Chapter 100 Suddenly First Released on Jinjiang Literature City
Fu Mingzi stayed at the Prince of Jin's residence until the afternoon before leaving. He was somewhat reluctant to leave, since Zhou Xiaoyan's reaction was not as strong as before when he reached out his hand again. He felt that if he didn't leave today, he would still have a chance to have a deeper conversation.
Unfortunately, Zhou Xiaoyan still had some sense of shame and, with the last shred of his rationality, kicked him out.
Fu Mingzi could only leave with some regret.
Leading his horse out of the Prince of Jin's mansion and walking through two streets, Fu Mingzi returned to the Duke of Jing's mansion. However, as soon as he entered, a servant called out to him: "Fifth Master, the Master is waiting for you in the study. He said you should go see him immediately as soon as you return."
Fu Mingzi was taken aback, wondering if the old man would scold him for running away with Zhou Xiaoyan today. Fu Mingzi felt a little guilty, but he didn't dare disobey the old man, so he could only nod awkwardly, "I understand."
Fu Mingzi bid farewell to the servant who delivered the message and walked nervously toward the old man's study.
Fu Mingzi hesitated for a long time in front of the old man's study, trying to organize his thoughts. But when he entered the study, he found that it was not like that at all. Not only was the old man there, but Fu Mingsong and Fu Mingzhu were also there.
Moreover, Fu Mingzhu's eyes were red, as if she had just been crying.
The words that Fu Mingzi was about to say were suddenly swallowed back.
"What, what's going on?" Fu Mingzi asked, seeing everyone looking at him.
The old man frowned but didn't say anything, while Fu Mingsong nodded: "Please sit down first."
Fu Mingzi muttered to herself, but still obediently sat down.
"Now that Mingzi is back, let me talk to you about this again, and you can give your sister some advice," the old man said loudly.
Fu Mingzi obediently agreed, but at this moment she dared not cause any trouble.
After the old man finished speaking, Fu Mingsong hurriedly explained the situation. It turned out that the people who were sent to Yun'an to investigate this morning had returned with good news: the child was indeed not the son of the Duke of Qian, and the concubine had indeed had an affair with the Duke of Qian's guard.
As for why Fu Mingzhu was crying, Fu Mingzi glanced at Fu Mingzhu and guessed that she was probably too happy to think straight.
"Fifth brother, do you have any opinions on this matter?" the old man asked immediately after Fu Mingsong finished explaining.
Fu Mingzi pursed her lips: "This matter is not difficult to handle. Now that we have the evidence, we should go back and expose this family properly. In that case, my muddle-headed brother-in-law will probably come to his senses."
The old man frowned, seemingly somewhat displeased with Fu Mingzi's words. He glanced at Fu Mingsong, who looked troubled. He opened his mouth to speak but didn't know where to begin.
At this moment, Fu Mingzhu suddenly interrupted Fu Mingsong's chance to speak, saying directly, "Father, you don't need to make things difficult for my eldest brother. I will talk to Mingzi about this myself."
After she finished speaking, she immediately looked at Fu Mingzi: "Mingzi, you know my current situation. Your two nephews and nieces are both young. I'm worried that something might happen on the way back to Yun'an. You are strong in martial arts. Can you escort my sister back?"
Fu Mingzi was startled and somewhat dazed. He suddenly remembered what Zhou Xiaoyan had told him about his previous life. He himself had sent Fu Mingzhu back, but at that time, it was because the emperor and the Duke of Qian had already reached an agreement and were not allowed to let his sister stay in the capital. If his sister returned to Yun'an, she would probably face a disaster. Therefore, he volunteered to send Fu Mingzhu back.
In this life, there is no such concern. Now the Fourth Prince has two concubines who are constantly vying for his attention, and Fu Mingzi, who is always full of gossip, has heard a lot of it.
To maintain balance in the inner quarters, the Fourth Prince had been trying to balance the Xia and Mu families. The alliance between the Emperor and the Duke of Qian was not yet fully unified, so the time was not yet critical. Moreover, they already had leverage over the Duke of Qian. This time, returning was not like the near-death experience of the previous life, but unexpectedly, they had reached this end again.
Fu Mingzi snapped out of her daze and couldn't help but ask, "Where are the guards who escorted my sister here?"
Fu Mingzhu pursed her lips somewhat awkwardly and said in a low voice, "Father's idea is to keep some of these people in the capital for now, they might come in handy in the future."
Fu Mingzi was greatly shocked and couldn't help but look at the Duke of Jingguo.
The Duke of Jingguo remained calm and said indifferently, "That is indeed my intention."
Fu Mingzi was in a state of confusion, but then the Duke of Jingguo dropped another bombshell: "After you send your sister back this time, you also need to bring back some of the people from Yun'an. They don't need to go to the capital; they can just stay at the estate."
Even something like this has been arranged. Fu Mingzi originally thought she was bold enough, but she didn't expect her father to be even bolder. Has he already read those letters and learned about the Fourth Prince's ambitions, which is why he had this idea?
Fu Mingzi had many thoughts in his mind, but they only passed through his mind in an instant. He quickly composed himself, regained his composure, and said calmly, "Your son obeys."
Fu Mingzi was very unhappy that he had to leave as soon as he got home, but he had no choice but to do so. He was leaving so that he could return in a better way in the future. He thought to himself that Zhou Xiaoyan would understand him.
"Alright, let's rest up today and leave first thing tomorrow morning," the old man ordered decisively.
Fu Mingzi was taken aback and hurriedly asked, "So fast? Don't we need to send a message to the palace?"
The Duke of Jingguo sneered: "The palace has been urging Zhu'er to return to Yun'an for the past few days. Wouldn't it be just playing into their hands if she left today? Don't worry, you can go ahead. I will personally go to the Emperor to say what I have to say."
The old man saw things very clearly. He could keep Fu Mingfeng's affair with the Xia family a secret from others, but it was absolutely impossible to keep it from the Emperor. Not to mention that the Emperor was already wary of the Xia family and kept a close eye on them before, now that the Xia family had become the Fourth Prince's side, the Emperor was keeping an even closer eye on them. There was no reason why the Emperor would not know about the affair between the Xia family and Fu Mingfeng.
But the emperor remained silent for only one reason: he was pretending not to know for the sake of his beloved son. He might find an opportunity to sever this connection in the future, but he would never allow anyone to ruin the fourth prince because of this.
Therefore, when he handed over Fu Mingfeng's resignation, not only was Old Master Xia shocked and his face turned pale, but the emperor's expression also changed for a moment. However, he controlled himself very well and quickly approved the resignation. He even kindly sent someone from the Duke of Jing's faction to take over Qinghe County.
Through these details, along with that letter, the old man finally understood the emperor's intentions and realized that he could no longer harbor any illusions about the emperor. If the emperor could tolerate the fourth prince's audacious behavior, then he would never give anyone a chance in other matters.
Now, because of Fu Mingfeng's matter, they have stirred up a hornet's nest. I'm afraid the Fourth Prince will be restless. If the Fourth Prince gets impatient and wants to fight to the death, then they must make the worst-case scenario plan and be prepared for any armed conflict.
As for having Fu Mingzi accompany Fu Mingzhu out of the capital, on the surface it seemed like Fu Mingzi was escorting Fu Mingzhu away, but actually...
The old man gave Fu Mingzi a deep look. If the Fu family messed things up in this matter, at least one bloodline should be preserved...
Fu Mingzi was completely unaware of his father-in-law's schemes. He only thought that with Zhou Xiaoyan's memories from his previous life, his departure from the capital should go relatively smoothly. He could return after finishing his business in Yun'an.
Although Fu Mingzi was somewhat unhappy about leaving tomorrow, she still nodded: "Alright then, I'll see you off, eldest sister."
The old man finally revealed a faint smile: "You're an adult now. Take care of your sister and your nephews and nieces on the road. Don't be silly or willful. When you come back, I will give you my Akhal-Teke horse."
"Really?" Fu Mingzi was pleasantly surprised. "You can't go back on your word."
Looking at Fu Mingzi's face, the old Duke felt a pang of sadness, but he still smiled and said, "When have I ever lied to you? Don't worry, I've saved it for you."
"Great!" Fu Mingzi clapped his hands happily: "When I come back, the General will be mine."
The horse was named General. Fu Mingzi wanted it the first time she saw it, but the old man always said he was too young to handle it. Now that he had finally agreed, how could Fu Mingzi not be happy?
The old man was overwhelmed with emotion and dared not say any more. He gave Fu Mingsong and Fu Mingzhu a look, and Fu Mingzhu's eyes reddened again. Fu Mingsong, however, pursed his lips, suppressed the emotions in his eyes, and said with a smile, "Alright, you go back and prepare first. This trip will last for several days, so you must prepare well."
Fu Mingzi nodded in agreement, then turned and left happily.
Watching Fu Mingzi's retreating figure, Fu Mingzhu finally couldn't help but cry out, "Father, you and my eldest and second brothers should come with me too."
The old man frowned: "What nonsense are you talking about? I let Mingzi leave just in case. This matter might not have gotten this bad."
Fu Mingzhu simply wiped away her tears. She knew that with her father's shrewdness, he would never easily let Fu Mingzi leave with him unless there was real danger, especially since Yun'an was also a mess.
Fu Mingsong sighed: "Mingzhu, please understand your father. The capital is in such a mess right now. If we stay, we might still have a chance to survive. If we leave, we will truly die without a burial place. Take good care of Mingzi. If there is nothing going on in the capital, I will send you a message. Just tell Mingzi to come back. If I don't receive a message, then just protect Mingzi's life."
Yun'an's status is different, so protecting someone would be quite easy for him.
Fu Mingzhu held back her tears and nodded.
**
Fu Mingzi left the Duke of Jingguo's study and quickly returned to his own courtyard. However, instead of packing his things as Fu Mingsong had instructed, he picked up a pen and wrote a letter to Zhou Xiaoyan, explaining the reason for his sudden departure and asking him to keep a low profile and wait for him.
After finishing writing, he thought for a moment and then took out a jade pendant from his pocket. This jade pendant was a birthday gift from the Duke of Jingguo when he was three years old, and he had always carried it with him.
He placed the jade pendant in the envelope, smiled, and thought that this would be a way for him to remember the person he had lost.
Then he called Songyan in again: "Deliver this letter to the Prince of Jin's residence. Tell him it's a letter from me to His Highness the Prince of Jin, and that he must keep it safe. If there is a reply, remember to bring it back."
Songyan already knew that her young master and Prince Jin were close, so she wasn't surprised by this. She happily agreed and then took the envelope and went out.
Watching Song Yan leave, Fu Mingzi felt a sudden sense of unease for some reason. It took her a long time to calm down. Fu Mingzi frowned, thinking that it was probably because she was about to leave that her heart was racing. Without thinking too much about it, Fu Mingzi turned and went into the inner room.
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