Han An was overjoyed at the prospect of reuniting with his family. He ate a little more at dinner, planning how to settle his mother and younger brother in Kyoto once they arrived.
Furthermore, Cui Yulu must disappear in order to dispel the hatred in his heart.
Han An felt incredibly happy thinking about the future. His future was definitely bright. As long as his uncle said a few words, he would definitely become the top scholar.
Once they become officials in the court, won't Cui Yulu and Han Yu'an still have to obey her every command?
In retrospect, I have to thank that fool Han Yu'an. He can never catch up with me and will always be at my beck and call.
Han An was overjoyed, unaware that Cui Tianqi was leading Han Yu towards the capital.
I was thinking of giving the old lady a surprise.
At this moment, inside the Prince Si's residence in Kyoto, Xu Zhengqing, the prefect of Qinghe, was reporting the itinerary of Fu Xiaoyu and his entourage to the Fourth Prince, Fu Xiaofan.
"Your Highness, I think we should create some chaos at this time. Anyway, the emperor is currently ill and you have to arrange everything. Why don't we take this opportunity to wipe them all out in one fell swoop?"
Xu Zhengqing had long disapproved of the current emperor's actions and was eager to follow the Fourth Prince to achieve a higher official position as soon as possible.
"Do you think the time has come?"
"This is definitely a good opportunity. There are many people in the court who trust the prince now, and General Xu Ling has already secretly trained a million elite troops on the border. The Empress Dowager is seriously ill and the emperor is indecisive. This is our opportunity. As long as we get rid of Fu Xiaoyu, our future will be completely smooth."
Xu Zhengqing became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he could already see the dawn of victory and that Fu Xiaofan would ascend the throne tomorrow.
"I need to observe this matter further and make a decision after Fu Xiaoyu arrives in Kyoto."
Xu Zhengqing wanted to say something more, but seeing Fu Xiaofan wave his hand, he was too embarrassed to speak further, so he bowed and left.
After everyone finished their meal at the villa, Cui Tianqi and Han Yu'an rode back to Kyoto together.
"Third Brother, when did you learn to ride a horse?"
Han Chunying looked at Han Yu'an with curiosity and surprise.
"Wouldn't I look like a fool if I told you everything?"
You're making it sound like you weren't a fool before.
Han Chunying muttered to herself.
Han Yu'an's gaze bypassed Han Chunying and landed on Cui Yulu, his eyes burning with an unusual intensity, as if he were anticipating something.
"Take care on your journey, see you in Kyoto."
Cui Yulu lowered her head and whispered a few words before waving goodbye to him.
Seeing that it was getting late, Cui Tianqi urged his horse to hurry on its way. Han Yu'an glanced at Cui Yulu's back and then kicked his horse's belly to catch up with Cui Tianqi.
Hearing the sound of horses' hooves, Cui Yulu turned back to look at Han Yu'an, praying in her heart that the journey would be safe and that nothing bad would happen.
Seeing her somewhat lost in thought, Fu Xiaoyu waved his large hands in front of her eyes.
"What are you thinking about? Do we have to practice today?"
Cui Yulu snapped out of her daze, smiled, and nodded at him.
So the two of them went to the backyard, where they saw a human-shaped target marked with acupoints.
Fu Xiaoyu didn't need to teach her about acupoints, but he did need to teach her the force with which she threw soybeans to acupoints.
"See that Tanzhong acupoint? Strike it with your arm and apply gentle force. Remember not to bend your elbow too much, or you'll hit it off-center."
Cui Yulu started practicing as he instructed, but the result was either hitting too hard or hitting the target off target.
Fu Xiaoyu frowned and asked with some suspicion, "How did you manage to send out the silver needles you used before?"
“I used to stab at close range, but I couldn’t release the attack because I didn’t have enough strength.”
As he spoke, he threw another handful of soybeans, which, unsurprisingly, hit the acupoints.
"See? I was just kidding you. I've practiced very well. With a master as capable as you, my apprentice can't be too bad."
"You little liar, you've actually learned to lie! As punishment, you'll have to finish hitting a thousand soybeans, or you won't be allowed to sleep."
Cui Yulu's face immediately fell.
"No way, I'm already this good, I don't need to train anymore."
She's exhausted and all she wants to do now is sleep.
Seeing her pitiful look, Fu Xiaoyu raised his hand to pat her head, but then withdrew it.
"Alright then, this is the last time, or I'll really have to punish you."
Cui Yulu made a playful face at him, a scene that was witnessed by Ji Xiaotang and Fu Yunying.
"Master, do you think my brother has taken a liking to that girl? But is it possible for them to be together?"
"Children shouldn't meddle in adults' affairs."
Fu Yunying waited all night for her drunk master, and said angrily, "I'm just a kid, but Cui Yulu is a year younger than me, okay?"
But Ji Xiaotang paid no attention to her and had already slipped back into the house with the wine.
Han Yu'an and Cui Tianqi rode at full speed and returned to the Marquis's residence at midnight.
Because he returned suddenly, no one came out to greet him. Only the gatekeeper opened the door for them when he saw that it was the second young master.
"Time is of the essence tonight, so you can rest in my room for the night. I'll arrange for you to meet with Mother first thing tomorrow morning."
Han Yu'an nodded slightly, but a vague feeling of unease lingered in his heart.
But he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.
Since we're already here, let's just take it one step at a time.
"I'm not tired yet. I'll read for a while before I go to sleep."
Even a seasoned warrior like Cui Tianqi felt exhausted after riding all that way, let alone an ordinary scholar like him.
So Cui Tianqi snatched the book from his hand and said, "There's no rush to read. Besides, you've been traveling for so long. Staying up all night to read will definitely take a toll on your health. Go to bed and get some sleep."
Seeing his uncle's distressed expression, Han Yu'an stopped being stubborn and obediently lay down.
"That's right. I'll send someone to deliver your clothes tomorrow. Get some rest."
"Then where are you going?"
Han Yu'an looked at Cui Tianqi walking out with a puzzled expression.
"I'll just make do in the outer room for the night."
"No, that won't do. How can I let you stay in the outer room? I'll go instead."
It's winter now, and even though there's a charcoal fire burning inside, it's still cold outside.
"That won't do. I'm stronger than you and can withstand the cold. What if you get sick?"
However, Han Yu'an simply couldn't bear it.
"Why don't we squeeze in?"
This bed is quite large; it can easily sleep two people.
Cui Tianqi naturally didn't mind; he did that because he was afraid Han Yu'an wouldn't want to sleep with someone else.
"Since you don't mind, let's sleep together."
"I don't care about these things at all. Back in Linshui Village, we always slept together as a family."
Thinking back to my days in Linshui Village, it feels like it was just yesterday.
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