Chapter 68 Chapter 68 Fu Huaiqing is not Ji Ran, nor is he…

Biezhi's expression became slightly complicated upon hearing this.

Her bright, clear eyes followed Huyan Daji's figure. It was difficult to describe her current feelings. Thoughts, deliberately suppressed, surged up like a tidal wave, making it difficult to move.

Fu Huaiqing was not Ji Ran, nor was he hers alone.

He was the ruler of the world.

From ancient times to the present, emperors and members of the royal family have often had numerous wives and concubines.

Lifelong companionship does exist, but it never occurs in emperors. Their hearts are like split grapefruits, one segment given to one palace, another to another, and even obtaining a single segment is a rare achievement. This was true

for not only emperors but also high-ranking nobles.

She was greedy. She

wanted more than just a segment; she wanted the whole fruit.

If not a whole fruit, then it was better not to have it at all.

A chaotic, chaotic aura swirled in her heart, causing Biezhi's breathing to slow. She watched Huyan Daji follow Jiang Yue into the study. She pursed her lips slightly, glancing down at the girl in her arms. "I want to go and listen. Do you want to go?"

"Yes," Fu Shuning thought. Huyan Daji's private visit must have a purpose. She quickly put her arm around her neck and asked, "Shall we go secretly?"

Biezhi glanced at the surrounding walls and the patrolling guards who looked up in surprise. She gestured to them, and her nimble figure darted past like an arrow streaking across the sky. In an instant, she was hidden in a corner of the study courtyard.

The guards on duty inside were stunned for a moment, staring at the two men, seemingly stealthy but actually brazen, and exchanged bewildered glances.

In the end, they all pretended not to notice.

Biezhi and Fu Shuning, crouching carefully to the window, simultaneously crouched down, their ears pressed to the wall.

"I've come to ask His Royal Highness Prince Su if you've heard of our country's proposed marriage alliance with the Li Dynasty," Huyan Daji said straight to the point, without a trace of equivocation.

He glanced at the indifferent Prince Regent of the Li Dynasty, who sat behind his desk. He had heard of him years ago. Though a prince raised in the imperial city, he fought bravely and skillfully, rivaling even the steppe warriors. For nearly a year, his leadership had given even Helan Daisong considerable headaches. The next time

Huyan Daji heard of him, it was that he had killed all his relatives and taken control of the government.

This was within Huyan Daji's expectations.

If his sister could marry him, it would be a boon to the Xilan Kingdom, his sister, and himself.

However...

Fu Huaiqing, who had been staring at him for a long time, said calmly, "I've heard of it, so what?" Huyan Daji,

still lingering with a hint of anticipation, understood.

He had absolutely no interest in this.

"Before I came here, I also guessed that His Highness wouldn't be interested in this."

How could a man who could reach the highest peak, holding immense power, do something he didn't like? The marriage was a beautiful story to the outside world, but it was a completely different story for the person involved.

A glint of light flashed in Fu Huaiqing's eyes, and he looked at him with interest. "I've heard that the power struggles in Xilan are fierce, but seeing is believing. It seems to be true now. Otherwise, the prince wouldn't have thought of entrusting his son to someone else."

For a moment, Huyan Daji's fingertips trembled in his sleeves.

His expression remained unchanged. "I didn't expect Your Highness to be interested in the Xilan court."

Fu Huaiqing raised an eyebrow, without commenting.

"I firmly believe that others may not understand, but Your Highness will undoubtedly be the one who best understands my actions." Huyan Daji thought of the dissenting voices in the court, his eyes darkening. "Besides placing her in the Li Dynasty, I doubt any other place. She's only fourteen, the age of spring and romance. My mother and I wish her a carefree life."

Fu Huaiqing's gaze softened slightly. "How could you possibly believe, Prince, that I would obey your wishes and protect her?"

"If Your Highness is willing to help, I will certainly repay you with a generous gift." Huyan Daji crossed his arms, bowed, and performed the great Xilan Kingdom ceremony. He promised, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will treat you with great courtesy."

Hearing this, Fu Huaiqing gazed thoughtfully at the man before him.

After a moment's gaze, he leaned back slightly, leaning calmly against his armchair. "Since this is a transaction, it doesn't matter what Your Highness gives me; what matters is what I need."

Huyan Daji's expression faltered for a moment.

"I don't need anything else." Fu Huaiqing glanced at him and said, "I just need one person."

Huyan Daji, who heard the implication in his words, froze for a moment, and his expression changed several times in an instant.

Fu Huaiqing smiled and said, "Since Prince knows who I'm referring to, why don't you go back and think about it carefully? Give me your answer before leaving Beijing."

The moment he finished speaking, the study door opened from the outside.

Huyan Daji was silent for a moment, bowed, and retreated.

After watching his figure leave, Fu Huaiqing stood up.

He walked to the window, glanced at the empty window, and asked casually, "Aren't you two tired of squatting?"

The clear voice suddenly rang out, startling Fu Shuning's eyes. He couldn't help but pat Biezhi, who looked equally stunned, and asked silently, "What should we do, what should we do?"

Biezhi: "Run."

If you don't run, you'll be caught.

The two exchanged glances and rose simultaneously.

Just as they stood, they heard a noise behind them. Biezhi instinctively turned to look, only to see Fu Huaiqing nimbly clambering over the wall.

He reached out, one hand each, and grasped the back of their shirts.

Fu Huaiqing glanced at them, "What are you doing sneaking around like that?"

"We're definitely not here to see Huyan Daji," Fu Shuning quickly denied.

Biezhi: "..."

She looked at the confessing girl in astonishment. Fu Shuning, realizing what he had said in a panic, raised his hand to cover his mouth, shaking his head like a rattle, looking for help.

Forced into a position of support, Biezhi cleared his throat, his round, almond-shaped eyes widening slightly. He mustered his courage and said, "What? We're not allowed to look at other handsome men?" "

That's right," Fu Shuning nodded in agreement.

Fu Huaiqing glanced at her indifferently.

Sensing his gaze, Fu Shuning felt a chill run down her spine. She shrank back, stealthily taking a half step to the side, and ducked behind a girl who was slightly taller than her.

She whispered, "He's so fierce, sister, why don't you find someone else?"

Bie Zhi chuckled.

Then, remembering the situation, she stiffened her face again. "If you go see another pretty girl, I won't stop you."

Hearing this, Fu Huaiqing's face darkened.

He gazed at the stern-looking girl with a deep gaze. "You want me to go?"

Bie Zhi stared at him, speechless.

Fu Shuning peeked out, hesitantly looking at the spirited Biezhi. Seeing her expression suggestive of "just try it if you dare," he quietly retracted his head, hiding himself, and glared at his brother in the same way.

Fu Huaiqing: "..."

The expressions on their faces at this moment were practically identical.

Seeing that she was saying one thing and thinking another, and that she really had an expression that said she would bite her hard if she dared to take even half a step, Fu Huaiqing raised the corner of his mouth slightly and asked, "Do you want me to call him back and show you in person?"

His voice was slightly smiling, but in fact it was full of coldness. Biezhi felt that as long as she nodded, she would never see the prince of Xilan Kingdom in her life. She swallowed and said, "No."

Fu Huaiqing nodded with satisfaction, "Does he look good?"

"He looks good." Biezhi still couldn't learn to lie about this matter. If he looks good, he looks good. She recalled seriously, "He is not the same as the men in Beijing. His pupils seem to be a few points lighter than those of ordinary people, with a little gray."

In an instant, the gentleness on Fu Huaiqing's face disappeared.

He quietly gazed at the girl, whose thoughts were filled with memories of Huyan Daji, breathing deeper. "You're quite observant."

Seeing his expression grow darker, Biezhi felt a sudden sense of relief. She nodded sincerely, her eyes clear and innocent as she looked at him. "If you hadn't observed him more closely, how would you have known he wasn't as handsome as His Royal Highness Prince Su?"

Fu Huaiqing was stunned for a moment.

Seeing her brother's expression suddenly brighten, Fu Shuning blinked, inwardly admiring Biezhi as she stood before her.

Biezhi's words were neither false nor flattering.

She still felt that of all the men she had met, Fu Huaiqing was the most handsome.

Aside from his sometimes sharp tongue, he had no flaws.

If she had known that when she heard his buffalo voice, she should have silenced him immediately, before giving him the chance to choke her.

Otherwise, it would be better to play it quiet, listening without saying anything.

Seeing her thoughts drift elsewhere, Fu Huaiqing asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Biezhi, lost in memories, said crisply, "If I had known, I should have poisoned you to silence you."

Fu Shuning, who had been listening with rapt attention, let out a cry of surprise, unable to resist defending her brother's voice. "But no, brother's voice is still very nice."

"He was—" Glancing at Cheng Jin, who was approaching with a solemn expression, Biezhi stopped talking, her smile fading slightly. "Cheng Jin seems to want to see you."

Fu Huaiqing turned slightly.

Cheng Jin stopped, lowered his eyes, and bowed, saying, "Master, Jing Qing has been found."

Biezhi's back straightened slightly. "Where is he?"

"He's on his way to the Dali Temple," Cheng Jin said, pausing for a moment before adding, "Ling Feng brought him back."

Biezhi's eyelashes fluttered.

Without giving any more thought, she quickly ran towards the side gate of Prince Su's mansion, which was relatively close to the Dali Temple.

Cheng Jin quickly followed his prince's steps and said, "Ling Feng only said that he was found in the back mountain of the Xu family, and he didn't say anything else."

Fu Huaiqing glanced at him sideways and hummed coldly.

Bie Zhi ran very fast, so fast that the guards around her couldn't see her figure clearly, they only saw a black shadow passing by.

The moment she ran out of the door and bumped into a body that suddenly rushed out, there was a burst of exclamations from all sides. She hurriedly stopped and stepped forward to help the woman who was knocked to the ground, looking her up and down, "Are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?"

The woman who was knocked down shook her head.

The expression on her face revealed her discomfort. Bie Zhi frowned and called the guards: "Please help me find a doctor to check on this lady."

"Miss, I-"

The woman raised her head, and the moment she saw the girl's face clearly, her voice stopped in her throat.

After seeking help from the guards, Biezhi lowered her eyes and was stunned when she saw the scars on both sides of the woman's face. The scars didn't look like they were scratched by someone else. The direction of the injuries was more like she had scratched her face herself.

The woman stared at her blankly for a long time without coming back to her senses.

Biezhi had important things to do. Seeing that she was indeed not feeling unwell, she whispered a few words to the guards and rushed towards the Dali Temple.

The moment she left, the woman, who was supporting herself with her hands, subconsciously got up, as if to catch up with her.

Suddenly, a tear slid down her eyes.

Fu Huaiqing came up closely behind her, and the guard immediately stepped forward to report what had just happened. He glanced at her and saw the tear marks under the woman's stunned eyes. He glanced at her and ordered Jiang Yue to find the imperial physician to treat her.

Jiang Yue took the order and signaled the guards behind him to go to the imperial physician's office.

But in a moment, the side door of Prince Su's Mansion returned to silence.

The guard stepped forward to support the woman and said to the man who had come with her to deliver the harvested rice to the villa, her husband, "The imperial physician will be here shortly. Please follow me to the courtyard and wait for a moment."

The man thanked him profusely.

He helped his wife up from her stumble and immediately noticed something was wrong with her. Presumably injured somewhere invisible, he hurriedly asked, "Where did you bump into?"

"No, I'm really fine." The woman patted the back of her husband's hand soothingly, hesitantly looking at the guard standing by, then followed him into the courtyard. Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "Who was that girl just now?"

The trembling, slightly bitter voice fell as the guard leading the two into the courtyard, his expression slightly stern. "It's better not to ask about things you shouldn't know."

The man noticed his solemnity, worried that he might misunderstand his wife and cause unnecessary trouble, so he explained, "This is her first time seeing a woman in Prince Su's mansion, so she's naturally curious."

The guard nodded, but said nothing more.

The couple in front of him were both servants of the Prince Su's Mansion in the mountain villa outside Beijing. For more than ten years, it was the two of them who came to the Prince Su's Mansion to send off the harvest crops. Naturally, he would not doubt them too much.

Not long after, the imperial physician arrived.

The woman was indeed not seriously injured. It was just that when she supported the ground with her palm, she accidentally cut her palm with a small piece of gravel, leaving a small wound on her hand.

The imperial physician was still removing the gravel from her palm when everyone saw Jiang Yue who had suddenly returned.

The guards saw him come back and greeted him and whispered a few words.

Jiang Yue heard what he said, and his eyes vaguely glanced at the woman's face. He hummed to show that he knew. He did not stay for long, returned to the study, and rushed to the Dali Temple.

He hurried and caught up with the figures of his own prince and Biezhi.

"Your Highness." Jiang Yue took out the memorial from his arms and handed it to the carriage through the window.

Fu Huaiqing took the memorial and handed it to the girl, who couldn't help biting her lip. Her usually clear and bright almond-shaped eyes were now filled with irritation, a hint of impulsiveness, and a hint of confusion.

Biezhi, who had been pursing her lips and remained silent, caught a glimpse of the memorial and frowned slightly.

"This is a memorial Qin Xiao handed in after the morning court session today," Fu Huaiqing explained to her, "concerning the Hezhou case."

After staring at him for a long time, Biezhi took the memorial and opened it.