"Welcome, Your Highness." Ma Shizhong bowed respectfully towards the carriage.
Fu Yunchen also bowed, but did not speak.
"Return to the palace." A listless, indifferent voice came from inside the carriage.
Ma Shizhong immediately arranged for the imperial guards to escort Prince Zhou back to the palace. He and Fu Yunchen then greeted the Wu envoys and settled the Wu army.
Ma Shizhong was extremely impatient with dealing with the people of Wu, but he could not be impolite, lest the Northern Jin Dynasty appear stingy and be branded as a harsh mistreat of foreign envoys.
Fu Yunchen noticed Ma Shizhong's displeasure and took over the task of entertaining the Wu envoy from him.
This delighted Ma Shizhong, who said he would definitely speak well of him to His Majesty. He also hinted that the Ministry of Rites was short of a principal officer and that he would recommend him to His Majesty if he wished.
Fu Yunchen declined, saying that he was doing well at the Hanlin Academy.
The more he refused, the more Ma Shizhong admired him.
...
The Prime Minister's residence, Li Yingyu's boudoir.
Because her wrist injury was so severe that even the tendons and veins were affected, the Prime Minister's wife told her that it would affect her ability to play the zither in the future.
Li Yingyu's greatest skill was playing the zither, and upon hearing that things could no longer be the same as before, she immediately burst into tears.
The Prime Minister's wife wasn't worried about this at all. After all, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting were just hobbies; a basic understanding was enough, there was no need to be an expert. She wasn't going to be a musician. In the future, if she married, she would be the mistress of the house, and she wouldn't need these things anymore. On the contrary, if the wound left a scar, her husband might dislike her.
"I will send someone to find a cure for scars, and I will make sure your hand is as good as new."
"But Brother Yun likes his daughter's zither."
"Yun Tanhua is not your ideal man, he is not worthy of your status, stop thinking nonsense."
“He is the newly appointed third-ranked scholar, how could he not be good enough for my daughter? Besides, my daughter is already deeply in love with him, and there is no room for anyone else in her heart.”
"...Are you really determined to marry no one but him?" The Prime Minister's wife looked at her daughter and asked thoughtfully.
Li Yingyu nodded without hesitation, "Absolutely, I will marry no one but Brother Yun!"
"Alright, Mother understands." A calculating glint flashed in the Prime Minister's wife's eyes.
Granny Song entered the room, followed by Granny Su.
"Madam, Granny Su has arrived."
Granny Su immediately knelt on the ground with a look of fear and unease, begging, "Madam, spare my life!"
The Prime Minister's wife's face immediately darkened. "Speak! Where is that wretched girl? She dared to hurt my daughter! I'll make her wish she were dead!"
Granny Su kowtowed and begged for mercy, "This servant doesn't know where she ran off to."
"If you can't find her, you'll die in her place. Take her away, Granny Song, and don't let her cause any trouble."
"Yes, Madam. This servant will not leave any trace."
"Madam, it really has nothing to do with me! Please, Madam, have mercy! Please, Madam, spare my life!" Granny Su knelt down and pounced at the feet of the Prime Minister's wife.
The Prime Minister's wife kicked him away and angrily shouted at Granny Song, "Why aren't you taking him away? Are you waiting to be punished together?"
"Yes, yes, Madam, please calm down." Granny Song covered Granny Su's mouth with one hand and grabbed her hair with the other, dragging her out by the hair!
After leaving the house, Granny Song called to the two rough-working women guarding the courtyard gate, "Come here."
One of the rough-looking old women, holding a hemp rope, immediately stepped forward and tied Su Mama up tightly.
Granny Song said to the maid, "Take her to my room first; I have some questions for her."
"yes."
Two rough-looking old women carried Granny Su to the small room in the side courtyard where Granny Song lived.
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