Chapter 26 Twenty-Six: Enemies Meet on a Narrow Road? Is it true what they say, "Sharp Eyes"? This…
Fu Yun turned around and saw a woman dressed in black standing at the corner not far ahead.
However, it was too dark at night, and they were quite far apart, so he couldn't see the other person's face clearly.
The woman in black slowly walked from the fork in the road, carrying with her austere air that only came with the night. Her expression sharp, she demanded, "Who are you? Why aren't you home in the middle of the night? What brings you here?"
Fu Yun: "..." What do you mean by the middle of the night? It's only 10:30 at most now. It may be late for ancient times, but there's no need to interrogate a criminal like this, is there?
Was she a soldier on night patrol? Otherwise, why would she care what he was doing?
No, General Qian was also out at night. Could something have happened? Is that why they've increased security?
"I'm asking you a question. Answer me quickly, or don't blame me for being ruthless."
The woman in black was clearly getting impatient as she didn't hear a response.
Fu Jun didn't want to be seen as a dangerous person, so she replied calmly, "I'm looking for someone; she might be nearby."
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but the more he listened to the woman in black's voice, the more familiar it sounded. He was sure he'd heard it somewhere before, and more than once.
"Hmm?" The woman in black seemed puzzled by Fu Yun's answer. She took a few steps to Fu Yun and carefully examined him by the moonlight.
When Fu Yun saw the person in front of her clearly, she was slightly surprised: "So it was you?"
Isn't this Ye Lan, the leader of the Imperial Guard, the Empress's personal bodyguard, who is disguised as the fourth bandit?
Why did she leave the palace again? What about Zhilan? Could she be nearby too?
"Have we met before?" Ye Lan's confusion deepened; she was indeed amazed by the young man's appearance.
But it wasn't his outstanding appearance that stirred her heart, but rather his voice and features that seemed familiar, as if she had seen him not long ago.
But where had she seen him before? She was certain that this was the first time she had ever met such a handsome man.
Fu Yun realized that the woman in black probably didn't know who he was yet, so he quickly replied, "The famous leader of the Imperial Guard, I'm afraid everyone knows him, right?"
Ye Lan frowned slightly, a hint of wariness flashing in her eyes. She raised her forearm, pressing a long sword against Fu Jun's neck: "No, you can't hide it from me. I'm absolutely certain that I saw you not long ago. What is your purpose in being so evasive and refusing to tell the truth?"
Such stunning beauty, if harboring ill intentions, were to use her looks to seduce the pillars of the nation into doing things that harm the country, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Fu Yun slightly raised her chin, trying to ease the oppressive feeling emanating from Ye Lan, and said with some helplessness, "I really just came out to look for someone. My friend got separated from me on the way back."
He felt somewhat annoyed; he shouldn't have blurted out that sentence.
Ye Lan's face was cold, and the doubt in her eyes deepened: "It's so late, how could your friend not have gone back yet? Do you really think we Imperial Guards are easy to fool?"
The more she talked, the more suspicious she became. This man didn't tell the truth at all, so his identity must be extraordinary. She decided to take him back and talk to him later.
"Who knows what you're up to? Wandering around suspiciously in the middle of the night, you don't look like you're looking for someone at all, you look more like you're scouting."
Fu Jun: "!" What the heck? Why are you making it sound like I'm some kind of wicked criminal?
Fu Yun was naturally unhappy with Ye Lan's words and retorted, "I look perfectly fine. How can you tell I look like a criminal? You can't just assume I'm a suspect because I chose to go out at night. No matter what, everything needs to be based on evidence. It's unreasonable to arrest someone based on just your feelings."
You resemble her in every way. Don't forget, Su Fuyun was originally the main villain.
Fu Yun: "..." If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute.
Ye Lan remained unyielding, her tone growing even colder: "Since you have nothing to hide, what are you worried about? Many spies have infiltrated Lingzhou City recently. We'd rather arrest the wrong person than let the wrong person go. The only way to clear you of suspicion right now is to come with me."
Fu Jun was very frustrated, not expecting Ye Lan to be so difficult to deal with.
It was just bad luck of mine; I never expected that I would run into a time when the whole city was on alert.
"Let's go! What are you dawdling for?" Ye Lan was very uncooperative, patting Fu Jun's shoulder with a sharp look in her eyes: If you dare to run, I'll kill you.
Fu Jun remained silent for a moment, then could only follow Ye Lan forward.
He couldn't help but ask Xiao Ba a question: "What kind of person is Ye Lan in the book?"
[Dedicated to the country, highly skilled in martial arts, and possesses a strong personality.]
“I see those things. Now tell me what I don’t know.”
What do you want to know?
Fu Yun thought for a moment: "Does she have a boyfriend?"
Why are you asking this? She's the Empress's personal bodyguard; protecting the Empress is her top priority in everything she does. She definitely doesn't have time to find a husband.
Fu Yun nodded, understanding: "Then it's not surprising."
It's not that she doesn't have time to find a partner, but rather that she simply doesn't have the inclination for romantic relationships. You can tell just by looking at her straightforward way of doing things.
Fu Yun pondered for a long time but still couldn't figure out how to escape from someone as stubborn as Ye Lan.
"Xiao Ba, do you think she'll stop arresting me if I tell her who Su Fuyun is?"
That's not necessarily true, but it's worth a try.
The two walked for quite a while, and just as they were about to reach the government office, Fu Yun spoke up: "If I tell you my name and where I'm from, will you let me go?"
Ye Lan glanced at Fu Jun indifferently, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"I'll take that as your agreement." Fu Yun sighed and said helplessly, "The reason I didn't tell you my identity earlier is because I am Su Tan's youngest son, Su Fu Yun."
Ye Lan's pupils dilated slightly, clearly surprised: "You are the young master of the Su family who is rumored to be suffering from tuberculosis."
Fu Yun: "It's me, but the rumors are unreliable. You've seen that I'm perfectly healthy and don't have a terminal illness."
Ye Lan stopped at the entrance of the government office, looking puzzled: "When the Su family encountered the fire, Su Tan said that his youngest son was seriously injured and could not receive guests. You don't look like he was seriously injured at all."
Fu Yun shook his head and gave a sarcastic smile: "I was indeed injured, and almost lost my life, but those injuries have long since healed. And it's not that I can't receive guests, but that I broke ties with the head of the Su family and left the Su family."
Upon hearing this, Ye Lan's eyes flashed with a stormy light, but after a moment, they returned to calm.
As if suddenly remembering something, a faint glint flashed in her eyes, and then she asked, "I heard that the eldest daughter of the Su family also went to the countryside to recuperate. Is that true?"
Fu Jun naturally wouldn't tell her the truth, but simply went along with her words and replied, "Yes, it's said that he was injured on the mountain."
"Oh? Is that so?" A clear, slightly authoritative female voice rang out from the entrance of the government office.
Fu Yun's heart skipped a beat as she recognized who was speaking.
As expected, Zhilan also left the palace and bumped into her directly. What a small world!
He could only turn his head away, trying his best not to meet the Empress's gaze, hoping that in the dead of night, her eyesight wouldn't be so good, allowing him to get away with it.
"Your Majesty." Upon hearing this, Ye Lan quickly turned around, bowed respectfully, and asked, "Have you not returned to the palace yet?"
The Empress walked out of the government office and headed towards Fu Yun and Ye Lan.
"We haven't found any important information yet, so it's better not to return to this palace."
Her tone was calm, but it carried an undeniable authority.
"Yes! I will send more men and increase the patrol efforts."
The Empress nodded, her gaze falling on Fu Yun. After a moment, she spoke indifferently, "Should I address you as Miss Su, or Su Zixin?"
Fu Yun was shocked: "..." Does this empress have eyes of fire? How could she recognize someone at a glance in the dark of night?
Somewhat embarrassed, he looked away and met the Empress's gaze, forcing himself to explain, "I'm sorry, I wanted to leave the Su family at the time, so I dressed as a woman. I didn't mean to deceive you."
The Empress's gaze was fixed on Fu Yun, her expression inscrutable, and she remained silent.
Fu Jun thought to himself: The Empress is probably burning with anger! It seems this matter is not going to be resolved easily.
"It really is you." Ye Lan showed a hint of excitement for the first time: "I was just wondering if he and the Su family's daughter on the mountain were the same person, but I didn't dare to confirm it directly."
She scanned Fu Yun from head to toe with an incredulous expression: "No wonder when we went to the Su family, apart from the second young master of the Su family, neither you nor the eldest daughter of the Su family showed up once. It turns out the whole thing was your fault. Su Tan, you have such audacity to deceive the Emperor. You truly deserve to die."
Fu Yun rubbed her temples, knowing that what was coming would eventually come; she could dodge the first day of the month, but not the fifteenth.
But he still wanted to make one last desperate attempt, so he resorted to his trump card: "Although I was forced to do it at the time, I did deceive you, and it was not a very honest thing to do. If you want to punish me for deceiving the emperor, I have nothing to argue about. However, before punishing me, could you please let me atone for my crime by performing good deeds?"
"You want to atone for your crimes through meritorious service?" Ye Lan seemed to find it somewhat amusing and retorted, "How can a weak man like you, who can't even kill a chicken, atone for your crimes through meritorious service? Do you have the ability to fight on the battlefield, or do you have a good plan to improve the suffering of the people?"
Fu Yun shook her head and answered truthfully, "I can't, but I..."
Ye Lan crossed her arms and scoffed, "Then what big talk are you spouting?"
"Ye Lan, you go in first." The Empress finally spoke.
"Yes! I'll take my leave!" Ye Lan glared at Fu Jun, then turned and left with some reluctance.
The Empress looked calmly at Fu Jun, her eyes revealing no emotion: "How do you intend to atone for your crimes?"
Fu Jun met the Empress's gaze and replied solemnly, "If I told you that I could replenish your national treasury in six months, would you believe me or not?"
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