Chapter 31: Horizontal Waves and Wonderful Eyes
Tang Ying ate the dessert piece by piece, and became very happy. She also enthusiastically invited Fu Chen to taste it: "Would you like to try it, sir?"
Fu Chen rarely saw people happy about snacks, and his eyes became more warm: "Is it really that delicious?"
Tang Ying picked up the plate and handed it to him: "You will know after you try it, sir."
Fu Chen actually didn't like this kind of sweet snack, but he couldn't refuse the hospitality. He picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. He didn't think it was very delicious. It was just a common snack in the palace.
He was a trusted and powerful official beside the emperor. Every time he was waiting for an audience or on duty in the palace, he never lacked snacks to fill his stomach.
The palace servants served dishes to the guests, and all the snacks they brought were the best from the imperial kitchen. He would occasionally take a bite and drink tea to relieve the greasiness: "Isn't it too sweet?"
Tang Ying's eyes narrowed as she ate, and she was extremely satisfied: "It's not sweet, just right!" She said casually: "My lord, you really don't know how to appreciate the blessings you have. When you were defending the city, not to mention sweet snacks, even the grass roots and tree barks were eaten up." She pressed her cheeks: "My father's cheeks are so thin that they are sunken... sunken."
As soon as she said this, she was stunned.
At that time, she was still pressing Tang Yao's sunken cheeks and complaining: "Daddy looks ten years older when he loses weight. When the enemy retreats, I will buy a fat pig and slaughter it for Daddy to nourish him!" The words were still ringing in her ears, and she suddenly realized that the person was gone. Half a mouthful of snack was choked in her throat, and she choked with tears. Suddenly, she started coughing violently.
Sometimes she felt a little dazed. The farther she was away from White City and the longer the time passed, it seemed as if the collapse of White City was just a dream, as if in that distant place, her father and brother were still alive, galloping on horseback.
The girl lowered her head in a hurry, as if she wanted to let people see her embarrassment, and finally she could not bear it. Her thin shoulders bent down, her little head drooped pitifully, and she kept coughing while holding her chest. Fu Chen hesitated for a moment, and finally stretched out his hand, covered her back with his big palm, patted it twice, and rarely joked: "If you like, I will bring you snacks from the palace next time I am on duty. I won't snatch it from you in a hurry." But he was surprised by her spiky shoulder blades under his hands, like two open shells, sharp and thin.
He had a very sharp gaze and usually never looked closely at an unmarried girl, unless it was a female corpse or a female criminal in a case. In that case, he would focus on the case itself rather than the woman's weight.
However, when I took a closer look at the girl's waist, I found that it was so thin that I could hold it in one hand. I didn't expect that the body under her clothes was just a bunch of stubborn bones, and she was surprisingly thin.
"Yes, I'm just afraid that adults will snatch it from me." The girl seemed to have found a legitimate reason to cough, and she looked up and smiled brightly at him.
She couldn't see what she looked like at the moment. Her skin was as white as jade and she looked weak, as if she had not recovered well after a long illness. Her eyes turned red with a little tear, her eyes were crystal clear, and the strong shell on her face was crumbling. The way she tried hard to put on a disguise made people want to hold her in their arms and comfort her softly.
However, Fu Chen was afraid of scaring her.
He had long ceased to care about others without reason, and the indescribable feeling of pity and heartache seemed to make him particularly surprised. Why did he show up when he met Tang Ying?
Perhaps it was because she revealed too much of the Tang family's strong character, which made people doubt how such delicate bones could support such a sad past. There was always an illusion that she would not be able to hold on any longer and would end up with broken bones and soul, so people unconsciously wanted to protect her a little.
"There's a kind of snack in the palace that's made with goat's milk and is very famous. Next time I'll bring some out for you to try?" Fu Chen retracted his hand, but the prickly touch seemed to still remain on his palm.
The girl was very flattering: "My Lord, your word is a promise. You must not forget it." The redness of her eyes faded quickly: "Otherwise, the food in the mansion... I can't guarantee that it won't regress to the past level."
This time, Fu Chen laughed from the bottom of his heart: "Actually... I have long wanted to say that Lao Fei's cooking is awful." He was just not picky and did not indulge in food. There were more important things waiting for him to do. It was not that he had lost his sense of taste.
Tang Ying put the various snacks on the plate again and said, "My brother has never tasted the snacks in the palace. If you don't like them, I will bring them back for him to try."
"It's up to you." Fu Chen saw her find oil paper to wrap the snacks one by one, and he was very curious: "Your brother... is he a servant in your family?"
She was mentally prepared this time, and her tone was normal: "He is my brother's long-term attendant, a very good person."
The person who could be described by her as "very good", must be a truly loyal servant.
Fu Chen has been in the whirlpool of politics for too long. Every day when he wakes up, he is either calculating or being calculated by others. Before closing his eyes to sleep, countless conspiracies and tricks are still in his mind. He just thinks that the Tang family is a magical existence, whose simplicity and loyalty are enviable.
He was long past the age where he could easily draw conclusions about a person.
In the arena of fame and fortune, who can be as clear as a stream, daring enough to let people see the fish and stones in their heart, and even a little ripple?
※※※
When Princess Yuan Shu heard that the Feng Department was going to borrow Chunniang, Yaoniang and their subordinates, and even wanted to borrow Zhang Ying, she immediately flew into a rage: "She has just joined the department, and we don't even know what she is capable of. What's the point of borrowing her?"
In her opinion, the secondment was like Fu Chen telling her in person: This is the woman I want to protect!
It's such a shame!
Ah Rong added fuel to the fire: "Master Fu told this servant to get out, leaving that girl alone. A man and a woman alone don't know how to avoid suspicion."
She deliberately used the palace's self-proclaimed name to show closeness.
Princess Yuan Shu, after all, had been around the Imperial Noble Consort and had seen how her own mother used all her skills to suppress the concubines in the palace, so she quickly adjusted her mindset: "In that case, go and call Chun Niang and Yao Niang - forget it, just call Yao Niang over."
Yao Niang is Chun Niang's deputy. She has a charming and seductive appearance and dresses in a similar style. She is clearly in her early forties. It is said that she is about the same age as Chun Niang, but it seems like a generation apart.
Princess Yuan Shu disliked Yao Niang's dress and tone of voice, which both revealed a worldly air. She always felt that she was the kind of woman who could coax men into her hands anytime and anywhere with just a snap of her fingers. Age and status were not a problem, so she disliked her very much.
But compared to the ugly and scary Chun Niang, at least Yao Niang can speak normally and doesn't make people feel scared.
Yao Niang didn't know where she was dug out by the subordinates . She seemed to be still taking a nap, with her hair loose and her clothes in disarray. She stood in front of her in a coquettish manner, as if her bones were weak. She had to hold on to A Rong's shoulders to barely stand and gave her a perfunctory greeting.
"Princess, what do you want me to do?"
Yuan Shu didn't know how many times she had complained in her heart about the bedridden Grand Princess. It was said that the Grand Princess was very famous and in charge of the Phoenix Department, and she should not be underestimated. But after she took over the Phoenix Department, she felt that it was a mess and not as glamorous as the outside world said.
Look at who has been left behind for her?
The old, weak, sick, useless, stupid and prostitutes who were picked up from nowhere, not a single one of them looks presentable.
"Master Fu and this princess have seconded you and Chun Niang for official business. You will each select 20 men to go over. You must cooperate with Master Fu, fulfill your duties, and not slack off!"
"I will remember this." Yao Niang gently bent Yang Tao's slender waist and walked away gracefully.
She went into the inner prison and found Chunniang. She leaned against her without any image, sticking to her like a dog-skin plaster, and complained, "I really don't want to see the stupid face of the Ninth Princess again. Does she think that she has the title of a princess and dares to make decisions when she doesn't even understand the internal affairs of the Phoenix Department?"
Chunniang tried hard to tear her off her body: "Can you sit up straight?"
Unfortunately, Yao Niang seemed to be born with a few bones missing. She would never stand if she could sit, and would never sit up straight if she could lean on others. Moreover, she had been with Yao Niang for more than 20 years and was familiar with each other's temperament. She would not care about her scary cold face. She poked her injured face with her delicate jade fingers: "Don't scare me with your face, I'm not a new girl."
Princess Yuan Shu was frightened when she first met Chun Niang, and she has become a joke among them. Yao Niang often makes fun of her.
The subordinate waiting nearby burst out laughing.
Yao Niang leaned lazily on Chun Niang's shoulder: "What's the matter?"
The subordinate probably thought that Yao Niang had fallen asleep and missed a good show, so he said to Chun Niang in spite of her cold eyes: "The new girl who came today actually chatted happily with Master Chun, as if... she was not afraid of Master Chun."
Yao Niang straightened up, her eyes bright, "Hey, where's the little girl? Find her out and let me play with her for two days. It's been a long time since I've seen such a brave and interesting little girl. She's not even afraid of our Aunt Chun."
The subordinate said: "The little girl seems to be someone that Master Fu is protecting, and she is wearing Master Fu's Fei Luan."
Yao Niang stood up and said, "Come on, come on, didn't they say that the Feng Department was seconded? Let's go quickly." She smiled charmingly, like a cat about to steal some fish: "Fu Chen is very boring. I once suspected that he would not like the young lady. Maybe he has set his eyes on some young man. I didn't expect to see him protecting the young girl in my lifetime. I want to go and see who this young girl is."
Chunniang said with disdain: "She is just a stupid girl, please don't make her cry."
Yao Niang immediately stuck to her, as if her legs were just decorations, and she wanted to hang on her to go to Fengbu: "What's going on? I just took a nap, but it seems like a day in the mountains is a thousand years in the world? How come our heartless Aunt Chun also protected this little girl?"
Chunniang was furious and tried to tear her off: "Can't you be more dignified at your age? Which eye of yours saw me protecting that stupid girl?"
Yao Niang leaned on her shoulder and giggled: "Dignified? What does it have to do with me?" She put her pair of eyes in front of Chun Niang and said: "I saw it with both eyes!"
Chun Niang was ruthless and said: "Since you have made a mistake, you might as well dig it out!"
