Chapter 18 A Lifetime That Cannot Be Entrusted
This woman knows her place, and I wonder how she raised such a bold daughter.
Fu Mingzi chuckled, not bothering to argue with a young girl.
"Let's go." Fu Mingzi waved to the manager.
The manager smiled, said nothing more, and led them on their way again.
The woman in the carriage, upon hearing this, breathed a sigh of relief and then glared fiercely at her daughter, whose mouth she had covered.
"You dare to spout nonsense in front of so many people? Where did you learn all your manners?!"
The girl looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, her eyes sparkling with tears, as if she had been badly frightened by her mother's actions.
"I, I..." She no longer had the courage she had before, and couldn't say a word clearly.
The woman couldn't help but sigh: "We came here for your future. You offended the Duke of Jing's mansion so badly just now, so your marriage will probably be difficult."
Upon hearing this, tears welled up in the girl's eyes. She felt deeply wronged, realizing that all she had done was say a few words in anger, and how had things turned out this way?
"Alright!" The woman frowned. "On such a good day, don't cry and whine. When you enter the Prince's mansion later, you'd better behave yourself." After saying that, she instructed the maid to wash the girl's face and do her makeup.
**
Fu Mingzi had long forgotten about this incident and rode his horse toward the gate of the Prince's Mansion.
Wen smiled and asked, "You seem to be in a good mood today."
This question wasn't asked in vain. Given Fu Mingzi's usual temper, he would probably have at least made a few sarcastic remarks in the face of such a situation. But today, he only chuckled and said nothing else, which greatly surprised Madam Wen.
Fu Mingzi walked to the carriage and said with a smile, "As people grow up, they always have to make some progress. Why should I argue with a little girl?"
Ms. Wen smiled again: "I'm looking forward to you making more and more progress in the future, then I can rest easy."
They went straight in through the middle gate. Fu Mingzi dismounted and was greeted in the front hall, while Madam Wen took a carriage to the second gate, where she would transfer to a sedan chair.
Having received instructions from Madam Wen, Fu Mingzi dared not wander off. He went into the front hall, found a place to sit down, and drank tea while listening to the conversations of the people around him.
A few people who knew him came over to greet him, but these were all his old cronies. Fu Mingzi had important things on his mind now and didn't bother with them. He gave them a few perfunctory replies and then disappeared.
The person who entertained this group of young masters was the eldest son of Prince Cheng, who was only sixteen years old this year and had just been granted the title of heir apparent before the new year. His appearance was just ordinary, but his demeanor was quite remarkable.
Upon seeing Fu Mingzi enter, the heir of Prince Cheng also came forward to greet him: "Young Master Fu, what a rare guest." Although the heir was born ordinary, his voice was clear and pleasant, like a gentle breeze.
Fu Mingzi also bowed: "I dare not accept such praise. Your esteemed family's flower banquet is indeed magnificent."
A sedan chair with colorful decorations, carried by people; everyone is happy, I am happy, everyone is happy.
After exchanging a few more polite words, the young master went to greet others. Since they didn't have much of a relationship to begin with, Fu Mingzi didn't feel slighted.
However, after sitting for a while, we heard a noise behind us, as if a woman had called out. The once lively front hall fell silent for a moment.
Even a shrewd and worldly man like the Prince of Cheng was stunned. It was only after his attendant tugged at his sleeve that he came to his senses.
"Hahaha, the maid in the house is not very polite and has disturbed everyone. I'll go and see if she has broken a plate." The Prince of Cheng's son still had doubts in his eyes, but he put on a calm and composed appearance and quickly found an excuse to leave and check.
The others weren't fools either, so naturally they wouldn't embarrass the Prince's Mansion at this time. They all pretended to believe it and smiled in agreement.
Prince Cheng's heir left in a hurry, leaving a few servants to keep watch.
However, as soon as the young master left, the people in the room began to gossip. Only Fu Mingzi sat in the corner, unmoved, and even took a small sip of the wine in his hand.
As long as nothing happens to their family members, it has nothing to do with him.
After a while, the prince finally returned. His expression remained calm, but Fu Mingzi felt that he was somewhat stiff.
His speech was no longer as fluent as before, and he dodged several people's probing questions. In the end, he even seemed unable to maintain his calm expression.
Just then, Fu Mingzi suddenly saw the maidservant serving Wen Shi outside winking at him. Fu Mingzi's heart stirred slightly, and he made up an excuse to go out from the front hall.
"Fifth Master." The maid looked a little nervous and hurriedly bowed to Fu Mingzi, saying in a low voice, "Madam wants you to go for a walk in the garden. It's boring to sit here all the time."
"Here it comes," Fu Mingzi thought to himself. But this was the opportunity he wanted, a perfect chance to clear things up with that Miss Yang.
"I understand." Fu Mingzi waved her hand emphatically, "Go ahead."
The maid seemed relieved, probably because she was afraid that the master would not agree.
"Then this servant will take her leave." The maid bowed and prepared to depart.
"Hey, don't rush." Fu Mingzi's gossipy nature suddenly burst out: "What happened back there just now? The young master went there, why did he look so pale?"
The maidservant gave a strange look and hesitated for a long time before whispering, "Yes, it's the daughter of Li Hanlin's family. She accidentally fell into the water and was rescued by the second young master of the Prince's mansion."
Oh, I see.
Fu Mingzi suddenly realized that what she thought was a story from a novel was actually happening right now. She couldn't help but feel a little regretful that she hadn't been able to witness it with her own eyes.
"Okay, go ahead." Fu Mingzi waved her hand.
This time, however, it was the maid who hesitated before finally saying, "Fifth Master, that daughter of Li Hanlin is the one who talked back to our family outside before."
Fu Mingzi frowned. This was too much of a coincidence.
However, these were all minor matters; Fu Mingzi didn't care about someone she had never even met once.
"Go ahead." Fu Mingzi turned and went into the front hall.
Seeing that Fu Mingzi didn't take it seriously, the maidservant said nothing more and turned to leave.
Fu Mingzi entered the front hall and made up a story to the prince, saying she was feeling a bit bored and wanted to take a stroll in the garden. The prince was a shrewd man and knew this was a sign of a blind date. He patted Fu Mingzi on the shoulder with a grin, as if to say, "We're all on the same side, we understand."
"Young Master Fu, there's no need for such formalities. Please go ahead." The prince smiled ambiguously.
Fu Mingzi was caught between a rage and a sigh of relief. She wanted to explain, but couldn't find the words. In the end, she could only swallow her anger and head to the garden in silence.
When the servant Songyan saw Fu Mingzi come out, he hurriedly followed. This was someone else's residence, and it wouldn't be proper for him to be without a servant.
Following the directions given by the maid, Fu Mingzi went directly to the lakeside pavilion on the east side of the garden. Originally, this should have been a good place to enjoy the scenery, but due to the unseasonably cold weather today, it was rather chilly.
Fu Mingzi wrapped his robe tighter, frowned, and walked towards the pavilion in the middle of the lake. He immediately saw Madam Wen, a middle-aged woman, and a young girl sitting together talking animatedly, as if they were a family.
"Sister-in-law." As soon as Fu Mingzi entered, she bowed to Madam Wen.
Those people weren't surprised by his appearance, as if they had expected it. The middle-aged woman even sized him up, while the girl hid behind her, her eyes lowered, and her expression was unreadable.
"I didn't expect you to have made it this far," Madam Wen said with a smile. "But you were too reckless. Be careful not to frighten the young lady."
Fu Mingzi didn't know what to say, so he could only give the woman and young lady opposite him a dry bow: "I was presumptuous."
The woman looked at Fu Mingzi with a smile in her eyes: "Fifth Young Master, there's no need to be so polite. We just wandered around and ended up here. We heard the Young Master's wife mention you before, and now that we see you, you are even better than described. You are indeed dashing and outstanding."
"He's just a child, he doesn't deserve such praise," said Mrs. Wen politely, but her face was already beaming with joy.
Fu Mingzi didn't dare to look closely at the young lady, and just stood behind Wen Shi with her head down.
Seeing his blank expression, Madam Wen grew anxious and couldn't help but say, "Mingzi, Madam Yang and I still have things to discuss. Why don't you take a walk with Miss Yang by the lake?"
The two families have now basically gone public with their relationship, so it doesn't matter if someone sees them alone together. The key is that the Wen family wants Fu Mingzi to take a look at them, so they can agree willingly.
"Mingzi obeys." Fu Mingzi breathed a sigh of relief, but her face remained expressionless.
However, her eyes were already fixed on Miss Yang. Miss Yang finally raised her head. Fu Mingzi's eyes flickered slightly. She had delicate features and a graceful appearance. She was indeed good-looking, but only good-looking. She was still quite a distance from Zhou Xiaoyan.
"Miss Yang, this way please." Fu Mingzi gestured an invitation.
Miss Yang curtsied to the two elders and then followed Fu Mingzi out of the lakeside pavilion.
The two walked in silence, one in front of the other. Fu Mingzi was thinking of going further away before saying anything, while Miss Yang remained silent, which Fu Mingzi guessed was just a quiet person.
Once they reached the lakeshore, with their personal maids and servants lagging far behind, Fu Mingzi finally spoke: "What does Miss think of the marriage agreement between our two families?"
Fu Mingzi is a big mouth, always rushing in headfirst into things. If it were an ordinary young lady from a respectable family, she would probably be blushing with embarrassment.
However, this Miss Yang was clearly no ordinary young lady. She remained unfazed by these words, but instead looked up at Fu Mingzi and said, word by word, "It was a last resort."
Fu Mingzi was taken aback: "Even the prestigious Yang family of Luoyang has times when they have no other choice?" Only now did Fu Mingzi realize that his fiancée was quite something.
“Even a powerful family like the Duke of Jingguo’s mansion has its times of helplessness. What kind of family is the Yang family? Naturally, they also have their times of helplessness.” Miss Yang’s voice was clear and cold, neither hurried nor slow.
"Then what does Miss Yang think of me?" Fu Mingzi was now in a playful mood, looking at Miss Yang with a grin.
But she remained calm and composed, saying, "I cannot entrust my life to someone else."
A note from the author:
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