Chapter 47 Hidden Corner (Part 2) I'll be coming here often from now on, you have to keep it a secret...
From the palace… the surname Fu?!
Deng Jie was shocked; she really was the one by the emperor's side!
My heart tightened, and I decided to kneel down first.
Her knees buckled, and she was about to kneel, but Fu Shou caught her first. She glanced towards the side room, listening to the sounds of the couple inside; they were probably talking about coming out to get something.
Fu Shou glanced into the inner room and asked, "May I go in?"
Deng Jie nodded slightly and led her to the study. But he paused, glancing at the young prince.
Fu Shou's gaze softened considerably, and a relieved smile curved his lips: "It's alright. Your courtyard may be small, but it's... much more peaceful. It's rare for this child to have a playmate, so it's good for him to relax here for a while."
Deng Jie felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. Seeing that the prince and Ah Xiang were getting along so well, he said no more.
The two entered the study. Deng Jie gently closed the door and bowed respectfully to Fu Shou: "This concubine, Deng, greets Your Highness."
Fu Shou didn't seem to care much, and simply raised her hand, "No need for formalities, Madam Deng."
Deng Jie felt somewhat guilty, especially since Guo Jia had specifically mentioned "never go to the palace" before the expedition, and he felt that it was still due to the lingering influence of Consort Dong.
Seeing her uneasy look, Fu Shou chuckled, "Madam, don't worry, I've come to thank you."
Deng Jie looked up, puzzled: "Thank you? What do you mean by that?"
Fu Shou lowered her gaze slightly, landing on her plain sleeves. With a slight flick of her sleeves, she said, "The Dong family... originally relied on His Majesty's favor to be arrogant and domineering, and they were not on good terms with me in the palace. Her father, Dong Cheng, was even more rude and unreasonable."
During the eastward migration years ago, that scoundrel Dong Cheng ordered a high-ranking official to assassinate me! If it weren't for Zuo Ling's quick wit, I probably wouldn't have even reached Xuchang.
As she spoke, she sighed softly, watching Deng Jie bow down in fear and trepidation, "You've done this to... vent my anger."
When Deng Jie met her gaze, which was seeking her approval, her guilt inexplicably intensified. She shook her head and said self-reproachfully, "Your Highness... Your Highness is overthinking it. I... I am merely an executioner, and I dare not accept any thanks."
Fu Shou was somewhat surprised by her reaction. The sharp scrutiny in his eyes gradually faded, and he regained his usual composure, turning his gaze to the window of the study.
The backyard is lush and green, with locust leaves forming a canopy that filters through the dappled sunlight. Clusters of tender white flowers hang down, filling the air with fragrance. The first fruits of the Chinese jujube tree are just beginning to form, their small, green buds adorning the branches. The pomegranate blossoms are in full bloom, swaying like fire in the breeze. The most eye-catching feature is the small pond, which, though no bigger than a square meter, has a gurgling stream that seems to flow from nowhere and go nowhere.
She couldn't help but move her feet closer to the door. "Madam's backyard is quite ingenious. It's even more exquisite than the inner palace."
She looked back at Deng Jie and asked, "I heard that it was actually Grand Master Guo who personally modified the madam's clothes?"
Deng Jie swallowed hard. Even they knew that? This was practically walking into her trap. She managed a strained reply: "Yes...it was precisely when His Majesty moved east..."
Fu Shou smiled slightly, her gaze shifting, "I find it quite pleasing to the eye. May I go in and have a look?"
Her tone was not that of a question.
Since Guo Jia wasn't home anyway, Deng Jie decided to come in. "Of course, Your Highness, please."
Deng Jie pushed open the lattice door for her and followed slowly behind.
Fu Shou wandered through the courtyard, seemingly captivated by this little world. Her fingertips brushed against the pomegranate, and she casually picked a locust flower and held it in her hand. Her gaze drifted from the orchids to the edge of the hot spring pool.
"There's even a hot spring? The Grand Master is truly thoughtful." She smiled. "By the way, I heard that in her younger days, Madam also kept beehives?"
Deng Jie looked somewhat embarrassed and said in a low voice, "Well... it's something from many years ago, Your Highness actually knows about it... it was destroyed long ago by General Zhongkang and his men."
Upon hearing this, Fu Shou covered her mouth and chuckled, with a hint of teasing: "At that time, I had just been made empress. When His Majesty heard about it, he excitedly told me, saying that even the envoy sent by General Yuan had been thoroughly harassed. It was quite a commotion."
She gazed meaningfully at the sky, "Several years have passed in the blink of an eye, and now... Sikong is about to go to war with the Great General."
Deng Jie felt something was off when she kept calling him "Great General".
If she remembered correctly, after Cao Cao defeated Liu Bei and returned to Xuchang, he had already completely broken ties with Yuan Shao and issued an edict to dismiss Yuan Shao from his position as Grand General. He should now be Grand Commandant, but according to Guo Jia, Yuan Shao was deeply ashamed.
Fu Shou walked on, and as she approached the end, she headed towards the Lingtai, which was half-hidden by branches and leaves.
Deng Jie's heart tightened, and he quickly took two steps to block Fu Shou's path. "Your Highness, that area... is not suitable for Your Highness to go there."
"Oh?" Fu Shou became even more curious. "What's inappropriate about it? Could it be that there's some treasure hidden in this house that I can't bear to see?"
She jokingly reached out to part the branches and leaves, but when her gaze fell on Lingtai, the smile on her face instantly froze.
Deng Jie cried out that something was wrong and hurriedly stepped forward to put down the branches and leaves, pleading with Fu Shou, "Your Highness, please return now."
Fu Shou composed herself and walked around her toward the spirit platform.
"Your family... how come you have so many memorial tablets? I had no idea that the Chief Priest was from a prominent family?"
As she got closer, she realized that there were so many people with different surnames above her.
Deng Jie replied bitterly, "In these chaotic times... life and death are unpredictable."
Fu Shou's gaze swept over the memorial tablets one by one. She recalled how she had lived in fear and displacement with the emperor in Chang'an. Along the way, she had seen too many skeletons and experienced the uncertainty of life. She thought that she might become one of those skeletons by the roadside and might not even have a memorial tablet like this. A bitter feeling welled up in her heart.
But she ultimately remained in front of that empty memorial tablet.
Deng Jie was taken aback and retreated to the side of the corridor to wait.
"You... this empty one... it wouldn't be for her..."
"No!" Deng Jie hurriedly interrupted, bowing his head. "Your Highness misunderstands. This...this is just a backup."
"Prepared?" Fu Shou scoffed, glancing at the incense still burning before the memorial tablet. "Still offering incense?"
Deng Jie was speechless, feeling a cold sweat trickle down his back.
The atmosphere froze for a moment, and the laughter of two children coming from the front yard only made the oppressive atmosphere in the backyard even more palpable.
"Never mind, it was just a misunderstanding on my part." She didn't turn around, but stretched out a hand, palm up, "Give me a stick of incense too."
Deng Jie was greatly alarmed and knelt down behind her, saying, "Your Highness is of noble birth, how can this be allowed!"
"Now that we've run into them, we should at least pay our respects. Give it to me."
Deng Jie bent down and walked past her, taking out a stick of incense from under the stage and offering it to her.
Fu Shou took the incense, lit the candle, bowed deeply to the altar, and then seemingly unintentionally slid the incense stand in front of the blank memorial tablet to the center of the altar and inserted the incense stick in his hand.
Deng Jie observed all of this, carefully recalling her intention in deliberately mentioning "Consort Dong" and "Dong Cheng" to him in the study.
The story about Dong Cheng was described in such detail that it's probably true. As for the relationship between Consort Dong and her...
Under Cao Cao's oppressive rule, it's likely that jealousy and rivalry were just pretense, and mutual support was more probable.
If she is not careful, the empress in front of us may also follow in the footsteps of the noblewoman. Even if she has no true feelings, she will still feel a sense of shared sorrow.
"Alright, I am very satisfied with today." Fu Shou turned around, clapped her hands, and smiled at her. "Now it's time to go back."
Deng Jie was taken aback. How could she... really come to visit? But why come to her house?
Seeing her like that, Fu Shou glanced at the colorful flowers in the courtyard and chuckled, "I'll come here often from now on!"
Deng Jie stared in disbelief and cried out, "Your Highness, how could you..."
Fu Shou placed a finger on her lips and said, "You have to keep it a secret."
Startled, Deng Jie took two steps back, bowed his head, and apologized.
He had just escorted her to the front yard with a belly full of suspicion, then turned back to the room to get a porcelain box and presented it to her.
“Uh…” She glanced at Ayu and his wife, who were busy in the kitchen. “Madam… Madam said earlier that the young master has night terrors. This incense is specially made for young children and may be helpful.”
Fu Shou accepted the gift and called her son over, saying, "Come and thank Madam."
Although the prince was young, he respectfully bowed to Deng Jie and said, "Thank you, Madam."
Deng Jie waved his hand repeatedly, wary of A Yu and his wife's movements, and replied with a troubled expression, "You're welcome, you're welcome."
Fu Shou picked up the prince with a satisfied expression and left.
As she predicted, he would bring his child to the courtyard every few days to find her, sometimes saying he had a headache or fever, sometimes saying he had a poor appetite, or sometimes saying that his child missed his playmates. He could always find some excuse to stay there with a clear conscience.
Although Deng Jie felt somewhat helpless, she didn't seem to have any ulterior motives. It was also a rare opportunity for her to shed her empressly airs and relax like an ordinary young girl, so she treated her well. However, if Qing Wu came looking for her, she would need to find a reason to decline.
Just as Deng Jie was sighing about how long this kind of life would continue, sure enough, on this day, Fu Shou gave her an item before leaving.
Deng Jie took it and saw that it was a gold medal with the three characters "Changqiu Palace" engraved on it.
"This is...?" Deng Jie weighed it in his hand; the gold was genuine.
Fu Shou smiled and said, "I'm always the one coming to your house. Next time, you can come to my 'house' too. With this, you can come anytime, and no one will stop you."
Deng Jie thought to himself: What was bound to happen has finally happened.
His face was filled with fear: "How dare I..."
Fu Shou gently pulled Deng Jie's hand away. "After all, I'm not always this free. It's rare for me to be close to you, so you should come and keep me company occasionally."
"……when?"
Deng Jie tightened his grip, his eyes lowered. "Okay."
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