Fu Mingzheng followed Shen Ruilin into a civilian residence, walking all the way to the deepest part of the courtyard before stopping. Shen Ruilin knocked on the door, but received no response. Without waiting, he pushed the door open.
A man in a green shirt sat with his back to them by the window. Upon hearing the sound, he asked, “Little Shen, you’re here?”
Fu Mingzheng stiffened when he heard this familiar voice.
Shen Ruilin patted his shoulder with a smile and asked, “Second Brother, are you feeling better?”
“Today is better. When are we going to the capital?” Fu Mingzhao turned around, and when he saw Fu Mingzheng standing at the door, he was momentarily stunned, then quickly composed himself and said, “You’re here.”
Fu Mingzheng looked at Fu Mingzhao without speaking, his eyes complex and excited. No matter how angry he was, he was still his older brother. It was always a good thing when people were alive.
“Please, have a seat.” Fu Mingzhao showed no sign of embarrassment. He naturally greeted Fu Mingzheng, “I heard you only drink well water, so we’ll have to wait a bit longer for water.”
Fu Mingzheng sat down, sneering, “Does Second Brother never drink water normally?”
Fu Mingzhao replied calmly, “Of course, one must eat and drink to live. But the water I use is just the most ordinary water, filled with the resentment and accusations of thirty thousand souls. Now, I am with them.”
Fu Mingzheng didn’t expect to receive such an answer, as Fu Mingzhao seemed determined, just waiting for the right time. So he couldn’t bring himself to ask the questions or express his doubts. He looked at Shen Ruilin, who furrowed his brows deeply and showed a helpless and tragic smile, saying, “Let me arrange it, and later the three of us can have a drink together.”
Shen Ruilin left, leaving only Fu Mingzheng and Fu Mingzhao in the room. Fu Mingzheng looked at Fu Mingzhao, noticing the white hair at his temples and the deep wrinkles on his forehead. Suppressing the sarcasm and questions, he asked, “What’s going on?”
Fu Mingzhao seriously scrutinized his youngest half-brother. Among the five siblings of the Fu family, his relationship with Fu Mingzheng was the most distant. When Fu Mingzheng was born, he had already left home to join the military, rarely returning home. Even when he did, he only spent time with his immediate family, parents, siblings, and his own wife and children. He had no interest in this cold, sharp-tongued, and ruthless half-brother, his feelings limited to acknowledging him as his half-brother.
“You’ve grown up. Father must be very pleased.” Fu Mingzhao placed his hand on his knee, calmly saying, “Your ability to handle things has always been strong. You probably already figured out the general situation, so I won’t repeat it. The great mistake has been made, and nothing I say will change that. I’m just waiting for the right opportunity to pay the price I owe.”
The more indifferent Fu Mingzhao appeared, the angrier Fu Mingzheng became. “Yes, I see you’re just waiting to die! But death is easy; redemption is not! Have you ever thought about our parents and siblings, about Wenwen? Mingzhu has gone to great lengths for you, doing everything she can. I’ve spent three days and nights without sleep, riding tirelessly to find you and uncover the truth, to wash away the filth on you! Oh, you’re just waiting to die, waiting for the right opportunity to die? Is death the end of it all? So clean! So easy! What about us?!”
Fu Mingzheng shouted the last sentence with red eyes. After shouting, both he and Fu Mingzhao were somewhat stunned because, at that moment, they realized that the brotherly bond between them was much deeper than they had thought.
Fu Mingzheng remembered how, as a child, he had admired and worshipped this elder brother who went against their father, chose the path of a military officer instead of the civil service, and succeeded. Although this elder brother didn’t pay much attention to him, he never failed to bring back a gift for him whenever he returned home. He was never treated badly or neglected, and even teased him when he was happy. It was he himself who, out of embarrassment and some deep-seated inferiority, always hurriedly left.
Fu Mingzhao also recalled the pretty little boy who always hid in the corner, secretly admiring him with joyful eyes, clearly eager to get closer to him but always running away at the first shout. Although he seemed aloof, he never showed any disrespect towards him. When speaking about him to others, it was always with pride.
Perhaps this was the power of blood, connecting them even when separated by mountains and rivers. Fu Mingzhao sighed deeply, rolling up his trouser legs. “My Achilles tendon has been severed.”
Being set up and imprisoned, he was bound to escape. However, in the Great Empress Dowager’s plan, one step was to leave him for Yuwen Chu to kill. Unable to kill or release him, the only permanent solution left was this.
Fu Mingzheng fell silent. If it were Mingzhu, she might be saddened and cry bitterly because her brave elder brother had become a useless person, unable to fight enemies anymore and subjected to such despicable and cunning schemes. But Fu Mingzheng didn’t have this habit. After a long silence, he asked Fu Mingzhao, “Do you know who did it? Is there any evidence?”
Fu Mingzhao said, “Gu Ruliang. Gu Ruliang, who died in a bloody battle, is the only one who could catch me off guard. The eyewitnesses are dead, and the physical evidence has long been obliterated in the bloodshed in Tongzhou. I should have begged for death to protect the reputation of my family and spare my children from shame. But dying silently and anonymously is too cowardly, so I choose to live.”
Gu Ruliang, who died in battle, his head still hanging on the walls of Tongzhou City, was recognized by the court as a loyal martyr. Who would believe that he was just a gun for the Great Empress Dowager and the orthodox faction? Speaking out would only invite ridicule, disdain, and contempt, and Fu Mingzhao would be seen as trying to excuse himself. It came at a cost to tarnish the reputation of a loyal martyr, so he could only endure this injustice with a pinched nose.
Knowing the truth, but having to act according to the enemy’s plan, he suffered internal injuries while the enemy looked on gleefully. What could be more stimulating than this? This was the Great Empress Dowager’s revenge, on Yuwen Chu, on Mingzhu, and also on the Fu family that betrayed her — you all betrayed me, and I won’t be the only one in pain, everyone will suffer.
The setting sun painted their faces and hair with a reddish hue, and Fu Mingzheng flatly explained Mingzhu’s plan to Fu Mingzhao, “She has arranged everything. I will take you to Ji Kingdom, and Princess Changhua will take care of you. When the time comes, we will find a way to clear your name and bring you back. There’s no time to waste. Pack up and leave tonight.”
Fu Mingzhao calmly said, “What about the Regent? If he were to execute me now, there would be great benefits. Establishing authority externally and gaining the people’s hearts internally. Are you sure he knows nothing and will let you do as you please?”
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