Chapter 49 Returning Home (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
After that one word, Fu Mingsong and Fu Mingzi didn't say anything more. Even Fu Mingbai just glanced at his two brothers with a complicated expression, but ultimately remained silent.
Fu Mingzi had a faint smile on her lips, as if she had expected Fu Mingsong to do so.
Afterwards, the emperor finally emerged from the imperial tent, with Consort Luo by his side.
The Emperor looked better today than yesterday, and Consort Luo was all smiles, showing no stage fright in front of so many officials, unlike before.
"It's about time, let's set off." The emperor glanced at the crown prince, his tone somber.
"Let's go!" Zhao Defu announced loudly.
As the imperial carriage proceeded, these officials also rode horses and sat in sedan chairs, making a grand procession as they returned to the capital.
The three Fu brothers barely spoke during the journey. Fu Mingbai escorted the person to the outskirts of the capital and was about to leave when he gave Fu Mingzi a deep look before leaving and said in a low voice, "Fifth brother, you have finally grown up."
Fu Mingzi chuckled softly: "Everyone grows up eventually."
Fu Mingbo didn't speak, but gently shook his head and turned to leave.
Once Fu Mingbo and his elite cavalry had disappeared from sight, Fu Mingsong suddenly spoke up: "You should know what kind of person your second brother is."
Fu Mingzi smiled and said, "Doesn't my older brother know too?"
As she spoke, Fu Mingzi turned to look at Fu Mingsong: "No matter what kind of person Second Brother is, he is still a member of the Fu family. Eldest Brother is so shrewd, yet he still allows me to bring up the Fifth Prince in front of Second Brother. What are Eldest Brother thinking?"
Looking at his younger brother, whom he had raised single-handedly, Fu Mingsong suddenly smiled: "You've really grown up."
Fu Mingzi's face darkened at this moment: "Of course you have to grow up, otherwise how will you survive in this world? You can't rely on your family for your whole life."
Fu Mingsong chuckled and sighed, "I can never win an argument with you. If you like it, just do it. But you should know that your family can offer you very little support."
Fu Mingzi lowered her eyes, a smile still playing on her lips: "Of course I know."
From the very first day he decided to help Zhou Xiaoyan, he never intended to drag the Fu family down with him. He could risk his own future and ambitions, but he couldn't tie the Fu family to a chariot with an uncertain future. If Zhou Xiaoyan failed, he would be the one to die with Zhou Xiaoyan, not the entire Fu family. But if Zhou Xiaoyan succeeded, it would not only be his achievement, but also the glory of the entire Fu family.
He was fully aware of this, and he did so willingly.
Seeing Fu Mingzi's expression, Fu Mingsong knew that he had already realized this, so he said no more and turned to walk towards the city gate, a deep smile appearing on his lips.
As expected, it worked. He had schemed and plotted to push him out of the luxurious world of the Duke of Jingguo’s mansion and into the most powerful place in the world. Wasn’t this all for today?
He knew what kind of person his younger brother was: unconventional yet ambitious. However, as the youngest son, he knew he had little chance of advancement at home, so he numbed himself with alcohol and women.
Fu Mingsong had raised him and doted on him, so how could he bear to see him like this? Therefore, he personally advised the Duke of Jingguo that the wolf cub could not be kept at home. The wolf cub needed to fight on the battlefield and see blood. Only in this way could he live up to his fierce reputation.
He knew that the Duke of Jingguo would definitely agree to his request, because the Fu family was not a warm and affectionate family to begin with. Every one of them, even the most honest one, had an arrogant streak etched into their bones. The Fu family would never consider living a cowardly life as an option.
Therefore, when he heard Fu Mingzi's seemingly perilous decision, he felt only relief and not the slightest resistance.
Fu Mingzi watched Fu Mingsong leave, then kicked his horse's flank and followed.
The two brothers walked at the very end of the procession, one in front of the other, looking rather desolate.
After traveling all the way to the outside of the imperial city, the emperor's carriage finally came to a stop.
"You officials have all had a long day; go back and rest," the emperor's warm and gentle decree rang out from his carriage.
Fu Mingzi, along with the other ministers, expressed his gratitude and accepted the imperial decree, but after standing up, he glanced in Zhou Xiaoyan's direction.
Zhou Xiaoyan happened to look over at that moment. He was taken aback for a moment, then nodded imperceptibly. Fu Mingzi smiled, knowing that he told her not to worry and to go back first, so she didn't say anything more and followed Fu Mingsong back to the Fu family.
**
Although he made an appearance on this trip, he was indeed exhausted. As soon as he returned to the Fu family, before he could even go to the backyard to report that he was safe, he collapsed onto the bed and slept soundly until almost afternoon when Songyan shook him awake.
"Fifth Master, you've been sleeping for several hours now. Are you feeling alright? Are you hungry?" Songyan looked at him with concern. "The First Madam has sent people to check on you several times. She heard you were still asleep and was very worried."
Having served him for so long, Songyan knew he would definitely get angry after being woken up, so she decided to take the initiative and rambled on incoherently. However, after finishing, she felt a little uneasy and couldn't help but observe Fu Mingzi's expression.
However, Fu Mingzi had slept for a long time today, so she wasn't too irritable. She just sat on the bed for a moment and then came to her senses: "I am a little hungry. Go and get something for me. Also, send someone to tell the Madam that I am fine and I will go over to pay my respects to her in a little while."
"Yes, Your servant obeys." Songyan breathed a sigh of relief.
After getting dressed and washing up, Fu Mingzi ate something haphazardly and then headed to the backyard with great enthusiasm. She hadn't seen Wen Shi for several days and did miss her.
When he arrived at the Wen family's courtyard, he found it very lively. His eldest nephew, Fu Zechen, and his family were all there, as was his elder brother, Fu Mingsong. Upon hearing that he had arrived, most of the people in the house stood up and greeted him.
Fu Mingzi waved his hand in a serious manner: "Please sit down, family doesn't need to be so polite." After saying that, he walked up to Fu Mingsong and Madam Wen, cupped his hands in greeting: "Elder brother, elder sister-in-law."
Fu Mingsong nodded: "You look much better, but sleeping for so long isn't good for your health. You can't do that again."
Fu Mingzi nodded with a grin.
Madam Wen looked worried: "You look much thinner and have slept for so long. Perhaps we should ask a doctor to come in and take a look tomorrow."
"Don't make a fuss over nothing." Fu Mingsong shook his head. "It's no big deal, it's nothing."
Fu Mingzi added, "I haven't lost weight, I've gotten stronger. Back in Yuntai, the Fifth Prince and I hunted a lot of things on horseback. He even rewarded me with a lot of furs. I'll take them all over later and make some clothes for my sister-in-law."
Upon hearing this, Madam Wen's face immediately lit up with a smile: "Why would I covet this little bit of your stuff? I'll save it for you and use it as a bride price when you get married."
When the topic of getting married came up, Fu Mingzi couldn't help but feel a little guilty and chuckled awkwardly, "These things are nothing, there's no need to keep them."
Wen glared at him: "You really don't know the cost of firewood and rice when you're not in charge of the household. You've got quite the big mouth. Once you're married, someone will take care of you."
With Wen constantly suggesting marriage, Fu Mingzi's legs had long since gone weak.
Fu Yunjia noticed her great-uncle's awkwardness and knew that the marriage was probably doomed to fail, and her grandmother would likely be disappointed. So she quickly changed the subject: "Grandmother, you just said that some of my great-aunts' cousins are coming to stay with me. I wonder which courtyards they are in?"
These words immediately drew Wen's attention: "You're right, I don't really know what young ladies like these days, so I'll have to ask Chen's wife for help." After saying that, she looked at Xu, who was sitting next to Fu Zechen.
Madam Xu smiled and pursed her lips: "Mother has many worries, so it is my blessing to be able to help her."
"What a smooth talker," Ms. Wen said with a smile.
Fu Mingzi glanced at Madam Xu. He hadn't had much contact with this niece-in-law before, but today, when he suddenly encountered her, he remembered something else.
"I heard that His Majesty intends to have the second son of Marquis Wu'an marry a princess." This was something she heard from Zhou Xiaoyan. However, in Fu Mingzi's opinion, the eldest princess was indeed not a good match, and she wondered how the Xu family of Marquis Wu'an would react.
Upon hearing this, Madam Xu's smile froze instantly, then returned in a flash. She kept her eyes lowered, looking very submissive: "I don't know where Fifth Uncle got this information, but I am already engaged and I'm afraid I don't have the good fortune to be with him."
The tone was soft and gentle, but the meaning was crystal clear. Fu Mingzi understood that it seemed Marquis Wu'an was also unwilling to get involved in the conflict between the Empress and the Crown Prince.
"I see." Fu Mingzi sighed in a pretentious manner, "That's a pity. I met the eldest princess once in the palace before. She has a straightforward personality and is also filial to the Empress." A straightforward personality is commonly known as being domineering and arrogant. Being filial to the Empress will inevitably lead to conflict with the Crown Prince.
Xu was a smart woman, and she naturally understood Fu Mingzi's implied meaning, and her face turned pale.
Fu Zechen frowned and glanced at Fu Mingzi, seemingly blaming him for frightening his wife, then turned to comfort Xu Shi: "Perhaps Fifth Uncle misheard. The princess's descent is not that simple."
Xu forced a smile, but her expression still carried a hint of awkwardness.
Fu Mingzi had no interest in scaring women, so she echoed Fu Zechen's words for a few moments and then let the matter drop.
Madam Wen sat upright in the main seat. After they finished talking, she acted as if nothing had happened and then talked to Madam Xu about the arrangements for Fu Mingzhu after she returned to the mansion.
Fu Mingzi wasn't very interested in this and listened half-heartedly, but his eyes accidentally fell on Fu Yunjia, who was sitting next to Wen Shi. The little girl looked at him with a hesitant expression.
Fu Mingzi felt a surge of interest, and the doubts she had previously had about this grandniece resurfaced. She decided she had to ask to put her mind at ease.
Fu Yunjia seemed to have noticed Fu Mingzi's gaze, and hurriedly lowered her head to avoid it, her hands tightly gripping the handkerchief, almost tearing it to shreds.
Fu Mingzi lowered his eyes, a faint smile appearing on his lips. This grandniece seemed terrified of him; it was quite amusing.
After Wen finished speaking with Xu, the place where Fu Mingzhu and the others would stay was settled. Wen was very satisfied and even praised Xu a few times.
Xu forced a smile, but her eyes darted around, as if she was still thinking about what Fu Mingzi had just said.
Fu Mingzi smiled and said gently, "Sister-in-law, Jia'er is quite composed. She's so young, yet she didn't utter a single complaint while listening to you talk about these things. She's really not like a child."
These words sounded ordinary, but to Fu Yunjia, they only made her ears ring.
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