Chapter 14 A Sudden Turn of Events: Two grown men give way to one…
Unfortunately, no one listened to him; everyone rushed forward as if they had discovered a new continent.
At this moment, Fu Yun just wanted to hit someone. He was in a miserable situation, being sandwiched between two women. He was almost squeezed into a sandwich by the two women. Because of his injuries and weakness, his strength was ridiculously weak, and he couldn't push away the people who were squeezing him.
The pain of the wound reopening after being squeezed made Fu Yun feel like she wanted to explode on the spot.
Fortunately, Lu Zhisheng was good at assessing the situation. Seeing that Fu Yun was in a bad situation, she quickly squeezed behind him with all her might to act as a cushion, thus buffering the fierce force of the previous crowding.
Lu Zhisheng grabbed Fu Jun's forearm, shielding him behind her, and placed her other hand in front of her chest, panting as she reminded him, "Young Master Su... be careful..."
Fu Yun glanced at Lu Zhisheng with gratitude, looked around at the noisy crowd, and then looked at the stalls on the side of the street. She found that there was a mask stall on the left and a knife stall next to it. Apart from the stall owners and two customers who were looking up, no one else had blocked the gaps and passages between the stalls.
He quickly led Lu Zhisheng toward the empty passageway, and after a great deal of effort, they finally broke free from the crowd.
Standing in the corridor as if they had survived a disaster, the two looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to say a few words." Perhaps worried about causing a stampede, the sharp female voice softened considerably.
The crowd fell silent for a moment, then became lively again.
"Your Majesty, the land has been drought-stricken for the past two years, resulting in a significant reduction in harvests. Could we reduce the amount of grain we are required to pay?"
"Yes! We really have no more grain to hand over. We beg Your Majesty for mercy!"
"We beg Your Majesty to have mercy!"
...
"Silence!" the beautiful woman shouted, her voice filled with obvious anger.
However, she restrained herself from losing her temper on the spot and patiently said, "His Majesty will make his own decision regarding the issue of grain requisition. His Majesty is traveling incognito this time, so please cooperate and avoid causing congestion or inconvenience to His Majesty."
"It's alright." A clear and solemn female voice faintly drifted over.
Fu Yun's heart skipped a beat. This time, Zhi Lan's voice was not deliberately lowered. Her voice was extremely unique, clear and pure, like a cold spring on a winter morning, with a solemn and awe-inspiring quality that naturally quieted people down to listen to her speak.
"Ye Lan, I should give the people a chance to speak."
The Empress spoke calmly and unhurriedly, revealing no emotion, yet conveying a sense of gentleness and tolerance.
The crowd was very excited when they heard this.
"Your Majesty is wise! We beg Your Majesty to show mercy!"
"We beg Your Majesty to have mercy!"
Seeing everyone's unbridled behavior, Ye Lan felt a surge of anger: "Silence! What are you doing? Trying to create..."
"Night Blue, calm down!" the Empress coldly reminded her.
Ye Lan's expression changed slightly, and she immediately fell silent.
The Empress turned to the people behind her and said with an air of dominance, "Since this year's harvest is not good, then we will temporarily waive the grain tax for everyone and discuss it again next year."
Those present were stunned, thinking they were hallucinating, and could not believe that His Majesty had actually agreed.
Ye Lan was greatly shocked and immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, please reconsider! The grain requisition is to prepare provisions for next year's war. If it is suddenly canceled, I'm afraid..."
"We'll discuss this further once we return to the palace," the Empress interrupted Ye Lan.
Ye Lan dared not say another word: "Yes!"
She straightened up, turned to look at the crowd, and seeing an eerie silence, she shouted, "The Emperor's grace is boundless! Why don't you quickly thank His Majesty for his great favor?"
The crowd snapped out of their shock and, in an instant, realized what was happening. They all knelt down to express their gratitude.
"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
Fu Yun wasn't used to kneeling, so he didn't react for a moment. He stood straight next to the stall, staring blankly at the crowd that had suddenly knelt down for a couple of seconds. When he realized that he had become the one standing out from the crowd, he immediately squatted down, avoiding Ye Lan and the Empress's gaze, and hid behind the stall.
The Empress paused slightly, realizing that she seemed to see a somewhat familiar figure.
She carefully scanned the crowd, but did not see the figure from before.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Ye Lan asked quickly upon seeing this.
The Empress shook her head, her tone tinged with disappointment: "It's nothing."
"Get up, everyone!" he said, then looked away from the crowd.
Ye Lan assumed that His Majesty had been blocked by the people for too long and was in a bad mood, so she looked at the crowd with a stern expression and said, "His Majesty has other matters to attend to, so please disperse!"
The crowd then moved aside, automatically making way for them.
Only after the crowd gradually dispersed and it was confirmed that the Empress would no longer pay attention to them did Fu Yun stand up straight.
After squeezing through the crowd for a long time, Su Mang finally managed to stand beside Fu Jun and whispered, "Young master, we should go back now."
Upon hearing this, Fu Yun turned to look at Su Mang and asked, "Have you found out?"
Su Mang nodded, but before she could speak, she saw the strange man tug at the young man's sleeve, as if he wanted to ask her a question. Her expression immediately changed, and she moved her forearm aside to separate the man, asking coldly, "Who are you?"
Lu Zhisheng was startled by the hostility emanating from Su Mang. He took two steps back and looked at Fu Jun, asking in a low voice, "Young Master Su, who is this young lady?"
Fu Yun immediately waved his hand at Su Mang: "Don't get excited, it's someone I know."
Su Mang then lowered her guard and stopped being aggressive.
Fu Yun introduced her to Lu Zhisheng: "Her name is Su Mang, and she's the one who escaped the fire with me."
"Oh?" Lu Zhisheng looked enlightened, his tone becoming somewhat subtle: "I see."
Fu Yun: "..." What are you imagining?
He shook his head and introduced Su Mang: "This is Lu Zhisheng, a doctor."
Lu Zhisheng was slightly taken aback, then his handsome face flushed red, and he quickly explained, "Young Master Su is joking. I am not a doctor."
Su Mang remained silent, showing no intention of pressing for answers. As long as the young man wouldn't cause trouble for the young master, his identity was unimportant.
Her only worry now is whether the young man will be recognized, which would make it difficult to escape.
Feeling a little anxious, she quickly reminded him, "Young master, we can't delay any longer, we really have to go."
Seeing Su Mang's expression, Fu Yun couldn't help but feel strange and asked her, "There are people coming and going on the street, nothing should happen, why are you so nervous?"
Su Mang looked at Lu Zhisheng, but did not answer directly, her eyes revealing a hint of wariness.
"It's okay, just tell me." Fu Yun knew what she was worried about.
Su Mang's expression softened slightly, and she quickly explained, "When I met Su Zi, Su Man accidentally saw me, which alerted the other people in the Su residence. The head of the family immediately ordered them to bring you back no matter what. I finally managed to shake them off, and they'll probably catch up with me soon."
Fu Yun: "..." No wonder it took so long.
"Why don't you come to my humble abode to take shelter for a while?" Lu Zhisheng offered.
Su Mang stared intently at him, her eyes scrutinizing him: "Where is your home located, and who is the head of your family?"
Lu Zhisheng shivered inexplicably, feeling a chill run down his spine from Su Mang's sharp gaze, and took several steps back.
Fu Yun, feeling rather helpless, tried to ease the tension between the two: "Su Mang, you don't need to be so nervous. Lu Zhisheng has no ill intentions towards us. You can go to his place to avoid him for a while. I happen to have something I want to discuss with him."
Seeing Fu Yun say this, Su Mang didn't say anything more: "Then let's do as the young master says."
Fu Yun breathed a sigh of relief and looked up in the direction Zhi Lan had left. Zhi Lan and the Imperial Guard Commander had already left the bustling street, leaving only her graceful figure behind.
Of course, what he didn't know was that while he was talking to Lu Zhisheng and Su Mang, the Empress turned around and glanced at him again, her gaze lingering on him for a while until Ye Lan showed confusion. Only then did she look away and continue walking forward without any expression.
Seeing that the person had already gone far away, Fu Yun stopped looking around and called Su Mang and Lu Zhisheng to leave.
The three of them had not gone far from the bustling street when they heard a rather loud commotion coming from that direction.
Su Mang's expression suddenly changed, and she quickly said, "Young Master, you and Young Master Lu should leave through the side path first. I will distract the people sent by the patriarch. We will meet at the usual place tonight."
Before Fu Yun could respond, she had already leaped onto the wall and left.
Fu Jun: "..." Not even a chance to refuse? At least give me some time to react!
How can two grown men let a woman take such a dangerous risk?
He was about to take a step and chase after Su Mang when Lu Zhisheng grabbed his forearm and said bluntly, "Young Master Su, Miss Su's skills are quite good. She should have no problem shaking off some servants and men. If you follow her, she will have a harder time escaping."
Fu Yun: "..." He looks this weak? Even Lu Zhisheng thinks he'll be the one holding everyone back?
Actually, Lu Zhisheng put it very tactfully; you'd better not cause Miss Su any trouble.
Xiao Ba didn't hold back in adding insult to injury, fearing that President Fu, who was used to standing at the top, might not realize the fact that his current abilities were lacking.
Fu Jun retorted, "Who was the little bastard who caused this mess? How dare you complain about me like this?"
The minibus immediately became obedient.
Fu Yun ignored the little turtle and glanced in the direction Su Mang had left, but she was already gone.
Lu Zhisheng tugged at Fu Jun's sleeve and reminded him, "Young Master Su, let's go first! Miss Su will definitely come looking for you."
Fu Yun sighed and left with Lu Zhisheng.
The two walked along several cobblestone paths for about half an hour before finally arriving at the gate of a slightly familiar courtyard.
Lu Zhisheng pushed open the courtyard gate: "Young Master Su, please come in."
Fu Yun nodded and, without standing on ceremony, walked into the courtyard.
The yard was much cleaner this time, and a rich aroma of herbs filled the air. Rows of medicine shelves were neatly arranged on both sides of the yard.
"Father, look who I've brought."
As soon as Lu Zhisheng entered the courtyard, he shouted happily.
Unfortunately, after waiting for a while, no one responded.
Lu Zhisheng looked slightly puzzled: "Isn't he home?"
Fu Yun glanced around: "Have you gone out yet?"
Lu Zhisheng shook her head, quickly went inside to check, and then explained, "My father isn't in good health and rarely goes out."
Fu Jun nodded and said nothing more.
Lu Zhisheng came out of the house less than a short while after entering, his handsome face showing a look of doubt. He muttered to himself, "Strange, he's not in the room either. Where did he go?"
He glanced at Fu Jun apologetically: "Excuse me, please wait a moment, Young Master Su, while I look for my father."
Fu Yun expressed her understanding: "It's okay, I'm not in a hurry."
A note from the author:
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