“... Have you discussed this with Zhenzhen?” Xie Yan frowned at him. “You've always been headstrong, but this matter is of great importance. Now that you have feelings for Zhenzhen, you can't be as self - willed as before. You should take her feelings into account.”
Chen Tingfeng lowered his eyes. “I understand.”
He had told Fu Zhen about his plan to go to the Northern Border from the very beginning, but the timing hadn't been set. Now that things had happened suddenly, it was actually a good opportunity. He didn't want to miss this chance to crush Xie Guang once and for all.
They had been causing trouble for too long. He was really getting impatient.
“Don't worry about me. I'll get rid of Helian Zhen,” Chen Tingfeng then turned to the main topic. “Once I leave, the capital will surely be in turmoil. You should be careful.”
It was almost like he was directly saying that Xie Guang would stage a rebellion.
Xie Yan had long anticipated this. Ever since Xie Guang had started smuggling salt, he had only one way out left: to stage a rebellion and force the emperor to abdicate.
Not to mention that the emperor was still lingering on the verge of death.
Xie Yan nodded. He looked at Chen Tingfeng again and sighed. “I won't say much else. You... you must come back safely.”
This was not only the sympathy of a superior for a subordinate but also the friendship that had lasted since childhood.
Chen Tingfeng's features gradually softened. “I will.”
He still had to come back safely to marry Zhenzhen in a grand manner.
At night.
Fu Zhen stepped into Zhuqing Courtyard.
She glanced at Chen Tingfeng, who was still writing under the lamp in the study. She walked over quietly and poured him a cup of tea.
Only then did Chen Tingfeng snap out of his complicated thoughts. He turned his head and saw Fu Zhen, who had come at some unknown time. He immediately put down his pen, walked over, and took her hand. “Why did you come?”
Fu Zhen let out a snort. “I was afraid that a certain busy person would be so busy that he'd even forget to have dinner.”
Half of Chen Tingfeng's achievements came from his talent, and the other half came from his own hard work.
She knew his problem of forgetting to eat and sleep when he was busy. She also understood that since the expedition was imminent, he had a lot to plan. So she didn't say anything else but just asked Biyu to bring the dinner.
“It's hot in summer, and you're so anxious. I guessed you wouldn't want to eat something hot, so I asked the small kitchen to make cold noodles with shredded chicken and a bowl of cabbage and tofu soup. Stop your work for a while and fill your stomach first,” she said softly.
The shadows of the two people under the lamp were long and intertwined, exuding a warm and serene atmosphere.
Chen Tingfeng couldn't tell what he was feeling. He just felt his heart was full, like a plump fruit that seemed to burst out juice the next second.
He took her hand and gently kissed it on his lips. “Thank you.”
Looking at the delicious food in front of him and feeling the gentle breathing of the person beside him, his tense nerves relaxed at that moment.
Only then did Chen Tingfeng vaguely understand why Chen Xuan had only stayed with Lady Bai for so many years.
This kind of warm atmosphere, this kind of feeling that didn't need words but just a look to understand, could only be brought to him by his wife.
It was his fortune to have Fu Zhen by his side in this life.
Fu Zhen just quietly watched him eat. He ate all the cold noodles clean, and there wasn't much soup left either.
Fu Zhen asked someone to clear away the things and looked at him with a smile. “It seems you're really hungry. Will you dare not to eat next time?”
Chen Tingfeng took the tea handed over by Yuanbao to rinse his mouth and washed his hands. Then he gave Fu Zhen an ingratiating smile. “I dare not. If I make such a mistake again in the future, please supervise me.”
Fu Zhen gave him a sidelong glance. “You're daydreaming.”
As they sat there, they slowly leaned against each other.
They were swaying, like two leaves relying on each other in the world, inseparable.
“I'm going to the Northern Border. Are you and Mother afraid at home?” he asked softly.
Fu Zhen shook her head. “I'm not afraid.”
She had lived like this before. Alone in that mountain village, the only person she could occasionally rely on was the widow next door who was a hunter's wife.
Now she had her aunt and the close maids and servants. She wasn't afraid.
Chen Tingfeng let out a soft sigh. “I'm always worried about you.”
Although the life - and - death crisis had passed, with the previous incident, Chen Tingfeng was still a little scared.
If these dangers were aimed at him, he wouldn't even bat an eyelid.
But it was Fu Zhen.
Feeling his strong uneasiness, Fu Zhen reached out and rubbed the space between his eyebrows, smoothing out his wrinkled brows. “You've checked the people in the mansion over and over again. Even if the queen has long arms, she can't plant another spy. Moreover, besides you in the capital, there's Xie Yan, the eldest princess. At worst, there are also the Zhang family, the Jin family, and the Duke's Mansion. With so many people around, I don't believe that if I go to them one by one, they'll turn a blind eye.”
“Even if they don't do it for your sake, they'll do it for the sake of the Marquis Mansion.”
The Wuan Marquis Mansion was named by the emperor himself. It had been prosperous for decades, and its master had great military achievements.
From the past to now, it had helped countless people and many people had received favors from the Marquis Mansion. Even if they all knew how to protect themselves, there must be a few who weren't ungrateful.
Chen Tingfeng hugged her tightly, and the last trace of his concern disappeared in her firm attitude.
He said hoarsely, “Okay.”
She would guard the rear for him, and he would fight for merits for her and come back to marry her with the highest honor.
Three days later, the army set out for battle.
Although there were only ten thousand soldiers this time, they were all elite troops. One could be worth two ordinary soldiers. The old emperor was afraid of death and also afraid that the Marquis Mansion would amass troops in the Northern Border and act independently. It was already a great tolerance for him to give Chen Tingfeng ten thousand elite soldiers.
Chen Tingfeng mounted his horse, looked up at Fu Zhen on the city wall in the distance.
Fu Zhen covered her mouth with a handkerchief to hold back the sourness in her throat and waved to him.
The two looked at each other from a great distance. After a moment, Chen Tingfeng withdrew his gaze, and his expression suddenly turned solemn.
He raised his hand and said in a deep voice, “Let's go!”
At this moment, his back gradually overlapped with Chen Xuan's back in the past. Lady Bai couldn't help but get red - eyed.
Fu Zhen quickly went to support her and comforted her. “Uncle and cousin are both capable people. They will surely come back safely. Aunt, don't worry.”
Lady Bai patted her hand with tears in her eyes. “Aunt knows. Aunt is just feeling sad for a moment.”
She took a deep breath, wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and forced a smile. “You rarely go out on normal days. Since you've finally come out today, have some fun outside, eat something, and then go back to the mansion.”
She knew that Fu Zhen was also feeling sad, so she wanted her to relax outside.
It had indeed been a long time since Fu Zhen had gone out. She looked at the sun. It was still early, and there was still a trace of coolness in the early morning. So she nodded and watched Lady Bai get into the carriage and leave.
Jin Yuanzhou was still recovering from his injury, and Jin Xianghuan had no mood to go out. Zhang Lan had run somewhere, and it had been a long time since anyone had seen her.
Fu Zhen let out a soft sigh. She used to find Chen Tingfeng annoying when he stuck to her all day, but now that he was gone, she felt extremely empty - hearted.
She walked slowly on the street, listening to the shouts of the peddlers on both sides.
No matter how turbulent the situation was outside, as long as there was a moment of peace, the common people would live their lives seriously.
Wasn't this a kind of great wisdom?