Chapter 35 In Chapter 35, Biezhi threw herself into Prince Su's arms...
Cheng Jin heard the news from the shadow guard and carefully observed his master: "It seems that Jing Qing has expressed his feelings to Miss Biezhi."
He spoke cautiously, deliberately avoiding quoting Jing Qing's exact words.
Hearing that Jing Qing had clearly expressed his feelings and had not forced Bie Zhi to stay in his heart, but instead told her not to feel guilty because of his injury, he was willing and happy to accept it.
Fu Huaiqing lowered his eyes, revealing no extra emotion.
Seeing this, Cheng Jin and Jiang Yue's expressions became more solemn than before.
The lingering atmosphere in the study almost made them bend over, unable to breathe for a long time.
Having already heard what Qin Xiao said, Jiang Yue secretly thought that things were not good. The current situation was quite unfavorable to the prince. Putting aside Ji Ran's identity, Jing Qing and Qin Xiao seemed to have closer ties with Bie Zhi than the prince. Moreover, Bie Zhi was eagerly waiting for the mission to end so that she could marry 'Ji Ran'.
Fu Huaiqing remained silent for a long time before asking in a calm and even voice, "Why did he suddenly bring this up?"
The extremely gentle words caused Cheng Jin's back to stiffen instantly. He opened his mouth, "It's related to the assassins who came to take up the challenge a few days ago. Miss Biezhi seemed to have asked Jing Qing to help investigate their group..."
Cheng Jin glanced at his master's displeased expression, paused, and then forced himself to continue, "Judging from their conversation, Jing Qing had an accident while investigating and had a confrontation with them. After hearing this, Miss Biezhi felt guilty, believing that he was injured because of her."
Upon hearing this, Fu Huaiqing's dark eyes gradually darkened.
Almost instantly, he understood why Jing Qing was injured by another branch and why she had accepted the assassination attempt. She must have wanted to find out who was behind it all, but she couldn't get away right now. Among her senior brothers and sisters, only Jing Qing was free.
Fu Huaiqing pressed his fist against the table, remaining silent for a long time.
He closed the memorial that was spread out in front of him with his back hand, stood up and said, "Enter the palace."
Cheng Jin suddenly looked up, not understanding what the prince meant. He clearly said it was about another branch, so why would the prince suddenly enter the palace? He glanced at Jiang Yue, who shook his head and followed his master's steps.
Bie Zhi left the courtyard and hurried to Xu Wenche's lodging.
She had originally planned to bump into him today as the second daughter of the Qin family, but now she was really not in the mood and was afraid that he would notice something was off, so she had no choice but to find a place to follow him.
Fortunately, Xu Wenche had no intention of lingering outside today and returned to his residence near dusk. Biezhi caught a glimpse of a figure walking towards the woods, which seemed to be familiar to her from the Prince's residence. Only then did she belatedly remember that she was to go to the Prince Su's residence after nightfall.
When they arrived at the Prince's Mansion, it was exactly 7:00 PM.
Cheng Jin stepped forward and nodded slightly, saying, "Please come with me, young lady."
Bie Zhi followed his figure without looking to the side, and as she walked, she realized that Cheng Jinling's path did not seem to lead to the study, nor to the small pavilion in the backyard, but to a separate courtyard that she had never set foot in before.
Duan was stunned when she saw the weapons filling the courtyard. Apart from a few guards, there was no one else in the room, not even Prince Su. She thought it was because of what happened last night, and Prince Su was trying to test her again.
She looked at Cheng Jin: "Is the Prince not here?"
"Yes, I am." Cheng Jin led her deeper into the courtyard.
On the southwest side of the huge pavilion sits an archway. As soon as you approach the archway, you can hear a clear, panting sound coming from inside. It is completely different from the voice of Prince Su, and it even has a bit of a childish quality.
She walked in suspiciously and saw a young man, whose clothes were about the thighs of an adult man, with beads of sweat on his forehead. He looked up at the indifferent Prince Su with long eyes. The pointed toes of his shoes were holding a long spear, which he estimated to weigh about forty or fifty pounds, not much different from the weight of the young man.
Fu Huaiqing spotted Biezhi's figure from the very beginning. His gaze slowly fell on the girl with slightly puzzled eyes, and his clear eyes widened as he looked the boy in front of him up and down.
"Come here," he said.
For a moment, Biezhi paused, the doubt in her eyes vanished, replaced by an overwhelming astonishment.
Was it just her imagination?
Why does Prince Su's voice seem even more unpleasant?
If the sounds he made before were those of a young water buffalo, the sound he made now was like a water buffalo that had aged ten years overnight, suddenly mooing as if someone had entered its territory.
Standing next to Fu Huaiqing, Fu Mingzhan's eyes widened instantly, his face as horrified as if he had encountered a ghost while walking at night. He stared blankly at his older brother, about to ask a question, but met his brother's seemingly indifferent gaze, and swallowed the words that were already on the tip of his tongue.
Even though Fu Huaiqing was prepared, his eyes still twitched a few times upon seeing this. The medicine sent by Shanju had indeed prolonged Yi Sheng's time and the side effects were more severe.
He looked at the girl, whose steps were slightly hesitant, without changing his expression, and said, "From now on, you will be the one to teach him self-defense techniques."
Biezhi was still immersed in the shock the man had just given her, and she didn't hear what he was saying at all. She only felt that if his unhurried tone were changed, coupled with his face, he would definitely be able to charm thousands of girls.
I've heard that Prince Su is already twenty-five years old and still unmarried.
Having visited the Prince's residence repeatedly, I haven't seen a single woman besides myself. It seems there aren't even any maids or concubines among them.
Logically speaking, Prince Su's face was enough to make women flock to him, and apart from the rumored Qin Wan, there was no word of any other girl by his side.
Could it be that they were all scared away by his voice?
No, she had to do some research when she had time to see if there were any drugs that could help him regain his voice. Thinking of this, Biezhi nodded firmly.
Suddenly, everything went black for a moment.
The man's handsome face came into view in an instant. Biezhi suddenly widened her eyes and stood there stunned. His high nose bridge was almost touching the tip of her nose. His eyes slowly looked her up and down. Then their eyes met. They were so close that she could even count the number of his thick, fan-like eyelashes.
Biezhi's breathing became sluggish.
The man's soft breath drifted over, like the warmth emanating from a charcoal stove in winter, gently warming her.
The girl's eyes held an undisguised gaze. Fu Huaiqing's breath hitched slightly, knowing she was susceptible to this. A faint smile crept onto his lips as he looked at her.
Just as Biezhi was counting the man's eyelashes, she heard a slight sound beside her, which immediately pulled her wandering thoughts back. She subconsciously raised her hand and pushed the man.
As her palm parted from the man's shoulder, Biezhi saw him stagger back a few steps, and suddenly, her hand also froze in mid-air.
Fu Huaiqing was focused on her and was not on guard. She pushed him back a few steps. When he stopped, he saw her flustered face, smoothed his wrinkled sleeves, and said, "He doesn't like using swords, and he can't draw a bow for archery yet. Just teach him the basics."
Biezhi breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that Prince Su had no intention of pursuing the matter. She quickly suppressed her thoughts, which had been distracted by the handsome man, and looked at the surprised young boy in the direction of his words. The boy's eyes darted back and forth between them, and he nodded as if he had suddenly realized something.
Biezhi had never seen the boy in the Prince's mansion before. He looked to be only a little over ten years old. Upon closer inspection, his eyebrows and eyes seemed to bear a slight resemblance to those of Prince Su.
Her eyelashes fluttered.
At just over ten years old, and resembling Prince Su, the only one in the entire world who could do so is the young emperor.
Although the young emperor had no real power, he was still the emperor.
Standing beside him was the regent, who held real power.
If either of them were to show the slightest displeasure, their head would be slammed to the ground in an instant.
Biezhi felt a little short of breath. She was just a commoner, and all she had learned were fighting and killing techniques. She hadn't even mastered self-defense herself, so how could she teach the young emperor?
There must be many skilled military officers in the court; imparting even a little bit of their skills to the young emperor would be enough for him to defend himself.
However, right now Prince Su wants her to teach the young emperor self-defense techniques?
For the first time, Biezhi experienced the trepidation that scholars often spoke of. She even forgot to kneel and bow, looking at Prince Su hesitantly, and said, "I am grateful for Your Highness's favor, but—"
“He doesn’t like the military generals in the court.” Fu Huaiqing knew what she was going to say and interrupted her: “To be precise, he doesn’t like to take action.”
Biezhi: "..."
At this moment, she doesn't like it either.
If she had known that the Prince of Su was referring to the young emperor who needed to learn self-defense techniques, she shouldn't have taken that memorial yesterday; she should have just spent five hundred taels of silver to buy it from the mountain retreat.
If the young emperor were to be injured by accident, one might end up in every prison in the capital, suffering torture before being executed in the autumn.
She paused for a moment, then whispered, "I only have one head."
If you accidentally make a mistake, you'll be beheaded!
My life ends here.
Upon hearing this, Fu Huaiqing couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at the slightly pouting girl and said, "If he got injured, it was his own fault, and it has nothing to do with you."
Biezhi suddenly looked up, in disbelief: "Really?"
Fu Huaiqing raised an eyebrow, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Biezhi scrutinized the man's face, and when she found a barely perceptible tenderness deep in his eyes, she vaguely realized that what the man said was true: if something really happened, it would have nothing to do with her.
For the first time, she felt that Prince Su was not as cold and ruthless as people said, but rather had some human touch.
Fu Mingzhan, the person the two were talking about, looked at the girl with dimples appearing and disappearing at the corners of her mouth with indescribable emotion, and then looked at the gentleness in her expression that he had only seen when he was young, and clicked his tongue in an old-fashioned way.
He's the one who wants to learn self-defense, so why doesn't anyone ask him if he's willing?
As Fu Mingzhan's lips parted slightly, he met his elder brother's gaze, and he silently swallowed the words that were already on the tip of his tongue.
Enough, enough. Even a gentleman has the right to help others achieve their goals.
Fu Mingzhan glanced down at the spear lying on the ground, sighed deeply, and asked, "Where do I need to start learning?"
Upon hearing this, Biezhi, who was bowing with her hands clasped in greeting, fell silent for a moment.
Although it was her first time meeting the emperor, she had heard the people of the capital say that the emperor always referred to himself as "朕" (zhen, meaning "I" or "I"). So she was a little unaccustomed to hearing the young emperor refer to himself as "I".
Seeing that she remained silent, Fu Mingzhan chose one that he was usually somewhat interested in: "Sword dancing?"
Upon hearing this, Biezhi glanced sideways at Prince Su.
She stared at him for a moment, and seeing that he didn't object, she nodded: "Okay."
Jiang Yue, who was waiting nearby, handed over two swords at the right time. Bie Zhi took one of them after Fu Mingzhan, glanced at the surroundings, stepped forward, bent down, and effortlessly picked up the long spear that had been sitting on the ground for a long time with one hand, and handed it to Jiang Yue.
Fu Mingzhan, who was slowly wiping the blade of her sword, stared in disbelief at the scene. The spear in her hand weighed fifty pounds, and even an average adult man would not be able to budge it.
The woman was petite and delicate, yet she lifted it with ease, without batting an eye, as if the spear were as light as a feather and not worth mentioning.
Fu Mingzhan's lips moved open and closed, but he couldn't speak for a long time. While he was in a daze, a dark shadow suddenly covered his head.
He looked up at the man's outstretched palm, and suddenly understood, handed the sword in his hand to his brother, who had a faint smile on his lips.
Fu Huaiqing, holding his sword, said, "Let's give it a try."
Upon hearing this, Biezhi turned around, nodded obediently without asking any further questions. She had never fought against Prince Su, so she naturally didn't know his true strength.
To avoid hurting him, Bessa decided to let the water out.
It wasn't until Prince Su forced her to retreat repeatedly that Biezhi realized the man's skill was far greater than she had anticipated. The air seemed to freeze for a moment as the sword tip lifted her sleeve. She quickly adjusted her state and immersed herself in the game.
The clash of swords was sharp and piercing, the sound of blades clashing was deafening.
The moment the man's large hand gripped her wrist, Biezhi's eyes narrowed, and she deftly swung her sword at her left hand, as if the wrist being gripped was not a part of her body.
Fu Huaiqing's pupils contracted sharply, and he quickly released his grip.
The sword's edge, reflecting light and shadow, sliced through the sleeve, and a piece of fabric the size of a palm fell silently.
In an instant, a flash of anger appeared in Fu Huaiqing's eyes. She could be so ruthless to herself just because of a game of chess. If she really encountered other assassins with ill intentions, wouldn't they be willing to use her as bait and act recklessly without regard for their own safety?
Biezhi keenly sensed the sudden surge of anger emanating from Prince Su. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Could it be that he couldn't accept being evenly matched with her because she had performed too well, given his high position?
After thinking it over, she could only adjust her mindset again.
When her wrist was grabbed again, Biezhi struggled for a moment but failed to break free. She then followed his movements and entangled with him for a while. Before she could call for a stop, the man suddenly exerted some force and pulled her in his direction. She had no time to dodge and suddenly bumped into the man's strong and powerful chest.
Biezhi threw herself into his arms, her forehead bumping into Fu Huaiqing's chest without any warning, and a muffled groan rang in her ears.
She subconsciously raised her hand, but before her palm could even lift half an inch, a force seemed to be drawing her in another direction. In an instant, her soft palm tightly covered the man's firm waist and abdomen without any gaps, and the muscles in his waist and abdomen bulged with his breathing.
Fu Huaiqing looked down at the girl in his arms who suddenly raised her almond-shaped eyes to look at him. She looked lost and uneasy, like a lost fawn. Her nose twitched twice, as if she was sniffing something.
His Adam's apple bobbed as he released his grip on the girl's wrist, forcibly suppressing the anger surging within him. His voice was hoarse with restraint: "When you're on missions, are you this careless with your own life?"
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