Chapter 6: Has the matter concerning my father and brothers' Yang family been settled?
When Fu Mingzi arrived at the door of the Duke of Jingguo's study, the Duke of Jingguo was sitting behind his desk drinking tea. Although his hair and beard were white, his face still had an imposing presence that made people dare not act rashly.
Fu Mingsong, the heir apparent of the Duke of Jingguo, sat on a chair to the side, his brows furrowed.
"Father!" Fu Mingzi called out.
Duke Jingguo raised his eyes and said, "Come in and sit down."
Fu Mingzi pursed her lips, entered the room, and sat down next to Fu Mingsong.
"You've come here because of matters in the palace, haven't you?" Duke Jingguo didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point.
Fu Mingzi nodded.
Seeing his reaction, the Duke of Jingguo smiled and said, "You've made some progress by coming to me for advice."
Fu Mingzi scoffed, "Does the emperor really think everyone else is a fool? This method is too crude."
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Jingguo's expression turned stern: "Shut up! How dare you say such a thing?"
Fu Mingzi was somewhat indignant and wanted to argue, but the Duke of Jingguo interrupted him: "In the past, I never took your reckless behavior seriously, because it never caused any major trouble. What I fear most is that you rely on your little bit of cleverness and look down on others. In the entire capital, who is not better than you, a mere child? Yet, have you ever seen anyone say such things?"
After saying that, seeing Fu Mingzi's expression change slightly, he continued, "You don't need to say that you wouldn't say this to outsiders. A gentleman is cautious even when he is alone. You can't talk about this kind of thing anywhere. If you don't have any self-control, you will die without a burial place if you accidentally let it slip one day."
Fu Mingzi was somewhat disheartened and felt extremely awkward.
Seeing his expression, the Duke of Jingguo changed his tone and gently comforted him: "You've already made progress by being able to consult with me now. This is a good thing. His Majesty has many children, so one more won't make a difference. Besides, it's not even clear whether it's a boy or a girl yet, so any scheming will be in vain. Just serve the Fifth Prince well and don't worry about anything else."
Fu Mingzi nodded listlessly; he had already guessed the Duke of Jing's attitude.
Seeing his younger brother like this, Fu Mingsong felt a pang of heartache and quickly said, "I saw Commander Yang today and he told me that you won first place in archery and horsemanship. You have truly improved."
Fu Mingzi became excited again when she mentioned this: "That's right. I think all the princes are just so-so in riding and archery. None of them are my match. But I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince is skilled in archery and horsemanship. I wonder when I will be able to see him."
Seeing him like this, Fu Mingsong shook his head with a smile: "You can never shake off your smugness. The princes are all modest and dare not compete, but you have no scruples at all."
"What could I possibly have to worry about? I'm not a prince, and the throne isn't going to me anyway. Even if I'm the bravest warrior in the army, His Majesty and the princes will only praise me." Fu Mingzi raised his chin.
“You’ve really figured this out.” Duke Jingguo nodded slightly. “You’re not doing anything right in your studies, so you should work on riding and archery. Otherwise, you’ll be left without a place to settle down in the future. I wonder how you’ll find a wife.”
The mere mention of getting married gave Fu Mingzi a headache: "Alright, alright, why talk about such unfounded things? I'm leaving now." Fu Mingzi hurriedly got up and left, almost as if she were fleeing in panic.
Duke Jingguo watched his retreating figure and shook his head helplessly.
Fu Mingsong, however, composed himself slightly: "Has the matter concerning the Yang family been settled?"
Duke Jingguo was taken aback, then nodded: "It'll be soon. This kid is ridiculously absurd; we need to find someone to keep him in check."
Fu Mingsong smiled gently: "Although Fifth Brother seems absurd, he is very methodical in his actions. With his intelligence, if he puts his mind to it, he will have a bright future."
The Duke of Jingguo's expression softened: "I only hope that he will use this intelligence for the right thing."
**
Fu Mingzi was unaware that his father had already arranged a marriage for him. He was still thinking about the handsome fifth prince in the palace. When he gave his grandniece a gift, he couldn't help but think that he should bring him something when he went to the palace the next day.
The thought of it made him feel a little itchy.
Master Fu, naturally, didn't consider anything else when he wanted to do something. He immediately ordered Songyan to bring his treasure chest and began to search it inside and out.
The treasure chest was mostly filled with things that others had given him in the past, and those were the ones he liked. As for the things he didn't like, he had long since thrown them away.
Another small portion consisted of items he had acquired himself from outside. Although he was a playboy, he had a keen eye for quality, and anything he took a liking to was certainly not ordinary.
However, after searching inside and out several times, he still couldn't find one that suited his taste.
Songyan, watching anxiously from the side, couldn't help but ask, "Fifth Master, what are you looking for? This servant will help you find it."
Fu Mingzi shook her head in dissatisfaction: "It's nothing, what kind of junk is this? Not a single one of them is worthy of my attention."
Song Yan's heart skipped a beat, and she forced a smile: "These are the best things you've had in your treasury over the past few years."
Fu Mingzi was somewhat irritated. Song Yan was right; any one of these items would be quite valuable, but now, thinking of Zhou Xiaoyan, he felt that none of them were worthy of him.
It's really strange. I don't usually have this problem. Whether it's giving gifts to others or rewarding a beautiful woman while listening to music, it's always done casually and I've never paid much attention to it. Why am I being so meticulous this time?
Fu Mingzi shook her head, and looking down, she saw the thumb ring on her thumb. For some reason, her heart skipped a beat, and she absentmindedly took it off.
He had worn this thumb ring since he was a child. When he was young and his fingers were thin, he strung it with a red thread and wore it around his neck. Later, when he got older, he started wearing it on his hand and had basically never taken it off. It was left to him by his mother before she passed away. She said that it would bring good fortune at Huguo Temple and ensure his safety, so he had always cherished it.
Give this to Zhou Xiaoyan so he can wear it on his hand every day...
Thinking of this, Fu Mingzi felt his blood boil and turned to look at Song Yan.
"Go find me a box, I need to put something in it."
"Huh?" Songyan was taken aback: "You found it?"
Fu Mingzi remained silent, only smiling as she looked at the ring on her hand.
Songyan looked over as well, then shuddered: "You're going to give this away?" Songyan asked doubtfully.
Fu Mingzi smiled but remained silent, while Song Yan immediately became anxious: "This was left for you by the old lady, how could you..."
"Stop talking nonsense. I told you to go find him, so hurry up and go." Fu Mingzi was too lazy to explain, but he couldn't help thinking to himself that he had really gone mad. How could he dare to give this to him? However, Fu Mingzi was a bold person. Even if he felt it was inappropriate, as long as he was willing, no one could stop him.
With a bitter face, Song Yan brought in an exquisite sandalwood box from the storeroom. Fu Mingzi looked at it from left to right and was still not satisfied, but thinking that it was just a box, she accepted it anyway. She carefully put the thumb ring inside and couldn't help but feel a little happy.
Hmm, I wonder what he'll do when he sees my intentions?
Oh dear, I hope he won't be so moved that he'll offer himself to me on the spot. Wouldn't that be too awkward? He's a prince, after all. If the emperor finds out that he's seducing his son, he'll probably beat him to a pulp.
Fu Mingzi felt increasingly pleased with herself and almost burst out laughing.
Looking at their young master's silly expression, Songyan's face grew increasingly bitter. What kind of deity had managed to bewitch their young master's soul? If this person came from some unclean place, he was probably in real trouble. It would be strange if the master didn't break his legs.
**
Early the next morning, Fu Mingzi, carrying a basket of books and with gifts for Zhou Xiaoyan in his arms, happily entered the palace gate. This time, he did not go directly to the Imperial Study, but instead turned and went to Zhou Xiaoyan's West Third Chamber.
When he arrived, Zhou Xiaoyan had just finished his meal. When he saw him come in, the cold expression on his face softened slightly: "Have you eaten?"
Fu Mingzi was taken aback, not expecting Zhou Xiaoyan to care about this. This nobleman was quite approachable.
"Of course I've eaten, Your Highness. Yesterday when I returned to my residence, I saw a little trinket that I found interesting, so I thought I'd give it to you. Do you like it?" Fu Mingzi didn't think there was anything wrong with his actions and openly took out a wooden box from his pocket and handed it over.
Zhou Xiaoyan was taken aback, and his gaze toward the wooden box suddenly became deep and unfathomable.
Even though he was prepared for what he had experienced before, he couldn't help but feel emotional at this moment. When he encountered this scene in his previous life, he was immediately furious and ashamed, thinking that the man had filthy thoughts about him and was trying to please and humiliate him with these worthless things. He was disgusted and left without even looking at it, throwing the box on the ground.
But now...
Zhou Xiaoyan suddenly smiled. It was a very faint smile, just a slight curve of his lips, but on his face, it was like a spring breeze and rain, melting away all the frost on his face, making Fu Mingzi stare blankly.
Zhou Xiaoyan took the item from Fu Mingzi's hand: "If it can interest Fu Qing, it must be a good item." He opened the wooden box, and there was a bright green thumb ring neatly placed there.
Zhou Xiaoyan's eyes narrowed. He hadn't noticed it before, but now that he looked at it, he remembered it. He had seen this thing before, but it was before he died in his previous life.
When the new emperor ascended the throne, he was given poisoned wine on charges of plotting against the late emperor. Fu Mingzi came to announce the decree, but before he could finish speaking, he was about to drink the wine. When Fu Mingzi snatched the cup of poisoned wine from his hand, he was wearing this thumb ring. However, at that time, the thumb ring was inlaid with silver. When Fu Mingzi snatched the wine, a drop of wine fell on the repaired part of the thumb ring, and the intricately patterned silver instantly turned black.
Thinking of this, Zhou Xiaoyan closed his eyes to calm the turmoil in his heart.
He finally understood why Fu Mingzi, despite his immense power, still wore a worn-out thumb ring. This thumb ring must have held great significance for him. He had happily wanted to give it to him, but he had broken it himself.
"What does Your Highness think?" Seeing Zhou Xiaoyan's changing expression, Fu Mingzi felt somewhat uneasy.
Zhou Xiaoyan looked at him with a complicated expression: "I saw that Fu Qing always carries this ring with him, so it must be extremely important. How can I take what someone else loves?"
Fu Mingzi was stunned when he heard this. He didn't expect the Fifth Prince to be so observant. However, he reacted quickly and immediately laughed loudly: "What is this? This thing is just an inanimate object. The most important thing is the sentiment it carries. I have long buried the sentiment of the person who gave me this thing deep in my heart. Now I am offering it to Your Highness. If Your Highness likes it, it will not have been in vain."
Zhou Xiaoyan was taken aback by his words and felt his mind was in turmoil. He stared at him for a moment before finally putting the ring away.
"In that case, thank you very much, Young Master Fu." He said in a calm tone.
Although he seemed calm, Fu Mingzi always felt that he was hiding something. However, he couldn't see through his thoughts, so he could only give up. But he was also a little eager to try because he accepted the gift.
However, Zhou Xiaoyan seemed preoccupied after this incident, and remained silent all the way to the study with him.
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