Chapter 46 Tense Negotiations If you want to control me…
As soon as the Empress gave the order, a loud crash was heard from the doorway, the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground.
[The element of surprise is what makes hidden plots exciting! Otherwise, where would the thrill come from, right?]
"I can't believe your lies. To be honest, I'm a little curious. Have any of your previous clients ever complained about you?"
[How could that be? A system like mine, dedicated solely to solving its host's problems, could never receive a bad review.]
Fu Yun twitched the corner of her mouth and gave up on discussing this unrealistic issue with Xiao Ba.
In the few seconds that the two people exchanged were brief, the person outside had already broken down the door and entered.
"Master, the person has disappeared."
Ye Lan and the Empress had already entered the house.
"try to find."
The empress spoke concisely, her voice cold and clear.
"Master, please wait a moment while I go inside to check on Young Master Su's current condition."
From what I heard Ye Lan's voice, it sounded like she was worried that your disheveled appearance might offend the Empress's eyes.
Fu Yun: "Say less, you're giving me a headache."
Xiao Ba silently made a zipping motion with his mouth.
Fu Jun did not hear the Empress's response, but only heard unhurried footsteps approaching the bed.
"Luo Qing, Lin Xing, you two come in and check if there are any hidden compartments in this room."
"Liu Lan, you immediately take the others downstairs to meet up with Le Ling and the others. Divide into six groups and search each shop around the inn carefully, one by one, and bring the person back."
"yes!"
The sound of footsteps moving around could be heard inside the room, accompanied by the sounds of tables, chairs, and other items being moved.
Despite the cacophony of footsteps, Fu Yun was still able to distinguish the Empress's footsteps, which moved forward steadily and unhurriedly.
This is a kind of composure and sense of certainty that comes naturally from those in positions of power.
The footsteps stopped, and Fu Yun turned to look. She saw Zhi Lan standing not far from the bed in a black brocade robe. Her attire was similar to when they first met. Zhi Lan was also dressed as a man this time.
Zhilan's face, so pure and beautiful, revealed no emotion. She merely glanced at him indifferently for a moment, her coldness softening slightly, and then she spoke softly, "Relieve his blood stasis."
"yes!"
Ye Lan stepped forward, bent down slightly, and quickly tapped Fu Yun's body with her fingertips before retreating to the Empress's side.
Once the acupoint was untied, Fu Yun's tense nerves had a chance to catch their breath, and his stiff body finally came back to life from the feeling of being half-dead. However, his hands and feet went numb from maintaining the same posture for so long.
Thank you!
He thanked Ye Lan, tried to move his stiff arms, and then slowly sat up straight from the bed.
The Empress then asked calmly, "Are you injured?"
Fu Yun paused slightly, looked up at the Empress, and saw that although her expression was cold, her eyes revealed a hint of warmth. He couldn't help but feel a little warm in his heart, and smiled as he replied, "No, it's just that my blood circulation was poor before, and my hands and feet are still a little numb."
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this answer, the Empress's expression suddenly darkened: "You don't seem afraid of what happened?"
Not only did he show no fear, but he was also unusually calm. It was rare for a young master who was unable to protect himself and was being held hostage by villains. His purpose was unclear and his life was in danger, yet he remained so calm. This should not have happened to a man who was powerless.
The Empress's cold voice carried a clear sense of authority. Fu Yun paused in his arm movements, asking in confusion, "Why should I be afraid?"
He clenched his fist and tapped his shoulder, then pressed hard on his knees to relieve the discomfort in his hands and feet.
He then said with a touch of bittersweet humor, "Faced with an emergency, if you don't know how to defend yourself, you can't save yourself. You can only submit to fate. Besides, if the King of Hell wants me to die today, I definitely won't live to see tomorrow. So what if I die? What's there to be afraid of?"
It's not like it's the first time I've died; I'll get used to it after a while.
He actually wanted to use this incident to give the Empress a hint that men also need to learn to protect themselves, and that it is imperative for men to learn self-defense techniques.
The Empress's delicate eyebrows gradually furrowed, clearly understanding the meaning behind his words. Her gaze fell on Fu Yun's hands as he massaged her knees, and she fell into a brief silence.
Fu Jun didn't care whether the Empress responded or not, but solemnly added, "Besides, showing fear in front of the enemy is a blatant show of weakness. It won't soften the enemy's heart in the slightest; it will only make it easier for them to control me. It won't solve any problems."
The Empress's gaze towards Fu Yun changed slightly, and she said softly, "You do have quite a bit of backbone."
Fu Yun gave a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth, remaining noncommittal.
Having said everything he needed to say, he remembered another question that he was curious about.
So, while rubbing his sore and numb arms, he looked up at the Empress and got back to the point: "By the way, how did you find this place?"
Ye Lan turned to look at the Empress, who did not respond, but watched with an inscrutable expression as Young Master Su moved from the bed to the edge and bent down to pick up his shoes and boots from the floor.
Ye Lan didn't know what Her Majesty was thinking, and she didn't want to answer before her.
Neither of them answered, and Fu Jun couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. She looked up at the Empress and then at Ye Lan, and saw that they were just staring at her as she put on her shoes without saying a word. She was unsure of what they were thinking.
Recalling the questions the Empress had asked, Fu Yun's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly realized that the Empress suspected him of having a private relationship with the bandit leader.
After all, in their view, it was illogical for someone to be kidnapped by bandits who were eager for revenge and then emerge unharmed, which inevitably raised questions.
Fu Yun sighed inwardly, not wanting the Empress to misunderstand because of this unfounded matter, so she had to take the initiative to explain again: "After I came out of the martial arts training ground today, I was kidnapped by a masked person on my way to the shop. She was a woman disguised as a man. If you hadn't pointed out her identity, I wouldn't have known who kidnapped me here."
Upon hearing this, Ye Lan raised her eyebrows slightly, and Fu Yun quickly added, "Everything I said is true. General Qian can testify to this, because she personally took me to the training ground."
Ye Lan opened her mouth, about to respond, when the Empress's cold voice rang out: "When did you become so familiar with Qian Qingling?"
"?" Fu Yun looked slightly taken aback and asked Ye Lan with some confusion, "Didn't General Qian mention to you that I asked to borrow that abandoned vacant lot in the training ground?"
Ye Lan's gaze lingered on the Empress and Fu Jun, her expression somewhat unreadable.
Seeing Fu Yun looking at her, she immediately came to her senses and quickly shook her head: "She didn't explain this to me in detail."
Fu Yun frowned slightly, then remembered that Ye Lan had also been present yesterday, and said bluntly, "Weren't you at the General's Mansion yesterday? When I was talking to her about the venue, weren't you listening in?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Lan's pupils dilated slightly, and then she revealed a look of understanding: "Yesterday I only heard the two of you talking about the venue, and I was not aware that you were talking about the training ground for soldiers in the martial arts arena."
Fu Yun understood: "I see. I thought you had already discussed this matter privately."
It seems that she had told General Qian before that she hoped he would keep this a secret, and she really hadn't explained everything to Ye Lan in detail.
He glanced at the others still searching the hidden compartments inside the room, then looked at Zhilan, his meaning clear.
The Empress glanced at Ye Lan, signaling her to handle it.
Ye Lan nodded, then turned to the others in the room and instructed, "You two go out first."
"yes."
Once only the Empress and Ye Lan remained in the room, Fu Yun lowered her voice and said, "There's a slight misunderstanding here. I previously proposed a collaboration with General Qian. I need a venue to train people, improve the physical weakness of most people, and increase the number of people joining the army. However, I asked her to keep it a secret for now, and to announce it to the public only after the preliminary preparations are completed and the subsequent stages are implemented. That's why I didn't report it in time."
He paused, looked at Zhilan, and said seriously, "The responsibility for this matter lies with me, not with General Qian. I was planning to tell you this during our meeting anyway."
The Empress's originally cold expression softened slightly. She knew that Fu Yun had made a solemn promise to her to share the burden of the national treasury. However, since they were in an inn with many people around, it was not convenient to discuss it further.
"In that case, we'll discuss this matter later."
Fu Yun naturally had no objection. He put on his boots and stood up: "Alright, as for the real purpose of physical exercise, let General Qian report to you in detail!"
The Empress said, "That's acceptable."
Fu Yun secretly breathed a sigh of relief, finally dispelling the Empress's doubts.
It has to be said that he had to be on his toes every time he negotiated with the Empress.
A single ill-chosen word could trigger the Empress's suspicion.
Fu Yun glanced out the window; the sun was already setting.
"It's getting late, can we leave now?"
The empress nodded and walked away.
"Ye Lan, have Luo Qing and Lin Xing continue searching the house."
Ye Lan quickly replied, "Yes."
Fu Yun followed behind Ye Lan and called out in a low voice, "Commander Ye."
Ye Lan turned around and looked at him: "What is it?"
Fu Yun asked, "How did you know I was here?"
Ye Lan glanced at the Empress, and waited until she had walked a little further away before lowering her voice to reply, "Her Majesty ordered me to protect you. Although I am busy with official duties and cannot follow you at all times, I have sent people to secretly monitor your movements. If anything unusual happens, please inform me immediately."
Fu Yun then asked, "When you were inspecting the training grounds, someone informed General Qian that you had urgent business with her. Was it because you discovered Mu Xin's whereabouts?"
Night Blue nodded: "Exactly."
No wonder.
It has to be said that Mu Xin is really crazy. The whole city was on high alert just to arrest her, and she dared to hold him hostage with a knife in broad daylight. Isn't this a blatant provocation to the imperial court?
"By the way, if you're going to capture Mu Xin, be very careful. It seems she's learned voice changing and disguise. Today she was wearing a white cat mask, disguised as a boy, which is completely different from her previous appearance. I estimate that she will change her identity every time she shows up in the future."
Ye Lan's expression turned serious: "I understand. You should be more careful with Lu Xiaolang in the future and not be alone with him easily."
Fu Jun felt a little strange about why Lu Zhisheng was suddenly involved, but he didn't ask any further questions. He simply hummed in agreement, indicating that he had taken it to heart.
He looked up at the Empress, who had already reached the door, and couldn't help but ask, "Why is the Empress here today as well?"
"What are you two whispering about? Why don't you plot louder so I can hear you?"
Unbeknownst to them, the Empress had stopped in her tracks and stood coldly at the doorway. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, casually resting her long sword on her left shoulder, and looked at Fu Yun and Ye Lan with a cool gaze.
Ye Lan froze abruptly, immediately lowered her head, and hurried towards the door.
Fu Yun touched his nose and followed along, pretending to be nonchalant.
Even as she approached the door, the Empress remained in the same position.
Fu Yun could even feel the chill emanating from her eyes.
Fu Yun met the Empress's gaze, intending to say something to ease the awkwardness: "I am..."
The Empress interrupted him expressionlessly: "If you want to know my whereabouts, why ask Ye Lan instead of me?"
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