Chapter 76 is preparing for its first publication on Jinjiang Literature City.
With this thought in mind, Fu Mingzi paid more attention to matters in the palace these past few days.
Zhou Xiaoyan was unaware of his plans, but seeing that Fu Mingzi cared about matters in the palace, he specially arranged for someone to keep an eye on the selection process. He assumed that Fu Mingzi was concerned about the future of the Mu family's daughter.
On this day, Zhou Xiaoyan went to the palace to pay his respects to the emperor, and Fu Mingzi, for some reason, actually followed him.
“I’ll go take a look too. I heard the first round of the talent show is over. My niece did quite well, but her family is very worried about her these past few days.”
Hearing Fu Mingzi's words, Zhou Xiaoyan nodded: "It would be good to go and take a look."
Fu Mingzi pursed her lips and didn't say anything. She just followed Zhou Xiaoyan into the carriage and they headed towards the palace.
After they entered the palace gates, Zhou Xiaoyan went straight to the Taiji Hall, but pointed Wei Baocheng, who was serving beside him, to Fu Mingzi: "You go and follow Young Master Fu. Young Master Fu is probably not familiar with the places in the palace, so you don't have to go the wrong way and waste time."
Wei Baocheng smiled and said, "Don't worry, this servant will certainly serve Young Master Fu well."
Ever since he learned about the relationship between Fu Mingzi and Zhou Xiaoyan, Wei Baocheng's attitude towards Fu Mingzi has become increasingly enthusiastic, almost treating him like a second master.
Zhou Xiaoyan knew Wei Baocheng's temperament, so he was at ease. He only said to Fu Mingzi, "Then I'll go see Father Emperor first. Be careful."
Fu Mingzi smiled and said, "Go ahead. With Eunuch Wei with you, what could possibly happen to me?"
Zhou Xiaoyan nodded, turned and left.
After watching Zhou Xiaoyan's figure disappear around the corner, Fu Mingzi turned to Wei Baocheng and asked, "Eunuch Wei, I wonder where the newly selected ladies-in-waiting are staying?"
Wei Baocheng smiled and said, "Of course they live in Chuxiu Palace. All three courtyards are full. I inquired beforehand and found that the two young ladies of the Mu family live in the middle courtyard."
"Then I'll trouble Eunuch Wei to lead the way," Fu Mingzi said politely.
Although Wei Baocheng treated him with respect, Fu Mingzi did not dare to show any disrespect in front of Wei Baocheng.
Wei Baocheng didn't say anything, but just smiled and led the way.
Chuxiu Palace is located at the junction of the front hall and the rear palace. Soon they arrived near Chuxiu Palace. Fu Mingzi stopped and nodded to Wei Baocheng: "As an outsider, I cannot go there. I would like to trouble Eunuch Wei to go and help me look after my two nieces, especially the younger one. My elder sister spoils her terribly."
Upon hearing this, Wei Baocheng immediately understood the main point and nodded, "Then please wait a moment, Young Master Fu, I'll be right back."
Wei Baocheng turned and headed towards Chuxiu Palace. When he reached the entrance, the guards all looked surprised to see him. One of them immediately came over to fawn over him, saying, "What brings Eunuch Wei here?"
Wei Baocheng smiled and looked very amiable: "This is Young Master Fu, who serves His Highness. He has a niece who has also entered this selection, so he sent me to take a look."
The two eunuchs guarding the gate immediately understood and hurriedly greeted Wei Baocheng with smiles, saying, "Please come in, sir. The young masters are resting inside."
Wei Baocheng smiled and followed him into Chuxiu Palace.
Fu Mingzi waited outside Chuxiu Palace for a long time before Wei Baocheng finally came out. Wei Baocheng looked alright, but he was holding a purse in his hand.
She walked right up to Fu Mingzi before bowing respectfully and saying, "Young Master, both Miss Mu are well. The second Miss looks rosy-cheeked and hasn't suffered any mistreatment. She even asked this old servant to send her regards to you. This purse was a gift from the second Miss."
Fu Mingzi glanced at it and smiled, "She's just a child, she doesn't have anything valuable. You can keep it for fun."
"This servant wouldn't dare," Wei Baocheng said with a smile. "I'm overjoyed to receive such a gift from the Second Miss." As he spoke, he stuffed the purse into his sleeve. Even if the contents weren't worth much, he still had to give Young Master Fu face.
Fu Mingzi was very satisfied with Wei Baocheng's attitude, and her expression softened considerably: "Do the two of them live in the same room?"
Wei Baocheng nodded: "The two Miss Mus and the Miss Xia are staying together."
Fu Mingzi pinched his fingertips. He didn't think it was a coincidence at all. Xia Zezhen had said that they should look out for each other, but he hadn't responded. The fact that the three of them could live together must mean that someone had arranged it behind the scenes.
"How is that Miss Xia?" Fu Mingzi asked.
Wei Baocheng was stunned for a moment, but only for a moment. He regained his composure and said in a deep voice, "Miss Xia looks very gentle. When I went in, Miss Xia even got up to greet me. However, I was busy greeting the two Miss Mus and neglected Miss Xia."
Wei Baocheng's words were brilliant, and Fu Mingzi understood his meaning: the girl from the Xia family wanted to curry favor with Wei Baocheng, but he ignored her.
While it's often said that daughters of noble families are refined and dignified, that's not always the case.
"In that case, he's quite an ambitious person," Fu Mingzi murmured to herself.
Wei Baocheng nodded.
Fu Mingzi smiled and said, "If that's the case, then it's easy to handle."
After saying that, he looked at Wei Baocheng and asked, "When is the second round of the draft?"
In the second round, apart from the few who were retained, the remaining women were to be chosen by the princes. At that time, the princes would be summoned to the palace to meet these women.
“Three days later,” Wei Baocheng replied with certainty.
Fu Mingzi nodded: "I understand, let's go now."
Three days later, he will have enough time to make some arrangements.
Fu Mingzi returned to the carriage at the palace gate to wait, and Zhou Xiaoyan did not return until a quarter of an hour later.
However, when he returned this time, his steps seemed a bit slow, as if his legs were not quite right.
"What's wrong with you?" Fu Mingzi was startled and hurriedly got out of the car to help him.
Zhou Xiaoyan waved his hand: "It's nothing, I just knelt for a little longer. Get in the car first."
Fu Mingzi pursed her lips, her dark eyes brimming with anger, but she ultimately did not disobey Zhou Xiaoyan's wishes and got into the carriage.
Once they were seated in the carriage, Fu Mingzi massaged Zhou Xiaoyan's knees while asking in a low voice, "What exactly happened?"
Zhou Xiaoyan hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell the truth: "The Crown Prince came to talk to me about the Princess Consort again. I hesitated for a while and finally agreed to it. Today, I went to the palace and told my father about it. As a result, my father was furious, rebuked me, said that I was not ambitious, and punished me by making me kneel for two quarters of an hour."
Fu Mingzi's anger grew stronger as he listened: "The father and son are fighting each other from afar, using you as a tool to push and pull you around, but now they're showing you no mercy at all."
Zhou Xiaoyan sighed: "Don't you understand my situation?"
Fu Mingzi pursed her lips, her eyes filled with coldness: "I will never let you suffer the same pain you have today again."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiaoyan chuckled and said, "Hearing you say that, my leg doesn't hurt anymore."
Fu Mingzi was amused by his words: "You're so easygoing."
Zhou Xiaoyan stared at him intently: "With you here, I always feel at ease."
Fu Mingzi's heart softened, and she couldn't say a word. She just stepped forward and hugged Zhou Xiaoyan.
A silent, tender moment fell between the two.
After a long while, Fu Mingzi finally released Zhou Xiaoyan and said in a deep voice, "I have an idea and would like to hear your opinion."
Zhou Xiaoyan was startled and looked up at Fu Mingzi: "Is there a problem?"
If it were just a casual opinion, Fu Mingzi wouldn't speak in this tone.
Fu Mingzi shook her head, considered it for a moment, and then revealed her plan against the Fourth Prince.
After he finished speaking, he stared intently at Zhou Xiaoyan's expression. Zhou Xiaoyan did not resist at all, but instead nodded: "I think this plan is good. It can distract Zhou Xiaoheng. With trouble brewing at home, he will probably have to reconsider."
Fu Mingzi smiled and said, "I'm glad you're willing. I was worried you'd think this plan was sneaky."
"Warfare is based on deception. Although I enjoy reading, I am not a bookworm." Zhou Xiaoyan glared at Fu Mingzi.
Fu Mingzi smiled, but in her heart she felt that Zhou Xiaoyan suited her in every way.
Now that they had decided on this plan, they discussed the talent show three days later and came up with a basic plan. As for how to implement it, they would have to be flexible and adaptable, since some things cannot be done without a plan.
Three days later, Fu Mingzi followed Zhou Xiaoyan into the palace. On their way to the Empress Dowager's Shou Kang Palace, they happened to meet the Crown Prince who was coming from the East Palace.
Zhou Xiaoyan paused slightly, but Fu Mingzi's face turned cold.
Zhou Xiaoyan stepped forward and bowed, looking somewhat ashamed: "Brother, Mingzi is incompetent. I failed to persuade Father to agree and was even punished by him."
The Crown Prince smiled broadly: "I was in a difficult position before. It's not your fault. Father has other plans for you. I originally thought that my cousin is a gentle and virtuous woman, a perfect match for you. But if Father has better plans, I cannot overstep my bounds."
Upon hearing these forgiving words, Zhou Xiaoyan was filled with gratitude: "Thank you for your understanding, elder brother."
For a time, the two brothers became friendly and respectful to each other.
The two walked hand in hand toward Shou Kang Palace, chatting about this and that along the way. But Fu Mingzi could tell that the Crown Prince was deliberately steer the conversation toward her, occasionally mentioning his second brother. Fu Mingzi understood; it seemed the Crown Prince already knew about the changes at Yuntai Camp.
However, because of what happened before, the Crown Prince would not be allowed to succeed easily. He had been pretending to be ignorant until the Crown Prince made his words quite obvious. Then he said with some difficulty, "This humble subject does not know about the Yuntai matter. My second brother has never mentioned it to me. However, my second brother has been coming back frequently these past few days. It seems that there is some event going on. I do not know the specifics."
Fu Mingzi felt that she had already reminded him to this extent. If the Crown Prince still didn't understand, then he shouldn't be the Crown Prince.
Sure enough, the Crown Prince's expression tightened slightly, and his eyes showed a momentary ugliness, but then he smiled and said, "I see. I thought something had happened. Let's go, the Empress Dowager must have been waiting for a long time. Let's go in quickly." After saying that, he took the lead and entered Shou Kang Palace.
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