ebookland Chapter 962 Farewell (2-in-1)
Chapter 962 Farewell (2-in-1)
Fang Yin and Fang Tong didn't deliberately hide anything; their actions these past few days have been observed by everyone.
It's normal for Jin Yunting to know this.
"Mm." Fang Nanzhi replied, "I invited you today for two reasons: first, to say goodbye; second, to express my gratitude; and third, to return the bright moon and gentle breeze to you."
“Their injuries haven’t fully healed yet, but they can move around now. I’ve prepared some ointment that will last them for a while.”
She scratched her face a little embarrassed: "I'm sorry, you lent me your people and they got hurt like this."
After that day at the Ministry of Justice, she told Langyue Qingfeng that they could go back to their master.
However, the two stated that they would still obey Fang Nanzhi unless their master gave the order.
Fang Nanzhi thought that since their injuries were still quite serious, they should rest at the manor for a few days before being sent back.
"They were just doing their duty, they did what they were supposed to do, you don't need to take it to heart," Jin Yunting comforted softly.
How could I not take it to heart?
If Langyue Qingfeng hadn't found the village where the assassins were hiding, this case would have taken much longer to resolve.
The two nearly lost their lives while trying to find out what was going on.
However, this matter was kept secret by the Fang family and the Crown Prince, and was not told to the outside world.
Otherwise, if those aristocratic families knew that their assassins were discovered by Jin Yunting's men, the Jin family's situation would likely be even more difficult.
Neither side was acting in Jin's best interests; they were simply doing Jin Yunting a favor and didn't want to drag him into the mess.
“If you think they are useful, you can keep them around.” Jin Yunting lowered his eyes, his grip on the cup tightening slightly.
Fang Nanzhi didn't notice his nervousness and quickly refused.
"That won't do. A gentleman doesn't take what others cherish, and besides, you need manpower more than I do."
Now that the case is cleared up, she's likely safe from now on.
Yeah, we need to be careful and avoid getting assassinated every few days.
Jin Yunting pursed his lips, put down his cup, and looked at her with eyes as cold as a spring: "Will Zhizhi also return His Highness the Crown Prince's people?"
"Ah? That depends on what the Crown Prince thinks."
Fang Nanzhi said subconsciously.
She really hadn't considered letting Brother Feng go back.
Subconsciously, she felt that Langyue Qingfeng was a borrowed force, while Feng Yi and the others were similar to her own guards and were worthy of her complete trust.
With such a close relationship between her and the Crown Prince, she wouldn't fuss over something as trivial as using guards.
When the Crown Prince needs someone, he will naturally transfer them back.
Jin Yunting realized that in the little girl's heart, they were different.
A strange pang of sadness welled up inside him, but he was always able to control himself and forced it down.
"Zhizhi, do you know that today in court, Chen Haokun was ordered to be transferred to a post outside the capital?"
"Outside the office? Where to?"
Fang Nanzhi was curious.
Is Chen Haokun going to be assigned to a post outside the city, and will he be bringing his family with him?
"In Jinzhou Prefecture, Huai'an County, he was appointed as a seventh-rank county magistrate."
Jinzhou Prefecture was far from the capital, and Huai'an County was the most remote and poorest county in the area, with a rather fierce local culture.
The imperial court had just reorganized Jinzhou Prefecture, hoping that things would be different in the next few years, at least allowing the people to live and work in peace and contentment.
In other words, Chen Haokun was sent to a remote post with a low-ranking official position, a lot of messes to deal with, and he had to make achievements, otherwise the court would be dissatisfied.
Of course, if he really makes great achievements, he may be promoted.
It's just quite difficult.
"A county magistrate? That's good. He's a local official." Fang Nanzhi actually wished her own father could be a county magistrate or something.
Then she would be the daughter of the county magistrate, and no one in the county would dare to offend her; how powerful she would be.
Hey hey hey.
Unfortunately, the chances were slim. Her father was doing quite well at the Ministry of Agriculture and would probably be an agricultural official for life.
"This is His Highness's suggestion," Jin Yunting reminded her when she didn't understand.
Fang Nanzhi blinked, looked at him for a long time, and finally understood.
Does Jin Yunting believe that Chen Haokun's sudden transfer to another region is related to her?
They had just invited her to come to their home for a medical consultation when she was immediately transferred to another post, a move suggested by the Crown Prince.
What a coincidence! It's too much of a coincidence.
She raised an eyebrow slightly: "Given Chen Haokun's original situation, what other options did he have besides being transferred out?"
That would naturally result in suppression, cold treatment, and complete forgetting by those in power...
Jin Yunting sighed, "Your Highness is exceptionally wise and would not do anything that would put personal interests before public duty."
Fang Nanzhi was relieved.
Chen Haokun's situation in the court was precarious, and the Crown Prince may have chosen a future for her out of consideration for her.
Besides, she really didn't think it was a bad thing to be appointed as a county magistrate in a remote area.
At least you can get promoted if you have achievements.
“But Zhizhi, His Highness is getting old, and these next two years are the time to choose a Crown Princess.”
"You are naive and consider His Highness a friend. The future Crown Princess may not be very happy about that."
Jin Yunting stopped there.
There have been so many things happening this year that many families haven't had time to process them all.
Next year, many powerful families will surely want to send their daughters to the Crown Prince's palace.
At that time, a member of the opposite sex who is very close to His Highness, even if they are young, will raise suspicion.
Some people will choose to befriend them, but many more will probably want to get rid of them as soon as possible.
A woman's jealousy can be quite terrifying.
Fang Nanzhi understood.
She nodded earnestly, her little face serious.
Although she hadn't experienced it herself, she had a vague sense that romantic love between men and women was different from other kinds of love; it was very exclusive.
After her father married into the family, his wife and children always came first. Even a good brother like Uncle Tiezhu, no matter how close they were, always came second.
If it's the other way around, and you always think of your best friend, a family won't be able to live well together.
Jin Yunting knew she had taken it to heart, so he didn't say anything more.
Too much advice can easily be interpreted as sowing discord.
The two ordered three dishes and rice.
Fang Nanzhi ate most of it, while Jin Yunting could only eat a small portion.
His body is so weak that even overeating makes him sick.
Jin Yunting took Langyue Qingfeng away, but Zhizhi insisted on not taking it, and he couldn't force her.
Once back at the manor, Fang Nanzhi had someone invite Feng Yi and the others over.
She ate a bit too much and is drinking hawthorn soup to aid digestion.
"Brother Feng, have you eaten?"
Every time Feng Yi heard her call him "Big Brother," his heart would tremble.
"Hmm, what brings you here, Miss?"
"It's nothing, sigh." Fang Nanzhi suddenly sighed: "It's just that I've been so grateful to you all during this time. Several of Brother Feng's men died protecting me."
Fang Nanzhi still felt guilty because others had died for her.
“Miss, the duty of the guards is to protect. Besides, it’s already very kind of you to collect their bodies and build graves for them.”
Feng Yi said sincerely.
People like them live on the edge, their heads hanging by a thread, they could die at any moment.
Most of them died "silently," rarely receiving any arrangements for their funerals. They were all mentally prepared for this.
As for the comrades who died during this period, the general's mansion initially intended to provide them with compensation, but after learning that none of the secret guards had families, they bought a piece of land specifically to bury them.
On the day the monument was erected, the masters of the General's Mansion went together to offer incense and kowtow.
How many secret guards could receive such an honor?
Judging from Lord Fang's intentions, the tombstone should be visited and cleaned by the young masters and ladies every year.
Fang Nanzhi didn't think so. She never felt that the lives of the guards were less valuable than hers.
But she didn't dwell on that, getting straight to the point: "Today I sent Langyue and Qingfeng back."
Feng Yi certainly knew, but why did Miss bring it up specifically?
He was puzzled at first, but quickly understood.
"Miss, I will arrange for people to strengthen the protection and take their place."
Fang Nanzhi scratched her head; that wasn't what she meant.
"Ahem, no, I mean, has His Highness allowed you to return to the East Palace?"
"I should be quite safe around you from now on, but there are quite a few people eyeing His Highness, so we'll probably be short-handed, right?"
Feng Yi realized that the young lady didn't want them to stay either.
But Your Highness, you probably won't withdraw your men.
"Your Highness has many capable people at your disposal. My task is to protect Miss and her family, including when Miss returns to her hometown for the New Year."
Feng Yi deliberately placed the young lady before her family.
But Fang Nanzhi didn't understand the deeper meaning.
She looked a little embarrassed: "Oh? You're even coming back to your hometown with me? That's too much trouble for Brother Feng."
"Otherwise, you should go back to the East Palace. I really don't need too many people around me."
"thump!"
Feng Yi knelt down firmly, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
"But I have failed in my duties. What has displeased you, Miss? I am willing to be punished. Please do not send me away."
Despite saying words of admitting his mistakes and begging for forgiveness, Feng Yi's face still showed a resolute expression.
This shows that he doesn't do this kind of thing often.
There was nothing he could do. If he were to be driven away by the young lady like this, His Highness would probably not be happy if he returned to the Eastern Palace.
He knew the young lady was soft-hearted, so this was the only way to keep her there.
Fang Nanzhi couldn't punish someone without a reason, so she couldn't go against his wishes and had to let it go for now.
However, she hadn't forgotten about it and planned to return the money to Qingyan face-to-face when they met.
Sigh, she hadn't thought about it deeply before. Now, putting herself in her shoes, she imagines that in a few years, when she grows up and finds a husband, he ends up giving his men and treasure to another young girl.
She will definitely be unhappy.
Fang Nanzhi put her hands in her pockets and thought to herself, "This must be what the book calls a sense of boundaries."
The rest of the family knew that Zhizhi wanted Fengyi to return to the Eastern Palace that very day.
But no one said anything; they all chose to wait and see.
Fang Tong knew that his second brother had firmly led him onto the Crown Prince's ship, a ship from which there was no way to get off.
At this point, it wouldn't be good for them to distance themselves from and be wary of the Crown Prince; it would be better to let Zhizhi handle it.
The two people have a different kind of relationship.
Three days later, everything at home was ready.
With the New Year's goods and gifts prepared, Cheng Xiaohu contacted several small business owners and bought some goods from them.
They're all cotton fabrics, which are inexpensive and affordable for ordinary people. But they come in a variety of attractive patterns, something that's rare in their small county.
Bringing it back home will definitely be a hit.
Upon seeing this, Fang Tong led his men to the Pleasant Goat shop.
To avoid being accused of blurring the lines between public and private matters, he simply made the introduction.
The deal was still negotiated between Cheng Xiaohu and the shop manager, and that's how it was settled; they ordered over three hundred more wool sweaters.
Cheng Xiaohu ordered a small quantity, just to try it out, in case it could be sold in the county town.
Meanwhile, Fang Tong and Fang Yin's fake documents were finally approved, and they can set off to return to their hometown tomorrow.
Fang Tong was alright; his official rank was low and inconspicuous, so it was easy for him to take leave. When Fang Yin took leave, after the Minister of War approved it, the Emperor even inquired about it a couple of times.
Later, he spoke with Fang Yin privately, and it's unclear what he instructed her about.
Qin Yan also asked the Imperial Academy for leave. He left early this time and would miss the Imperial Academy's year-end examination.
Generally speaking, the Confucian scholars would not agree.
However, Qin Yan was excellent in both character and academics after enrolling in school and was diligent in his studies. He rarely took leave, except for the year when a major event happened in his family and he had to go back to pay respects to his ancestors, which was out of filial piety.
They agreed.
They agreed, but there were conditions. After Qin Yan returned to the capital, the teachers would create a new exam paper with a similar level of difficulty to the main exam.
He will be punished if he does poorly on the test.
What could Qin Yan do? He could only agree and thank the teachers for their concern.
After all, creating an extra exam paper takes a lot of effort.
Fang Nanzhi was also quite busy, so she went to the Zhou residence to say goodbye first.
Old Zhou was very easy to talk to, and didn't even assign her too much homework, letting her enjoy the holiday.
Fang Nanzhi was so moved that her eyes welled up with tears; her master was so considerate.
After leaving the Zhou residence, we went to the Deng residence. Mr. Deng had been assigning her homework for the past four or five days, and today he added some more.
Fang Nanzhi left after a short while, afraid that if she stayed too long, Mr. Deng might remember something that could be used as homework.
She said goodbye to her teacher in the morning and went to the palace in the afternoon.
The main reason was that Qingyan had sent people several times to invite her to the East Palace to see the ice sculptures, and it wouldn't be good to keep refusing.
Besides, she was quite curious, so she took the opportunity of saying goodbye to come and see for herself.
The little girl didn't know that this ice sculpture was specially commissioned by Qingyan to be made by a craftsman for her.
Qingyan wore a purple robe with gold thread embroidered on his belt. He had one hand behind his back, and unlike his usual cold and aloof demeanor, he exuded nobility and domineering presence.
Fang Nanzhi was stunned when she saw the person.
She felt that Qingyan now really resembled a crown prince, seemingly of incomparably noble status, inspiring awe and making people dare not even try to reach him.
"Zhizhi."
Upon seeing the person who arrived, Qingyan's face softened as if ice and snow had melted away.
"Ahem, Qingyan, you've grown up. You are indeed quite handsome. Hmm, you look a bit like His Majesty, especially your eyes."
Fang Nanzhi snapped out of her daze and offered straightforward praise.
But her tone sounds strange. What does she mean by "grown up"? It's as if she's the Crown Prince's elder.
"You like good-looking people?"
Qingyan's gaze fell on her face, a casual probing.
"Yeah, who doesn't like good-looking people? My dad was able to marry into the family because he was good-looking. You're a little bit better looking than my dad, and your family background is a little bit better. If you marry a wife and treat her well, she'll definitely like you."
Fang Nanzhi gave him an encouraging look.
The eunuchs waiting nearby lowered their heads even further, wishing they had no ears.
Miss Fang is really bold; she dares to say anything.
Your Highness's bearing and demeanor far surpass those of Lord Fang. Moreover, is there any woman in the world who would dare not like Your Highness?
Why bother with conditions like "good-looking" or "treating her well"?
To become the Crown Princess is a blessing bestowed upon those women in their past lives.
However, Qingyan listened attentively.
He thought to himself, "It's good that he's good-looking. I hope the little girl will still like looking at him when she's a few years older."
I've heard that people's hearts are fickle, especially when it comes to beauty; they easily become fickle and tired of the old. I wonder if Zhizhi is like that?
Who would have thought that the aloof and self-possessed prince was already preparing to seduce someone with his good looks?
"Then I'll take your kind words as a blessing," Qingyan said.
Fang Nanzhi looked up and saw his "lovestruck" smile, and misunderstood, thinking that Qingyan really wanted to marry the Crown Princess.
The selection process has been delayed since we started talking about it. Is the Crown Prince getting anxious?