Xie Yan lowered his eyes, looking somewhat embarrassed, not knowing where to start. "I wasn't originally very clear about this matter. I only remember that last summer, after Father Emperor went to the Summer Resort, he suddenly claimed that there was poison in his body and insisted that the imperial physicians detoxify him. Not long after that, he rashly imprisoned Xie Guang. The court officials were shocked at that time, but Father Emperor was determined..."
He trailed off at this point, then glanced at Xie Lingyun, who seemed to be deep in thought, and let out a bitter laugh. "It's getting harder and harder to guess Father Emperor's mind."
But his own mind was easy to guess.
These words were clearly meant for Xie Lingyun. He knew that Xie Guang had helped Xie Lingyun in the past, but in recent days, he had seen that she was not a muddle - headed person; in fact, she was quite intelligent. So, he mustn't let her side with Xie Guang's faction.
Even if they couldn't be allies, he couldn't let her become an enemy.
This blatant attempt to sow discord made Xie Lingyun can't help but rub her forehead. That kid Xie Yan was still so straightforward. It was precisely this kind of direct personality that left her at a loss.
Moreover, she even felt a bit guilty towards him when dealing with him. It was really strange.
"I understand," Xie Lingyun said. "Father Emperor has been ill for a long time. You've been working hard handling the court affairs these days."
Xie Yan leaned back lazily, shook his head, and chuckled softly. "How could it be hard for me? Most of the court affairs are handled by the Zhang, Liu, and Jin families. There aren't many things for me to get involved in."
Xie Lingyun smiled faintly. "But I know that you, Yan'er, are a good child with the world in your heart."
These words seemed like flattery but also clearly carried a bit of probing.
Xie Yan half - closed his eyes, covering his inquisitive look, and deflected the topic skillfully. "As a member of the royal family, being supported by the people, one should naturally care about the common folks. Isn't it the same for you, big sister? I heard that when there was a flood in the south of the Yangtze River, you personally led the way in distributing porridge."
"It's just a small matter, not worth mentioning. But a country can't be without a king for a single day," she picked up the tea on the table and sipped it carefully. "Do you have any thoughts, Yan'er?"
Xie Yan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly opened his eyes and stared at her fixedly. "I'm stupid, big sister. I don't understand what you mean."
Xie Lingyun met his gaze without the slightest trace of fear. Instead, she slowly curled her lips. "I heard that - the national treasury has been running low recently?"
Xie Yan's heart skipped a beat.
At the Marquis's Mansion.
Fu Zhen was walking towards the main courtyard.
Chen Tingfeng had brought back too many flowers. She picked some that were in full bloom and put them in her room. She dried the rest on a good day, added some medicinal herbs to make sachets, and gave the ones filled with mint and borneol to Chen Tingfeng. For some reason, he insisted on this scent when it came to sachets, and he wouldn't let her make this - scented sachets for others.
He always had strange possessiveness in some small things.
Fu Zhen was helpless. When she asked him, he wouldn't say anything, just looking at her with his eyes until she softened.
When she reached the main courtyard gate and was about to step in, she suddenly heard Nanny Li's scolding voice coming from inside.
She stopped and looked inside.
Nanny Li was scolding Yuanyang, frowning tightly. "I told you to make tea, using this year's new tea and water that's 80% hot. But what did you do? You just poured in lukewarm water. The tea leaves didn't even steep properly!"
"I thought you were an honest girl before, so I let Zhenzhu teach you to do some delicate work. But I didn't expect you to make such a mistake in this simple task! I think you don't need to work in this courtyard anymore. Go be a cleaning maid outside!"
Yuanyang was scolded to tears by Nanny Li. If it weren't for hearing Nanny Li's words, one might really think that Nanny Li was deliberately making things difficult for her.
Fu Zhen stared at Yuanyang for a while and gently narrowed her eyes.
She stepped in and softly called out, "Nanny Li."
Hearing her voice, Nanny Li immediately turned around, and her expression softened instantly. She stepped forward and curtsied. "Greetings, Second Miss. Are you here to pay respects to the Madam?"
Fu Zhen smiled. "Yes. It's a nice day today, and I got up early, so I thought I'd come to see Uncle and Aunt. I also brought the sachets I made these days. If Nanny Li doesn't mind, I'll give you one later."
Nanny Li had a faint smile on her face. She looked at Fu Zhen like her own child. "I'm just a servant. I'm not used to such precious things. I appreciate Second Miss's kindness, but the sachet is not necessary."
Fu Zhen pouted playfully. "What's so precious about it? Cousin bought some fresh flowers a few days ago. I dried them and made them into sachets. They're not expensive. Besides, Nanny Li is Aunt's right - hand woman. I'm counting on you to say some good words about me in front of Aunt."
Nanny Li was so flattered that she couldn't help but smile. The anger from before had completely disappeared. Since Fu Zhen had spoken so nicely, she didn't dare to decline anymore and agreed. "Then I'll also share in Second Miss's good fortune."
Fu Zhen nodded with a smile and didn't say anything more. She walked inside.
When she was about to enter the door, she suddenly turned back and glanced at Yuanyang, just meeting her eyes.
Yuanyang seemed to be greatly startled. Tears welled up in her eyes again, and she hurriedly lowered her head. Upon closer inspection, her hands were still trembling slightly.
Fu Zhen let out a soft laugh and walked in slowly.
People tend to be more energetic in spring. Chen Xuan and Chen Tingfeng had been lazy in bed all winter, and finally got rid of their tiredness. Taking advantage of the spring breeze, they got up early and went to the garden to practice martial arts.
Inside the room, Madam Bai was sipping tea. When she saw Fu Zhen coming, she immediately got up and pulled her. "Zhenzhen is here. Come and sit down quickly."
Fu Zhen sat down following her movements. "I made some sachets. Since I got up early today, I brought them for you, Aunt. I made a lot. You can pick your favorite one."
She turned to look at Biyu, who smiled and presented the box in her hand to Madam Bai.
"You're so thoughtful," Madam Bai said with a deeper smile. She carefully picked two sachets from the box. "I'll pick two blue ones. One for your uncle."
Then she joked, "Have you sent one to your sweetheart?"
Fu Zhen's ears immediately turned red. "Aunt!"
Madam Bai laughed so hard that she leaned back. "Oh, what's there to be shy about? Let me guess. Did you give the first one you made to him?"
She had also been a young girl before. How could she not know what a young girl in love would do?
Fu Zhen's face was tinged with a rosy glow.
The first sachet was indeed taken by Chen Tingfeng.
It wasn't that she gave it to him on her own initiative. Chen Tingfeng was so overbearing. He always insisted on getting the best things from her first. Otherwise, he would stick to her all day long, making it impossible for her to do anything.
After they laughed for a while, Fu Zhen glanced outside. Nanny Li's voice was gone. Presumably, she had finished scolding the girl and let her go.
She blinked and casually asked, "Aunt, I heard Nanny Li scolding a maid when I came in. Did that maid make some mistake?"
Madam Bai was playing with the sachet. Hearing this, she laughed and said indifferently, "It's not a big deal. That maid's name is Yuanyang. She's a second - class maid. I didn't let her enter the room before. But these days, my head maid Zhenzhu has been ill, so I let her take her place. But she's so clumsy and does everything messily."
She sighed. "Sure enough, if you don't take good care of the maids below, they'll cause trouble. You should be more careful in the future, Zhenzhen. You're kind - hearted and lenient, but you also need to set rules when necessary. Otherwise, the servants will become more and more presumptuous and even try to ride on your head."