After court, Fu Chang'an and Heshen drank for a while at Wanxiang Pavilion. Fu Chang'an gave Heshen the letter that Yan Ning wanted to deliver to Fu Kang'an, and then the two returned to their respective residences. Upon his return, he first went to Qiluo Pavilion, chatted with Rui Ying for a few words, and then went to Pengxian Garden. Rui Ying maintained a dignified smile throughout, watching Fu Chang'an leave the courtyard.
The hibiscus flowers enclosed by the fence in Pengxian Garden are in full bloom, their clusters hidden among the lush green branches. Near the fence, there is a small round table and two chairs.
As soon as Fu Chang'an stepped into the courtyard, he saw Peng Ruo brewing tea in a light blue cheongsam. He smiled and said, "I've come at just the right time!"
Peng Ruo didn't look up when she heard the voice. While pouring tea for Fu Chang'an, she said indifferently, "It's just something I'm used to doing every day!"
Fu Chang'an sat down beside Peng Ruo, took the small jade porcelain cup from her hand, and took a sip. The fresh floral fragrance mingled with the aroma of tea, filling his mouth. He smiled and said, "You don't like Tunxi Zhenmei tea. Did you plan for me to come today?"
Peng stared at him again and said, "This Tunxi Zhenmei tea is infused with the fragrance of flowers. I am not a person who loves flowers, so why am I tainted by this fragrance!"
Fu Chang'an lowered his head and smelled the fragrance of rouge and powder on his dark green robe. His smile deepened. "Today is just a matter of discussing letters with Lord He. Wanxiang Pavilion, please be quiet!"
Green tea leaves floated in the small, round jade porcelain cup, perfectly complementing Fu Chang'an's long robe. Peng lowered his head again, staring at the fragrant Tunxi beauty, his heart filled with sorrow. Fu Chang'an was ultimately different from Fu Kang'an; he was growing closer and closer to Heshen, and he profited from every single instance of Heshen's corruption.
Peng worried that he would suffer a terrible fate if things continued this way. That's why she disobeyed the old lady's orders and secretly helped Yan Ning deliver the letter. She hoped that when Fu Chang'an was questioned in the future, Fu Kang'an would consider the brotherly bond and add the favor of her helping Yan Ning and her two children today.
Seeing the worry clouding Peng's face again, Fu Chang'an smiled and joked, "Stealing half a day of leisure, with a beautiful woman by my side, I, Fucha Fu Chang'an, must have accumulated a lifetime of good deeds in my past life!"
Peng smiled faintly as she saw Fu Chang'an making fun of her again, and sighed as she looked at the hibiscus flowers that had fallen into the soil, "Your Fourth Master Fu has more than just me as a hibiscus flower by your side!"
The hibiscus flower only lasts a day, a fact Fu Chang'an learned from Peng Ruo. When Peng Ruo returned to Pengxian Garden, she ordered all the drooping wisteria and supporting trellises in the courtyard to be removed, and these less attractive hibiscus flowers to be transplanted. Fu Chang'an hadn't understood Peng Ruo's intentions before, but today she understood from her sour tone. Although the hibiscus flower blooms for only a day, large clusters of new flowers bloom every day; it's just that the new blooms mask the sadness of the old flowers withering.
Fu Chang'an had no intention of lingering on the past with Peng. After finishing his tea, he changed the subject to the lifespan of the hibiscus flowers. "My third brother will be here in five or six days. I need to get things arranged. The garden manager probably moved the best hibiscus flowers from the Fucha mansion to Pengxian Garden to appease you. If you have nothing to do in the courtyard, pick some hibiscus flowers and send them to Chunying Garden. Aunt An's health now will be good for them!"
He finished speaking with a smile, patted Pengruo's hand as she poured him tea, and then got up and left.
Peng's teapot slipped from her hand again. She was sitting, and the scalding tea spilled from the table onto her knees. Her personal maid, Biqing, exclaimed in surprise and used her handkerchief to wipe the hot tea off Peng's cheongsam.
She stared blankly at the hibiscus bushes, ignoring Biqing's complaints: "Every day, the concubine brews Master's favorite Tunxi Zhenmei tea, just so he can stay a little longer in Pengxian Garden after he comes back! How come he left after only sitting for a short while!"
Fu Chang'an was indeed different from Fu Kang'an. How could the hot-blooded young man bear to part with the pleasures of women and devote himself solely to her? She was not Yan Ning, nor did she possess unparalleled beauty. Yet even if a letter were delivered by fast horse to Jilin, it would still take three days, while Fu Kang'an could return to the capital in five or six days. Was his deep affection truly still due to Yan Ning's beauty?
After giving birth to Yunxin, Wuchun suffered from persistent coughing and wheezing due to wind-heat affecting her lungs, sometimes even coughing up blood. Although hibiscus flowers have medicinal value, the Fucha family was a powerful household; when would they need to be so frugal as to pick flowers from their own courtyard to treat their concubine's illness?
Peng couldn't understand why Fu Chang'an had asked her to deliver hibiscus flowers to Chunying Garden. Was it a reminder that as a concubine, she shouldn't be more controlling than Rui Ying?
Wu Chun's constant comparisons with Yan Ning led to her current predicament. Fu Chang'an was telling her that there is only one Fu Kang'an in this world, and that his feelings for Yan Ning are incomparable to those of others.
After racking her brains to no avail, Peng smiled bitterly again. She had been deluding herself. She had thought Fu Chang'an treated her differently from his other concubines. But today, she saw clearly her place in Fu Chang'an's heart. Back then, wasn't it precisely because Fu Chang'an didn't favor Fu Kang'an that she followed him? His affections were everywhere, but they would eventually fall to her, unlike Fu Kang'an's devotion to Yan Ning alone.
Thinking of this, Peng felt much more at ease. Fu Chang'an's words were merely telling her that if he was devoted to only her, then wouldn't all his former favored wives and concubines be just like Wu Chun?
Peng had some hibiscus flowers in full bloom picked and made into flower cakes, which were then sent to Yunlingzhai, where Fu Chang'an was staying. When the servants opened the food box and brought out the hibiscus flower cakes, Fu Chang'an's lips curved into a smile. Peng was indeed a perceptive person, able to understand the hidden meaning in his words.
He chuckled with relief. If the hibiscus flower cakes were given to Chunying Garden, Peng would be in deep trouble again. He was mocking his sister-in-law for having an incurable disease, and with Fukang'an returning to the capital, the old lady would surely use her to punish him and relieve her own distress.
Autumn is inherently bleak, and the guards at the city gate, with their stern faces, made the towering stone gates appear even more solemn. Fu Chang'an, counting down the days until Fu Kang'an's return to the capital, stayed at the city gate for two days and nights straight, making the guards tremble with fear and causing them to scrutinize everyone entering and leaving the capital even more strictly.
It was late at night, and the sound of the night watchman's drum echoed through the desolate streets. Seeing that Fu Chang'an still refused to leave, the four guards wondered if some unrest had occurred in the capital recently.
The sound of horses' hooves could be heard intermittently outside the city gate, but no one entered the city. Fu Chang'an initially thought they were just passing through, but the sound of hooves, sometimes near and sometimes far, aroused the vigilance of the guard leader.
He knelt down and pleaded with Fu Chang'an, who was sitting under the wooden shed drinking tea, to allow him to go out of the city to investigate. Fu Chang'an put down his teacup, his face remaining calm under the dim lantern light. He said coldly, "You stay here. I'll go and take a look!"
After saying that, he pulled on the reins, leaped onto his horse, and whipped it out of the city gate. His personal servant, Li Xinchang, immediately trotted after him.
Fukang'an arrived at the city gates of the capital late at night. Entering the capital at this time would surely disturb the powerful and influential people in the capital. Although he did not know what the current situation was in the court, he could guess that one of the four princes must have abandoned the Fucha family as a pawn in the struggle for the throne.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
