Chapter 42 Clash (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
When Fu Mingzi arrived at the front hall, Zhou Xiaoyan had already finished a cup of tea and was sitting by the window looking at the pear blossoms in the courtyard.
Upon hearing the noise, he immediately turned around.
"Your Highness," Fu Mingzi said with a smile, bowing.
Zhou Xiaoyan nodded, his previously frosty face softening considerably.
"Let's go." He got up from the warm couch.
Fu Mingzi pursed her lips and didn't say anything, but secretly glanced at him.
Because he was attending a banquet, Zhou Xiaoyan dressed extremely formally, in a light red prince's court robe with dark cloud patterns. Since he had not yet reached adulthood, he only tied his hair up, but he used a fine jade hairpin. His belt was also a jade belt inlaid with pearls and gemstones, making him look exceptionally noble.
Perhaps sensing Fu Mingzi's gaze, Zhou Xiaoyan looked uneasy for a moment, but he quickly turned his face away and pretended nothing had happened.
"This jade belt was a gift from the Emperor. Doesn't Fu Qing think it's good?" He said this with a very frank expression, but his eyes were glancing at Fu Mingzi's face.
Fu Mingzi smiled and said, "How could it be bad? I think it's excellent. However, it's quite awe-inspiring that His Majesty has bestowed such a precious belt upon us."
Zhou Xiaoyan pursed his lips and remained silent.
Fu Mingzi sighed inwardly. The emperor was truly too cunning. He bestowed such a precious belt, but it was awkward to let anyone wear it or not. If he wore it, it would surpass the Crown Prince's attire, which would surely arouse the Crown Prince's suspicion and he would be branded as a usurper. If he didn't wear it, it was a gift from the emperor, and if the emperor asked about it, he would be suspected of disrespect.
“It’s just a belt. Only Father Emperor would bother with something like this. Nobody else is stupid.” Zhou Xiaoyan finally spoke, but his expression was a half-smile.
Fu Mingzi nodded and said nothing more. The two of them then walked toward the main hall of the banquet.
When he arrived, apart from the emperor and a few concubines who accompanied him, almost everyone who was supposed to come had arrived. The crown prince was talking with a few advisors from the Eastern Palace when he saw Zhou Xiaoyan enter and smiled and nodded at him.
However, when the Crown Prince's eyes swept over Zhou Xiaoyan's belt, his expression froze for a moment.
Zhou Xiaoyan remained expressionless, respectfully bowed to the Crown Prince, and then quietly walked to his seat and sat down.
The crown prince's expression softened, and he pretended nothing had happened, turning back to talk to his advisors.
Zhou Xiaoyan sat down to the left of the Crown Prince. Although he was supposed to be left, there was still a step between them. After all, the Crown Prince was the heir apparent, and naturally, he was different from ordinary princes like Zhou Xiaoyan.
As Zhou Xiaoyan's study companion, Fu Mingzi naturally sat behind him. However, he didn't sit still. Instead, he kept looking down at the audience, trying to find his older brother.
Perhaps Fu Mingsong hadn't arrived yet, or perhaps there were too many people; in any case, Zhou Xiaoyan looked around but couldn't find him.
Just as he was peeking around, the emperor finally arrived, accompanied by the famous Consort Luo, who had been the emperor's favorite concubine for over a decade and was rumored to be his most beloved and cherished woman.
Fu Mingzi, along with the others, rose to perform a grand salute, but his eyes involuntarily glanced online and happened to fall upon Consort Luo's face. She looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with beautiful features and skin as smooth as jade, truly the image of a favored concubine he had imagined.
However, Fu Mingzi dared not underestimate this Imperial Concubine, after all, she must be no ordinary person to have been favored in the harem for so many years.
"Rise, all of you." The Emperor said gently, "Today is not a state banquet. You are all pillars of the nation and have endured much hardship this year. Relax and don't be too reserved."
The emperor's words sounded pleasant, and the ministers and princes naturally responded with trepidation.
Once everyone was seated, the emperor waved his hand, and the singing and dancing began.
Fu Mingzi had seen these things many times before, so he wasn't particularly interested. He only sipped his wine casually and didn't touch the dishes on the table much. Based on his experience, the food at these kinds of banquets was never very good.
However, while they were drinking, Fu Mingzi's eyes swept upwards again and she saw a concubine sitting below the Imperial Concubine. She looked a bit like the Imperial Concubine, but had a more aloof and cold demeanor. However, she was deliberately trying to resemble the Imperial Concubine, so she seemed a bit affected.
Fu Mingzi roughly understood that this person should be Consort Wan. His elder brother had told him before that Consort Wan had fallen out of favor because of the Imperial Concubine, and now it seemed that he understood a bit more.
"Don't look around." Zhou Xiaoyan's deep voice suddenly came.
Fu Mingzi was startled, but quickly came to her senses and looked at Zhou Xiaoyan in front of her.
"Father dislikes being spied on, so you must be careful." As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Zhou Xiaoyan reminded him in a low voice without turning around.
Fu Mingzi found it a bit amazing and leaned forward with a smile: "How did Your Highness know I was looking in His Majesty's direction?"
Zhou Xiaoyan stiffened slightly as he approached, then instantly feigned calm and said in a low voice, "Father just glanced in our direction. Since it's just you and me sitting here, I naturally know it was you who was looking."
Fu Mingzi nodded as if she suddenly understood, "I see, thank you for your guidance, Your Highness." As she said this, she leaned forward again.
Zhou Xiaoyan was like a cat whose vital point had been grabbed. He seemed to bristle and almost got up to back away. Fortunately, the self-control ingrained in his bones stopped him. His back was stiff.
"Move back a little," he said in a low voice, suppressing his embarrassment and annoyance.
Fu Mingzi, however, found it amusing, especially in the main hall, where his appearance seemed even more endearing.
"What's wrong?" Fu Mingzi pretended not to notice Zhou Xiaoyan's discomfort and said somewhat aggrievedly, "Does Your Highness not like me speaking so close? I'm only doing this because I'm afraid others will overhear."
"No, I didn't." Zhou Xiaoyan's voice lost control for a moment, but he fell silent again and his tone returned to rationality: "This is the main hall after all. It's against the rules for you and me to whisper to each other."
Fu Mingzi chuckled inwardly, knowing that he was probably pushed to his limit, so she didn't want to tease him anymore. She said "okay" with some disappointment and then went back.
Seeing Fu Mingzi's dejected expression, Zhou Xiaoyan felt a pang of anxiety. He didn't want to upset him, but...
Zhou Xiaoyan pursed his lips repeatedly, wanting to say something, but not knowing what to say to comfort him.
Seeing his expression, Fu Mingzi could no longer pretend and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Your Highness, I was just joking with you."
When Zhou Xiaoyan saw him like this, his first reaction was not anger, but relief.
"You..." His eyes reddened slightly as he spoke, "Don't do this again." He only said that in a light tone.
Fu Mingzi's heart softened even more. He felt that the person in front of him was adorable and made his heart flutter. How could there be such a person who always did what he wanted?
"Your Highness, I understand. Please don't be angry." Fu Mingzi coaxed him with a hint of indulgence.
Zhou Xiaoyan blushed instantly, bit her lower lip, and turned away.
Fu Mingzi looked at his reddened ear tips and smiled silently.
**
Although there were songs and dances, the banquet was still quite boring in Fu Mingzi's opinion. However, the emperor didn't seem interested either, whispering with the Consort from beginning to end, and occasionally exchanging a few words with the Crown Prince.
Although he did ask Zhou Xiaoyan a few questions in order to maintain his persona, it was clear that he and Zhou Xiaoyan were not really familiar with each other, and those few words were spoken awkwardly and unfamiliarly.
Zhou Xiaoyan replied calmly, seemingly without any embarrassment. Consort Wan, on the other hand, was extremely envious and wished she could take Zhou Xiaoyan's place and reply to the emperor. However, she was repeatedly deterred by Zhou Xiaoyan's glares, so she didn't dare to say anything inappropriate.
It wasn't until the banquet ended that Fu Mingzi seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and accompanied Zhou Xiaoyan out of the main hall.
However, as soon as they left the main hall, the Crown Prince approached them again, with a gentle smile on his face.
"Fifth brother, Young Master Fu." He greeted him with a smile, appearing very kind.
"Big Brother." Zhou Xiaoyan bowed respectfully as always, and Fu Mingzi naturally followed suit.
"I noticed you didn't eat much at the banquet. I'll have someone send you some food later; it wouldn't be good if you got hungry," the Crown Prince said, appearing very concerned.
"Thank you so much, brother." Zhou Xiaoyan also put on a grateful expression.
The Crown Prince smiled and said, "You are my brother, so this is nothing. But you must prepare well for the spring hunt tomorrow. Father Emperor is likely to give you an important position this time. This belt of yours is a tribute from a foreign country, and even Father Emperor only has one." The Crown Prince's words were full of meaning.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiaoyan immediately feigned a look of fear: "So precious? Your Majesty, I am truly unworthy of such a gift. This belt... I only thought it was a gift from the Emperor, so I..." Zhou Xiaoyan looked guilty and embarrassed.
Seeing his trembling appearance, the Crown Prince finally smiled with satisfaction. He was nothing but a shallow-minded, empty-headed good-for-nothing.
Although she thought this in her heart, her tone became even gentler: "It's just a belt. You are of noble birth, so what's wrong with wearing it? Just keep it. You'd better perform well at the spring hunt tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiaoyan lowered his head, looking extremely ashamed, and dared not look at the Crown Prince: "Your Highness, I only have a little skill. I am afraid that my riding and archery skills are not even one ten-thousandth of what my elder brother is capable of. I am afraid that I will disappoint my elder brother tomorrow. I am afraid that my father..." He added a hint of fear at the end.
The Crown Prince chuckled softly, his tone as gentle as a spring breeze: "You don't need to be so afraid. Even if you're not good at riding and archery, as long as you perform to your best ability, that's enough. Your father won't blame you. And even if he does, I will protect you."
Zhou Xiaoyan expressed his gratitude once more, and the Crown Prince's eyes showed even greater satisfaction.
Fu Mingzi stood behind watching the two brothers perform and found it quite amusing.
The Crown Prince tapped Zhou Xiaoyan on the waistband, afraid that he would forget his identity, while giving him a sweet treat to reassure him not to be afraid of tomorrow's horseback archery.
In truth, the emperor didn't care whether Fu Mingzi was good at riding and archery or not. He was just a target. The worse he was at riding and archery, the happier the emperor would be. Just like the second prince, who was only a bit brave and heroic but was a complete idiot. The emperor still promoted him. Now that the second prince was deposed, the emperor wanted to promote Zhou Xiaoyan instead.
Just as Fu Mingzi was lost in thought, the Crown Prince suddenly turned his gun on her.
"Young Master Fu, I heard that the Duchess of Qian is accompanying her daughter to the capital for the upcoming imperial concubine selection. Is that true?" the Crown Prince asked casually.
The Crown Prince appeared casual, but Fu Mingzi dared not believe that he was just asking casually. Although Fu Mingzhu had secretly left Yun'an for the capital, she did not dare to hide it from the Emperor. Therefore, the Duke of Jingguo's mansion had reported to the Emperor early on. The Crown Prince was not stupid, and naturally sensed something unusual from this unusual operation.
"That's right." Fu Mingzi bowed respectfully. "My elder sister was worried about her young niece, so she accompanied me here."
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