Nanny Li had a strong hand, and the faces of the teenage girls were tender. Although she only slapped them ten times each, the cheeks of Cuihuan and Biyu were still slightly swollen, with a few red marks on them.
"Go to my room and get some medicine to apply," Fu Zhen said, looking at them.
Cuihuan acted as if nothing had happened. She helped Fu Zhen sit down and said, "Miss, don't worry about this servant. This servant has tough skin. This little injury will go away after a night's sleep."
Fu Zhen gently touched her cheek and said, "It's not as easy as you say. I know what you're thinking. Well, if you don't want to use medicine, go to the kitchen and get two eggs to apply."
What Mrs. Bai had said just now did have an impact on her. Her aunt was teaching her.
Fu Zhen leaned on the couch, propping her head up with her hand and looking out of the window.
In her previous life, Mrs. Bai had never taught her these things, or rather, there hadn't been time.
In both lives, she had never learned how to manage the household and accounts. Now, she was gradually learning, and everything was going so smoothly that she almost suspected she was dreaming.
Sometimes, she would wonder if this was just a beautiful dream before her death, if all these good things would disappear like bubbles when she woke up.
But the feeling under her body was so real, and what she had experienced was completely different from her previous life. How could it be fake?
Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, and the butterfly dreamed it was Zhuang Zhou. The world was full of complexities. Who could tell what was real and what was fake? It was better to cherish the people in front of her.
Biyu was making tea for her. Fu Zhen stood up and touched Biyu's swollen face. "Does it hurt?"
Biyu pursed her lips and smiled. "It doesn't hurt. Nanny Li didn't really use much force. It just looks scary. But miss's hand..."
As she said this, she looked at Fu Zhen's re - bandaged arm. "The doctor said it's best not to touch water for the next few days. You have to apply the wound medicine carefully every day. After it scabs, you still have to apply the scar - removing ointment carefully. Only then will it get better."
Fu Zhen nodded. Nanny Li was an old servant in the mansion and always knew how to handle things with care. Today was just a minor punishment to teach them a lesson.
She couldn't help but think of Chen Huanyun in the next courtyard. Today's incident was not only a warning from Mrs. Bai to the maids around her but also a warning to her.
With Mrs. Bai's means, she must have known what had happened at the banquet and who was behind it. But she hadn't mentioned it at all just now.
Fu Zhen lowered her eyes and looked at her injured arm. This was also a warning to her.
Mrs. Bai was teaching her that she could be kind and merciful when dealing with things, but she couldn't just keep giving in. Otherwise, she would only be bullied to death.
It was enough for this incident to end with Chen Huanyun falling into the water. She just hoped that Chen Huanyun would learn a lesson and stop being as stupid as a turtle.
*
Perhaps having learned a lesson, Chen Huanyun had been quiet for quite some time, and Fu Zhen was naturally happy to have an easy time.
One day, the marquis rarely came back from the military camp. The whole family had a meal together in the main courtyard.
When the tea was served after the meal, he sized up Fu Zhen and laughed heartily. "Zhenzhen is looking much better. She looks like a grown - up girl now."
Fu Zhen lowered her head shyly. Seeing this, Mrs. Bai laughed even more. "I was just about to say that. She's getting more and more beautiful."
"At this age, it's time to start looking for a husband," the marquis pondered for a moment. "You girls usually just stay at home and don't get to meet the young men in the capital. There will be a City God Temple Fair in a few days. Why don't you, madam, take them there to have a look?"
The marquis was not a pedantic man. He had married Mrs. Bai because they had known each other since childhood and grown up as childhood sweethearts. He didn't know when he had fallen in love with her. Since his own marriage was based on his own choice and he was still happily married, he didn't pay much attention to the so - called "parental orders and matchmaker's words." Instead, he encouraged the younger generation to go out and see the world, as long as they knew their limits.
Fu Zhen blushed and kept silent with her head down. Chen Huanyun was quite tempted, but after taking a look at Fu Zhen, she also lowered her head and said nothing.
Chen Tingfeng gave Fu Zhen a fleeting look, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Mrs. Bai thought for a while. "The City God Temple Fair is quite lively. It's okay to go out and have a stroll. But Shaochuan," she looked up at Chen Tingfeng. "You're the elder brother. Logically, you should get married first before we talk about the younger generation's marriages. Do you have someone in mind?"
"Not yet," Chen Tingfeng said slowly. Then he stood up and bowed. "The imperial examination is coming soon. I don't want to talk about love. Mother, you don't have to worry about my marriage."
After saying that, he bowed and left.
"This boy! He always uses this excuse to fob me off!" Mrs. Bai said angrily.
The marquis laughed and patted her on the back. "Don't worry about him. I think he's still not enlightened. It's easier for a man to get married when he's older. Don't worry about him."
"Still not enlightened?" Mrs. Bai gave her husband a sidelong glance. "I think he'll never be enlightened in his whole life."
"Then let him be single for the rest of his life," the marquis said with a laugh and then got up and left.
Mrs. Bai looked at the two well - behaved and quiet girls in front of her, sighed, and said, "Daughters are still more worry - free."
Fu Zhen smiled but didn't say a word. She thought to herself that if her aunt knew that she was aiming to be a princess of the prince, she would probably chew this sentence up, swallow it, and act as if she had never said it.
The imperial examination was originally scheduled for April. But the emperor postponed it to May on the pretext that there was no peace on the border, so how could there be a scientific examination? The memorials of the old officials in the court piled up on his desk like snowflakes, but he didn't even look at them. He just indulged in the harem.
There was a new beauty from the south of the Yangtze River in the harem. Her skin was as smooth as凝结的 fat and so tender that it seemed to be able to squeeze out water. She was even more beautiful than Concubine Li. Moreover, her temper was extremely gentle, not as arrogant as Concubine Li. In just half a month, she had captured the emperor's heart.
At that time, there was an urgent report from the border. Two fast horses died running before the message was delivered. Who would have thought that the emperor had a late - night audience with the messenger, and since then, there had been no news. It was as if this incident had never happened.
What was even more suspicious was that there had been no more news from the border. Some well - informed ministers couldn't even find out any information.
On the day when Xie Yan kicked open the door of Chen Tingfeng's courtyard, Chen Tingfeng looked at Xie Yan, who was half - soaked, and rarely frowned.
No one knew what they had said that day. All they knew was that when Xie Yan left, his expression was terrifyingly calm, like the false peace before a storm with a terrifying haze.
After the family dinner, Chen Huanyun and Fu Zhen left together. They had never gotten along well, so the silence on the way was terrifying.
Chen Huanyun glanced at her and sneered. "Elder sister is really good at pretending."
She had finally learned a lesson and been quiet for a while. Why was she becoming active again?
Fu Zhen glanced at her but didn't say a word.
"Elder sister, we're the same kind of people. I could tell as soon as I saw you," Chen Huanyun stopped and stared straight at Fu Zhen. "Anyway, we've already fallen out. Why do you still have to act so fake in front of me?"
"I don't understand what you're talking about, younger sister," Fu Zhen said calmly.
Who's the same as you, a stupid person? You can't hold back any thoughts. You'll blurt out all your innermost thoughts with just a little provocation.
"Whether you understand or not, you know it in your heart, elder sister," Chen Huanyun smiled amiably. "Actually, we can be friends. Birds of a feather should flock together, right?"
Fu Zhen slowly raised her eyes and met her ambitious eyes. Suddenly, she sneered. "Aren't you ashamed when you say this?"
"Good younger sister, if you want to deceive others, you have to deceive yourself first," Fu Zhen got closer to her. "Do you think a few words from you can make me bury the hatchet with you and willingly help you just for that little bit of recognition?"
"Who made you think that I'm the kind of person who can be easily deceived by you?"
Fu Zhen looked at her coldly and disdainfully.
Chen Huanyun clenched her handkerchief tightly. After a long while, just as Fu Zhen was about to turn around and leave impatiently, she suddenly said, "I won't compete with you for the Second Prince."
Fu Zhen stopped in her tracks and suddenly turned to look at her, her eyes cold.