Chapter 48 Awkward (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
From that day on, the atmosphere between Zhou Xiaoyan and Fu Mingzi became somewhat strange. They were still as close as before, but there seemed to be something else between them. Sometimes, they would just make eye contact and blush, then immediately look away.
As Zhou Xiaoyan's right-hand man, Wei Baocheng saw this most clearly. He couldn't help but wonder what was going on between Young Master Fu and the Fifth Prince. They seemed a bit strange, like young lovers experiencing their first love.
Unaware that he had already discovered the truth, Wei Baocheng immediately shuddered. "Amitabha," he thought, "what a terrible thing! He really is getting senile."
The three-day spring hunt ended quickly, and the trip was quite fruitful. Not only did they hunt many ferocious beasts, but they also obtained an auspicious white deer.
However, the emperor was not particularly happy. He did not even leave the imperial tent for the next day, only feasting with Consort Luo in the tent. The other concubines who came with him were all just decorations.
Consort Wan even summoned Zhou Xiaoyan because of this matter, hoping he would speak well of her in front of the emperor and gain some favor in return.
Zhou Xiaoyan naturally wouldn't agree to such an absurd suggestion, but Consort Wan was not easy to appease, and it took Zhou Xiaoyan a lot of effort to finally calm her down.
When Zhou Xiaoyan came out of Consort Wan's residence, it was already half dark outside, and Fu Mingzi was still standing not far away waiting for him.
"Your Highness." Fu Mingzi went up to him and asked, "Are you alright?" Fu Mingzi had been waiting outside for so long and was getting a little impatient.
"It's alright." Zhou Xiaoyan looked at his shoulder, which was wet with dew from the tree branches, and pursed his lips. "My mother was a little anxious. It took me a while to calm her down. The palace maid who was sent in has only just entered the palace to serve. I'm afraid she's not ready to be used yet."
Fu Mingzi smiled. He had come with Zhou Xiaoyan and knew that Consort Wan had caused trouble again. He could roughly guess what Consort Wan was anxious about.
"Consort Wan is anxious. What does Wang Chunlai mean by this?" Fu Mingzi asked the key figure.
“Wang Chunlai is shrewd; he won’t get involved in this kind of thing. He came to me because it was his idea for the Empress Dowager. He knows that if he were to persuade her, he would lose her favor. If he were to go to the Emperor’s court to curry favor with the Empress Dowager, he would probably be the first to die without a burial place.” Zhou Xiaoyan had probably opened up to Fu Mingzi, and now he was no longer as cautious in his speech, explaining the matter clearly in one breath.
Fu Mingzi had long known that he was quite good at scheming, so she wasn't surprised. She just smiled and said, "It's fortunate that you're afraid of death. If you had really encountered a fool, you would have been in a difficult situation."
Zhou Xiaoyan sneered: "How could someone who can be personally selected by the Emperor be stupid?"
Fu Mingzi smiled but didn't say anything, only saying, "Your Highness, you should go back. We should return to the capital tomorrow."
Zhou Xiaoyan nodded. He understood what Fu Mingzi meant. Once he returned to the capital tomorrow, the Crown Prince's promise to let him leave the palace would likely be put into action, and then he would have to face much more than what he was facing now.
The two returned to their own tent. Fu Mingzi wanted to linger a little longer, but Wei Baocheng was an honest man and had prepared washing utensils long ago. Fu Mingzi couldn't just stand there and watch Zhou Xiaoyan take a bath, so she had to say goodbye and leave somewhat sullenly.
After leaving the main tent, Fu Mingzi stopped and glanced at Zhou Xiaoyan's figure in the tent. Fu Mingzi couldn't help but sigh.
Since that day when the two had their conversation, although their relationship seemed much closer and Zhou Xiaoyan was no longer as cautious towards him as before, there had been no real progress whatsoever. Fu Mingzi felt that he could shave his head and become a monk now; perhaps even a monk wouldn't be as detached from worldly desires as he was.
But even with a sigh, he wouldn't dare tell Zhou Xiaoyan about his sordid thoughts. He could only wander around for a while before returning to his residence in a depressed mood.
Zhou Xiaoyan waited until Fu Mingzi finally left before he breathed a sigh of relief.
These past few days, he has been trying to figure out how to get along with Fu Mingzi. However, although he has lived two lives, he has never known what love is, let alone how two people in love should get along. So he can only try to lower his guard, talk to him more, look at him more, and show him more concern.
But why is he sighing so repeatedly today? Could it be that he did something wrong?
Zhou Xiaoyan hesitated.
Wei Baocheng noticed that Zhou Xiaoyan was in a bad mood and hurriedly asked, "Your Highness, is something wrong?"
Zhou Xiaoyan hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Have I...have I neglected to take good care of Young Master Fu in any way?"
"Your Highness, what makes you say that?" Wei Baocheng asked in surprise. "In my opinion, you have treated Young Master Fu with all your heart. There is not a single thing you have done wrong. Not to mention Young Master Fu, even I, an outsider, can feel Your Highness's deep affection."
“I see…” Zhou Xiaoyan murmured softly, but why was Fu Mingzi still sighing?
Zhou Xiaoyan's expression became even more complicated.
Looking at Zhou Xiaoyan's expression, Wei Baocheng was momentarily confused. Had he said something wrong? Why did His Highness's expression seem even more unpleasant...?
**
The next day, because they were returning to the capital, everyone from the emperor to his ministers got up very early.
Fu Mingzi, still grumpy from waking up, was dragged out of bed by Xiao Yunzi. When he went to report to Zhou Xiaoyan, he was still yawning and couldn't even open his eyes.
Seeing him like this, Zhou Xiaoyan couldn't help but frown: "You should sleep for another 15 minutes."
With just those words, Xiao Yunzi trembled with fear and fell to her knees with a thud.
“Sleeping an extra fifteen minutes or staying up an extra fifteen minutes makes no difference.” Fu Mingzi hurriedly pleaded for Xiao Yunzi: “It was my laziness that led to this, so it’s not Xiao Yunzi’s fault. Your Highness, please calm down.”
Zhou Xiaoyan glanced at Xiao Yunzi with a cold face. Xiao Yunzi felt a chill run down her spine and her body trembled involuntarily.
"Get up." Zhou Xiaoyan naturally had to give Fu Mingzi face: "Take good care of her in the future."
"Yes." Xiao Yunzi was so frightened that she didn't dare to breathe.
Wei Baocheng glanced at Xiao Yunzi without showing any emotion, thinking to himself that he would still need to give this kid some pointers in the future.
"Your Highness, it's almost time." Wei Baocheng bowed and reported, "You mean..."
Zhou Xiaoyan glanced at Fu Mingzi, who had just finished yawning. When Fu Mingzi saw Zhou Xiaoyan's gaze sweep over her, she quickly waved her hand and said, "I'm fine now. I've regained my senses. Everything is up to Your Highness."
Zhou Xiaoyan knew that there was no time to waste, so he could only nod. In his heart, he couldn't help but blame the emperor for setting the time too early. If it were him in the future, he would definitely not make things so difficult for his subordinates.
Wei Baocheng breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Fu Mingzi with some gratitude. If he had arrived late, not only would the Fifth Prince have said something, but he would have been in serious trouble.
Fu Mingzi was a little confused by Wei Baocheng's gaze, but he didn't think much of it and followed Zhou Xiaoyan out of the tent.
As they emerged, others followed suit, coming out of their tents and heading towards the emperor's tent.
They blended into the crowd silently, but the ministers looked exhausted and had no desire to talk or chat. They walked quietly the whole way.
When they arrived outside the imperial tent, the crown prince had already arrived and was waiting respectfully outside the tent with a solemn expression.
Fu Mingzi's older brother also came, but he didn't look like he had gotten up early at all. He looked very awake and was talking to someone with a furrowed brow.
Fu Mingzi glanced subconsciously at the person talking to Fu Mingsong, but was immediately stunned. It turned out that the person talking to Fu Mingsong was Fu Mingbai. This was the first time he had seen Fu Mingbai since he came here.
Although it was previously said that Fu Mingbo was also responsible for protecting the emperor, Fu Mingzi only found out after arriving that Fu Mingbo was responsible for the security of the outer perimeter of the palace. He couldn't even get close to the emperor, so let alone meet him, he couldn't even send a word. It wasn't until today, when the emperor was leaving, that Fu Mingbo finally had the opportunity to appear before the emperor.
"Your Highness," Fu Mingzi said in a low voice, "My second brother is here. I'd like to go and say hello."
Zhou Xiaoyan nodded: "I'm all set here, you can go ahead, just be careful riding back." Fu Mingzi hadn't slept well today, and he was worried that Fu Mingzi might fall off her horse if she wasn't careful.
Fu Mingzi didn't listen carefully, only nodded vaguely, and then walked towards where the Fu brothers were standing.
Because it was still dark, his little commotion didn't attract much attention, and he walked up to him in just a few steps.
"Eldest brother, second brother." Fu Mingzi cupped his hands in greeting.
Seeing him approach, Fu Mingsong and Fu Mingbai stopped talking. Fu Mingbai frowned as he looked at him: "Look at the state you've become. You're still so undisciplined in front of the Emperor. If someone sees you like this, they will definitely punish you for disrespect."
"Alright, alright," Fu Mingsong quickly tried to smooth things over, "Everyone's tired this early in the morning, not just Fifth Brother."
Fu Mingbo glared at Fu Mingsong with exasperation, thinking to himself that he was the way he was now because of Fu Mingsong's spoiling, but he didn't dare to say it out loud and could only shut his mouth in frustration.
Fu Mingzi chuckled to herself, "Second brother, don't be angry. I'll get serious right away and make sure I don't embarrass the family."
Fu Mingbo glanced at him but didn't say anything.
"Alright." Fu Mingsong quickly changed the subject: "What are you rushing over here for? Don't tell me you came to see your second brother."
Fu Mingzi was abruptly silenced by Fu Mingsong. She smiled awkwardly, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then leaned closer and whispered, "The Crown Prince wants to push the Fifth Prince forward."
Fu Mingsong raised an eyebrow, not too surprised. He had actually expected this. Ever since the White Deer incident, the Crown Prince's every move had been under everyone's watchful eyes, including summoning Zhou Xiaoyan into his tent. It could be said that when Zhou Xiaoyan entered the Crown Prince's tent in full view of everyone, he guessed the Crown Prince's intentions.
“Not too stupid.” Fu Mingsong said this to the Crown Prince: “Then what does the Fifth Prince mean?” he asked.
Fu Mingzi chuckled dryly a few times: "Such a great opportunity, it would be too stupid not to seize it."
Fu Mingsong's expression grew increasingly serious.
If the Fifth Prince had no ambition, he would naturally not dare to get involved in this situation of being pushed aside and used as a target. However, if he knew the dangers behind it and still came out, then he must have great ambitions.
"I see." Fu Mingsong said meaningfully, "So it seems you've already made your decision."
At this moment, Fu Mingzi was completely taken aback by the slightly frivolous smile that he always wore. His gaze turned cold, and his face became somber: "Of course, it's a decision."
"Okay." Fu Mingsong's eyes gleamed brightly, and he replied with only one word, but it carried immense weight.
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