bookcurios Chapter 124 Secret Choice
Chapter 124 Secret Choice
You could hear a pin drop in the quiet hall. The Third Prince was standing in front of Zhao Fangyu. Zhao Fangyu didn't even need to look up to sense the sticky and uncomfortable gaze.
Qian Jiangping looked at Zhao Fangyu who was standing still with concern. He wanted to end it but was afraid of bringing bad luck.
Zhao Fangyu calmly bowed to the Third Prince without haste, and then slowly said: "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, busy with state affairs day and night, and the servants also have their own specialties, just to assist Your Majesty with peace of mind."
"The Third Prince is kind to others. I'm afraid it's not because the people in the mansion don't care, but because the Third Prince is too kind, so the servants misjudged His Highness's taste. If there are those who are really ignorant, just ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to replace them."
After Zhao Fangyu finished speaking, the emperor, who was sitting behind the desk, glanced at the third prince solemnly and said, "Sit down. Can I give you a sip of tea less?"
The Third Prince quickly said, "With my father here, how could he mistreat his son?"
In one sentence, the clouds cleared and the rain stopped. Zhao Fangyu seized the opportunity to quietly withdraw. The cold wind dried up the white sweat on his body. It was so cold in broad daylight that he felt like shivering.
There was no one on the palace road, and Zhao Fangyu walked slowly. All he could think about was the conversation between the emperor and the third prince, as well as his own response.
There was some selfish motive in what she said just now, but the emperor's reaction... didn't seem to be very resistant.
Compared to the young princes who have not yet grown up, the third prince who has already risen to power is obviously the most capable one. The second prince was reprimanded for no reason and is not in the emperor's favor. It may be because of the involvement of the eldest prince in the incident...
Zhao Fangyu had a splitting headache, as if an invisible axe was chopping at her head.
She felt both pain and annoyance. She was so annoyed that she wanted to cut her face with a knife to disfigure it, which would be better than being remembered by a disgusting person like the Third Prince.
But she felt it was not worth it to ruin herself for such a disgusting person.
Before Zhao Fangyu could think about it, a voice came from behind him: "Sister Zhao."
There were not many people in the palace who would call her "Sister Zhao". When Zhao Fangyu turned around, she saw that the person coming was Mei Zhanhui.
Lord Xiaomei, who was in high spirits, was dressed in a scarlet official robe, which made him look even more handsome and elegant, and his temperament was as red as plum.
The top scholar who is less than 20 years old...how amazingly talented is he?
Zhao Fangyu stopped and saluted Mei Zhanhui. She didn't know Mei Zhanhui's current official position, so she called him "Master Xiaomei". Everyone in the imperial court called him that.
Zhao Fangyu had never specifically asked about Mei Zhanhui, but Mei Zhanhui knew that Zhao Fangyu was treated very well in the imperial court and was now the head aunt of the tea room.
If it weren't for the past events, a noble lady like her would have been the most beautiful pearl in the capital. How could she have fallen to the point of serving others?
Even though he was walking in front of the emperor, he was still doing the work of a servant. Mei Zhanhui couldn't tell how he felt. He just felt inexplicably sorry when he saw Zhao Fangyu dressed in the clothes of a palace maid with a cold and lifeless look on her face.
In his memory, Zhao Fangyu was extremely mischievous. If anyone dared to gossip about him in front of his sister at the Dragon Boat Festival, he would shyly avoid her. He heard from his cousin that she had also been through a lot.
Lady Xiaomei grew up in the inner house, so she naturally knew that sometimes the hardships in the inner house could make people soaked in bitterness.
"You look unwell? Are you sick?"
Zhao Fangyu didn't know why, but he subconsciously felt a sense of familiarity when he saw Mei Zhanhui's face. Perhaps some people are just more kindly than others. Zhao Fangyu swallowed his bitterness and just said it was the wind.
Mei Zhanhui looked at Zhao Fangyu for a while, asked him a few more questions, and then parted ways.
Before we parted, I saw that she was very thin, as if the wind could blow her away, and I knew that she was probably in trouble.
Mei Zhanhui did not ask any questions rashly, but he was particularly attentive when he entered the imperial study.
The third prince had not left yet, and the emperor did not ask Mei Zhanhui to stand outside stupidly. Instead, he called Qian Jiangping to give him a seat and serve him tea.
As soon as Zhao Fangyu arrived at the tea room, Xiao Quanzi came to serve tea, and Zhao Fangyu brought the tea over again.
The third prince came out of the imperial study soon. When he passed by the outer room and saw Zhao Fangyu still waiting outside, he snorted with an ambiguous meaning.
Just like the look just now, it made several people feel uncomfortable. Even though there had been no contact, they felt as if they were touched by something slippery and cold, which made them feel disgusted.
Zhao Fangyu was like a wooden man, with no reaction at all.
Mei Zhanhui took everything in calmly, yet he had the answer to Zhao Fangyu's difficulties in his mind.
"The Yellow River in the south of the Yangtze River has changed its course. The victims have been resettled, but the Yellow River has continued to change its course year after year, and it is still a threat to Daliang for all eternity."
The emperor's attention was drawn to Mei Zhanhui. The two talked about the disaster victims in the south of the Yangtze River in the imperial study. Soon, they called on other adults on duty in the duty room.
"Sister Runyi, let's stay away from each other from now on..."
The people in the imperial court were well-informed. Xiao Quanzi knew that the Third Prince had set his eyes on Zhao Fangyu, and she felt extremely sorry for a moment, fearing that such a good sister as beautiful as an orchid would be trapped in the backyard by the Third Prince for the rest of her life.
Zhao Fangyu shook his head and smiled bitterly: "It's not something I can control..."
Zhao Minshan is now dismissed from his post and at home, and her status has suddenly dropped. If the emperor is interested, he can give her to the third prince as a concubine...
In the eyes of the Third Prince, she is probably more attractive than fat meat.
She is good-looking. If he marries her, he can also get some support from the Longxi Li family. More importantly, the huge fortune of the first lady must be shared with her. As long as she can share it, the third prince will definitely instigate her to squeeze the first lady dry...
Xiao Quanzi knew how difficult it was for Zhao Fangyu, so he lowered his head and muttered, "It's a pity that my sister entered the palace too early and has never arranged a marriage."
Zhao Fangyu slowed down his tea-holding hand and suddenly thought of someone.
But that person was probably also looking at each other. Even if a message was sent to Longxi now, it might be too late.
Even if the third prince knew about it, it would anger him in advance.
Late at night, Zhao Fangyu counted the hours, but couldn't sleep well. His body was exhausted, but as soon as he closed his eyes, the malicious eyes of the Third Prince appeared before him, like a venomous snake.
She always seemed to be prone to such dilemmas.
Meng Yangjiang and Shi Erlang are thousands of miles away. Shi Erlang is better, but Meng Yanjiang... Thinking of the mess in the Duke of Li's Mansion, Zhao Fangyu still has a headache to this day.
Mei Zhanhui's situation was even more difficult. He couldn't go through with it according to etiquette. Even if they loved each other, it would be of no use, not to mention that they were just casual acquaintances.
These were the men who had the most contact with her. After thinking about it, Zhao Fangyu even thought of Pei Yan.
Pei Yan's ability to achieve success was as outstanding as his ability to cause trouble, and the Jinyiwei rarely had a good ending.
But at this moment, it seems that only Pei Yan can help her escape from the Third Prince.
In the middle of the night, Zhao Fangyu suddenly got up, lit the lamp oil, and took out a jar of plum blossom cream that he had left over from giving away.
If Pei Yan was really interested in her, he would naturally come to find her. If not, Zhao Fangyu would find another opportunity to deliver the gift to her.
She had thought it through. If all else failed, she would rather marry Pei Yan than the third prince.
The Jinyiwei died early, and she gave birth to a son who became a rich widow. With the Zhao family, she would always be protected. Even if her enemies came looking for her, she was not afraid. Only when Pei Yan died would her good days begin.
That night, Pei Yan learned that the third prince was interested in Zhao Fangyu.