In the Palace
But Chang'an spoke very quickly, Fu Yunkai couldn't stop him in time.
So he watched helplessly as Zhao Ruxi's gaze turned cold.
In her eyes, he must be a sore loser and an irresponsible man, right?
Chang'an was only thinking of his own good and standing up for himself, so Fu Yunkai really couldn't say anything to him.
Chang'an probably realized he had said the wrong thing, and stammered, "Young master, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. Will what Miss Zhao said have had any effect on you?"
He looked around anxiously until he found the second floor completely empty. Besides, teahouses are places for people to discuss business, and the owner had taken measures to soundproof it. The voices of the customers downstairs didn't carry much upstairs, so it seemed no one had heard their conversation.
That Miss Zhao was quite formidable; he made a crude attempt to morally blackmail her, and she immediately retaliated by hurling a serious accusation at them.
If someone overheard something like, "For the sake of peace on the border, even if you were to marry the princess, the emperor would probably not dare to refuse," it would be disastrous.
The Marquis of Pingnan's Residence's residence was already in an awkward and sensitive position. The Crown Prince and the Third Prince wished they could get rid of them in order to cut off the Second Prince and the Fifth Prince's wings. If they used these words to make a fuss, the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence would be in danger.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen," Fu Yunkai said.
He had arranged to meet Zhao Ruxi at the teahouse, naturally considering her reputation. There appeared to be several tables of customers downstairs, but those sitting near the stairwell were all disguised guards from the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence.
Moreover, Chang'an was too emotional to notice, but Fu Yunkai did.
When Zhao Ruxi said the last sentence, she deliberately lowered her voice. No one else could hear her except the two of them.
However, precisely because of this, this remark was not unintentional, but rather an angry rebuttal to Chang'an's words.
--If you dare to use moral blackmail and tarnish my reputation outside, then I will spread this message too.
Thinking of this, Fu Yunkai felt an even stronger sense of regret and distress.
Finally, he sighed deeply, "Never mind, in the end, it's just that we're not meant to be."
He paused, then added, "Pass on my order: this matter must not be mentioned again; treat it as if it never happened."
"Yes," Chang'an replied hastily.
Even if the young master didn't say it, he still wanted to remind everyone. If word got out about what happened today, Zhao Ruxi would at most suffer some reputational damage. But the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence wanted her life.
He asked worriedly, "Won't Miss Zhao tell anyone?"
"No," Fu Yunkai said confidently.
Fu Yunkai thought no one knew what had happened today, but he didn't know that two gray-clad men under Xiao Lingyan had been secretly protecting Zhao Ruxi.
To avoid Zhao Ruxi feeling that her privacy had been violated, Xiao Lingyan specifically ordered his subordinates to protect Zhao Ruxi only, and not to get too close to her or try to pry into her affairs.
However, he also instructed that if Fu Yunkai had any contact with Zhao Ruxi, he must find out all the details.
Remembering his master's instructions, the man in gray deliberately eavesdropped on a conversation today.
Fu Yunkai and his men were skilled on the battlefield, but they were different from the assassins specially trained by the royal family for assassination, tracking, and intelligence gathering. The gray-clad man eavesdropped without Fu Yunkai and his group noticing.
When Zhao Ruxi and Fu Yunkai parted ways, each of them was followed by a man in gray.
The person who was with Fu Yunkai saw that he went straight back to the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence, so he turned around and went to find Xiao Lingyan to report the matter to him.
Xiao Lingyan slammed his hand on the table with a loud "bang," his face turning ashen with anger.
"He's really got some nerve, daring to threaten Xiaoxi into marrying him!"
He stood up, turned around twice, and waved his hand. "Go back and protect Miss Zhao first."
After his subordinates left, he pondered for a moment and then went directly into the palace.
In the period leading up to the Lunar New Year, the Emperor was angered by Consort Jin because of Zhao Ruxi's affair. He spent the night at Noble Consort Cen Cen's residence, breaking the long-standing situation of Consort Jin's exclusive favor. Afterwards, he stayed in his own Yangxin Palace.
Noble Consort Cen knew that the Emperor was wary of the Cen Family. No matter how disappointed the Emperor was with Consort Jin, or how he felt about her, he would not favor her.
She seized the opportunity to have a chance encounter with the Emperor with a young concubine who, on the surface, had a conflict with her but was actually from her faction.
This concubine, in terms of both appearance and personality, was sent to the palace specifically to suit Xiao Ge's preferences.
In the past few years, Consort Jin had been the sole favorite, and this concubine hadn't even had the chance to see the Emperor. Now that she had this opportunity, she naturally wouldn't let it go and used every trick in the book to attract the Emperor.
Sure enough, Xiao Ge chose her that very night.
Consort Jin was furious and wanted to punish this concubine, but the other concubines were unwilling to let her. Having finally broken the monopoly on the emperor's favor, they naturally didn't want to go back to the old ways.
Therefore, not only did everyone lend a helping hand, but they also sent their close concubines to the emperor.
Although Xiao Ge was eventually coaxed back by Consort Jin, the younger women still held more appeal for him than the increasingly older Consort Jin Xiao Ge. He no longer exclusively favored Consort Jin and occasionally spent time with the younger concubines.
Furthermore, with the Second Prince and Third Prince getting married, being granted titles of nobility, and establishing their own residences outside the palace, the entire situation within the palace changed.
Noble Consort Cen was Gao Xing to see her youngest son and beckoned to him, "Little Five, come here quickly, see which young lady you like?"
As she spoke, she handed the portrait album to Xiao Lingyan, adding with great regret, "It's a pity that the Miss Zhiwei are in black and white, which isn't very auspicious. Otherwise, these albums should be revised; the portraits are too unrealistic."
Xiao Lingyan avoided the album of portraits as if it were a hot potato.
"Don't give it to me, I don't want to see it."
"You're sixteen now, it's time to find a husband. Your fourth brother's marriage is already arranged, he'll be getting married in the second half of the year. You can get married next year too. If you don't choose now, when will you ever get married?" Noble Consort Cen scolded playfully.
"No need to be picky, I already have a girl I like," Xiao Lingyan said.
"Oh?" Noble Consort Cen looked at him with surprise, "Which family's daughter is she?"
"She's an exceptionally beautiful girl; I'm sure you'll be satisfied. But I'm not ready to get engaged or married yet, so I can't tell you for now," Xiao Lingyan said.
He had acted impulsively just now, intending to go to the palace to tell Noble Consort Cen about his feelings for Zhao Ruxi, so that Noble Consort Cen would keep an eye on things and prevent anyone from taking advantage of their status to ask Xiao Ge for a marriage decree.
But Noble Consort Cen's question brought him back to his senses.
His relationship with Zhao Ruxi should not be made public. Moreover, he knew Zhao Ruxi's temper well; if he made this public without her consent, she would definitely never speak to him again.
Noble Consort Cen asked in confusion, "Why can't we get engaged? Is it because her status is sensitive?"
While saying this, she secretly made up her mind to ask Xiao Liuzi to find out which girl Xiao Lingyan had been getting close to lately.