With Fu Zhen present, the man didn't talk about anything important with Chen Tingfeng. Instead, he just shared some interesting stories from the academy to keep the atmosphere lively.
During the meal, it was mostly the man talking while Fu Zhen listened. Chen Tingfeng sat there like a door god, unmoved.
When they were halfway through the meal, there suddenly came a commotion outside the door. Vaguely, names like "Shao Chuan" and "Ruo Gu" could be heard.
Fu Zhen paused with her chopsticks in hand. She glanced at the two men and saw that they had also stopped their actions. She then knew that the people outside were acquaintances of theirs.
"Ruo Gu" was obviously a courtesy name. It meant being as open - minded as a valley, implying modesty and tolerance, which was an excellent connotation.
This courtesy name seemed somewhat familiar...
Just as Fu Zhen was deep in thought, there came a knock on the door. The servant outside said respectfully, "Young Master Chen, there's a young master named Xu Chongguang outside. He says he's your classmate. He's having a gathering with others in the second private room and invites you to join them."
Hearing this, Xie Ruogu laughed and said, "It's calling you. Hurry up and go!"
He had a noble status and was only close to Chen Tingfeng in the academy. So Xu Chongguang only dared to invite Chen Tingfeng and not him.
Fu Zhen couldn't tell what Chen Tingfeng was thinking. From his unhurried movements, she vaguely guessed that he didn't attach much importance to this gathering, or rather, to Xu Chongguang.
After Chen Tingfeng left, for some reason, the air pressure in the room seemed to rise, and the faint sense of oppression disappeared.
Xie Ruogu couldn't keep his mouth shut. As soon as Chen Tingfeng left, he looked at Fu Zhen with his amorous eyes and smiled, "Do you feel a lot of pressure when getting along with Shao Chuan?"
Fu Zhen showed an embarrassed smile.
He immediately burst into laughter. "Shao Chuan is just like that. He keeps a straight face all day long. In the academy, he often makes the masters so angry that they almost faint without showing any expression."
Fu Zhen was really curious now. In her opinion, anyone could make the master angry, but Chen Tingfeng was the last person she'd expect to do so.
"You don't know this," Xie Ruogu waved his fan again. She wondered what kind of strange habit it was to wave a fan in winter. He didn't seem to feel cold at all. He kept her in suspense for a while. Seeing Fu Zhen's beautiful eyes fixed on him, he continued satisfactorily, "Don't be deceived by Shao Chuan's serious appearance. Actually, he's a bit naughty inside. He has his own set of principles in doing things, so he doesn't pay much attention to the rules in the academy. Instead, he often breaks them. When the master scolds him, he just nods and admits his mistake, but he never actually corrects it and will do the same thing again next time."
"For example, the breakfast in the academy is fixed every day, and there's always a meat bun. Shao Chuan doesn't like to eat meat in the morning, so he always leaves the meat bun aside when getting his breakfast. Coincidentally, the master in charge of the diet cherishes food and always stares at everyone to finish the food in their bowls.
"Shao Chuan didn't take the bun, so in the end, there was only his bun left in the steamer. It was hard for the master not to notice. Then the master began to persuade Shao Chuan to eat the bun. Shao Chuan said he wouldn't eat it, so the master kept persuading him. As soon as the class was over, the master would grab Shao Chuan and keep talking." Xie Ruogu talked non - stop and vividly. Fu Zhen could immediately picture the scene in her mind, and she couldn't help but burst out laughing.
She really couldn't imagine Chen Tingfeng being pulled by the master and listening expressionlessly to the persuasion.
Xie Ruogu continued, "Shao Chuan finally got really annoyed and just nodded perfunctorily. The master was satisfied to see that he seemed to have admitted his mistake and left. Who would have thought that the next day, the master found the remaining meat bun in the steamer again and immediately flew into a rage.
"He scolded Shao Chuan severely. Shao Chuan listened without changing his expression. Finally, the master asked if he knew his mistake, and Shao Chuan nodded again. As a result, the next day, there was still a bun left in the steamer. The master was so angry that he told the dean about it. The dean also came to persuade him, but Shao Chuan still remained the same. He would just nod when asked if he was wrong, and then he would still do as he pleased and never change no matter what.
"Finally, even the dean was helpless. He had no choice but to ask the kitchen to make one less bun, giving up on Shao Chuan's stubbornness and also sparing the master and himself."
Fu Zhen found it really funny. She had never seen this kind of impulsive Chen Tingfeng before.
"Was cousin not very old at that time?" she asked tentatively.
Xie Ruogu raised his eyebrows. "How did you figure that out?"
Fu Zhen suddenly understood. Only when he was young would he do such a stubborn thing. If it were the present him, he would probably just use some tricks secretly to make the bun disappear without a trace instead of letting a small bun cause unpleasantness between him, the master, and the dean.
After all, no one knew better than her how good Chen Tingfeng was at pretending.
In her dream, she had schemed to marry him, and he had reluctantly married her for the sake of the Marquis Mansion's reputation. If she hadn't deliberately angered him on their wedding night, he wouldn't have left in a huff in public. Moreover, after the marriage, no matter how reluctant he was, as long as there were outsiders around, he would never show his dislike for her. Instead, he would appear considerate.
Several scenes flashed through her mind. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in her head, and the smile on Fu Zhen's face froze for a moment.
She remembered!
Xie Ruogu, Ruo Gu, was exactly the courtesy name of the Second Prince!
In her dream, after she got married, she moved into Chen Tingfeng's courtyard. The study was not far from the bedroom. Chen Tingfeng would occasionally bring people back to discuss things, and she accidentally heard a few words at that time.
The situation in the court was tense at that time, like a storm was coming. Chen Tingfeng was discussing confidential matters with several guests in the study. She happened to go there to send sweet soup to Chen Tingfeng. At that time, she still hoped to please Chen Tingfeng so that her life would be easier.
When she reached the door, she vaguely heard a guest say, "For now, the only way is for the Second Prince to be ruthless. Otherwise..."
The voices inside the room became lower. After that, she heard Chen Tingfeng say calmly, "He who hesitates is lost. Ruo Gu... As the Second Prince, you must make a choice in this precarious situation."
Her heart was pounding. She couldn't help but make a sound. The next second, she heard a shout, "Who's there!"
Then the door was suddenly opened. She looked up and met Chen Tingfeng's cold and piercing eyes.
Fu Zhen couldn't help but shiver. Xie Ruogu looked over and saw that her face suddenly looked a bit pale. He frowned and asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Those eyes were really too cold. No matter how many times she recalled them, Fu Zhen would always be affected. But it was only for a moment. She never let certain things bother her for too long. So she quickly adjusted her state and shook her head at Xie Ruogu with a faint smile on her face. "It's okay. I just suddenly felt cold."
Xie Ruogu suddenly understood. "The weather has been getting colder day by day since winter. You should pay more attention to keeping warm when you go out in the future. Don't just focus on looking good and neglect to dress warmly. It would be troublesome if you catch a cold."
Hearing his words, Fu Zhen couldn't help but look up at him.
If she really had to choose a husband, the Second Prince's personality would be very suitable. He was gentle and humorous. Although he seemed a bit amorous, in this day and age, which man didn't take concubines?
She never even dreamed of having a one - man - for - life relationship in her previous life.
Moreover, he had a noble status. If she really married him, she would enjoy endless wealth and supreme power. Although she couldn't say that her life would be worry - free, it definitely wouldn't be bad.
Besides, could it be worse than the painful death in her dream?
Fu Zhen lowered her eyes. In an instant, a great ambition welled up in her heart.
The person closest to the water gets the moon first. The opportunity was right in front of her. If she didn't seize it tightly, she would be sorry for the prophetic dream she had and even sorrier for the self who died a miserable death in the dream!