Chapter 90 A Strange Feeling, An Inexplicable Emotion...
Fu Jun didn't ask any more questions, nodded, and quickened his pace toward the Empress at the front of the group.
As he passed Ye Lan and Qian Qingling, he explained in a low voice, "Your master has something to ask me, so I'm going over to take a look."
Seeing Liu Lan following behind Ye Lan, Ye Lan and Qian Qingling didn't say anything, simply replying, "Okay, go ahead!"
Fu Yun approached Zhi Lan and rode alongside her horse, asking, "You want to ask me about the route ahead, right?"
Zhilan glanced at Fu Jun sideways, her expression unreadable. She then glanced behind her before looking ahead and said, "There are too many people around, so you'll be leading the way from now on."
Fu Yun was taken aback: "Huh?"
Zhilan raised her eyebrows slightly: "Don't tell me you don't know the route and are just groping in the dark."
"That's definitely not the case." Fu Yun was simply unfamiliar with the map of the matriarchal kingdom, and naturally knew nothing about the towns and routes there.
Zhilan didn't give Fu Jun a chance to argue: "That's settled then, lead the way!"
Fu Jun felt a headache coming on, trying to figure out how to gain Zhi Lan's trust while resolving the current crisis.
He pondered for a moment, mentally asking Xiao Ba, "If I got a map of this place, would you be able to understand it?"
Of course, this system knows everything.
Fu Yun: "I hope you really understand, so you don't end up embarrassing me again."
"How could that be? Of course not."
Fu Yun said to Zhi Lan, "Wait a moment, I'll go borrow a map from Commander Ye."
After he finished speaking, he pulled on the horse's reins, intending to turn the horse around, but Zhilan's cold voice rang out: "I have the map you want."
Fu Yun paused, then glanced at Zhi Lan and tentatively asked, "Can I borrow yours for a moment?"
Zhilan nodded, took out a roll of exquisitely printed map from her sleeve, which looked to be of very high quality, and handed it to Fu Jun: "Ask me if you have any questions."
Fu Yun was quite surprised that Zhilan agreed so readily. He hadn't expected Zhilan to actually agree, since a country's map is extremely important, especially the one carried by the monarch.
Fu Yun was inevitably moved. He glanced at Zhi Lan with slightly complicated feelings, thanked her, and then reached out to take the map.
Before he could even unfold the map, Little Ba excitedly shouted:
[Ahhh! The Empress is so domineering! She was afraid you'd go to someone else for help, so she shut you down with a single sentence. So cute!]
She's so proud and aloof, I love her so much.
Fu Yun: "..."
This is definitely an unorthodox system. It's just a perfectly normal conversation, and Zhilan just felt that there was no need to go through all that trouble running back and forth. How did this guy come up with another meaning?
It has always favored the Empress, and today we have witnessed its sincere love for her.
Fu Yun couldn't help but chuckle and teased, "No matter how excited you are, she won't see it. Humans and machines are different. No matter how much you like her, it's useless. There's no possibility between you two. It's better to face reality sooner rather than later."
【you……】
Xiao Ba was furious, speaking with a tone of utter disappointment: "You're the CEO of a listed company, how can you be such a blockhead? You're going to drive me crazy!"
Fu Yun: "Did I say something wrong? You don't favor her? You're completely impartial towards her? You don't even believe that yourself, do you?"
【I……】
【Please, why is your IQ so inconsistent? I wasn't biased towards her; I only paid attention to her because of you. From beginning to end, the person I care about and want to help is you, okay? Why can't you understand? I really want to knock on your door…】
Seeing that Xiao Ba was getting more and more agitated, Fu Jun quickly coaxed him, "Okay, okay! You're right, I was wrong, I didn't appreciate your kindness, you did all this for me."
Hmph! You know that much.
Fu Jun breathed a sigh of relief, stopped talking to Xiao Ba, and returned to his business, slowly unfolding the map in his hand.
After looking at it, he was surprised to find that he had worried too much. The map of the matriarchal country was different from the one he had seen in the museum before. It was not a map with complicated and detailed lines and graphics, but a simplified version with extremely simple strokes, so simple that even a layman like him could understand it at a glance.
[Mr. Fu, is it possible that you're so familiar with engineering drawings that maps are a piece of cake for you?]
Fu Yun expressed doubt: "Is that so?"
Of course, if you find someone who has never worked on a construction project to take a look, it won't be such a simple matter. If you don't believe me, show it to Cheng Jincheng next time and see if he can understand it immediately.
Fu Jun was skeptical: "Alright!"
However, one thing must be mentioned: the map Zhilan provided was far too simplistic, containing only a general route, mountain names, and representative town names.
Remote villages and mountain paths were not depicted at all, meaning that the geographical location of the matriarchal kingdom was not clearly marked on the map.
It seems we can't rely on maps anymore; we'll have to wait until we get to that area and ask the local villagers.
Fu Yun first found the capital city of Lingzhou, and then followed the main street of the capital outwards. After seeing the city gate, he carefully examined the surrounding towns and finally found the location of Bacheng.
He then scanned the route from the main road of Bacheng into the city and successfully spotted Hongxing Town. However, after searching for a long time, he still couldn't find Futou Village.
[A detailed map probably won't be released to the public easily; let's wait until we get to Hongxing Town!]
Fu Yun thought so too. From Zhi Lan's perspective, the safety of the nation was of paramount importance. When the nation is at peace, the people live and work in peace and the country prospers; when the nation is in turmoil, the people are displaced and the country is unstable.
She was a monarch, and regardless of her relationship with the other party, as a ruler, she had to prioritize the well-being of the country and do her utmost to ensure its stability.
Therefore, even her closest friends should never risk the safety of the entire country.
Perhaps feeling a little guilty for not providing a detailed map, she added that if there was anything she didn't understand, she could just ask her.
Although she couldn't provide a more comprehensive map, she had shown the utmost sincerity. She wouldn't deliberately hide anything she could answer, which could be seen as another way of expressing her trust in him.
Fu Yun felt that since Zhi Lan trusted him so much, he would definitely give her a satisfactory cooperative attitude.
Thinking of this, Fu Yun lowered his voice and said, "Let's go to Bacheng first, then enter Hongxing Town. We'll talk about the rest of the route once we get to the town."
Zhilan did not raise any objections, clearly indicating her approval of Fu Jun's arrangements and suggestions.
With the route determined, the excavation team focused on making their way.
Along the way, Fu Yun and Zhi Lan chatted casually. The longer they talked, the more Fu Yun could see how outstanding Zhi Lan was. Whether it was her way of thinking or her level of understanding, she was definitely among the best, with unique insights and decisive judgments.
Fu Yun's admiration for Zhi Lan deepened even further. She had far surpassed his preconceived notions about the ancients. Whenever he mentioned something new or expressed his opinion, she was able to grasp the key points and offer effective advice.
Fu Yun even began to suspect that Zhi Lan's soul had been replaced.
Otherwise, how could she, an ancient person, keep in sync with a modern person's way of thinking?
Of course, Fu Yun knew this was impossible. If Zhi Lan were also an intruder, Xiao Ba would have warned her long ago.
【President Fu, don't be so ridiculous! Time travel isn't as simple as taking a trip or strolling around town. There aren't that many time travelers. I can tell you with absolute certainty that the Empress is a genuine female-dominated nation inside and out.】
Fu Jun shrugged to himself: "I know, I just find it amazing."
In fact, Fu Yun understood why the two had a lot in common. It was probably because he had also been a leader of a group and had experience in leading people, so they naturally developed a tacit understanding as leaders.
This exchange further strengthened their already close relationship, and they no longer had to force conversations because they couldn't find common ground.
Fu Yun himself didn't realize that he was becoming more and more comfortable and relaxed in front of Zhi Lan. If before he only regarded Zhi Lan as an ancient monarch and tried to maintain politeness and proper language when speaking to her, now he regarded Zhi Lan as a business partner, no, more accurately, a relationship that was even deeper than a business partner, and could be called a female friend with whom he could get along well.
Of course, this is on the premise that you have to ignore the few strange feelings that suddenly appeared in your heart before.
To be honest, whether in modern society or in a matriarchal society, Fu Yun has almost no female friends with whom he has deep interactions; most of his female friends are business partners or subordinates.
This was the first time Fu Yun had encountered a situation where Zhi Lan was both a partner worth working with and someone he couldn't help but want to confide in without reservation. He couldn't describe the feeling.
Is it admiration and respect? But it doesn't seem to be entirely that.
I just can't quite put my finger on what I'm feeling; a strange, inexplicable emotion just washes over me.
Forget it, don't dwell on it. With your current way of thinking, you won't be able to figure it out anyway. Just consider it a natural, unspoken appreciation between two outstanding individuals.
Fu Yun: "..." Do you want to hear what you're saying?
Isn't the contest between two strong individuals a battle of equals, and a desire to conquer one another?
"Bacheng is just ahead. Why don't we rest for a while before entering the city?"
Just as Fu Yun's thoughts were racing, Zhi Lan's voice suddenly entered his ears.
He immediately came to his senses, looked up and saw a city wall standing a hundred meters away, with the words "Bacheng" engraved in the center above the city gate.
Fu Yun said, "I'm fine with anything, let's see what they say."
Zhilan turned around and looked behind her. Liu Lan, who was in the middle of the group, immediately came forward, dismounted, cupped her hands in greeting, lowered her eyes and bowed slightly, and asked respectfully, "What are your orders, Master?"
"You must be tired after traveling for an hour. Let's stop and rest for a while before entering the city."
Liu Lan replied, "Yes!"
She quickly relayed the Empress's instructions to the stonemasons inside the carriage. Upon hearing the news, the stonemasons cheered and then quickly dismounted from the carriage to rest in the open space.
Ye Lan and Qian Qingling also dismounted and went to an open space to rest.
Fu Yun also went to rest by the roadside. He casually glanced around and was about to look away when he unexpectedly caught a glimpse of a dark shadow flashing past the back of the carriage.
Fu Yun instinctively snapped, "Who goes there?"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a "swoosh" sound, and everyone present drew their swords from their waists at the same time, each one ready for battle.
Zhilan asked coldly, "What have you discovered?"
Fu Yun answered truthfully: "I saw a dark shadow flash past the back of the carriage."
Zhilan, Yelan, Qian Qingling, and the others all turned grim.
Ye Lan, Qian Qingling, and Xing Fei rushed to the carriage and quickly lifted the curtain.
After the three finished their inspection, they stepped out of the carriage and searched inside and outside the carriage again, but still couldn't find any clues.
In the end, he could only shake his head, indicating that he hadn't seen anything.
Fu Yun frowned deeply and stated with great certainty, "I can confirm that I was not seeing things just now, but really saw a black figure that quickly disappeared."
The others didn't readily chime in, but Zhilan said in a deep voice, "It seems someone is secretly following us."
She turned to the crowd and announced loudly, "From this moment on, we will not stop to rest on the road. Everyone must be on high alert."
Everyone responded in unison, "Yes."
Zhilan: "Keep moving forward."
A message from the author: Happy Chinese New Year, wishing you a prosperous Year of the Snake and all your wishes fulfilled.
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