Madam Bai observed Fu Zhen's expression carefully, afraid of touching on her wounds.
However, there was nothing to hide. Fu Zhen wasn't seriously hurt. Chen Tingfeng had arrived in time. Apart from the bruises from her escape, she was basically unscathed.
She first looked around. Madam Bai immediately understood and said, "All of you, leave."
The servants bowed and left one by one.
When only the three of them were left in the courtyard, Fu Zhen finally spoke, "Yesterday, after I accompanied my aunt to offer incense, I remembered there was a place in the temple to pray for safety talismans. So I asked a sweeping monk to take me to the Lotus Hall. I originally planned to return to my aunt's side right after getting the talisman. But on my way back, I suddenly ran into Liu Peipei, the second young lady of the Liu Mansion."
Madam Bai was instantly stunned and quickly asked, "Was she standing under a tree, right opposite you on the steps?"
Fu Zhen nodded. "Exactly."
Madam Bai instantly flew into a rage. "I knew there was more to this! The shoe - print was clearly that of a woman, but how could a woman have the strength to secretly transport you out of the capital?"
"Don't be impatient," Chen Xuan patted Madam Bai's hand. "Let Zhenzhen finish."
Fu Zhen lowered her eyes, recalling yesterday's scene. "She acted strangely and said she wanted to catch up with me. But I had only met her once at Lady Liu's birthday banquet. Where could there be any old times to catch up on? There must be something fishy. I was secretly on guard, but I only guarded against the usual tricks of a young girl. Who would have thought that when I refused to go over, she sent a maid to invite me. As soon as I declined, the maid threw a handful of powder at my face!"
Hearing this, Chen Xuan frowned.
Fu Zhen continued, "I was already on guard and immediately covered my mouth and nose, but the drug was so powerful that I was knocked out in just a few breaths. When I woke up, I was on Taiyue Mountain."
Chen Xuan sneered. "That drug must be the work of the mountain bandits. They kidnapped you in order to threaten us."
Madam Bai was more concerned about Liu Peipei. "She is an unmarried young lady who rarely leaves home. Where on earth did she get the drug?"
Hearing this, Fu Zhen remembered Chen Tingfeng's cold expression when she told him this news on the mountain.
He said, "I see."
Then he instructed her, "Just tell this to Father and Mother. Don't tell anyone else, not even your good friends."
Fu Zhen immediately knew that the Liu Mansion must be involved in the matter of the mountain bandits.
Chen Xuan closed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Stay away from the Liu family from now on. They are a bunch of dirty people."
Madam Bai suddenly realized and her face darkened.
Fu Zhen lowered her eyes, but suddenly remembered something. She took out two safety talismans from her sleeve. "Uncle, Aunt, these are the safety talismans I prayed for you yesterday. Although the process was tortuous, the result was still satisfactory in the end. I think these talismans must be effective."
Chen Xuan sighed. "You're so thoughtful."
Madam Bai immediately hugged her. "Silly girl, nothing is more important than your own safety and well - being."
Fu Zhen smiled. "I know, Aunt. So I also prayed for one for myself."
Such a cute remark instantly made them laugh.
Madam Bai saw that she looked tired and came to her senses. "Look at me, I'm so muddled. You must be extremely tired after all this running around. Go back to your courtyard to wash up and rest. I'll send a maid to wake you up when it's time for dinner."
Mentioning the maids, Fu Zhen remembered the two maids who had been knocked out with her. She quickly asked, "How are Cuihuan and Biyu? They were also knocked out like me yesterday."
"They're fine. They're in your courtyard now," Madam Bai said. "The drug was very powerful. We don't know how much of it the two maids inhaled. When the servants found them in a remote corner yesterday, they were unconscious. They're probably still sleeping now. But I asked the doctor to feel their pulses. He said there was no serious problem. They'll be fine after they wake up."
Fu Zhen remembered that Cuihuan and Biyu had struggled to crawl towards her when she was about to faint, trying to hold her back, but the maid had kicked them hard and thrown another handful of powder at them. This must be the reason why they were unconscious.
Hearing that the doctor said they were fine, she finally felt relieved and got up to say goodbye.
She was really tired. When she returned to her courtyard, she didn't care about much. She just asked the maid to bring hot water, took a simple bath, and then fell into a deep sleep.
For the first time in a long while, she dreamed of what had happened in her past life.
It was many years later. Xie Yan had ascended the throne, and Chen Tingfeng had become the prime minister. The emperor and his minister got along well, and the world was at peace.
However, even though he had reached such a high position, Chen Tingfeng didn't seem happy. He was even colder than before. If he was like a block of ice before, now he was like a vast glacier that made people dare not look him in the eye.
He was sitting opposite Xie Yan. He was making tea calmly but saying nothing.
After a long time, Xie Yan sighed. "After all these years, you should let it go. That incident back then was not your fault. Why are you being so hard on yourself?"
"Look, you've even got some white hair on your head."
Following Xie Yan's gaze, Fu Zhen actually saw a few strands of white hair on Chen Tingfeng's head. They were extremely eye - catching.
She was a bit dazed. The time span was too large for her to understand. What did it mean to be hard on himself? What was that incident back then? Why did Chen Tingfeng have white hair at such a young age?
He still didn't say a word. He just poured a cup of tea for Xie Yan and sipped his own gently. The steam blurred his face.
Xie Yan had also become much more steady. In the past, he would have left long ago in such a depressing atmosphere.
He advised, "You're already over thirty. It's time for you to get married. Not for anything else, are you really willing to pass your title to your useless relatives?"
?
Fu Zhen was even more surprised. Had Chen Tingfeng remained unmarried since her death? Why?
She was almost completely confused when she heard Chen Tingfeng say indifferently, "It doesn't matter."
He seemed to have been reborn and was about to become a Buddha. He was not interested in anything and thought everything was unimportant.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade Chen Tingfeng, Xie Yan couldn't help but sigh again. "It's my fault. If I hadn't been so hesitant back then, she wouldn't have..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but Chen Tingfeng understood.
Chen Tingfeng frowned, as if he didn't want to mention this old incident again. He opened his mouth and told Xie Yan to leave. "Your Majesty has a busy schedule. It's better to return to the palace earlier. Regarding the flood in the south of the Yangtze River, please give me a plan by tomorrow."
"Chen Shaochuan!" Xie Yan glared at him angrily.
Chen Tingfeng's face didn't change a bit. He got up from his seat and bowed. "I respectfully see Your Majesty off."
Xie Yan stared at him silently for two seconds, then pointed at him with his finger. Finally, he said nothing and left with a flick of his sleeve.
The room instantly became quiet again, so quiet that it was a bit scary.
Fu Zhen was affected by this atmosphere and couldn't help but feel her heart grow heavier.
Chen Tingfeng just sat there in his original position, sitting quietly for a long time. After an unknown amount of time, Fu Zhen heard him let out a soft sigh.