Fu Tingyun’s hands were soft and delicate, with a slight coolness like the finest white jade. Her eyebrows were black and thick, gentle like light feathers, adding a touch of softness to her face. Her large almond-shaped eyes were always bright and spirited, like the most brilliant stars on a summer night, unforgettable to anyone who saw them… Zhao Ling gazed quietly at the person before him. His hesitation when deciding to follow Prince Mu, his worry about her safety after their separation, his doubts about his abilities when defeated, the pressure to keep striving when victorious—all seemed to become insignificant now.

Layers of mirth rippled in his eyes.

Fu Tingyun only felt her face growing hot.

This fellow, staring at her so intently… how shameless!

Wanting to pull her hand out of his grasp, yet afraid of knocking over the teacup and spilling tea on him, she couldn’t help but reproach him: “Are you going to drink the tea or not?”

Her voice was sweet and soft, like a spring brook.

Fu Tingyun felt both embarrassed and shy, her face like the morning glow.

Looking at her, Zhao Ling’s heart tightened. He firmly held her hand and said with a smile at the corner of his lips: “Feed it to me.” His tone conveyed a warm intimacy that made Fu Tingyun’s ears burn.

“No way!” Not caring about the teacup anymore, she hurriedly withdrew her hand and retreated.

Amid the clinking sounds, Zhao Ling fumbled, barely managing to catch the teacup, but some tea still spilled onto his hand and his blue silk robe.

Such a flustered Zhao Ling… was rarely seen.

Fu Tingyun pressed her lips together in a smile.

Zhao Ling shook his head, his eyes showing indulgent helplessness.

Inexplicably, Fu Tingyun’s heart swelled with joy, and her smile grew more radiant. She took out a handkerchief and handed it to him: “Here, wipe your hand!”

Zhao Ling looked at her sparkling eyes, then at the slight mischief at the corner of her mouth. His heart stirred, and he suddenly grasped her wrist. With a slight force, she fell into his lap with the handkerchief.

“Help me wipe it,” he said softly by her ear, his arm around her waist.

His hot breath blew on her neck, making half of her body tingle.

“No!” She bit her lip, as if concealing something, struggling forcefully in his embrace. Her rosy lips were like the oleander blooming on the long table, brilliantly gorgeous.

A strange light flashed in Zhao Ling’s eyes. He called her “Nan’er,” his voice becoming hoarse and deep: “Don’t move!”

You say don’t move, and I’m supposed to stop?

Then you shouldn’t hold me so tightly!

Fu Tingyun grumbled inwardly, but her movements became even more forceful… Suddenly, she widened her eyes, her body stiffening in Zhao Ling’s arms, motionless like a wooden doll.

Zhao Ling smiled bitterly.

Gently stroking her hairline: “Be good, don’t be afraid, it will be over soon!” His ears reddened, and a blush crept up his cheeks.

Hearing this, Fu Tingyun was so anxious she almost cried.

She was about to be married, with her dowry all prepared. The pillow book at the bottom of her trunk was given to her by her mother through her Sixth Aunt… His thigh was pressing hard against hers… she certainly knew what that was… but how could this happen? She hadn’t done anything inappropriate. They were just playing around a bit… This scoundrel, knowing the situation, why did he still hold her so tightly? If he had released her initially, how could things have come to this? Or if he had remained silent, she could have pretended not to know… both could have let it pass. But now that he had called it out, she couldn’t pretend not to know anymore…

Unfortunately, the pillow book didn’t tell her how to handle this situation. She dared not disobey Zhao Ling, but sitting in his lap was like sitting on pins and needles. Feeling both aggrieved and shy, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

Zhao Ling, who had been anxiously watching Fu Tingyun, grew worried when he saw this. But this matter was beyond his control. The more anxious he became, the harder it was to calm down. Yet he couldn’t bear to see Fu Tingyun upset. He embraced her tightly: “Don’t cry, don’t cry, it’s all my fault, all my fault!” He tenderly kissed her forehead and continued, “The Emperor has agreed to bless our marriage, you don’t need to worry…”

“What did you say?” In her shock, Fu Tingyun suddenly jumped out of Zhao Ling’s arms.

She now realized that not only was Zhao Ling’s face red, but his neck was also flushed.

Could he be embarrassed?

The thought flashed through Fu Tingyun’s mind, quickly replaced by confusion: “What exactly is going on?” she pressed.

Seeing that Fu Tingyun was no longer focused on the awkwardness between them, Zhao Ling sighed with relief. With his heart somewhat settled, he said: “The Emperor decided to enter the capital with a light cavalry. He needed guards with exceptional martial skills, so the Marquis of Yingchuan recommended me, Mo Yi, Lin Chi, and Tao Mu. The other three are well-known; only my background is unclear. The Marquis summoned me and personally inquired about our backgrounds.”

Fu Tingyun suddenly understood: “So when the Marquis of Yingchuan called for you, it was to ask about your background!” They had misunderstood, thinking the Marquis wanted to arrest Shopkeeper Ye. Realizing this, she became angry, “So you had already decided to go to Huguang at that time, but didn’t tell me the truth, and instead tricked me into returning to the capital. Do you know how worried I was, unable to sleep night after night…” Her almond eyes glared at him, trembling with anger. “If anything had happened to you, how could I have continued living?” Tears brimmed in her eyes.

“I know, I know. It’s precisely because I knew that I didn’t tell you.” Zhao Ling stepped forward, wanting to embrace Fu Tingyun, but she backed away several steps, glaring at him angrily. Zhao Ling smiled helplessly, “Nan’er, going to Huguang was an opportunity, but I didn’t know if it would bring fortune or disaster. If it succeeded, then nothing needed to be said. If it failed,” he moved closer and lowered his voice, “I’m alone in this world. I could hide somewhere for a few years before returning to Beijing to find you—knowing your character, whether I was alive or dead, you would wait for me. We could then sell the residence in the capital and go to Jiangnan or beyond the Great Wall… Nan’er, since you’ve followed me, I would never leave you alone and desolate!” As he spoke, his expression grew solemn, and his gaze at Fu Tingyun became grave.

Fu Tingyun’s tears fell like rain, her mind echoing with Zhao Ling’s words: “Knowing your character, whether I was alive or dead, you would wait for me.”

She had known Zhao Ling for only three years, yet he was so certain she would remain faithful to him. In contrast, she had lived with the Fu family for fifteen years, but Zuo Junjie’s baseless accusations had made everyone in the Fu household doubt her.

Was this her fortune or misfortune?

Fu Tingyun embraced Zhao Ling, gently resting her head on his broad chest.

Zhao Ling held her tightly in return, his fingers lightly caressing her hair, soothing her emotions: “Nan’er, I promise, I will never do anything to worry you again.”

She could hear his steady heartbeat beside her ear.

Thump, thump, thump… strong.

It gradually calmed her emotions.

“So you’ve been serving as the Emperor’s guard these days?” Fu Tingyun raised her head to look at him, asking softly, “Were you injured?”

No wonder he couldn’t come to see her.

With the Emperor just entering the palace, he needed his people by his side. How could he have time to attend to personal matters? If the Emperor knew, he would certainly think Zhao Ling lacked loyalty.

“Yes!” Zhao Ling smiled, “I also fought alongside several generals, though they weren’t major battles. Most of the time, I was by the Emperor’s side. How could I have had a chance to be injured?”

Fu Tingyun felt relieved and asked about the Marquis of Yingchuan: “Didn’t he join the Emperor in the campaign?”

“No!” Zhao Ling smiled, “He still had to guard Zhangye. However, he sent his Shennu and Zhuifeng Battalions to serve the Emperor. The Emperor’s swift entry into the capital was largely due to the Zhuifeng Battalion’s efforts.”

If rumors were true that the Duke of Fuguo helped the Emperor open the capital’s gates and the Marquis of Yingchuan escorted the Emperor back to the capital, such merits would likely make the Meng family the premier family in the capital.

Fu Tingyun thought of Lady Xiao: “She probed me several times. Could it have been the Marquis’s intention? Trying to test whether I could keep my mouth shut?”

Zhao Ling pondered: “I heard from Mo Yi that Lady Xiao was formerly Lady Mei’s maid, specially trained to serve the Marquis with his writing implements. Later, when the Marquis went to Zhangye, he brought Lady Xiao along. The Marquis never hides anything from Lady Xiao, and Lady Xiao is very attentive to the Marquis’s affairs. If the Marquis wanted to test you, he would have asked you directly. Such roundabout methods were likely Lady Xiao’s idea.”

Fu Tingyun recalled the rumors about Lady Mei… and felt that if the Marquis of Yingchuan returned to the capital, stories would likely emerge from his household.

“I was just a deputy Chiliarch at Nianbo, so when the time came, I only needed to tell the people at Nianbo that the court was sending a new Chiliarch and I had returned to Panlang Garrison. To the people at Panlang, I would say I was still at Nianbo. Concealing this for a few months wasn’t difficult. But your situation was different. When I went to Huguang, I couldn’t even send a letter. If you started looking for me, the truth might come out,” Zhao Ling said. “It was perfect timing that the Marquis of Yingchuan suspected you were from the Fu family. I didn’t want you to get entangled with that Lady Xiao, so I vaguely mentioned sending you back to the capital. The Marquis might have thought that with you in the capital, under the Duke of Fuguo’s nose, you would be easier to control. So when I asked to borrow his name card, he simply dispatched troops to escort you back to the capital.”

Fu Tingyun thought of her jubilation at that time and couldn’t help but let out a cold “hmph.” Then, remembering her encounter with Yu Wei at Weinan Relay Station, she told Zhao Ling about it: “…Now she serves by my side and has helped me a great deal.”

“I came straight to the main courtyard when I entered,” Zhao Ling smiled, “I didn’t look at how many people were in the house.” He reflected, “I never expected that one of your maids was still alive! But this is good. Having someone close serve you puts my mind at ease.”

Fu Tingyun nodded repeatedly. She wanted to ask if he had killed Chen Mama, but then thought, even if he had, what of it? Zhao Ling never killed the innocent. If he killed Chen Mama, she must have deserved it. So she put this matter aside and smiled: “This is also our destiny!”

But such destiny came at a bitter price.

Zhao Ling didn’t want Fu Tingyun to dwell on these matters, so he smiled: “But the Emperor and I almost missed our destiny—when he saw me, he didn’t even remember me!”

Fu Tingyun was very surprised.

Zhao Ling continued: “The Emperor, however, trusts people he employs and doesn’t employ those he doubts. Since we were recommended by the Marquis of Yingchuan, he asked nothing and kept us in his service. It was Lianshen, who serves at the Emperor’s side, who recognized me. The Emperor did remember you, though, and asked about you. When he learned you were in the capital, he joked that both he and I were eager to go to the capital to see long-separated loved ones.”