Three Years After Falling Off the Cliff

In the court, all officials stood in silence.
After discussing state affairs, the emperor thought today would be another ordinary day when suddenly an imperial censor stood up and impeached his eldest son for being well-educated but not well-mannered.

"What?" The emperor thought there was something wrong with his ears. He ignored his dignity and reached out to lift the crown tassel that blocked his view. "You said my son doesn't know etiquette?"

The censor could tell something was wrong with the emperor's tone, so he said, "Your Highness is the king, and Minister Yun's daughter is the minister. Your Highness disregarded the etiquette of respect and inferiority, and used his status as a prince to issue an imperial decree for the daughter of the Yun family in the suburbs, which is a great disrespect to Your Majesty."

emperor:"……"
You really have nothing better to do. As his father, he doesn't think there is anything wrong. Why are you, an imperial censor, shouting and making a fuss here?

The emperor loosened his crown, and the pearls and jade collided with each other, making a crackling sound. The emperor couldn't help rolling his eyes.

Then several civil servants stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I think what the Imperial Censor said makes sense."

The emperor continued to roll his eyes. He knew that some of the literati who always talked about etiquette and morality were mentally ill.

"Your humble servant is terrified." Yun Wanggui walked out of the queue and performed the great ceremony of a court official: "Your Highness, I am being polite to the wise and humble to the humble. This is all your humble servant's fault."

"My dear Lord Yun, I asked my son to issue the decree. You were not aware of it beforehand. How could you be wrong?" The emperor raised his hand: "Please stand up quickly."
The eunuch in front of the emperor hurried down the stairs and helped Yun Wanggui up from the ground with a smile.

"Your Majesty's kindness is so great that I am moved to tears." Yun Wanggui wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeves, looking as if he was willing to be loyal to the emperor until death.
The civil officials felt a little jealous when they saw this scene. It was a good thing for the monarch and his subjects to get along well with each other. It would be even better if the subjects were them.

"Your Excellency the Censor is right. I respect your honor, but I am not only a prince, I am also a son."

After Yun Wanggui's interruption, the civil officials were not actually too concerned about how the prince issued the decree. They wanted to know more why Yun Wanggui was so trusted by His Majesty.
When they heard His Royal Highness the Prince speak, they realized that His Royal Highness had not yet started to say anything.

"I would like to ask everyone present, if someone saved your parents in a time of crisis, how would you repay them?"

"Of course I treat you as a distinguished guest. Even tying a grass knot and holding a ring is not enough to express my gratitude."
"If the benefactor is an elder, he should be respected as uncle or aunt; if he is a younger generation, he should be regarded as a son or nephew."
Who among the ministers present dared to say that he was not grateful to the benefactor who saved his parents, unless he was an unfilial person.

As they talked, everyone understood what His Highness meant by this question.

"In the court, Minister Yun is a minister, and his children are naturally ministers as well. However, the law is nothing more than human feelings. If the benefactor who saved your mother was a commoner, do you have to ask the benefactor to kowtow to you three times and nine times when you go to thank him in order to show his noble status?"

Sui Tingheng did not try to cover up his behavior yesterday: "Although my behavior yesterday was inappropriate, I am happy with it. Although the words of the censor are reasonable, they are not my reason."

"Oh, I never realized that the censor wanted the benefactor who saved his mother to kowtow to him three times and nine times. I admire him." Lord Yang, who usually had little presence in the court, gave a thumbs up and said sarcastically, "You are indeed a well-read scholar. We are far inferior to him."
"You are so particular, Lord Censor. When I meet a benefactor, I only think about how to repay him, and I don't care about his status." General Cao patted his thigh and said, "Today I have broadened my horizons."

The generals all burst into laughter, as if they had heard a huge joke.
The censor was so embarrassed that he blushed, but he couldn't refute it. Who among the officials in the court could bear the bad reputation of being "unfilial"?

"My son, you are right." The emperor had long been impatient with the censors' constant talk of etiquette and morality. Now that he saw the censors being humiliated, he was in a very good mood: "If my son were not a prince, he would be obliged to pay homage to the person who saved his mother."

Officials who impeached the prince: "..."
So Yun Wanggui’s daughter was treated unfairly yesterday?
Someone looked at Yun Wanggui, who was still wiping tears with an moved look on his face, and had no intention of helping these officials.

Several officials had no choice but to kneel down and apologize.
What a terrible day.

The emperor took the opportunity to fine them two months' salary and retired from court in a happy mood.
It's a happy day to save some money for the national treasury.

"Minister Yun."
Yun Wanggui maintained a grateful expression on his face. As soon as he stepped out of the palace door, he saw His Royal Highness the Prince waiting outside.

"Your Highness." Yun Wanggui bowed.

“Minister Yun, there’s no need to be so polite.” Sui Tingheng reached out and helped Yun Wanggui up. “I’m sorry for causing trouble for you today.”

"Your Highness is filial and kind. All filial sons in the world look up to you. How could you say you are causing trouble?" Yun Wanggui had just finished speaking when several officials who had just impeached Sui Tingheng came out and heard these words.

"Don't think too much, my lords." Yun Wanggui nodded slightly to them: "I didn't mean to say that you are unfilial."

Several officials: “Haha.”
Hey, bah!
Seeing these people bowing to His Highness and leaving, Yun Wanggui sighed softly: "Such an impatient temper is not good for health."
Mo Wen, the eunuch who was standing at the door with His Highness, wanted to laugh but didn't dare to. He kept his head down and didn't dare to look up.

"I heard that Minister Yun likes tea, so I got a can of new tea a few days ago," Sui Tingheng handed the brocade box to Yun Wanggui, "Please let Minister Yun taste it."

“Thank you for the reward, Your Highness.” Yun Wanggui took it with both hands and said, “I will definitely enjoy it.”

"As long as Minister Yun likes it." Sui Tingheng raised his hand: "I will escort you out of the palace."

Yun Wanggui put the tea box into his sleeve, and after repeated refusals, he had no choice but to let the prince escort him out of the palace.
It was his daughter's contribution to saving the emperor that made him so honored. Two months after returning to the capital, he enjoyed the treatment of being personally escorted out of the palace gate by the prince for the first time.

"Your Highness the Prince personally issued an edict for me, it must be because of my father's loyalty to the country." Fu Yi shook the wine glass in her hand and said to the playboys, "I am the daughter of a court official, and I was lucky enough to save the emperor. His Majesty's special award of the title of county lady is already a great favor from the emperor. How can it be worthy of Your Highness the Prince's personal visit?" "Let's not talk about this. Today is the celebration banquet you held for me. I want to drink a few more glasses."
No matter what the reason was, Fu Yi didn't want His Royal Highness to have too much involvement with her. He was a good prince, the future Crown Prince, who had practiced the six arts of a gentleman since childhood, and was praised by civil officials and military generals. If he was involved with a playboy like her, wouldn't it be a stain on his life?

"Yes, we won't go home until we are drunk today." Cao Sanlang put the wine glass heavily on the table: "Things involving brains have nothing to do with us."

"I heard something that is related to Lu Tanhua who scolded us yesterday." Lin Xiaowu rolled up his sleeves and mentioned Lu Tanhua with a look of disdain on his face: "Shun Wangfu intends to recruit him as a son-in-law."

"Who are you talking about?" Yang Erlang rubbed his ears, thinking that he had heard wrongly because he was drunk: "How could Sui Anying be interested in such a thing?"

"Of course I don't like it!"
A woman in luxurious clothes pushed the door open and walked over to sit beside Fu Yi. She reached out and snatched the wine jug from her hand, raised her head and drank a few big gulps, then wiped her mouth with her sleeve and said, "I don't know whose dog barking my father listened to that he insisted on recruiting him as my son-in-law."

"Your father's vision is quite unique." Cao Sanlang handed Sui Anying a pair of chopsticks. Sui Anying took the chopsticks and started eating.

"How many days have you not eaten?" Fu Yi was shocked by her eating manner and scooped a bowl of soup for her: "Drink the soup first."

Sui Anying drank the soup in one breath and looked at everyone with emotion: "I am finally alive. You don't know what kind of life I have been living these days. In order to make me agree to marry a man named Lu, my father locked me up at home and did not let me go out."

"No wonder when we went to the palace to invite you out to play these few days, the palace housekeeper said you were not free." Lin Xiaowu quickly picked up some meat for her with his chopsticks: "Why are you so hungry?"

"In order to protest this marriage, I went on a hunger strike for five days. Otherwise, Mr. Lu would have become my fiancé three days ago." Sui Anying grabbed a snack on the table and ate it. "The letters I sent to you for help were all intercepted by the guards in the palace. Not a single one was delivered."

Seeing how pitiful she was, everyone stopped drinking and started picking out vegetables and meat for her.

"Fortunately, His Royal Highness the Prince discovered that Lu was oppressing the people in the apricot blossom forest yesterday and put him in jail." Sui Anying looked at Fu Yi gratefully: "Fu Yi, you are my great benefactor!"

"Your Highness the Prince captured Lu Tanhua, are you thanking me?" Fu Yi touched Sui Anying's head with pity. His brain was not smart to begin with, and it must have become even more empty after being hungry for a few days.

"If you hadn't saved the emperor, why would His Royal Highness go to the apricot blossom forest?" Sui Anying let Fu Yi touch her head: "You are also my benefactor."

"If I had known this would happen, I should have kicked him a few more times after kicking him into the ditch yesterday." Fu Yi felt a little regretful. Now that the man had been locked up in the Jingzhao Prefecture jail, he couldn't kick him even if he wanted to.
"You guys kicked him?" Sui Anying's eyes lit up: "You're worthy of being my good sister!"

"Congratulations sister for escaping the misery, drink!"
"How did you get out after being locked up in the mansion?"
"You climbed over the wall and sneaked out. Give me two more snacks!"

The maid in the next room heard the noise and whispered, "Princess, can I go and ask them to keep their voices down?"
"No need." Princess Ning shook her head gently: "I don't think it's noisy."
Although she had never experienced such a wanton and ostentatious life, she had envied it.

Brush your clothes.
Looking down at the world, I am too lazy to go home, and I just want to ride the wind with my clothes brushed.
What a nice name.

After a day of playing with her friends, when Fu Yi was about to return home, it was almost dark. She looked at the man blocking her horse and asked with a sneer, "Sui Ruijing, what on earth do you want to do?"

"Fuyi, why did you come to this point with me?" Prince Ning's eyes were as dark as ink, and there seemed to be infinite emotions surging: "I don't understand."

"I don't understand?" Fu Yi asked back, "Just like I didn't understand why someone would hunt down my entire family back then?"

"It's not me." King Ning looked at Fu Yi, trying to find a little trust on her face, but there was nothing on her face.
He shivered; the night wind was too cold.

The lanterns under the eaves swayed, his face changed, and he reached out to grab Fu Yi's wrist and moved aside: "Be careful!"

An arrow passed by, pierced the cloth on his shoulder, and lodged deeply in the wooden pillar next to him.

"This arrow is aimed at your life, you must be careful..."

Prince Ning looked at the hand that pinched into the wound on his shoulder, his eyes trembling: "Fu Yi?!"

"A self-torture trick or a heroic rescue trick?" Blood dripped down her wrist, but Fu Yi did not let go. Instead, she dug hard into the wound on Prince Ning's shoulder: "Sui Ruijing, your mother used this method to secure the emperor's favor. Now you are using this method on me?"

Seeing Prince Ning bleeding more and more, Fu Yi smiled: "From the capital to Chongzhou, our Yun family was hunted down seventeen times along the way. Among these seventeen waves of people, are there really no men from Prince Ning's faction?"

"I never thought of hurting you." King Ning's lips turned pale with pain, but he did not struggle: "Never."

"Is this important?" Fu Yi moved her hand away from the wound and kicked King Ning hard with her foot. King Ning fell to his knees in pain.

She wiped her bloody hands with a handkerchief and looked down at his miserable appearance: "Who would talk about feelings and reason with a bastard who hurt himself and his family? Do I look stupid or cheap?"

(End of this chapter)