As the sun sets, the surface of Xuanwu Lake is still frozen, half of the river is rustling and the other half is red.
Susu and Fu Xiaoguan's injuries had been treated and bandaged. Susu's shoulder blades were injured on both sides, but it did not affect her from happily licking a candied haws.
Fu Xiaoguan was stabbed three times, once in the thigh, once in the back, and once in the left arm.
Fortunately, the wound was not deep, but the one on the back was very long. Su Rou treated Fu Xiaoguan's injury. She used a special silk thread to sew up the wound stitch by stitch, and then sprinkled some Taoist medicine ash on it, which made Fu Xiaoguan grimace in pain.
At this moment, he had recovered some strength and came to Taoranting with Chunxiu's support, because the fifth prince Yu Wendao was waiting for him there.
"I shouldn't have bothered you today, but I couldn't suppress my curiosity, so I came anyway."
The fifth prince was making tea and looking at Fu Xiaoguan. Fu Xiaoguan's face was a little pale, and there was a smell of herbs on his body. He was in good spirits and did not seem to be as seriously injured as when he was kidnapped last year.
"You watched someone die without helping!" Fu Xiaoguan took a sip of his tea, looked up at the setting sun, and heard Yu Wendao laugh, "It's not that I watched someone die without helping."
"Why is that?"
"Because Mother said you can't die."
Fu Xiaoguan raised an eyebrow. He had already reviewed the entire incident and knew that the Qingfengxiyu Tower must have known about his attack on the Long Street, but the Fifth Prince hadn't come to his rescue. He also knew that the Jinling Prefecture's Yamen must have known about the Long Street fight, but there wasn't even a sign of a constable.
He was fighting at the time and didn't think about it, but he has been thinking about it since the way back.
The fact that the Fifth Prince could come to see him at this moment eliminated his biggest doubt, but he didn't know how Concubine Shang judged that he would not die.
As for Ning Yuchun, the prefect of Jinling, he had no connection with him. So under the power of Prince Hui, it was obviously reasonable for Ning Yuchun to choose to collect the body. After all, there was no need for him to offend the prince for a stranger.
"I've been to Jinling Prefecture."
"What did you see?"
"Ning Yuchun wanted to save you, but Prince Yu Le of Prince Hui's mansion was there. When I went there, Grand Tutor Ning was also there. The situation seemed quite tense because Ning Yuchun was very angry."
"What kind of person is Ning Yuchun?"
"In the 45th year of the Taihe reign, he was the number one scholar; in the 48th year of the Taihe reign, he was a compiler in the Jiying Palace; in the 50th year of the Taihe reign, he was the deputy commander of the Eastern Frontier Army's infantry; in the 4th year of the Xuanli reign, he was the commander of the Eastern Frontier Army's light chariots; in the 6th year of the Xuanli reign, he returned to the court and served as an advisor to the Privy Council until October of last year."
From the sound of it, Ning Yuchun is a man of both civil and military talents.
Two days ago, Yan Beixi said that the Privy Council was still short of a book reviewer. It seemed that after Ning Yuchun was transferred to become the prefect of Jinling, the vacancy had not yet been filled.
"This man is quite upright. He and Qin Mowen were once classmates in the academy. The fact that he didn't lend a hand this time wasn't his own will, but rather he was suppressed by his father, Grand Tutor Ning."
Fu Xiaoguan understood this. After all, not everyone could bow to power, so he just sighed and nodded.
"When the news of the Battle of Changjie reached the Jinling government office, the expressions on their faces were truly remarkable. Yu Le, Prince Hui's eldest son, couldn't believe it at the time. Actually, I couldn't believe it either. There were a full 400 regular cavalrymen, and you actually won! Daoyuan..." Yu Wendao looked at Su Rou, then back to Su Su, "Daoyuan is truly formidable."
"Teacher Ning immediately stood up, looking rather unpleasant. He shook his head and walked away. Ning Yuchun, however, was very happy. He even took a bottle of Xishan Tianchun and drank a glass alone. He didn't toast me, let alone Yu Le. I guess he was unhappy that I didn't help you."
"He's a man of character!"
"Don't tell Wenjun about this when you go back, so she doesn't worry."
"This can't be hidden. Oh, by the way, let me remind you that on the tenth day of the first lunar month, the Queen Mother will most likely see you. This is your only chance with your sister, I hope you can seize it."
Fu Xiaoguan was startled, thinking that Yu Wenjun hadn't come out in the past few days, and asked, "What does the Queen Mother like?"
"How should I know? What could the Queen Mother possibly lack? She has everything she needs, okay?... However, the Queen Mother does care about the people's livelihood. She occasionally asks about it when the Emperor visits."
Where the hell do I start?
This is something that can only succeed and not fail.
"Ask Jun what he's been doing lately?"
"Accompanying the Queen Mother in rehearsing a play."
"Rehearse a play? What play?"
"As for your Dream of the Red Chamber, the Empress Dowager has hired a troupe of actors, and they've been working on that recently. They say the official performance will be on the 14th day of the first lunar month."
"So, the Queen Mother likes A Dream of Red Mansions?"
Fu Xiaoguan leaned over and asked happily.
Unexpectedly, Yu Wendao glared at him. "If you had written a happier ending, the Queen Mother might have really liked you. But you chose to do something so ridiculous. That's why the Queen Mother thinks you're... too dark inside. Otherwise, why would I go to the Queen Mother's palace every day? It's to try to improve the Queen Mother's opinion of you."
Uh, it’s not my fault!
What should I do now? The book has probably been sold all over the country, so it's impossible to revise it.
Fu Xiaoguan bit his lip and had to think of a solution from somewhere else.
However, Yu Wendao's next words hit him hard again.
"Prince Hui is deeply favored by the Queen Mother, which is why he can stay in Shangjing. You have offended Prince Hui so much today that I estimate that Prince Hui has already entered the palace. Many people know about you and my sister, and Prince Hui certainly does not want you to marry my sister, so... I am very worried about you two now."
Fu Xiaoguan frowned. It would have been better if this damn thing had happened a few days later. What can he do now?
It was impossible for him to bow to Prince Hui. In fact, even if he wanted to bow his head, Prince Hui would certainly not agree.
Today, more than 200 assassins under Prince Hui's command were killed in Changjie, and his third son was almost crippled. This is a situation of a fight to the death.
In this situation, Prince Hui would certainly try every means to prevent Yu Wenjun from marrying Fu Xiaoguan. If Fu Xiaoguan became the emperor's son-in-law, even if Prince Hui had great courage, he would never be able to commit a crime in broad daylight like he did today.
On the contrary, if Fu Xiaoguan borrows the emperor's tiger skin to take action against Prince Hui's Mansion, Prince Hui's Mansion will become extremely passive.
"Do you have any good ideas?"
Yu Wendao spread his hands and shook his head, "Only you would encounter such a rubbish."
It seems to be true.
Yu Wendao stood up and said, "Okay, I have to go back. Think about it carefully. We still have three days. I believe you have a solution."
I have a stupid idea!
Yu Wendao left the Fu Mansion. Fu Xiaoguan looked up at the sunset, his mind in a mess. This matter... he really had no good solution.
Not long after, Dong Shulan rushed in. She looked at Fu Xiaoguan carefully for a while, then glared at him, "Can't you just be quiet? I was almost scared to death when I heard the news."
Fu Xiaoguan chuckled and said, "Look, I'm fine, aren't I?"
"What's good? ... I'll make you some soup."
Dong Shulan walked towards the kitchen without even sitting down. Fu Xiaoguan's mood improved a little, thinking of what his father once said: "Marry a wife like Dong Shulan!" This was very insightful!
…
…
The lights in Wenyuexuan in the Yan Mansion came on.
Yan Beixi was drinking tea alone, and the old man with a long sword on his back was still standing behind him.
He suddenly spoke, teacup in hand, and asked, "In the Battle of Changjie, Fu Xiaoguan's side killed three hundred cavalrymen with only four men. Does that mean that besides Fu Xiaoguan, the other three were truly formidable?"
"Returning to the master, in fact... even Fu Xiaoguan is very powerful."
"Oh..." Yan Beixi took a sip of tea, "How powerful is he?"
"In my opinion, although he lacks martial arts skills, his strength lies in his ruthlessness. He has killed a total of thirty-two cavalrymen. Therefore, I dare to speculate that when Fu Xiaoguan was kidnapped last year, he actually had no help. Judging from his performance today, he is very likely to have rescued himself and killed Yang Qi and Zhao Si."
Yan Beixi was silent for a moment, stroked his beard, and said to himself: "So, this kid is not just cruel."
The old man still replied, "I think so too. He is not only ruthless, but also extremely calm. He doesn't look like a scholar at all. Instead, I think he is more like a warrior who has experienced life and death!"
That's strange.
Last year, Fu Xiaoguan came to the capital. After gaining the favor of His Majesty, Yan Beixi ordered people to thoroughly investigate Fu Xiaoguan's background.
This boy was indeed a small landlord in Linjiang. Before Dong Shulan came to Linjiang last year, this boy was indeed useless.
But ever since Dong Shulan sent guards to knock him out, he seemed like a completely different person.
But his outstanding feature is still his literary talent. As for the things he tinkered with in Xishan, in Yan Beixi's opinion, they are not worthy of being presented in a formal ceremony.
As for the warrior...this guy had never even touched a kitchen knife before, but why did Duan Yunchou feel that he was like a warrior who had experienced life and death?
Yan Beixi had no doubt about Duan Yunchou's gaze. So what had this kid been through? What secrets did he have that I didn't know?
Yan Beixi was puzzled and asked again, "You guys in the martial arts world always spread rumors that if this Taoist temple leaves, the world will be in chaos - is there any basis for this?"
"Returning home to the Lord has no basis."
"Oh..." Yan Beixi nodded slightly, feeling relieved. "Go tell Shi Dao to take Xiaolou to the Fu Mansion to visit Fu Xiaoguan tomorrow."
Duan Yunchou was stunned for a moment, bowed, left Wenyuexuan, and went to Yan Shidao's mansion.
Yan Shidao was also stunned after hearing this. The news of the battle on Changjie has now spread throughout Shangjing. Judging from the situation, the fight between Prince Hui and Fu Xiaoguan is a fight to the death.
One is a dignified prince, and the other is a small upstart in Beijing. Yet, his father made such a decision at this sensitive moment. Yan Shidao was puzzled, and Duan Yunchou was also puzzled.
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