Caught off guard, Yan Ning was pulled into Fukang'an's arms. Her eyes widened as she stared at him. Fukang'an lightly bit Yan Ning's lips, his voice laced with jealousy as he said, "From now on, you are not allowed to see Heshen again!" Yan Ning chuckled, "So even the mighty General Fukang'an can be jealous?"
Fukang'an sensed the teasing in Yan Ning's tone and affectionately pinched her nose. Yan Ning struggled to avoid Fukang'an's hand and softly said, "Luckily, my nose is real, otherwise you would have deformed it long ago!" Fukang'an didn't understand her meaning and laughed, "Could it be that your nose is made of paper? Then you can mold it however you want!" Yan Ning looked at him and stopped talking, thinking to herself that if she told him that hundreds of years later, people's appearances could be changed at will, he would probably immediately lead an army to exterminate those monsters who altered people's appearances!
The shadows of the plum tree branches swayed gently on the jade-white window paper, as if the plum tree itself were dancing lightly, imbued with the spirit of the tree. The shadows of Fukang'an and Yan Ning flickered and disappeared in the candlelight. Fukang'an pulled Yan Ning to sit on the bed, gazing at her breathtaking beauty, his eyes slightly intoxicated, and said, "Although we are not yet married, everyone in the household already knows your identity. Tomorrow I will take you to pay your respects to Mother. After Mother's fiftieth birthday, I will immediately marry you and bring you to the household!"
"I don't want to compete with Xi Ying for the position of General's wife. All I need is for you to have me here, that's enough!" Yan Ning said earnestly, pointing to Fu Kang'an's chest.
“I know, so after the marriage, you will live in the Fu residence, and Xi Ying will still be in charge of all matters in the mansion.” After saying this, Fu Kang’an smoothed Yan Ning’s jet-black hair, stood up and moved closer to her.
Yan Ning's face immediately flushed slightly. She lowered her head and said nervously, "We're not married yet. You should go back to the Fucha residence first!" Seeing Yan Ning's reaction, Fukang'an felt even more sorry for her and said gently, "I'll go to the study! You should rest early!"
Yan Ning gazed at Fukang'an's departing figure, thinking to herself that she was fortunate to have met someone like Fukang'an who loved and respected her so much in this life, and no matter how much she suffered, she would protect their love.
Fukang'an ordered Zhao Xing to open the locked study. Since servants were not allowed to clean it, a whiff of dust hit him as soon as he entered. "Cough cough cough..." Fukang'an coughed, choked by the smell.
"General, please let me clean up a bit before you go in!" Zhao Xing said, standing outside the door. Fukang'an waved his hand, signaling him to leave. Zhao Xing closed the door, bowed, and withdrew.
Ten years have passed. Since witnessing that scene, he hasn't been here for ten years. Fukang'an touched the shadow puppets, closed his eyes, and pondered deeply. One was his emperor, the other his birth mother. Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety have been difficult to reconcile, so he would rather not investigate anything. Fukang'an walked into the inner room, reached out and pulled back the curtain covering the wall. With a forceful movement, he flung the curtain at a chair two meters away from him.
Under the moonlight, the portrait depicts a young woman holding her one-year-old child, sitting on a chair in the courtyard, with a dashing young man standing beside her. The woman smiles radiantly at the painter, while the man embraces his wife and child, his face radiating the joy of a loving father and husband. A picture of idyllic family bliss.
Fukang'an sat in the chair staring at the portrait, his hands clenched into fists, his eyes filled with unbearable pain.
Yan Ning had already witnessed the imposing presence of the Old Madam Fucha, and tossed and turned all night without a good night's sleep. Seeing that dawn was breaking, she got up, took her cloak, and went to the study to see Fukang'an.
As soon as Yan Ning pushed open the study door, she was choked by the dust in the house and coughed repeatedly. After her breath settled, Yan Ning noticed that Fukang'an was not in the hall, so she went to the inner room to find him. She saw Fukang'an, his head propped up by one hand, fast asleep in a chair. Feeling heartbroken, she quickly took off her cloak and covered him with it.
Although the servants in the Fu residence were not as numerous as those in the Fucha mansion, they were efficient in their work. How could there be such a dusty house? Thinking of this, Yan Ning curiously looked around and saw the painting hanging in the center of the inner room wall.
"Isn't that the old lady? The man next to her must be General Fuheng, Fukang'an's father. So that lofty and heroic spirit between Fukang'an's brows was inherited from him!" Yan Ning said to herself, staring at the painting. Seeing the plaque of Liuxiang Garden behind them and the two green plum trees in front of the main house, Yan Ning couldn't help but ask, "Did General Fuheng live here when he was alive?"
Before she knew it, Yan Ning glanced a few more times at the one-year-old baby in the old lady's arms. "He must be Fukang'an!" She was about to go closer to take a closer look at the young Fukang'an when the awakened Fukang'an grabbed her hand.
As soon as Fukang'an opened his eyes, he saw Yan Ning preparing to walk towards the painting. He quickly grabbed her and said, "Forget everything you saw today!" He held Yan Ning's shoulders tightly, his brows furrowed deeply, and his words were full of strong commands.
Yan Ning had previously heard Zhao Xing mention that General Fu Heng had passed away. She guessed that Fu Kang'an's anxiety stemmed from his excessive admiration for his father. Thinking this, Yan Ning nodded and reached out to smooth the wrinkles on Fu Kang'an's brow. Fu Kang'an readily took Yan Ning's hand and led her out of the study. He then ordered Zhao Xing, who had just arrived at the door, "Lock the door!"
Inside the carriage, Yan Ning noticed that Fukang'an's brow hadn't relaxed since he left the study, and said guiltily, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to see you! General Fucha has been gone for so long, maybe he's already been reincarnated! Why torture yourself like this?"
Hearing Yan Ning say this, Fukang'an relaxed his brows, smoothed her jet-black hair, and smiled slightly: "Don't panic when you see Mother later, I'll take care of everything!"
Yan Ning nodded, leaned against Fukang'an's chest, and hugged him tightly. Fukang'an held Yan Ning in his arms, his expression complex and unfathomable.
Madam Fucha wore a maroon brocade cheongsam embroidered with peacocks. Although her headdress was different from usual, the peony hairpin still swayed with her every smile and gesture. Her earrings were made of smooth, translucent mutton-fat jade. She sat upright in the main seat of the hall, exuding an air of nobility.
Yan Ning knelt in the center of the hall, looking at Madam Fucha, and sighed inwardly that although she had an enviable beauty that could topple kingdoms, she was far inferior to her in terms of aura.
Madam Fucha stroked the handle of the jade ruyi scepter in her hands, preventing Yan Ning from getting up. Fukang'an sat to the side, feeling sorry for Yan Ning, but also unwilling to offend his mother.
"For this birthday celebration, your mother doesn't want anything too extravagant. Just a small gathering with close family and friends will suffice," the old lady said, turning slightly to look at Fukang'an.
"Your son knows Mother's thoughts and has already made arrangements for Xiying. This birthday celebration will only invite relatives and friends who have close ties with the Fucha family!" Fukang'an replied, looking at Yan Ning kneeling on the ground.
Knowing that her son doted on Yan Ning and not wanting him to be unhappy, the old lady said to Li Mama beside her, "Go and help the madam up. She will stay in the mansion for the next few days. You should teach her the rules of the Fucha family properly!"
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