Chapter 28 Relationship (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
Because they needed to prepare for the afternoon polo match, Fu Mingzi and Zhou Xiaoyan went home to change their clothes as soon as they returned to the West Third Institute. After all, they couldn't play polo in a scholar's robe.
However, Zhou Xiaoyan did not agree. Instead, he directly instructed Wei Baocheng to find someone to go to the Fu family to get the clothes.
“Father loves polo. Your trip back and forth has taken up a lot of time. You should rest a bit more so you'll have the energy to play polo this afternoon. If you perform well, it will benefit your future career,” Zhou Xiaoyan advised gently and patiently.
Fu Mingzi paused for a moment, then smiled nonchalantly: "Someone like me, I'd better give up. I offended the Second Prince with archery before, so I'll just have to put up with polo."
Zhou Xiaoyan's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes. However, he suddenly softened and said gently, "Second brother is too busy taking care of himself to have time to bother you."
Upon hearing this, Fu Mingzi became animated: "Could it be that Li Congwen is really one of the Prince of Yan's men?"
Zhou Xiaoyan shook his head, his eyes filled with sarcasm: "Even if they are not his people, if Father Emperor thinks they are, then they can only be."
Fu Mingzi raised an eyebrow, a thought already forming in her mind.
The second prince was brave and valiant, and compared to the weak crown prince, he was actually more favored by the emperor. However, in Fu Mingzi's opinion, this favor was just that—favor. The emperor did not give him more attention than the crown prince. Therefore, even though the second prince had been jumping around for so many years, the only people who could support him were his maternal family.
However, this spring imperial examination was an excellent opportunity, and the Second Prince seemed to have seized it, pushing his own people up. But Li Congwen had a falling out with Lu Ding, so the matter seemed to be shrouded in a shadow. However, if the emperor really believed that Li Congwen was the Second Prince's man, then no matter what others said, it would be useless.
"Does Your Majesty have some dissatisfaction with the Second Prince?" Fu Mingzi asked tentatively.
The Fifth Prince smiled and said, "Father has always been well-versed in the art of balance. If Second Brother wants to stand out, Father will naturally teach him a lesson and instruct him on the principles of filial piety and brotherly love."
Fu Mingzi curled her lips into a smile. This was something only an emperor would do.
"How is Lord Li now?" Realizing that the Fifth Prince knew a great deal about this matter, Fu Mingzi stopped pretending and asked directly.
Zhou Xiaoyan lowered his eyes: "Li Congwen has been ordered by the Emperor to be confined to his quarters until this matter is thoroughly investigated."
He wasn't imprisoned? Fu Mingzi was still somewhat surprised; the emperor was quite lenient with Li Congwen.
Perhaps noticing Fu Mingzi's surprise, Zhou Xiaoyan explained, "Father used to greatly admire Li Congwen's poems, so he should be more lenient with him."
Fu Mingzi suddenly realized that this emperor had indeed been somewhat pretentious in the past.
"I see. I just wonder if Lord Li will be able to escape this time," Fu Mingzi sighed.
Zhou Xiaoyan smiled and said, "It shouldn't be too difficult. Li Congwen has never been a fool."
Fu Mingzi's heart skipped a beat. She glanced at Zhou Xiaoyan. How could he talk about something so outrageous so casually? Did he know something?
Fu Mingzi was immediately discouraged. She thought she was the smartest person in the world, but she never expected to always miscalculate in front of Zhou Xiaoyan. How could this person always be so confident?
Looking at Fu Mingzi's sullen face, Zhou Xiaoyan could roughly guess what he was thinking. He felt a little amused and exasperated. He was only able to anticipate the enemy's moves because he had been given a second chance at life. Of all the people he had met, no one was more intelligent than Fu Mingzi.
Zhou Xiaoyan wanted to say something to comfort him, but when he opened his mouth, he found that he didn't know what to say. Should he say that he was reborn? If he said such a thing, no one would believe him. At this moment, Zhou Xiaoyan realized that he was so clumsy with words that he couldn't even say a few words of comfort.
"Your Highness, I must take my leave now." Fu Mingzi, oblivious to Zhou Xiaoyan's awkwardness, rose to take his leave with a hint of annoyance.
Zhou Xiaoyan bit his lower lip and finally nodded: "Go and rest."
**
That noon, neither Fu Mingzi nor Zhou Xiaoyan slept well; both felt as stupid as pigs.
However, when Fu Mingzi woke up, he had already forgotten his previous struggles and was once again a spirited hero. Zhou Xiaoyan, seeing Fu Mingzi's enthusiastic appearance, breathed a sigh of relief but was also worried. He didn't know whether Fu Mingzi's carefree and always radiant appearance was a good thing or a bad thing. Zhou Xiaoyan's feelings were very complicated.
"Your Highness, I'm not bragging, but my polo skills are unmatched even by my older brothers. Don't let my second brother's military background fool you; he's terrible at polo. When we were kids, my father even had him teach me, and by the time I was ten, I was able to beat him." Fu Mingzi said proudly, suddenly discovering another of his strengths, and his previous frustration vanished instantly.
Seeing his expression, Zhou Xiaoyan's expression softened for a moment: "Fu Qing is indeed remarkable."
Wei Baocheng watched from the side, feeling a toothache. He had never seen His Highness show a kind face to anyone before, so how come he was always so gentle with this young master, especially with such obvious self-praise? Didn't His Highness used to hate this type of person the most? And His Highness's polo... Wei Baocheng dared not think any further.
After being praised by Zhou Xiaoyan, Fu Mingzi was so proud that he felt he was a genius, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and he couldn't suppress his smug smile.
"Your Highness, rest assured, if the two of us are in a group, I will definitely protect you!" Fu Mingzi patted Zhou Xiaoyan's shoulder generously.
Wei Baocheng's eyelids twitched as Fu Mingzi's hand moved.
Zhou Xiaoyan, however, remained gentle and softly said "okay".
Fu Mingzi became even more smug, and Wei Baocheng's lips twitched slightly.
When they arrived at the horse farm, the emperor hadn't arrived yet, but several princes had, especially the second prince, who had probably arrived quite early. He was riding around the horse farm and, seeing Fu Mingzi and Zhou Xiaoyan, waved to them with a smile: "Fifth brother, would you like to try out the horses?"
Zhou Xiaoyan no longer possessed the gentleness he had shown towards Fu Mingzi. His expression was cold, and he gave a respectful yet distant bow: "No, Second Brother, please do as you please."
When the Second Prince heard him decline, he ignored him and turned to Fu Mingzi with a half-smile: "Young Master Fu, would you like to give it a try? Young Master Fu is skilled in archery and horsemanship, and I'm afraid your horsemanship is also quite remarkable?"
Fu Mingzi smiled slightly upon hearing the provocative words: "I'm afraid I'm not as good as His Highness Prince Yan. Please, Your Highness, make your move."
The Second Prince scoffed, flicked his wrist, and the whip cracked, striking the horse heavily, yet seemingly hitting Fu Mingzi's face. The Second Prince's mockery was barely concealed; he gave a forced smile, pulled on the reins, and turned to leave, his demeanor brimming with provocation.
Fu Mingzi watched his departing figure, his eyes filled with coldness. Originally, he didn't want to bother with such a fool, but if he continued to provoke him, things might change.
"Fu Qing, let's go." Just as Fu Mingzi was about to erupt in anger, Zhou Xiaoyan's cold voice suddenly rang in his ears.
Fu Mingzi's anger dissipated almost instantly. He looked at Zhou Xiaoyan, whose cold eyes seemed to hold a hint of comfort, gently touching Fu Mingzi's heart and softening his impulsive anger.
"Okay." Fu Mingzi lowered her head, but was somewhat surprised by her own change. She didn't know when Zhou Xiaoyan had such a great influence on her. A single glance from him could extinguish her anger.
Fu Mingzi couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile. She was really becoming more and more interested in this person…
The princes' seats had been arranged long ago. Fu Mingzi and Zhou Xiaoyan found their seats under the guidance of their attendants. As the fifth prince, Zhou Xiaoyan's viewing stand for the equestrian competition was neither too far nor too close to the emperor's, while Fu Mingzi, as Zhou Xiaoyan's study companion, was naturally seated with him.
The two of them had just sat down when the Fourth Prince arrived, accompanied by the Sixth Prince and the Seventh Prince.
The fourth prince, dressed in riding attire, looked more dashing than when he wore a scholar's robe. However, the gentle expression he made diminished that dashing air.
As for the sixth and seventh princes, they didn't change their clothes at all, and it seemed they had no intention of participating.
Fu Mingzi adjusted the sleeve of his right hand with his left hand a few times and said in a low voice, "It seems that His Majesty is going to reprimand the Sixth Prince and the Seventh Prince again."
The sixth and seventh princes were naturally disliked by the emperor, who was always dissatisfied with them because of this. At first, the two princes were apprehensive, but now they were completely unconcerned and didn't care at all.
“Father should be happy,” Zhou Xiaoyan said calmly.
That's not untrue. The maternal families of the Sixth and Seventh Princes are both top-tier families in the Great Wei Dynasty, with disciples all over the world. The Emperor is most wary of them. If these two are truly both literate and martial, the Emperor will probably be the first to not tolerate them.
As they were talking, the three princes came up as well. When the fourth prince saw Fu Mingzi and Zhou Xiaoyan, his eyes lit up and he said with a smile, "Fifth brother and young master Fu look really good in their riding outfits. They are so dashing and have such a noble bearing. I wonder how many hearts they will capture in the future."
These words were not just a simple compliment. Fu Mingzi was wearing a light purple riding outfit today. Although it was worn out, it fit his figure perfectly, making his waist look slim and his legs long, and his posture tall and straight. The varying shades of purple also made his red lips and white teeth, as well as his handsome features, stand out.
As for Zhou Xiaoyan, he has always been indifferent, but today he was wearing a silver-red riding outfit. The color should have been bright, but he wore it with a coldness. His skin was pale and his eyes were cold. He was slightly more slender than Fu Mingzi, but he also had the sharpness of a young man. He was truly unparalleled in appearance.
"Your Highness is too kind." Although Fu Mingzi was quite pleased with her appearance today, she still needed to be polite on the surface.
Previously, Zhou Xiaoyan had asked someone to fetch his riding clothes, and he specifically ordered this outfit to be fetched, hoping to impress Zhou Xiaoyan. However, he did not expect that Zhou Xiaoyan would remain silent, while Zhou Xiaoheng would praise it highly.
While feeling somewhat disappointed, Fu Mingzi couldn't help but comfort herself. Zhou Xiaoyan was naturally a man of few words, and perhaps he had already been captivated by her dashing figure, but just didn't say it aloud.
As expected, Zhou Xiaoyan glanced at Fu Mingzi after hearing this, but his eyes remained indifferent. He only nodded slightly to Zhou Xiaoheng, saying, "Fourth Imperial Brother Liao Zan." His expression was extremely aloof.
Zhou Xiaoheng's expression faltered, and in the end, it was the Sixth Prince who stepped in to smooth things over: "Fourth Brother, it's getting late, let's take our seats."
The fourth prince forced a smile and nodded. After bidding farewell to the sixth and seventh princes, he couldn't help but frown. He used to be closest to Zhou Xiaoyan, but now he didn't know why, this man had become so distant from him.
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