When the imperial son - in - law married Xie Lingyun back then, he swore that in this lifetime, she would be the only woman for him and he would never take a concubine.
Seven or eight years had passed, and true to his word, he either went to the academy or stayed by Xie Lingyun's side all day. Even the maids serving him were Xie Lingyun's people. He had not the slightest thought of having other women.
Even when outsiders laughed at him for being hen - pecked, he simply ignored them.
He was truly a lovesick fool.
Xie Yan's heart skipped a beat. Looking at the affectionate couple, even though he repeatedly told himself not to think about it, he couldn't help but think of Fu Zhen.
If things had been different back then... He mocked himself inwardly. Even if he had the heart to be with her for a lifetime, he was afraid he couldn't have achieved it.
Caught in the whirlpool of the harem, how could one stay out of trouble?
Since he wanted to be an emperor, he could never have only one woman.
Oh, well.
He snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at the couple. "I've had my share of the fun. I'll take my leave now. I wish my sister and brother - in - law a loving and long - lasting marriage."
Hearing this, the smile on Xie Lingyun's lips deepened a bit, showing a touch of sincerity. "I'll take your kind words then."
She didn't want to get too close to these princes. She returned to the capital just to reassure Emperor An. At present, the more distant she was from them, the happier the emperor would be.
In that case, why should she get involved in this mess?
After bidding farewell to them, Xie Yan thought for a moment and then headed out of the palace.
Now that he had had his fill of the fun in the palace, it was time to go and see what was going on at Chen Tingfeng's mansion.
As the weather gradually warmed up, Fu Zhen sometimes got tired of staying in the courtyard and liked to sit in the pavilion in the garden to enjoy the breeze.
The wind in March was still a bit chilly. The pavilion used to be open on all four sides, but Chen Tingfeng was afraid that Fu Zhen would catch a cold sitting there all day, so he had curtains installed. Although they didn't help much, they could block a bit of the wind.
Fu Zhen was a bit helpless about this. "I'm really not that delicate."
Not to mention him, even Biyu would insist on putting a cloak on her and warming a hand - warmer for her before letting her go out when she knew she was going out. If she still managed to catch a cold like this, she might die of illness before anyone even poisoned her in this lifetime.
Chen Tingfeng always agreed with her verbally but ignored her words and went his own way. "The weather is still a bit cold. I know you're always careful, but I'll feel more at ease with these curtains."
After all, he was going to get busy soon, and he was really worried that something might go wrong with her health at this time.
The two were sitting in the pavilion, drinking tea and chatting when the gatekeeper suddenly came over and whispered something to Yuanbao. Yuanbao's expression became serious, and he said to Chen Tingfeng, "My lord, the Second Prince is here."
Fu Zhen raised her eyebrows. The Chu family was making a betrothal proposal today, and the palace should be bustling. How did he have the time to come?
Chen Tingfeng pondered for a moment and then glanced at Fu Zhen.
Fu Zhen gave him a sidelong look. "Should I avoid him?"
After all, she had a past with Xie Yan. And since Chen Tingfeng was always jealous, if she could avoid him, she would. As he said, it could also ease his mind a bit.
But Chen Tingfeng's expression changed. Thinking of something, he said, "No need. There's no reason for you to avoid him."
Hearing this, Fu Zhen gave a half - smile. "Is the sun rising in the west today?"
Chen Tingfeng snorted but didn't answer her question. He just said to Yuanbao, "Please invite the Second Prince here."
You can't avoid someone forever.
Moreover, he and Fu Zhen were in love and had a pure relationship. They could withstand everyone's scrutiny. What was there for him to be jealous about?
Only a fool would be jealous.
On his way there, Xie Yan saw the curtains around the pavilion fluttering slightly. He stopped in his tracks and wondered, "Am I seeing things? Did this pavilion look like this before?"
Yuanbao gave an embarrassed smile. How could he say that it was their lord who had the curtains installed to please someone? "This way, Second Prince."
Xie Yan didn't dwell on it and continued walking forward. Before he even lifted the curtain, his voice came in. "Chen Shaochuan, long time no see. What are you up to, being so mysterious? You even installed curtains. Are you afraid of being assassinated?"
He lifted the curtain and walked in, his ponytail swinging to the front. Before he even looked up, he heard Chen Tingfeng's cold snort. When he finally looked up, he met Fu Zhen's eyes directly and stopped in his tracks.
He hadn't seen Fu Zhen for a long time. After they broke up, he deliberately avoided her, both to avoid hurting her feelings and to cut off his own longing.
Now, unexpectedly seeing her again, he suddenly felt as if a lifetime had passed.
It seemed that the days when they used to talk and laugh together were a long time ago.
Caught off guard, he stared at her for a bit too long.
Chen Tingfeng suddenly tightened his grip on the teacup and asked menacingly, "Xie Ruogu, what are you looking at?"
Fu Zhen glanced at him and picked up the tea in front of her to hide the smile on her lips.
The man who had just sworn that he wasn't jealous was now squeezing the teacup so hard that it was about to crack. She didn't know what he was being so stubborn about.
Seeing Fu Zhen avoiding his gaze, Xie Yan quickly came to his senses. He coughed lightly and sat down next to Chen Tingfeng. "I haven't seen you guys for so long. I'm just a bit slow to react. Calm down, calm down."
He took the teacup from Chen Tingfeng's hand flatteringly and poured him a cup of tea.
Xie Yan felt a bit awkward at the moment. No matter how glib he was, he couldn't think of anything to say. So he got straight to the point. "I heard that there's been quite a stir in your mansion recently. What's going on?"
What he really wanted to ask was about Fu Zhen, but when he asked, he didn't look in her direction. He only asked Chen Tingfeng.
One reason was to avoid suspicion, and the other was... Chen Tingfeng's gaze was really about to cut him into a thousand pieces.
When it came to business, Chen Tingfeng put aside his petty grievances. They were all sensible people and knew the occasion well.
He said, "It's nothing serious. I just moved my aunt's grave back."
His aunt was, of course, Chen Peizhu, the young lady of the Marquis Mansion who eloped with someone more than a decade ago.
Xie Yan suddenly thought of the recent rumors in the capital. Fu Zhen was Chen Peizhu's daughter... So was she...?
He frowned. "Forgive my rudeness, but what about Fu Mingde...?"
Back then, Fu Mingde had appeared as Fu Zhen's father. But such a vulgar and despicable man, how could he have seduced Chen Peizhu, a young lady from a noble family, to elope with him?
Even if he had been good - looking when he was young, his temperament couldn't be faked. Xie Yan couldn't believe that Chen Peizhu was so blind that she couldn't see Fu Mingde's true nature.
Chen Tingfeng looked at Fu Zhen as if asking for permission. Fu Zhen gave a faint smile and explained, "He's not my biological father."
Xie Yan was suddenly stunned.
Chen Tingfeng reached out and held Fu Zhen's slightly cold hand. He told Xie Yan the whole story and all the doubts clearly.
Xie Yan was one of their own. Chen Tingfeng hadn't said anything before because he was afraid that Fu Zhen would mind.
Chen Tingfeng's voice was still as cold as the ice on the mountains, and the story he told was quite interesting, but Xie Yan couldn't care less about all that.
He stared blankly at the two of them, and his gaze gradually fell on their clasped hands.
Xie Yan: "?"