Fu Zhiyu didn't know what other people were thinking, but he found that ever since he fell in love with Xie Ke, he had been very lucky in love.
Needless to say, the six concubines in the palace were extremely obedient and always did everything he said. The housekeeper even whispered to Fu Zhiyu that they were saying behind his back that the master of this family was easy to serve and that his life now was much better than before and that he hoped to stay here forever.
Like Lu Jian, they all had rough fates. After all, they had met once, so they could help each other as much as they could. Fu Zhiyu prepared money for them and even invited a teacher to come to the mansion. It was always good for more people to read more books, at least they could not be so limited to the backyard. After he left, they would not fall into the same situation as before.
The one outside was Princess Miaotang. Her girlish heart was very moved, and she was very bold in this matter, not hiding her affection at all.
It’s not like Fu Zhiyu had no one who liked him in his previous life, but he had a clear goal at that time. Whenever he met someone, he would always refuse them and would never drag his feet and keep them hanging.
But he was different now. Although he told Emperor Qingyuan directly that he didn't like her and also expressed his rejection to the girl in a tactful way, Emperor Qingyuan always thought that young people just needed to get along with each other and would not give up the idea of a political marriage just because he said "I don't like it". Lin Miaotang didn't seem to give up at all.
Fu Zhiyu had never dealt with a little girl like this before. After all, he had lived a lifetime. He just felt that he was too thoughtful. He and this little girl were from two different worlds. He had never considered the possibility of being together. He was also afraid that he would hurt innocent people, so he had to avoid her whenever possible.
After the literary and martial arts competitions, this grand show is not over yet, as the autumn hunt is just in time.
Fu Zhiyu was forced by Emperor Qingyuan to cultivate a relationship. He was very helpless and had begun to seriously consider whether to pretend to be sick again, or simply make up a name for himself as having impotence. Anyway, he didn't care what the outside world said about him.
Lin Miaotang was very excited. Fu Zhiyu pretended that he was not feeling well and could not stand the cold autumn wind, so he hid in the tent and refused to go out. She even came to find him.
"Don't be afraid." She looked at Fu Zhiyu's face, and after comforting him she felt a little shy. "You can have a good rest here. I have also learned archery from the master in the palace, and I have even shot such a big deer at home. When I go out today, I will shoot a few turtledoves for you to make soup to nourish your body."
Fu Zhiyu smiled distantly and said weakly, "Don't worry, Princess. This is an old problem of mine. Ahem, I have always been in poor health and have suffered from many illnesses and disasters. There is nothing I can do."
He said this with the intention of making Lin Miaotang deeply understand that he had a bad temper and a bad health, and was really a sickly person, and might not live long. He was really not a good match. But when she heard it, she looked distressed.
"It's okay. I'm in good health. When I was a child, the imperial teacher told me that I was born with good fortune. It's true. I've been full of energy since I was a child and never had any illness." She became a little shy and her voice became softer. "After I... marry you, I will share half of my good fortune with you, and you won't be sick so often."
Fu Zhiyu was stunned and didn't reply. Lin Miaotang seemed to think that it was too outrageous for a girl to say such things when they hadn't made up their minds yet. The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she felt. She turned around and ran away.
What a kind little girl.
Fu Zhiyu sighed, tapped his head, and said to himself: "There are so many good people in this world, why did I fall in love with Xie Ke in my previous life, it's really..."
It was probably because of the temporary life-saving grace that caused the permanent blindness. Fortunately, he can see clearly now.
Fu Zhiyu also brought Ming Dao with him. This hunting ground is very large, and Yuan Ming Dao has been idle recently. He has been practicing martial arts in the palace, and there is no opportunity to display his skills. Fu Zhiyu gave him the token of King Zhao, and asked him to wear a protective armor, and told him to be careful when he goes out to play.
"I'll go headhunting foxes for my master. I can make scarves for him when the weather gets cold." Yuan Mingdao stretched his muscles and bones, and did not forget to care about Fu Zhiyu before leaving. "Master, have a good rest in the tent. I'll be back soon."
"It's okay. There are guards outside. I told them that I'm not feeling well and have gone to bed. I won't see anyone else." Fu Zhiyu touched his head. "The guards here are tight, nothing will happen. Don't run too far, come back early."
"Um!"
Xie Ke was not at home either. He was specially asked by the Emperor to accompany him on the hunt. Given Emperor Qingyuan's mood, he would not be back until evening. So Fu Zhiyu finally got some peace and quiet.
People who come here to hunt are all trying their best to bring back more prey. Only Fu Zhiyu is so unambitious that he stays in the tent without going out for a whole day.
The air in the mountains is good. His original excuse that he was not feeling well and was resting was just an excuse. However, he fell asleep while reading a book on a bench. He slept until the evening. Fu Zhiyu was awakened by the cheers outside.
Someone had hunted a big wild boar and brought it back, butchering it and roasting it on the spot. Emperor Qingyuan and his entourage had also returned with a good harvest. It was a lively time outside, and Fu Zhiyu couldn't sleep any more. After a while, a young eunuch came to pass on a message, saying that King Zhao should come to the table and eat something to warm his stomach.
The mountains are different from the capital, and hunting is not so particular. The sitting position is just a layer of mat and a layer of carpet on the ground, with a futon, but the futon is more exquisite. Even the seat of Emperor Qing Yuan is just covered with an extra layer of softer fur. Basically, people sit on the ground, and there are no plates or bowls. They just pick large leaves and wash them to hold the meat.
But all the people present were military generals, and they didn't think there was anything wrong with this. Emperor Qing Yuan also thought it was better this way, as it added a sense of casualness and pleasure.
Fu Zhiyu sat next to the campfire and lowered his head to eat a few slices of venison. The freshly roasted venison was extremely tender and delicious, but he was a little absent-minded.
Where did Ming Dao go
He probably didn't follow the main group, but it's getting late now and it's almost time for him to come back.
Fu Zhiyu guessed that when he came back, he was called away by Emperor Qingyuan and missed the opportunity. Now was the time when various hunting teams were comparing their prey, and they were roasting them on the spot. The whole place was in a mess. Mingdao should be able to find him soon, right
The reason why he did not immediately worry about Ming Dao's safety was, firstly, Ming Dao's military strength was enough to deal with most people here, and he had his own token with him, so no one should deliberately provoke him; secondly, this was the royal hunting ground, and many places were guarded by soldiers, so the chance of something happening was very small.
He was absent-mindedly thinking about the Yuanming Sword, but someone was on the other side of the campfire looking at his profile in the light of the fire.
Prince Zhao had just woken up, and he was not going hunting, so he wore a loose white robe that shone whitely under the light of the campfire. He sat quietly on the futon, surrounded by generals who were talking and laughing loudly, drinking and eating meat, like a rabbit that had accidentally strayed into a pack of wolves.
Fu Yanran ate a bite of meat in silence. Next to him sat Fu Yanxi, who looked a little embarrassed.
"I didn't catch anything..." Fu Yanxi complained in disappointment, looking at his hands, which had a few small scratches on them. "I don't know martial arts, this is the hand that holds a pen. I don't know why my father wants me to learn this. Every profession has its own specialty."
Fu Yanran didn't reply to him. He looked at her in confusion, then followed his gaze.
"Ah, you are looking at Brother Nine." Fu Yanxi also stared at Fu Zhiyu for a long time, and then said with emotion, "Brother Nine is so beautiful. Look, there are so many princesses from the other four countries, but none of them can compare to our Brother Nine in terms of beauty."
"Yeah," Fu Yanran nodded, agreeing with him. After a while, he murmured, "Besides being pretty..."
The next words were almost inaudible.
"What are you talking about?" Fu Yanxi asked.
"Nothing." Fu Yanran said, "I just think that I don't know who will have someone as good-looking as Brother Jiu in the future."
"Ah? Isn't it Princess Miaotang of Jing Kingdom? I heard that they will get engaged after the four kingdoms' court meeting is over."
Fu Yanran finally withdrew his gaze from Fu Zhiyu and looked at him with a complicated expression.
"It would be a blessing to live in this simplicity forever," he murmured, "It is only people like us who are too thoughtful who have to live a hard life."
Fu Yanxi really didn’t understand. He blinked, looked at his ninth brother, then looked at Fu Yanran, looking completely confused.
Although he is two years older than Fu Yanran, after spending some time together, he always felt that Fu Yanran was like his brother and sometimes he simply couldn't understand what he said.
On the other side, Fu Zhiyu was already getting a little anxious. He looked around but didn't see Yuan Mingdao.
It was now completely dark, without any sunlight at all. The woods looked eerie in the dark, and there was no telling what dangers were lurking in there.
Even though he left the tent at the same time as Ming Dao, so much time had passed that even if Ming Dao couldn't guess that he had been called away by the emperor, the guards beside the tent should have found him by asking. Moreover, he was sitting in the middle, so even if there were many people here, it wouldn't be difficult to find him if he looked carefully.
Fu Zhiyu couldn't sit still when he thought of this and stood up suddenly.
Just at this time, he heard the questioning voice of the King of Jing State. He seemed to be talking to the servants beside him. He seemed a little anxious and did not lower his voice.
"Where is the princess? Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on her? She's a girl, if anything happens to her here, I want you to bring your head to me!"
Lin Miaotang isn’t here either
As the princess of Jing State, she must have followed the main force and was accompanied by at least four guards.
After Fu Zhiyu went over to ask, he found out that although they had been following the main group, when hunting, they didn't know where the prey would run away, and after a while everyone got separated and naturally divided into small groups. The scene was chaotic, and with so many people, no one noticed who was missing for a while. Now that everyone has returned, they look for the person carefully and find that he is missing.
Mingdao didn't come back either. Fu Zhiyu didn't care whether this was a coincidence or not. It was the first time since his rebirth that his emotions fluctuated so violently, and his face looked gloomy.
"Lord, take your men and prepare to go into the mountains to look for someone," he said, "I will go and ask the emperor to order you to look for someone immediately."