Shengjing Noble

The wing rooms at the rear of the provincial government were several times more spacious than the thatched cottages in Taoyuan Village.

Su Lanyin sat in front of a carved bronze mirror, looking at the unfamiliar self in the mirror.

Madam Liu specially sent a set of lake blue satin dress, and her hair was re-combed by the maid and inserted with a filigree gold hairpin.

"Madam is so beautiful." The little maid praised while adjusting her collar, "She looks like a fairy walking down from a painting."

Su Lanyin forced a smile.

This outfit reminded her of her days in Shengjing, a time when she needed to always pay attention to her manners and be careful with her words and actions.

She touched the golden needle hidden in her sleeve inconspicuously - fortunately the maid didn't notice it.

The door opened slightly and Fu Wuyang walked in.

He also changed into a moon-white brocade robe and tied a green jade belt around his waist. At first glance, he looked like the free and easy King again.

But the fine lines between his eyebrows, left by years of frowning, revealed the vicissitudes of the past ten years.

"Master Liu has prepared a welcoming banquet." His eyes lingered on his wife for a moment, his Adam's apple moving slightly, "You... look very good in this outfit."

When Su Lanyin stood up, the silk rustled. "What is Mr. Liu's attitude?"

"Very enthusiastic." Fu Wuyang lowered his voice, "He said he would find a way to solve Zhao Demao's problem and let us stay here for a few days in peace."

Su Lanyin hesitated to speak, and finally just nodded.

She followed Fu Wuyang through the winding corridors, paying attention to the layout of the provincial capital.

Where does the path behind the rockery lead to?

Why does the old servant who always sweeps the floor with his head down have thick calluses on the palm of his right hand?

The details swirled in her mind.

The banquet was held in the garden pavilion.

Lord Liu and his wife had been waiting for a long time. When they saw them arrive, they immediately stood up to greet them.

"Master Fu! Madam Su!" Lord Liu bowed and smiled, "This is just a simple meal, not a sign of respect."

The dishes are not luxurious, but they are all exquisite.

A little rabbit carved out of lotus root lies on a celadon plate, dense knife marks are carved on the back of a sea bass, and even the rice is molded into the shape of a plum blossom.

Su Lanyin noticed that these were all the dishes that King Xiaoyao favored back then.

"Master Liu, thank you for your hard work." Fu Wuyang raised his glass to greet him. "When my brother was alive, he often mentioned your loyalty and righteousness. After seeing you today, I can see that your reputation is well-deserved."

Lord Liu repeatedly said that he dared not, but he covered his eyes with his sleeves while drinking and glanced quickly at Fu Wuyang.

Su Lanyin picked up a piece of stir-fried vegetables and found a few wolfberries hidden under the leaves - this was the ingredient that Fu Wuyang hated the most.

Halfway through the banquet, a bailiff came hurriedly and whispered something in Lord Liu's ear.

Mr. Liu looked embarrassed: "Mr. Fu, I'm really sorry, I have urgent official business to deal with..."

"Please do as you wish, sir." Fu Wuyang waved his hand sympathetically.

After Lord Liu left the table, Mrs. Liu also began to find excuses to leave.

Soon, only Fu Wuyang and his wife were left in the pavilion.

"Something's wrong." Su Lanyin immediately put down her chopsticks. "When Lord Liu left the table, there were ink stains on his sleeves, which means he was writing something, not handling official business."

Fu Wuyang served her a bowl of soup and said, "You're worrying too much. The state government has a lot of paperwork to deal with every day, so it's normal to get a little dirty."

"What about the wolfberry?" Su Lanyin lowered her voice, "You never eat this. If Lord Liu is really as familiar with you as you say, how could he not know about it?"

Fu Wuyang paused for a moment: "Maybe it was the menu arranged by his wife..."

"And the old servant who was sweeping the floor." Su Lanyin continued, "He had calluses on the base of his right hand, which he got from holding a knife for many years. How could a sweeper have such calluses?"

Fu Wuyang frowned slightly and put down his chopsticks: "Lan Yin, Lord Liu was promoted by my brother. When we left Beijing thirty years ago, he secretly sent someone to escort us. If it weren't for his secret care over the years, how could Taoyuan Village be so peaceful?"

Su Lanyin wanted to say something, but when she saw a figure swaying in the distance, she had to give up.

In the afternoon, Madam Liu invited Su Lanyin to appreciate the flowers, while Fu Wuyang went to the study with Lord Liu to reminisce about the past.

There are many precious flowers and trees planted in the provincial garden, among which a blood-red camellia is particularly eye-catching.

"This is called 'Blood Sees Sorrow'," Mrs. Liu introduced. "It is a rare plant transplanted from southern Xinjiang. There are no more than five of them in the entire Central Plains."

Su Lanyin took a closer look and found that the edges of the petals were serrated and there were a few strange blue lines in the center of the flower.

She was shocked - she had seen this flower in the ancient books of the Imperial Hospital. It was the key ingredient for making "Soul-Li San", and Soul-Li San was the secret medicine that was used to poison the previous emperor's favorite concubine.

"It's really strange." She tried to remain calm, "I wonder where did you get it from?"

Madam Liu smiled and said, "It was given to me by a distinguished guest from the capital last year. He said it can cure headaches. I tried it several times and it really works."

Su Lanyin took a few steps back calmly.

Blood-Seeing Sorrow cannot cure headaches at all. Instead, it is highly poisonous, unless... someone deliberately processed it into a chronic poison.

On the other side, Fu Wuyang was playing chess and chatting with Lord Liu.

Lord Liu asked casually, "Mr. Fu, what are your plans for the future? Will you continue to teach in Taoyuan Village?"

"Life in the mountains is quite comfortable." Fu Wuyang left a child, "But there have been some disturbances recently, and I would like to ask the adults to help calm them down."

Lord Liu sighed, "Mr. Zhao is indeed a rude man. But..." He lowered his voice, "I heard that someone in the capital has been asking about Mr. Fu's whereabouts recently. I'm afraid..."

Fu Wuyang's fingers trembled, and the chess piece almost fell: "Oh? Who is asking?"

"Well..." Lord Liu hesitated and finally shook his head, "Maybe I'm overthinking. Come on, continue playing chess."

On the chessboard, the black pieces have formed a siege.

Lord Liu suddenly placed a white piece in a seemingly irrelevant position. Fu Wuyang raised his eyebrows - this move is meaningless, unless...

He looked carefully and saw that the white piece was landing on the star representing "Capital City", while the surrounding black pieces formed a vague word "咎".

Fu Wuyang was shocked, but he didn't show it at all.

He pretended to think about the chess game, but in fact he was observing Lord Liu out of the corner of his eye.

The latter had beads of sweat on his forehead and his fingers kept rubbing the edge of the teacup, obviously feeling uneasy.

At sunset, the couple reunited in the guest room corridor.

Fu Wuyang casually mentioned: "Master Liu said there is a good silk shop in the east of the city. Shall we go and have a look tomorrow?"

Su Lanyin understood - the east of the city was where the post station was located, and Lord Liu must have revealed something.

She nodded. "I just wanted to add some fabric."

After nightfall, Su Lanyin and the other maids left, and then she took out a small paper bag from her sleeve: "I took some pollen from the blood-seeking sagebrush. This flower is highly poisonous, I don't know what the Liu family grows it for."

Fu Wuyang looked solemn: "When we were playing chess today, Master Liu hinted that Fu Wujiu was looking for us."

"I told you he can't be trusted!" Su Lanyin said anxiously, "We'll leave early tomorrow morning."

Fu Wuyang shook his head: "If he gives us a tip now, we should stay and see what he wants to do. Leaving rashly may play into the enemy's hands."

Su Lanyin wanted to refute, but suddenly she felt nauseous.

She turned around and retched, and Fu Wuyang was so scared that he quickly supported her: "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with the food?"

"It's okay..." Su Lanyin tried to suppress the discomfort, "Maybe it's because I haven't eaten such greasy food for a long time, and my stomach can't take it."

Fu Wuyang was skeptical and poured her a cup of hot tea.

Su Lanyin took small sips, but her heart was in turmoil - her period was half a month late, and when she was dressing this morning, she found that the color of her areola had darkened.

These symptoms are exactly the same as when I was pregnant more than ten years ago, and also exactly the same as three years ago.

Three years ago, she became pregnant again. In April, because Fu Wuyang was poisoned, she worried and took care of him for days. Finally, she had a miscarriage after hearing the news that her husband might have been killed.

The miracle doctor said that her physical condition was damaged and she might have difficulty getting pregnant again.

Now that she was really pregnant, she didn't dare tell Fu Wuyang, for fear that it would be another false alarm. She was even more afraid that he would be distracted by it and get into an accident in the crisis-ridden state capital.

"What are you thinking about?" Fu Wuyang asked softly.

Su Lanyin came to her senses and found that her husband was looking at her worriedly.

She forced a smile and said, "I remember the time we were in Shengjing and you took me to Luoyang to see the peonies. At that time, people on the street knelt down and bowed to you, and you were so annoyed that you changed into casual clothes and slipped out the next day."

Fu Wuyang's eyes showed nostalgia: "More than ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. I don't know who Lan'er and Yin'er are more like? I guess they are both as smart and decisive as you. Don't be as reckless as I was when I was young."

These words stabbed into Su Lanyin's heart like a knife.

She lowered her head to hide the wetness in her eyes: "Go to sleep, we still have to deal with Lord Liu tomorrow."

It’s not that they don’t want to go back to see their children...it’s just that staying in Shengjing will provide better protection for them.

Su Lanyin and Fu Wuyang came down from a great height, and there were countless vicious eyes staring at them from behind.

When it was late at night and everyone was asleep, Su Lanyin quietly took out a jade pendant and rubbed it between her fingertips.

That was the promise Fu Mingchuan made to her. If anything happened to the two children, she could use this jade pendant to exchange for anything, even the throne.

Outside the window, a solitary moon hung above the high walls of the provincial capital, casting the shadows of the trees on the bluestone ground like an open net.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and on the peach tree at the entrance of Taoyuan Village, a few sparrows were pecking at the first-ripened fruits.

Su Lanyin was squatting by the stream washing clothes. The sound of the mallet hitting the cloth startled a fish.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead, her eyes unconsciously drifting towards the path outside the village - Fu Wuyang had been in the provincial capital for five days, and he should have returned today.

"Madam Su!" Xiao Tao came running over with a cane, her cheeks flushed from running, "There are so many soldiers coming to the village entrance!"

The mallet in Su Lanyin's hand fell into the stream with a "bang".

She didn't bother to pick it up, she just lifted up her skirt and ran towards the village entrance.

From a distance, she saw a team of officers in official uniforms standing in line, and the leader was talking to the head of the village.

The villagers gathered around, their faces filled with anxiety.

"...The Imperial Envoy has personally ordered that the wanted criminal Fu Wuyang be escorted back to the capital immediately." The leading officer's voice was as cold as iron, "If anyone shields him, he will be punished with the same crime!"

Su Lanyin stopped walking and hid behind the willow tree to calm her breathing.

These are not officials from the provincial government; the tokens on their waists are those of the Ministry of Justice in the capital.

Her eyes swept over the last prison van in the team, and her heart suddenly sank - the prison van was empty, and Fu Wuyang had not been caught yet.

"Sir, there is only one teacher, Mr. Fu, in our village..." Li Zheng rubbed his hands, his voice trembling.

"It's him!" the officer interrupted sternly, "The King of Freedom, Fu Wuyang, has been hiding among the people for more than ten years, plotting evil. The emperor has issued an imperial decree, why don't you hand him over quickly!"

As soon as the word "imperial edict" was uttered, the villagers fell to their knees.

Su Lanyin took cover from the trees and quietly retreated.

She had to find Fu Wuyang before the officers searched the village - if he had already returned.

Just as she retreated to the corner of the ancestral hall, a big warm hand suddenly covered her mouth.

The familiar scent of pine ink came over her, and her tense body immediately relaxed.

"Don't make a sound." Fu Wuyang's voice rang in her ears, with rapid breathing, "Follow me."

He pulled her through the back door of the ancestral hall and into a path almost covered by weeds.

This was the escape route they had secretly opened when they first arrived in the village just in case.