21 – Yinzhen’s Carefulness
As it turned out, it was indeed serious. Yin Zhen naturally took a seat, leaning against Fu Qingzi’s blanket and drinking tea from her cup, then said in an extremely cheeky manner, “Lord is here, yet you don’t even know how to serve him properly.”
Fu Qingzi was instantly amused to the point of anger, silently repeating one word in her mind: endure! For now, Yin Zhen was her provider of food and clothing, so she had to endure.
Once she truly established her own career here… well, that might be a bit tricky. Aside from Qiao An and Su Peisheng, she really didn’t know anyone else in the mansion.
Fu Qingzi met Yin Zhen’s gaze, her voice soft and gentle: “Has Lord eaten?”
Yin Zhen suppressed some of the playful expression on his face, closing his eyes wearily. After a moment, he replied, “Not yet.”
She had expected Fu Qingzi to instruct the small kitchen to prepare some simple dishes, but instead, Fu Qingzi said directly, “There are some leftovers. I wonder if Lord would mind sharing with your humble servant.”
Fu Qingzi lowered her eyes slightly, her feather-like lashes trembling faintly. Beneath them, her phoenix eyes, distinct in black and white, carried a hint of grievance, barely noticeable: “I waited for you for a long time, but the food grew slightly cold. Seeing that Lord still hadn’t arrived, I finally ate.”
In truth, Fu Qingzi hadn’t waited for him at all. It was because she had eaten quite a bit of braised snacks in the afternoon and was somewhat full, which was why she had eaten so late.
But if Yin Zhen was pleased to hear this, why wouldn’t she say it? Only a fool would pass up an opportunity to flatter him without having to read his mood.
Yin Zhen’s lips curled into a satisfied smile, a warm feeling flowing through his heart at Fu Qingzi’s words: “You’ve grown sensible, knowing to wait for Lord.”
Qiao An silently chuckled to herself. If she had truly been waiting for you, she wouldn’t have been so worried.
For once, Yin Zhen didn’t mind the leftovers. Instead, he had Su Peisheng serve him a bowl of rice and ate with great relish, while Fu Qingzi sat beside him, keeping him company.
As Fu Qingzi was lost in thought, Yin Zhen suddenly spoke, unhurriedly saying, “In a few days, it will be the birthday of Fifth Brother’s consort. Don’t forget to attend.”
Fu Qingzi couldn’t help but feel troubled. Anyone else would be fine, but it had to be Tatara. Wasn’t this openly opposing her?
Anyone with eyes could see that Tatara harbored great hostility toward her because of Ulanara, and Fu Qingzi happened to be someone who didn’t want to cause trouble but also wouldn’t tolerate being bullied. She was afraid she might not be able to control her temper when the time came.
For once, Fu Qingzi’s eyes held a trace of hope: “Will you be going?”
Yin Zhen looked directly at the slightly conflicted expression on Fu Qingzi’s face. Unconsciously, a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips, but he quickly suppressed it, pretending not to understand. “What would Lord do at a gathering of women?”
Fu Qingzi resigned herself to her fate, but then Yin Zhen said, “I’ll come pick you up when the time comes.”
Only then did Fu Qingzi let out a sigh of relief, immediately leaning in to give Yin Zhen’s handsome face a light peck.
Yin Zhen pulled Fu Qingzi into his arms, comforting her softly: “Fucha Gerong’s younger sister will also be attending. Don’t worry.”
Fu Qingzi had indeed heard of Fucha Gerong. In simple terms, he was Yin Zhen’s good brother, though not in the same way as the Thirteenth Prince.
In modern terms, they were like best buddies.
As for Fucha Gerong’s younger sister, she truly had no idea who that was.
What Yin Zhen didn’t know was that Fucha Yeqing despised Fu Qingzi’s haughty, condescending attitude the most.
The next day, Fu Qingzi lay exhausted on the couch, utterly unwilling to move a muscle, while Yin Zhen, refreshed and energetic, went off to attend the morning court session. That damned man—did he have no idea what it meant to be gentle with a delicate woman?
Only after hearing some movement inside did Qiao An push the door open. Seeing the bruises covering Fu Qingzi’s fair, smooth skin, she couldn’t help but sigh, “What a beast.”
Fu Qingzi pulled the blanket up, clearly not wanting Qiao An to keep looking.
Qiao An quickly said, “Fucha Yeqing is outside, and she really doesn’t look friendly. You’ll see for yourself when you go out.”
Qiao An brought Fu Qingzi a simple, unadorned emerald-green qipao with minimal decorative patterns.
It wasn’t until Fu Qingzi walked into the Main Courtyard that she understood why Qiao An had said Fucha Yeqing looked unfriendly. This wasn’t just unfriendly—she was acting like a lord, with none of the grace expected of a young lady. She had a somewhat heroic air about her, clearly someone accustomed to wielding swords and weapons.
At her first glance at Fu Qingzi, Fucha Yeqing rolled her eyes.
Fu Qingzi: “…”
Fu Qingzi silently reminded herself that temper and upbringing were not necessarily related.
Picking up her tea and taking a light sip, Fu Qingzi said in a calm, indifferent tone, “If you dislike me so much, why come? Has Yin Zhen ever told you that you’re asking for a beating?”
Fucha Yeqing sneered, her voice dripping with mockery. “If it weren’t for Fourth Brother’s sake, would I come to see you? Do you even know how much face you have?”
“Qiao An, see our guest out.” With those words, Fu Qingzi turned and left without looking back.
She wasn’t about to indulge Fucha Yeqing’s foul temper.
Fucha Yeqing grew flustered, pointing at Fu Qingzi’s retreating figure and shouting, “Hey! You, you, you… do you even know what respect is?!”
Hearing this, Fu Qingzi finally turned back, her slender eyebrows arching slightly as she adopted the demeanor of an elder. “Oh? So respect means coming to someone else’s home and acting like a lord? Respect means rolling your eyes at your sister-in-law? If I recall correctly, you just called him Fourth Brother.”
Fucha Yeqing’s posture straightened somewhat, though she couldn’t resist muttering, “You’ve become quite sharp-tongued.”
Seeing that Fucha Yeqing had settled down, Fu Qingzi sat back down, her expression composed. “Speaking the truth isn’t called being sharp-tongued.”
The two of them sat in silence for a while. Fu Qingzi felt there was nothing worth saying to someone with Fucha Yeqing’s attitude, while Fucha Yeqing, still resentful toward Fu Qingzi, also had no desire to speak.
Before they knew it, it was time for lunch. Since Yin Zhen hadn’t returned by this hour, he had likely been detained at the palace.
Qiao An had long since instructed the small kitchen to prepare the meal. She sighed softly to herself—she was becoming more and more like a housekeeper. Still, at least it was easy work, with good food and comfortable sleep. Staying by Fu Qingzi’s side was like being a pampered parasite—someone took care of her, and life couldn’t be more pleasant.
Fucha Yeqing glanced at Fu Qingzi, her eyes desperately hinting: Invite me to stay, invite me to stay! If she wasn’t invited, how could she possibly have the nerve to eat in the Main Courtyard?
Pretending not to understand, Fu Qingzi looked at Qiao An, her beautiful eyes curving slightly. “I really am hungry. Well then, Fucha Yeqing, please make yourself at home. This consort will go ahead and have her meal.”
Fucha Yeqing, hands on her hips, was extremely displeased. She tugged at Fu Qingzi’s sleeve, pouting. “You’re just going to leave me here?! Does Fourth Brother know you’re treating me like this?!”
Fu Qingzi lightly touched the handkerchief in her hand to the tip of her nose, looking as though this was exactly as expected. “I thought the young mistress disliked me so much that she certainly wouldn’t want to share a meal with me.”