Chapter 94 A Strange Feeling Regardless of Success or Failure…
After hearing Fu Yun's response, Zhi Lan didn't say anything more.
Fu Yun naturally didn't want to keep Zhilan and the others waiting. Considering that he was a man and his identity would be easily recognized, he took out a woman's hairpin that he had prepared a few days ago for the convenience of going out on business, casually tied his hair into a ponytail, and pinned the hairpin to it.
Sure enough, once someone cross-dresses, they'll cross-dress again.
This time, the woman disguised herself as him, and he seemed to feel less resistant, and he no longer felt the embarrassment and awkwardness he had when he first impersonated her.
Habits are a terrible thing. Once you've accepted something, the insurmountable barrier in your heart disappears.
Fu Yun felt somewhat helpless at this thought, shook her head with a wry smile, quickly washed up, opened the door, and walked out of the room.
Just two steps out of the room, I saw Zhilan standing quietly by the corridor, carrying a dim oil lamp.
The moment she saw him come out, Zhilan seemed to notice at a glance that he had the most casual hairstyle for women, and her expression clearly froze for a moment.
However, it only took her a moment to come to her senses. She looked somewhat enlightened, a faint smile curving her lips as she handed over a package: "The preparations are quite good. You can change into this night outfit as well."
Fu Jun nodded. To save time, she took the clothes and put them on as an overcoat.
Although Su Fuyun's body had undergone a period of recuperation, it was still relatively slender, and even if she wore a mink coat, she wouldn't look bulky.
Perhaps because he had rested quite well during this time, his night clothes matched his hairstyle quite well, making him look rather dashing, completely different from the timid and cowardly appearance of other men.
Zhilan raised an eyebrow in surprise at Fu Jun's actions, seemingly not expecting him to act so casually.
Few men dare to change clothes in front of women, as it is considered somewhat unseemly.
However, Su Fuyun was completely unconcerned and did not care at all whether his actions would damage his image.
It's strange, though. If someone else had done this, it would have been extremely ungraceful, but his actions somehow felt pleasing to the eye.
His smooth, natural, and generous demeanor made the viewer feel no discomfort whatsoever; on the contrary, the rhythm of his movements brought a sense of relaxation and pleasure to both body and mind.
Zhilan explained to herself: Perhaps this is the difference between a handsome man and an ordinary man.
After Fu Yun finished dressing, she looked up and saw Zhi Lan staring at her blankly, seemingly lost in thought. She then whispered a reminder, "Let's go! Everyone must be getting impatient."
Zhilan immediately came to her senses, nodded slightly, covered her mouth and nose with a black mask, and turned to go downstairs.
Fu Yun also put on a face mask, leaving only her eyes exposed, and followed Zhi Lan downstairs.
After going downstairs, Zhilan blew out the oil lamp in her hand, and the two of them quietly walked out of the inn through the back door.
It wasn't until Fu Yun followed Zhi Lan to an open space that she saw five other stonemasons already waiting there.
Upon seeing Zhilan, they immediately straightened up and greeted her in extremely warm, low voices: "Greetings, Your Highness."
His gaze lingered on Fu Yun's face for a brief moment before silently looking away.
Fu Yun was disguised as a woman, so they had little chance of recognizing her and assumed she was one of the guards.
Zhilan asked in a low voice, "Are you all ready?"
The five people present said in unison, "We are ready and await your instructions."
Zhilan nodded slightly and walked towards the horses tied to the roadside: "Then let's set off."
The stonemasons quickly boarded the carriage and had the driver follow Zhilan as they set off.
Before mounting her horse, Zhilan glanced back at Fu Jun, signaling him to follow.
Upon hearing this, Fu Yun nimbly mounted his horse, and the excavation team he and Zhi Lan formed quietly departed on this dark and windy night.
We traveled non-stop, and at dawn we found a farmhouse to ask for directions. By 7 a.m., we had arrived at Futou Village without incident.
The strategy of dispersing that we discussed last night worked very well; indeed, no one followed us along the way.
Fu Yun followed behind Zhi Lan, exploring the route as they went, and successfully crossed the river and climbed over two hills.
We were still some distance from the foot of the third mountain when it got dark.
Hongxing Town looks like a very small area on the map, so Futou Village, which the villagers say is not far away, shouldn't be too far either. Half a day should be enough to get there.
Unexpectedly, the excavation team had actually been traveling for a full day and night.
After a day of hiking and trekking, everyone was exhausted.
Zhilan glanced back at Fu Jun, who was following closely behind her. Seeing the weariness between his brows and his increasingly pale face, she couldn't bear to let him suffer any longer and told the excavation team to stop and rest for the night before setting off again.
Zhilan led the group to a fairly spacious open space and signaled for everyone to stop and rest.
She glanced up at the crescent moon that had climbed to the top of the branch and said in a low voice, "It seems we'll have to make do in the wild tonight."
One of the women said, "Your Highness, we will follow your arrangements. You may arrange things however you wish."
The other four chimed in, "Yes, Your Highness, please rest assured, we will do as you command."
Zhilan naturally turned to look at Fu Jun and asked gently, "What do you think?"
The five stonemasons were dumbfounded. Wasn't this a guard? Why would the incomparably noble prince care about this man's wishes?
Their gazes all turned to Fu Jun, clearly waiting for his response.
Fu Yun coughed lightly, feeling a little embarrassed. He had originally wanted to quietly remain a background figure behind Zhi Lan and avoid being noticed by everyone, but Zhi Lan's subconscious question pulled him directly into the spotlight.
Fu Yun touched his nose, trying to maintain a calm expression. He looked up at the moon and replied in a deliberately composed manner, "I have no objection either."
The five stonemasons instantly realized upon hearing his voice that the person dressed as a woman was not one of the guards, but the number one handsome man in Lingzhou City, the young master of the Su family.
A woman chuckled and teased, "So it's Young Master Su. Why are you dressed like this?"
Fu Yun forced a smile, emphasizing that she wasn't embarrassed, but rather that others were.
"When I'm out and about, it's just so I don't stand out and can easily blend into the group."
"Is that really the case? Or is it that Young Master Su is shy about traveling with us women, and that's why he's dressed as a woman?"
Fu Yun twitched her lips: "..." Shy my foot! It's all baseless. Please don't make things up, thank you!
Another woman laughed and playfully punched the woman who had spoken on the shoulder: "Your mouth is so sharp! Young Master Su is, after all, a young man of marriageable age, so of course he'd be embarrassed to be around us women who aren't married yet! And you just say it so bluntly, doesn't that only make him more shy?"
Fu Yun: "..." This is getting more and more outrageous. What is there for him, a grown man, to be ashamed of?
Just as Fu Yun was about to retort, Zhi Lan suddenly spoke up: "Everyone, there are no inns to stay in tonight, so we'll have to find our own meals. If you find the dry rations hard to swallow, there's a river not far from here. You can go catch some fish to improve your meals."
Upon hearing this, the stonemasons immediately perked up and forgot all about Fu Yun.
"I'm going to catch fish."
"I'll go too."
"I'm going to gather firewood."
"I'll go with you."
"Wait for me, I'm coming too."
In the blink of an eye, all the stonemasons had vanished.
Fu Yun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
“These stonemasons…”
Zhilan suddenly spoke in a low voice, her gaze calmly fixed on Fu Jun. When Fu Jun met her gaze, she said softly, "Actually, I didn't mean any harm. I just wanted to joke around with you. Don't take it to heart."
Fu Yun suddenly felt a strange sensation. He had originally thought that Zhi Lan had sent them away because she thought they were too noisy.
Unexpectedly, it was to help him out of a predicament, and also to say a few good words for the stonemasons.
As the ruler of a country, she never displayed the arrogant attitude of a strong person towards her people, which was truly rare in ancient times. Even a modern person might not be able to do it.
“I understand, it’s not easy for them when they’re away from home, and I don’t mind.”
Zhilan nodded gently, her eyes sparkling with tiny lights. Suddenly, she sighed, as if remembering something, and said, "You are so understanding, why are you not favored by your family? That Su Tan is utterly foolish, mistaking a pearl for a fish eye."
Fu Yun waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together, and each should follow their own will. She and I are simply on different paths, so there's no need to force it."
Zhilan looked at her with admiration: "It's good that you're so open-minded, so you won't get involved with her in the future."
Fu Yun twitched the corner of her mouth, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes: "What goes around comes around. She won't have a good ending."
The two gazed at the starry sky and chatted casually, creating an indescribably harmonious atmosphere.
Sometimes Zhilan would think that it would be nice to keep Su Fuyun by her side forever.
When the stonemasons returned, everyone enthusiastically started a fire and grilled several fish in their original flavor.
Everyone present ate to their heart's content, and they took turns keeping watch at night. The night passed quickly.
The excavation team set off again at the crack of dawn the next day.
After a night's rest, everyone was full of energy and arrived at the foot of the third mountain in just half an hour.
Zhilan and Fuyun walked to the side, and Zhilan lowered her voice and asked, "Out of trust in you, I have never asked you what you want to do by sending the stonemasons here."
"Could it be as Ye Lan and Qian Qingling suspected, that this place is a geomantically auspicious location, where a treasure is buried?"
Fu Yun leaned closer to Zhi Lan and whispered in her ear, "More powerful than a treasure trove, it's a gold mine."
Zhilan's pupils contracted, and for the first time, she showed a hint of excitement: "Is this true? Is there any evidence to support it?"
Fu Yun shook his head and said truthfully, "If it had been verified by someone, it definitely wouldn't have been our turn; it would have been secretly dug up long ago."
Zhilan's expression changed slightly, and a hint of sternness flashed in her eyes.
Fu Jun smiled slightly and reassured her, "Don't get so worked up. If we don't find what I mentioned in this operation, then I'll let you do whatever you want with me, okay?"
"make a deal."
Zhilan agreed without even thinking it over.
The promise Su Fuyun made inexplicably tempted her.
Whether it succeeds or fails, she won't lose out.
If this trip was truly in vain, then let's punish Su Fuyun by sending her to the palace to relieve her boredom.
Fu Yun was unaware of Zhi Lan's thoughts; he only wanted to get the work started as soon as possible.
"Alright, without further ado, let's start digging from the foot of the mountain on the east side! Perhaps we'll have a harvest soon."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com