After descending the mountain, Chen Tingfeng suddenly let out a whistle.
About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea later, the sound of horses' hooves came from the path. Fu Zhen looked curiously and saw a man dressed like a farmer driving a simple carriage towards them.
"Whoa—" The farmer pulled on the reins, and the horse reared its head and stopped, stomping its hooves in place.
He quickly got off the carriage and bowed to Chen Tingfeng with a fist salute. "My lord."
Chen Tingfeng nodded slightly, then looked at Fu Zhen. "You can take this carriage back. Remember not to show your face until you get back to the mansion. Don't let anyone see you."
A woman's reputation was extremely important. The Marquis Mansion must have hidden Fu Zhen's disappearance tightly. If she showed up now, sitting in a farmer's carriage, it would inevitably cause a stir and harm her reputation.
Fu Zhen understood this well. "Okay, I understand."
She quickly got into the carriage. After the curtain fell, she suddenly lifted it up again. She looked at Chen Tingfeng, hesitating to speak, but only said, "Take care, cousin."
Since Chen Tingfeng regarded her as his cousin, she didn't need to have a cold relationship with him anymore.
It would be better to be more amiable. It would be good for everyone.
A faint smile appeared on Chen Tingfeng's face, and a hint of tenderness inadvertently seeped into the corners of his eyes. "Okay. Go quickly."
The farmer bowed to him in farewell, snapped the reins, and the carriage rumbled towards the capital.
Although the carriage looked simple, the interior was lined with fur, making it extremely soft to sit in.
For a rough - hewn farmer like this, if he was the only one using the carriage, there was no need for such elaborate preparations.
It must have been prepared for someone else.
The journey was dull, and Fu Zhen couldn't help but be curious about him, so she asked, "Have you married, big brother?"
Although the farmer's skin was tanned to a wheat color, his well - defined face could still be vaguely seen. When he smiled, he looked quite sunny and even a bit handsome.
His voice was gentle. "Yes, I have. She's a very good girl."
Fu Zhen understood. The elaborate arrangement in the carriage must have been for his wife.
"That's great," Fu Zhen said with a smile. "Your wife must be a gentle and virtuous woman."
The farmer gave a simple and honest smile. "Yes, she is very virtuous. Every time I come back from the fields, I can always eat the meals she cooked with her own hands. Her cooking skills are the best!"
"However, sometimes I don't want her to be so virtuous," the farmer's voice dropped, sounding a bit melancholy. "She had a hard time before. She suffered a lot in the hands of her step - mother. She's so good. It's already a pity for her to marry a farmer like me who only knows how to farm and hunt. I just hope she can live a relaxed and carefree life by my side. I'll take care of everything else. Even if she does nothing, I'm willing to support her!"
He said it firmly, obviously not something he said on a whim, but rather something he had thought about thousands of times in his heart.
Fu Zhen sighed. "As long as two people support each other, life will never be bad."
"Yeah!" The farmer nodded seriously.
Fu Zhen sighed in her heart. Thinking of her own marriage, she felt a bit lost for a moment.
Her heart wasn't made of stone. Naturally, she also hoped to have someone who cared about her by her side. But she didn't dare to take the risk. In the matter of marriage, how many people misjudged and married the wrong person? Just like her mother. For a bit of love, she was willing to abandon a wealthy life and resolutely live a poor life with her heartless father. But what was the result? She died of depression.
She didn't want to make the same mistake.
Even though the love between the farmer and his wife was touching, Fu Zhen put it out of her mind after the sigh.
She didn't want love. All she wanted was glory and wealth.
The carriage drove all the way into the city and quietly stopped at the side gate of the Marquis Mansion.
The farmer knocked on the carriage wall. "Miss, we're here."
Fu Zhen carefully lifted the curtain and looked out. Seeing the familiar gate, she felt relieved and got off the carriage.
The side gate was tightly closed at the moment. She stepped forward and knocked on the door, raising her sleeve slightly to cover her face. Although this place was sparsely populated, who knew if someone would suddenly appear? Just like Liu Peipei that day.
The door opened a crack. The gatekeeper had been frowning at first, but as soon as he saw her, his expression changed immediately. "M - Miss!"
Fu Zhen quickly motioned for him to keep his voice down. "Don't make a sound. Let me in."
The gatekeeper covered his mouth with his hand and nodded hurriedly. He opened the door and let her in.
Fu Zhen turned back and waved to the farmer. The farmer nodded understandingly. After seeing her enter the Marquis Mansion and the door close, he got back on the carriage and drove away.
In the main courtyard.
Lady Bai was feeding medicine to her husband, who was half - reclined on the head of the bed. Just as she was about to scold a young maid who rushed in in a hurry, she heard the maid say anxiously, "Madam, the second miss is back!"
"What did you say!" Lady Bai suddenly stood up. She almost dropped the medicine bowl in her hand. She quickly stuffed the bowl into Nanny Li's hand beside her and shouted at the maid, "Quick! Take me to see her! Hurry!"
Chen Xuan looked at the empty room and exchanged a helpless look with Nanny Li beside him.
Lady Bai was thinking about Fu Zhen, and Fu Zhen had just arrived at the main courtyard gate. As soon as she entered, she looked up and saw Lady Bai running towards her in a hurry. Lady Bai hugged her tightly.
"Zhenzhen!" Lady Bai couldn't help crying. She let go of her and held her to look carefully. Fu Zhen smiled and cooperated with her movements, turning around once. Then she said to Lady Bai, "Aunt, I'm fine. I'm back safely."
Lady Bai choked with sobs and hugged her again, as if holding a precious treasure that had been lost and found. "Good, good. It's good that you're safe! It's all my fault. I just had to go out at such an unsafe time, which led to you being captured by the bandits! It's all my fault..."
Fu Zhen quickly supported her and comforted her. "It's not your fault at all. Who would have thought that the villains would be able to sneak into the capital? Aunt, don't blame yourself. I'm lucky. I can always turn danger into safety."
This wasn't wrong. In this life, every time she encountered a crisis, she either managed to avoid it or someone came to her rescue. Anyway, she was blessed and lucky, completely different from her previous life.
Lady Bai wiped away her tears and nodded heavily. "Yes, our Zhenzhen is the most blessed."
The two walked into the courtyard arm in arm.
Chen Xuan had already got out of bed. He put on his outer robe and slowly walked out of the room.
Fu Zhen's eyes lit up when she saw him. "Uncle!" Then her eyes fell on the blood - stained bandage on him. "Uncle, you're injured?"
Lady Bai stepped forward to help him sit on the chair and scolded him affectionately. "You're just getting better and you're being so reckless. The doctor said you should rest well."
"I'm fine, Uncle. It's just a minor injury," Chen Xuan first smiled amiably at Fu Zhen, then looked at his slightly nervous wife in front of him and said helplessly, "Lying in bed has made my bones weak. I can't stand it. It's more comfortable for me to walk around. You sit down too."
"Zhenzhen, come here too. Nanny Li, serve the tea." He said.
Fu Zhen sat down beside him. Seeing that both of them were fine, Lady Bai finally let go of the heart that had been in her throat.
She looked at Fu Zhen and asked carefully, "Zhenzhen, what exactly happened?"