Chapter 8: What did you think of?
Because of the accident, their morning literature class ended very early. Duan Shijiang seemed to have been drained of his energy and spirit, and he had almost no mood to teach them. He only briefly explained the points that needed to be covered that day.
Fu Mingzi didn't care about that; he cared about something else.
So whenever Fu Mingzi came out of the study, he would glance at Zhou Xiaoyan from time to time.
Zhou Xiaoyan, however, had clear eyes and could not see the slightest flaw.
But perhaps Fu Mingzi's gaze was too unrestrained, because after they were far away from the study, Zhou Xiaoyan finally couldn't help but look at Fu Mingzi and ask, "Is there something you need?"
Fu Mingzi's expression was complicated, her mind filled with countless thoughts. After a long while, she finally asked, "What are Your Highness's thoughts on today's events?"
Zhou Xiaoyan curled his lips, and his originally indifferent face suddenly became lively, making his delicate eyebrows and eyes even more captivating.
"Scholar Duan once served as a lecturer in the Eastern Palace, and His Highness the Crown Prince is Scholar Duan's prized student. However, he is also the Empress's cousin. This dilemma must be why he is at a loss for what to do today."
Fu Mingzi suddenly realized that he didn't care about politics and was completely unaware of this. But if that was the case, was Scholar Duan's trip to the Wenyuan Pavilion to check books today for the Empress or for His Highness the Crown Prince?
It is indeed intriguing.
Fu Mingzi glanced at Zhou Xiaoyan, but saw that he remained calm, and couldn't help but ask, "Does Your Highness think that today's events are really just a coincidence?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiaoyan gave Fu Mingzi a meaningful look: "Whether it's a coincidence or not, the incident has already happened, and it was Father Emperor himself who punished it, so what's the point of pursuing it further?"
Fu Mingzi finally smiled. This Fifth Prince was truly an interesting person; she hadn't misjudged him after all.
"Your Highness is right." He smiled, his doubts gone, and followed Zhou Xiaoyan away.
In the following days, the palace was quiet, both inside and out. Except for the emperor, who stayed in the empress's palace for several nights, everything was peaceful. Even the crown prince, who should have been shocked, showed no signs of distress.
In such a harmonious atmosphere, Fu Mingzi, the tutor, lived a very comfortable life. Even their tutor, Mr. Duan, had become much more lenient in his demands on them. He just seemed a little quieter than before, and apart from giving lectures, he didn't say another word each day.
Even so, Fu Mingzi herself was somewhat unhappy, not for any other reason than...
Fu Mingzi glanced at Zhou Xiaoyan sitting beside him. He still had a cold expression and handsome appearance, especially his fair hands, which were slender and long with distinct knuckles. However, he did not have the thumb ring that Fu Mingzi had given him before.
Fu Mingzi was a little uneasy. Why wasn't he wearing it? Did he not like it? Or...?
Fu Mingzi's eyes darkened, and she felt somewhat annoyed, or more accurately, she was furious with shame.
Just then, Scholar Duan looked over and asked, "Fu Mingzi, did you finish your homework last night?"
Fu Mingzi's expression froze, and she stood up.
Why bring this up of all things? He hasn't done any homework at all; he's been so absent-minded these past few days that he's almost forgotten he even has homework.
"Didn't you do it?" Scholar Duan stepped forward, his eyes filled with disappointment: "Truly, you are beyond redemption."
“Lecturer,” Zhou Xiaoyan suddenly spoke up, “Fu Qing actually did his homework yesterday, but he left it with me and forgot to give it to him.”
Meeting Fu Mingzi's surprised gaze, Zhou Xiaoyan took out a homework assignment from his book box. Fu Mingzi glanced at it and saw that it was indeed her own handwriting.
Fu Mingzi himself was confused. Had he really done it?
Scholar Duan frowned as he looked at the assignment, then looked up at Zhou Xiaoyan with a deep gaze: "Your Highness is indeed exceptionally talented."
The words were spoken cryptically, but the meaning was clear. Everyone present was intelligent, so who wouldn't understand?
Fu Mingzi looked at Zhou Xiaoyan in surprise. He could imitate his handwriting so well that even he himself couldn't tell the difference.
Zhou Xiaoyan smiled faintly: "You flatter me, Lecturer."
Scholar Duan shook his head and sighed, "Since you've done your homework, sit down." He then turned and left, looking utterly disheartened.
Looking at him, Fu Mingzi felt a little sorry for the teacher. Duan Xueshi hadn't been so easy to talk to before. Now he was like this, probably because of the influence of that previous incident. He was a scholar who was indifferent to worldly affairs and focused on his studies, but he was affected by this incident. It was an undeserved disaster.
However, he was also genuinely curious about who was more important to Duan Xueshi in his heart, given his current predicament: the Empress or the Crown Prince.
But why did the emperor go to such lengths to create a power struggle between the Empress and the Crown Prince? Was it really just a matter of imperial balancing act?
Fu Mingzi looked thoughtfully at Duan Xueshi sitting in front of him. Duan Xueshi still had a solemn expression, but the sorrow between his brows and eyes was clearly noticeable.
Fu Mingzi lowered his head. Regardless of who had schemed against Scholar Duan, or what their motives were, this person had calculated the emperor's thoughts too accurately. He offered a ladder, and the emperor was enraged. It was so easy to go along with things. If it weren't for the many coincidences and uncertainties involved, Fu Mingzi would have almost thought that this was a play directed and staged by the emperor himself.
Later, Fu Mingzi finally abandoned the idea, because if the emperor wanted to punish Scholar Duan, he didn't need to be so subtle. There were plenty of other methods and excuses, and the result wouldn't be so mild. With a swift and decisive action, Scholar Duan would have gone home to grow sweet potatoes long ago.
Fu Mingzi pondered the matter for a while, but ultimately decided not to think about it any further. After all, there was no point in thinking about it too much, as this matter ultimately had little to do with him.
After class that day, Fu Mingzi, as usual, followed Zhou Xiaoyan back to the West Third Institute.
Because of what happened in class, Fu Mingzi's embarrassment and annoyance at him for not wearing her ring had lessened considerably. Instead, she felt a little happy that he had defended her, and thanked him with a smile.
However, Zhou Xiaoyan declined a few times, but couldn't help but advise, "Scholar Duan's scholarship is excellent. If possible, you should study it seriously."
Fu Mingzi could only blush and agree after he had said it so many times.
"I saw you in class today, and afterwards you seemed to be thinking about Mr. Duan for a long time. What were you thinking about?" Zhou Xiaoyan said, and then suddenly brought up this topic.
Fu Mingzi hesitated for a moment before finally expressing her thoughts.
Zhou Xiaoyan's expression changed as he spoke. Only after Fu Mingzi finished explaining his guess did Zhou Xiaoyan look at him with a complicated expression.
"If that's the case, what's your guess about it?"
Fu Mingzi paused, feeling that his guess might be a bit bold, but since he was going to tell Zhou Xiaoyan, he didn't hold back and said directly, "I feel that this is just the beginning. Although Scholar Duan is involved with the Empress and the Crown Prince, he is just an old man who teaches. What's the point of setting a trap for him? It won't cause any serious damage. I think that since the person behind the scenes has put in so much effort, then Mr. Duan must be involved in something much bigger, which is why this person took the risk."
Although the matter is progressing smoothly, if the person makes even the slightest mistake, it could easily backfire. The emperor might investigate further, and the person could end up losing more than they gained.
But the fact that he still did it shows that this matter was really important to him.
After hearing this, Zhou Xiaoyan suddenly sighed and looked at Fu Mingzi with a helpless expression.
"You really are..." He hesitated, then stopped.
Fu Mingzi asked, somewhat puzzled, "What's wrong with me? Am I wrong?"
Zhou Xiaoyan shook his head: "You guessed right." His eyes flashed with a light that Fu Mingzi couldn't understand: "If I'm not mistaken, Father originally intended for Mr. Duan to be the chief examiner for this year's imperial examination, but now that Mr. Duan has made a mistake, it's naturally not his turn."
Fu Mingzi was greatly shocked.
The Imperial Examination!
It truly is of utmost importance!
It should be understood that in each spring imperial examination, as long as one passed the examination and became a Jinshi, then that Jinshi would naturally be considered a disciple of the chief examiner, which is what is known as a mentor.
The master-disciple relationship is the most important resource in officialdom.
Therefore, the competition for the chief examiner of the imperial examinations is very fierce. However, this position is too important, and it can only be filled by a great Confucian scholar or a high-ranking official of the court with outstanding knowledge. Scholar Duan fits this requirement perfectly.
Now that we've eliminated the formidable enemy, Scholar Duan, the opportunities for those with ulterior motives will naturally increase.
It truly killed two birds with one stone, sowing discord between the Crown Prince and the Empress, and also securing the coveted position of chief examiner for the imperial examinations. I wonder whose handiwork it was, to have gone to such lengths.
Fu Mingzi felt a pang of sympathy. Scholar Duan was truly in a terrible predicament. He had managed to ruin a perfectly good job, and he had also been dragged into the vortex between the Crown Prince and the Empress. It was hard to say what would happen to him in the future.
After this conversation, Zhou Xiaoyan became very silent, and he kept glancing at Fu Mingzi. Fu Mingzi felt something was off and tried to start a conversation to get his attention, but he brushed her off one by one, and his gaze became more and more intense.
When the afternoon martial arts class ended and Fu Mingzi was about to leave, Zhou Xiaoyan suddenly called him back.
"If you were targeted like this, and you felt that your closest people had betrayed you, used you as a target, and ultimately abandoned you, how would you feel?"
Fu Mingzi was stunned by the question. What did that mean?
He subconsciously looked at Zhou Xiaoyan, only to see that his eyes were filled with mist, as if carrying a deep sorrow. This look was not like that of a fifteen-year-old boy, but rather like that of a person who had experienced countless ups and downs.
Fu Mingzi couldn't bring herself to ask the question she was about to ask. After a long while, she finally said, "I am not a virtuous gentleman, and I do not have the magnanimity to repay evil with kindness. If that were the case, I would definitely repay evil with evil and wrong with wrong.
Zhou Xiaoyan suddenly smiled, like spring water melting after a rain: "You're right." His tone was gentle, and his originally immature face finally showed a hint of youthful vigor.
Fu Mingzi's heart trembled slightly. She felt that she had never seen anyone more handsome than him. She wished she could hold him in her arms immediately and kiss the corners of his eyes that were tinged with a hint of bright color.
Finally, he managed to suppress his anger by pinching his tiger's mouth. He stood a little closer and said softly, "Your Highness, rest assured, even if you don't trust others, I will never betray you."
Zhou Xiaoyan was taken aback, looked over, his eyes somewhat dazed, and he seemed confused.
Fu Mingzi's heart softened under his gaze, and she felt that the anger she had just suppressed was about to burst forth.
She raised her hand and tugged at his sleeve, her slightly sharp eyes softening considerably: "Your Highness, I mean it, I would never lie to you."
Yes, he would never lie to me, I know that, Zhou Xiaoyan felt a mix of emotions.
Someone had said this to him in his previous life, but it turned out to be a huge lie. Fu Mingzi seemed to have said it as well, but he found it laughable at the time. Fu Mingzi was just a lustful scoundrel, and he didn't care about him at all. But in the end, he realized that he was indeed blind.
This纨绔 (playboy) he despised the most saved his life, while the gentleman he thought was upright and virtuous was actually the most despicable and filthy person.
"I believe you." Zhou Xiaoyan lowered his eyes, pretending not to see the hand that was hooked around his sleeve, his tone dazed.
Upon hearing this, Fu Mingzi felt as if she were hearing celestial music, and her whole being became joyful. She felt as if she were walking on clouds, and she wished she could do a few somersaults on the spot.
Fu Mingzi pinched his own hand until it turned blue, only then was he able to control his inner impulse.
"Well, that's good then." He forced a smile and stammered a reply.
Then, not daring to look at Zhou Xiaoyan's expression, he turned around and ran out.
After running out of the West Third Institute, he finally caught his breath, though his face was still burning.
"What a spineless coward," Fu Mingzi cursed inwardly. He had been in the world of pleasure for a while, and although he hadn't done anything substantial, he was no naive young man. He had actually lost his composure because of a single sentence. It was truly shameful.
While despising herself, Fu Mingzi secretly glanced around and, seeing that no one was around, breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly straightened her clothes, regained her previous calm demeanor, and slowly walked towards the palace gate.
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