Chapter 35: Cheating on Both Sides
Teng Yun and Fu Yingjun were very excited as they hadn't seen Tang Ying for a day and a night.
Zhang Qing was quite helpless: "Fu Yingjun almost ran away, and Tengyun refused to eat hay. These two are simply ancestors, horse ancestors!" They are too difficult to serve!
Yu San often laughed at Zhang Qing, but he became obedient when he saw Tang Ying. He quickly found an excuse to slip away - he couldn't afford to offend this person.
Through the fence, Teng Yun and Fu Yingjun both stretched their heads out to ask for a bite of food. Tang Ying held one in each hand to satisfy the wishes of the two Mr. Mas, and then personally added fodder and water before the two of them started to enjoy their breakfast.
The Second Prince saw that she had a close relationship with Teng Yun, and that Teng Yun was growing stronger and stronger under her care, and was in good spirits. He said jokingly, "If you don't know, you would think you are the daughter of Marshal Tang."
Tang Ying had her back to him, so she couldn't see his expression. She gave Teng Yun another bean cake and said, "Your Highness, if Miss Tang in the palace heard what you said, she would be sad."
Yuan Lang: "Teng Yun roared when he saw her and wouldn't let her get close to him. Don't you think it's strange ?"
Zhang Qing was standing not far away, and his expression suddenly became solemn.
——What does the second prince mean?
"What's so strange about this?" Tang Ying straightened up and turned to face Yuan Lang with a calm expression: "Marshal Tang has only one daughter, and he loves her very much. She is usually kept in the inner chamber. We are not like people from a small family like us who have to go out to make a living and have been used to taking care of animals since childhood."
If Yuan Lang didn't have the memory of his previous life, he might have been fooled by her explanation.
He was still wondering what went wrong that led Tang Ying to make a completely different choice from her previous life?
"That's true, young lady." Yuan Lang smiled gently. As a prince, he stood in front of the stable and chatted with Tang Ying, which was considered condescending. But he didn't say anything, and Tang Ying didn't feel flattered. After serving the two horses, she yawned and said, "I didn't sleep last night. If Your Highness wants to visit Tengyun, you can accompany it. I'll take my leave now."
"Young lady, don't leave yet," Yuan Lang stretched out his hand to touch Teng Yun, but it turned its head away, and there was still no progress. He seemed very distressed: "Teng Yun refuses to get close to me, what should I do?"
Tang Ying thought: It’s better not to get close to him.
"Perhaps Teng Yun is used to seeing rough people at the border, and he is not used to seeing someone as noble as Your Highness."
Yuan Lang: “…” This explanation is quite fresh.
He seemed to be melancholy: "I wonder if Miss Tang, who has lived at the border for a long time, finds me pleasing?"
When Zhang Qing heard this, he couldn't help but suspect that Yuan Lang had seen something. He secretly looked at Yuan Lang and found that he was standing there leisurely. He didn't know whether he was speaking from his heart or just talking casually.
Tang Ying's heart was filled with turmoil, but she remained calm on the surface: "You should go back and ask Miss Tang about this." She scratched her head and smiled foolishly: "To be honest with you, Your Highness, my father has raised me as his son since I was a child. I am used to the wilds, so I really can't guess what the young lady is thinking."
Yuan Lang pressed on, as if he had to get an answer out of her: "What do you think? Is Miss Tang willing to be the princess?"
"Your Highness, you are asking the wrong person." Tang Ying thought to herself, we are not related, so this is a bit too much. She said, "Miss Tang is from a military family, it is not something that common people like me have the opportunity to meet. I really can't say what kind of husband she wants to choose, so I don't want to mislead Your Highness. Your Highness might as well ask Miss Tang in person about the matter between the two of them, or the maidservants around her will be fine, after all, they are much more reliable than me."
"Are you talking about the girl named A'lian beside her?" Yuan Lang looked unintentional, but in fact he was staring at the expression on Tang Ying's face, not relaxing for a moment.
When he mentioned "Alian", he clearly saw the veins on Tang Ying's forehead jump twice, and then she suppressed it forcefully.
She laughed: "If Your Highness hadn't told me, I really wouldn't have known the name of Miss Tang's maid. It turns out to be... A Lian." She had always been guessing who the fake Miss Tang was, and she also suspected that A Lian had lost her life in the war. But since A Lian was alive, a gentle face appeared in front of her eyes - she should be alive too, right?
Isn’t Tang Ying Miss Tang?
Yuan Lang caught Ran's expression from the subtle expression on her face, and felt relieved: As expected, she should know this fake Miss Tang, right?
"I heard that Miss Zhang also escaped from Baicheng, so you two are from the same hometown. Miss Tang is in a depressed mood. When I have time in the future, I will ask Miss Zhang to go to the palace to comfort Miss Tang."
The Second Prince's words were full of concern, but Tang Ying refused to go: "Your Highness, you don't know that I was raised in the mountains since I was a child. I am rough and unsociable. I am afraid that I will not get along with Miss Tang, and I can't persuade her. If she sees me thinking about the White City, she will be more depressed. Isn't it my fault?"
It was rumored that the Second Prince was courteous, gentle and modest, but Tang Ying felt that he was a little aggressive today and instinctively felt disgusted. She didn't want to be led by him, so she simply rejected him.
Zhang Qing heard the conversation between the two. He stood aside and watched Yuan Lang's actions closely. He found that his expression when he looked at Tang Ying was very strange, an indescribable feeling, as if he wanted to get close to Tang Ying but was afraid of being rejected, or he was happy to meet an old friend again.
Yuan Lang approached Tang Ying and smiled faintly: "Miss Tang has a gentle and docile personality. She will definitely not embarrass you." He thought to himself: I'm afraid that the fake lady will be scared to death when she sees the real lady!
By then, the one who will be afraid will not be her, but the fake lady.
But Tang Ying refused to meet the fake lady, and Yuan Lang suspected that there was an irreconcilable grudge between her and the fake lady: "After the Emperor's birthday, if Miss Tang has no objection, I will ask the Emperor for permission to marry." He observed Tang Ying's expression and found that she did not seem to have any signs of objection. He couldn't help but feel happy and said with a smile: "Miss Zhang has solved my troubles and rescued Tengyun for me. Why don't you solve my troubles again and help me relieve Miss Tang's mood? We are from the same place, so I guess you both feel the same homesickness."
When the real and fake Miss Tang meet, the identity of the fake Miss will be revealed, and the real Miss will be the future Second Prince's consort. This life will definitely be different from the previous one.
Unfortunately, Tang Ying didn't understand his painstaking efforts at all and rejected him completely: "Your Highness, you are overthinking. Miss Tang and I may not see Baicheng the same way. I am a country girl and there is nothing to say to Miss Tang. Your Highness, please stop forcing me."
Suddenly, someone behind her interrupted: "Xiaoying, don't be so modest. A daughter of a general may not have the ability of a country girl." It turned out that Shen Qian had suddenly appeared. He was close to Tang Ying and couldn't bear to hear her belittle herself. He didn't care about Miss Tang, the descendant of a loyal martyr, and he just came up and stepped on her.
Zhang Qing: “…”Are you defending me or are you disgusted by me?
Lord Shen looked very unrestrained and wild today. The front of his moon-white robe was covered with paint and ink. His hair was disheveled and his hair crown was lost somewhere. He was wearing slippers and holding a painting in his hand, which he could not wait to raise in front of her.
"Xiaoying, I didn't sleep last night and I drew a new picture of a horse. Can you help me take a look at it?"
Yuan Lang's brows twitched slightly: "Xiaoying?" He would never forget his first wife's name, and he couldn't help but think too much when he heard this name.
"Oh, Lord Shen is not fussy about trivial matters." Tang Ying walked up to him and took the painting of a horse from his hand. She was immediately attracted by the horse in the painting. It was a galloping horse with its hooves raised, its texture clearly visible and its mane visible in every detail. It was none other than Fu Yingjun.
"The Second Prince is here too?" Shen Qian has devoted his life to eating, drinking and having fun. He is surrounded by a bunch of playboys who are also devoted to eating, drinking and having fun. Fu Chen is the only exception. However, he never talks to Fu Chen about the affairs of the court. Instead, he often wants to drag Fu Chen to enjoy life.
Yuan Lang had never known that Tang Ying and Shen Qian had such a close relationship, so close that they called each other by their first names.
Shen Qian invited enthusiastically: "I have several paintings in my room. Can you help me take a look? Is the Second Prince coming too?"
Yuan Lang frowned: "..." A single man and a single woman?
"Okay." He smiled and said, "It has been a long time since I have appreciated Lord Shen's paintings."
Shen Qian often stayed at Fu's house. The Handan Courtyard where he lived was second only to the main courtyard. It had everything from a study room to a living room. The three-room study was large, but he had messed it up. There were half-painted rice papers all over the floor, and it was difficult to even find a place to stand. On the walls were hung his most proud paintings that he had recently painted late at night. Most of them were of Fu Yingjun, but there was one scene of Tang Ying taming a wild horse.
The girl in the painting is hanging precariously on the wild horse, and the horse's front hooves are raised high, as if it will throw the person off the horse and crush her into meat paste at any moment. But the girl on the horse is not afraid at all, and even reveals a slight smile. She is not scared by the wild horse at all, but is confident.
As soon as Yuan Lang stepped into Shen Qian's study, he was attracted by this painting.
To be precise, I was attracted by the girl in the painting.
Standing in front of the painting, even he could feel the danger of that day, as if the wild horse in the painting would break through the paper at the next moment. However, the girl in the painting did not feel the danger, but instead faced it with a smile.
That spirited girl was completely different from the dignified and sad Tang in his memory.
But they are clearly the same person.
Yuan Lang stood in front of the painting, speechless for a long time.
Seeing this, Shen Qian praised repeatedly: "Second Prince has a keen eye for talent. This painting is my most proud work recently. If I hadn't seen Xiaoying training a horse with my own eyes, I would never have been able to draw such a painting!"
"Can you give me this horse training picture?" Yuan Lang suddenly asked.
Shen Qian was somewhat embarrassed: "Second Prince, this is not a good idea, right?" This was what he prepared for Fu Chen. This guy didn't say it, but he was very protective of Miss Zhang in his actions. It was hard to say whether he cared about the little girl or not. It was rare that he cared so much about someone, so as a brother, he naturally wanted to do his best to help.
Tang Ying hurriedly asked, "Lord Shen, didn't you say a few days ago that you would give me this horse training painting? The Second Prince is a modest gentleman, it's not right to take away someone else's love, right?"
"It turns out that Lord Shen has already agreed to Miss Zhang's marriage. I am so abrupt." Yuan Lang smiled modestly, without any displeasure, and praised: "Lord Shen's painting skills have improved recently. My cousin from the Wan family mentioned that Lord Shen has disappeared recently. I went to the mansion to look for him several times but couldn't find him. It turns out that he was hiding in Fu's mansion to paint." He chuckled: "My cousin is not doing his job all day long. I didn't tell him, so let him find it slowly by himself."
Lord Shen: "Thank you, Second Prince." He was very generous when he was happy: "The only painting here is the horse training painting. Your Highness can take any one you like."
Yuan Lang finally picked a painting of a galloping horse, and when he said goodbye, he also said that he would come to Fu Mansion to visit Teng Yun in a few days. Watching him leave, Shen Qian shook his head: "Why do I feel that the second prince came to Fu Mansion not to visit horses, but to visit people?"
Tang Ying wanted to take the horse training picture away: "Why do you care about him? He can't do anything in the Fu Mansion anyway."
"Hey, don't move." Shen Qian hurriedly stopped him, "Be careful not to tear it. Besides, do you think framing a painting doesn't cost money? Do I have to find a random nobody on the street to frame my painting and give it a wooden frame for two cents?"
"My Lord, you openly mock me for being poor, isn't that good?" Tang Ying reluctantly withdrew her hand and stood in front of the horse-taming painting to admire it with joy. "But since you painted me so well, I will be generous and not hold it against you!"
Shen Qian laughed: "Then I would like to thank Miss Zhang for her generosity!" He went to pick it up himself: "I will send someone to frame it later. It is yours and it will be yours."
Three days later, Tang Ying saw the horse training painting that Lord Shen had boasted he would give her in Fu Chen's study. It had apparently been framed.
Tang Ying: "He, he, he... Lord Shen actually lied to me!"
Her eyes were so fixed on the painting that she couldn't tear them away.
Fu Chen has been busy these past two days. As soon as he returned home, Shen Qian secretly stuffed a painting into his hand and repeatedly reminded him: "Don't show it to others." He was sitting in the study room, opening it to admire it, but he didn't expect the "others" Shen Qian mentioned to come in.
"What did he lie to you about?"
"He said he would give me this horse training painting and have it framed." Tang Ying had never been cheated so badly before. She moved her hands and heard her knuckles crackling, which made Fu Chen feel a little sad.
"Lord Shen might not be able to take beatings very well." When Fu Chen opened it, he fell in love with the painting at first sight. He felt a little sorry for Shen Qian and argued for him.
Tang Ying narrowed her eyes and said, "As long as you give me the horse training diagram, I will not pursue the matter of Lord Shen's deception."
Fu Chen rubbed his temples: "Did you all rob Baicheng?" He said seriously: "This is a gift from my old friend. It is a token of his love. How can I just give it to someone else? If my old friend knew that I gave the painting he gave me away, wouldn't he be sad?"
Tang Ying turned around and left: "I will go to Lord Shen to argue with him right away."
Fu Chen was both angry and amused - was Shen Qian doing this on purpose?
"He just said goodbye and went back to the Marquis' Mansion. He said that the concubines at home missed him too much and might be hiding in their rooms crying."
Tang Ying paused: "He he..." He actually has such a way of cheating. Will we never see each other again in the future?
Fu Chen smiled and asked, "How have you slept these past two days?"
Tang Ying worked three days in a row in the palace. She went back home to rest during the day. She felt that the dark circles under her eyes were getting worse. "Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine."
"Then you don't have to take your turn tonight. You should report to the office tomorrow morning."
