15 – Why is he blushing?
At night, after finishing his official duties, Yin Zhen came to the Main Courtyard. Fu Qingzi glanced at him, her expression clearly questioning.
“Did Qianjin provoke you again? You bullied her.”
Fu Qingzi slowly rose, placing her hands at her waist as she curtsied. Her eyes met Yin Zhen’s directly, her tone calm: “Would you sleep on a bed that a dog has slept on, Lord?”
From Fu Qingzi’s words, Yin Zhen understood what had happened, though what he had heard in the mansion was another matter.
Earlier that afternoon, as he passed through the courtyard, he overheard the maids whispering: “Fourth Master can’t bear to let Qianjin suffer, but the mistress forbade Qianjin from eating for a day. I also heard the mistress despises Qianjin.”
Yin Zhen stared intently at Fu Qingzi, his tone tinged with disbelief: “Did she really jump onto the bed?”
Fu Qingzi gave him a look that said, “Why would I lie to you?”
Yin Zhen’s expression darkened further. He had often seen Shaoye sleeping on the bed—why was Qianjin any different?
Gritting his teeth, Yin Zhen called out toward the door: “Qianjin, come with me! This place won’t have you!”
Fu Qingzi: “…” As if she had begged him to bring Qianjin here in the first place.
Fu Qingzi naturally picked up Shaoye, cradling him in her arms and gently smoothing his soft, fluffy fur.
Yin Zhen grabbed Shaoye by the scruff of his neck, lifting him from Fu Qingzi’s embrace and tucking him under his arm. He glared at Fu Qingzi and snorted lightly.
Shaoye squirmed incessantly in Yin Zhen’s arm, even letting out faint squeaks.
Frowning, Fu Qingzi couldn’t quite grasp what Yin Zhen was trying to do. Only when he seemed ready to leave did she speak coolly: “Give Shaoye to me.”
Yin Zhen turned back, his dark eyes glinting with teasing amusement, his tone light: “Did you really start thinking of my fox as your own after raising him for a few days?”
Fu Qingzi was furious, but not a trace of emotion showed on her face. Still, she managed to utter a retort: “How can you be so unreasonable?”
Yin Zhen had only meant it as a joke, but Fu Qingzi took it seriously. The slight curve of his lips vanished instantly, and he shoved Shaoye back into her arms.
Knowing full well that Fu Qingzi was just like this, why bother teasing her further?
Fu Qingzi pushed Shaoye back into Yin Zhen’s embrace, her voice as cold as ever: “Your things, I don’t want them.”
Since they weren’t hers, she had no reason to keep them.
Yin Zhen’s expression darkened. He set Shaoye on the ground and, without looking back, led Qianjin away.
Fu Qingzi gazed with mixed emotions at Shaoye, who now lay curled at her feet. Yin Zhen’s earlier mood…
It was the fifteenth of the month. Though neither spoke of it, both felt somewhat uneasy. Fu Qingzi lay on the bed, her eyes fixed on the canopy above, while Yin Zhen went through the motions as if performing a duty. Not a word passed between them, an unspoken understanding hanging in the air.
Only after Fu Qingzi closed her eyes and fell asleep did Yin Zhen open his dark eyes. By the moonlight, he studied her sleeping face. What kind of person was she, who couldn’t even bring herself to please her own husband? What kind of person could be so utterly dull?
The Fu Qingzi he had heard of before was not like this. Everyone said she was dignified and elegant, yet enchantingly beautiful. But when he first saw her in the palace, he overlooked her appearance, detesting instead her air of inevitability—yes, her certainty about winning him over. And in the end, she succeeded.
When exactly did she change, becoming aloof and unapproachable, more subtly avoiding closeness to him? Yin Zhen couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard he thought.
The next day, Fu Qingzi woke to find Yin Zhen still sound asleep. Was he not attending court today?
Fu Qingzi moved carefully, afraid of waking him, but her foot slipped on the blanket, causing her to fall heavily into Yin Zhen’s arms.
Yin Zhen winced in pain and instinctively wrapped his arms around Fu Qingzi’s slender waist.
Fu Qingzi froze for a moment, then quickly pulled away from his embrace, smoothing her hair. “Lord, I’m sorry, it wasn’t intentional.”
Yin Zhen let out a sharp hiss. If Fu Qingzi hit him with that force again, he’d either die or be crippled.
Fu Qingzi naturally lifted Yin Zhen’s inner garment and saw a large red mark. Strictly speaking, she hadn’t accidentally fallen into his arms—she had accidentally crashed into them.
Yin Zhen quickly pulled his clothes back down, his thick brows slightly furrowed with annoyance. “Fu Qingzi, have you no shame!”
Fu Qingzi: “…” Why was he blushing? She hadn’t hit his face.
Fu Qingzi gently pressed her delicate hand against his chest through the inner garment, massaging lightly as she casually asked, “Why didn’t you attend court today, Lord?”
Yin Zhen rested his hands behind his head, his eyes closed as if enjoying Fu Qingzi’s touch, with a hint of barely noticeable contentment. “The southern tour is in three days. I’ll be accompanying His Majesty.”
It was mid-October. Could it be that something had happened in the south, prompting Kangxi to inspect it personally?
Fu Qingzi didn’t dwell on it. After all, Yin Zhen wasn’t taking her along.
Yin Zhen suddenly opened his eyes, his dark gaze fixed on Fu Qingzi with a faint, gentle light. “Do you want to go with me?”
Fu Qingzi glanced at him, her expression unreadable but certainly not a positive one. His question was pointless. Even if she said yes, would he disregard the rules and take her?
Since ancient times, it had been the duty of the primary wife to manage the household, so no matter where the lord went, it was always the concubines who accompanied him.
Fu Qingzi remained composed and calmly replied with two words: “I don’t.”
Yin Zhen reached out and stroked the strands of hair that had fallen over Fu Qingzi’s shoulder, a smile curling at the corners of his lips. “Even if you wanted to go, I couldn’t take you.”
Fu Qingzi was momentarily speechless. Yin Zhen was clearly making conversation for the sake of it, only to end up saying a lot of nonsense.
Yin Zhen’s gaze lingered on Fu Qingzi’s captivating phoenix eyes, which seemed to draw people in even when she wasn’t trying. His smile was evident as he said, “Don’t be upset. I’ll bring you something nice when I return.”
Fu Qingzi responded indifferently, “Mm.”
“You seem to enjoy drinking tea…” Yin Zhen began, but before he could finish, Fu Qingzi cut in.
Fu Qingzi smiled brightly. “I prefer green tea, especially oolong.”
Yin Zhen’s brow twitched slightly. He pursed his lips for a moment before saying, “What I meant earlier was that I’d bring you a tea set…”
Fu Qingzi: “…”
She had assumed Yin Zhen would take at least one of the Gege along, but to her surprise, he didn’t take any.
When Consort Geng and Gege Song heard about the southern tour, they were so excited they could hardly speak. They had thought the Lord would take one or both of them, but he didn’t take either. Their spirits sank—this had been a perfect opportunity to consummate their relationship with Fourth Master, but now it was lost.
The night before his departure, Yin Zhen stayed in the Main Courtyard, insisting that Fu Qingzi wake up early to see him off outside the mansion.
Fu Qingzi sighed helplessly. Yin Zhen was clearly making a fuss over nothing.
After Yin Zhen left, Qianjin was brought to the Main Courtyard, where the person and the dog stared at each other wide-eyed.
Before leaving, Yin Zhen had left a message: Do not mistreat Qianjin.