Chapter 423: Playing Hard to Get
Zhan Yunfu was brought into the imperial study with a sullen face.
If it were usual, Fu Zhonghai would immediately put aside his government affairs and coax her.
But today is different.
Fu Zhonghai, contrary to his usual behavior, did not humble himself to please her as he had done before, but instead buried his head in reviewing memorials.
From time to time, ministers or personal guards would come in to report important matters from various departments and hand over memorials submitted by various departments, asking His Majesty the Emperor to make the decision.
Fu Zhonghai didn't ask her to retreat, and his face showed no emotion, and he handled the situation efficiently and calmly.
He dealt with the matter that came to his door in a few words and continued to review memorials.
Lu Daban was also unusually quiet today, tiptoeing to bring Fu Zhonghai warm tea, a small portion of cut fruit snacks, and a peeled lollipop...
Zhan Yunfu had no tea or snacks today, not even a chair.
She stood at the bottom and stayed there for nearly an hour.
Zhan Yunfu's dissatisfaction gradually subsided, and uneasiness began to emerge.
Does he really want to admonish himself?
She finally realized that Fu Zhonghai in front of her was the emperor, the Son of Heaven of Tianwu Kingdom.
He is dealing with national affairs.
Behind the Ao family army is the game between the Tianwu Kingdom, the Tianlang Kingdom and the Nangan Kingdom.
That is also a national event.
He had clearly resigned as the head coach of the Ao Family Army, but he tried to sneak into the Ao Family Army...
To put it mildly, he was worried that his son could not bear the burden of being the marshal of the Ao family army.
To put it more seriously, it is meddling in military affairs without authorization, refusing to obey the imperial court's orders, and interfering in state affairs...
It’s enough to confiscate the property and exterminate the entire family.
Sweat began to run down her back.
I just floated away.
To do such an uncalm thing...
When did it start floating?
Did it start with the emperor personally leading the army to fight for you?
Or did it start with the emperor's daily flattery and subservience?
I am just a widow, how can I defy the imperial power? !
She closed her eyes and slapped herself hard a few times in her heart.
When she opened her eyes again, she had hidden all her emotions and returned to being the reclusive Lady of Ningyuan.
Fu Zhonghai was indeed intentionally leaving her out.
The "gift" Fu Chenan gave him this time suddenly made him realize that he had become arrogant.
After becoming the emperor, he thought he could make up for the regrets in his heart and win the beauty.
I made her lose her composure, but it was my fault.
This is the result of my own indulgence...
After he finished reviewing two stacks of memorials that were a foot high, he looked up at Zhan Yunfu.
Seeing Zhan Yunfu standing upright with her eyes lowered, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
I still can't bear to let go...
"Sister, do you know why I asked you to enter the palace?"
Zhan Yunfu knelt down steadily: "It was the Zhan family who usurped the throne and went to the Ao family army without permission. This crime is unforgivable. Your Majesty, please punish us."
Although the tone was calm, it still contained resentment.
Fu Zhonghai sighed: "Sister, do you know that if you go to the Ao Family Army, on the surface, the Ao Family Army will have a backbone, but what will the actual impact be?"
Zhan Yunfu had never thought about it before, but when she was ignored and punished to stand just now, she had already figured it out.
"Marquis Ningyuan's prestige is gone, and the handover of the Ao family army's seal has failed."
Fu Zhonghai nodded: "Since you know your mistake, please get up first."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
If it were usual, Zhan Yunfu would have knelt down deliberately and begged for punishment out of resentment, but this time she stood up immediately.
But she still stood below with her head down, looking respectful.
Wrong is wrong.
Let people scold us, we will take the responsibility for our actions.
Fu Zhonghai asked Lu Daban to sit on the chair and served him tea and snacks, as if everything had returned to the way it was before.
But Zhan Yunfu no longer dared to be as unrestrained as before. After thanking him, she sat on the edge of the bed with her buttocks straight.
Fu Zhonghai didn't care. He waved his hand to let Lu Daban leave, and then he spoke his thoughts in a deep voice.
"I like my sister, and she will know it."
"If I were not the ruler of a country and did not have these millions of people on my shoulders, I would be willing to give up everything and live in anonymity with my sister."
"But sister, you have seen what kind of court this is these days when you were in and out of the palace. What a mess the previous dynasty left behind..."
"People's livelihood is in decline, and the people are starving and cold... Now that I have taken this position, I need to shoulder the responsibility on my shoulders. I can't just be filled with love..."
Zhan Yunfu naturally knew.
The fire in the capital burned down so many houses. How many people had to leave the capital with their children?
To say that people’s livelihood is in decline is an understatement.
There were secret passages everywhere in the palace, and the Crown Princess was even carried away.
Emperor Tianwu was furious, and he tore down the walls to patch up the holes. How many secret passages did he find?
She was horrified when she knew part of the situation!
How can this be an impregnable palace?
This is a sieve!
The palace is not safe at all. The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess fled to another time and space, but Fu Zhonghai could not run away...
It's really not easy for him.
She glanced at Fu Zhonghai with pity in her eyes that she herself was not aware of.
When Fu Zhonghai said this, he felt sad.
"There are not many people in the palace who can be trusted, and before, I almost killed my grandchildren..."
"There is no maid or nanny left in the palace now. I have sent them all away."
"Even the eunuchs were mostly placed in unimportant places."
"Except for the Crown Princess and the four maids you sent, this palace has completely become a den of rats."
"Don't be afraid of being laughed at by my sister. The prince knows that I can't get my sister and he is unwilling to appoint another queen or concubine. He sent me a gift..."
Fu Zhonghai didn't want to show it to Zhan Yunfu, so he thought about it and gave a brief explanation.
"Just like the horns used by women in brothels, the prince found something for men there, and I will use it to relieve my pain..."
Zhan Yunfu understood!
She couldn't hide her shock and glanced at Fu Zhonghai.
As the emperor of a country, what kind of woman could he not want?
But he would rather use something like that than find a woman?
She was somewhat touched, but also felt strange—she couldn't be touched.
Zhan Yunfu didn't respond, and Fu Zhonghai continued to chatter.
"In my lifetime, I have two sons, two grandsons and one granddaughter..."
"If you want to stay chaste, I won't force you..."
"It's just that this is a matter of state, sister needs to be sensible."
"If you have any concerns, you can always come to me for consultation, but don't act on your own."
"My people sent news from the Ao family army that Chun'er is a better marshal than you think. If there is any news, I will let someone inform you."
"Don't worry too much and do stupid things."
Zhan Yunfu suppressed the mixed feelings in her heart, knelt down and kowtowed respectfully: "Yes."
After being hit with a stick, it's time to speak softly.
Fu Zhonghai stepped forward and helped Zhan Yunfu up.
The big hand held the wrist, the heat was transferred, and both of them stared at the place of contact in a daze.
The person is right in front of me, but now it seems like there are thousands of mountains and rivers between us.
Fu Zhonghai sighed from above his head, and then he let go of his hand.
Zhan Yunfu's heart suddenly ached, as if she had lost something important.
"Thank you, Your Majesty! I, Zhan, will go home and reflect on my actions..."
She suppressed the strangeness in her heart, said goodbye and left.
The moment she walked out of the imperial study, she turned her head to look at Fu Zhonghai, and just happened to see Lu Daban placing a new pile of tall memorial papers on Fu Zhonghai's dragon desk.
Fu Zhonghai sat at the top, first picked up a lollipop and put it in his mouth, then picked up a folded book.
She didn’t know if it was a psychological effect, but Zhan Yunfu always felt that his figure exuded desolation and loneliness.
I am alone, that's what it is.
When the footsteps faded away, Lu Daban replied softly: "Your Majesty, Madam Zhan has left the palace."
Fu Zhonghai dropped the letter in his hand and looked at Lu Daban: "Do you think this will work?"
Lu Daban bowed respectfully, speaking in a conservative and cautious tone: "After what happened today, Madam Zhan should not dare to sneak into the Ao family army again."
As for whether this "playing hard to get" method will be useful for the two of them to succeed?
God knows.
He is just a eunuch and has no experience.
(End of this chapter)
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