Chapter 36 June, and I Only Like You
As soon as Fu Sui emerged from the bamboo grove, she saw Kou Yun frantically winking at her. Following Kou Yun's gaze, she saw a tall and agile figure hidden in the woods.
Unexpectedly, Fu Sui was delighted to see Yue Shanling here. She lifted her skirt and ran over happily, saying, "It's been several days since I last saw you. General Yue is as heroic as ever."
Yue Shanling's shoulders and back were stiff as he raised his hand in a salute. Fu Sui was not pleased with Yue Shanling's inexplicable respect. She glanced at him sideways and said reproachfully, "Some people say he's idle, yet he doesn't even think of contacting me for a month. They say he's busy, yet he still has time to attend other people's banquets. General Yue, do you know the reason behind this?"
Yue Shanling did not answer Fu Sui's question. Instead, he spoke of Qian Tingzhi: "Today I met Ninth Prince. He is both talented and handsome, comes from a distinguished family, and is well-versed in poetry and literature..."
"Stop!" Qian Tingzhi's handsome face was like a ghostly mask, hiding ambition and desire beneath, but nothing human about him. Fu Sui's trust in scholars, which was already limited, had diminished further after his conversation with Qian Tingzhi, and was almost at its lowest point.
Why bring him up?
"The Qian family seems to intend for Ninth Prince to marry your esteemed master." Yue Shanling had been standing here for a long time; he had considered the matter very carefully.
With the Qian family as a safety net, Qian Tingzhi wouldn't be too bad even if he was lacking. Although Fu Sui would be bound by the rules of a prominent family if she married Qian Tingzhi, the Qian family wouldn't be disrespectful to Fu Sui even for the sake of their reputation. And with Jiulangjun's talent, life wouldn't be too boring.
"Since the princess and the Ninth Prince have such a pleasant conversation, they must share similar interests. If... if the princess..."
Fu Sui stood before Yue Shanling not to hear his words, for every word he uttered only fueled her anger. She couldn't understand whether Yue Shanling was truly a heartless, loveless stone, or whether she was simply not beautiful or virtuous enough to be worthy of him. Why did Yue Shanling always push her away?
But before the fire could even ignite, it was extinguished by the phrase "they had a very pleasant conversation."
How did Yue Shanling know that she and Jiulangjun had a "pleasant" conversation? Fu Sui turned around and looked. From where Yue Shanling was standing, she could see the path leading behind the bamboo grove.
A thought suddenly popped into Fu Sui's mind: How long has he been standing here?
As a guest, he waited motionless in the host's garden for her to finish talking with Qian Tingzhi. He even thought she was having a romantic conversation with Qian Tingzhi, but he didn't leave. Even though Kouyun had already discovered him, he still waited.
This idea made all of Fu Sui's dissatisfaction vanish, and he even softened a little.
She reassured Yue Shanling, saying, "The Qian family's intention to marry your esteemed lady is ancient history. General Yue, rest assured, with my reputation, no one will compete with you for her."
Yue Shanling didn't accept this assessment; he had always known he was a dull person. Previously, he was surrounded by soldiers and commoners, and even with local officials, he could handle them with composure and dignity. After returning to the capital, aside from old acquaintances and officials of the fifth rank and above, he hadn't had much time for entertainment or banquets.
It was only today, with the existence of Qian Tingzhi, that he realized how vast the gap was between himself and the truly brilliant and outstanding scions of noble families.
They were knowledgeable in music and skilled in poetry, possessing refined tastes and exceptional talent. They could paint flowers for their wives and share tea with them. Yet, his calloused, rough hands didn't even dare to grasp those silk-like, jade-like hands when Fu Sui tied five-colored threads around his neck.
He took a deep breath and earnestly advised, "Princess, you are still young and may not know how important it is for a woman to choose a husband. I am both rough and ignorant, my life is coarse and I have no sense of romance. I am often away on campaigns. Perhaps all I can leave a woman with is dullness and endless waiting. Princess, you should not be wasted in a bland and boring life."
Fu Sui was caught off guard by this outburst and was somewhat stunned. She stared blankly at the man in front of her who kept belittling himself, listening to the derogatory words being etched onto him one by one.
"Crossing the mountains." Fu Sui interrupted him softly; this seemed to be the first time she had called him by his name in person.
Fu Sui gazed into those dark, deep eyes, her voice soft yet firm: "Ninth Master asked me, 'Why should mutual respect be based on one's true feelings?' I'll tell you now, it's because I don't like it that I care."
"I don't like hypocritical emotions, I don't like feigned affection, and I don't like a husband like Jiulangjun who is insincere and hypocritical. I may not know what kind of life a perfect woman should have, but I know what I like and what I want."
"I only like you."
A deafening roar filled Yue Shanling's ears. He couldn't remember anything Fu Sui had said before, only the phrase "I like you." The blood in Yue Shanling's body seemed to freeze after Fu Sui uttered "I like you," then surged to his heart, so loudly that he couldn't hear anything else.
Having expressed her feelings, Fu Sui waited for a while, her face flushed, but seeing no response from Yue Shanling, she became somewhat discouraged. After thinking for a moment, she said, "If General finds this troublesome, you may speak frankly. I will not bother you again in the future." Before she finished speaking, she turned to leave.
His heart pounded so hard that he lost the ability to think. Yue Shanling didn't even realize that Fu Sui was talking to him. He only saw that Fu Sui was about to leave, and in his haste, he grabbed Fu Sui's wrist.
Meeting Fu Sui's questioning gaze, he knew he should say something, but his mind went blank, and he couldn't utter a single word.
He spoke hastily, his voice hoarse and trembling: "I'm really tied up with official duties. I'll be able to take a normal vacation next month. If there's anywhere the princess wants to go, I can... I'll let the princess do as she pleases."
A scorching heat emanated from his wrist, and even the incoherent words carried a burning urgency. Fu Sui sensed Yue Shanling's panic, and the corners of his lips gradually curved upwards, a sly glint appearing in his eyes: "Then I'll have to make a proper list and have the general complete it one by one."
Yue Shanling agreed without hesitation, but still didn't let go of her hand. If she could, Fu Sui would like to stay with Yue Shanling a little longer, but there really wasn't enough time. She could only remind him reluctantly, "If General doesn't let go soon, I'll miss the game of pitch-pot."
Yue Shanling's ears turned bright red instantly. He hurriedly let go of her hand, stammered a few words, and let Fu Sui leave. Watching the girl's back, he let out a self-deprecating laugh.
Fu Sui walked ahead in high spirits, with Kou Yun following closely behind. When they reached a fork in the road, they saw Dai Ling sitting on the ground, embracing the maid who was leading the way, and covering her mouth with her hand to prevent her from making a sound.
Fu Sui quickly told Dai Ling to release the person and head back the way they came. The maid followed behind without saying a word. When they reached the place where the arrow-throwing game was being played, she took advantage of Fu Sui's inattention and immediately turned onto a side path and disappeared from sight.
Fu Sui didn't care who she went to report to. As soon as she entered, she was grabbed by Xiao Shu'er, who was anxiously pacing around, and dragged her to the pitch-pot game.
The others should have finished their pitch-pot game long ago. Fu Sui saw Yan Shan and Su Shande playing pitch-pot together, while Liang Hui and the others gathered together to drink tea. On the table where the scores were kept, the ink in the inkstone had already dried at the edges.
The Qian sisters were not there, but Zheng Zizai had returned. She saw that Fu Sui showed no surprise or shock, nor did she ask where the divination tools Fu Sui had retrieved were.
When the noble ladies scattered around saw Fu Sui appear, they all gathered around to watch him play the pitch-pot game. As expected, Fu Sui won without any suspense.
Zhang Chengyun refused to listen, complaining that Fu Sui had left them there empty-handed, and only stopped when Fu Sui agreed to play the flying flower game with them later.
The subsequent hiding of the hook and shooting of the cover were basically unrelated to Fu Sui, who simply sat and drank tea while watching the show.
Because they didn't understand divination, their so-called "guessing the hidden objects" was nothing more than wild guessing. Surprisingly, Yu Chengjun won first place, while Zheng Zizai didn't even get third. In the final settlement, Yu Chengjun, Liang Hui, and Su Shande won the grand prize. The three of them each chose a large and lush pomegranate tree in the garden and tied red ropes to the trunks as markers.
Zhang Chengyun and Xiao Shuer, having failed to defeat Shi Liu, joined forces with Gao Xianying and Qiao Zhenzhen to thoroughly sabotage Fu Sui during the Flying Flower Order game, firmly establishing the label of "ignorant and incompetent" on him.
When Fu Sui returned to the mansion exhausted, she saw a fair-skinned, aloof man waiting for her with a smile at the gate.
Xu Zhiyi! Fu Sui gritted his teeth in hatred, looking down for sticks and stones.
Xu Zhiyi shrewdly stepped aside a few paces to distance himself from Fu Sui, and said with a forced smile, "The Emperor is still waiting for the Princess. Princess, please hurry into the palace, lest the Emperor keep you waiting."
Fu Sui was even angrier; even a donkey wouldn't be treated like that. Without even changing her clothes, she first ordered someone to tidy up the copied books in the study, and then, carrying the more than one hundred copies of the punishment, she headed straight for the palace gate.
The pile of papers on the desk almost reached the pen holder. The emperor patted the top sheet of papers, looked at the neatly stacked copies of punishment, and couldn't help but chuckle: "Didn't I already exempt you from this?"
Fu Sui sat upright to the side, replying irritably, "Brother, you're too late. I've already copied more than half of it."
The emperor casually flipped through the stack, then suddenly picked up one and examined it closely, then picked up another and looked at it again, before quickly glancing over the whole stack. He then said with some surprise, "You actually copied it?"
Fu Sui immediately complained to the emperor with great distress: "I have been working day and night, and my arms are so sore that I can't lift them. Calluses are forming on my fingers."
The emperor smiled as he watched Fu Sui ramble on and on about her troubles. He picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and interrupted her, saying, "Ningning, you've suffered a lot. Tell me your wish, and your brother will grant it for you."
Fu Sui blinked, thinking that there was nothing particularly urgent, and after a moment's thought, asked, "Can we save them up first?"
"No waiting after the expiration date." The emperor didn't even lift an eyelid. Only Fu Sui would try to bargain with him. He never extended credit for anything he said.
Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Fu Sui racked his brains, and before he knew it, he was thinking of Yue Shanling. "Why is this invincible general talking incoherently?" Fu Sui's lips curled up uncontrollably.
She kept a straight face and said tactfully, "Brother, how about letting Ningning decide her own marriage?"
Upon hearing this, the emperor glanced at Fu Sui, a cryptic glint in his eyes: "You've taken a fancy to that fake Taoist priest from the Qian family?"
To ask Fu Sui to feign compliance with Qian Ting would be worse than asking him to live with Wang Lingshu. Fu Sui shook his head repeatedly: "I'm worried he'll sell me if I say another word to him."
The emperor chuckled lightly: "Even if he really sold you out, your brother will bring him back, skin and bones. What's there to be afraid of?"
Fu Sui secretly grumbled to himself, "I can get it back, but when I'll get it back is uncertain."
Two heavy footsteps sounded outside, and the emperor stopped speaking. After a short while, Xu Asheng walked in.
"Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince and Consort Feng have arrived."
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