Declaration of War
Fu Huaiying discovered that these days, there was always a figure standing outside the yard at night. He said nothing and did nothing. He just stood there quietly for a while and then left in the mist.
She asked Da Hu to go and see, but when he came back, he hesitated for a long time before telling her that it was Wen Chuyan.
Fu Huaiying lowered her eyes, "What is he doing here?"
Da Hu saw through the emotion beneath her cold expression and gently leaned on her shoulder. "To be honest, young lady, your feelings for General Wen are deeper than your feelings for the young marquis. Although I don't like him, if you like him, you can choose him."
Fu Huaiying shook her head gently. "It's impossible for him and I to be together in this life. Wen Shuangye and I are sworn enemies. No matter what, I will kill her. The Wen family has been at the border for a long time, and they are all military commanders. Wen Shuangye took him in and raised him since he was a child. Although they had many arguments, in his heart, his aunt is like his mother."
Da Hu didn't understand, "But Wen Shuangye is not a good person, and the number of innocent people who died at her hands is too many to count on one hand."
"People are divided into good and bad, but there is more to it than just good and bad. I am not a good person either, and my hands are not clean. Wen Shuangye has harmed many people, but there is no doubt that she is very good to her nephews and nieces. She did not kill Wen Chuyan. On the contrary, she treated him very well."
"It's good enough that Wen Chuyan didn't cover up for her. How could he let his aunt die for me?"
Fu Huaiying raised her hand, pushed open the window, and looked at the closed courtyard gate from afar. She could not see anything, yet it seemed as if she saw something.
That figure was too familiar. She had fallen asleep on that shoulder more than once. Even though she was blocked by the gate at this moment, she could still remember what the scene was like.
After a long time, she put down her hand, without looking back, and turned her back to Da Hu. "People's eyes look forward. I will not be trapped in my youth. I will not look back at the path I have walked before, because no matter how I look, I can't change it."
"Girl... won't you feel regretful?"
"No, a long time ago, I wanted to marry him because I had no say in the family. If I relied on myself alone, I would never be able to avenge my mother. Now it's different..."
Da Hu came over and hugged her from behind, "You can lean on me."
Fu Huaiying turned to look at her and smiled softly, "I know, you always felt sorry for yourself before, until you came... everything is different now."
"I will stay with you forever."
Fu Huaiying shook her head. "Don't make a lifelong promise to someone so easily. I've already burned your indenture, and I've cleared the way. You're a free man now. Whether you want to stay with me or pursue your freedom, it's up to you."
Da Hu stood up straight and shook his head stubbornly, "I said, I will follow you for the rest of my life. I never make promises lightly, and I never break them."
Fu Huaiying raised her hand and tidied up her fallen hair. "I'm not driving you away. I just want to give you the right to choose. You have never been my slave."
She raised her eyes and saw Da Hu's slightly red eyes and messy hair. She felt that she was really stubborn. If it were someone else, once they were free, they would naturally want to leave immediately and find their own freedom.
"I don't want to leave you."
Fu Huaiying looked at her and changed the subject. "From the first time I saw you, I really wanted to change your name, but... I also felt it was unnecessary. The tiger is the king of beasts, so why not name it after it?"
"Then please give me a name, young lady. The young marquis said he didn't like reading since he was young and doesn't know how to choose a name."
Fu Huaiying thought for a moment, remembering the first time he saw her. The morning sun shone on her, making her look particularly dazzling.
"The sun is the yang virtue, the moon is the yin spirit. They are good at supporting the light in the eastern marsh, and their successors are outstanding in the western abyss. How about we call them Fu Guang?"
"Fu Guang?" Da Hu bit the two words and nodded, "Okay."
The next morning
Fu Huaiying met Wen Shuangye outside the yard. She had always been arrogant, looking at others as if they were ants that could be manipulated at will. Even the pain of losing her daughter could not erase her arrogance.
"Fu Huaiying, there is still a long way to go. I will definitely avenge this."
Fu Huaiying's face no longer had the fake smile on it. She walked beside Wen Shuangye, two steps faster than her, and her voice was ethereal, "Madam, that winter was very cold, it was really hard to endure. There was no charcoal fire in the house, and the windows and doors were not closed. At that time, you stood outside the door, wrapped in fox fur, holding a hand warmer in your hand. Were you warm?"
Wen Shuangye stared at her intently, "What do you want to say?"
Fu Huaiying looked indifferent, as if she was just talking about some insignificant gossip. "I don't want to say anything, but for so many years, in my dreams at midnight, I always hear my mother crying and saying she is cold."
Wen Shuangye forced herself to stand up straight. "When a person dies, they are dead. Everything is gone. I am not afraid of her, and it is not my intention to kill her."
"I know."
"What do you know?"
"I know everything. Not only do I know what you did, but I also know some things you don't know."
Wen Shuangye laughed suddenly, tears streaming down her face. "Fu Liusong, Fu Liusong, you keep a poisonous snake by your side."
Fu Huaiying paused, looked back at her, and smiled sarcastically, "I hope you can smile like you did today in the future."
After she finished speaking, she walked away, ignoring the gaze that was hiding something behind her.
At the corner, a figure suddenly rushed up. Fu Huaiying subconsciously took a step back, but because she couldn't dodge in time, her legs were firmly held.
"Fu Zhibi!"
Fu Huaiying stood firm and looked down at the newcomer, "Miss Jiang...you..."
Jiang Yueru raised her head and tears began to fall. "Fu Zhibi... I really have nowhere else to turn. I can only come to you for help... My uncle is dead... My father is also in prison. Fu Zhibi, please watch me stand up for you in the palace that day... Save my father..."
She also knew that it was just a small favor that day and she really shouldn't ask for repayment, but she really didn't know what to do or who to turn to.
Fu Huaiying squatted down and helped her up, sighing in her heart. She and the Queen both suffered an unprovoked disaster.
"I can only tell you that your father will not die. I cannot say anything else. Your Highness the Crown Prince may be able to find a chance."
Jiang Yueru's face was covered with tears. She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that her father would not die. "Thank you, Miss Fu. I was confused and almost forgot about my cousin."
After she finished speaking, she ran out in such a hurry that the hairpin on her hair fell off.
Fu Huaiying stepped forward and picked up the hairpin, wanting to call her, but she was in such a hurry that it was difficult to stop her. She could only put it in her sleeve and return it to her when she had the chance.
Da Hu followed, "Girl."
"Go check who Jiang Yueru met today."
Da Hu nodded, jumped onto the wall, and disappeared in a few seconds.
How long had the palace banquet lasted? Even if Jiang Yueru had remembered it, how did she know she lived here? Furthermore, how did she get in when His Majesty was furious and forbade the Jiang family from entering the inner courtyard? And how could they have found her so accurately?
She doesn't reject Jiang Yueru, but she doesn't like others taking advantage of her.
He had originally planned to deal with today's memorials, but then he remembered that Chen Huanli's homework had been delayed for quite some time. Thinking of this, Fu Huaiying changed direction halfway.
When she entered the room, Chen Huanli was engrossed in reading a book. It was a good thing for a child to be studious, so Fu Huaiying naturally would not disturb him. She just took a book from the bookshelf and sat on the cushion beside him.
Chen Huanli closed the book and was about to put it back when he realized that the teacher had been sitting in the room for an unknown amount of time.
"Teacher, why didn't you tell me you were here?"
"I see you're so engrossed in reading this that I don't want to disturb you. What are you reading?"
Chen Huanli handed it to her and said, "Shang Junshu, I have benefited a lot from it."
Fu Huaiying took it and put the two books in his hands back. "Do you have any ideas?"
"Du Zhi said, 'There's no fault in following the old ways, and there's no wrong in adhering to rituals.' I think there's some truth to that. Major changes can easily harm the state, but Gongsun Yang also made sense. I can't say which is better."
"No matter what we do, we must judge the situation. Whether we follow the old customs or make changes, we must follow the trend. Where the trend is, there is power."
Chen Huanli nodded, but then felt a little frustrated. "Teacher, I'm afraid I won't be able to do this well. Shouldn't I gamble the stability of the people of the world with my own selfish desires?"
He was a little hesitant. He had to avenge the extermination of his family, but if he did not do well and was not as good as the Emperor of the Universe, then he would be harming the people of the world.
Fu Huaiying was startled for a moment, then smiled and raised her hand to touch his head. "But even if you don't fight for it, the Crown Prince and King Huan will fight for it. The Crown Prince is ignorant and nepotistic, and King Huan is cruel and uses human lives as a raft. You are more suitable for that position than them."
Chen Huanli leaned against her. "I heard from my father that when my grandfather was young, he loved this younger brother very much. They had a deep relationship, but later... they also had a bitter feud..."
With tears in his eyes, he looked up at Fu Huaiying and said, "Will I become like that in the future? For my own benefit, blood will flow like a river under my feet..."
Fu Huaiying was silent for a while. She didn't know that people would always change. Those who were gentle and kind could become hateful, and those who were introverted and gullible could become vindictive if they gained power one day. She couldn't tell Chen Huanli with certainty that he would not change.
She is now Chen Huanli's teacher and his support, but if one day she stands in his way, will she end up like her grandfather? Thinking of this, Fu Huaiying shuddered instantly.
"teacher?"
Fu Huaiying shook her head, "I can't answer this question."
"Why?"
"Because I don't know either. No one can predict what will happen in the future. Maybe one day, you will also wish me dead."
Chen Huanli suddenly looked up in disbelief, "Impossible... How could I possibly wish for the teacher's death..."
Fu Huaiying laughed and patted his head. "Just kidding. I believe you. A man as noble as the late Crown Prince will surely have good descendants."
There was still a hint of fear in Chen Huanli's eyes. "If I were to take that position, the first thing I would do would be to grant you a seal of approval. Don't worry, I will never hurt you."
Fu Huaiying touched his hair and said, "I was just teasing you, but you took it seriously."
Chen Huanli said seriously, "I am serious."
Fu Huaiying coughed and changed the subject, "His Majesty has been in a bad mood these days. You just need to be a filial son. Don't do anything else, and don't ask any questions."
"There are rumors out there that the Crown Prince is going to be deposed. These rumors can spread, right..."
Fu Huaiying narrowed her eyes. "Your Majesty hasn't given up on the Crown Prince, but he's allowing these rumors to spread because he wants to use them to warn the Crown Prince. Deposing and enthroning the Crown Prince is a serious matter. The Crown Prince has done nothing wrong, so it's impossible for him to be so hasty."
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