Chapter 73 Handle (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
Fu Mingzi watched Fu Mingsong's retreating figure, a faint smile on her face, before finally turning and heading towards her own courtyard.
The next morning, Fu Mingzi went to the Prince of Jin's residence. When he arrived, Zhou Xiaoyan had just finished breakfast and was somewhat surprised to see him: "Why did you come so early today?"
Fu Mingzi smiled and said, "I didn't come here casually this time; I came with a mission."
"A mission?" Zhou Xiaoyan looked at him with some curiosity, and handed him the freshly brewed tea beside him. "What mission?" he asked, puzzled.
Fu Mingzi took the tea, took a small sip, and then got down to business: "It's because our old man said that if you have time, you can come and sit at our house."
As he said this, his eyes were fixed on Zhou Xiaoyan's expression with a half-smile, as he wanted to see if Zhou Xiaoyan could understand the meaning of his words.
As expected, Zhou Xiaoyan did not disappoint him and immediately understood the meaning behind Fu Mingzi's words. He asked with some surprise, "Why did the Duke of Jingguo suddenly..." He did not finish his sentence, but they both understood what he meant.
When Fu Mingzi mentioned this, his face darkened: "Speaking of this matter, it is quite troublesome. I suspect that the emperor has long been in cahoots with the Duke of Qian. My elder sister discovered that her illegitimate daughter seemed to have known all along that she could marry into a high-ranking family."
Zhou Xiaoyan was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized what was happening.
He had actually guessed about this in his previous life, but it was just a guess. In the end, the emperor didn't tell him anything. Instead, Fu Mingzi returned from Yun'an and tried to talk to him several times, but he refused each time. At that time, his pride was greatly hurt by Fu Mingzi's previous words, and he didn't want to have any connection with him anymore.
Looking back now, this might be what Fu Mingzi wanted to say back then; otherwise, she wouldn't have come to him again after saying such harsh words to him.
Zhou Xiaoyan bit his lower lip and said in a low voice, "I understand." His tone was somewhat bitter.
Fu Mingzi didn't notice his reaction and continued, "If that's the case, then it's quite dangerous. The Emperor and the Duke of Qian are colluding, and our situation is becoming increasingly perilous."
However, Zhou Xiaoyan appeared very calm and said lightly, "I was prepared for this, so you don't need to worry."
Fu Mingzi was genuinely surprised this time, and looked at Zhou Xiaoyan with some shock.
Zhou Xiaoyan didn't dare look at Fu Mingzi's face. Was he going to tell him that he knew the Duke of Qian's illegitimate son was not his biological son, but the product of his concubine's affair?
If Fu Mingzi asked him where he found out, he would be even more at a loss for words.
Thinking of this, Zhou Xiaoyan became even more determined and simply said, "Don't ask anymore. I've already made preparations for this matter and won't let the Duke of Qian affect the grand plan."
Zhou Xiaoyan's plan is to keep Fu Mingzi in line for now, and then cover it up with another excuse after the matter is exposed.
However, Fu Mingzi was not someone who could be easily fooled. She still frowned and looked at Zhou Xiaoyan: "Do you have anyone in Yun'an?"
Fu Mingzi could not have imagined any other reason why he was able to prepare for the Duke of Qian's actions so early, except that he had an inside accomplice in Yun'an.
Zhou Xiaoyan almost collapsed. He only had a few people he could use right now, so how could he possibly arrange for someone in Yun'an? However, in order not to expose himself in front of Fu Mingzi, he forced himself to stay calm and said, "I did send people to Yun'an to investigate before, and now I have some news. Don't worry, the Duke of Qian is no problem."
Once the Duke of Qian learns that the illegitimate son is not his biological son, then none of this will be a problem. He will have no choice but to hand over the title to Mu Zhenyun.
Upon hearing this, Fu Mingzi's heart sank. In fact, his question was a trap. He knew very well what Zhou Xiaoyan was capable of now. If Zhou Xiaoyan denied having connections in Yun'an, he would naturally have to explain to him what he knew. If Zhou Xiaoyan admitted it, it would be even simpler.
He was lying, and it was a very clumsy lie. As for why, Fu Mingzi felt there was only one reason: in his dream, he learned some of the Duke of Qian's secrets, so he believed he could control the Duke of Qian.
Fu Mingzi frowned; he was not optimistic about Zhou Xiaoyan's idea.
"Your Highness, please tell me what the news is. Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep well tonight," Fu Mingzi said, feigning concern.
Zhou Xiaoyan thought for a moment. Since he had already lied about sending someone to Yun'an, this source of information was enough to cover up the lie, so there was no harm in telling him.
"The people I sent have reported that the concubine of the Duke of Qian has close ties with the guards around him, and the background of that illegitimate son is also somewhat unclear. However, we will probably have to investigate further." Zhou Xiaoyan spoke cautiously, not daring to make any definitive statements, even though he knew it was completely certain information.
Fu Mingzi was shocked, not so much because her brother-in-law was being cuckolded, but because she was shocked by the concubine's audacity.
The Duke of Qian almost broke ties with the Duke of Jing's mansion because of her, yet she actually committed adultery right under his nose. This man truly has some guts.
"Is what Your Highness said true?" Even though Fu Mingzi knew that Zhou Xiaoyan was mostly telling the truth, she couldn't help but ask.
Seeing Fu Mingzi's surprised expression, Zhou Xiaoyan nodded: "It's most likely true."
Fu Mingzi's mind was in turmoil. This matter was too big; he had to go back and talk to his older sister about it.
“If it’s true, then there’s more room for maneuver in this matter. I’ll go back and discuss it with my family first, and I’ll let you know if I have any news.” Fu Mingzi looked at Zhou Xiaoyan: “Until then, please don’t do anything you shouldn’t do, okay?”
Fu Mingzi's eyes were pleading, and Zhou Xiaoyan couldn't possibly refuse, so he quickly nodded: "I understand."
Fu Mingzi smiled, then stepped forward and patted his head: "Your Highness, things are very complicated right now. You are in the middle of a whirlpool, so you must be careful with your words and actions. In the future, no matter what it is, you must discuss it with me before making a decision. You must believe that I will never betray you."
Fu Mingzi said this because she was afraid that Zhou Xiaoyan would misuse what she had gained from her dream, and if something went wrong, it would be too late to regret it.
Zhou Xiaoyan felt a pang of tenderness at Fu Mingzi's words and nodded obediently, "I understand." Then he tilted his head and said, "Then you can't hide anything from me."
In his previous life, Fu Mingzi secretly died in his place, which left a deep shadow on him, so he kept emphasizing this point in this life.
Fu Mingzi nodded with a slight smile: "I understand, don't worry."
She was still just a child, and she was always a little insecure, Fu Mingzi thought to herself.
After seeing Zhou Xiaoyan off to court in his sedan chair, Fu Mingzi hurriedly returned to the Fu family. When he arrived, the old master was still practicing Tai Chi in the front yard. When he saw him rushing back, his eyelids twitched.
"You don't have something to tell me again, do you?" It's no wonder the old man was so sensitive; the last incident had left a deep impression on him.
Fu Mingzi smiled and said, "Master is indeed wise. There is something I need to tell you, but I also need to mention my eldest sister."
The old man groaned inwardly, wondering what news he had found out this time. His old bones really couldn't take any more of this.
However, the old man still had a sense of the big picture. He immediately sent someone to the backyard to deliver a message, while he and Fu Mingzi went to the study in the front yard.
Fu Mingzhu arrived very quickly. It could be said that Fu Mingzi had just sat down with the old man when Fu Mingzhu came in, panting heavily, indicating that she had rushed over.
"What happened?" Fu Mingzhu asked hurriedly.
This is not her fault. Previously, Fu Mingzi always spoke to her alone. Now that the old man is involved, things seem a bit complicated.
Fu Mingzi smiled and reassured Fu Mingzhu: "Don't worry, eldest sister, have some water first. What I'm about to say isn't a bad thing."
Fu Mingzhu's brow relaxed, as if she had breathed a sigh of relief.
She waved her hand, dismissing the servants behind her, and then sat down in the chair opposite Fu Mingzi. She picked up her tea and took a sip, finally calming herself down.
Once Fu Mingzhu had calmed down, Fu Mingzi finally got down to business, recounting the findings of Zhou Xiaoyan's investigation in a more detailed and thorough manner.
"His Highness noticed His Majesty's different attitude towards Yun'an before, so he asked his uncle to find a few well-regarded servants from clean families who were easy to control and sent them to Yun'an. While making contact with the Duke of Qian, they also inquired about information and that's how they discovered some clues."
At this point, Fu Mingzi paused and looked at Fu Mingzhu.
Fu Mingzhu showed no surprise at all; instead, she wore a cold smile.
"Good, good, good. Mu Yuanshu has finally met his end, which is the best I can do to vent my anger. I've praised that bitch so highly, and now she's been humiliated by her. I'd like to see how she reacts when she finds out."
Fu Mingzi was puzzled. He had originally wanted to check if there were any mistakes in his statement and whether Fu Mingzhu would notice them. However, he did not expect that Fu Mingzhu hated the Duke of Qian so much that she had no interest in the source of his information.
Thinking of this, Fu Mingzi looked at the old Duke. Although the old Duke had a displeased expression, he looked relatively calm at the moment, stroking his beard as if he was thinking about something.
"My lord, what do you suggest we do?" Fu Mingzi couldn't tell what the old Duke was thinking, so she had no choice but to ask him.
The old Duke raised his eyes and gave Fu Mingzi a half-smile: "If you had told me about this yesterday, our family wouldn't have been forced into this situation, and we wouldn't have had to rely on the Fifth Prince so quickly."
Fu Mingzi was stunned to learn that this was what the old Duke was thinking. He had never thought of this before. However, Zhou Xiaoyan probably did not expect that the Duke of Qian and the Emperor had long been in cahoots. Otherwise, he would have told him about this long ago. But this was a lucky accident. In any case, even if the Duke of Qian lost the basis for cooperation with the Emperor, the Emperor's fear of the Duke of Jing's mansion was still real.
If the old Duke does not want the Jingguo Duke's Mansion to be suppressed by the royal family from now on, he must support a prince who is close to the Jingguo Duke's Mansion.
Having figured this out, Fu Mingzi showed no remorse whatsoever: "Your Highness only just learned about the long-standing collusion between His Majesty and the Duke of Qian's mansion, which is why he told me this news. If he had known earlier, he certainly wouldn't have kept it from me. Besides, the Duke of Jing's mansion will make its choice sooner or later. Haven't you seen through it yet, Master?"
Duke Jing pursed his lips, not answering, and turned to Fu Mingzhu: "That makes things easier. Find someone to investigate this matter carefully, and once you have a handle on it, let Duke Qian know. Then you and your son will be safe."
Fu Mingzhu nodded: "I understand, don't worry."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
