Chapter 43 Adding flowers to brocade, appearances are nothing more than a facade...
General Qian was quite curious when he heard Fu Yun say that. He glanced at Ye Lan and saw that she also looked up at Fu Yun. He then asked with great interest, "What kind of person do you want to become?"
Fu Jun fell silent. Thinking back to how she had always been eager to prove herself and made solemn statements about her position, which had provoked strong reactions from them or required her to explain herself, she no longer had that urgency to express herself. After this period of experience, her mindset gradually calmed down.
"Hmm?" General Qian couldn't help but press on when he didn't respond, "Can't it be said?"
Fu Yun shook her head and answered casually, "There's nothing I can't say. My thinking is quite simple: to support myself without relying on anyone, that's all."
As he spoke, he then revealed a slight unease and added, "It's just the pursuit of an ordinary person, nothing grand. I hope you'll forgive my presumption."
Qian Jianjun stared at Fu Yun for a moment, his eyes unfathomable, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
After a moment, she shook her head and replied somewhat helplessly, "With your talent and beauty, as long as you're willing, why worry about not having a place to settle down? You just need to agree to marry me..."
"Ahem~" Fu Yun coughed, worried that General Qian would bring up the marriage alliance again in front of Ye Lan, and quickly interrupted her before she could finish speaking: "Actually, a person's appearance is just a shell, and as time goes by, it will eventually grow old. What will you rely on then? Paying too much attention to one's appearance will lead to neglecting inner cultivation and improvement. Of course, everyone has a love of beauty, and it's not that liking beautiful things is wrong. It's just that if you're in a long-term relationship, relying solely on appearance to maintain the relationship is obviously far from enough. Even the most beautiful things will eventually become tiresome after a while. At that time, whether the thoughts and values of both parties are in sync becomes crucial. Isn't a partner who understands your thoughts, supports your decisions, and is always there for you, much more agreeable than a half who always needs your protection and makes you worry all the time?"
"This..." General Qian was speechless for a moment, unable to find a rebuttal.
Before General Qian could react, Fu Yun composed himself, his tone becoming more serious, and continued, "Therefore, in my opinion, a beautiful appearance is merely icing on the cake and does not represent one's ability to handle affairs. What should be emphasized more is the improvement of inner cultivation and capabilities, so as to become a truly charming and valuable person."
The reason he said all this was actually to subtly reject General Qian, to let her know his thoughts, and also to remind her that choosing a marriage partner is of utmost importance. It's best not to just look at appearance, but to consider whether they are compatible in all aspects before making a careful choice.
After all, in her previous life, she ruined her reputation and met a tragic end because she sought the wrong person.
To be honest, as his future partner, he still hoped that General Qian would meet a truly good match in this life and live a glorious life.
It was unclear how much of General Qian's words had been taken to heart; her expression was unreadable, her gaze fixed intently on Fu Yun, remaining silent for a long time.
Ye Lan put down her teacup, glanced at Fu Yun, and asked casually, "Is this how you persuaded Young Master Lu to accompany you through wind and rain, working tirelessly from dawn till dusk?"
Fu Jun was slightly taken aback, somewhat surprised that Ye Lan suddenly brought up Lu Zhisheng, but he still responded truthfully: "Lu Zhisheng is no ordinary person. He has his own ambitions to achieve, and I am just the opportunity for him to take that step, nothing more."
Ye Lan paused in her movements, looked at Fu Yun for a moment without any expression, and ultimately said nothing more.
Fu Yun decided not to continue the conversation and got up to say goodbye: "It's getting late, I should go back. Let's stop here for today! I'll come find you again tomorrow and we can go check out the venue together."
General Qian shifted slightly, as if only now coming to his senses, and subconsciously remarked, "Leaving so soon?"
She glanced quickly out the window, then looked intently at Fu Yun: "It's still early, why don't you and Ye Lan stay for dinner, and I'll take you back later?"
Ye Lan said calmly, "I'm fine with whatever you want, you can arrange it."
Fu Jun shook his head and replied apologetically, "No need, I have things to take care of here."
General Qian frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes.
Fu Yun, observing the situation, realized that his previous answer had been too abrupt, so he smiled and added, "Today was indeed rushed. Su Mang is still waiting for me to join her. How about this? When we have a chance later, I'll treat you to a meal."
General Qian's expression softened slightly, and he stopped pressuring her: "Alright! Be careful on your journey."
Fu Yun nodded and turned to leave.
He moved very quickly and soon left the hall, so he didn't hear the rest of the conversation between General Qian and Ye Lan.
"Hey, why is he so stubborn? He could easily marry well with his good looks and stay at home to enjoy wealth and luxury, so why does he have to go through all this trouble?"
"It's probably because they were bullied and humiliated since childhood, and they wanted to change their fate by themselves."
"Now that you mention it, I do remember. The head of the Su family used to beat and scold her youngest son all the time; his attitude was indeed terrible."
"Sigh, speaking of this, I also have a terrible headache. I really like that poor little guy and sincerely want to protect him, but he doesn't seem to want to. I don't know what to do."
“Old Qian, I have to say something to you here. Our primary responsibility is to relieve His Majesty’s worries and troubles. How can we be troubled by personal feelings? Don’t get confused about what’s important and what’s not.”
"Alright, alright, why should I talk to you about this? Let's go, let's go, let's go have our meal."
Not long after Fu Yun left the General's Mansion, he happened to run into Su Mang who came looking for him.
The two saved themselves the time of searching for each other, and hurried to Su Mang's house before it got dark.
Otherwise, once it gets dark, everything will be pitch black, and it will be difficult to walk back.
On the way back to her residence, Su Mang explained the details of renting the shop to Fu Jun and also cleaned and tidied up the shop. Everything was ready, and they were just waiting to open for business.
Fu Yun was at a loss for words to praise Su Mang's diligence; she could only say that Su Mang was a truly worry-free and capable helper.
If this were in a modern workplace, someone as capable as her would definitely be considered a highly professional executive assistant.
By the time they returned to Su Mang's residence, it was already completely dark.
Su Mang went to the kitchen and prepared three side dishes. The two of them had a simple dinner, and after filling their stomachs, they washed up and went back to their rooms to rest.
Another busy day has come to an end.
The next day, before dawn, Fu Jun got up.
Stepping out of the room, I found that Su Mang was already up and making breakfast in the kitchen.
Fu Yun didn't disturb Su Mang. After a quick wash, she went out for a run.
Half an hour later, he returned after running a lap. Although he was panting heavily, he felt extremely refreshed.
After doing some simple stretching, he rested for more than ten minutes, then did a hundred push-ups, and finally did a two-minute plank.
After this workout, he was covered in sweat, feeling both exhausted and extremely comfortable.
He fetched water and went into the room, took a comfortable shower, and felt refreshed and invigorated.
Exercise can indeed make people feel happy and boost their energy.
When Su Mang came out of the room after tidying up, she was surprised to see Fu Yun looking energetic. "Young master, when did you get up? I called you just now but didn't hear a response. I thought you were still sleeping."
Fu Jun smiled slightly: "I've been up for a while now. I went out for a walk and got some fresh air."
Su Mang had a headache: "It's cold and the dew is heavy on the mountain at dawn. Young man, be careful not to catch a cold."
Fu Yun waved her hand and reassured her, "It's alright, the weather isn't cold now, it's not that easy to catch a cold."
Su Mang shook her head, stopped nagging, and went into the kitchen.
She carried breakfast and placed it on the square table in the yard.
"Come and have some breakfast first!"
Fu Yun nodded and walked to the table to sit down.
Su Mang prepared a rather lavish breakfast today, including lean meat porridge, meat buns, and two side dishes.
Fu Jun was quite surprised and asked, "What day is it today? Even breakfast is so lavish?"
Su Mang sat down opposite Fu Yun, touched the tip of her nose, and looked a little embarrassed: "You're still recovering, I can't let you keep eating cornbread and black bread."
Upon hearing this, Fu Yun took out a money pouch from his sleeve and handed it to Su Mang: "Take these for your daily expenses."
He was living at Su Mang's house, so how could he possibly expect Su Mang to pay for his services?
Su Mang was startled and quickly refused, "No, no, no, you gave me so much before, and I haven't spent it all yet!"
Fu Yun said, "I'm eating and sleeping here with you now, so there's nothing to spend money on. You're different from me. If Su Zi wants to leave the Su family later, you'll have to help her and take care of things. So, save your money for now, just in case."
Su Mang looked anxious: "No, I..."
Fu Yun said firmly, "Take it if I give it to you. If you want to improve your meals, your living expenses will naturally increase. What I'm giving you now is just a small amount of money, not dozens of taels of gold. What are you afraid of? Our income will only increase in the future. What will you do then? Will you still try to reason with me like this?"
“This…” Su Mang looked troubled.
"Hmm?" Fu Jun pushed it towards her, his urging was obvious.
Seeing that Fu Yun insisted, Su Mang gave in and accepted the offer: "Alright! Then let me know if you need any money, young master."
Fu Yun nodded, satisfied, and ate breakfast contentedly.
After breakfast, Fu Yun and Su Mang went out together.
After a leisurely carriage ride to the bustling city, Fu Yun gave Su Mang some instructions, telling her to stay at the new shop to write promotional flyers and then have them printed in bulk. He said he had some things to take care of and that they would go hand in the flyers together after he returned to the shop.
Su Mang was initially a little worried and wanted to go with her, but Fu Jun firmly disagreed, saying that he had some private matters to deal with and it was inconvenient for her to go with him.
Then he comforted her, saying that Su Tan was currently wary of General Qian and dared not cause trouble within General Qian's jurisdiction for the time being.
As for the head of the Wang family, after the last kidnapping incident, General Qian and Ye Lan implicated her in front of the Empress, exposing her past acts of forcibly taking men from the people, acting recklessly, and forcing good people into prostitution.
The Empress was furious and ordered a thorough investigation to uncover the power behind the Wang family head and to remove all the rotten parasites from the court.
The entire court was filled with unease and fear; officials of all ranks were constantly on edge and unable to sit or lie still.
Although the evidence for the kidnapping was insufficient, the head of the Wang family was still listed as a criminal suspect. The commander of the Imperial Guard, Ye Lan, ordered him to stay within the Wang family compound and not to leave at will. The restriction order would only be lifted after the real culprit was identified.
Ye Lan's order basically represented the Empress's will. No matter how audacious the Wang family head was, he wouldn't dare to be arrogant in front of the Empress and could only obediently stay within the Wang family.
After the stories of abducting men and forcing women into prostitution spread among the people, the Wang family's reputation in Lingzhou City plummeted, and the profits from their businesses shrank drastically. Only the head of the Wang family probably knew just how severe the losses were.
She probably regrets getting involved with Lu Zhisheng and Fu Yun to the core.
It must be said that the scheme of the Wang family's rivals to turn the tables and kidnap Fu Yun, while not particularly clever, was nonetheless very effective.
The Wang family has been severely weakened. If she wants to suppress the Wang family and replace them, wouldn't that be a perfect opportunity for her to rise to power?
Since Fu Yun had already put it that way, Su Mang had no choice but to stay in the shop and wait for Fu Yun to return.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com