Standing ahead was a tall middle-aged man with dark skin, a stubble beard, a handsome face, and a serious expression. He looked quite righteous, and most importantly, he was wearing official attire with a sword at his waist.
The young man’s eyes lit up, unable to resist moving forward, but Fu Mingzheng’s hand grabbed her waist again. He smiled softly and whispered, “You’re so excited, either you’re very close or you’re in cahoots. Who is he to you?”
The young man stubbornly refused to answer, only gazing eagerly at the middle-aged official ahead, his eyes reddening with a sense of injustice. The middle-aged official noticed them, waved his hand, and his attendants scattered, surrounding them in the middle.
Fu Mingzheng’s smile grew even sweeter and brighter. “He doesn’t dare to make any moves. The concern in his eyes can’t be hidden, indicating that you’re very important to him. And with you looking so aggrieved, I guess he’s a close elder to you. Your father, perhaps?”
The young man was taken aback. He looked more like his mother than his father. In his memory, no one who didn’t know the situation had ever guessed their blood relationship at first sight, but this demon who suddenly appeared today actually saw it at a glance. He must be deceiving himself! He couldn’t fall for his trickery! The young man sneered, “Have you grown eyes? How could you say that we’re alike?”
Fu Mingzheng raised his hand and gently stroked the young man’s cheek affectionately. “Family resemblance isn’t just about looks. Expressions, gestures, and speech will all have similarities. You and he don’t look alike, indeed, but your eyes and demeanor are the same. Besides…” He smiled lightly, “When I touched you just now, he looked like he was spitting fire from his eyes, so he’s undoubtedly your father.”
The young man almost spat blood. “What do you want? We won’t harm you. If you want to leave, just go. Let’s pretend we never met, okay?”
“No, I need your father to do something for me.” Fu Mingzheng raised his hand and greeted the middle-aged official ahead. “Lord Li, hello.”
The young man stared wide-eyed. How could this man know who his father was?
Lord Li ahead was also surprised, but he was calm by nature, and with his naturally dark complexion and bushy beard, his expression didn’t show much change. He stared intently at Fu Mingzheng for a moment, then relaxed his furrowed brows. “So it’s you, sir.”
This time, it was Fu Mingzheng’s turn to be surprised. “Do you know me?” It was not strange for him to know this person, as he always did his homework before handling matters, but it was strange that the other party actually recognized him. It just made him more cautious.
Lord Li bowed, not humble but not arrogant. “This subordinate is incompetent. Two years ago, I had the opportunity to meet sir once on official business in the capital. Although we didn’t speak, I was deeply impressed by sir’s heroic demeanor.”
Fu Mingzheng smiled. “Since you recognize me, things will be easier.”
The young man widened his eyes, staring suspiciously at Fu Mingzheng. Was this wicked person actually a court-appointed official? Really?
Fu Mingzheng smiled at the youth charmingly, “Guaranteed genuine. If I’ve been neglectful, I hope the young master will understand.”
Li Dazhong coughed lightly, “Since we’ve confirmed his identity, we’re all servants of the court. Let’s discuss matters civilly. Could the gentleman release my son?”
Instead of releasing him, Fu Mingzheng leaned closer to the youth, lazily smiling, “Please forgive me, I quite like the young master. In the coming days, I’ll have him as my companion.” What if they were both servants of the court? The ones hunting him were all officials. This naive youth was easy to manipulate, and being Li Dazhong’s beloved, controlling him meant controlling much of Pengcheng’s military. It was such a profitable deal; how could he easily let it go?
Li Dazhong’s face darkened further. “If there’s anything the gentleman needs, just say the word. I will comply. The child is young, not yet a government official, and unfamiliar with political affairs. He’s been coddled at home and his mother is terribly worried about his overnight absence. I beg the gentleman to understand and let him return home, to spare his mother the heartache.”
Fu Mingzheng shook his head. “Li Dazhong, you’re unreasonable. We have no personal conflict. Both of us are loyal to the country. Once this matter is resolved, I’ll release the young master. I won’t harm him.” He dropped the smile and spoke coldly, “Now, I need a carriage. Make sure it’s clean and ready, immediately!”
With a dark expression, Li Dazhong had a carriage brought over. Fu Mingzheng put his hand on the youth’s neck. “Get in.”
Tears welled up in the youth’s eyes as he reluctantly followed him into the carriage, sitting aside without looking at him. Fu Mingzheng didn’t bother him. He lay back comfortably and, with a commanding tone, ordered food and drink to be prepared. Smiling, he asked, “What’s your name? I’ll thank you properly in the future.”
The youth pouted and ignored him. Unperturbed, Fu Mingzheng continued, “I heard Li Dazhong has a son and a daughter. The son is named Li Haixing, and the daughter is named Li Shumei…”
The youth interrupted hastily, “That’s right, I’m Li Haixing.” Before she could finish, Fu Mingzheng smiled dangerously. She felt that something was wrong but couldn’t pinpoint it. She couldn’t admit she was actually a girl, could she? Otherwise, where would that leave her father and the family’s reputation, especially since she was betrothed? What was she to do? Of course, she could only pretend to be his brother.
“Brother Haixing…” Fu Mingzheng smiled meaningfully, “Don’t worry, my matter is easy to handle. I won’t trouble your father. As long as you cooperate, there will be benefits for you.”
Li Shumei, disguised as a man, angrily said, “Who cares? Just leave as soon as possible.”
Fu Mingzheng suddenly put his hand on her shoulder. Li Shumei, furious, exclaimed, “What are you doing? My father is outside! I’m not afraid of you.”
Fu Mingzheng smiled brightly, showing her his palm. “Just removing a fat worm for you.”
In the palm of his hand wriggled a fat, green worm. Li Shumei felt nauseated but didn’t scream as he expected. Instead, she held the worm delicately between her slender fingers, as if preparing to feed it to him. “This thing tastes good when roasted. Would the gentleman like to try?”
Quite the unexpected response. Fu Mingzheng raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing her seriously, and smiled, “Perhaps we can try it tonight.”
“Tonight?” Li Shumei was greatly surprised. What did he mean?
Fu Mingzheng said lightly, “Before my people find me, I’m afraid Young Master Li and I will have to eat and stay together.”
Li Shumei was furious. “Why?”
Fu Mingzheng’s gaze turned cold. “Why not? Who made you unlucky and so kind-hearted?”
Li Shumei trembled with anger. “You heartless scoundrel! I must have been blind…”
Fu Mingzheng smiled gently. “Whether you were blind or not, let’s leave it aside for now. Young Master Li, both of us are men. You even helped me with the poison. What’s the harm in eating and staying together? Rest assured, I won’t take advantage of you!”
Li Shumei couldn’t vent her anger. She couldn’t spit it out or swallow it down. She could only say indignantly, “You… you owe me!”
“Otherwise?”
“Otherwise, I wouldn’t have helped you with that poison!”
Fu Mingzheng nodded coolly. “So, I was right to take action.”
Li Shumei’s eyes reddened with anger. Not only did he repay kindness with enmity, but he also twisted the truth. What kind of person was he? She suddenly pulled back the curtain of the carriage and looked at her father, who had been riding alongside all this time. “Father…”
Lord Li gestured for her to calm down and not show herself. She had no choice but to angrily let go of the curtain and sit back heavily.
Fu Mingzheng closed his eyes to rest. “Tell your father to find a secluded courtyard and a reliable doctor. I won’t delay you for too long, nor am I a person who repays kindness with enmity. Everything I do is just self-preservation.”
He looked pale and tired, completely different from his previous arrogance and cruelty. Li Shumei wanted to mock him, but she saw a faint red stain on the cushion beneath him. She took a deep breath and tried to lean over to take a closer look. But as soon as she approached, he opened his eyes, guarded and cold. “What are you doing?”
Li Shumei pointed at the cushion. “You… are you injured?”
Fu Mingzheng smiled faintly. “Just a small wound, nothing serious. It’s just a minor accident earlier. Don’t worry too much, and don’t meddle too much, or I might accidentally hurt you.”
He said this very slowly and seriously, full of killing intent. Li Shumei knew he was telling the absolute truth. She pursed her lips, backed off, and indicated that she wouldn’t meddle.
The carriage moved slowly. Fu Mingzheng seemed to fall asleep. Li Shumei looked at his young and handsome face and couldn’t help but ask softly, “Are you a good person or a bad person?”
“I’m a bad person, but I do good things.” Fu Mingzheng opened his eyes, playful. “Otherwise, with your father’s temperament, he would have tried to kill me by any means necessary. What do you think, Young Master Li?”
Maybe it’s true. Li Shumei was a bit uncertain, but also felt a strange mix of joy and sorrow.
Fu Mingzheng did as he promised. Apart from always having to see her around, he didn’t disturb her. This kind of close confinement was lifted early the next morning after detailed discussions with Lord Li. When she walked out of the room, she couldn’t help but look back at him. He lazily smiled at her, “There are many bad people in this world. Next time, don’t be so easily fooled, okay?”
The morning breeze was light, and his smile was clean and beautiful. She looked at him and felt a little dazed. Two days later, a group of people came to take him away. Before leaving, she couldn’t help but ask him, “What’s your name?”
He chuckled softly. “Why do you want to know?”
She said fiercely, “To seek revenge on you, of course!”
He looked at her very seriously and showed a row of snow-white teeth. “Fu Mingzheng.”
Fu Mingzheng. Li Shumei repeated this name over and over again, calmly watching him go away, but in her heart, an uncontrollable crazy idea arose. If one day, she could pin down this malicious and proud man and beat him to a pulp, listening to him beg for mercy, wouldn’t that feeling be wonderful? This idea grew like a vine, entwining her until the time of the Feng family’s breaking off the engagement. While her parents and older brother were extremely angry, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief, finally liberated, finally free.
Six months later, in the flickering candlelight, a person silently appeared in front of her. Fu Mingzheng, with his picturesque features and arrogant demeanor, said, “What happened back then was a last resort, not intended to offend. As for the Feng family’s matter, I will solve it for you properly, and I won’t let you suffer.”
She smiled proudly. “That’s my business, nothing to do with you. Don’t meddle.”
Wow, I was actually pleasantly surprised by this novel! As someone who loves her historical romance but hates harem fights, I think this was a good easy novel for anyone looking for that. I highly enjoyed thei
Note, there were some tragedies that I wasn’t expecting. Somehow, I came into this novel thinking it will be mostly rainbows and butterflies, no deaths, but someone I liked died T-T I won’t spoil who it is but definitely take a chance at reading this. Even though it is quite lengthy, the chapters are short so it is quite doable and doesn’t feel like it is getting dragged out. I was hooked on the plot that appears and wasn’t able to drop the book until I finished it!
Another novel completed!!! Thank you to all the readers who joined us on this journey and supported my translations, it really does mean a lot!!! <3 If you enjoyed the translations and the novel, please make sure to give the novel a good rating and review on Novelupdates or donate on Ko-fi or Paypal <3P.S. Go check out the other amazing novels being translated on this site :))
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