Chapter 105 Joy
In Fu Tingyun's mind, Zhao Ling was highly skilled in martial arts—three or five strong men would be no match for him, let alone her.
Yet when she gave him a light push, he actually fell to the ground. She froze in surprise.
Zhao Ling smiled wryly. "I was too happy today and drank too much. My head is still spinning, and I've been squatting for so long that my legs went numb..."
Fu Tingyun was both amused and exasperated, though her heart ached for him. She hurried to help him up. "Quick, get up!"
Zhao Ling seized the chance to grasp her hand.
Soft and smooth as polished jade—his thumb unconsciously caressed the back of her hand.
Secretly, he felt relieved. Fortunately, he had been thinking about Fu Tingyun all along, planning to talk to her properly after the banquet. When Si Baihu and others toasted him, he had only taken a few sips before pretending to be drunk. Otherwise, would Fu Tingyun have come to see him? Would he have had the chance to speak his mind? And now, by feigning a fall, he had even gained her immediate forgiveness for his earlier boldness... In the end, it was because she cared for him.
The thought flashed through his mind, and his heart swelled with boundless tenderness. How could he bear to let go?
Fu Tingyun's face flushed crimson with embarrassment, silently cursing Zhao Ling as a scoundrel.
Somehow, things had turned out like this—give him an inch, and he'd take a mile. She recalled his earlier shameless words: "If you refuse, I'll kneel at the gate and shout that I want to marry the Ninth Miss of the Fu family!" It was both infuriating and laughable.
The Fu family had already announced her death from illness. If he went to propose marriage, what kind of spectacle would that be? It would only spread the scandal far and wide and infuriate her father.
Then again, perhaps her father, for the sake of the Fu family's reputation, might reluctantly agree to the match.
But doing it this way would only breed resentment between father-in-law and son-in-law in the future.
"You rogue!" she scolded coyly. "Pushing your luck... If you keep this up, I—I'll ignore you from now on!" Then another thought struck her—was it because she always gave in first, always yielded to him, that he took her for granted and treated her so lightly?
A surge of grievances welled up in her heart, tears glistening in her eyes.
Zhao Ling only wished for Fu Tingyun's happiness—how could he bear to see her sad? He hastily wiped her tears with his sleeve, soothing her like a child. "Don't cry, don't cry! It's all my fault!" He nearly even offered to buy her sweets.
Seeing him flustered and anxious, with none of his usual calm composure, Fu Tingyun realized it was all because of her. Her anger melted into joy, and she couldn't help but laugh.
Her smile, radiant from the depths of her heart, was like a hundred flowers blooming in dazzling splendor.
Zhao Ling stared at her, entranced, before finally snapping out of it. Realizing Fu Tingyun had never truly been angry with him, his heart overflowed with inexplicable joy. He pulled her into his arms. "Sweetheart, don't be angry anymore. We'll return to Ledu first thing tomorrow."
His murmurs brushed against her ear, his warm breath tickling her neck, instantly setting her skin aflame.
"Who—who's going back to Ledu with you?" she stammered shyly, pushing him away. "I—I'm returning to Zhangye tomorrow morning.""Why?" Zhao Ling gripped her shoulders, his burning gaze fixed on her, his face full of astonishment.
Had she still not forgiven him?
Fu Tingyun couldn't meet his earnest, scorching stare, her heart flustered and uneasy.
She lowered her lashes. "I... I just came to see if you were alright... Since you're fine... A Sen and the household... Zheng Sanniang is taking care of Linchun..."
Such a clumsy excuse—how could Zhao Ling possibly believe it? His unblinking eyes remained locked on her.
Fu Tingyun grew even more flustered, and anger welled up inside her.
This was all his fault! She hadn't done anything wrong, so why should she lower her head before him as if she had?
"It's all because of you!" She turned her face away. "You let Miss Tang stay at the yamen for no reason, stirring up gossip everywhere. And you even dined with her, making me misunderstand..." Her voice trembled slightly. "I... I was so humiliated... I won't go anywhere... I'm going back to Zhangye."
Zhao Ling finally understood.
She had galloped out of town—someone must have seen her. She was afraid of being laughed at if she went to Ledu.
Realizing this was all his doing, Zhao Ling's heart swelled with tenderness, nearly overflowing.
He pulled her gently into his arms, stroking her silky hair as he whispered in her ear, "My dear, I have my own plans. I won't let anyone laugh at you. Just come back to Ledu with me. I'm too busy with work to leave, and since you've come all this way, you should stay a few more days." His voice dropped even lower. "Let me look at you properly." The murmur carried an intimate warmth that made her heart race.
For some reason, Fu Tingyun recalled the way he had looked at her when she was drenched by the river, and the sight of her own snow-white skin in the carriage that had left her dizzy. Flushed with embarrassment and irritation, she glared at Zhao Ling, her dark brows arched. "What 'dear'? My name is Fu Tingyun, courtesy name Quan Hui. Stop calling me nonsense!" Before she could finish, she saw a ripple of amusement spread through Zhao Ling's eyes, growing until it reached the corners of his lips. "'Tingyun'—the integrity of pines and bamboos, a fine name! As for Quan Hui..." He mused, "'Entwining cassia's grace, threading fragrant herbs and magnolia'... Let me guess... Hmm... Magnolia is also called Purple Magnolia. In Jiangnan, it blooms in February, but spring comes later in Shaanxi, usually around March or April. Were you born then? And when you were born, the Purple Magnolias were in full bloom, so your courtesy name is 'Quan Hui'?"
Despite his usual composure, Zhao Ling was still just a young man in his early twenties. Before the woman he loved, he couldn't help but want to impress her with something extraordinary, to win her favor—naturally, he aimed to astonish with his words.
Fu Tingyun indeed widened her eyes in surprise.
A flicker of pride flashed in Zhao Ling's gaze.
This scoundrel—his mind worked lightning-fast for such trivial matters, yet when it came to their relationship, he was as dense as a block of wood.
Annoyed, Fu Tingyun couldn't resist retorting, "You guessed wrong! I wasn't born in March or April!"
"Not March or April?" Zhao Ling was taken aback, his expression turning serious as he pondered. After a moment, he declared confidently, "Then you must have been born in May!"Fu Tingyun was astonished. "How did you know?"
"It's quite simple," Zhao Ling chuckled. "Since you weren't born in March or April, and Shaanxi's weather couldn't have warmed by February nor remained bitterly cold past May, it must have been May. Moreover, the year you were born must have had unusual weather—the Purple Magnolias bloomed late, making your birth considered auspicious..." He leaned in intimately, whispering, "So which day of the month were you born?"
She had already told him her name. If she revealed her birth month and day, wouldn't he know her entire Destiny?
In the end, it all came down to her soft heart whenever she saw him acting humble.
Flustered and annoyed, Fu Tingyun retorted coyly, "What business is it of yours?"
"How could it not be my business?" Zhao Ling declared matter-of-factly. "Now that your mourning period is over, and I'm temporarily serving as Commander of One Thousand Households at Nianbo Garrison with Marquis Yingchuan, Deputy General Wang, and Commander Lu all supporting me, we'll head to the capital after sowing next spring... If your father then claims our 'Destinies clash,' we'd have nowhere to plead our case, forced to part ways. Such an unfortunate outcome must be prepared for in advance." He blinked playfully, his expression teasing yet radiating carefree charm. "I was born on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Renzi year, nicknamed 'Ninth Brother.' Later, wandering the Jianghu, I went by Zhao Jiu to avoid dishonoring my late father. Which day were you born? We should consult an expert in the Yi Jing to check our Destinies." Feigning distress, he added, "If they don't align, I'll just have to change my birth date!"
Destiny isn't something to tamper with!
If her father opposed the match, even compatible Destinies wouldn't help; if he consented, even clashing Destinies could be harmonized by a Yi Jing master.
Fu Tingyun knew Zhao Ling was trying to cheer her up. Though she resisted letting him gloat, her suppressed smile betrayed her true feelings despite her stern facade.
"Such nonsense," she murmured, biting her lip. After a long pause, she finally confessed, "I was born on the eighteenth day of the fifth month in the Wuwu year."
Her voice was faint as a mosquito's hum, but Zhao Ling, listening intently, caught every word.
He frowned regretfully. "Why didn't you say so earlier? We could've celebrated!" Then brightening, he suggested, "At least let Zheng Sanniang make you longevity noodles—I'd have known then," chiding himself inwardly for not instructing Zheng Sanniang beforehand.
"It's no great occasion," Fu Tingyun demurred. "It comes every year. But Ninth Master, your birthday is in two months..." She pondered what gift to give him.
Zhao Ling's eyes twinkled. "How about making me some shoes?" He stretched out a foot. "See these boots I bought in Wusheng Town? They're already torn..."
Wusheng Town lay northwest of Zhuanglang Garrison, near Liangzhou Garrison.
"Why were you in Wusheng Town?" Recalling Feng Dahu's death and her original purpose for coming, she tensed. "Does it have anything to do with Feng Dahu?"At some point, Zhao Ling began to feel an unprecedented sense of relaxation and comfort around Fu Tingyun, and words would sometimes slip out unintentionally.
Fu Tingyun was his beloved, so he naturally didn’t want to lie to her. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to admit in front of her that he had ridden alone for miles to kill Feng Dahu for her sake… So he remained silent.
So it was him after all!
Fu Tingyun didn’t know whether to feel shock, joy, or bitterness—her heart was in turmoil. All she could do was mumble a warning: "You must be careful. Don’t let word get out and alert the Xiping Marquis’s household. The Xiping Marquis has already persuaded Marquis Yingchuan to mobilize the troops of Ganzhou Garrison to capture Feng Dahu’s killer…"
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Mondays are always packed with things to do, so there’s only one update today… (>_
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