“Your humble subject greets Your Imperial Highness, may you have peace and health.” Fatty Liu, along with Wang Yanhe and the others, had spotted the Prince’s carriage from afar. They carefully adjusted their attire, preparing to make a good impression. As the carriage finally approached, they hurried forward to greet it.
“Fancy to see you here, Fatty Liu.”
To their surprise, when the curtain of the carriage window lifted, it revealed a face they definitely didn’t want to see.
“Yun Fuyi? Why is it you?!” Fatty Liu stared in horror at the person leaning out of the window. ‘Why is Yun Fuyi in the Prince’s carriage?!’
“My dear little brother, is that how you greet your elder sister? No bow, no polite words?” Fuyi smiled and tilted her head. “It’s only been a few days since we last met, and you’ve already forgotten all the proper manners?”
Behind Fatty Liu, his buddies Wang Yanhe and Chen Yuanzhi quickly took two steps back, and even the large black dog they were holding tucked its tail between its legs, desperately trying to hide its presence.
“Y—you can’t scare me! I brought plenty of people today, I…” Fatty Liu glanced behind him, only to see that all his good buddies had distanced themselves by a good ten meters away. When he looked at them, they all avoided eye contact, heads bowed.
Their betrayal hit Fatty Liu’s heart harder than the winter storm. Gritting his teeth, he turned his head back little by little, trying to maintain an air of bravery as he met Fuyi’s teasing gaze. “A-are you so bold that you dare to occupy the prince’s carriage?”
Fuyi: “…”
Let her say this once again: ‘I’m an idler, not a fool!’
“No, wait a minute,” Fatty Liu continued, “Wasn’t it said that you made too many enemies, and someone hired assassins overnight to come after you? They said you were running into the Magistrate Office and hiding dare, too scared to come out.” But she looks pretty normal?
“Do you really believe such rumors?” Fuyi rolled her eyes. “If you want to watch something fun, you should head over to Ning Wang Manor.”
Something big was happening in Sui Ruijing’s place, of course she had to promote it!
From inside the carriage, a light cough was heard. Mo Wen, who had been quietly standing nearby, stepped forward and addressed Fatty Liu. “Excuse us, Liu Shizi, Yun Junjun has been startled and needs rest. His Imperial Highness is in the middle escorting her back home. May you choose another time if you wish to catch up with her?”
‘What the—the Prince is also in the carriage?!’
Fatty Liu nodded in a daze, and only after the carriage had moved off into the distance did he return to his senses, slapping his thigh in realization. “This is bad! She’s already clinging to His Imperial Highness’ thigh!”
“Didn’t you hear about how Yun Fuyi earned merit by saving Her Majesty? How could you not know?” Wang Yanhe elbowed Fatty Liu, “Listen, Liu Shizi, take my advice—stop going up against Yun Fuyi.” He spoke seriously, his eyes saying what his words didn’t: ‘All these years, have you ever won against her?’
“Don’t go boosting the enemy’s morale while crushing mine,” Fatty Liu clenched his fists. “One day, one day, I’ll reclaim every bit of humiliation I’ve endured!”
Wang Yanhe: “…”
‘You sure have ambition, but wasn’t this what you said three years ago?’
‘Three years came and went, and then three more after that… you sure are a stubborn one.’
After his solemn declaration, Fatty Liu turned and started running in the direction of Ning Wang Manor. “Forget it, let’s go check out what’s going on at Ning Wang’s place first!”
…
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Yun Manor. Fuyi stepped down from the carriage as the curtain behind her was drawn down.
“Miss Yun.”
Fuyi paused and looked back toward the carriage. Because the curtain was lowered, she couldn’t see the Prince’s face.
“Take care until we meet again.”
“Thank you, Your Imperial Highness, for escorting us siblings home. Please travel safely,” Fuyi said with a perfect curtsy. By the time she looked up again, the carriage was already slowly moving away, the silhouette of the prince still sitting upright inside.
“So sleepy,” she muttered, leaning against Xiayu, who was waiting for her at the gate. “Don’t wake me for lunch. I’m going to sleep.”
…
Not long after Fuyi woke up from her midday nap, the rewards from the palace arrived. The Emperor had bestowed her a piece of his personal calligraphy, but compared to the gold, silver, jade, and medicinal herbs that the empress had sent, the emperor’s reward seemed rather shabby.
“His Majesty’s brushwork is quite…” Fuyi stared at the scroll for nearly the length of half an incense stick of time until she finally came out with proper imagery. “It’s like a whirlwind in summer and falling leaves in winter—full of majestic freedom and boldness.”
Yun Wanggui, who had rushed back from the Ministry of Revenue, knew what his daughter actually meant and cleared his throat. “His Majesty lost his mother as soon as he was born. The previous emperor, misled by wicked courtiers, believed that His Majesty brought misfortune to his parents and kept him outside the palace. As a result, His Majesty didn’t receive much education in his youth.”
“His Majesty loves gifting his calligraphy to his courtiers on holidays and festivals. He seems very confident in his brushwork,” Yun Zhaobai added. “In fact, anyone who doesn’t have a few pieces of His Majesty’s personal writings at home can hardly claim to be a valued courtier.”
“Hmm…” Fuyi rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Isn’t it possible that His Majesty is just… frugal?”
There was another, more commonly used word for frugal: stingy.
…
“All of this was sent to the Yun family’s girl?” The emperor sat cross-legged on the empress’s bed, trembling as he held the gift list in his hand. “All of this?”
“Yes,” the empress said, removing the hairpins from her head and handing a jade comb to the emperor. “Now, now, put down the list and help me loosen my hair.”
Taking the comb, the emperor began brushing his beloved wife’s hair. “Minister Yun has been nothing but loyal to me, and Yun Fuyi has earned merit by saving your life. Yesterday’s attack gave us an excuse to cleanse the court of the late emperor and the Zeng clan’s people. Giving her some jewels is only proper, only proper.” He continued mumbling, as if to convince himself. “But that jade screen fan—Heng’er really liked it. How could you have given it away?”
“Did he?” The empress sat up, puzzled. “But when he returned to the palace and saw the gift list I prepared, not only did he say nothing, but he even added two strings of jade beads to it.”
The emperor: “…”
So, while he was painstakingly saving money by writing calligraphy, his son was casually giving away expensive jade beads?
A father’s heart aches when his son is unfilial!
Heartbreaking, truly heartbreaking!
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Author’s Note:
The Emperor: “Heartbreaking, truly heartbreaking. Real heartbreak isn’t loud and dramatic…”
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Oh, another lovable Emperor. yay