Chapter 63 Warmth (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
"What did Father Emperor say?" Zhou Xiaoyan asked in a deep voice.
Wei Baocheng wiped the sweat from his forehead: "I heard from that little eunuch that His Majesty immediately refused, saying that there was no suitable candidate for His Highness in this selection, and that a better one would be chosen in the next selection."
Zhou Xiaoyan sneered. It was exactly the same as in his previous life.
However, he wouldn't be as foolish as he was in his previous life. In his previous life, he genuinely believed that his father was doing it for his own good, but now he understood that the reason the emperor didn't arrange a marriage for him so quickly was to keep him hanging on, so that even though he was made a prince, his title would be illegitimate and he wouldn't be able to be won over by the crown prince or other princes. He would only be able to live according to his own wishes and depend on the emperor's favor.
"I understand." Zhou Xiaoyan's heart was in turmoil, but his face remained calm.
Unlike Zhou Xiaoyan, Wei Baocheng was not as calm and couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, if His Majesty doesn't arrange a marriage for you, then... how will the affairs of the inner quarters of the Prince's residence be handled in the future?"
Zhou Xiaoyan glanced at Wei Baocheng: "Aren't you here? Can't you even handle such a small matter?"
"This servant dares not!" Wei Baocheng hurriedly bowed.
Zhou Xiaoyan pursed his lips, paused slightly, and said, "Don't let Young Master Fu know about this."
"Huh?" Wei Baocheng was taken aback and looked at Zhou Xiaoyan.
Zhou Xiaoyan looked somewhat embarrassed and coughed lightly to cover it up: "Don't let him know that the Crown Prince is going to arrange a marriage for me."
"Oh, oh." Wei Baocheng hurriedly replied, but his heart was filled with shock. His Highness actually cared so much about Young Master Fu? He wouldn't even let him say something like this; what would happen if they got married later…?
Wei Baocheng dared not think too deeply about it, feeling that if he continued to think about it, the consequences would be unbearable for him.
"Go down." Zhou Xiaoyan waved his hand.
Wei Baocheng retreated cautiously, feeling a sense of relief. He had thought that reporting this would incur His Highness's wrath, but he hadn't expected to get away with it so easily.
"Godfather!" Just as Wei Baocheng was about to leave, a little eunuch rushed over: "Young Master Fu is here."
Wei Baocheng paused, just as he was about to go in to report, when Zhou Xiaoyan's voice came from inside: "Let him in."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fu Mingzi walked in from outside, looking travel-worn, but his eyes were shining brightly.
He went straight into the main room and saw Zhou Xiaoyan get up to greet him. He smiled and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, I'm late."
Zhou Xiaoyan shook his head: "It's not late, it's even earlier than usual. You..." He paused, then glanced at Wei Baocheng standing by the door.
Wei Baocheng was taken aback and hurriedly left the house, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.
"I see you're still wearing yesterday's clothes, did something happen?" Zhou Xiaoyan asked after the surroundings quieted down.
Fu Mingzi smiled and said, "I just dealt with the Yang family last night, Your Highness, don't worry." As he said this, he had an eager look on his face, as if he was waiting for Zhou Xiaoyan to praise him.
Zhou Xiaoyan's heart softened, and his tone became gentler: "It's fine as long as it's done." After saying that, he thought of his own affairs. Although the emperor had not agreed, he couldn't help feeling a little guilty.
"Is Miss Yang alright?" Zhou Xiaoyan asked, a somewhat unnecessary question.
Fu Mingzi didn't notice, thinking he was just worried that he hadn't done a good job, and said with a smile, "The arrangements are excellent, but I'm afraid she may have harmed her health by using that medicine. She'll need to take good care of herself in the future."
Zhou Xiaoyan frowned. He thought that taking medicine was a last resort, but he didn't expect Miss Yang to choose this path.
“Miss Yang is still young, she will recover in time, so you don’t need to feel too guilty.” Zhou Xiaoyan, who knew Fu Mingzi quite well, quickly reassured her.
Fu Mingzi sighed: "That's the only way to think about it."
After saying this, the two fell silent. Fu Mingzi had calmed down from her initial excitement and was now much more composed, while Zhou Xiaoyan, who was already feeling guilty, was even more at a loss for words.
After a moment, Fu Mingzi finally said, "My eldest sister is coming. Two girls from our family have come to the talent show. I wonder where she will be chosen."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiaoyan immediately frowned.
Fu Mingzi had been observing her expression. Seeing her reaction, she thought to herself, "As expected." It seemed that Zhou Xiaoyan did indeed know something about the future, otherwise he wouldn't have changed color upon hearing about his elder sister's two daughters.
After all, daughters of the Duke of Qian's family usually marry on their own after posting notices, and most of them marry local chieftains in Yun'an. They have absolutely no connection with princes like Zhou Xiaoyan.
Zhou Xiaoyan's change in expression indicates that he must know that these two women from the Mu family are involved in matters in the capital.
"Are both of your eldest sister's daughters legitimate daughters?" Zhou Xiaoyan, unaware of Fu Mingzi's inner thoughts, could only cautiously probe.
Fu Mingzi smiled and said, "No, one is the legitimate daughter and the other is the illegitimate daughter. The illegitimate daughter is older and is already seventeen years old. In fact, she was almost too old to be eligible for this year's selection."
Zhou Xiaoyan pursed his lips: "Things in the capital are in chaos right now. I think since you're already so old, you should apply for a vacancy instead of participating in the imperial concubine selection. After all, no one knows what Father Emperor is thinking. The Duke of Qian's affairs are very important, and I'm afraid Father Emperor might do something irrational."
Fu Mingzi was now completely certain that Zhou Xiaoyan knew, but he still pretended not to know: "Your Highness is overthinking it. After all, it is a matter of Yun'an. What can His Majesty do even if he is confused? If the border is unstable, I'm afraid His Majesty will also have a headache."
Zhou Xiaoyan was a little anxious and grabbed Fu Mingzi's hand: "You can't think like that. My fourth brother and I are both grown up now and have reached the age to get married. Father Emperor dotes on my fourth brother so much that he might want to give him a helping hand. I heard that the Duke of Qian is very fond of a concubine, and I think Father Emperor knows about it. Now that such a concubine favored by the Duke of Qian has a daughter, I'm afraid that Father Emperor might really take reckless action for the sake of my fourth brother."
Fu Mingzi looked down at Zhou Xiaoyan's hand gripping her arm, smiled gently, raised her hand to cover his hand, pulled him into her arms, and hugged him tightly.
"Don't worry, I understand." Fu Mingzi whispered in Zhou Xiaoyan's ear.
Seeing the tips of his ears turn red quickly, Fu Mingzi couldn't help but kiss them gently again: "Why are you still so shy?" he murmured, biting his earlobe.
"No, don't..." Zhou Xiaoyan was so ashamed and indignant that his earlobes were red and bleeding. He could barely speak and gently pushed Fu Mingzi's waist.
Fu Mingzi couldn't help but chuckle again, a low laugh that even made her chest vibrate slightly.
"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore." Fu Mingzi made a gesture of surrender and released Zhou Xiaoyan's waist.
"Your Highness, you just said that you and the Fourth Prince are both of marriageable age. Since the Emperor might have some ideas about the Fourth Prince, what about you?" Fu Mingzi asked slowly, looking at Zhou Xiaoyan, whose face was flushed and who was bowing his head to straighten his clothes.
Zhou Xiaoyan's hand, which was adjusting his clothes, suddenly stopped, and the color in his face, which had been flushed, instantly faded.
"You..." He bit his lower lip, "You guessed it?"
Fu Mingzi felt a lump in her throat, but she smiled calmly and said, "I can guess some of it, but since Your Highness has said so, it proves that I guessed correctly."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiaoyan knew that Fu Mingzi had just been testing him, and he couldn't help but feel annoyed. Why did he become so stupid whenever he met him?
"The Crown Prince only said one thing, but Father Emperor rejected it." He sneered at this point: "Father Emperor will not give me the opportunity to build up my own power base or be won over by others. I am nothing more than Fourth Brother's whetstone. How can a whetstone be worthy of escaping his control?"
Seeing him like this, Fu Mingzi's initial dissatisfaction was immediately replaced by heartache.
"Don't think like that." Fu Mingzi stepped forward and gently hugged him. "His Majesty's eyesight is poor, and he can't recognize real gold. Why should you suffer for him? Now that you have me, I will protect you and help you."
Hearing this, Zhou Xiaoyan felt a pang of tenderness in his heart. He subconsciously grabbed Fu Mingzi's collar and looked up at him, saying, "Then you must never leave me in the future. You must never abandon me no matter what."
Fu Mingzi looked into Zhou Xiaoyan's burning gaze and was captivated by the determination in his eyes. After a moment of stunned silence, she nodded and said, "I promise you."
Zhou Xiaoyan pursed his lips, and a hint of emotion finally appeared on his usually cold face: "Fine, this is what you promised me, so even if I die, I will never let you leave."
Fu Mingzi was amused by his words: "What are you talking about, life and death? Is Your Highness perhaps possessed?"
Zhou Xiaoyan remained silent, but only he knew that every word he spoke came from the bottom of his heart.
Looking back on his last days in his previous life, although he did go out to see the world and its scenery and people as Fu Mingzi had suggested, he lived like a walking corpse every day. Only when he died did he feel finally free.
Finally, I can leave. Finally, I can go find him. He had a smile on his lips even as he died.
Now he doesn't want to live like that anymore. Even if he experiences the joys and sorrows of the world, he wants to experience them with him. Even if it means going to the deepest hell, he would be willing to do it.
Fu Mingzi didn't understand Zhou Xiaoyan's emotions. She smiled and fixed Zhou Xiaoyan's hair crown and clothes herself, then patted him on the shoulder: "Let's go, hurry up and go to class, otherwise you'll be late again and the Ninth Prince might scold you again. Anyway, today is probably your last day in the study."
Zhou Xiaoyan concealed his emotions, lowered his eyes slightly, and nodded: "Let's go."
Starting tomorrow, he will no longer need to study in the Imperial Study; he will begin working in the Ministry of Revenue, just like in his previous life.
However, unlike his previous life, his residence in this life is no longer the former prince's residence, which appeared to have a large area but was remote and desolate. Instead, it has been replaced by a residence in a good location with beautiful and exquisite decorations.
This mansion originally belonged to a regent minister during the reign of the late emperor. After that regent minister retired, the mansion, which was bestowed by the emperor, was left vacant until it was granted to him again.
When Zhou Xiaoyan received this news, he was quite surprised, because he remembered that this mansion was later bestowed upon the Ninth Prince by his father. Although the Ninth Prince was not the prince he truly loved, he had pretended to favor him for so many years. His mother had also died, so this mansion became the emperor's compensation for his guilt towards the Ninth Prince.
Zhou Xiaoyan still feels a chill when he thinks about these things now. The emperor is truly ruthless and terrifying, yet he insists on putting on a show of deep affection, which is disgusting.
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