Chapter 47 proposes to be published on Jinjiang Literature City.
"This servant greets Your Highness the Fifth Prince." The messenger from the Crown Prince's side was a young eunuch, who dared not speak loudly and simply bowed his head.
"What business does Your Highness have with me?" Zhou Xiaoyan didn't even raise his eyes, still looking at the chessboard. Fu Mingzi, on the other hand, looked at the eunuch with great interest, pondering the Crown Prince's intentions this time.
"His Highness the Crown Prince says he has something to share with the Fifth Prince and requests that Your Highness come over for a chat," the young eunuch said cautiously.
"Oh?" Zhou Xiaoyan finally turned his head to the side: "Did you tell me what it is?"
"Well, they didn't mention that." The little eunuch broke out in a cold sweat.
Zhou Xiaoyan tossed the chess piece he was holding into the chess box, making a crisp sound.
"I understand. You may leave now. I'll be there in a bit."
The young eunuch breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, this servant will take his leave." He then nimbly withdrew.
After everyone had finally left, Fu Mingzi finally put away her ambiguous smile: "I have a feeling that His Highness the Crown Prince summoning me at this time is probably not a good thing, but more like a trap."
The Crown Prince had just been humiliated by the Emperor because of the white deer incident, and now instead of staying put, he's gone to Zhou Xiaoyan's house. This doesn't seem quite right.
“It’s certainly not a good thing.” Zhou Xiaoyan stood up. “But even if it’s not a good thing, can I refuse?”
Fu Mingzi didn't say anything and got up as well. Zhou Xiaoyan naturally couldn't refuse. Now he was tied to the Crown Prince. Even if he had other ideas in his heart, he had to keep a straight face.
Zhou Xiaoyan changed into a formal coat for receiving guests before heading towards the Crown Prince's tent with Fu Mingzi.
After being announced, the two entered, only to find the Crown Prince sorting through the furs he had hunted. Upon seeing them, he smiled and rose to greet them: "You've finally arrived! I was just about to ask you what kind of fur you have. I've acquired quite a few good furs this time. If you have any that you like, just let me know."
Zhou Xiaoyan quickly feigned surprise and said, "Big brother, this, this is not right..."
"Alright!" The Crown Prince smiled and pulled Zhou Xiaoyan to sit down. "We're brothers, why are you making such a big deal out of it? What's mine is yours. It's just a little bit of leather. Even if you take it all, I'll still be happy."
Zhou Xiaoyan's face flushed, and he looked somewhat excited.
The Crown Prince pulled Zhou Xiaoyan to sit down, and only then did he seem to notice Fu Mingzi, exclaiming in surprise, "Young Master Fu has also come. I am truly sorry for the neglect. Please have a seat, Young Master Fu."
After saying that, he smiled and glanced at Zhou Xiaoyan: "Fifth brother, you and Young Master Fu have a very good relationship. You're always together."
This was just a casual joke, but for some reason, Zhou Xiaoyan's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously looked at Fu Mingzi.
Fu Mingzi was smiling with her eyes narrowed, just like always, as if she was not affected by this at all.
Zhou Xiaoyan immediately lowered his eyes, a bitter feeling welling up inside him. But in an instant, he suppressed the turmoil in his heart and said gently, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, elder brother." His tone sounded somewhat shy, as if he had really been teased by those words.
The Crown Prince laughed heartily, patted Zhou Xiaoyan on the shoulder, and then looked at Fu Mingzi: "Then Young Master Fu, you must take good care of my fifth brother in the future."
"I dare not." Zhou Xiaoyan hurriedly bowed: "This humble subject will certainly serve Your Highness with all his heart." However, where he serves will depend on his ability.
The crown prince didn't understand the implied meaning of those words and simply smiled and nodded.
“Fifth Brother has made a good friend.” He looked at Zhou Xiaoyan.
Zhou Xiaoyan smiled, his lips pursed, looking somewhat naive.
After catching up on family matters, the Crown Prince finally got down to business. He picked up the memorial on the table as if by accident and sighed, "Now my second brother is under house arrest, and my third brother is useless. I am the only prince serving in the previous dynasty. There are many political affairs to attend to now, and Father is also working hard. Fifth brother, you are almost sixteen years old. It is time for you to take up a post."
Zhou Xiaoyan's hand, which had been hanging by his side, suddenly clenched into a fist. The Crown Prince's intentions were so surprising that he was shocked.
However, he still looked bewildered and murmured, "But I am not married yet, nor have I established my own residence outside the palace. I am afraid I cannot help my father and elder brother."
According to the rules of the Great Wei Dynasty, princes must get married before they can move out of the palace, be granted a title and establish their own residence, and serve in the court. Otherwise, they can only live in the Prince's Residence and continue to be princes in name only.
The Crown Prince smiled and said, "Silly brother, what's so difficult about this? There will be plenty of opportunities to choose a wife later. But serving the Emperor and sharing his burdens is the perfect time now. The Emperor values you so much now, he must be willing. Once you enter the court and have a title, you'll have plenty of noble ladies to choose from." These words were also an implication to Zhou Xiaoyan that only by serving the Emperor could he have a good marriage, a good father-in-law, and a strong backer.
Zhou Xiaoyan blushed at the opportune moment and said shyly, "Really, really?"
Of course it's fake. Zhou Xiaoyan felt a chill in his heart. Putting aside his identity, Consort Wan's temperament meant she couldn't possibly bother to prepare for his wedding. The emperor was even more eager for him to have no powerful backers so that he could be controlled and manipulated.
The Crown Prince is now urging him to step forward only to draw attention to himself and make him back down in front of the Emperor. He has no intention of helping him plan for his future.
"Of course it's true." The Crown Prince patted his chest and assured him, "Would I lie to you, brother?" He then glanced at Fu Mingzi and said, "Does Young Master Fu think what I'm saying makes sense?"
Fu Mingzi was so stunned by the marriage proposals from Zhou Xiaoyan and the Crown Prince that she almost lost her composure when she heard the Crown Prince's question. She barely managed to stay alert.
"What Your Highness says is certainly reasonable." His voice was somewhat dry, and his eyes drooped in a flustered manner, not daring to look at Zhou Xiaoyan at all.
What on earth is he thinking? As a prince, isn't it normal for Zhou Xiaoyan to get married and have children? Does he expect him to stay by his side? Fu Mingzi felt bitter.
Zhou Xiaoyan looked at Fu Mingzi's expression, his gaze deep, and his already clenched fist tightened even more.
"See, even Young Master Fu thinks what I said makes sense." The Crown Prince thought to himself that he was indeed a child and easy to fool, but on the surface he still maintained a generous appearance: "Fifth Brother, you don't need to worry about this matter. Your elder brother will take care of it for you. You just need to wait to leave the palace, open your own office and establish your own residence. Young Master Fu can also be your advisor."
Zhou Xiaoyan lowered his eyes, revealing no emotion, and softly hummed in agreement: "Then I'll leave it to you, brother."
Fu Mingzi's heart sank, and the bitterness deepened. Did he really want to get married?
The Crown Prince was quite pleased. Zhou Xiaoyan's easy-going manner reassured him a lot. Such a person deserved to be a target. In any case, once he ascended the throne, he would give him a leisurely princeship, which would be enough to satisfy his feelings.
The Crown Prince saw Zhou Xiaoyan and Fu Mingzi off with satisfaction. However, the atmosphere between Zhou Xiaoyan and Fu Mingzi was no longer harmonious. The two walked silently towards Zhou Xiaoyan's tent, one after the other.
Fu Mingzi's eyes were glazed over, and his steps were unsteady. He had long known that Zhou Xiaoyan would eventually get married and have children, but he had subconsciously ignored this point before. However, today, he was finally jolted awake.
And for the first time, he finally realized that he was so resistant to marrying Zhou Xiaoyan.
For the first time, he tasted the bitterness of life.
And this feeling is not pleasant at all.
"Mingzi".
A cool voice suddenly entered Fu Mingzi's ears. He subconsciously looked up and saw that Zhou Xiaoyan had already stopped and turned to look at him. The voice that was spoken by Zhou Xiaoyan was Zhou Xiaoyan.
Fu Mingzi was stunned. Ever since he met him, he had always called him Young Master Fu Qing, but had never told him his name.
"What I just said was just to appease the Crown Prince. I will not get married." He looked steadily at Fu Mingzi, his words sincere.
Fu Mingzi's mind went blank for a moment, and he stared at the person in front of him. His usually sharp mind seemed to be covered in rust and he couldn't think straight.
What does he mean by that?
Is it what I think?
Fu Mingzi was in a state of turmoil, and her gaze toward Zhou Xiaoyan grew increasingly serious.
Zhou Xiaoyan looked at his tense face, but suddenly smiled.
In his previous life, this person pursued him relentlessly, yet never made a single request of him. In this life, they meet again, perhaps because heaven wants him to repay the favor he has shown him.
"Don't overthink it, I won't get married." He repeated what he had just said.
"What does Your Highness mean by that?" Fu Mingzi asked in a hoarse voice.
Zhou Xiaoyan turned his head to the side, his face slightly flushed: "Let's go back to the main tent." He didn't want to answer the question directly. Heaven knows, he had used up all his courage to say that he wouldn't get married.
Seeing his awkward expression, Fu Mingzi, who had been determined to get to the bottom of things, suddenly felt relieved and couldn't help but chuckle. This person was so awkward that he really couldn't bear to force him anymore. Besides... besides, wasn't his way of doing this already an answer to his question?
"Then let's go back," Fu Mingzi said softly.
Zhou Xiaoyan finally breathed a sigh of relief, hurriedly turned around, and walked towards his own tent.
Fu Mingzi followed behind him again, unhurriedly, but her mood was completely different from before. She was no longer heavy-hearted, but rather so happy that she felt like she could take off. Even the air seemed to have become much fresher.
So this is what it feels like to be in tune with someone's heart. Fu Mingzi looked at Zhou Xiaoyan's back and suddenly took a few quick steps to pull out the hair tie that had drifted into his collar. The end of the hair tie still carried the warmth of his body. Fu Mingzi felt her breathing quicken.
Zhou Xiaoyan was also startled and stared at him blankly.
Fu Mingzi chuckled softly, straightened his hair ribbon, and said gently, "Your Highness, your hair ribbon is messy."
"I...I understand." Zhou Xiaoyan panicked for a moment, then forcibly suppressed his panic and said seriously, "Thank you."
Fu Mingzi smiled again: "Your Highness, you don't need to thank me anymore." He couldn't help but lean close to Zhou Xiaoyan's ear, opened his mouth as if to say something, but for a moment he couldn't find the words.
“There are too many people here.” Zhou Xiaoyan’s face flushed red, and he nudged Fu Mingzi: “We can talk about it when we get back.”
Looking at him like this, Fu Mingzi found him incredibly cute and chuckled softly. Her warm breath fell on Zhou Xiaoyan's ear, making it even warmer.
"Okay, let's talk about it when we get back." There was a hint of ambiguity in his tone: "Anyway, we have plenty of time."
Zhou Xiaoyan pursed his lips, his ear tips turning bright red.
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Author's note: You all still have plenty of time, but I don't. We've finally reached this point, so I need to take a break. The romance is killing me.
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