Fu Zhen, riding in a four-person sedan chair, arrived at Zheng Ya's second courtyard in a grand procession, accompanied by eighteen servants and the second steward, Lai.
There was a lock on the gate to the courtyard.
When the neighbors first saw the four-person sedan chair entering the alley, they verified with each other that it belonged to Lord Fu Zhen, and then they all came forward to pay their respects and offer their greetings.
Fu Zhen suppressed her disgust, stepped down from the sedan chair and explained her purpose. The neighbors all testified that Fu Ya was out and not at home.
This infuriated Fu Zhen. He calmly clasped his hands in a salute and took his leave. The neighbors were flattered and saw him off to the alley entrance, praising him endlessly: "Usually, when the servants from the Duke of Yong's mansion come to do business, they are all arrogant, fierce and difficult to serve."
Who would have thought that someone as kind and gentle as Lord Fu would be misled by his servants and lackeys!
"This is nothing. Now that Fu Ya of the Fu family has spiritual roots and has gained the favor of Lord Fu, he will surely rise to the top. I really regret not getting to know Fu Ya better!" There were quite a few people who were heartbroken.
More people praised Fu Zhen for being approachable and down-to-earth.
Fu Zhen had already sent people to search for Fu Ya's whereabouts.
Zheng Ya, having just regained seven-tenths of his former appearance, strode towards Fu Xiang Lou.
Fuxianglou is similar in architectural style to Guiyuan Pharmacy, a three-story wooden building with red walls, green tiles, and a gold signboard, exuding an air of luxury.
It was still early, and a cold wind was blowing.
Fuxiang Restaurant had just opened for business, and the staff were cleaning and preparing lunch ingredients when they welcomed Zheng Ya, a customer. The waiter impatiently yelled at him, "Where did this scoundrel come from? Don't you know Fuxiang Restaurant mainly serves lunch and dinner? Get out of here and stop getting in the way..."
"Manager Qi's act of unleashing his dogs is an attempt to amplify Prince Rong's power!" Zheng Ya shouted, startling the waiter who was lazily rubbing his hands together to warm them. The waiter, who had been hiding behind the door trying to shoo people away, trembled and tripped, his legs giving way. "Ah, don't shout! I was wrong..."
There's no right or wrong in this matter; the trouble that happened in front of Fuxiang Restaurant was all the waiter's fault.
The unwritten rule is to make guests feel at home.
This unspoken rule highlights Prince Rong's reputation for being approachable and making friends with people from all over the world.
Of course, only the wealthy and powerful could enter Fuxianglou. Ordinary people would generally avoid it, for fear of bumping into a member of a powerful family and bringing trouble upon themselves.
Occasionally, incidents of powerful and wealthy young men bullying others occur in front of Fuxianglou Restaurant. Each time, Manager Qi steps in and uses Prince Rong's name to settle the matter peacefully.
Zheng Ya obtained all of Fu Ya's memories and learned about this matter, and felt that there was something fishy going on?
If even the waiters dare to bully people, how can Fuxianglou be without problems?
Upon hearing the commotion, Manager Qi walked out of the Fuxiang Restaurant and saw the waiter bowing and apologizing to Zheng Ya. Zheng Ya stood with his hands behind his back, smiling faintly and remaining silent. He clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Young man, you are too kind. If my servant has offended you, I hope you will forgive him."
"Manager Qi, your prosperous appearance has certainly saved your master, Prince Rong, a lot of money, hasn't it?" Zheng Ya didn't hold back his sarcasm, secretly cursing Prince Rong for raising pigs.
Manager Qi suppressed his anger and forced a smile: "Young man, you're joking. It's just that my Prince Rong treats his subordinates well and provides good benefits. It's hard not to gain weight!"
Being able to eat well is a blessing, and this was also a common saying used by Prince Rong to praise his subordinates.
"It's an honor for me, Mr. Qi. It's also an honor for Fuxiang Restaurant to have you here, young man. Please come in?"
"Manager Qi, you're so magnanimous!" Zheng Ya said as he walked into Fuxiang Restaurant, passing Manager Qi and patting his large belly.
Shopkeeper Qi, unable to avoid the attack, angrily took three large steps back and said, "Young man, you're framing our Prince Rong for rebellion. What is your intention?"
"Oh, really?"
But how could someone have broken into Fu's house and killed him to cover it up last night at dawn? If Fu hadn't faked his death to escape, how could he have avoided being tortured and killed by Zheng Ershisan, a cultivator at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining?
"Zheng Ershisan proudly revealed the inside story halfway through, how do you explain that?" Zheng Ya turned and went upstairs with a smile.
The sound was not loud, but it contained a trace of spatial power, quietly spreading within a range of two hundred meters, arousing discussion among the surrounding neighbors and pedestrians.
Some say that Zheng Ya is spreading rumors and causing trouble to tarnish Prince Rong's reputation, and that he has ulterior motives.
Some say you can know a person's face but not their heart, and that Prince Rong was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Some people say that Zheng Ya was too stupid. He faked his death to escape an assassination attempt, but instead of keeping a low profile and fleeing the capital to avoid Prince Rong's pursuit, he was just courting death.
A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall; Zheng Ya was a fool, courting death.
Zheng Ya sensed everything, pretended not to hear, and checked the changes in spiritual energy in the small world of his special ability space. It hadn't increased at all.
It has collected a lot of people's imagination and heated discussions, and it is estimated that it will take ten thousand strands to condense a little bit of spiritual energy.
Shopkeeper Qi broke out in a cold sweat, and said with a forced smile, "Young man, please don't make trouble. This is all fabricated. If you cause a big mess and His Majesty holds you accountable, I'm afraid you'll be the one who suffers the loss."
"Well, just take it as me talking nonsense. I'll serve you the best wine and food." Zheng Ya went up the wooden stairs, and Manager Qi escorted him to a private room on the third floor before apologizing and leaving.
As soon as Manager Qi stepped out, his smile vanished, and he quickly descended the stairs with a stern face. He then turned towards the backyard and approached the guard, Zheng Shier: "You're also a cultivator, so you must have heard everything, right?"
"Hmm, Twenty-Three is too arrogant and has ruined the Prince's important plans. What do you think?" Zheng Twelve put down his wine cup, stood up and asked in return.
Manager Qi smiled wryly and said, "You are all secret guards and cultivators trained by the prince. I dare not interfere."
However, I know that the prince intended to kill Fu Ya, frame Fu Zhen, and control the entire Fu family in preparation for any eventuality.
However, Fu Ya miraculously survived. It's possible that someone secretly protecting him advised him and encouraged him to confront the prince about the matter, clearly putting pressure on him and using him as a pawn to kill him.
"You mean they've already gathered evidence of twenty-three crimes, and even some evidence against the Prince, and are starting to fight back?" Zheng Twelve asked in a panic.
Manager Qi nodded and said, "Yes, that's the only possibility."
Otherwise, Fu Ya isn't stupid; if he were to expose this matter and tarnish the prince's reputation, wouldn't that be courting death?
“That makes sense, but to avoid any misinterpretation, why don’t we test the quality of Fu Ya’s medicine before reporting back to the Prince?” Zheng Shier cautiously took out a packet of medicine powder and handed it to Manager Qi.
Manager Qi shuddered, swallowed hard, and said in a trembling voice, "This, this isn't a good idea, is it?"
"Manager Qi, there is no other way now."
You must understand that if you report false military intelligence, and the prince blames you, neither of us can afford to suffer the consequences.
On the contrary, Fu Ya's visit to cause trouble may be an attempt to put pressure on the prince, using him as a tool to kill Zheng Twenty-Three, allowing Fu Ya to vent his anger, and thus ensuring that both sides can live in peace.
But if we analyze it more deeply, isn't it also because Fu Ya and his mastermind weren't entirely confident in retaliating against the prince, and were using a borrowed knife to kill someone as a warning to the prince not to do something that would result in mutual destruction, otherwise everyone would be destroyed and no one would benefit, right?" Zheng Twelve analyzed the problem with a wildly imaginative mind.
Manager Qi listened with complete agreement, raised the packet of medicine powder in his hand, and said in a trembling voice, "You're right, then let's give it a try?"
"Well, it would be best if we could poison Fu Ya to death. If not, I'm afraid this matter is beyond our ability to handle!" Zheng Shier solemnly warned.
Manager Qi gripped the medicine packet in his hand, nodded, turned and walked away: "Alright, I'll take care of this..."
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