Chapter 50: A Hundred Years of Good Fortune
Fu Chen hadn't seen Tang Ying for quite some time, and a piece of news that came from the palace last night made him restless.
Ever since they separated on the night of the first snow, he had not seen Tang Ying in the mansion morning or night. Sometimes when he went to see Teng Yun and Fu Yingjun, he found that the two horses seemed to be well taken care of, but Tang Ying was like an invisible master and never appeared in front of him again.
Fei Wenhai's cooking skills were still improving. He seemed to have suddenly been enlightened and could eat delicious meals every morning and evening. One night, he came back from the Forbidden Cavalry Division and drank the hot beef soup. He also praised: "Uncle Fei's soup is becoming more and more fragrant now."
"It's Yingzi. She gave me the ingredients for the soup." Fei Wenhai rubbed his greasy hands with a smile, and mentioned Tang Ying as if he was his own niece.
Fu Chen was silent for a moment: "Hasn't she been home for several days?"
Fei Wenhai smiled and said, "Your Excellency is busy with official business every day, so it's normal that he can't see Yingzi. She comes back every day, feeds Fu Yingjun, and then comes to the kitchen to find something to eat." But most of the time she comes during the day, when Fu Chen goes out.
Fu Chen's knuckles turned white as he held the bowl. He said nothing and let Fei Wenhai go down.
He guessed that Tang Ying was deliberately avoiding meeting him.
But...why?
Just based on the closeness he showed, she jumped three feet high like a rabbit and then disappeared?
He was able to fight his way out of the sea of blood and corpses in Baicheng, dared to stop the bandits from robbing, beat up Liu Zhong and others in the Forbidden Cavalry Division, and even dared to debate with the Grand Princess in the court. So, you don't dare to face him?
Fu Chen thought to himself: Miss Tang’s courage seems to be more than this, right?
He went to find Yao Niang in person and asked about Tang Ying's whereabouts. Yao Niang smiled proudly: "Isn't this girl living in your house? Why didn't she tell you?" She had recently fulfilled her wish and was more pleased with Fu Chen: "She has now become my disciple and a member of the film department. After she finishes her apprenticeship, maybe you can work together."
Fu Chen's brows suddenly turned cold: "Aunt Yao, do you know who she is? How dare she take her into the Shadow Department so easily?"
"Hey kid, do you think your aunt is a fool? I naturally know who she is."
Fu Chen: "Auntie really knows?"
Yao Niang: "Of course. She told me a long time ago."
Fu Chen's heart was lifted.
"Isn't she Tang Ying, the daughter of Tang Shu, a subordinate of Tang Yao in Baicheng?"
Fu Chen: “…” This little liar!
If it weren't for Tang Yao's mount Tengyun, he wouldn't have dared to be sure of her identity.
"Then...why did she choose the alias Zhang Ying? Did she ever tell you?" Fu Chen asked tentatively.
Yao Niang sighed: "What else could it be? She said that when Baicheng was broken, she suffered some bad things. At that time, other people knew about it, so she let others think that she had died a long time ago, so she changed her name and changed her identity." Identity is just an external layer of skin. What matters is that a person is smart, clever and useful, and she just happens to meet this requirement.
Fu Chen's heart was twisted into a ball, thinking about the truth in the little liar's words. He softened his tone and begged Yao Niang: "Aunt Yao, can you kick her out of the Shadow Department? In fact, her personality is not suitable for the Shadow Department. If you have any request, I will definitely do it for you."
Yao Niang laughed: "Fu boy, who do you think your aunt is?" She pretended to touch Fu Chen's handsome face: "As an aunt, I love good-looking young men the most in my life. What do you think I want?"
Commander Fu remained calm: "Gan Jun."
Yao Niang withdrew her hand angrily: "There is nothing between him and me."
※※※
Tang Ying stabbed the man opposite her in the abdomen with a sword, hot blood splashed on the back of his hand, and the man knelt in front of her, holding his abdomen, still unable to believe it. Behind him was a pile of scattered corpses.
The little beggar opposite had almost half of his sleeves cut off, with the elbow joint as the dividing line, clearly distinguishing black and white.
He murmured: "...it turns out you are not really a beggar."
The Grand Princess's Mansion sent out six teams of troops, but all of them were defeated by the little beggar.
She used the capital city as a maze, constantly luring and consuming the guards of the Grand Princess's Mansion.
Tang Ying drew out the dagger, dragged her injured leg and walked closer to the man step by step. Her clear eyes were filled with murderous intent, but her voice was colder than the early winter night: "I wanted to spare your life to tell the Grand Princess a message, but now that you know, I can't keep you. I'm sorry, brother!"
The cold light of the dagger flashed across the man's throat, and he died with his eyes open.
Tang Ying leaned against the wall to rest for a while, then pulled out the long sword from the man's abdomen and stabbed the guards of the princess's mansion one by one to make sure that none of them were not dead.
While she did all this, she was as calm as a stone statue, without a trace of worldly energy.
The lanterns at the gate of the Fu Mansion were hung high, illuminating the whole area.
Tang Ying moved closer, leaning on a stick and carrying a broken bowl. With half of her body still buried in the shadows, she became exhausted and sat down on the stone steps at the door.
The door behind her creaked open, and the tall man stepped out of the door, came in front of her in a few steps, and looked down at her.
Without saying a word.
Tang Ying raised her narrow face. She seemed to have lost weight recently. She put on a meaningless smile and chatted with him: "...I'm back to beg for food."
Fu Chen held his breath and waited for half the night, and finally blocked the person at the door. He frowned and looked at her in a dishevel. She couldn't wear that beggar's outfit tomorrow. There were several scratches on the front and back, and her body was covered in blood. Fortunately, it was dark in the middle of the night and she didn't meet the night patrol, otherwise she would have been caught and beaten half to death.
"Get up." The man stretched out his hand. His fingers were long and slender, with even flesh and bones. On his thumb was a well-made jade ring.
"It's a nice night, I want to sit and enjoy the scenery..." She still had the second half of her words in her throat when the man bent over and picked her up. She fell into his broad and warm arms: "Aren't you just being naughty and wanting me to hold you?"
Tang Ying tried to push away the man's chest that was too close with her hands: "Your understanding ability is really...unique." However, the man was holding her too tightly, unless she ignored her leg injury and jumped down.
"Behave yourself, or I'll throw you into the lotus pond." When Fu Chen picked her up, his palms felt wet with blood, and his guess came true. She was indeed injured in the leg, and she probably ran out of energy and couldn't walk anymore, so she sat down at the door to rest. Otherwise, with her jumping ability, she would probably climb the wall.
"Are you usually so casual about trivial matters, sir?" This was the second time Tang Ying was hugged by him without any explanation. She felt uncomfortable and wanted to talk more and more to dispel the embarrassment.
Unfortunately, Master Fu didn't seem to be prepared to do what she wanted, and actually answered her question seriously: "Never." The man's eyes met hers, as if he wanted to look deeply into her heart: "It was only after I met you that I started to be more casual."
Tang Ying thought at a loss: Did I reveal my dissolute side somewhere, causing Lord Fu to mistakenly believe that I have no sense of justice between men and women?
While she was reflecting on herself, the tall and long-legged Lord Fu had already carried her into the front yard, and then through the courtyard and corridor, and directly carried her into his bedroom.
Tang Ying forced a difficult smile: "Sir, it doesn't seem appropriate to break into your house so late at night, does it?" This time she really couldn't figure out Sir Fu's intentions and wanted to struggle to jump out of his arms.
I've heard of unspoken rules. Besides, the female spies in the film department play all kinds of role-playing, from the graceful prostitute to the gentle and talkative concubine who can add fragrance to the study and the charming bedside, the beautiful girl from a small family or the down-and-out lady from a noble family... There are all kinds of types, depending on the customer group they are facing.
She looked down at her beggar's clothes covered in blood and mud, and felt that Lord Fu would not be so harsh.
Fu Chen didn't bother to pay attention to her stubbornness. He put the person on the stool and hurried out. Soon, the brothers An Shan and An Mao came in with hot water. They poured bucket after bucket into the big wooden barrel behind the screen in the house, and then walked out with their heads down, not daring to look around.
All the irrelevant people left, and Fu Chen came back in and closed the door. His tone was calm as if he was inviting her to dinner, but he was talking about something else: "Do you want to take it off yourself or do you want me to help you?"
Tang Ying covered her chest tightly and widened her bright eyes: "Sir, I didn't think you were such a beast!" She was aware of her current image.
For the first time tonight, Fu Chen laughed out loud.
He took a few steps with his long legs and came in front of her. He bent down and looked her in the eye, as if he was very satisfied with the result. "Then why have you been avoiding me these days?"
"How could I be hiding from you?" Tang Ying chuckled, and imitated Yao Niang's appearance, pretending to touch Fu Chen's face - colleagues in the Film Department were complaining crazily, saying that Lord Fu had a face that made people salivate, but was as pure and ascetic as a monk, and would not let even the corner of his clothes be touched by female donors, as if only in this way would they not defile the Buddha he worshipped in his heart.
She had expected that Lord Fu should take three steps back to avoid her touch, but she didn't expect that the rumor was wrong. Lord Fu actually took a step forward and put his face into her palm. The man's warm face fell into her palm, which scared Tang Ying so much that she stepped back, forgetting that she was still sitting on the stool, and almost fell off.
"You, you, you..." Tang Ying was held by the waist and sat back on the chair. She didn't know whether to blame Fu Chen for making excuses for herself. She quickly put on the mask of a decent woman being insulted and took the lead in turning the tables, accusing Master Fu of being indecent: "Master, how could you do this?"
"What about me? Don't you want to touch me? I'm afraid your legs and feet are inconvenient, so I deliberately moved closer."
Tang Ying was really convinced - in terms of thickness of skin, there was still a gap between her and Lord Fu.
"Your Excellency is really considerate. Thank you for your kindness!"
She stood up with the help of the table and walked behind the screen. Nothing could resist her desire to take a hot bath on a winter night. She was tired and sleepy today and just wanted to take a hot bath to treat her wounds and bury herself in the warm bed.
Fu Chen originally thought that she would refuse or ask him to leave, but he didn't expect that she would actually turn behind the screen without any worry. He said through the screen: "The clothes inside are newly made by me and I haven't worn them yet."
Through the screen he heard the sound of her clothes falling to the ground, her mumbled "I know", and the sound of water splashing. He suddenly felt a little hot in the room, as if the hot air in the wooden barrel penetrated the screen and hit his face, making him feel damp and stuffy.
When he carried her back to the room, he had only one thought in his mind, which was to wait for her to wash clean so that he could treat her wounds. However, after he carried her in and heard the sound of her taking a bath behind the screen, countless complicated thoughts surged in his mind, making him feel a little difficult to breathe. He directly opened the door and went to the yard to get some fresh air.
The two brothers Anshan and Anmao were standing in the yard gossiping, lowering their voices to discuss their master's private life: "Master actually allowed someone else to use his bathtub... and even took it back to his room, what do you think is the relationship?"
Is this even necessary?
As the older brother, he still has to show his authority appropriately: "Don't talk nonsense." Then they looked at each other, and the two brothers laughed softly. When they turned back, they were almost scared to their knees.
——Five steps away, Lord Fu, who was being talked about, was standing there with a gloomy face, and no one knew how much he had heard.
Anshan: “…”
An Mao: “…”
Sir, could you please make some noise?
Tang Ying carefully avoided the wound and took a comfortable hot bath, revealing her true face. Because of the hot bath, her fair face had a little more color. She tilted her head to use a towel to absorb the water on her hair, and finally looked like a lady.
However, the topic of discussion had nothing to do with ladies.
"Isn't Aunt Yao from the Grand Princess's residence? Why do I feel like she and the Grand Princess don't get along?"
The moment Fu Chen stepped into his bedroom again, he felt something was wrong.
His eyes, seemingly casual but actually premeditated, stole over her several times. He felt that the clean-cleaned Miss Tang was indeed as Yao Niang said, a promising talent. She should be able to act pitiful and charming, and it didn't seem difficult for her to be a lady from a noble family... It made him wonder how to treat her.
"How did you feel that?" In order to distract his attention and prevent his eyes from involuntarily glancing at her, Fu Chen tried hard to adjust his attitude, trying to regain the cold and indifferent attitude he had when discussing business in the Forbidden Cavalry Division, but all failed.
He suspected that Miss Tang had thrown some of the Shadow Department's enchanting fragrance into the bath water tonight, which was why he kept losing consciousness.
Tang Ying had already treated her wound behind the screen. Lord Fu was very thoughtful. The medicine box was fully stocked with fine white cloth and hemostatic powder, which were placed on the shelf next to her.
She had no intention of dragging Fu Chen into this. She just thought that he had been in the Imperial Cavalry Division for a long time, so she could get some useful information from him. "The Grand Princess's Mansion has sent people to cause trouble for me recently. Aunt Yao asked me to kill them without hesitation. No need to be polite."
It seems that someone else told Aunt Yao about her beating up Liu Zhong and others, so she used the people in the Grand Princess's Mansion to test her, and by the way... secretly consume the Grand Princess's manpower.
Fu Chen suddenly realized: "Are all these injuries on your body caused by the people in the Grand Princess's Mansion?"
He should have thought of it earlier that the Grand Princess would not give up easily. He only heard that she had been looking for people everywhere to plead for Huan Yanbo recently, and he thought she had no time to deal with Tang Ying. She had to finish her only son's affairs before she would have time to deal with Tang Ying.
"Where are you hurt? Is your leg seriously injured?" Fu Chen squatted down with concern, and stretched out his hand to lift the corner of her robe, but then he pulled back awkwardly and asked in a low voice: "Can I take a look?"
Tang Ying didn't care: "It's already been bandaged. It's not serious. I just need to rest for a few days."
Fu Chen frowned slightly and figured it out: "You have been elusive recently. Could it be that you are not deliberately avoiding me, but are being hunted by people in the Grand Princess's Mansion?"
"What else?" Tang Ying suddenly raised her head, her glass-like eyes showing a smile: "My Lord is not a man-eating tiger, why should I hide from you? I just don't want to bring trouble to the mansion."
actually not.
She smiled deliberately, then turned her head away guiltily, fearing that Fu Chen would notice something.
Fu Chen believed her words, and a stone in his heart fell to the ground. He pointed at her nose and said, "You are a liar! You lied to Aunt Yao that you are Tang Shu's daughter. It's a good thing that Aunt Yao didn't plan to thoroughly investigate your identity."
Tang Ying lowered her head and patiently dried her hair with a cloth. "The household registration documents of Baicheng were burned in the war, and many people are gone. It is not easy to find out about a person. If Aunt Yao is worried about me, just investigate slowly. I always feel that she is using me to deal with the Grand Princess, but I also happen to hate the Grand Princess's tyranny and cruelty. Aunt Yao and I hit it off and each gets what we need."
"Aunt Yao must have been dissatisfied with the Grand Princess for a long time." Fu Chen was surprised by her intelligence: "You are quite perceptive. I heard that Aunt Yao was sent on a mission by the Grand Princess before she got married. She broke the engagement when she came back. Something must have happened during the mission. These are the secrets of the previous generation of the Forbidden Cavalry Division. Many people don't know. But I have always guessed that Aunt Yao hated the Grand Princess because of this incident. She took advantage of the Grand Princess sending people to chase you and let you clip the Grand Princess's wings. Even if you can't hurt her, you can at least wear down her manpower."
"Oh oh..." Tang Ying didn't expect that there was such an old story hidden. After digging up what she wanted to know, her mood couldn't help but improve: "If that's the case, then I'm relieved." She stood up with the help of the table: "Thank you, sir. It's too late, so I won't disturb you to rest."
When she reached the door, a thick cloak was put on her body, the hem of which dragged on the ground, but the person who put it on showed no pity: "Be careful not to catch a cold."
She pushed open the door and breathed in the cold air outside. It was as if she had suddenly been thrown from a warm dream into a cold reality. Her heart, which had been softened by Master Fu's meticulous behavior, hardened again. She said, "Master, in the future... don't take care of me too well."
She now understood that the land of gentleness was the cemetery of heroes.
Receiving too much warmth would only soften her will, making her want to slack off sometimes.
Deep down , who doesn’t crave warmth?
The man behind her chuckled and answered her, "I heard that the Second Prince brought the orphan of the Tang family back to the capital, and took good care of him along the way. Yesterday, he even went to the palace to ask the Emperor for a marriage!"
Tang Ying turned around abruptly: "Marriage granted?"
Fu Chen: "Yes, please ask His Majesty to grant him a hundred years of happiness with Tang Yao's daughter."
From the moment the news reached his ears, he was filled with annoyance and had no place to vent.
"Is he crazy?" If the Second Prince was in front of her, Tang Ying might scold him.
Fu Chen thought to himself: He didn’t know whether the Second Prince was crazy or not, but he felt that he was crazy!
