Chapter 80 Suspicion Arises
No sooner had Fu Yunxiu left than Fu Ang rode in a carriage to Qingshui Town.
In the rural courtyard, Chen wrote down everything that had happened that day in detail on a piece of paper and sent a carrier pigeon to inform Fu Ang.
The letter was tied to the pigeon's leg. Before it could fly far, it was shot down by Fu Yunxiu's guards, and the letter fell into his hands.
However, this Chen was truly astute. Between the lines, she did not reveal what happened back then, but only said that Fu Yunxiu had wronged her, and tearfully expressed her fear and dread.
Seeing the carrier pigeon fly away, Madam Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking that Fu Ang might come to see her that evening, she instructed the servants to prepare food early so that she could have a couple of drinks with Fu Ang that night.
After doing all this, Chen went to sleep, showing that Fu Yunxiu's appearance did not have a significant impact on her.
Fu Ang was currently urging his horse toward Qingshui Town, and he repeatedly urged the driver along the way, which showed that he was really flustered and afraid that Chen would say something wrong and let something slip.
He covered a journey that should have taken two hours in just an hour and a half, and when he knocked on the door, he startled the servants.
"Why did you arrive so quickly, sir?" The letter was only sent out recently.
Fu Ang didn't delve into the meaning behind his words and asked directly, "Where is your wife?"
"Madam is sleeping in her room. Should we go and wake her?" Before the servant could finish speaking, Fu Ang had already bypassed them and entered the room, heading straight for Madam Chen's room, saying as he walked, "It's amazing she can still sleep."
Inside the room, Chen got up after hearing the sound. The door opened, and seeing that it was her nemesis who came in, Chen's face lit up with joy, and she tried to hug him, but Fu Ang pushed her away.
"Fu Lang?"
Chen froze in place, her face momentarily unpleasant.
Normally, Fu Ang would have already coaxed her gently, but he was in no mood for it right now. He looked Chen up and down with his eyes and asked, "I heard you saw Fu Yunxiu today?"
Feeling neglected, Chen couldn't help but get angry, even though she knew there was a reason for it. She glared at him and said, "Don't you already know? Why are you asking me?"
As she spoke, Chen walked to the table and poured herself a cup of tea. Just as she brought it to her lips, Fu Ang snatched it away, asking, "What did you say to him?"
"Didn't I tell you all that in the letter?" After saying this, Chen realized something was wrong; Fu Ang had arrived earlier than she had expected.
"You sent people to monitor me?" Chen frowned.
"What nonsense are you talking about? I just happened to run into Fu Yunxiu on the road." Recalling Fu Yunxiu's smug face, Fu Ang drank the tea in his cup in one gulp.
"Tell me quickly, what exactly did you say?"
At this point, Madam Chen realized the gravity of the matter and stopped acting childish. She recounted her encounter with Fu Yunxiu at Xiangyun Tower that day and their conversation.
"He seemed to know where I lived, and even my usual habits, as if he was waiting for me there on purpose."
“He’s smarter than I thought,” Fu Ang said, stroking his chin and turning to look at Chen. “You really didn’t say anything else to him?”
"Of course not, I'm not stupid." She'd be so eager to tell people that she killed his father; she must be out of her mind.
Fu Ang saw that Chen's appearance didn't seem fake, and gave her a deep look without comment. After a long while, he said, "Right now, Fu Yunxiu is single-mindedly trying to bring me down. It's best if you stay home these days. I'll send two more people to protect you."
“Fu Lang is afraid…” Madam Chen didn’t say it outright, but she understood that Fu Ang was worried about her safety. Since Fu Yunxiu could find the restaurant she frequented, he could naturally find the place where she was staying.
Feeling comforted, Chen no longer held a grudge against Fu Ang's rudeness when he first entered. She leaned softly into his arms and said, "Fu Lang, you are so good to me."
"Silly boy, if I'm not good to you, who else should I be good to?" Fu Ang smiled, enjoying Chen's gentle kindness, but he had other plans in his heart.
After all, Chen was someone who had betrayed others in the past. Fu Xuan's kindness to her was like a second life, yet after she had slept with him, she didn't hesitate to kill him without a second thought when faced with his suggestion. This showed that she was ruthless, so he dared not gamble on whether Chen would truly keep his secret for him.
So, just to be on the safe side, it would be better for him to send someone over. One reason is to protect her, and the other is to keep an eye on her and pay attention to her movements at all times. If she changes her mind again, then he shouldn't blame him for not considering their years of friendship.
That night, Fu Ang hurried back to the mansion under the cover of darkness. After checking in at Cao's room, he made an excuse that he had something to take care of and went into the study.
In the study, Xiao Liu had been waiting for a long time.
"Master." Upon seeing Fu Ang enter, Xiao Liu clasped his hands in a respectful greeting.
"Is everything taken care of?" Fu Ang asked.
"It's all taken care of. The person has been dispatched and should arrive soon."
"That's good." Fu Ang nodded, then, as if remembering something, asked, "Any letters from the Chen family?"
"Letters?" Xiao Liu thought for a moment. There were indeed a few letters that arrived today, but they were all about business in other places. As for the Chen family... Xiao Liu shook his head, "I haven't received any such letters."
"Is that so?" Fu Ang asked thoughtfully. Chen had clearly said she had sent him a letter, but he hadn't received it.
Was he intercepted by Fu Yunxiu's men on the way, or... did Chen Shi never write anything at all, and the so-called message she sent him was all a lie?
Fu Ang felt that the first reason should be the reason, but the second reason kept popping up, forcing him to think about other things.
Once the seed of doubt is planted, it can quickly grow into a towering tree.
After pondering for a moment, Fu Ang instructed, "Have those two people be careful. You must know Chen's daily movements by heart."
"Yes." Xiao Liu accepted the order and left. The black figure quickly disappeared into the night. Fu Ang stared into the boundless darkness, his expression gradually turning ruthless.
He could make Fu Xuan disappear back then, and now, if necessary, he can make Fu Yunxiu disappear as well.
He had waited too long for the position of head of the household, and he would never relinquish it.
The night was as still as water, with shadows of trees swaying in the breeze. In the pavilion, Fu Yunxiu, who was helping Aman pick up flower petals, sneezed.
“But it’s cold,” Aman said, seeing that he was dressed in thin clothes. “I’ll go get you some clothes.”
"No need," Fu Yunxiu raised his hand to stop her, "I'm guessing someone's talking about me behind my back!"
Aside from sleeping, Fu Yunxiu spent the last two days rushing between the residences of various clan elders, which was a rare moment of leisure for him.
Aman glanced at him and noticed that his brows had been furrowed ever since he came in, and they hadn't relaxed since. Ever since he announced his intention to become the head of the family, Aman hadn't seen a smile on Fu Yunxiu's face for a long time.
After holding back for a while, Aman finally couldn't help but ask, "What happened? Is things... not going well?"
Aman carefully considered his words.
Fu Yunxiu paused for a moment while picking up the flowers and leaves, then resumed his work and shook his head, saying, "No, don't overthink it."
Seeing that Aman still didn't believe him, Fu Yunxiu threw down the flower petals, patted Aman's head, and explained, "I'm just a little tired. It feels like I haven't had a good night's sleep in a long time."
"Then don't go back tonight, just sleep here," Aman said. People always fall asleep more easily and sleep more soundly in familiar places.
"Will you come with me?" Fu Yunxiu suddenly asked, looking at her with a playful smile.
His words were too easy to misunderstand, especially with steamed buns right there. Aman was a little embarrassed and annoyed, and reached out to push Fu Yunxiu's head away, "Dream on."
That night, Fu Yunxiu stayed at Wutong Garden. Mantou served him a bath, his face scrunched up, looking constipated, and he would sigh every now and then, which made Fu Yunxiu feel particularly uncomfortable.
"Just say what you have to say."
Mantou was wringing the bath towel so hard it was almost broken. Seeing that the young master had spoken, he decided to speak his mind, "Young master, why don't you tell Aman about your current situation?"
Mantou was somewhat confused. He hadn't missed the sadness in Aman's eyes after hearing the young master say that everything was alright. He believed that the young master must have seen it too, but he chose to ignore it.
“You used to tell Aman everything.” Mantou felt that the young master seemed to have changed a lot these days.
“What good would it do to tell her?” Fu Yunxiu asked. “It would only add to her troubles and wouldn’t be of any use.”
"Does the young master dislike Ah Man?" Mantou frowned.
"Which ear of yours heard me complain about him?" Fu Yunxiu splashed water all over the steamed bun. "I think you've been too idle all day. Alright, go to sleep early, so you don't keep overthinking things."
Fu Yunxiu picked up the clothes from the side of the bucket and put them on. He stood up, and Mantou helped him out. Mantou secretly pursed his lips where Mantou couldn't see him.
What do you mean he's overthinking? It's clearly because what the young master has done these past few days has been too misleading.
Just like today, when the young master visited his uncle's house, his uncle said that the young master has lost out in the struggle for the position of head of the family. He neither has a lot of money like his second uncle, nor does he have a powerful relative to help him.
Now that the young master wants to turn the tide, the best way is to arrange a marriage, find a woman from a good family, and use her influence to achieve his goals.
Mantou had always thought that the young master was despicable when it came to using marriage as a bargaining chip. He thought Fu Yunxiu would object, but instead he fell silent, even seeming to be deep in thought, as if considering the feasibility of the matter.
This terrified the steamed bun.
So he said these things to test the young master's opinion, and also to remind him that one should not deceive one's wife who has shared hardship, and that one should not be an ungrateful person.
But clearly, Fu Yunxiu didn't listen to what Mantou said, because he didn't take his second uncle's words to heart at all.
If he wanted to leverage power, Shen Yan might be a good pretext. So he planned to use the opportunity of going to the capital to pay homage to Shen Yan to sound him out.
The next day, Fu Yunxiu woke up very early. It is said that it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to simplicity. After staying in the Marquis's mansion for a few days, he found the bedding in the Wutong Garden to be rather hard and uncomfortable.
After having breakfast at Wutong Garden, Fu Yunxiu returned to the Marquis's residence. His secret guards awaited his report, saying they had intercepted Chen's letter and that two new martial arts practitioners had joined her ranks.
However, based on their auras, the guards were certain that the two men were not as skilled as the brothers, so it was not impossible for them to forcefully capture Chen Shi.
"No need." Fu Yunxiu wasn't in a hurry. Chen Shi and Fu Ang's relationship was now unbreakable. If he rashly arrested her, not only would he not get any useful information, but it would also backfire. A slow and steady approach was more effective; he wanted to gradually erode the trust between them.
"You just need to keep an eye on the Chen family and make sure they aren't discovered. As for the rest, follow my instructions."
"yes."
The guards obeyed and left. Fu Yunxiu breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to go back to his room to change his clothes, the steward rushed in with a group of people, saying that they wanted to tailor clothes for him.
"Why are you wearing these clothes when it's neither a holiday nor a festival?" Fu Yunxiu asked, puzzled.
"Madam Liu said that the young master is going to attend the enthronement ceremony on behalf of the Marquis's family. As the face of the Marquis's family, he should dress appropriately so as to leave a good impression on His Majesty."
"If all the civil and military officials in the court had this idea, His Majesty would be exhausted." Fu Yunxiu chuckled, but he readily accepted Madam Liu's good intentions.
After all, he didn't have any particularly suitable clothes to wear to such a serious and formal occasion.
Madam Liu was very generous, and all the embroiderers she invited were from Jinxiulou. The three middle-aged women gestured to him for a while, quickly determined his size, and decided on the style and color that suited him.
All three were skilled at making clothes, and within three days they had finished making both of his outfits.
The intricate and exquisite patterns were not ostentatious, and the well-tailored cut perfectly accentuated his jade-like figure and ethereal temperament.
The sight of him in this outfit stunned Shen Yan, who had been waiting for him in the capital.
"What, don't you recognize me?" Fu Yunxiu nudged him when he saw him in a daze.
Chen Yan snapped out of his daze and couldn't help but tease, "I didn't recognize you for a moment. Clothes make the man, and Brother Fu, you look so refined and otherworldly. I wonder which woman will have the honor of winning you over in the future."
"When did you learn to be so cheeky?" Fu Yunxiu chuckled and asked, "But what are you doing here?"
Fu Yunxiu came here to visit an old friend of his father's. The friend had resigned from his official post and bought a small house in the suburbs of the capital, where he spent his days happily playing with his grandchildren. Unexpectedly, he ran into Shen Yan here.
Shen Yan thought to himself, "Of course I'm here to ambush you."
Last night I received news that Fu Yunxiu had come to the capital. I learned that he was going to visit his elders, so I am waiting here.
It wasn't that he had any urgent business; it was just that Shen Jiao was causing a huge scene at home, and his mother was joining in her tantrums. He was really forced into a corner, so he decided to use this as an excuse to get away and hide.
"I just happened to have some business to take care of here," Shen Yan said.
"That's quite a coincidence," Fu Yunxiu thought to himself.
"I've come here to visit an elder, but I don't know if he's home." Fu Yunxiu gave Mantou a wink, and Mantou went up to knock on the door. After a while, a woman poked her head out and said that her master had gone out to attend a banquet today and would not be back until evening.
A good opportunity.
Chen Yan seized the opportunity to extend an invitation, "It's such a pity. In that case, would you do me the honor of having a drink with me, Brother Chen?"
"Since Brother Shen has invited me, it would be impolite to refuse."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
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