Chapter 80 I will never be a widow for you.
It has been a long time since I felt so carefree and exhilarated.
There are no tasks, no constraints, and everything is as one wishes.
She was embraced by Fu Shuning, who rushed towards her. Her gaze passed through the surging, jubilant crowd and fixed on the man descending the steps, his pride evident in his eyes.
No one else needed to say anything; the ministers and their families around could see that His Highness Prince Su was in a very good mood and wished he could announce to everyone present that Biezhi had won this round.
The cheers and jubilation around him gradually subsided with his steps. Fu Shuning, with great tact, let go of her hand, quietly took half a step to the side, and without hesitation, pushed the girl away with the palm covering her back. Caught off guard, Biezhi stumbled, her palm instinctively touching the large hand that suddenly appeared in her line of sight.
The moment their palms touched, a familiar sensation spread outwards.
She raised her eyes and met Fu Huaiqing's silent smile, the corners of her mouth gradually curving upwards.
The girl's smile was bright, as radiant and dazzling as the sunlight hanging high on the branches.
Fu Huaiqing was mesmerized.
For a fleeting moment, he only wanted to hide her away, to prevent anyone from seeing the girl's smile, as bright as a spring day.
"Hmm?" Noticing the fleeting gloom in his eyes, Biezhi tilted her head in confusion, looked around but didn't see anything amiss, and asked softly, "Unhappy?"
“No,” Fu Huaiqing denied, saying calmly, “They’re a bit too much for me.”
Upon hearing this, Su Ci fell silent for a moment. He exchanged glances with the courtiers following behind him. The courtiers were also quite surprised, as they had never heard such childish words from His Highness Prince Su before.
Su Ci felt a strong sense of familiarity, as if he had returned to his youth, and couldn't help but tease, "Why don't we leave first? We'll leave this place to you two."
Upon hearing this, Fu Huaiqing raised an eyebrow slightly, quite pleased with how sensible he was.
Seeing his slightly parted lips, Biezhi quickly tiptoed and covered his mouth. "You have no shame, but I do." As soon as she finished speaking, his expression changed slightly, with a hint of doubt. She instantly understood what he meant and glared at him. "I've always had a lot to say about my reputation."
Fu Huaiqing nodded meaningfully and hummed in agreement.
I still don't agree.
Biezhi: "..."
Cheng Jin and Jiang Yue both felt that if there weren't so many people around, Bi Zhi Gao Di would have punched their prince.
The court officials and their families who came to the banquet had only heard a little about the two of them before, but had never actually seen them. They had previously thought the rumors were too exaggerated, but now they felt that the rumors were only about half of the truth.
The two seemed to exchange few words, but the onlookers found it difficult to get close to them.
In an instant, everyone's different thoughts converged into one: guessing just how grand the two's wedding ceremony would be.
Although the wedding date is still some time away, rumors have already spread throughout the capital that the Ministry of Rites is organizing the ceremony according to the rites for the Emperor and Empress's wedding, and that His Highness Prince Su is particularly attentive to it, even reviewing the smallest details before they can be implemented.
Regarding the matter of holding the wedding ceremony for the emperor and empress, not only the officials but also no one in the capital raised any objections. However, more than half a month before the wedding, a rumor began to circulate in the capital.
The young emperor mentioned the matter of abdication to Prince Su in front of the cabinet ministers.
Such a subtle yet explosive event spread throughout the capital in less than half a day, and even three-year-old children heard about it.
"I heard that he was determined to make up his mind, and even went so far as to go on a hunger strike to force it."
"Abdication is inevitable. The government is controlled by others, and I would be confined to the palace. I would not want to do that. It would be much better to be a carefree prince."
The young noblemen discussing inside Qing Shi Zhai tried to keep their voices down, but they couldn't hide it from her. She was sitting on a separate branch, no more than ten steps away from them, disguised, listening to their conversation casually at the tea table by the window.
It is indeed true that Fu Mingzhan stepped down.
However, this matter was not as turbulent as the rumors in the capital suggested. It was just an inconspicuous event. One morning after court, Fu Mingzhan went to the study of Prince Su's residence with an imperial edict he had personally drafted.
He spent the entire day in the study, and when he left, he was completely relaxed.
Biezhi only learned about it later from Fu Shuning. This was not the first time Fu Mingzhan had mentioned abdication, but this time it was indeed on the agenda.
No sooner had Fu Mingzhan left the Prince Su's residence than Fu Huaiqing arrived at her courtyard.
After telling her about it, he asked her what she thought.
At that moment, Bie Zhi looked at Fu Huaiqing, whose eyes were slightly solemn, and without saying much, she simply held his palm tightly and said, "I will stay with you."
Just as Fu Huaiqing respects her choices, she will also respect his past.
It has not been easy for him to get to where he is today.
What she had to do was accompany Fu Huaiqing to that position.
"What are you thinking about, so engrossed?"
Hearing Fang Tingzhi's questioning voice, Biezhi suddenly came back to her senses, lifted her eyelids to look at her, and raised her eyebrows thoughtfully when she saw the figure that had come with her.
Fang Tingzhi followed her gaze and looked back, then clicked her tongue: "Never mind him."
While Biezhi could ignore Su Ci's arrival, the other guests at Qing Shi Zhai could not.
Especially the scions of noble families who had just been discussing Fu Mingzhan's abdication, all stood up at the same time, left behind ingots of silver, and hurried away.
Only after their figures disappeared into the Qing Shi Zhai did Bie Zhi withdraw her gaze.
She took out a piece of paper and handed it to Fang Tingzhi, who was sipping tea to moisten her throat, "I received it last night, it's still warm."
Fang Tingzhi's eyes lit up. "I knew you'd help me!" She took the note, pondered for a moment, and asked, "When does he plan to go to the capital?"
“Seven days later,” Biezhi said.
Fang Tingzhi: "Then I'll prepare in advance, just in case."
Biezhi nodded. "He brought four people to the capital. I tested them last night. Apart from his personal servant, the other three are all highly skilled in martial arts. Don't make a move rashly in the future."
"Don't worry, I'm just gathering information. I won't fight them unless absolutely necessary." Fang Tingzhi quickly read the note, folded it, and put it in her pocket.
The other branch neither commented nor agreed on this.
In their line of work, what is called a last resort is nothing out of the ordinary.
"If you need help, just ask me for help."
"That won't do." Fang Tingzhi refused without even thinking. "The wedding is approaching, and you can't afford to have any accidents happen to you. Qingshan has been avoiding telling you about what's going on upstairs these days."
Upon hearing this, Biezhi raised an eyebrow.
About half a month ago, Qingshan had already avoided letting her hear about Xianyunlou, let alone informing her about the task that had not yet been assigned to anyone.
However, in recent days, Biezhi has no other plans.
With the coronation ceremony just three days away, there was no way she could leave the capital.
With the coronation ceremony approaching, the capital was heavily guarded, with nearly 30% more guards at the city gates than usual. Not to mention carriages and horses wanting to enter the capital, not even half a mosquito could fly out of the city gates.
Fang Tingzhi was so anxious that she had no choice but to seek help from others.
Her original intention was to have her find someone to go out of the city for her, but after thinking about it, she decided to go herself instead of asking someone else to do it.
Biezhi was also extremely nervous about the upcoming coronation ceremony.
She couldn't quite explain why she was so nervous, but looking at the busy crowd, her heart couldn't help but tighten along with the hurried steps of the palace servants.
Even at night, the palace was brightly lit, and the palace servants were still busy preparing for the upcoming enthronement ceremony. The Ministry of Rites was also on tenterhooks, fearing any mishaps, and meticulously reviewed the procedures again and again.
The ladies-in-waiting in the palace, busy with the wedding preparations, seemed to be influenced by them as well, repeatedly confirming the wedding details. Coincidentally, Bessa was in the palace for the past two days, so she joined them in confirming the trivial matters of the wedding.
Those involved in the coronation ceremony were also extremely busy.
Just as the palace gates were about to be locked, Su Ci and others were still presenting state affairs in the Chengtian Hall.
The eunuchs guarding outside Chengtian Hall saw the girl's cheerful and light figure. Two or three of them looked at each other for a moment. Just as one of them was about to turn around and knock on the door, he was stopped. He turned around and saw her beckoning. He quickly walked forward.
Biezhi glanced at the light spilling through the window and the few dark shadows reflected in it, then looked away: "Has he had dinner?"
"Not yet." The eunuch hesitated for a moment, then said, "There were many court officials coming and going today, and His Highness didn't have much of a lunch."
Upon hearing this, Biezhi frowned.
She looked past the eunuchs to the tightly closed palace doors. "Tell them to prepare and bring it up in a quarter of an hour."
The eunuch breathed a sigh of relief, agreed, and then turned to instruct the others.
She climbed the steps to the door, but instead of knocking, she waited outside, silently counting the hours.
After waiting for about half a cup of tea, the door creaked as it was pushed open.
She turned around and happened to meet Jiang Yue's gaze as he leaned out. As if he had already guessed that she was waiting outside, he paused for only half a breath, nodded slightly, and then withdrew his body that was just about to step out.
Fu Huaiqing, his gaze fixed on his retreating figure, slowly put down his pen.
Upon seeing this, the cabinet ministers, led by Lin Yiqing, exchanged glances instinctively, but quickly understood each other.
The doors of Chengtian Hall swung open, and Lin Yiqing and the others emerged.
The group bowed to the girl standing to the side before quickly leaving.
As she watched them descend the steps, Bie Zhifu lifted her foot and stepped into the palace with one foot. Her gaze fell upon Fu Huaiqing, who was walking towards her. He moved with incredible speed, reaching her side in the blink of an eye.
Fu Huaiqing slightly raised his hand, but before his palm could cover hers, she dodged away.
Seeing him make a move to catch up and grab her hand, she deftly slapped him away.
A crisp sound instantly filled the entire palace.
Cheng Jin and Jiang Yue, who were serving inside, exchanged a glance, then wisely lowered their heads and left the hall, making sure to close the door behind them as they departed.
Biezhi glared at him, practically calling him out by name: "Who was it that promised me yesterday that they would eat well and take good care of themselves?"
Fu Huaiqing coughed lightly, covering his mouth guiltily, "It is still somewhat useful."
Upon hearing this, Biezhi was furious: "Yes, you've made progress."
I had lunch today, unlike the previous few days when I was so busy that I skipped lunch and didn't eat a bite.
Thinking of this, a lump formed in Biezhi's throat, leaving her feeling neither up nor down.
Her watery eyes stared unblinkingly at Fu Huaiqing. With a determined look in her eyes, she said, "If your health collapses one day, leaving me alone in this world, I will not remain a widow for you."
Fu Huaiqing: "..."
He parted his lips slightly, but before he could speak, she said, "There are plenty of handsome men in the world. When I still have money, it's not impossible for me to find ten or eight more handsome and strong male concubines."
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A note from the author: I was so busy lately that I was spinning like a top and couldn't find the time to relax.
I'll finish updating the side stories this week and officially conclude the series. Besides tonight's update, there are about 17,000 words left.
Because I've been too busy lately, the promised "First Encounter" story from Fu Huaiqing's perspective and the IF route side story will be given to everyone as a bonus.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
