Chapter 5: How did the errand go for the Fu family today?
Fu Mingzi walked back the way he came towards the outside of the palace, but he ran into an acquaintance as soon as he left the West Third Palace.
"Young Master Fu, what a coincidence." Xia Zezhen held a folding fan in his hand and smiled gently.
Xia Zezhen was the tutor of the Sixth Prince Zhou Xiaowei and a well-known talent in the capital. He and Fu Mingzi were originally from different walks of life. Although they knew of each other's existence, they had never interacted. But today, for some unknown reason, he took the initiative to greet him.
“Young Master Xia.” Fu Mingzi smiled, but the smile looked somewhat fake.
Xia Zezhen acted as if he didn't see anything: "Is Young Master Fu also planning to leave? Why don't we travel together?"
Fu Mingzi didn't know what Xia Zezhen had gone crazy for, but she couldn't refuse the suggestion, so she could only nod in agreement.
The two walked side by side toward the palace gate. Because they were not very familiar with each other, they didn't say much at first and just walked quietly. When they saw that the second palace gate was in front of them, Xia Zezhen finally took the initiative to speak: "Young Master Fu, have you heard the good news about Her Majesty the Empress?"
Fu Mingzi sneered inwardly. Finally, the fox's tail was revealed. No wonder someone as self-righteous as Xia Zezhen would take the initiative to talk to him.
"Of course I know. Such a joyous occasion is truly a cause for celebration." Fu Mingzi feigned indifference.
Xia Zezhen's smile froze for a moment before he pretended to be nonchalant and said, "Young Master Fu is right. Regardless of whether this child is a prince or a princess, the one born to the Empress will undoubtedly have an extremely high status in the future." He even sighed with emotion at the end.
Fu Mingzi raised an eyebrow and glanced at Xia Zezhen.
Xia Zezhen inherited the gentle features of the Xia family and looked harmless, but Fu Mingzi knew that none of the Xia family members were simple; they were all cunning and shrewd. Xia Zezhen's words naturally had a deeper meaning.
“Young Master Xia is right, but it’s best for us subjects to refrain from discussing royal matters.” Fu Mingzi didn’t respond at all, and instead reprimanded Xia Zezhen with a stern face.
Xia Zezhen was speechless, his face turning pale and then flushed. It was quite a sight. In the end, he could only grit his teeth and say, "Young Master Fu is right. I was being presumptuous."
Fu Mingzi chuckled inwardly, but put on a righteous and stern expression, nodding in a pretentious manner: "It's good that Young Master Xia understands."
After that, Xia Zezhen dared not speak to Fu Mingzi again, and the two left the palace gates peacefully.
When Fu Mingzi came out, Songyan, Fu Mingzi's servant, was waiting outside the palace gate, with the Fu family's carriage beside him. When he saw Fu Mingzi come out, Songyan hurriedly came up to greet him, still with a smiling face.
"Fifth Master." Song Yan nodded and took the book basket from Fu Mingzi's hands: "You've gone to so much trouble."
Fu Mingzi waved his hand and got into the carriage.
"Stop talking nonsense and go home."
Fu Mingzi had many things on her mind during this trip to the palace, and she still needed to go back and discuss them with her elder brother.
Song Yan was taken aback, then hurriedly climbed onto the carriage and instructed the driver to drive. She then slipped into the carriage herself, looked at Fu Mingzi's face, and whispered, "Fifth Master, aren't you going to Miss Chun's place to listen to her play the zither today?"
Fu Mingzi was still thinking about things in the palace when he heard Songyan mention Chunniang, and he couldn't help but frown.
Chunniang was a courtesan at the Misty Rain Pavilion. She was beautiful and charming, and played the zither beautifully. He used to be very fond of her and would go to listen to her play every few days, but now...
"I'm not going." Fu Mingzi's mind was no longer on Chunniang; Zhou Xiaoyan's face alone was enough to haunt his dreams.
Upon hearing this, Songyan's face fell.
Fu Mingzi couldn't help but sneer, "What, did you take bribes from them again?"
Upon hearing this, Song Yan hurriedly explained, "How could I dare? It's just that Miss Chun insisted on giving it to me, saying that I had worked hard to take care of Fifth Master and that's why she gave it to me. I'll return the money right away."
"You little thief, you're quite the smooth talker. It's a waste of your time to take care of me," Fu Mingzi couldn't help but laugh and scold.
"Not at all, not at all. Taking care of Fifth Master is a blessing I earned in my past life." Songyan seized the opportunity and fawned over him.
Fu Mingzi was too lazy to argue with him: "You can take that little bit of money, but from now on, cut ties with them. I have no interest in that anymore."
"Oh." Songyan obediently replied, but was surprised in her heart. It had only been a few days, how could this master have changed his temperament again? This Miss Chun was really pitiful.
However, he dared not say these words aloud, but could only keep them in mind, fearing that he would be unable to do business with Yanyu Tower in the future.
Fu Mingzi hurriedly returned to the Fu family. As soon as he entered the front yard, he saw the steward standing outside the study of the Duke of Jingguo, talking with several servants. When he saw Fu Mingzi return, he hurriedly waved the servants away.
"Fifth Master, you're back." The butler smiled warmly.
"Where is the master? Where is my elder brother?" Fu Mingzi asked hurriedly, her mind preoccupied.
"Master and the young master are talking in the study and have instructed that they should not be disturbed, so you..." The steward looked troubled.
Fu Mingzi frowned. He roughly knew what they were talking about. Since he wasn't allowed to disturb them, he wouldn't bother and would wait until they finished talking before going over.
"I understand. After they finish speaking, have someone come to my courtyard and tell them that I have something to say to the master."
"Yes, don't worry," the butler replied readily.
Fu Mingzi didn't linger any longer and turned to go to the backyard. He had entered the palace today and was now returning, so he must pay his respects to his sister-in-law.
Fu Mingzi lost his mother at a young age, and the Duke of Jingguo was busy with state affairs, so he was taken care of by his elder brother and sister-in-law from childhood. It is said that the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother, and this was the case for Fu Mingzi.
Because the Duchess had passed away early, the eldest branch of the family lived in the main house. Fu Mingzi followed the cross passageway all the way in, and then went around the covered corridor before entering the main house courtyard.
As he entered, he immediately saw several maids sitting under the eaves talking. Upon seeing him, they hurriedly stood up and announced, "Fifth Master is here."
No sooner had she finished speaking than her sister-in-law, Wen, said from inside the house: "Let him in quickly."
The maid lifted the curtain, and Fu Mingzi went inside without stopping.
Upon entering, the first thing one sees is Madam Wen sitting upright on the Luohan bed at the head of the table. Madam Wen is only in her forties, but she is very well-maintained. She has beautiful eyebrows and eyes, and a gentle and peaceful demeanor. She looks to be only in her early thirties. Her hair is jet black and tied in a low bun, with a jade hairpin inserted at an angle. There is no other decoration. She is wearing a slightly worn autumn-colored jacket, which looks very understated.
However, sitting beside her was a little girl of seven or eight years old. She had a pretty face, a straight posture, and a coldness in her eyes that was unique to the Fu family. Looking at her appearance, she did not look like a child at all, but rather like a well-mannered young lady from a prominent family.
"Sister-in-law." Fu Mingzi, used to being casual, simply smiled and nodded to Madam Wen.
"Come here quickly and let me see you. I've been worried about you all day, afraid you'd make a mistake. Did your errand go smoothly today?" Madam Wen asked with concern, beckoning Fu Mingzi closer.
Fu Mingzi smiled and obediently walked up to Wen Shi: "It's not as scary as you say. Even a prince is just an ordinary person. He can't possibly eat me. Besides, the Fifth Prince is gentle and kind, and he treats me well. I even won first place in archery today, and Commander Yang praised me." Fu Mingzi raised her chin and smiled smugly.
Madam Wen laughed at his antics and gently punched his shoulder: "Look how smug you are. Even if the Fifth Prince treats you well, he is still a prince. You must be careful in serving him. The palace is not like home, where someone will always give way to you. You must be cautious."
Fu Mingzi nodded hurriedly. These rambling words had been coming from Wen Shi ever since he received the emperor's decree.
Seeing that he was getting impatient, Madam Wen stopped talking, turned to the little girl sitting next to her, and said with a smile, "Jia'er, why don't you hurry up and pay your respects to your fifth great-uncle?"
Ever since Fu Mingzi entered, the little girl had been staring at him with her dark eyes. When she heard her grandmother urging her, she hurriedly jumped off the couch and bowed respectfully.
"Yun Jia greets Fifth Grand Uncle." The little girl's voice was soft and sweet, but her tone was very steady.
Fu Mingzi was taken aback. She looked the little girl up and down and suddenly realized, "This is my nephew's eldest daughter. She's grown up so much."
I said that, but I felt a little embarrassed. I didn't expect to be someone's grandfather. I felt a little ashamed.
Madam Wen smiled and nodded: "That's right. I remember you held Jia'er when she was little and called her 'little sister' back then. Ze Chen was terrified. The generational difference is huge."
Fu Mingzi smiled somewhat embarrassedly, but couldn't help thinking to himself that his nephew Fu Zechen was eight or nine years older than him. He was only eight or nine years old when this little girl was born, so how would he know about this mess of seniority?
"I came here on short notice and didn't bring anything nice. You can keep this string of beads for yourself." Fu Mingzi took out a string of agate prayer beads from his sleeve. He had originally intended to give these prayer beads to Wen Shi, who was a Buddhist, but now that he had suddenly met his nephew, he couldn't just leave without giving her something.
Fu Yunjia glanced at the Wen family, seemingly hesitant. This agate was clearly of excellent quality and quite valuable.
Madam Wen smiled and said, "Keep it. Your fifth great-uncle has quite a few good things. A string of beads is nothing."
Fu Yunjia then obediently accepted the gifts.
Seeing that everything was alright, Fu Mingzi took his leave. Madam Wen naturally didn't stop him, but repeatedly reminded him to be careful and cautious while on duty and not to get into conflicts with anyone. Fu Mingzi made his promises again and again before he finally left.
Looking at Fu Mingzi's slightly disheveled figure, Madam Wen shook her head with a smile, while Fu Yunjia, sitting next to Madam Wen, revealed a deep look in her eyes.
When Fu Mingzi came out of the backyard, the servant Songyan was waiting by the second gate. Seeing him come out, he hurriedly came up to him: "Master, you have some free time, would you like to come over?"
Fu Mingzi nodded. She still needed to discuss the matters in the palace with the old man. She should also be aware of the Fu family's attitude, otherwise, a slight misstep could lead to utter disaster.
Fu Mingzi turned and walked towards the Duke of Jingguo's study.
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