"Fukang'an, you bastard!"
"Fukang'an, you don't believe me! You actually don't believe me! You actually don't believe me again!"
At this moment, Yan Ning was so drunk that she was unconscious, only drinking one glass of wine after another, cursing Fukang'an one sentence after another.
"Mingxin, you stay here and watch over Miss Yanning. I'll go and call the master." Liu Quan watched as Yanning drank cup after cup, and neither of them could persuade her to stop. They could only go back to Heshen for help.
As soon as Heshen entered and met the guests, he saw Yan Ning and Ming Xin arguing over a wine cup, so he quickened his pace and went over.
"Master!" Mingxin breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Heshen arrive. She let go of his hand and allowed Yan Ning to snatch the wine cup.
Yan Ning saw Heshen sitting down and said, shaking her head, "Lord He, hehe, the number one corrupt official in the world, Heshen!" Then she drank the wine in her cup in one gulp.
Heshen was already used to Yan Ning's strange talk and didn't care. He just wanted to coax Yan Ning home. With her appearance, she would only cause trouble in this tavern. "Miss, if you want to drink, come back to the manor, and I'll keep you company!" With that, Heshen helped Yan Ning up and prepared to go back.
"I won't leave, I have nowhere to go. I believe in him, I love him, but he doesn't believe me at all! I want to go home, to find my mother, to find my brother!" Yan Ning struggled to stay where she was, speaking incoherently.
"Alright, let's go home, I'll take you home!" Heshen didn't understand what Yan Ning meant and just wanted to coax her back to the mansion as soon as possible.
Yan Ning tugged at He Shen's sleeve and asked, "Can you really take me home? Have you finished building the Tianxiang Courtyard?"
Heshen was taken aback. She had mentioned Tianxiang Courtyard to him more than once. What exactly was that place? "Alright, I'll take you to Tianxiang Courtyard!" Heshen said gently.
Upon hearing that Heshen was going to take her to Tianxiang Courtyard, Yan Ning obediently stopped struggling and let Heshen help her forward.
Heshen helped Yan Ning down from the carriage and back to Qinxin Garden. Yan Ning, however, had already forgotten about Tianxiang Courtyard. Sitting at the table, she pointed at Heshen and said, "Heshen, do you know? In our area, someone like you who has married more than twenty wives and concubines would be sentenced to death."
Heshen waved for Liu Quan and the others to leave, then sat down next to Yan Ning. Listening to her strange ramblings, he smiled but didn't reply. "The number one corrupt official in the world? More than twenty wives and concubines?" In his own household, there was now only one wife and one concubine. Was this what Yan Ning knew about him that hadn't actually happened? Heshen's smile deepened.
"Don't laugh, you know?" Yan Ning said, pointing at He Shen's smile with displeasure. Then she stood up and stumbled back and forth. "Where we live, everyone can only marry one person. I must design my own wedding, and I want to design my own wedding dress." As she spoke, Yan Ning opened the teapot on the table, dipped her hand in the water, and began to draw her own wedding dress.
"Look, isn't it pretty?" Yan Ning happily pointed to the water stains on the table for He Shen to see, then sat down and said with longing, "It must be white, as pure as a lily, then it will be very beautiful."
Heshen stared at the style of the clothes on the table. "They're neither Manchu nor Han Chinese clothes. What ethnicity are they?" Heshen silently memorized the question.
"Also, the room must be covered with flower petals, and..." Yan Ning mumbled incoherently as she lay on the table and gradually fell asleep.
Heshen looked at the sleeping Yan Ning. She, who never used to dress up, now had a lily hairpin in her jet-black hair. It was the first time he had ever seen her wear brightly colored clothes. Because of her drunkenness, Yan Ning's temples were flushed, and her lips were luscious. Heshen felt a slight struggle in his heart. After thinking for a long time, he picked her up and carried her to the warm bedroom.
After the palace banquet ended, Fukang'an had just stepped out of the palace gate when he saw Zhao Xing pacing anxiously outside.
"Zhao Xing!"
"General, you're finally out! Hurry back! The young master has smallpox." Zhao Xing heard Fukang'an calling him and quickly ran towards him.
Upon hearing this, Fukang'an immediately mounted his horse and rushed to the Fucha residence. When Xiying wrote to him saying that she had given birth to his son, although life in the military camp was dreary, the news brought him immense joy. Now, having just arrived in the capital and rushing to the palace, he hadn't even seen his son's face before this calamity struck.
“General!” Xi Ying, who was standing guard beside De Lin with teary eyes, felt a sense of security when she saw Fu Kang An enter.
Fukang'an hugged the weeping Xiying, his heart aching as he looked at the several blisters on his son's handsome face. "What did the doctor say?"
"The doctor said that if the high fever subsides, his life won't be in danger, but Delin's fever still won't go down." Xi Ying said, then started crying again, "Why does our Delin have to suffer so much? He was just recovering from the fright he suffered a few days ago, and now..."
"What frightened Delin?" Fukang'an released Xiying from his arms and wiped away her tears.
"It's just that the servants didn't take good care of him, and he got a little fright." After Xi Ying finished speaking, she gently wiped the sweat from her son's face and placed De Lin's little hand on her face. "De Lin, your father is back. Didn't you want to see your father every day? Now that your father is back, my good boy, get well soon!"
Fukang'an took Delin's little hand from Xiying and held it in his own. "Good son, get well soon. Father will teach you to ride a horse and shoot arrows. Father will take you hunting!"
"General, you've just returned to the capital, go and rest. I'll keep watch here!" Xi Ying said to Fukang'an with understanding, "Aunt Lian has been looking forward to your return every day, so General, please rest at her place today!"
Fukang'an stood up, took off his official hat, and Xiying quickly got up to take it and handed it to Xia'er.
“I’ve been away on campaign for three years and haven’t even seen my son’s face. Now that he’s sick, how can I rest in peace!” Fukang’an said with a frown.
Xi Ying looked at Fukang'an gratefully and said to Xia'er beside her, "Go and get a set of the general's casual clothes!"
"Notify all servants in the manor to prepare for epidemic prevention. No one who has not had smallpox is allowed to step into the Madam's courtyard! Tell Mother that I will go to pay my respects to Delin after she recovers. Also, Zhao Xing, go to the Fu residence and tell Yan Ning that I will visit her a few days later." Fu Kang'an, who had not slept all night, gave these instructions to the servants, including Zhao Xing, as soon as it was light.
Zhao Xing stood there, looking troubled, hesitating whether to tell Fukang An Yan Ning about it, but now that the young master was sick, the general might not be able to take care of everything.
"Zhao Xing!" Fukang'an looked at the motionless Zhao Xing and knew that he was hiding something from him.
"This servant, this servant will go right away!" Zhao Xing said, turning around to leave.
"Stop!" Fukang'an shouted, halting Zhao Xing's attempt to leave. "Speak, what are you hiding from me?"
Knowing he couldn't hide it from Fukang'an any longer, Zhao Xing knelt on the ground and timidly said, "Miss Yan Ning, Miss Yan Ning no longer lives at the Fu residence." Zhao Xing closed his eyes and told the truth.
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