No one else knew what the two of them had talked about. Liu Zhengze was always a scheming man. After that day, he went on as usual. He attended court, did his duty, handled affairs when there were any, visited his colleagues on idle days, and occasionally showed his concern for the emperor. There was not the slightest sign of anything amiss.
A few days passed like this, and suddenly the capital became bustling.
The eldest princess had returned to the capital.
This time, she came back with her husband and a pair of children, looking as if she was going to stay for a long time.
Fu Zhen was a bit confused. She looked at Chen Tingfeng, who was reading documents beside her, and asked in puzzlement, "Wasn't it said that she wouldn't get involved? Why has she come back to the capital with her whole family? Isn't she just giving others a handle?"
Chen Tingfeng put down his pen, got up, sat down beside her, hugged her from behind, rested his head on her shoulder, and squinted contentedly. "The emperor is seriously ill. There must be someone who has passed the news to her. The emperor used to be kind to her. If she came back alone to visit the emperor without bringing her husband and children, with his suspicious nature, he might think that the eldest princess also had her own agenda. That would be even more dangerous."
Fu Zhen thought it over carefully. "Is the emperor more difficult for her to deal with?"
She didn't think the eldest princess was particularly close to the emperor. At most, it was just a respectful co - existence.
"The emperor is, after all, the emperor," Chen Tingfeng said indifferently. When it came to politics, his expression always turned a bit cold. "Even though he is not in good health now, he still holds the lives of the people in the world in his hands."
The eldest princess had never had much power. If the emperor became so suspicious as to think she had traitorous intentions, it would be as easy as crushing an ant to kill her whole family.
In the face of imperial power, there was never any family affection.
The eldest princess had no choice but to do this.
Since the queen had passed the news to her, she had already been dragged into this mess.
"Has the emperor woken up?" Fu Zhen keenly caught the loophole in his words.
The day the emperor had fallen into a coma was because of a fit of anger, and his old injuries had not fully healed. That was why he had been lingering in bed on and off. Even when he was occasionally awake, it was only for the time to have a meal before falling back into a coma.
He seemed to be in a more serious condition than the queen, who had been stabbed through.
Chen Tingfeng played with her fingers. "Yes, he woke up yesterday."
He woke up yesterday, and the eldest princess arrived in the capital today?
Fu Zhen felt a bit strange. She always thought the eldest princess had calculated the timing perfectly.
If it was really as she thought, then the eldest princess was truly a smart and perceptive person. Maybe she wasn't as detached from politics as she seemed. At least, she had capable people working for her.
"Since the eldest princess is here, don't you need to accompany the second prince to prepare something?" she asked.
Chen Tingfeng just smiled and shook the fingers intertwined with hers. "It's a family reunion for them siblings. What would I go for?"
He would meet them, but not now.
Preparations were necessary, but he didn't need to step in for the time being.
He hugged her and changed the topic. "I've noticed that the weather has been sunny these days. Do you want to go out and have some fun?"
Staying cooped up in the mansion for too long could be boring. Fu Zhen was intrigued. "Where shall we go?"
Chen Tingfeng pondered for a moment. "We can't go to far - off places. How about climbing a mountain?"
Speaking of climbing a mountain, Fu Zhen suddenly remembered something. She turned to look at him. "Shall we climb Qingcheng Mountain?"
"Hmm?" Chen Tingfeng was a bit surprised. "Qingcheng Mountain?"
Fu Zhen nodded. "A few days ago, my aunt mentioned to me that she hadn't visited Sister Luobing since the Chinese New Year and was thinking of picking a day to go and see her."
Her impression of Chen Luobing still stayed at the words she had said during their first meeting, "When falsehood is taken for truth, truth becomes false." True and false were intertwined, which was a common state of life.
Although she still didn't fully understand why Chen Luobing had said those words to her, everything in her life had been getting better. So she had put those words behind her.
Hearing Mrs. Bai mention it now, she suddenly thought that maybe she should go and see Chen Luobing again.
Chen Tingfeng thought for a while. "It wouldn't hurt to go and see her, but I'm not sure she'll see us."
If he was a man with a cold exterior but a warm heart, then his half - sister was completely cold - hearted.
It wasn't that she was heartless. It was just that sometimes when Chen Tingfeng looked at her... he always felt that she didn't belong to this world.
Even the Taoist priest on Qingcheng Mountain had a bit of worldly vulgarity, but there was none of it on Chen Luobing. It was as if she was really going to ascend to immortality.
They had rarely seen each other since childhood and had never played together. Naturally, their relationship wasn't very deep. It was even less so than his relationship with Fu Zhen.
Fu Zhen thought for a while. "Whether she sees us or not is up to her. But we should at least go there. Otherwise, others might think we've forgotten our sister on the mountain."
"Why do I feel there's more to your words than meets the eye?" Chen Tingfeng looked down at her, his voice full of banter.
Fu Zhen snorted. "Cousin, you're overthinking. I'm just telling the truth."
Concubine Su had always been very quiet, so quiet that it was as if she didn't exist in the mansion. But who could say that a silent person didn't have any ulterior motives?
Maybe the more silent a person was, the more emotions they would suppress until they finally burst out.
Fu Zhen didn't know much about Concubine Su, but she was used to taking precautions. It was always better to make preparations in advance.
It would be best if Concubine Su had no ill intentions. If she did, making preparations in advance would at least prevent them from being in a passive position when things happened.
The more Chen Tingfeng looked at her coquettish appearance, the more he liked it. He lowered his head and kissed her on the face.
He was always indulged in such intimate little actions. Even though they weren't as intense and profound as a kiss, when he held her, he always felt that the empty space in his heart was filled. It was a sense of satisfaction that even a kiss could hardly bring.
Fu Zhen was already used to his affection. Since they were in his study and there was no one around, she didn't have to worry about being embarrassed. So she just let him hold her.
"Shall we go in three days? We can also make some preparations." she said.
Chen Tingfeng nodded. Suddenly, he remembered something. "Will mother go too?"
Fu Zhen was surprised. "Isn't she going?"
Chen Tingfeng let out a long sigh in her ear, his voice full of regret. "I originally wanted to climb the mountain with just you."
Fu Zhen said with a smile, "Haven't we spent enough time together?"
Since they had confessed their feelings to each other and made their relationship clear in front of Chen Xuan and Bai Ruochu, Chen Tingfeng had become even bolder and more unrestrained. He even dared to hold her hand in public during the day. Anyone could see the affection between them.
Not to mention when they were alone.
It was rare for there to be other people around.
Chen Tingfeng snorted. "It should be just the two of us together. No amount of time would be enough."
He didn't know why. Clearly, he should have been more at ease after they had understood each other's feelings. But for some reason, he felt more worried.
Every time Fu Zhen was out of his sight, he would always worry. What if Fu Zhen was in danger?
What if he couldn't get there in time?
This worry came out of nowhere but was getting worse. Only when he saw Fu Zhen with his own eyes and was in contact with her could he truly feel at ease.