7 – Eat it all and deny the bill
Fu Qingzi peeked at him with her eyes, then buried her face back into the quilt and closed her eyes again.
Whoever wanted to serve him could do so—at this hour, she simply couldn’t manage it.
Yin Zhen: “…”
Yin Zhen gritted his teeth, a hint of barely detectable helplessness in his expression. “Su Peisheng, get in here!”
Only when Fu Qingzi felt the space beside her empty did she realize Yin Zhen had already left. Now she could sleep without a care in the world.
Qiao An also took the opportunity to return to her quarters for a nap after Fourth Master departed.
The sky gradually lightened to the color of fish belly, with faint golden rays spilling through. It wasn’t until the sun hung high that Fu Qingzi finally awoke. After freshening up, she learned that Fourth Master had already returned from the morning court session.
As soon as Yin Zhen entered the room, he saw Fu Qingzi having breakfast, holding a freshly peeled egg about to pop it into her mouth.
Fu Qingzi glanced up at him coolly. Shouldn’t he be in the front courtyard at this hour? Or was he just that idle?
She rose, slightly bending her knees in a curtsy, nodding her head with a faint smile. Her voice was soft and delicate, carrying a subtle hint of coquettishness upon closer listen. She then extended the egg in her hand toward him. “Lord, what brings you here? Would you like this freshly peeled egg?”
Yin Zhen unceremoniously took it, casually taking a seat. Fu Qingzi slowly sat back down as well.
Yin Zhen’s dark eyes rested on Fu Qingzi’s fair, jade-like, and translucent face as he asked in a low voice, “The autumn hunt is in a few days. Will you go?”
Fu Qingzi propped her chin with one hand, her phoenix eyes slightly upturned as she pondered for a moment before asking, “Will all the princes from each household bring someone?”
“All except those unmarried will bring someone.”
Originally, such events didn’t include the primary consort, but currently, she was the only one in his household, and she wasn’t in charge of managing the estate’s affairs anyway.
Fu Qingzi replied with an impassive and earnest expression, “Then this concubine must go to uphold your dignity, so you won’t lose face.”
To put it plainly, staying cooped up in the estate all day wasn’t ideal—it would be good to get some fresh air.
A flicker of amusement appeared in Yin Zhen’s eyes as he replied in a deep, magnetic voice, “Hmm, you’re being sensible.”
Before leaving, Yin Zhen instructed her to pack her daily necessities. Fu Qingzi thought that since it was only three days, she wouldn’t need to bring much.
“Azi, major discovery, major discovery!” Qiao An rushed in excitedly, her words tumbling out in a flurry.
Fu Qingzi was startled by Qiao An, her heart skipping a beat.
Fu Qingzi’s delicate brows furrowed slightly as she sighed softly, her voice gentle. “Whatever it is, speak slowly. No need to rush.”
Qiao An wore an expression of disbelief. “Do you know what I heard from those gossipy mouths?”
Fu Qingzi shook her head, clearly showing little interest.
Qiao An then covered her mouth with her hand, leaning close to Fu Qingzi’s ear to whisper, “Fourth Prince wants to marry Ulanara.”
Fu Qingzi glanced at Qiao An with a calm gaze, her expression difficult to read, and raised a hand in a gesture to stop. “Don’t believe rumors, don’t spread rumors.”
Qiao An stared directly into Fu Qingzi’s eyes, as if unwilling to miss even the slightest flicker of emotion, and asked seriously, “What if it’s true? Would you really not care at all?”
Fu Qingzi spoke with a hint of seriousness, word by word: “An An, this is the Qing Dynasty. Having multiple wives and concubines is considered perfectly normal. Even if Yin Zhen truly wants to marry Ulanara, as the primary consort, I am currently in that position. There’s no way he could openly marry her with a grand procession and bring her into the household. Even without her, there are still the favored Lady Li and Lady Nian, not to mention Lady Niohuru, Lady Geng, and Lady Wu who will enter the household later. Can you even count them all?”
Fu Qingzi raised her hand and gently patted Qiao An’s shoulder, chuckling lightly: “An An, try to take things in stride. I don’t even mind.”
Even with Lady Li and Ulanara ahead, and Lady Nian and the future Empress Dowager Lady Niohuru to come, she wasn’t afraid. The present circumstances had already deviated from history, so she could only take things one step at a time and see how long her leisurely days would last.
As long as others didn’t provoke her, she had no reason to provoke them either.
Qiao An instantly deflated, a classic case of the emperor not worrying while the eunuch frets. Couldn’t such matters be avoided? Never mind, it seemed she had been too naive.
Seeing Qiao An looking utterly distressed and dejected, Fu Qingzi smiled reassuringly, “An An, I am the primary consort. No matter what, they are still beneath me.”
Qiao An hung her head, fiddling with her fingers as she muttered under her breath, “A fresh, innocent cucumber is going to turn into a rotten cucumber before long.”
Fu Qingzi: “…” So that’s what she was worried about all this time.
At noon, Yin Zhen walked in holding Qianjin’s leash. Upon seeing Fu Qingzi, Qianjin wagged her tail vigorously, wiggling her backside.
Fu Qingzi furrowed her brows slightly, subtly shifting her body away as she remarked with a hint of displeasure, “You could have come alone. Why did you have to bring Qianjin along?”
Yin Zhen’s dark eyes fixed on Fu Qingzi without a word.
Fu Qingzi looked up and met his gaze. What was he staring at?
Only then did Yin Zhen let out a snort, squinting at Fu Qingzi. “Qianjin, she’s being mean to you. Bite her.”
Fu Qingzi: “…” How childish.
Yin Zhen’s sharp, angular features remained expressionless, yet he seemed to be making an accusation. “You take advantage and then act like nothing happened. Once you’re off the bed, you treat this lord coldly. What primary or secondary consort acts like you? Others would be eagerly rushing forward.”
Fu Qingzi was speechless. Twisting right and wrong—who was taking advantage of whom?
Just then, Qianjin let out a low whine and lay down at Fu Qingzi’s feet, wagging her tail.
Yin Zhen’s deep eyes lingered on Fu Qingzi for a long moment before he finally scolded Qianjin, “No backbone.”
Fu Qingzi truly didn’t pay him the slightest bit of attention.
After finishing his meal, Yin Zhen left, but what was the meaning of leaving this ugly dog behind?
Fu Qingzi practiced her calligraphy irritably while Qianjin and Qiao An kept making noise beside her. Unable to bear it any longer, she finally spoke up, “Qiao An, take this dog outside.”
Qiao An was teasing Qianjin with a toy, the two of them playing happily together. “Don’t be like that. I think Qianjin is actually quite cute.”
Qiao An’s gaze swept over Fu Qingzi’s face before quickly returning to Qianjin. “Azi, don’t be so cold to Fourth Master. Look, it’s not like Fourth Master has no interest in you at all.”
Fu Qingzi’s profile appeared somewhat soft under the sunlight, her tone carrying a hint of nonchalance. “An An, this is the ruthless Qing Dynasty, where everyone has their own schemes. Don’t think about things that don’t belong to you.”
Fu Qingzi’s eyes sparkled as she pursed her lips and chuckled softly, “Besides, the most important thing between husband and wife isn’t affection, but mutual respect and courtesy.”
Qiao An instantly retorted with annoyance, “Just wait and see. Consort De will be sending more people to the mansion in a few days, and then someone will be upset.”
Fu Qingzi’s expression remained utterly unperturbed, as if she truly didn’t care.
The Mulan Autumn Hunt was held at a hunting ground located four hundred li north of the Chengde Mountain Resort.