coobybook Chapter 301: See through but don’t tell the truth
Chapter 301: See through but don’t tell the truth
Nong Bo immediately reached out and pulled Xingzhi back, then stepped back a bit. Seeing that there was no one around, he whispered to Xingzhi:
"I'll take care of this matter. Don't worry about it. If you still don't understand something, just come and ask me."
Nong Bo took Su Re's job and rarely showed up in front of Zhao Fangyu. Now that he has seized the opportunity, he naturally wants to climb up further. They are all senior maids, so who doesn't want to be the leader?
How glorious Chunshao was at that time? Who among the little ones hadn’t seen it?
Zhao Fangyu was listening in the room. Even though the maid spoke in a low voice, Zhao Fangyu could still hear it clearly.
The fact that Nongbo took the job showed that she could understand her meaning better than Xingzhi.
There were some things she didn't want to make clear.
Zhao Fangyu closed his eyes, turned over, and thought quietly, maybe... if he didn't say it out loud, the sin would be less.
This is an illusion, but...it's okay to be an illusion.
The process of reshaping your worldview is not very comfortable. It hurts a bit, and you feel a bit uncomfortable. It's like something in your body is being clearly and slowly pulled out. It could be a bone, or a piece of your body...
It wasn't painful, but there was a lot of discomfort.
The discomfort tormented her, causing new flesh and blood to grow to fill the gaps.
When the lady came back, Zhao Fangyu was already covered in sweat.
When Mother Cui saw him, she cried out "Ah!" The eldest lady put down the teacup in her hand and came over immediately. She didn't care about the sweat on Zhao Fangyu's forehead and reached out to touch it. Then she immediately sent someone to call Fu Cui.
"It's getting hot again."
After taking Zhao Fangyu's pulse, Cui Fu slowly shook his head. Madam Cui thought that Zhao Fangyu had some serious illness. The next moment, Cui Fu took out two silver needles and gave Zhao Fangyu two injections on the back of his hand and shoulder.
The silver needle was as thin as an ox hair. Its tail swayed slightly in the air, moving without wind, and trembling like a reed in the wind, far away and uncertain.
"It's not a big deal."
The eldest lady and Mother Cui finally put their minds at ease.
"It's called a nightmare."
Nightmares are not an incurable disease. What is difficult to treat is that the disease cannot be eradicated by medicine. It can only be cured temporarily, not permanently.
"She was worrying too much, which caused the nightmare. If Sister Shuqing has time, please comfort her."
While Cui Fu was speaking, he injected a few more needles into Zhao Fangyu's body.
It was at this time that Pei De came with people from the Northern Pacification Office and the imperial physician.
Cui Fu had not yet put down the silver needle in his hand, but Zhao Fangyu was sweating all over and his face was pale.
The people in the Northern Pacification Office have seen countless dead people, and they can more or less tell whether a person is truly sick or just pretending to be sick.
There were also particular requirements for the acupuncture points that Cui Fu pierced. When they were in urgent need and could not find a doctor, they would use hairpins instead of silver needles to pierce the corresponding acupuncture points in a hurry.
Cui Fu took out the silver needle. After feeling Zhao Fangyu's pulse, the imperial physician asked Cui Fu about the prescription one by one, made a diagnosis, and then stepped aside, feeling inferior to him, and watched Cui Fu give the acupuncture.
The Jinyiwei from the Northern Pacification Office had originally followed Pei Yan here to interrogate Zhao Fangyu. He was still unconscious, with needles still sticking into his body. At daybreak, he was in a worse condition than when Pei De first arrived.
The three of them came in a swarm and left in a swarm, only to bring the imperial physician's serious pulse case to present to the emperor's desk.
"Heaven is jealous of talented people."
After the emperor finished reading it, he threw the pulse case sent by the imperial physician in front of him and said with disdain.
Qian Jiangping secretly lowered his head more than once.
God's envy of talented people is often followed by early death.
Now, it all depends on what the emperor thinks.
Cui Fu knew best how Zhao Fangyu's body was. He waited until all of Zhao Fangyu's maids had left before he began to insert the silver needles again.
"Sister Shuqing, logically, I shouldn't ask."
The thin silver needle penetrated into Zhao Fangyu's body little by little. He showed no expression, which also frightened the eldest lady.
"But you and I have known each other since childhood, so we have more affection for each other than others."
"But times have changed. I haven't been by your side for many years, so I don't know how you've been doing. If what I said today is wrong, I will come to Mr. Zhao to apologize. If I'm right... don't hide it from me."
Cui Fu raised his eyes and looked at the eldest lady with his upward-turned phoenix eyes. The eldest lady looked anxious. Although this anxiety was not for him, at this moment, the eldest lady's eyes only had his figure. Her emotions... were all affected by him.
The resentment in Cui Fu's heart was completely diluted by this thought, and the secret hopes that had withered for many years seemed to be reviving.
"Is the Zhao family not peaceful?"
He didn't say much, but he didn't need to say anything, because any injury to the human body will leave marks.
The marks on Zhao Fangyu's body have never improved since he was a child. Every time when he is about to get better, there will be twists and turns. He has major illnesses followed by minor ones. It is difficult to live, and it is not easy to die.
If the Zhao family was truly stable, given Li Shuqing's love for Zhao Fangyu, they would never let her go through this.
It must be... that the Zhao family itself is not peaceful, so Zhao Fangyu has no peace all day long.
If the Zhao family is not at peace, how comfortable can the eldest lady's life be?
Cui Fu had seen Li Shuqing, who used to stand with Li Shumin under the green peach tree, talking and laughing sweetly with rosy lips and white teeth. When he looked at the dignified and polite eldest lady now, he felt that she was like a pearl covered in dust.
The room was quiet for a moment. The eldest lady seemed to not know how to answer, which made her look...unlike.
Cui Fu thought he had touched upon the Madam's heartbreak, so he slowed down his attack: "Sister Shuqing, if you don't make a decision, you will suffer the consequences."
How could she, the legitimate daughter of the Li family, not have a choice?
The eldest lady stood up and shook her head slowly.
"Afu, you don't understand."
She and Cui Fu had known each other since childhood, and she was not an ignorant girl in the boudoir. How could she not understand what the look in young Cui Fu's eyes meant when he looked at her?
"People's fates are deep or shallow, ours ends here."
When she got married, Cui Fu was studying. When she gave birth to Zhao Fangjin, Cui Fu was still studying.
Now she already has grandchildren, and Cui Fu is still less than 30 years old.
The fate of human beings is indescribable. People from all over the world can be connected by a thread, but there is only a thread.
That line was not enough for her, so for Cui Fu, she allowed Li Shumin to enter Beijing alone.
The Cui Fu in my memory was still a teenager. But now, Cui Fu has become independent and a man who can live alone on the border for many years.
He is in the prime of his life, and as long as he spreads the news, there will be plenty of girls waiting to see him.
He is like a pine or cypress that has experienced wind and frost and is now growing vigorously.
And she can now confidently call herself an old woman in front of outsiders.
"Afu, I'm very happy that you can treat Fangyu."
These emotions that I had already let go of back then, when I think back on them now, I feel let go again.
It won't come back to life, and the result of that year won't change.
Cui Fu saw with his own eyes the emotions revealed in the eldest lady's eyes. She only felt distress for Zhao Fangyu, and it had nothing to do with him at all.
A heart can always hurt as long as it doesn't die.
He couldn't get Li Shuqing out of his heart, and could only let this rotten place torture him all the time.
"Between you and me, there's no need to say thank you."
The breeze blows the flowers, the willows sprout, the four seasons of heaven and earth change without human will.
Nine out of ten things in this world are not as we wish. Cui Fu had gotten too much, so he was destined to not get what he wanted.
The Jinyiwei came twice more, and finally found Zhao Fangyu when he was sober.
"That day I invited Doctor Cui to come to my house to see me. My business was not going well, so I went to talk to my aunt and get some relief..."
"What's wrong with your business? I just wanted to expand my business. Nanzhao Xianglu is popular in Beijing, and the Xianglu from our Fourteen States is not selling as well as before. That's why I want to get involved and persuade those who are rich and want to do the Xianglu business to do this business in advance. By then, I will have shops all over Daliang, and they will have both Nanzhao Xianglu and our Fourteen States Xianglu. It's not good to let the money go to the outsiders, and let our Daliang local Xianglu have a hard time."
"It's just that this business is a bit difficult to do. It requires too much money to invest. I can't handle it alone, so I'm looking for people everywhere."
"My aunt is in Beijing. I wonder if I can find her again. After all, time is short. If we don't do this business, someone else will. It's better for us to take over the business ourselves."
"Furthermore, we are afraid that the people will abandon their fertile fields and plant flowers in order to earn more money, so we need local dissuasion."
Zhao Fangyu smiled shyly: "After all, we are making money, not plundering the people. Besides, food is the foundation of our country, Daliang, and it must not be shaken. Therefore, this business, silver alone is not enough."
"That day, because of my illness and depression, I went to look for my aunt on a whim... I didn't expect to encounter such a disaster."
Pei De naturally compiled Zhao Fangyu's words into a book and placed it on the emperor's desk.
The emperor looked at the booklet for a long time, and the more he read the black and white words, the angrier he became.
How did the Zhao family raise their children? How come Zhao Fangyu, a girl, could understand something, but his son couldn't?
The girl from the Zhao family wanted to make money, and she also knew how to recruit people to join her. She didn't extort money from the people. She knew that food was the foundation of Daliang, and that wasting fertile farmland would lead to the destruction of a country.
Finally, he threw the booklet in front of Qian Jiangping.
The memorials submitted by the Jinyiwei were different from those submitted by ordinary officials. The memorials from the Jinyiwei had a black border, so the palace maids serving at the desk could tell the difference between the Jinyiwei and ordinary officials at a glance.
The memorial fell heavily on the imperial desk. Qian Jiangping took the memorial in his hand respectfully and read it bit by bit.
The regret in my heart for Zhao Fangyu was like running water, gathering bit by bit.
Zhao Fangyu is indeed a good person, but it's a pity that she was betrothed to Zhou Qinghe.
The exquisite dragon embroidery on the imperial desk was mixed with gold thread, and it looked sparkling even in the candlelight.
The emperor's fingers fell on the embroidery, and he couldn't help but think of Zhou Qinghe who knelt in front of him that day.
Why is he useless? Why can't he share his father's worries?
When people face mistakes, they will subconsciously overlook their own faults.
The emperor's eyes were cloudy and old, and his eyelids drooped loosely, pressing on his eyelashes.
He blinked hard, but the fatigue did not subside, instead it was still there.
"If Zhao had been assigned to the third brother, wouldn't the third brother have become like this now?"
In fact, the emperor knew who the real wrongdoer was, but he just didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to believe that the son he had carefully taught turned out to be a beast who disregarded human life and human ethics.
But the one who did something wrong happened to be his son... He had to save him. He couldn't let the child who had grown up in his care for more than ten years be infamous for eternity and be reviled and despised by generations because of a momentary mistake.
The emperor even felt a little regretful that he had pointed Zhao Fangyu to Zhou Qinghe in order to humiliate him.
He also didn't expect that the way of being a human being that a palace maid around him could understand, his child... couldn't see through it.
The prince who grew up in wealth and luxury does not understand the suffering of the people, and naturally does not care about the life and death of the people.
Qian Jiangping said nothing, but the emperor actually wanted to listen.
He knew what answer he wanted.
He didn't want to listen.
Zhao Fangyu has already asked people from the royal family to do this business, and since it involves foreign races, it is actually difficult for the royal family to take action.
Unless he orders the border guards to completely isolate all merchants coming from Nanzhao, the Ministry of Revenue will be able to take over the fragrant dew business from Zhao Fangyu in a fair and honest manner.
But Zhao Fangyu's business involves the Li family. Can the Ministry of Revenue stand up to the mouth of the Censorate? Can it stop the gossips of the world?
As a brother and a father, could he snatch money from his daughter-in-law and sisters?
It seemed as if an invisible quagmire slowly caught up with the emperor. His feet were stuck in it, dragging him down bit by bit.
Zhao Fangyu didn't know about the emperor's regret, and it had nothing to do with her.
In the capital, due to the death of the commander of the Northern Pacification Division, the situation was tense and uneasy. She was recuperating peacefully at home.
What could she have done wrong?
She was just a victim who nearly died in the fire.
He was unconscious when he was rescued, and when he woke up, he was already dead.
Zhao Fangyu asked someone to secretly deliver five hundred taels of silver to the Beizhenfusi's home.
This amount of money may not be much for Beizhenfusi's family, but after all, Beizhenfusi died because of her.
The eldest lady and Mother Cui come every day, occasionally bringing Mei Xunyin with them. There is still no news about the affairs in Chenzhou, and the situation in the capital is like a pot of boiling water. As long as someone dares to interfere with the situation, there will definitely be an explosion.
It seemed that Cui Fu had listened to the eldest lady's words and was much more concerned about Zhao Fangyu's condition. The eldest lady was there every day, but she would deliberately avoid Cui Fu.
But doctors always stay with patients, so even if they want to, they will always run into them.
Cui Fu was very quiet and didn't speak most of the time. He just quietly held his teacup and looked at the eldest lady and Zhao Fangyu.
Separated by a wall, the world outside the gate is filled with soldiers coming and going, and Jinyiwei searching everywhere, but inside the gate, flowers are blooming and it is as beautiful as spring.
Zhao Fangyu pulled up the shawl that had slipped off her shoulders. A little maid in a hurry came over to the corridor and whispered to Zhao Fangyu:
"Princess, Miss Chunshao from the Flower Room... hanged herself."