Chapter 124 A Shocking Turn of Events: This Matter Is No Ordinary Thing...
Fu Yun looked embarrassed and was speechless for a moment.
His current position with Zhilan made him feel burning hot, both embarrassed and ashamed.
When a grown man like him is being hugged and embraced by a woman, he always feels like he's become a vulnerable, passive little kitten, being blatantly teased.
Having dominated the business world for five or six years, he had always been the powerful and domineering one in control. Now, the tables had turned, and he was the one being controlled.
It's true what they say, what goes around comes around, and no one escapes the wrath of Heaven.
Faced with Zhilan, a master of martial arts, he had no way of proving that he was a man of steel, or a pet cat with its vulnerable belly exposed, ready to be groped.
Even if he tried to struggle, he still couldn't break free from Zhilan's control, which was what made him feel powerless.
Fu Yun felt increasingly agitated. He took a deep breath, barely suppressing his unease, and seemingly unintentionally shifted his body, slightly moving his feet so that half of his weight rested on Zhilan and the other half on his legs. He explained calmly, "After all, you are the weight of an adult. I would feel very bad if I hurt you by sitting on you."
Zhilan looked at Fu Jun with a half-smile, her gaze sweeping over his sharply defined profile inch by inch. His nose was high and delicate, his facial lines were clear and smooth, and his eyes were long and narrow with an inward curve and an outward curve, carrying a slightly alluring meaning.
However, his gaze was deep and clear, softening the vulgar allure and instead giving off a unique charm that was both graceful and pure, showcasing the vibrant energy of a handsome young man with a fatal attraction.
Fu Yun felt Zhi Lan's focused gaze and became even more uneasy. Before Zhi Lan could respond, he forced himself to change the subject: "I have something to give you."
"Oh?" Zhilan raised her eyebrows slightly, clearly surprised, and asked curiously, "What is it?"
Fu Yun said in a slightly conciliatory tone, "Why don't you let go of me first, and I'll go get it for you?"
Zhilan looked at Fu Yun meaningfully for a moment before reluctantly letting go of his hand: "Go!"
Fu Jun breathed a sigh of relief and immediately jumped off Zhi Lan, his speed and movements as if something was pricking him in her arms.
Zhilan: "..." It seems I haven't hugged her enough.
Fu Yun strode out of the hall, her hurried departure giving the impression of a hasty escape.
Zhilan chuckled and shook her head, slowly sipping her tea. Her little prince was quite shy.
After leaving the hall, Fu Yun went straight to the backyard and entered his bedroom.
He took a small wooden box from the display shelf, opened the lid to check it, and found that the contents were intact.
Fu Yun put the lid back on, placed it under her right arm, and left the bedroom with the box tucked under her arm.
When I returned to the hall, I immediately saw Zhilan casually tasting the pastries on her plate.
Hearing Fu Jun's footsteps, Zhi Lan looked up, her beautiful eyes revealing a clear smile, but her tone remained calm: "You're back?"
Fu Yun nodded, sat down in the armchair next to him, placed the wooden box on the table between the two chairs, and pushed it toward Zhilan: "Open it and take a look."
Zhilan glanced at Fu Jun before looking at the small wooden box on the table and opening the lid.
She stared at the contents of the box for a while, then raised her eyebrows, a look of doubt flashing in her eyes: "What's this?"
Fu Yun said, "You'll know once you take it out and have a look."
Upon hearing this, Zhilan took out the items from the box, grasped the slender middle part, and rotated it up, down, left, and right, a hint of interest flashing in her eyes.
At first glance, this object looks like a glass vase, but it is not entirely the style of vase commonly found on the market. It has a full and rounded body at both ends, and the inside is filled with a flowing substance such as clear sand, which will slide up and down with the movement of the hand.
Fu Yun suggested, "Try standing it up on the table."
Zhilan glanced at Fu Jun and did as she was told, placing one end of the bottle upright on the table.
She saw the clear sand flowing inside the translucent bottle, slowly sliding down, the sand grains dancing lightly, gradually accumulating from droplets of clear sand into small piles, and then slowly forming a small sand dune.
Zhilan stared intently at the flowing sand inside the bottle, a look of surprise on her face: "What is this?"
Fu Yun explained, "It's called an hourglass. I figured it out a couple of days ago, and I thought it was pretty good, so I brought it to you as a gift."
He reached out and turned the hourglass, which was one-tenth full, upside down. In an instant, the sand reversed, and the translucent bottle made the sand inside look like a pipa half-veiled, falling gracefully like rain or a waterfall, carrying an indescribable sense of mystery and holiness.
Fu Yun lightly tapped the bottle with her fingertip and said softly, "The hourglass is not just for decoration; it can also be used to record time and relieve boredom when there is nothing to do."
As Fu Yun spoke, she looked up at Zhi Lan, her eyes gentle and warm: "I just don't know if you like it or not."
Zhilan met Fu Jun's gaze through the hourglass, her beautiful eyes sparkling with a smile: "This is quite nice, I like it very much."
She gently stroked the bottle with her fingertips and asked in a low voice, "Why did you think of giving me an hourglass?"
Fu Yun withdrew her fingers from the bottle, her expression becoming more solemn: "The first person I thought of after I made this was you. I know you have a lot of official duties and are often so busy that you forget to eat and sleep. This is really bad for your health. This timer will remind you to eat on time, go to bed on time, and rest when you need to. Don't take your health for granted."
Zhilan paused in her movements, raised her eyes to gaze at Fu Yun, her gaze shimmering: "So worried about me?"
Fu Yun gave Zhilan a deep look, then poured her a cup of tea and slowly asked, "If I'm not worried about you, who am I worried about?"
Zhilan smiled slightly, feeling extremely comfortable: "Don't worry, since I've had you, I won't joke with my life. After all, we have a long future ahead of us, and I'm still waiting for the day when I'll marry you into the palace with a grand procession!"
Fu Yun: "..." A sedan chair carried by eight men? What a joke, he's a grown man, he doesn't ride in a sedan chair, riding a horse is more appropriate.
Fu Yun pursed his thin lips, not responding to Zhi Lan's strange words.
[Haha, isn't it good enough to welcome you in with a grand procession, eight bearers in a sedan chair, and a ten-mile-long red bridal procession?]
Fu Yun rolled her eyes: "What a load of rubbish! Do you want this honor?"
【I'm fine! Unfortunately, I don't have a physical body, and I can't transform. I'm just a system full of data, so I can't perform high-energy operations like getting married.】
Fu Jun: "?" What? You actually have such thoughts? Where is your integrity as a system?
[What moral principles do I, a mere customer service representative, need? You, on the other hand, haven't you gotten used to life in this matriarchal society after all this time?]
[I'm not trying to criticize you, but what's the point of a man's pride? Clinging to the Empress's coattails and reaching the pinnacle of life is the wisest choice. Look how supportive the Empress is; her words clearly indicate she wants to marry you as her empress. So, be content! At least it dispels your previous concerns. The Empress's heart and eyes are only for you; she only recognizes you as her husband. After entering the palace, you'll be the most powerful woman in the harem; all the other male concubines will have to defer to you.]
Fu Yun: "Thank you, but you didn't comfort me, so please shut up!"
[President Fu is truly impervious to reason.]
"What? Don't you want to marry me?" Fu Yun didn't reply for a long time, and Zhi Lan's tone was slightly cold.
Just as Fu Yun was about to look up and reply, she heard hurried footsteps coming from outside the hall.
He turned to look at the doorway and saw Ye Lan hurriedly arrive at the hall entrance, kneeling on one knee before Zhi Lan and bowing: "Greetings, Master."
Zhilan glanced at Fu Yun, put the hourglass on the table back into the wooden box and closed it, then turned to look at Ye Lan, who was kneeling on the ground at the entrance of the hall. She raised her hand slightly, signaling her to get up.
After Ye Lan stood up straight, she spoke calmly, "What is it?"
Ye Lan glanced quickly at Fu Yun, her tone slightly urgent: "Reporting to Your Majesty, this humble servant has important matters to report."
Zhilan said calmly, "Speak freely."
"Yes." Ye Lan then reported truthfully: "A large number of refugees suddenly poured into the city at noon. I suspect that this is unusual and that someone may have done it on purpose."
Zhilan frowned, a cold glint flashing in her eyes: "Did you find out the reason?"
Ye Lan said, "Reporting to Master, we have inquired and they claim to be from the neighboring city of Yinzhou. They have been suffering from drought and famine for the past two years and have no choice but to come to the capital to seek a way to survive."
Fu Yun paused, a thought flashing through his mind: Yinzhou? Why does that sound familiar? I think I've heard someone mention it before, but I can't quite place it.
Zhilan's expression turned serious: "Isn't this timing too coincidental?"
Ye Lan said, "This subordinate also finds it suspicious and must be on guard."
Zhilan said, "Send someone to Yinzhou at full speed to verify the facts before making a decision."
Ye Lan respectfully replied, "Yes."
But after she agreed, she didn't leave immediately; it seemed she still had something to say.
Zhilan asked, "Is there anything else?"
Ye Lan hesitated and asked, "What should we do about the refugees outside the city?"
Zhilan frowned in thought, and after a moment said, "We must not let them into the city until the situation is clear."
She paused for a moment, then added, "Send someone to Yinzhou immediately and give me an answer tonight."
"Yes, Your subordinate obeys." Ye Lan glanced at Fu Yun without changing her expression, then turned and left.
Zhilan lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long while. Then she stood up, bowed her head and instructed Fu Jun, "You should rest well at home. I will go ahead first and come to see you when I have time."
Fu Yun offered, "Are you going to the city gates to find out what's going on? I'll go with you! Maybe I can help."
The main reason was that the name Yinzhou City sounded familiar to him; he must have heard of it somewhere before, and maybe he would remember it if he went to take a look.
Zhilan's gaze fell on Fu Jun's face, noticing his still somewhat pale complexion: "You shouldn't go, your body probably can't handle it."
Fu Jun waved his hand, not caring much: "It's okay, I don't feel uncomfortable anymore. As long as I don't do strenuous exercise for a while, I'll be fine."
Before Zhilan could refuse again, he quickly added, "And I have a way to resettle the refugees."
Zhilan paused for a moment, a hint of shock flashing in her eyes. She clearly hadn't expected him to come up with a solution in such a short time, and couldn't help but agree: "Alright, let's go and see what's going on."
Fu Yun secretly breathed a sigh of relief and left the hall with Zhi Lan.
On their way to the main gate, they encountered many servants who all bowed respectfully to him and Zhilan.
"master."
"Young Master Su."
Fu Jun nodded slightly to them, giving a simple response.
Zhilan glanced at them indifferently, her eyes sharp, as if silently reminding them to do their jobs.
After being subjected to Zhilan's cold gaze, the servants all lowered their heads in fear and dared not disturb their mistress's mood any further.
A strange emotion welled up in Fu Yun's heart. It seemed that Zhilan was still the same cold and indifferent empress, strict in her work and stern in her dealings with people. It was just that because she favored him, she didn't show him that cold and stern side.
As Fu Yun's thoughts drifted, two figures appeared out of the corner of her eye in the side hall.
Fu Yun glanced sideways at the walkway beside the main road and immediately saw Wen Jing leading a servant, rushing over from the side hall.
She bowed and said, "Master, Young Master Su, the carriage is ready and we can leave at any time."
Zhilan nodded and glanced at the young woman behind Wen Jing.
Wen Jing quickly explained, "The coachman had an emergency at home, so he called a younger member of his family to fill in for him."
As Wen Jing spoke, her eyebrows and facial features seemed increasingly familiar, perhaps somewhat similar to someone he had met before.
Who exactly is it?
The person that Zhilan chose to send as the head steward must not be an ordinary person.
"Hmm." Zhilan didn't show any displeasure, she just responded calmly.
She glanced at Fu Yun, who was waiting quietly to the side, lost in thought, and reminded her with a hint of helplessness, "Let's go."
Fu Yun pulled himself out of his thoughts, suppressed his doubts, and followed Zhi Lan across the threshold.
A finely carved, classically elegant carriage was parked outside the gate.
As Zhilan boarded the carriage, Fu Yun glanced back at the lintel. It was no longer empty; instead, a black lacquered plaque with gold trim hung there. The brushstrokes were vigorous and powerful, flowing smoothly and effortlessly. The simple two characters of "Su Mansion" were written with the flair of a master calligrapher.
I wonder which great writer penned it, yet it exudes a powerful scholarly air that is both sharp and elegant.
Fu Yun has always been interested in calligraphy and even spent some time studying it before.
It's a pity that I hadn't learned the true essence of it before the plane crashed and I ended up here. It's such a shame.
Fu Yun sighed, lifted the carriage curtain, and followed Zhi Lan into the carriage.
The carriage was very spacious, seating more than ten people, with enough room to lie down and sleep; it was even equipped with a thin blanket.
Perhaps worried that Fu Yun was not feeling well, Zhi Lan pressed down on his shoulders and told him to lie down and rest for a while, and that she would call him when they arrived at their destination.
Fu Yun did not refuse Zhi Lan's kindness, and lay down on his side to rest with his eyes closed. However, he did not expect to fall asleep so quickly.
"Wake up, we're here."
Fu Yun was half asleep when she heard a soft voice calling her name. She didn't know how much time had passed.
Author's note: I made some minor revisions and planted a little foreshadowing.
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