Chapter 348 Do You Blame Me?
Before noon, Zheng Qibai went out and came to Fuyan Tower.
The waiter was the one who usually greeted him. He knew he was coming and must be looking for the shopkeeper Yu, but the shopkeeper was not there, so in order to keep the distinguished guest, he didn't say anything.
After Zheng Qibai ordered all the dishes as usual and asked for a pot of good wine, he asked him, "Is your boss here?"
The waiter smiled and replied, "My boss hasn't come yet."
Zheng Qibai didn't think much about it. He just thought that Yu Qinghuan went out late today and might come later. After all, she was there every time he came before, which showed that she would go to Fuyan Tower every day when she was free.
So he waited in the private room.
But even after all the dishes were served, Yu Qinghuan still didn't show up. He was so hungry that he wanted to eat a few bites first.
Who knew that after two bites and two bites, the food was finally finished, but the person still didn't show up.
He could only call the waiter over again and ask, "Is your shopkeeper Yu not here yet?"
The waiter replied again, "Manager Yu hasn't arrived yet."
Zheng Qibai frowned. Normally, he would have left at this time.
At this moment, Yunniang passed by and heard the voice. She came over to take a look and asked in surprise, "Young Master Zheng?"
Seeing an acquaintance, Zheng Qibai immediately asked Yunniang, "Madam Yun, when will Manager Yu come to Fuyan Tower?"
Yunniang noticed from the corner of her eye that all the dishes on the table had been eaten up. She didn't know how long Young Master Zheng had been waiting. She glanced at the waiter, who lowered his head guiltily.
She understood clearly that the waiter had obviously not told her that Manager Yu would not be coming today in order to attract more customers.
Yunniang immediately smiled and explained to Zheng Qibai, "Young Master Zheng, Shopkeeper Yu had something to do today and sent a message saying he wouldn't be coming. Perhaps the people below didn't know, so they didn't tell you."
Upon learning that Yu Qinghuan would not come to Fuyan Tower today, Zheng Qibai felt disappointed and suspected that she was avoiding him again because of what happened yesterday.
But then I thought, she had clearly promised me yesterday and she would not lie to me. Maybe something happened, that's why she didn't show up.
"Okay, thank you."
Yunniang still felt a little embarrassed, "Young Master, you are too polite."
...
In Cheng Mansion, Cheng Gongjin had a very long dream.
His parents died when he was young, and he and his sister depended on each other for survival. At that time, the Cheng family still had some family property left, and the members of the side branches were like hungry wolves, eyeing that little family property. It was all thanks to Butler Yang that the family was supported.
At that time, he vowed that he would pass the imperial examinations and revive the Cheng family.
At the age of seventeen, he won the top three places in the imperial examinations and was admitted to the Hanlin Academy, becoming famous in Beijing. At that time, the usually deserted Cheng Mansion had matchmakers coming to it every day to propose marriages for the daughters of high-ranking officials.
Everyone thought that he was highly regarded by the emperor and had a bright future. Being young and full of vigor, he also thought so and did not know how to conceal his edge. He even wanted to train Mu Huaian to be the next himself.
Only when something happens do I regret it.
If it were just the Cheng family, he wouldn't be someone to be feared, but he happened to be involved with the Duke Dingguo's Mansion.
The Duke of Dingguo's family had been on the march and fighting for three generations. After returning to the court after a great victory at the border, they immediately handed over their military power. However, the emperor was very suspicious and never trusted the Duke of Dingguo.
Because many of the generals and leaders far away at the border were subordinates of Duke Dingguo in the past, and they were very loyal to him, far more than the emperor.
All of this was discovered when Cheng Gongjin was poisoned and nearly died. At that time, Mu Huaian was also in danger.
It is hard to tell whether he was burdened by the Duke Dingguo's Mansion, or Mu Huaian was burdened by his teacher.
The relationship between the two families has long been unclear, but at least in the eyes of outsiders, they are inseparable.
Cheng Gongjin felt guilty towards Mu Huaian. If he was mediocre and incompetent, the emperor might not have taken action against him. But he was his student. At that time in the capital, everyone said that the young master of the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion would be the second Cheng Gongjin in the future.
For so many years, he was sent by the emperor while secretly training people to be placed around Prince Rui. He also tampered with the emperor's meals and incense day and night. Until finally, he instigated Prince Rui to rebel and used Crown Prince Xiao Jinghe to force the emperor to vomit blood and die in the Golden Palace.
At this point, the great revenge was achieved, but Mu Huaian's face could not be better.
He should have made amends, but he was selfish and couldn't bear to let it go. He even wanted to keep it for himself at one point.
The dream lasted so long that when he opened his eyes, he thought he was still in a dream.
Cheng Gongjin's vision was still a little blurry. He subconsciously wanted to raise his hand, but found that his hand was being gently held.
He tilted his head slightly and saw Yu Qinghuan sitting beside the bed with a worried look on his face.
"Awake?" Yu Qinghuan's voice was very soft, as if she was afraid to disturb him. "Feeling better?"
Cheng Gongjin opened his mouth, but his throat was so dry that he couldn't make a sound.
Yu Qinghuan quickly stood up, poured a glass of warm water, carefully lifted his head, and let him drink a few sips.
After the water moistened his throat, he finally regained his breath and asked in a low voice, "How long have I slept?"
Yu Qinghuan: "Not long, just a few hours."
She sighed and gently brushed her fingertips across Gongjin's forehead, trying to smooth his furrowed brow. "You've been talking in your sleep."
I don’t know what I was dreaming about, I felt very uneasy and kept holding her hand tightly.
Cheng Gongjin was silent for a moment, and the scenes in his dream came flooding back like a tide - the loneliness of his childhood, the ups and downs of his official career, the calculations of revenge, the guilt towards Mu Huaian, and the selfishness towards the person in front of him, finally stopping at the scene where he stabbed Mu Huaian with a sword.
He closed his eyes and said in a hoarse voice: "How is he?"
Yu Qinghuan said slowly, "Doctor Li treated his injuries. Fortunately, no bones were broken. He will be fine after a few days of rest."
Cheng Gongjin raised his eyes to look at her, "Do you blame me?"
Yu Qinghuan smiled, his eyes clear as water, but with a hint of heartache, "Why should I blame you? It's not me you stabbed."
Cheng Gongjin didn't say anything.
Yu Qinghuan added, "He's still in the Cheng Mansion, waiting for you to wake up. He probably has a lot to ask you. If you're ready, I'll go out and call him in."
Knowing that some things could no longer be concealed, Cheng Gongjin nodded slightly, "Okay."
Yu Qinghuan thought about it and said soothingly, "Don't worry, he still respects you and doesn't blame you."
"You always take too much responsibility on yourself. Now that the poison has been removed from you, instead of blaming yourself, you should think carefully about how you want to live your life from now on and make amends to the people around you."
Cheng Gongjin looked at her, and the depression in his heart seemed to be smoothed out little by little.
He held Yu Qinghuan's hand and whispered, "Thank you."
Yu Qinghuan smiled slightly, "Why should we thank each other? As long as you are safe and sound, I will be at ease."
"Okay, I'll go out and call him, you two can have a good chat."
Cheng Gongjin did not refuse, but just watched her back as she stood up and left, and a warm feeling surged in his heart.
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