
Madam Wei continued, "I'm wearing an outer garment; you can use it to cover yourself as we return to the manor."
Ning Shiyu interrupted, "No need, Aunt, let's go back to the manor now."
"Yu'er, an urgent letter just arrived from Chang'an. Since you've come, come with me back to the Prince's residence."
Hearing the serious tone of Madam Wei, Ning Shiyu dared not be negligent.
Just then, Fu'er's stomach started growling with hunger.
"Why don't you come back to my courtyard with your aunt first, and have a meal there?"
"I'll take you back later."
Fu'er stopped refusing; no matter how urgent things were, she had to fill her stomach.
She had long noticed that Ning Shiyu treated Fu'er differently; she had noticed it when he left Fu'er in her room to stay overnight last time.
She specially instructed the old woman beside her to not only bring food to Fu'er, but also to prepare clothes for her.
After Fu'er finished her bath, the meal was ready.
"Thank you, Granny."
Thinking about what happened between him and Ning Shiyu in the carriage, he feared that the entire household knew about it.
Seeing the people around Madam Wei, Fu'er still felt a little embarrassed.
In the past, she would inevitably chat with acquaintances when she saw them, but today she simply didn't have the face to do so.
The old nanny was shrewd enough to notice Fu'er's discomfort and smiled gently, "Miss, the young master wants you to go first; he has other matters to attend to."
After saying this, he left Ning Shiyu's room.
With the nanny gone, Fu'er began to eat without any restraint.
Meanwhile, Ning Shiyu, in the Qin King's study, looked grim after seeing the urgent letter from the palace.
He then handed the letter to his maternal aunt, Madam Wei.
After quickly reading through it, Lady Wei exclaimed, "Didn't Your Highness say last time that His Majesty's health had improved considerably?"
"Why has your condition suddenly worsened again?"
"But what did the Cui family do to the Emperor?"
There are certain political matters that the King of Qin will not hide from his queen.
The two had been married since childhood, and Lady Wei had accompanied King Qin to this day, always silently supporting him from behind.
The King of Qin trusted her greatly and never interfered in matters of the inner quarters.
Even if his beloved concubine, Lady Xiao, made a mistake and Lady Wei wanted to punish her, the King of Qin would not protect her.
The backyard of the Prince's Palace was peaceful, which was why the Prince of Qin could stay in the military camp for many days without worry.
Ning Shiyu could not answer the question, as the other party was not in the palace and did not know the actual situation.
Lady Wei was genuinely worried about the Emperor.
Ning Shiyu, however, still had to consider their future plans.
Therefore, he suggested, "Aunt, why don't you send someone to invite Uncle and Huijue back?"
Today, after Li Huijue returned to Lingyang, she went back to the military camp with the Northwest Army.
Ning Shiyu left the Prince of Qin's residence after dealing with several important matters at hand.
Unexpectedly, they returned to the palace in a hilarious way.
Seeing his serious tone, Madam Wei guessed what he was thinking. "Yu'er, do you already have a plan?"
Ning Shiyu pondered for a moment, then replied, "Yes."
"However, a decision can only be made after my uncle's consent is obtained."
Wei looked delighted. "Your uncle is right. With your help, he will succeed."
"His great cause will surely succeed."
"I will immediately send someone to invite the prince back to his residence."
"He won't arrive until evening. You should go back to your courtyard and have your meal first."
"Thank you, Aunt. Yu'er will go back now."
Wei was a fiery and impulsive woman, and her father, a military general, bore some of that in her.
He reached the door, then turned back and said with a smile, "I only saw that girl Fu'er today. No wonder you like her so much."
"I like them all. Not only are they good-looking, but they are also just like when they were little, soft and cuddly, which makes them very lovable."
When she got off the carriage, Madam Wei originally intended to take Fu'er into the Prince's mansion through the side gate.
Ning Shiyu, however, put on his cloak first, picked up Fu'er horizontally, and entered the palace through the side gate.
This was the first time he had entered the Prince's Palace through a side gate.
Having been through similar experiences, Madam Wei immediately saw his feelings for Fu'er.
Ning Shiyu felt a surge of heat in his ears and became speechless.
Having grown accustomed to Ning Shiyu's composed demeanor, Madam Wei had never seen him display such tenderness and affection.
He had never cared about that woman like this before.
She covered her mouth and laughed, then strode out of the house.
Ning Shiyu then left the study and returned to his Lingyan Pavilion.
Meanwhile, inside Lingyan Pavilion, Fu'er was being harassed by a woman.
This woman was Wei Fu, Wei's niece, who had just returned from Jian'an.
She arrived yesterday, and today she heard that Ning Shiyu, whom she had been longing for, was doing *that* with a woman in a carriage outside the Prince's mansion.
Her first thought was that Ning Shiyu was a gentleman, self-disciplined and respectful of propriety, and would not do such an absurd thing.
The demoness drugged him at a certain time.
So, seeing that her aunt was not there, she secretly came to Lingyan Pavilion.
Let's see what that demoness looks like.
There was no binding and handcuffing as I had imagined, nor was there locking in the woodshed.
At this moment, the demoness was having a meal, and she was eating better than she was.
She wanted to eat crab yesterday, but her aunt, who is always frugal, said she would have the kitchen prepare it when her cousin and uncle returned.
However, upon arriving at the place, they found that the demoness had actually started eating it.
He was furious, and when he glanced at Fu'er's appearance, he felt even more jealous and resentful.
The fact that she had no maids around her indicated that she was not of high social standing.
She immediately adopted her spoiled princess attitude and put pressure on Fu'er.
"Witch, did you drug...Young Master Shi, so that he and you could do such a shameless thing in the carriage?"
Wei Fu, being from a noble family, thought for a long time before finally uttering such a curse.
Fu'er was using it just fine when a woman barged in, looking arrogant.
She wore a silk ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and had a beautiful and dignified appearance.
Her personality was completely mismatched with her appearance.
They immediately launched into a tirade, falsely accusing her of drugging Ning Shiyu and calling her shameless.
Fu'er rarely argues with people, but in this situation, the other party comes to bully her.
Of course, she had to fight back.
The shyness from before had disappeared, and she became much more open and confident.
She wasn't as angry as she sounded; she grinned and said, "They drugged me."
"However, it was our young master who gave me the drug."
Wei Fu's face turned pale, and she angrily pointed at Fu'er, "You're talking nonsense! The young master is pure and innocent, how could he do such a thing?"
This Wei family girl has a quick temper.
Fu'er is a slowpoke.
After saying the previous sentence, which had hit Wei Fu hard, he continued eating.
Wei Fu was so angry that she jumped up and down.
She immediately ordered her two maids to take away the food in front of her.
Without the food in front of her, Fu'er could concentrate a bit better when she was arguing.
"According to you, pure and virtuous men can't touch women, so aren't they eunuchs?"
"Could it be that Miss Wei wants to find someone like this to be her husband in the future?"
"You...you naughty girl, believe me or not I'll tear your mouth apart."
This argument also ignited Fu'er's competitive spirit.
People used to say she was bad at arguing, but today she wanted to try and see if she could win an argument with this girl.
They had long forgotten Ning Shiyu's instructions to be cautious.
Fu'er wasn't afraid. She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and continued, "Only people who can't win an argument will resort to tearing their mouths apart."
“Who says I can’t win an argument? Lianyu, Cuiliu, you two must argue with her for me.”
Fu'er's words made Wei Fu forget the purpose of her visit.
The plump Lianyu took a step forward, about to speak.
But Fu'er stopped him, saying, "The room is a bit small, let's go outside."
"It also allows for a more satisfying argument."
Wei Fu flicked her sleeve and said, "Fine, I'll go. Do you think I'm afraid of a mere girl like you?"
She stepped out of the house first, followed closely by her two maids.
Unexpectedly, when it came to Fu'er, she not only followed her out.
Instead, he slammed the door shut and bolted it.
Then he closed the window, the action completed in one smooth motion.
Wei Fu and her two maids were completely dumbfounded.
The main reason why Fu'er changed her mind at the last minute was that she felt that the crab with noodles she had only eaten two bites of earlier would not taste the same if it was cold.
The crab was something Ning Shiyu asked her what she wanted to eat when he left, and she just casually mentioned it.
Crabs are at their fattest in August, and Fu'er had been wanting to eat them for a long time, but her mother thought they were too expensive and wouldn't buy them.
When Ning Shiyu asked her about it today, she told him.
Thinking that since they were in a prince's residence, they should be able to eat something good.
When the old woman brought the meal, the first thing she saw was this dish of crab, and she was overjoyed.
Halfway through the meal, someone came to cause trouble.
With the doors and windows closed, the outside noise was largely blocked out, allowing her to eat in peace.
Only a little noise could be heard.
Finally, it became completely quiet.
When she was eating with her mouth full of oil, she heard Ning Shiyu's voice instead.
"Fu'er, it's me."
As evening fell, the King of Qin and his son, Li Huijue, returned from the army.
Upon returning to the manor, he immediately sent someone to invite Ning Shiyu over.
The King of Qin didn't even bother to take off his armor.
He had already learned from Wei the reason for his urgent return.
In the study, only the father, son, and Ning Shiyu remained. Only then did the King of Qin ask, "Yu'er, things have come to this point. Your imperial uncle's health may not be able to wait any longer. We must also consider the greater cause."
Ning Shiyu said calmly, "Uncle is right."
"However, the safety of the imperial uncle and the crown prince must also be taken into account."
The King of Qin looked solemn, and hesitated when he heard that there was still concern for the Crown Prince.
Seeing her father's hesitation, Li Huijue said, "Of course, we must consider the safety of our royal uncle."
“But cousin, I’m worried that the Crown Prince is taking a bit of a risk.”
Ning Shiyu smiled faintly, "But my next plan still needs the Crown Prince's help."
The King of Qin's eyes suddenly lit up, and he asked excitedly, "Yu'er, quickly tell me your plan."
"Confirming that Prime Minister Cui has betrayed the party will make it easier for us to enter Chang'an,"
"As long as Cui Mingxiu is labeled a traitor, their entry into Chang'an will be legitimate."
The King of Qin and his son looked on expectantly, asking, "How can we confirm this?"
Ning Shiyu traced the pattern on the tea lid, a ruthless glint in his eyes, and said casually, "Bring the Imperial Uncle out of the palace, and have the Younger Uncle enter Chang'an under the banner of being ordered to suppress the rebellion."
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