The night wind blew in from the windows on the seventh floor, lifting the wide sleeves and hem of the Imperial Preceptor’s robe, making him appear even more otherworldly.
Gu Fu held her breath slightly and then spoke, “After all, I am a young lady. How can I inquire about the name of an unrelated man?”
However, even she didn’t believe these words, let alone the Imperial Preceptor.
Thus, the Imperial Preceptor’s expression didn’t warm up in the slightest. He simply uttered two words, “Fu Yan.”
It took Gu Fu a few moments to react before she caught up and asked, “Which characters specifically?”
Fu Yan sat down at the desk, spread out a piece of paper, and picked up a brush to write his name.
His slender strokes were vigorous and graceful, with strength penetrating the paper. Gu Fu looked at it with admiration and unconsciously murmured, “Fu Yan, Fu Wangxi.”
Gu Fu’s voice was ambiguous, and at this moment, her low murmur sounded particularly intimate.
Fu Yan lowered his eyes, his emotions unreadable, until Gu Fu asked him, “Can you write my name?”
Only then did Fu Yan lift his eyes and coldly replied, “No.”
Then he answered Gu Fu’s initial question, “His Majesty sought me out because I haven’t been taking my medicine lately.”
“Medicine?” Gu Fu was surprised, “Are you unwell?”
Fu Yan picked up a tea cup beside him and said, “I can’t sleep.”
Hearing this, Gu Fu grabbed his arm and said, “If you can’t sleep, you shouldn’t be drinking tea.â
“Now I can sleep,” Fu Yan said, though he still placed the teacup down at Gu Fu’s prompting and looked at her.
After a moment of being stared at, Gu Fu finally reacted, “Because of me?”
Fu Yan nodded, “As long as I stay near you for a while, I can sleep soundly through the night. That’s why I previously asked if you have something that others don’t.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Fu sniffed her own arm and then stood up, spinning around in place, “There shouldn’t be… anything.”
Fu Yan had been observing these past few days and naturally knew that there was nothing unusual about Gu Fu. Still, he said to her, “You should try to find out. If not…”
If not, this arrangement might have to continue indefinitely.
Fu Yan was aware that the Gu family wanted to marry Gu Fu off, but if she were to get married, it would be inappropriate to have her come to him at night. To prevent his newfound sleep from being disrupted, he might have to take some measures to stop that from happening.
Fu Yan didn’t explain everything, fearing that being too forceful might provoke resistance in Gu Fu.
Unexpectedly, Gu Fu asked, “Why can’t you sleep?”
Fu Yan was taken aback.
Gu Fu continued, “We should figure out why you can’t sleep, to understand why being near me helps you sleep, right?”
Fu Yan remained silent for a long time before avoiding her gaze and walking towards the staircase, “It’s late, you should go back.”
Gu Fu watched his back, understanding that he didn’t want to talk about it.
But the less Fu Yan spoke, the more curious Gu Fu became. She glanced at the paper with Fu Yan’s name on the table, feeling a premonition that one day Fu Yan would tell her the reason for his insomnia.
Don’t ask whyâjust call it confidence.
The next morning, when Fu Yan woke up and went to the seventh floor, he found that the paper with his name on it had disappeared. He asked the young attendant and learned that the paper was already gone when the attendant tidied up the table last night.
So most likely, Gu Fu had taken the paper.
Wen Xi’s trip did not go smoothly.
First, the wheels came loose, and then the purchased goods inexplicably got damp, causing delays for several days before he finally left the city with two large carts of items.
Then, he encountered something even stranger.
On the way, he ran into an acquaintanceâWei Shaoqing, the grandson of Grand Tutor Wei. Wei claimed he was visiting a friend but looked extremely anxious and didnât have time to exchange more than a few words with Wen Xi before hurrying off.
Wen Xi thought it was just a coincidence until he saw Wei Shaoqing again shortly after. This time, Wei was accompanied by Lin Yi, the young general from the Southern Frontier General’s residence, and another man Wen Xi did not recognize. The three were riding horses together, and the atmosphere was tense, almost hostile.
Wen Xi was frightened but still mustered the courage to approach and greet them, inquiring about the situation.
The first to respond was Wei Shaoqing, who had the closest relationship with Wen Xi among the three: “Nothing much, just a chance encounter.”
Wen Xi detected the gritted teeth in Wei Shaoqing’s tone and felt something was off. He then asked Lin Yi, “Brother Lin, where are you headed?”
As soon as he said that, the cold wind seemed to get even colder.
Lin Yi, who had a dark complexion and a tough demeanor, curtly replied with four words: “Visiting a friend.”
Wen Xi tried to make conversation: “What a coincidence, Brother Wei is also visiting a friend.â
After Wen Xi said this, everyone fell silent. Wen Xi stammered, “Did I say something wrong?”
The other man Wen Xi didn’t recognizeâXie Zichenâsneered and sarcastically said, “It’s not your fault. It’s just that before you came, we had a conversation and discovered some strange things.”
Wen Xi wasn’t sure if he should continue asking questions. Hesitating, he missed the chance to respond and decided to stay silent.
But after traveling together for a while, passing several intersections without anyone splitting off, Wen Xi couldn’t help but ask again, “Are you all headed to the same place?”
No one answered him, but Wei Shaoqing spared him the embarrassment by changing the topic, asking, “What are you doing out here in the cold instead of staying at home?”
After holding it in for a while, Wen Xi finally blurted out, “Visiting a friend.”
“Whoaâ”
The other three simultaneously stopped their horses, and Lin Yi even grabbed Wen Xi’s reins, forcing him to stop with them.
Wen Xi panicked, “Wh-wh-what’s wrong?”
Wei Shaoqing looked at him with an expression that was hard to describe, “Is your friend a man or a woman?â
Wen Xi blushed. How could he answer this? If people knew he was going to see Tang Mumu, it would ruin her reputation. The other three inferred the answer from Wen Xi’s reaction. Xie Zichen also asked, “Is she your sweetheart too?”
Wen Xi was puzzled, “âŚtoo?”
Lin Yi, being straightforward, directly asked, “Is your friend Seventh Miss Tang?”
Wen Xi’s eyes widened in shock. However, no one explained what was going on. Judging from Wen Xi’s expression, they confirmed the answer, and Lin Yi released Wen Xi’s reins. The group set off again.
With the cold wind hitting his face, Wen Xi walked between Wei Shaoqing and Lin Yi, feeling extremely anxious. But the next incident left him even more astonishedâ
Someone behind them approached at full speed on horseback. To avoid colliding with the two large carts Wen Xi had brought, they nearly crashed into Wen Xi.
That wasnât the end of it. The stranger had a peculiar accent and a very aggressive tone. He shouted at them, “Get out of my way!!”
Lin Yi, already in a foul mood, couldn’t tolerate being yelled at, “Who dares bark at me like a dog in front of me?”
“How dare you!” The stranger, accompanied by his guards, drew his sword to confront Lin Yi.
But the foreigner didn’t care about Lin Yi at all. He only wanted to rush to his destination, shouting, “Move aside! I need to see Mumu one last time! Anyone who stops me will die!”
This shocked everyone, including Wen Xi. Lin Yi charged at the foreigner and his guards, and a fight broke out.
Wei Shaoqing, coming to his senses, nudged his horse forward, taking Wen Xi along. Xie Zichen also followed on horseback.
Wen Xi was bewildered, “What…what’s happening?”
Why had a fight suddenly broken out? His two carts were still behind them. And the “Mumu” the foreigner mentioned…was it a coincidence?
After a moment of silence, Wei Shaoqing finally explained, “When we first met and exchanged a few words, we were all in a hurry and didnât want to waste time chatting. Lin Yi said he was rushing to see his beloved one last time.”
Xie Zichen sneered again, “Coincidentally, I was also rushing to see my beloved one last time.”
Wen Xi looked at Wei Shaoqing. Wei Shaoqing didn’t say anything, but Wen Xi filled in the blanks in his mind: you too.
Not only the three of them but also the foreigner was going to see his beloved one last time.
Four men, rushing to see their beloved one last time, and halfway through, they discovered that all four of them were in love with the same woman.
Facing this incredible situation, Wen Xi didn’t have the slightest interest in the drama because from their previous questioning, he came to a terrifying conclusionâ
Their beloved was also his beloved, the seventh daughter of Earl Lin’an, Tang Mumu.
The three of them were momentarily silent, with only the steady sound of horse hooves echoing in their ears.
After a while, Wen Xi finally reacted, exclaiming in horror, “What did you mean by ‘one last time’?”
Wei Shaoqing shared the news he had received with Wen Xi and calmly analyzed, “It’s most likely fake. We’ve been made a laughingstock.”
Someone had deliberately spread the rumor that Tang Mumu was on her deathbed to let them know they had been played by a mere young lady. So, Tang Mumu was probably fine; otherwise, the ruse wouldn’t hold up.
Wen Xi fell silent again because he had a suspicion about who was behind this “joke.”
âWho else but his elder brother!
Wen Xi tightened his grip on the reins, feeling a sharp pain in his chest but not daring to say anything for fear of alerting the other two.
He stole a glance at the servant riding behind him. Earlier, when the foreigner almost collided with him, it was the servant who had stopped him, revealing his exceptional skills. Wen Xi finally understood why his elder brother insisted on lending him his servantâlikely to prevent the others from killing him on the spot, forcing a “brother repays brother’s debt” situation.
Fortunately, Wei Shaoqing and Xie Zichen hadn’t considered that possibility. They just thought Wen Xi had coincidentally gotten caught up in the situation.
Even though they had discovered such an absurd situation, they still didn’t stop looking for Tang Mumu. At that moment, they all shared the same thought:
Perhaps this was just a misunderstanding.
Or maybe, all the others were simply infatuated with her, while only he was the one truly in a mutual, loving relationship with Tang Mumu.
They rode their horses at a steady pace, eager to find out the truth but also fearful that the truth might not be what they hoped for.
As they neared their destination, Lin Yi caught up. Wei Shaoqing asked him about the foreigner.
Lin Yi replied, “A squad of Imperial Guards came and took him away, saying he was a fugitive hostage from Fuyao.”
The news brought a mix of emotions to their hearts. The foreigner turned out to be a hostage from Fuyao!
With Lin Yi back in the group, their approach to finding Tang Mumu changed.
Tang Mumu was currently residing at a manor under the name of the Earl of Lin’an. Apart from her, the place was staffed entirely by servants.
After knocking on the door and confirming that Tang Mumu was indeed living there, Lin Yi knocked out the guard and led them straight in.
Wen Xi hesitated, wondering if this was appropriate, but Lin Yi had already used his skills to force a servant to reveal that Tang Mumu had just gone to the garden.
So, they headed for the garden with great determination.
As they neared the garden, they instinctively slowed down, fearing that if it were a misunderstanding, rushing in might scare Tang Mumu.
Because of this, they didn’t interrupt what was happening in the garden and overheard the conversation between Tang Mumu and another man.
In the winter, with all the flowers withered, Tang Mumu was dressed in a plain padded jacket, far from the splendor she once had in the capital, looking especially delicate and pitiable.
Gently touching a withered branch, she let out a sorrowful smile: “I used to always complain about the lack of flowers that bloom in winter. Now, being away from home, I realize that having any flowers at all would be a blessing. Unlike now, where all I see is desolation.”
The man with her, deeply moved, stepped forward and took her hand, promising, “Mumu, don’t worry. I will find a way to bring you back to the capital.”
Tang Mumu withdrew her hand from his grasp and gently scolded, “Don’t do this. Doing so would be unfair to Sister An. She treats me like a dear sister; we can’t do this to her.”
The man retracted his hand, his face darkening. “I can’t help myself.”
He then added, “Besides, your Sister An…she isn’t as good as you think. When I wanted to leave the city to find you, she threatened to kill herself to stop me. If anything bad were to happen to you, I would never forgive her.”
Tang Mumu was displeased. “How can you say that about Sister An? She is unreasonable because she cares about you, and yet you speak ill of her.”
Seeing that Tang Mumu sided with his wife, the man felt a twinge of jealousy and said, “Actually, I think it’s better for you to stay here. It’s not like the capital, where there are eyes everywhere watching. I can meet you alone, like now.”
Unexpectedly, Tang Mumu turned sharply to face him, her face full of disbelief, her glassy eyes turning moist. “What do you take me for? Your mistress?â
The man was startled and quickly denied, “No, no, no, that’s not what I meant. I promise, I’ll definitely find a way to bring you back to the capital.”
…
In the garden, the couple’s affection was evident, while outside the archway, the world was a frosty landscape.
Wen Xi hugged the pillar beside him, knocking his forehead against it, his heart filled with shock.
It wasn’t just because of the affectionate conversation between the two in the garden, but also because he recognized the man in the garden â Xiao Ran, the son-in-law of the Duke of Bian.
And he was a married man!
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