Chapter 47: Curse Class
In the middle of the night, Tang Ying limped to the top of the wall and was stunned: "...I climbed the wrong way?" She had an accurate sense of direction. It was Tang Yao who taught her how to find the way. She also had a good memory, so it was a skill she could show off.
But this is the first time I climbed the wrong wall.
She sat on the wall and looked around. It was a bit magical.
Could it be that the appearance of many mansions in the capital city is the same, so she found the wrong place? Last night, the garden was still a natural scenery, but tonight it looked a bit artificially trimmed.
The Fourth Prince had a full day's sleep. He woke up and ate some light food prepared by the newly granted imperial chef. He was just leaning against the bed reading a book to kill time when someone knocked on the window of his bedroom: "Fourth Prince?"
"Second Brother Zhang." He threw the book away and suddenly smiled happily.
The window was pushed open from the outside, and a tattered felt hat popped out first, followed by the bright smiling face of Zhang Erge. She jumped in from the window holding an oil-paper bag, one leg still limping, and rubbed against his bed. When she opened the oil-paper bag, a fragrant smell came out.
"I bought the roast chicken from Liu's specially. Isn't it delicious?" Then she took out a pot of daffodils in full bloom from the cloth bag on her back. The white petals and yellow stamens were fresh and lovely, and held it in front of him: "Yesterday I found that your room was too plain, so I stole a pot of flowers to add some life to it."
When it comes to stealing flowers and apricots, she is considered an expert, but now she is missing the person who spreads the news.
"Where did you steal it from?" Yuan Jian thought she was joking.
"Shhh..." Tang Ying put her index finger to her lips: "Keep it a secret!"
Yuan Jian's smile grew brighter. He took the narcissus and smelled the roast chicken. He felt surprisingly good: "Second brother, you are really my benefactor!" Suddenly he leaned forward and was about to vomit.
Tang Ying was stunned. She hurriedly took the narcissus and roast chicken and put them aside. "You want to vomit when you see an honored person? Isn't this way of welcoming someone too unique?"
Yuan Jian suppressed his nausea, covered his head and leaned back, and was amused by Brother Zhang's laughter: "I may be too happy, I am so happy that I am dizzy."
Tang Ying touched his head which was wrapped like a dumpling, helped him lean against the pile of quilts, and couldn't help scolding him: "I taught you to cry, make a scene, or even hang yourself when necessary, but I didn't tell you to hit your head against a rock. You think your head is made of diamond and it won't be a problem if you hit it a few times."
Even though Yuan Jian was scolded by Brother Zhang, he still felt very happy.
He was so happy today, but he had no way to share this happiness with others. Xiao Luzi and Xiao Qinzi, the two useless guys, cried with joy. The Chief Secretary of the palace was sent only when the palace was founded, and in his heart, they were not even his own people. Who else could he talk to?
This happiness was like fermenting wine, the longer it fermented, the stronger its flavor became. By the moment Brother Zhang opened the window, it had almost reached its peak.
He really needed someone to share what happened today.
"What does it matter? Second brother, you know, father has never spoken to me as kindly as he did today, and he has never said so many words to me. In the past, Huan Yanbo... was that fat guy!" He changed his name to Second Brother Zhang, and immediately felt it was appropriate and relieved: "Hahahaha fat guy!" After laughing enough, he continued: "That fat guy bullied me since I was a child, scolded my mother and me, saying that I was a bastard born of a bitch, and called me all kinds of nasty words. When I was so angry that I talked back, he beat me, and after beating me, he would complain first... He is so vicious and bad..." He kept chattering.
"That's called pus oozing from the top of the head and sores on the soles of the feet. It's awful! Doesn't it look like a big winter melon that's rotten from the inside?" Tang Ying tore off a chicken leg and was about to give it to him, but seeing that he was in high spirits, she stuffed it into her own mouth instead.
——Those beggars ate too much. She was standing by the pot cooking, but in the end she didn’t even get any soup, but they ate until their bellies were full.
Yuan Jian laughed so hard that he pounded the bed: "Second brother, you are so right!" He had been in the palace for a long time and had only wandered around bookshops and streets in the market. He didn't understand most of the slang in the market and even his curses were very polite. Meeting someone like Tang Ying, who grew up in a military camp with rough guys, was like opening the door to a new world for him.
Seeing that he had a limited vocabulary for swearing, Tang Ying simply taught him a long list of street swear words. She even greeted the Huan family's ancestors several times in a friendly manner. Yuan Jian was dumbfounded at first and didn't understand the meaning of some of the words. Tang Ying explained while eating, and when there was a pile of chicken bones under her feet, her small class on Chinese swear words came to a temporary end.
Yuan Jian had been learning the etiquette of princes since elementary school. Because his mother's background was looked down upon, he studied very hard in order not to embarrass himself again. He read about the ways of sages and the demeanor of gentlemen. However, he was led astray by Tang Ying's small class on national curses. He tried to greet the eighteen generations of ancestors of the Huan family, and then used national curses to curse Huan Yanbo from head to toe. He felt refreshed and even his head seemed to be less dizzy.
"Second brother, you are really interesting."
Tang Ying patted his shoulder with her greasy hands and said earnestly: "Young man, you still have a lot to learn." Suddenly, footsteps were heard outside and stopped at the door.
"Your Highness, Commander Fu is here."
"Fu... why is he here?" Tang Ying looked strange, and opened the window as if she had seen a ghost and was about to run away, not caring about the pain in her feet. Before she jumped out and closed the window, she warned, "Your Highness, don't tell Commander Fu that I was here."
Yuan Jian was confused:...Aren’t you two in the same group?
Oh, that’s not right. There’s no way a beggar and the commander of the Forbidden Cavalry can get together.
But when he thought of the reflective white second brother Zhang who appeared with Fu Chen, he became confused again, so...what's going on between you two?
Soon Fu Chen followed Xiao Qinzi over.
After he entered the room, his eyes swept over the pile of chicken bones on the floor beside the bed. He was slightly surprised at the living habits of the Fourth Prince, which seemed not to be very good. But when he glanced at the pot of daffodils on the low table beside his bed, he stopped.
If... he remembered correctly, there was a pot of freshly blooming daffodils on the bar table under the window of his study last night, and even the pot was exactly the same.
When he went back tonight, the pot of daffodils was gone.
Xiao Qinzi also widened his eyes and pointed at a pile of chicken bones on the ground: "Where did these chicken bones come from?"
"Are you confused? It was clearly me who ate it." Yuan Jian frowned and cursed Xiao Qinzi in his heart for being so tactless.
Commander Fu first asked about Yuan Jian's injury in a friendly manner with his icy face. Hearing that the injury was not serious for the time being and that he needed to stay in bed for a few days, he asked casually as if chatting, "Has Zhang Er been here?"
Yuan Jian thought to himself: If it weren’t for you, Lord Fu, coming over, my second brother and I would probably still be chatting happily.
But he dared not forget what Zhang Erge had told him: "No, Erge has never been here."
Commander Fu, who is familiar with interrogating prisoners, said: "The daffodils are very beautiful. Zhang Er didn't say where he got them from?"
"She said it was stolen." Yuan Jian: What did I say ?
The fourth prince made a prompt decision and pulled the quilt over his head: "I feel dizzy. I am not feeling well. I am sorry that I cannot entertain you. Farewell, Master Fu."
Fu Chen: “…”
Commander Fu witnessed the destructive power of Tang Ying's nonsense in the court today. Seeing that the Grand Princess was almost fainted from anger, he was afraid that she had a trick up her sleeve. After returning to the Imperial Cavalry Division, he hurriedly summoned Chun Niang and Yao Niang and asked tentatively: "If the Grand Princess and the Imperial Cavalry Division have different positions and a conflict arises, how will you two choose?"
Chunniang was still a little hesitant: "Well...it depends on who is right, right?"
Master Fu sneered: "Aunt Chun, is the Forbidden Cavalry Department a place for reason?"
The Imperial Cavalry Department is the emperor's sword, they can kill anyone they point their finger at, what's the point of talking about reason? Those who are talking about reason are all in the Golden Palace, haven't you seen a bunch of ministers in the court arguing until their lips are worn out?
Yao Niang simply stated her position: "Your Majesty originally intended to abolish the Imperial Cavalry Department. Before we entered the Imperial Cavalry Department, we were indeed slaves in the Grand Princess's Mansion. But since we entered the Imperial Cavalry Department, we have become your Majesty's subjects and hold official positions. Of course, we stand on the side of the Imperial Cavalry Department."
Fu Chen smiled: "Aunt Yao is a sensible person." He hinted to Chun Niang: "Aunt Chun, don't be confused. At this critical moment, the three departments of our Forbidden Cavalry Division must work together to overcome the difficulties!" Don't use the knife to stab your own people for no reason.
Only after finishing the work in the office did he have time to go home to find Tang Ying.
Commander Fu was riding home. Just as he left the Fourth Prince's Mansion, he saw a few snowflakes floating slowly above his head. He rode slowly towards home. When he arrived at the mansion, he did not rush back to his room, but went to the stable first to wait for others.
After a cup of tea, a little head popped out from the top of the wall, with a light layer of snow already on its tattered felt hat.
First, a dog-beating stick was thrown down.
Then someone sneezed violently: "Fuck, it's snowing!"
A faint voice came from inside the wall: "You still remember to come back?"
"Ghost!" Tang Ying, who had climbed walls countless times and claimed to be an expert at it, was so scared that she slid down from the top of the wall. She closed her eyes and prepared for close contact with the ground without any preparation, but she unexpectedly fell into a warm embrace.
"I'm scared to death!"
She refused to admit that she had slipped down accidentally, but rather that it was because the snow on the wall was too slippery.
When the Grand Princess urgently summoned Yao Niang, Fu Chen was catching the thief on the wall of his own house.
The thief accidentally fell into his arms, showing a bit of stupidity that was totally inconsistent with her behavior. She stared up at him blankly in his arms, with a few snowflakes falling on her eyelashes. She was completely unaware: "Sir..."
Last time in the office, Fu Chen just felt that she was thin. He patted her back and felt the sharpness of her shoulder blades. However, when the person was really in his arms, there was no warmth and warmth at all. He could only think of four words: skinny.
How did she torture herself into this state?
Commander Fu held the suspect in his arms, undecided whether to use "severe torture" or "gentle coaxing". He was familiar with 108 kinds of torture instruments, but at this moment he hesitated, thinking that no matter what interrogation method he used, he would not be able to get her true feelings.
"Sir..." The girl in his arms finally came to her senses and jumped down from his arms. When she landed, she forgot about her sprained ankle and almost fell in the snow. Fortunately, Sir Fu was quick to catch her around the waist.
"Aren't you afraid of spraining your ankle again when climbing the wall?"
Tang Ying: "...Sir, can you please look forward to seeing me?"
In a short while, the snow particles became denser and fell down like rubbed salt and pulled cotton wool.
Fu Chen immediately had a legitimate reason, "I see you can't walk, the snowy road is slippery, don't sprain your other foot." He picked up Tang Ying by the waist and ran to the study in the front yard, saying in a high-sounding manner: "There was a theft case in the mansion, and we need the young lady's cooperation in the investigation."
Tang Ying felt strange in her heart. She had a hunch that Lord Fu's behavior today was a little strange. Even if he treated her as a brother of the Forbidden Cavalry Division, he shouldn't carry her like a princess, right?
She felt a little uneasy and couldn't help but turn her head to look at the man running in the snow.
The public has sharp eyes, and the mainstream aesthetic is quite consistent with hers. Lord Fu has handsome features, and even his chin seems to be more refined than that of others.
An Shan, who was guarding the door of the study, saw his master rushing over in the snow holding a girl. He was almost startled when he came to meet him. His mouth was so wide open that two eggs could be stuffed in. He was so excited that he almost ran around the house twice to spread the good news to everyone.
——The master finally got it. There will be a mistress in the mansion!
In fact, Fu Chen carried the person into the study, which had nothing to do with the beautiful scene that Anshan had imagined. Lord Fu made full use of his expertise, facing the little girl who seemed to be frightened by his actions, and actually... began to interrogate the thief at night.
"What's up with the daffodils in the fourth prince's room?"
"What Narcissus ?" Tang Ying blinked her big eyes, looking innocently confused: "I just came back from the ruined temple, and I haven't had time to visit the Fourth Prince's residence. Is His Highness okay?"
"Don't interrupt." Fu Chen smiled and said, "You really don't know?"
As a master at stealing perfume and apricots, Tang Ying's psychological quality is very good: "Sir, if you have something to say, it's better to speak clearly. Why are you playing dumb?"
"You really didn't steal the daffodils from my room?"
Tang Ying was furious: "Sir, don't the Imperial Guards arrest suspects without evidence? Do they have to torture them into confessing?" She patted her chest and cried out: "God and heaven are my conscience! I have never seen your narcissus, whether it is red or white, tall or short, how can you put the blame on me? Who can prove that I touched your narcissus?"
She didn't care what conscience was.
"..." Fu Chen almost couldn't help laughing out loud.
He knew that the little girl in front of him was playing tricks. If she had met a real criminal, she would have been tortured several times and there would be almost no good flesh on her body. However, the suspect in front of him had eyes rolling around, and he looked much more lively than when Erlangshan first saw him, pale and weak, ruthless but uninterested.
"Xiong Yu saw it." He blackmailed her with a smile.
"Nonsense, Xiong Yu clearly followed you out." Tang Ying's face was several times thicker than the Fourth Prince's. She immediately realized that she had spoken out of turn, but then she justified herself: "Don't think I don't know, my brothers under my command saw it."
"Oh, it's only been a few days since he was released, and he already has his own information channels?" He was originally joking, but Tang Ying's face changed, like a snake being pinched at its vital point, struggling in vain to force a smile, shaking his tail to save his negligence: "...I also heard them chatting at dinner tonight, about how handsome Commander Fu of the Forbidden Cavalry Division is, and how great the young man who followed him is, so I guessed it was Xiong Yu. Don't let your imagination run wild!"
Fu Chen knew that she had brought her loyal servant to Beijing under the alias Zhang Ying and that she must have some ulterior motives. Anyone at the center of power could guess what was going on with the Tang family. The only difference was who was the one who did it and who was the beneficiary.
He approached the little girl, and after successfully seeing a trace of panic on her face, he sniffed her a few times: "Why do I smell the same roast chicken smell on you as the pile of chicken bones next to the second prince's bed?"
Tang Ying heaved a sigh of relief, as if someone had untied the rope around her neck. She rubbed her nose and flattered him, "Your Excellency is indeed very perceptive. No wonder you are so young and can sit in the position of the commander of the Imperial Cavalry Division!" She changed the subject and began to argue, "Borrowing flowers is such an elegant thing, how can you accuse me of stealing? It's such a bummer!"
Fu Chen was puzzled: "Borrow flowers?"
"Can you bring gifts when visiting a patient?"
Fu Chen: “…” He really doesn’t have the habit of giving gifts.
The little girl's tail seemed to be lifted up with pride: "I know that when you go to other people's houses, you are either to pass on an imperial decree or to arrest someone, either carrying an imperial decree or shackles." She "tsk tsk" twice: "Look, you have been a commander for so long that you have forgotten the ways of the world. I am not just offering flowers to Buddha, I sent them over for you a long time ago. Not only should you not accuse me of stealing flowers, you should also thank me for being so thoughtful for you!"
Fu Chen chuckled: "Really? How should I thank you?"
Tang Ying clung to the wall and struggled to slip past him: "My Lord, you took me in, and I have no way to repay you. Don't worry about these trivial matters, they are all what I should do!"
The two people were very close, so close that Fu Chen could smell the fragrance of her hair if he lowered his head, and so close that if he took a step closer, he could hug the slippery girl in front of him again.
However, he didn't do that in the end, and he took a step back without leaving a trace to make it easier for her to escape.
When the girl escaped to the door, he watched her leaving and suddenly said, "Tang Ying, there are traps everywhere in the capital. You have to be careful."
"Thank you for the reminder, sir." Tang Ying walked out of the room quickly without stopping. This time she walked alone, leaving a long trail of lonely footprints in the snow at the door of his study.
Some roads are destined to be walked alone.
