Chapter 8 February Ru: "What kind of man is he? So stingy!"...
As Fu Sui was thinking, a soft voice called from outside, "Princess."
Fu Suichong nodded to Kouyun, who then went to open the door for Cheng Liwu.
“Princess,” Cheng Liwu came in to report, “There are many civil officials here today, as well as unmarried women of suitable age who come with their mothers and daughters. Among them are Ninth Lady from the Marquis of Bohai County, Twenty-One Lady and Seventh Lady from the Qian family of Boling, the female relatives of the Minister of Ceremonies, and the female relatives of the Liu family of the Imperial Academy.”
The old lady of the Marquis of Bohai County had "Ya" in her name, so it was impossible for the girls in their household to be named Ya'er. The Minister of Ceremonies came from the Gao family of Jingzhao, which, along with the Qian family of Boling, was one of the four great aristocratic families. People considered it an honor to marry a woman from one of these four families, and there had never been a story of a woman from one of these four families marrying up. Therefore, only the Registrar of the Imperial Academy remained.
Who was the matchmaker who brought them together? The wife of the Imperial Academy Registrar and the military general from a noble family are truly a mismatched pair.
"Go and ask where that Lady Liu is, and where Lady Yue is."
He knocked on the cloud and received a response, then went out to find the manager of Qingyuntai.
Dai Ling rested her elbows on the railing, propping her head up as she watched the polo match. Fu Sui glanced casually at the field and asked, "How's it going?"
Dai Ling said listlessly, "They don't dare to ride horses; it's like playing polo with donkeys."
“Princess,” Kouyun pushed open the door and came in, “someone saw Lady Liu go to Fuyou Pavilion, and Lady Yue went with her.”
Fu Sui threw away the dried fruit in her hand, clapped her hands and stood up: "Dai Ling'er, stop looking. Princess, I'll take you to help each other and break up the couple."
The Fuyou Pavilion is located at the corner of the Dengxiao Tower. It is built in the shape of a pavilion, with curtains and bells hanging around it. Standing in it, one feels as if one is walking on clouds and looking into the distance.
The only way to reach Fuyou Pavilion was through an elevated corridor. Fu Sui watched from afar as a maid came out of the corridor and went downstairs. He instructed Dai Ling, "Wait here for a while. When that maid comes back, go and ask her what's going on in Fuyou Pavilion."
After a while, the maid came up from downstairs. Dai Ling went up to her, and after exchanging a few words, Dai Ling and the maid bid each other farewell and returned to Fu Sui's side.
“I told her I was a maidservant of the princess, and asked her if she was from Qingyuntai, and if there were any people in Fuyao Pavilion. She replied that she was from the side of Miss Yue Si, and that there were several young men and women in Fuyao Pavilion composing poems.”
Not long after Yue Lingling arrived, the maid came and went empty-handed, most likely looking for someone. Fu Sui decided to wait and see.
As soon as Yue Shanling stepped onto the covered walkway, he saw a young woman standing in the middle of the walkway, holding onto the railing and watching a polo match below, with two maids standing beside her. He began to hesitate.
Fu Sui had only been gambling, but he hadn't expected to actually catch the rabbit. With a slight movement of his finger, Kou Yun and Dai Ling retreated five steps away.
Yue Shanling stopped in his tracks and saw the woman turn around. Her skin was like solidified cream, and her lips were like rouge. She was a beautiful woman with a charming and alluring air. Her eyes, as clear as water, seemed somewhat familiar to Yue Shanling. When the woman bowed gracefully and said, "May you be blessed, my lord," Yue Shanling finally remembered that she was the woman from the Lantern Festival.
I never expected to run into her here today. Looking across the mountains towards the Fuyou Pavilion, could it be her...?
"Young master, you're in such a hurry, where are you going?" Fu Sui quietly glanced at Yue Shanling.
From a distance, one could only see that he had changed into a rich and luxurious outfit today. Upon closer inspection, his robes were indeed exquisite and appropriate, but he did not wear any ornaments or sachets at his waist. Instead, he had two knives hanging from his waist and a fish-shaped dagger attached to his waist. He was just one step away from drawing his bow and carrying his sword and going into battle. He did not have the carefree and leisurely demeanor of a dashing young master.
The description of him as a general on the battlefield is fitting, but this fierce and menacing appearance... Fu Sui's gaze swept over the man's thick, deep eyebrows, high nose bridge, and slightly sharp lips. He wondered what kind of reputation he had that such an appearance could be described as fierce and menacing.
The corridor leads to only one place, yet the woman in front of me asked a question I already knew the answer to, and I couldn't figure out her intentions from the mountain ridge.
Fu Sui glanced back at Fuyao Pavilion, then feigned sudden realization and said, "Young master, are you going to Fuyao Pavilion?" He then put on a disapproving look, "There are many women in Fuyao Pavilion. Do you know anyone there?"
Yue Shanling never expected to be seen as a lecherous man who disturbed the female guest. He earnestly explained, "My sister is in the room."
Fu Sui covered her mouth with her hand and exclaimed softly, "Could it be that your surname is Liu? Why don't you calm down? If you fight, it will only embarrass your own sister. Why bother?"
Yue Shanling was confused by Fu Sui's words and frowned, saying, "Madam, you've mistaken me for someone else. My surname isn't Liu."
"Oh dear, it was my slip of the tongue. Please don't take it to heart, sir." Although the woman said this, her eyes were full of smiles as she stared straight at him, showing no embarrassment or anger at her slip of the tongue, nor any intention of making way. Yue Shanling then realized that this woman was probably waiting for him here.
He raised an eyebrow slightly, unable to understand why these young ladies would resort to such scheming and trickery, so he simply said, "I really don't understand what you mean, madam. Please enlighten me."
Fu Sui praised them inwardly as they ascended the mountain ridge, drawing out the last syllable: "Today, Lady Liu and a handsome young man were reciting poems together in this Fuyou Pavilion. Their witty remarks were astounding, astonishing everyone present. They are truly a talented couple, enviable indeed. I saw the young man arrive in a hurry, looking rather stern, and assumed he was Lady Liu's brother, unable to bear seeing a young man so close to his sister, and had come to teach that handsome young man a lesson." Though he hesitated, a cunning glint flashed in his eyes.
Having said that, Yue Shanling understood perfectly well that whether or not the handsome young man was in the pavilion was irrelevant at this moment, and there was no need for Fuyao Pavilion to enter again. A hint of mockery flashed through Yue Shanling's mind.
He looked at the woman in front of him and saw her leaning lazily against the railing, observing his reaction. When she saw him looking at her, she not only did not look away, but also blinked innocently, making no attempt to hide her deliberate presence. Her act was quite frank.
Despite being clearly being teased by her, Yue Shanling felt no offense, but rather found it amusing.
“My lady, you misunderstand. I have never met Lady Liu before. However, since you say that there are many women in Fuyou Pavilion, it is indeed inappropriate for a rough man like me to enter. I will take my leave now.”
Yue Shanling originally intended to leave directly, but after thinking about it, he added, "It's windy on the veranda, my lady, don't get too cold."
Who's going to be chilly? If it weren't for waiting for him, why would she be standing here in the cold wind? Fu Sui knew he was teasing her, and cursed him under her breath, pointing to the corridor below: "The polo down there is so boring, so weak and uninteresting. You look so dashing, why don't you go down and give it a try?"
Yue Shanling found it amusing; she certainly knew how to boss people around. Since that was the case, he decided not to do as she pleased: "Unfortunately, I have other matters to attend to today and am not available here. Please make yourself at home, my lady."
Fu Sui felt resentful as she watched Yue Shanling leave, thinking, "What kind of man is he? Cold as a stone: stingy."
Sitting in the carriage, Yue Lingling wanted to lift the curtain several times to ask Yue Shanling, who was riding beside her, but she had to suppress her doubts because her maid was also in the carriage.
Yue Shanling escorted Yue Lingling back to the Yue residence and then went to see Madam Zhou first.
“The Imperial Academy’s registrar comes from a family with a strong academic background, while I am just a rough and vulgar soldier. I am not a good match for him. I will not let this delay Lady Liu’s life.”
Madam Zhou considered their meeting today unpleasant and, after Yue Shanling left, hurriedly went to find Yue Lingling to inquire.
Yue Lingling was also full of questions. She had sent someone to look for her brother today, but he didn't come. She sent someone again, but her brother told her to go and play by herself. She had met Liu Junya and the registrar's wife all day, but her brother hadn't shown up at all.
Unable to come up with a solution, Madam Zhou could only find other excuses and offer many kind words to persuade the registrar's wife to drop the matter.
As soon as Fu Sui returned to the manor, he summoned Qin An: "Do you know about the Third Young Master of the Yue family?"
"Does the princess mean Yue Shanling, who has just been appointed as the General of the Cloud Banner?" There are more than one family with the surname Yue in the capital, but only one can be mentioned in front of the princess.
Fu Sui nodded.
If we're not familiar with him, Qin An knows Yue Shanling; if we're familiar with him, the two haven't seen each other for many years: "He was stationed on the border when he was young and hasn't been in the capital for more than ten years, so I don't know him very well now."
Fu Sui asked, puzzled, "Isn't he the son of a nobleman? What is he doing going to guard the border?"
"It is related to the death of the Prince of Jin."
Fu Sui remained silent. There were many different opinions about the death of the Prince of Jin, with the most common speculation being that it was the work of the Cao family and the Prince of Jing. However, Fu Sui had heard another version of the story from Qin An.
On the day of Prince Jin's wedding, Emperor Su bestowed upon Prince Jin ten thousand gold pieces as a celebration. Hidden among the pearls and jade in the gift was a box containing the edict establishing Prince Jin as the heir apparent and the military tally of the Three Guards.
The Prince of Jin set off for his fiefdom the day after his wedding. Before departing, he secretly met with the late emperor, who was still in the Eastern Palace, and handed the box over to him unopened. The reason why Empress Cao later murdered the Prince of Jin was because she learned that he possessed the edict establishing the heir apparent.
At that time, the powerful faction within the court held considerable sway, and the Crown Prince was ill. Emperor Su remained aloof from the power struggle between the two factions. On the surface, the Prince of Jing's advance was overwhelming, and the Crown Prince was unable to withstand it. Many aristocratic families secretly allied themselves with the Prince of Jing, hoping to gain favor and support the new emperor. Unexpectedly, the Prince of Jin died suddenly, and Emperor Su swiftly slaughtered the Cao clan and destroyed the Prince of Jing. The emperor was furious beyond measure, and the capital was filled with unease and fear.
Rumors circulated that the Crown Prince, dragging his crippled leg, knelt outside the Taiji Palace for a long time, blaming himself for failing to protect the Prince of Jin, weeping uncontrollably, and requesting to be deposed. Qin An, however, noticed something amiss from the sudden disappearance of the current emperor, who was then the Prince of Jiangdu, and from Emperor Su's subtle attitude towards the Crown Prince, guessing that the leak of the edict establishing the heir apparent was inseparable from the Prince of Jiangdu.
The tears shed by the Crown Prince on the stone steps—how much of it was out of grief for the Prince of Jin, and how much was to exonerate his own son?
When the Prince of Jin first arrived at his fiefdom, he wrote a secret letter of ten thousand characters to Emperor Su, truthfully informing him of the whereabouts of the imperial edict and military tally. Emperor Su did not reply with a single word, but only sent a gold fish tally. Qin An then knew that Emperor Su had no intention of deposing the crown prince and establishing a new one.
As Emperor Su's eldest surviving son, the Crown Prince had served him for a long time and had even acted as regent. His relationship with Emperor Su was different from that of others. After the Crown Prince's death, Emperor Su wanted to establish the Prince of Jin as the heir apparent. Although the Prince of Jin was favored, Emperor Su also believed that the Prince of Jin would not mistreat his elder brother when he ascended the throne.
Although Emperor Su was furious after the death of the Prince of Jin, he imprisoned the Prince of Jiangdu without making a decision. At that time, Fu Sui was only two years old, and Emperor Su was growing increasingly ill. Fu Sui's future honor and disgrace depended entirely on the new emperor's whim. After sitting in silence for two days and nights, Qin An finally requested an audience with Emperor Su.
He prostrated himself in deep worship, almost weeping blood. Qin An brought back the imperial edict conferring the title of princess to Fu Sui, and also brought back the conclusion that the King of Jin had "died in a mountain collapse."
"At that time, the current emperor had a wide circle of friends and was close friends with many young men from noble families. Yue Shanling was admitted to the Crown Prince's Six Guards through the family's influence and was already under the command of the Eastern Palace, so he was naturally familiar with the current emperor. Although the Taizu Emperor let the current emperor off after that incident, he was still resentful and therefore punished all the young men who were on good terms with the current emperor as a lesson. Yue Shanling was also punished and sent to the border, and he did not return even after the Marquis of Yue died."
Qin An spoke with sarcasm: "A heartless and ungrateful wretch. He only wants to win over the fathers and brothers of those young men. How could he possibly open his heart to them? To suffer the wrath of the Emperor for no reason is truly an undeserved disaster for these young men." Qin An had never spoken well of the Emperor and wished he could belittle him from head to toe.
Fu Sui never imagined that he would have this connection with the Prince of Jin after crossing the mountains. Considering his age and his rigid attitude, it's no wonder that this old man is still unable to find a wife. Perhaps he treats his warhorse with more tenderness and care than his young lady.
However, Liu Niangzi's mention of Shaolang reminded Fu Sui of Xue Lang, whom he had forgotten.
A note from the author:
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