16 – (Reply Letter) Fu Qingzi × Yongzheng
In the pleasant October weather, neither too hot nor too cool, Consort Geng invited Fu Qingzi to sit together in the garden.
Upon hearing the news, Gege Song sneered coldly: “Look at that fool, wasting her efforts on the mistress instead of Fourth Master. What does she have to compete with me?”
The maid immediately fell silent, knowing that saying more would only invite trouble, so she simply kept her mouth shut.
Fu Qingzi lounged lazily in the pavilion, one hand resting against her temple, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the gentle cool breeze brought by the wind.
The words stuck in Consort Geng’s throat were too difficult to utter. She simply couldn’t figure Fu Qingzi out—on the surface, she seemed indifferent and unambitious, yet she always gave off an indescribable, elusive feeling.
Her clear, cold eyes held a certain intimidating quality that made one hesitant to meet her gaze directly.
Consort Geng feared that speaking out might offend Fu Qingzi, who clearly didn’t seem like someone easy to deal with. What if she said the wrong thing…
As it turned out, her intuition was correct.
Noticing Consort Geng’s lingering gaze, Fu Qingzi raised her eyes slightly to meet hers, causing Consort Geng to quickly avert her own.
Fu Qingzi let out a soft laugh, her tone carrying a hint of nonchalance: “What is it that’s so hard to say?”
Consort Geng’s heart tightened even more. See, with just one glance, she could tell she had something on her mind.
Nervously clutching her handkerchief, Consort Geng lowered her gaze and said, “Mistress, as you know, since I entered the mansion, Fourth Master has never once stayed the night in the Moon-Full Courtyard.”
Fu Qingzi saw right through Consort Geng’s intentions, a faint smile curling at the corner of her lips: “You want me to help you make a connection.”
Consort Geng’s face flushed slightly, clearly having her thoughts exposed, and she nodded gently.
Fu Qingzi chuckled softly, leaning in to whisper something in her ear.
Consort Geng’s eyes lit up, and she immediately nodded in agreement.
After returning to the Main Courtyard, Qiao An couldn’t understand why Fu Qingzi would teach someone how to turn a fresh cucumber into a rotten one. She had never been so speechless in her life.
Only then did Fu Qingzi notice Qiao An sitting to the side, pouting angrily, and quickly nudged her a couple of times.
Qiao An crossed her arms, clearly unwilling to pay Fu Qingzi any attention.
Fu Qingzi raised the corner of her eye slightly and asked gently, “What’s wrong?”
The more Qiao An thought about it, the more annoyed she became: “Shouldn’t you be happy that Fourth Master doesn’t visit the other courtyards? Why are you coming up with ideas to help others? You really are something.”
Fu Qingzi finally laughed out loud, then quickly composed herself, explaining seriously to Qiao An: “If Fourth Master only shuttles between the Main Courtyard and the front courtyard, what will Consort Geng and Gege Song in the mansion think? What will newcomers think in the future? And what will others outside think when word spreads? It’ll simply be that I’m a selfish vixen, monopolizing Fourth Master and preventing him from visiting other courtyards. Rumors will spread, but shifting the focus elsewhere changes everything. Then Gege Song will target Consort Geng, and Consort Geng will bite back at Gege Song. Because I’m the mistress, they won’t dare provoke me. I’ll also have an explanation for Consort De. Besides, Consort De has planted people in the mansion. If Fourth Master remains ‘detached and indifferent,’ she’ll still hold me accountable.”
“Even if Fourth Master doesn’t take the initiative to visit these two courtyards, as the mistress, shouldn’t I dutifully act as a tool to make connections? To put it bluntly, it’s all because I’m the mistress.”
A mistress must be virtuous, kind, dignified, and gracious.
Qiao An was both angry and felt that Fu Qingzi was right, so she could only be angry with herself. After all, Fu Qingzi was doing this merely for self-preservation.
If someone tried to curry favor with her, she would naturally be pleased. What she feared was that no one would, leaving her with no one to use when the time came.
Fu Qingzi knew well that she had never been a kind person. In her eyes, aside from Qiao An, there were only two types of people: those who could be used and those who could not—including Yin Zhen.
After Consort Geng returned to Yueman Courtyard, she followed Fu Qingzi’s instructions and began preparing the necessary items in advance. A restless excitement surged within her, as if success was already within her grasp.
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
The Fifth Prince teased, holding a young lady’s hand, “Nowadays, Fourth Brother truly has his heart set entirely on Fourth Sister-in-Law.”
Yin Zhen pursed his lips, his gaze sharpening. “Such words should not be spoken.”
The Third Prince also gave an awkward smile. Everyone present knew exactly who held Yin Zhen’s heart.
Whether it was because of Fourth Princess Consort Fu Qingzi or because of Ulanara herself, it was better to keep such thoughts to oneself. Some words were not meant to be spoken openly.
Yin Zhen suddenly recalled his last visit to the palace, when Consort De had deliberately avoided mentioning Fu Qingzi while discussing matters with him.
He neither refused nor agreed, leaving Consort De utterly perplexed.
The southern tour began with an inspection of the northern bank of the Yellow River, then proceeded to Jiangning, and finally arrived in Suzhou.
Many officials in Suzhou came to welcome the imperial entourage. The streets were bustling with excitement and joy, expressing their anticipation for Kangxi’s arrival.
Several princes took to the streets together. Yin Zhen happened upon a tea shop and stopped to take a look. Fu Qingzi enjoyed drinking light tea, with a particular fondness for oolong.
The other princes exchanged glances, and eventually, it was the Third Prince who took the lead, suggesting they go in to see what was happening.
At this time, the relationship between the brothers was still relatively amicable, though teasing was inevitable.
Watching Yin Zhen carefully selecting tea leaves, the Third Prince leaned in and whispered, “Is this for Ulanara?”
“Nonsense! This must be for your sister-in-law,” the Eldest Prince deliberately interjected, glaring at the Third Prince. Unexpectedly, he had guessed correctly.
Yin Zhen responded calmly, “Yes, she enjoys drinking tea.”
The Eldest Prince froze in place, while the Third Prince occasionally glanced between the two. Only the Fifth Prince gave a knowing look. Hadn’t he said it? Where was Ulanara in Fourth Brother’s heart now? Wasn’t this clear evidence that his heart was set on someone else?
Little did he know that such words would be fitting in the future, but for now, they were somewhat inappropriate.
Yin Zhen also picked out a tea set.
After leaving the tea shop, Yin Zhen couldn’t help but pause. Was he taking Fu Qingzi too seriously? Was he paying too much attention to her preferences and casual remarks?
Oh well, he had promised to bring something back for her.
Over the course of two months, images of Fu Qingzi would occasionally surface in Yin Zhen’s mind—her aloof demeanor and the lazy way she reclined on the kang reading novels.
Yin Zhen took out the two letters Fu Qingzi had written. One roughly detailed the situation in the mansion and her well-being. The other read: “I await the tea and your return. Your Qianjin has climbed onto my bed again. Rest assured, I chased her off and had the bedding and mattress replaced. Shaoye asked me to relay a message: next time, don’t lift her by the scruff of her neck.”
Yin Zhen chuckled softly. This Fu Qingzi—she actually put tea first.
His fingertips traced the elegant handwriting on the page, as if he could see Fu Qingzi’s casual posture as she wrote.
Yin Zhen picked up his brush and wrote a reply: Next time you write a letter, remember to put Lord first. Lord remembers about the tea and won’t forget, so don’t remind Lord again next time. Don’t bully Qianjin—it genuinely likes you. Tell Shaoye that Lord won’t mention the back of its neck next time.