His students
Chen Huanli looked at her with some confusion.
Fu Huaiying just smiled but didn't continue, jumping off the topic. "The palace isn't as free as the outside world, but it's safer. You should be well. Don't try to be strong. Protect yourself and express yourself appropriately."
Chen Huanli nodded. "Teacher, don't worry. I will pay attention and won't let him..." He paused and continued, "I will be obedient. Teacher, I will remember every word you say."
Fu Huaiying wanted to touch his head, but found that he seemed to have grown a little taller. She paused, raised her hand, and patted his shoulder.
"I rarely give you any warnings because I think our Ah Zhi has grown up and will soon be taller than me. I believe you can handle it well, right?"
Chen Huanli looked at his teacher's gentle eyes and nodded solemnly. He would endure it until King Huan died and the person who chose him as the heir. Then he would overturn the verdict and give his teacher the greatest power to let her settle the past affairs.
He looked at the teacher's pale face, swallowed his caring words, looked up at the gradually darkening sky, and felt a little reluctant, but finally spoke, "Teacher, it's dark, go back and have a good rest..."
Fu Huaiying patted his shoulder, listened to him and walked forward.
Chen Huanli stayed where he was, quietly looking at her back. When he first met her, she squatted down and looked at him straight in the eye, gently but with a scrutinizing look. Now, she had to raise her eyes slightly when she looked at him.
He grew taller and taller, much taller and more mature than when she brought him back. He recognized the thief as his father, but wanted his teacher to suffer with him. His injuries were not healed yet, but he had to enter the palace. He answered the questions of the person above him with trepidation and looked at his inquiring eyes.
If he could sit in that position, he would definitely not make the teacher work so hard.
He stood there for a while, until the figure completely disappeared, then he turned and left.
When Fu Huaiying walked to the palace gate, she found a person standing in the shadow of the palace wall.
"Fu Zhibi."
Fu Huaiying looked at him without much smile on her face, "Master Su."
Suning walked out from the shadows and followed her, standing a shoulder behind her, just enough to see her thin shoulders and strong back.
"Long time no see, Fu Zhibi. I haven't seen you since we last met."
She hasn't seen Su Ning since she and Lin Yan'an parted ways in the teahouse that day.
Su Ning lowered his eyes. He was not wearing court robes, but only a green robe, which was a bit thin and looked very pitiful. He remembered Lin Yan'an's aggressive look that day, and Fu Huaiying sitting silently beside him.
"Do you think I'm doing something wrong by writing this to gain fame for myself? Do you think I care too much about fame?"
As he spoke, he shed two tears, which Fu Huaiying could see when she turned her head. "My father is gone, and there's only my mother and I at home. She's a weak woman and can only rely on me. I don't want to be bullied by the eldest wife and want to make a future for myself. Is that wrong?"
Fu Huaiying glanced at him. "That's right. I never think there's anything wrong with people who want to climb the social ladder. But I'm curious. Why did you kill an entire family just because of a verbal dispute? There must be a reason, right? Or are you being wronged? This wasn't you who did it?"
Su Ning's face froze, and he didn't answer directly. He turned his head to look at the tall palace wall. After a while, he raised his hand and pointed at the carriage, "I'll take you back, Fu Zhibi."
Fu Huaiying hesitated for a moment, nodded, and patted Dahu's shoulder as he approached the carriage. "Lord Su said he would give me a ride."
Da Hu looked at her, then looked at Su Ning, and nodded, "Okay, I'll follow."
Fu Huaiying did not refuse, Dahu was worried about her.
She took a step and was about to step forward when a hand suddenly reached out from the side. Fu Huaiying looked back and saw Su Ning raising his hand, motioning her to help.
She paused, but ultimately did not reach out. She was not used to having physical contact with others. When she had just gotten married in her previous life, she had no contact even with Lin Yan'an.
Suning watched her get into the carriage before he put down his raised hand, lifted his robe and followed her in.
Fu Huaiying sat aside, watched him lift the curtain and come in, and looked straight at him.
Su Ning paused slightly, sat down opposite her, and said without beating around the bush, "I did it."
"Why? Is it just because he questioned you? I don't think you're such a fool. At least, you wouldn't kill an entire family and ruin your own future just because of a verbal dispute."
“What if I say, this is who I am?”
Fu Huaiying didn't believe it. If he really didn't want to be bullied by the eldest wife, he should protect his own future, climb up and move forward.
She looked at him quietly for a few seconds and said, "If you are such a person, then I dare not employ you. We are not the same kind of people."
Su Ning lowered his eyes, not meeting hers, and smiled bleakly, "When I was young, my father always said that his teacher was the best and most knowledgeable person in the world. He said that with his knowledge, he would never be able to catch up with his teacher in three lifetimes..."
"Taifu Qiao has many students all over the world. Not a single one of them doesn't love him. Although I've never met him, I admire him very much. My father often mentioned him, saying that it was a great honor to be taught by Taifu."
"My father said that if there was no Master Qiao, there would be no him. His life was given by Master Qiao and saved by Master Qiao. When my father left, he held my hand and couldn't close his eyes. He wanted me to overturn the verdict and clear Master Qiao's name. He was such a good person, such an honest person, he didn't deserve such a stigma."
Fu Huaiying listened quietly without interrupting him. She had never met her grandfather, so she had to hear and understand his demeanor, his character, and his deeds from other people.
She often wondered how great it would be if the former crown prince ascended the throne, and what kind of person her mother, who was taught bit by bit by her grandfather, would be. Even if she was not as good as she imagined, at least she would not be trapped in the backyard and die at the hands of despicable people like Fu Liusong and Wen Shuangye.
The moisture in Suning's eyes solidified into reality, and tears fell drop by drop, wetting the ground.
"After the arson at Fuyao Pavilion, the Grand Tutor was accused of murdering the prince. They said he killed the prince, but only a small number of people believed it. None of the Grand Tutor's students believed it..."
Suning thought about his father's words and his red eyes, as if he saw the students fighting in front of the palace gate in the heavy rain that day. Their shouts and hoarse voices were drowned out by the rain and no one could hear them.
"Those students knelt at the palace gate, demanding that the late emperor and the current emperor clear the name of the Grand Tutor. But at that time, the late emperor was already terminally ill, so all government affairs were handled by the current emperor. He dragged the students that the Grand Tutor was proud of into prison and killed anyone who refused to confess. My father was one of them. Because of these students, the Grand Tutor had no choice but to admit his guilt."
"Before he died, he told the current emperor to curb his temper, be a good emperor, and create a prosperous era. He also asked his students to assist him. My father said that even if the Grand Tutor could not protect himself, he should still consider them. In prison, he carefully instructed the current emperor to be diligent in his work, be close to virtuous officials, and stay away from villains."
"My father always cries when he talks about Taifu. He wants to pay his respects to him but there's no place to do so. He can only set up a memorial tablet for him at home. He wants to make sure Taifu doesn't even have one. He said that maybe other people feel the same way."
Fu Huaiying smiled, but tears welled up in his eyes. His student wanted to kill him, but he still treated him as a student, fearing that he might not do well.
Su Ning still hung his head. He raised his hand to wipe away his tears. "When I was still an infant, my father and my mother were discussing the matter of the Grand Tutor. Your mother had already given birth to you at that time. My father wanted to help, but he didn't want to be overheard. The servant in the mansion hid in the house, intending to steal something, but he didn't expect to hear such a secret. In his panic, he touched my father's inkstone... That was the first time my father killed someone..."
"The wet nurse in my room was that man's aunt. My father was worried that the matter would be exposed, so he sent her back home. That day, I met her son on the street. I remembered everything my father said, so I followed him. At first, I just wanted to take a look, but she threatened me and asked me to help her son find a future. I don't blame her. Everyone wants to climb up the social ladder..."
Su Ning spoke, his eyes becoming increasingly fierce. "But she should never, ever bring up what happened so many years ago. Father suspects she heard it, but she's been so good at pretending. If it weren't for her son's future, she would have kept it to herself. But now that she's spoken out, I can't show mercy... Letting her go, what if someone finds out? King Huan has been investigating me lately, and I can't leave myself vulnerable."
Fu Huaiying sighed, "...I didn't expect that this would be my karma..."
"My uncle, let's erase this matter. We haven't split up. Even if we did, they can't escape. We prosper together and suffer together. He has no choice but to help me destroy the body and cover up the evidence. Fu Zhibi, you can use this matter to threaten my uncle in the future if necessary."
Fu Huaiying looked at him with complicated eyes. She was about to say something when she noticed that the carriage had stopped and there was a knock on the window.
She raised her hand and opened the car curtain, only to see Lin Yan'an looking at Su Ning unkindly. The latter acted as if nothing had happened, "Write, go back and have a good rest."
Fu Huaiying nodded, lifted the curtain, took the hand extended by Lin Yan'an, and got off the carriage.
Suning lifted the curtain and looked at them thoughtfully.
"Let's go back home."
Lin Yan'an's face still didn't look good. He didn't speak until Suning's carriage disappeared around the corner. "He had previously teamed up with King Huan to set you up, and later he discussed with him about taking your life. Huaiying, I'm worried about you being so close to him."
Fu Huaiying took his drooping hand and comforted him, "I got on his carriage mainly because there are some things I want to know. Besides, Dahu is with us, so nothing will happen."
While they were talking, Da Hu had already walked over. Seeing the two slightly reproachful gazes, Fu Huaiying was a little amused and patted her shoulder, "Because you are here, I am not worried at all."
Seeing Da Hu's relaxed expression, Lin Yan'an glanced at her with some disappointment.
Da Hu glared back, "The girl didn't do anything wrong. She was just doing the right thing. A capable person wouldn't let her be afraid of this or that. Young Marquis, if you can't protect the girl, I can do it myself."
Lin Yan'an couldn't argue with her and fell silent in an instant.
Fu Huaiying just thought it was funny. Dahu was much easier to coax than Yan'an.
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