Chapter 13 This dog emperor is utterly wicked! ...
When Fu Mingzi came out of the West Third Palace, he felt a chill run down his spine. He felt that the relationship between Zhou Xiaoyan and Consort Wan was not as simple as he had imagined.
And that Wang Chunlai, he doesn't look like an ordinary person either.
Looking at the sun on the horizon, Fu Mingzi decided to go to the Ministry of War first. He figured they probably hadn't closed up for the day yet, so he needed to go and see what was going on. He still needed to ask his older brother for advice on this matter.
As expected, when Fu Mingzi went to the Ministry of War, none of the sedan chairs outside the ministry hall had moved. Fu Mingzi asked the guards at the gate to go in and report the news, while he stood under the eaves outside the ministry hall and waited.
A moment later, a guard came out and said, "The Minister invites you in." The guard was very respectful.
Fu Mingzi nodded and followed the guard into the Ministry of War.
However, since he was not a member of the Ministry of War, he could not enter the innermost and most important places. The guards only led him to the reception room outside to wait.
Fu Mingzi didn't care about any of that. He just sat in the guest room drinking tea, but he knew in his heart that he was probably going to have to wait a long time today.
As expected, Fu Mingzi waited for half an hour, until he had drunk so much water that he could barely drink any tea, before he heard any noise outside.
Fu Mingzi hurriedly got up, and Fu Mingsong just happened to push the door open and come in.
Today, Fu Mingsong was dressed in a vermilion court robe and an official hat. His brows were slightly furrowed, and he looked very imposing. He was not as approachable as he was at home. Fu Mingzi also paused for a moment before daring to step forward and speak.
"Big brother." Fu Mingzi bowed respectfully.
"Why have you come to the Ministry of War? What's the matter that's so important?" Fu Mingsong said curtly.
Fu Mingzi glanced outside, and Fu Mingsong's eyes flickered slightly as he said in a deep voice, "Changfu is guarding outside. Speak your mind."
Changfu was Fu Mingsong's personal attendant and a servant of the Fu family, making him the most trustworthy person.
“Brother, today Consort Wan summoned the Fifth Prince to speak, and she also wanted me to come and pay my respects. However, the Fifth Prince found an excuse to send me away. You…” Fu Mingzi saw Fu Mingsong’s face darken and dared not say anything more.
"Nonsense!" Fu Mingsong's hands trembled with anger. "This is utterly outrageous! If the censors of the Censorate find out about this, you'll be finished!"
When Fu Mingzi realized that Fu Mingsong had misunderstood, she hurriedly said, "The Consort said that His Majesty has given his permission."
"What?" Fu Mingsong looked surprised and uncertain, but his previous anger had dissipated considerably. After a long while, he finally said thoughtfully, "I know about this matter. The Fifth Prince is quite astute. However, even if His Majesty approves, you shouldn't go. Alright, it's not a big deal. You should go back now."
Fu Mingsong's mood shifted quickly, but Fu Mingzi was completely bewildered. He hurriedly said, "Brother, please tell me, what does this Consort Zhaoyi mean? I can't always be on guard against her when I'm with the Fifth Prince!"
"Why are you being wary of her?" Fu Mingsong sneered. "She's just a fool who's being used. You should remind the Fifth Prince to be honest and keep a low profile." After saying this, Fu Mingsong said no more and left.
"Sigh..." Fu Mingzi was bewildered by his brother's habit of always speaking in half-finished sentences. He raised his hand to stop him, but his brother was walking too fast, and he couldn't stop him. He wanted to call for help, but after all, it was the Ministry of War, and he didn't have the courage. He could only stand by the door and watch the person walk away.
"What's going on..." Fu Mingzi muttered to herself.
However, Fu Mingzi's intelligence was still intact. After standing there for a long time, he finally sorted out his thoughts and couldn't help but curse under his breath.
That wicked emperor is absolutely vicious!
Consort Wan wanted to use him to win over the Fu family, which shows that he was a restless person. However, even if Consort Wan was stupid, she knew that she should not meet with men outside the family casually. But the emperor gave her permission, which gave Consort Wan an excuse, but also put Zhou Xiaoyan in a noose.
Such a thing is against the rules. Even if the emperor approves it, the censor will surely impeach him. Not only will Fu Mingzi be in trouble, but Consort Wan and Zhou Xiaoyan will also be guilty of meeting with men from outside the court and associating with officials from outside the court. At that time, the emperor will only have to bear the blame for negligence, but the three of them will definitely have their reputations tarnished. This will definitely have a great impact on Zhou Xiaoyan, and may even affect his future. Fu Mingzi, on the other hand, doesn't have much of a reputation to begin with, so she doesn't care about this. However, the job of accompanying the emperor is definitely out of the question.
Fu Mingzi finally understood this point, but he was puzzled as to why the emperor did this. Was it to give Consort Wan a warning?
Fu Mingzi didn't quite understand. Even if Consort Wan was restless, Zhou Xiaoyan seemed honest on the surface and had no improper thoughts. The emperor's brilliant move ultimately harmed his own son the most, which was truly perplexing.
However, this matter might be related to palace intrigues. Fu Mingzi couldn't figure it out, so she stopped thinking about it. She would remind Zhou Xiaoyan a little tomorrow. It seems that the emperor has a deep-seated malice towards Zhou Xiaoyan and is not as impartial as he usually appears.
After Fu Mingzi left the Ministry of War, she realized that she hadn't mentioned the Second Prince's matter yet.
Fu Mingzi was so preoccupied with Zhou Xiaoyan's affairs that she completely forgot about this. She was speechless. Oh well, she would deal with it when Fu Mingsong returned in the afternoon. Fu Mingzi didn't plan to go to the Ministry of War again and got into her carriage to go to the Duke's Mansion.
**
In the afternoon, after the Ministry of War closed its offices, Fu Mingzi seized the opportunity to sneak into his elder brother's study. However, he was a little late this time, as his father had already entered.
"What a rare guest." Duke Jingguo looked at his youngest son with a half-smile: "He can't even stay at home normally, but these past few days he's been coming to your elder brother's place quite often."
Fu Mingzi smiled awkwardly. He used to always invite a group of cronies out to have fun. Now that he had a job and Zhou Xiaoyan on his mind, he found his usual absurd behavior rather boring. In the past few days, his cronies had come to him several times, but he had made excuses to turn them down.
"Now that I have a job, I should be more prudent," Fu Mingzi said shamelessly.
Duke Jingguo smiled but didn't expose him: "Alright, what is it that you need to trouble your elder brother with? Just say it." Duke Jingguo said directly.
“It’s nothing else,” Fu Mingzi said hesitantly, “it’s just that the Second Prince seems to be targeting me.”
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Jingguo laughed loudly: "You still dare to say that! Weren't you very proud of your archery and horsemanship before? Did you say that no prince would be jealous of you? How do you feel now? Are you feeling alright?"
Fu Mingzi: "..." Dad, didn't you agree with my point of view back then?
Looking at Fu Mingzi's pitiful state, Fu Mingsong hurriedly said, "His Highness Prince Yan is narrow-minded. No one expected this to happen. However, he is a man of principle and will not go too far."
After saying that, he looked at Fu Mingzi and asked, "How did His Highness target you?"
Fu Mingzi was a little embarrassed and said guiltily, "He wanted to stir up trouble for me by provoking Luo Xing, but Luo Xing was too cowardly, so it didn't work."
Duke Jingguo snorted coldly: "That's all the family education the Marquis of Dingyuan has to offer. They may not amount to much, but they're certainly not too unruly."
Fu Mingzi smiled and said, "It's not that he doesn't want to be mischievous, it's just that he doesn't dare to."
No one knows Luo Xing better than him. No matter what, the two of them have fought all the way up. He knows exactly what Luo Xing is capable of and what he dares not do.
Duke Jingguo didn't say anything more, but instead said, "This can be considered a lesson for you." After hesitating for a moment, he continued, "You should behave yourself these next few days. Someone from the seventh branch of the Yang family has come to the capital and may come to visit you in a few days. You should prepare yourself."
At the mention of this, Fu Mingzi became inexplicably angry: "I won't get married!" He suddenly stood up: "Let whoever agreed to it go on a blind date with them!"
These words made the Duke of Jingguo's face turn bright red: "Nonsense!" The old man's hands were trembling.
Fu Mingsong hurriedly stepped forward to comfort him: "Father, Mingzi is young and often talks nonsense. Please don't take it to heart." After saying that, he glared at Fu Mingzi again: "Hurry up and pour tea for the master!" After saying that, he helped the Duke of Jingguo sit down.
Fu Mingzi remained motionless, only glancing sideways at the two of them with a cold smile.
"Brother, you don't need to play the good cop and bad cop with the master anymore. In short, this trick won't work on me! There is absolutely no way I will marry Miss Yang, so give up!" After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and turned to leave.
This left Fu Mingsong and the Duke of Jingguo standing there, somewhat bewildered.
“The child has grown up, and his true feelings have changed.” Duke Jingguo was the first to come to his senses, but his face was completely devoid of the previous anger, looking very calm.
"Father, why do you insist on arranging a marriage between Mingzi and the Yang family?" Fu Mingsong asked, somewhat puzzled.
Duke Jingguo looked at Fu Mingsong with a somber expression: "Although I forced you to take the path of a civil official, our Duke's mansion is still a noble family. You and your brothers all married into noble families. Now, although you have become the Minister of War, you are like a tree without roots and water without a source. Which of those scholars considers you one of their own?"
At this point, Fu Mingsong's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
The Duke of Jingguo chuckled and continued, "It was fine before. They looked down on us, and we didn't need to curry favor with them. But now..." The Duke of Jingguo's expression turned grave. "The political situation in the court is turbulent and unpredictable. The Duke of Jingguo's mansion may seem stable, but it is just a rootless duckweed. I have to find some help for you."
“But there’s no need to bring up Mingzi’s marriage…” Fu Mingsong hesitated.
The Duke of Jingguo looked out the window with a heavy gaze: "This marriage is not up to us. It was the Yang family's idea to arrange the marriage with Mingzi."
"What? This..." Fu Mingsong was somewhat surprised.
It wasn't that he looked down on his younger brother, but everyone with ears and eyes knew about Fu Mingzi's reputation, so it was absurd that he would still dare to offer his daughter to the family.
Duke Jingguo scoffed: "Who knows what these scholars are thinking? But since he is willing to marry, why shouldn't we marry him? Tell Mingzi that this marriage is a done deal. I'll tie him up and drag him into the bridal chamber."
Fu Mingsong sighed. The old man had already made up his mind, and there was no going back, neither could he.
"Son understands," Fu Mingsong replied, bowing his head.
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