Chapter 24: The Girl in the Painting
The sound of hurried footsteps broke the silence in the study, and someone at the door whispered, "Your Highness, Ruan Qing came back and said that something happened in the stable."
Yuan Lang stood up suddenly and asked, "Is Teng Yun dying?" He walked too fast and accidentally moved the portrait on the desk, causing it to fall straight down. He had already hurried out the door and asked as he walked, "Didn't they say he could hold on for a few more days?"
The door of the study was half open, and the portrait finally fell to the ground. One could just see a girl in a red wedding dress in the painting. It seemed that she had just taken off her veil. There was a hint of sadness between her brows, but her face showed anticipation for a new life. Her eyes were clear and gentle, the corners of her lips were slightly curved, and her chin was white and small. She was not stunningly beautiful, but she had an indescribable uprightness and dignity.
Ruan Qing was the servant who led the way. He came trotting over to report without even catching his breath. Seeing that the Second Prince had misunderstood, he hurriedly said, "Your Highness, Tengyun is crying..." This matter was too shocking, and he was still very excited at the moment, not knowing how to express himself.
"Tengyun is crying?" Yuan Lang thought he had misheard.
"Yes, Doctor Xu brought a medicine boy here today, and Teng Yun actually let him hold her, and...she even shed tears..." He then thought of adding, "Oh, Commander Fu from the Forbidden Cavalry Division is here too."
Yuan Lang was not surprised by Fu Chen's arrival. Ever since Yuan Shu took over the Phoenix Department, he was worried that his sister would get into trouble. Besides, she was in love with Fu Chen and had considered recruiting him as the ninth prince consort. After that, he often showed his affection for Fu Chen when he met him in the court. It was only a matter of time before Fu Chen came to the Second Prince's Mansion. If it were another time, he would open the door and warmly welcome Fu Chen's arrival.
But at this moment, Teng Yun's abnormality occupied his entire mind, and he temporarily decided to give up thinking about Fu Chen's intention.
Yuan Lang was several meters away from the stable. Before anyone arrived, he heard a familiar voice in the silent night. The gentle voice seemed to penetrate the dust of another world and pierce his eardrums, making him feel as if struck by lightning.
She whispered gently, "Tengyun, let's eat something, okay?"
He was afraid that he might be hallucinating, so he took a few quick steps and looked inside. Doctor Xu and Fu Chen were both standing in the stable, far away, their attention all focused on the person sitting on the ground.
Tengyun was still lying on the mat, but its huge head was resting on someone's arms. The person had his back to him, and he could see her small, fair chin from the side. If he got closer, he could see her long, thick eyelashes hanging down, covering up all her thoughts.
She gently combed Tengyun's horse mane with her fingers over and over again, and soothed the neighing horse in a hoarse voice: "It's all over, eat your food obediently, okay?"
If someone had secretly glanced at the portrait on the second prince's desk, they would probably have muttered that the medicine boy who was holding Tengyun and talking to her looked about 70% like the newlywed girl in the portrait.
Yuan Lang was stunned and subconsciously ... took two steps back.
If the person in front of me is not Tang Ying, then who else could it be?
In his previous life, the Second Prince Yuan Lang had experienced the most sinister conspiracy in the world, been caught in a whirlpool of beauty and politics, climbed the highest mountain in the world, and felt the bone-chilling loneliness. His temples were early dyed with frost. Looking back on his half-life, he thought of his original wife and then realized how good she was.
The Tang family has been a family of strong character for generations. When he was young and frivolous, he thought it was stupid and stubborn, and he didn't know how to live or die. But when he was in a high position and looked around and saw conspiracies and calculations everywhere, he realized how rare and precious the Tang family was. Even the color of his deceased first wife gradually came alive in his heart.
In the blink of an eye, half of his life had passed. He was just in a dream and when he opened his eyes again, he was back to his ambitious twenties, planning to become an emperor.
When Bai Cheng met Tang Ying for the first time, she introduced herself as Miss Tang. He was suspicious at the time, but the maidservant beside Miss Tang was indeed A Lian. The Second Prince, who already knew people's hearts, took in the loyal and brave orphan. However, he still had doubts in his heart and sent people to secretly investigate in the city. Unfortunately, all the servants of the Tang family had died in the war, so he could only take Miss Tang and her servant back to Beijing.
He stood there in a daze, his heart was filled with turmoil, as if in a dream, and he couldn't move an inch.
Rather than saying that he had deep feelings for his original wife, it would be more accurate to say that he had just been scheming and calculating for too long, and had been mentally exhausted and experienced all kinds of things before he began to yearn for a simple, uncalculated relationship.
Soon a servant came running over, and brought a large basin of warm goat milk from somewhere. She knelt on the mat and held Tengyun's horse head, watching it slowly drink half of it, and was ecstatic: "Tengyun is the best!"
Fu Chen came over at this time and saluted Yuan Lang: "This humble official greets the Second Prince."
Yuan Lang reluctantly tore his gaze away from Tang Ying and greeted him: "Master Fu, you are too polite. May I know who that is?"
Fu Chen's mind worked very quickly. Thinking of the Second Prince's skills and sources of information, he would probably be able to find out soon that Miss Zhang came from his family. He simply said, "Didn't the emperor give the Wild Horse King to me? It was tamed by the newly hired groom in the palace. Her ancestors raised horses, so I brought her here secretly to see Tengyun. I thought if it didn't work, I wouldn't tell Your Highness to avoid embarrassment. I didn't expect she was so capable." He almost believed the explanation if he wasn't familiar with the concept of wild horses recognizing their masters.
Yuan Lang looked a little strange: "Her ancestors... raised horses?"
There was a team of cavalrymen in the Tang family army who were brave and good at fighting, but they were withdrawn from Baicheng at the beginning of the year in the name of rotation. However, it was also a fact that the Tang family members were born to raise horses, otherwise Tang Yao's mount would not be a rare famous horse.
Fu Chen asked tentatively: "Does Your Highness know Miss Zhang?"
"Ms. Zhang... Miss Zhang? I don't know her." Yuan Lang knew that this Miss Tang in the prefecture must be a fake, otherwise why would she be so frightened when she saw Teng Yun raising his hooves and roaring, and then pretend to be sick when she went back?
A genuine look of joy appeared on his face: "I am very grateful to Miss Zhang for treating Teng Yun. Lord Fu has also seen Teng Yun's current condition. How about letting Miss Zhang stay in the palace for a few days and help me take care of Teng Yun?" He spoke to Fu Chen, but his eyes were looking at Tang Ying not far away.
"Well... let me discuss this with Miss Zhang." Commander Fu was particularly easy to talk to today.
Tengyun ate something, and a little hope of survival seemed to finally ignite in his warm eyes. Tang Ying's tightly clenched heart finally let go. She had time to turn her head to look at the two people talking.
Not far away, a young and handsome man was wearing a golden crown. Even in the stable, he could not hide his nobleness. Their eyes met, and she secretly guessed: This man must be the second prince Yuan Lang.
She didn't know Yuan Lang, and she was sure that Yuan Lang didn't know her either, so she was open-minded and looked him in the face. However, she didn't know that Yuan Lang was deeply shocked, and his speculation for several months was in vain.
Yuan Lang had thought that if he lived his life again, he might meet his first wife again and wonder if she would have the same adventure.
He hoped that Tang Ying still recognized him, but was also afraid that she would hate him, so he felt uneasy and sweaty when he looked into her eyes. But she looked so strange, and even looked completely different from the shy and timid look of the famous ladies in Beijing when they first saw him.
She did not have the surprise and admiration that an ordinary girl would have when seeing a handsome man, nor did she even have the slightest hatred in her heart. It was obvious that she had no memory of him at all, just a blank.
Yuan Lang couldn't tell whether he was relieved or disappointed.
He took a few steps forward and tried to persuade Tang Ying to stay in the palace temporarily as the current owner of Tengyun. Unexpectedly, the other party made a new suggestion to him.
"Your Highness, you may not know that I am a groom in the Fu Mansion, taking care of the wild horse King that His Majesty gave to my master. If I come to the palace to take care of Tengyun, I am afraid that the wild horse King will starve to death. It is better to do this, Tengyun will only be hanging on to his last breath in the palace, maybe it is not compatible with your family."
Fu Chen's lips curved slightly, thinking: This is to take Teng Yun away, even the incompatibility of horoscopes is brought up.
——You’re talking nonsense again.
In order to have a tasty meal, she persuaded Fei Wenhai, who was already an old man, to study cooking carefully and even cooperate with him. At that time, he felt that this little girl was not only sharp with a knife, but also good at talking. He didn't expect that she would dare to deceive even the second prince today.
Fu Chen saw clearly that the Second Prince thought this was ridiculous, and even the mask of gentleness on his face seemed to be cracked, as if he had heard some strange talk: "Incompatible horoscopes? Horses also have horoscopes?"
Tang Ying knelt on the ground, holding Teng Yun's big head in her arms, and gently stroked Teng Yun's horse mane with her fingers lovingly. Teng Yun also rubbed her palm affectionately. At this moment, she looked more like a wandering charlatan who appeared from nowhere: "How can there be no? The time of birth is it. Besides, don't we need to ask someone to pick an auspicious day for laying the foundation of a house? We need to pay attention to every aspect?"
It took a lot of effort to build the prince's palace, especially for the son born to a favorite concubine. No one dared to neglect it. Not only did the people from the Imperial Observatory choose an auspicious day, they also invited the Taoist priest from Xuantong Temple to come and lay the foundation. When the foundation was laid, objects to ward off evil spirits were placed at the four corners. That's why Tang Ying's soul in his previous life was trapped in the palace and could not escape.
Yuan Lang: “…” This is the first time I heard it, it’s really new.
Tang Ying lied in all seriousness, "The Prince's Mansion is too clean, but Teng Yun is... Marshal Tang's favorite horse. It has been through mountains of corpses and rivers of blood countless times, and it still has the aura of blood and evil. It will definitely not survive if it stays in the Prince's Mansion, and it is not good for the Feng Shui of the Mansion. My ancestors were horse breeders, and I have tamed countless horses since I was a child. I am best at horse training. If Your Highness trusts Lord Fu and me, why not foster Teng Yun in Lord Fu's Mansion for the time being? After a while, Teng Yun will be completely well again!"
Lord Fu has tortured countless prisoners, but at this moment he couldn't help but think: If he took this little girl to the Forbidden Cavalry Division to be in charge of the interrogation, would it save the people below the energy of torturing her?
He raised his head and pretended to study the roof of the stable in the Second Prince's mansion, so that others would not see the growing smile on his face.
Yuan Lang didn't know what went wrong.
The girl in front of him was very different from Miss Tang whom he brought back from Baicheng in his previous life and took good care of. At that time, Tang Ying had a light sadness and sorrow between her brows, and she was just a lady raised in the backyard. But the girl in front of him had a fierce edge hidden between her brows, her eyes were cunning like a fox, and her mind was smart. He had known countless people in his half-life, and he could still see such an obvious difference.
"Will it cause trouble to the young lady?" He seemed to be persuaded by Tang Ying. His smile was as gentle as jade, and there was warmth in his humility. It was the smile that many young ladies in the capital who aspired to compete for the title of the Second Prince's Consort liked the most.
Unfortunately, Tang Ying had never understood romance and was even wary of his smile. To use the words that Marshal Tang had taught his daughter since she was a child, "Be especially careful with handsome men, they might all be liars. Your daughter must not be fooled by a pretty boy." This is similar to the way a certain Yin family taught her son in later generations, who was worried that her son would be deceived by a woman.
When his daughter first entered the military camp, Marshal Tang was afraid that some brat in the camp would kidnap his precious daughter, so he gave her many warnings, but he had no accurate understanding of the appearance of the rough men in his camp. The fairest person in the camp, besides his daughter, was Major General Tang Jue, so Marshal Tang was just worrying for nothing.
However, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise and was very appropriate for today . Her old father's instructions emerged involuntarily from the depths of her mind, which made Tang Ying shudder. Her expression became a little colder. She suppressed her disgust and said, "It's not a big deal, as long as the Second Prince trusts Lord Fu." She didn't have any reputation, but Fu Chen's reputation was very useful, so she had to use it for the time being.
※※※
Zhang Qing and Shen Qian stood stupidly in front of the Fu Mansion's stable, their eyes a little dull.
Zhang Qing: “Tengyun?” Why did he become so thin?
Shen Qian: "You went to the Second Prince's Mansion and brought back a famous horse?" Although this famous horse did not live up to its legendary reputation.
But who in the capital doesn’t know how much Second Prince Yuan Lang values Teng Yun?
Fu Chen looked up at the sky.
He had not expected the victory in the first battle.
What was even more unexpected was that the Second Prince was actually fooled by Tang Ying's nonsense and agreed to foster Teng Yun in the Fu Mansion.
——Is there any other deeper meaning behind his action?
Commander Fu, whose mind was never idle, couldn't help but think again and again.
While he was thinking, Tang Ying had already instructed Yu San to clear out the stable next to Fu Yingjun's, clean it again, lay thick straw next to it, and put a mat on it, and then moved Tengyun over to rest.
She herself did not despise it, she sat next to Tengyun and even touched its big head.
Fu Yingjun from next door stretched his neck over to see this scene, and his nose almost got crooked with anger, as if he had met a heartless shrew. He was snorting angrily across the wall. When he saw that Tang Ying ignored him, he turned around angrily and turned his butt towards her, thinking that out of sight, out of mind.
Fu Chen: “…”
Zhang Qing: “…”
Lord Shen inexplicably felt that Miss Zhang's behavior was somewhat familiar. After thinking about it for a while, he realized that he often did this outside. Today he loved Miss Hongyan, and tomorrow he fell in love with Lvliu. They all met at the same banquet. What was the difference between this and what was happening in front of him?
Seeing the intimacy between the man and the horse, Zhang Qing felt heartbroken and negotiated through the fence: "Sister, you go back and rest for a while, and I will guard Tengyun, okay?"
Tang Ying waved her hand to drive the three of them away: "Tengyun's situation is unstable, you should all go back and rest early, come back tomorrow, I will guard it tonight, and it won't let you get close to it, you will have to call me if anything happens. Why don't I just stay here for one night."
After a few people left, the entire stable became quiet, leaving her alone.
Tang Ying sat cross-legged against the wall, looking down into Tengyun's big, moist eyes.
She seemed to have been trekking alone for a long time in heavy armor, and then took off the armor in a deserted place. First, the corners of her upturned mouth drooped, and the smile in her eyes receded like a tide. Then her shoulders slumped, and even her straight waist bent, as if she could not support her flesh and bones. She was just about to collapse on the ground, rolling on the ground and crying like a child.
In such a quiet night, it is always easy for things buried deep in the heart to be exposed.
She slowly touched a scar on Teng Yun's neck. The wound had long since scabbed over and fallen off, but that part was left bald. She asked softly, "Does it hurt?" as if she was afraid of disturbing the wandering soul in the middle of the night.
Tengyun looked at her quietly.
"It must have been painful, right?"
"There are a lot of people around you, right?"
"You must have tried your best, didn't you?"
"I came to find you... did you know?"
She touched the mottled scars on the quiet horse's body, suddenly lowered her head and covered her eyes, large amounts of water dripping down between her fingers.
"I miss you so much, so much, it hurts so much..."
"do you know?"
In the silent night, there was a tall haystack next to the stable against the wall. In the dark shadow next to the haystack, there was a motionless figure. It was Fu Chen who had returned.
The lonely whisper in the dark night was like a nightmare that had lasted for a long time. The person involved was immersed in it and could not escape. The day was driven away by the sunlight, but the night came again, covering the sky for that person.
After a long time, Fu Chen cleared his throat and came out from behind the haystack.
He walked over slowly, and through the fence, he called her word by word, clearly: "Miss Tang."
The person sitting with her head down seemed to be awakened by him from a lonely nightmare. She raised her head, the sadness had not faded away, there were still traces of tears on her fair little face, her eyes were red, and she looked around blankly like a child who couldn't find her home.
Commander Fu, who had always been hard-hearted, suddenly felt soft-hearted for no reason.
The girl who once smiled as she robbed bandits and tamed wild horses was now a small ball when she sat down. Her fair face was not even as big as his palm, her hair was messy, and the tip of her nose was red. She looked a little pitiful and a little silly.
But she soon came to her senses, smeared her face randomly, tried to cover it up but was not very successful, and said in a rough voice: "What did you just... just call me?"
"Miss Tang."
Fu Chen stood behind the fence, not planning to go in, but not planning to go back to rest either: "I just can't figure out who the fake one in the Second Prince's mansion is?"
Tang Ying said unhappily, "How should I know?" She was a little unhappy that Fu Chen came without notice and disturbed her.
Fu Chen didn't seem to expect to get an answer from her. He pushed himself up with his arms and sat on the high fence railing with his long legs hanging down in a very leisurely posture.
"Why don't you ask me how I guessed your true identity?"
Tang Ying put on her heavy armor again, straightened her back, opened her shoulders, raised her head and chest, as if she could hold up the sky by herself, without even a trace of panic: " The people of the Forbidden Cavalry Division are doing things like digging out people's secrets. You will know it sooner or later, there is no difference." She asked back with a bit of aggression: "Besides, am I breaking the law? Even if you know my true identity, are you going to throw me into the Forbidden Cavalry Division prison?"
It looks ferocious, like a kitten stretching out its claws to scratch people.
Commander Fu had seen countless vicious criminals who sometimes could not endure the torture. It was common for them to ask about his ancestors and all the female members of the Fu family. He did not take this level of questioning seriously.
He chuckled twice, as if frightened by her fierce appearance: "You are the orphan of a loyal and brave man. If they knew, they would have to take good care of you in the mansion, like the one in the second prince's mansion. Maybe you can even find a good marriage in the future. Why would you be thrown into prison?"
The Second Prince's reputation for virtue spread far and wide. Although he had not married yet, he did not shy away from taking care of Miss Tang. Every time he invited a doctor, he did so in a high-profile manner, as if he was afraid that others would not know how attentively he took care of Miss Tang.
It is not known whether it was the Second Prince's instruction or the servants acted on their own initiative.
In short, Fu Chen tasted something different from the actions of the Second Prince's Mansion. While many people were praising the Second Prince for his wisdom, generosity and kindness, he secretly laughed at Yuan Lang for being a little deliberate in his actions.
If you really want to do good for Miss Tang, even if you need to take care of her, it should be done in a low-key manner, rather than being so ostentatious that everyone in Beijing knows about it.
His words were intended to remind Tang Ying, but they also contained some hints of mocking the Second Prince.
Unexpectedly, the little girl didn't appreciate it. Her face was flushed, and she seemed a little angry. She glared at him and said, "You look so righteous during the day, but at night you take off your skin and talk nonsense?" What do you mean by a good marriage? !
Fu Chen touched his nose: "Did you figure it out?" Then he jumped off the fence: "It's better than some people talking nonsense during the day, right?"
The direction was too clear. Tang Ying was completely furious. She stood up and was about to find something to hit him with, but Fu Chen had already walked away with a smile. She was so angry that she turned around twice on the spot. After sitting down again, she saw Teng Yun looking at her quietly. Her sadness had been dispelled by him without her noticing.
