Chapter 61 Death (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
When Fu Mingzi returned to the Fu family from the palace, Fu Mingsong and the Duke of Jingguo had already returned.
He went directly to the study of the Duke of Jingguo, where, sure enough, the two of them were waiting for him.
"Big brother, father." Fu Mingzi bowed casually and sat down.
The old man frowned: "Look at the state you're in, you can't even bow properly."
Seeing that things were not going well, Fu Mingsong quickly changed the subject: "Father, let's talk about what happened in the palace today."
The old man glared at Fu Mingsong, thinking to himself, "Isn't this all because you spoiled him?" But he didn't pursue the matter further and continued, "Now that the Fifth Prince has been enfeoffed as the Prince of Jin, and you went out with him for quite a while today, what exactly is the Fifth Prince's plan?"
Fu Mingzi had anticipated that his family would ask this question, so he went to the old man's study as soon as he returned. Therefore, he was not in a hurry when he heard the question, and was even a little happy, because the old man and his elder brother had never cared about Zhou Xiaoyan's affairs before.
“His Highness is a wise man; he understands His Majesty’s meaning perfectly well,” Fu Mingzi said cautiously.
The old man frowned. He could see that the emperor's move was a praising tactic to kill. After all, the emperor had never shown any liking for the fifth prince before. Now, he was suddenly praising him because the second prince had made a mistake, and no one was left to fight against the crown prince.
However, if the Fifth Prince can also see this, then he wouldn't be a bad person after all...
"In that case, you should stay by the Fifth Prince's side and learn from his caution. Don't be so frivolous and aggressive all the time," the old man coughed lightly and continued.
Fu Mingzi chuckled. The fact that the old man said that meant he had already given his approval to the Fifth Prince.
"Yes, I understand," Fu Mingzi replied obediently.
Fu Mingsong watched from the side and sighed inwardly. He had never seen Fu Mingzi so obedient before. Now he saw that she had really grown up.
"However, we must also be careful of His Highness the Crown Prince. He is not a fool. He is only in this situation because he has no other choice. He will come to his senses sooner or later," Fu Mingsong added.
Although the old man meant that the Fu family should not be implicated in this matter, Fu Mingsong still felt sorry for his younger brother and was afraid that he would suffer, so he couldn't help but say something.
Fu Mingzi smiled and said, "I know what I'm doing, so don't worry, brother."
Seeing his confident demeanor, Fu Mingsong couldn't help but shake his head. He wanted to say more, but then he changed his mind and stopped. He thought it was better to let it go. Young people always have to suffer a bit to know what's important. Even if he said more now, it probably wouldn't make any difference.
Seeing that they were all silent, Fu Mingzi said, "Is there anything else? If not, I'll be leaving now."
Fu Mingsong remained silent. The old man thought for a moment and said, "Your eldest sister and your nephew and niece will probably arrive in a few days. You should calm down these next few days and go pick them up with your second brother."
Fu Mingzi was taken aback; time had passed quite quickly, and it had arrived so soon.
"I understand." Fu Mingzi nodded, then, as if remembering something, asked, "By the way, when are Miss Yang and I going to finalize our engagement?"
The old man was stunned. He had never seen him care about this matter so much before. The old man glanced at Fu Mingsong.
Fu Mingsong finally came to his senses and hurriedly asked, "It's been five or six days. What's wrong? Do you have any thoughts?"
Fu Mingsong was also afraid, fearing that he might do something unexpected again.
“Oh…” Fu Mingzi nodded: “It’s nothing, I was just thinking of clearing out some days later.” He gave a perfunctory answer.
Fu Mingsong felt a jolt of unease, sensing that things weren't as simple as they seemed.
"Are you really willing?" he pressed.
"What are you saying, brother?" Fu Mingzi was amused by the question: "Of course I'm willing, otherwise I would have refused long ago, and how could I have tarnished the young lady's reputation?"
Fu Mingsong frowned. Although his younger brother was usually unreliable, he would never do anything to tarnish the girl's reputation. Thinking of this, he felt a little relieved.
"That's good." Fu Mingsong instructed, "Originally, I didn't want you to go, but since you're not opposed to it now, we can go together."
Fu Mingzi nodded generously in agreement, but in her heart she was thinking that it was uncertain whether the final decision would be made at all.
**
Fu Mingzi went back that night and began preparations. Three days later, Li Wei returned to report that the Yang family was going to Huguo Temple to offer incense that afternoon.
Upon hearing this, Fu Mingzi knew that the Yang family's sixth young lady was about to begin.
He changed into a low-key outfit, took the pills he had previously obtained from Zhou Xiaoyan, and left the Duke of Jingguo's mansion with Li Wei.
This time, instead of heading towards the main gate of Huguo Temple, he quietly took a side path up the mountain and, with the help of Li Wei's light-footed skills, scaled over the courtyard wall of Huguo Temple.
Huguo Temple has two different rest areas for worshippers who come to offer incense.
Ordinary pilgrims could only rest in the main hall at the front, while the young ladies and wives of wealthy families had their own private rooms.
Fu Mingzi was quite familiar with Huguo Temple, so after circling around a few times and avoiding the crowds, he finally found a place to accommodate the worshippers.
He glanced around and saw a house with several old women guarding it. He knew that this was where the Yang family was resting.
"Let's wait and see," Fu Mingzi said to Li Wei behind her.
A moment later, a sound was heard from inside, and a soft voice said, "Mother, I feel a little stuffy and want to go for a walk."
"Go over there, and come back soon." The middle-aged woman's voice was somewhat stern.
"Yes." With that voice, the door was pushed open, and sure enough, Miss Yang Liu came out.
She looked paler than when I last saw her in the palace, but her expression was very composed. Behind her was a maid, whom I had seen in the palace before.
"Get out of the way," Fu Mingzi said softly, then led Li Wei aside.
Miss Yang came out of the courtyard and headed straight for the back mountain. Her maid asked, "Miss, what are we going to the back mountain for? It's very desolate now, and the peach blossoms haven't bloomed yet. It's not pretty."
Miss Yang coughed lightly a few times: "Don't ask any more questions, just go."
The maid pursed her lips, not daring to speak.
Walking all the way to the backyard, and going out through a door, we arrived at the back mountain of Huguo Temple. This was originally a peach grove, but now it looked somewhat desolate.
Miss Yang Liu stood under a peach tree, staring blankly at the desolate scenery, her expression sorrowful.
The maidservant beside her was newly hired and therefore unaware of Miss Yang's past. Seeing her mistress so distressed, she couldn't help but ask, "Miss, what's wrong? Is something troubling you?"
Miss Yang smiled sadly: "Who in this world doesn't have sad stories? Xiao Lan, you're still young. You'll understand when you grow up."
Xiaolan tilted her head, somewhat confused.
Fu Mingzi had been following at a distance, and when he saw that no one was around, he immediately revealed a glimpse of himself so that Miss Yang, who was facing him, could see him.
Miss Yang's eyes flashed, and she looked at Xiao Lan, who was looking at her with a puzzled expression, and said, "I see a few wildflowers over there, which have a bit of a wild charm. Go pick some and let me see them."
Xiao Lan was a little confused by Miss Yang's erratic thinking, but she was very obedient and did not refute it. She smiled and said, "Then wait a moment, Miss, I'll be right back."
Miss Yang pursed her lips and hummed in agreement.
Xiao Lan left happily. Seeing that there was no one in the way, Fu Mingzi waved to Li Wei behind her and said, "You go too. Make sure that little maid doesn't come back too early."
Li Wei had by this point more or less understood what Fu Mingzi meant. He gave Fu Mingzi a meaningful look, but in the end, he didn't say anything and turned to leave.
After Li Wei left, Fu Mingzi finally came over and looked at Miss Yang with a complicated expression: "Are you really sure about your decision?"
At this moment, the desolation and sorrow in Miss Yang's eyes had completely disappeared, replaced by a firm resolve: "I've made up my mind."
Since that person died, every extra day she stayed at home was torture. On one side were her blood relatives, and on the other was the person she had loved. She knew she had no right to blame her parents for their cruelty, but that was a living, breathing human life. Just because she loved him, he had paid such a price. She felt she didn't deserve to live as if nothing had happened. She had no choice but to stay at the Yang family home. Every extra day she stayed there felt like she was suffocating.
"I must leave the capital and the Yang family," she said firmly.
Fu Mingzi sighed, "Alright." He took out a pill from his sleeve, "Now I'll give you two choices. One is to take this pill, which will allow you to hold your breath and feign death for twelve hours. Even the imperial physicians in the palace won't be able to detect anything amiss. However, this medicine will damage your body. If you take it, you'll probably be living with medicine from now on. The second is to send you away right now. You choose."
Miss Yang smiled and accepted the medicine without hesitation.
"Although I have chosen to be an unfilial daughter, I will not let my parents disappear without a trace. Besides, if I run away, I'm afraid Xiaolan will not have a good ending either. Young Master Fu, I have already written my will. In fact, if he hadn't told me before he died that I should live well no matter what, I might have gone with him a long time ago. Now that you have given me such an opportunity, I am really grateful to you."
Miss Yang first took out a letter from her sleeve, held it in her hand, then tilted her head back and swallowed the pill.
Fu Mingzi looked at her with a complicated expression, but Miss Yang Liu had a smile on her face.
Until the drug took effect, she finally stiffened and collapsed to the ground.
Fu Mingzi stepped forward and checked her breathing and pulse, which were almost imperceptible. He then took out a packet of arsenic from his sleeve, sprinkled some on her collar and handkerchief, and then slowly left, hiding deep in the peach grove.
After picking the flowers, Xiao Lan happily ran back. Although she tripped and fell several times along the way, she didn't damage a single flower. Xiao Lan thought happily that if her mistress saw this bouquet, she would be a little happier.
She ran back happily, only to find the young lady lying straight on the ground, her face ashen.
"Miss!" Xiao Lan's expression changed instantly. The showerhead fell to the ground, and she stumbled and ran towards her mistress.
At this moment, Li Wei finally returned to Fu Mingzi's side: "Fifth Master."
"She didn't find out you were there, did she?" Fu Mingzi asked expressionlessly.
"No." Li Wei's expression was complicated as he looked at the scene before him, where the little maid was holding her mistress's body and crying very sadly.
"Won't something bad happen?" Li Wei asked for the first time.
"No, it won't happen." Fu Mingzi closed her eyes, her tone somewhat desolate.
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Author's Note: Another chapter rushed out.
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