Three Years After Falling Off the Cliff

"Girl, my home is in Nanfang, here..."
When the flower girl saw Yun Fuyi riding a horse and taking her towards East Street where the noble lived, she was afraid that her low status would bring trouble to the other party.

"Don't worry, wait until you have vented your anger, and then I will send you back." Yun Fuyi looked towards the East Phoenix Gate of the Imperial Palace. At this time, the palace banquet should have ended.

Taking it out?
The flower girl touched the heavy purses in her arms. Didn't she feel vented after beating up a group of them just now?

Entering East Street where the nobles lived, although the road was lined with beautiful lanterns, it was much quieter than other streets. From time to time, a horse-drawn carriage passed by. The carriage was luxurious and exquisite. The flower girl did not dare to look at it for fear of offending the nobles.

When a scarlet carriage passed by, Yun Fuyi pulled the flower girl's cloak to cover her face, then dismounted and walked quickly to the carriage to salute: "Junior greets Lord Chengzhong."

Cheng Zhonggong, who had just come out of the palace banquet, was drowsy. When he saw the carriage suddenly stop and a young woman's voice was heard outside, he opened his eyes in confusion, lifted the curtain and looked at the person who came: "Who is the young lady?"
It looks familiar, as if I have seen it somewhere.

"My name is Yun Fuyi, and my father is Yun Wanggui. I have been away from the capital for three years. Today, I am very excited to see you in my carriage. I cannot help but come forward to pay my respects. I hope you can forgive my rudeness."

When he heard the name Yun Fuyi, countless memories flooded into Cheng Zhonggong's mind with overwhelming force.

He had scolded Lord Li's eldest son, pulled Lord Zhang's youngest son's pigtails, and beaten Lord Wang's grandson. He was always bullying with a few playboys and dandies in the capital, and was considered a nuisance in the capital.

The Yun family has had a reputation for virtue for generations, including men, women, young and old. But somehow, a disaster like Yun Fuyi appeared.

Considering that the other party had fallen off a cliff and nearly lost his life three years ago, and that he was a junior, Lord Chengzhong was patient and chatted with Yun Fuyi in a friendly manner.

Seeing that Yun Fuyi acted with moderation and spoke appropriately, Lord Cheng Zhong nodded secretly in his heart. After suffering a crime, he had made a lot of progress.

Noticing that there was a girl sitting on the back of the horse led by Yun Fuyi, with her face hidden by a cloak, Lord Cheng Zhong asked politely, "Who is this girl?"

"This girl was selling flowers in the streets. When I passed by, I saw your grandson Wang Yanhe flirting with her, so I stepped forward and took her away to prevent Wang Yanhe from ruining your family's reputation."

"What?!" Upon hearing that his grandson was molesting a commoner girl outside, Lord Chengzhong's face darkened.

Yun Fuyi smiled and said, "Master, please don't be upset. If the child is disobedient, just give him a few words of instruction. Don't hit him. If he gets hurt, it will be inconvenient for him to go out."

"Thank you Miss Yun for telling me." Lord Chengzhong was furious. Why didn't he beat me?
Today I must break his legs that cause trouble whenever he goes out!
Watching the carriage of Duke Chengzhong's mansion leave angrily, Yun Fuyi waved her hand in a very good mood: "Take care, old man!"

Flower girl: "Girl..."

“No hurry, no hurry.” Yun Fuyi turned and headed for another carriage: “Junior greets Master Chen!”

……

The flower girl lived in the crowded South Street. After sending her back to South Street, Yun Fuyi left with the gratitude of the flower girl and her family.

South Street is where the common people of the capital live. Even though it is late at night, it is still very lively. Yun Fuyi is walking slowly among the crowd, holding the horse in her left hand and food in her right hand.

When crossing South Street and passing East Street, Yun Fuyi discovered that someone had taken down the lanterns hanging on the roadside and replaced them with bright red lanterns.

Some passers-by were curious: "The Lantern Festival hasn't even ended yet, why are they already wearing red lanterns?"

"Prince Ning will be getting married in three days. Your Majesty, remembering that he is the late emperor's most beloved youngest son, has specially ordered that red lanterns be hung along the wedding road to celebrate for Prince Ning."

"Your Majesty is so kind to your brothers."

"Yes, Your Majesty is kind and merciful. We are so lucky."

Yun Fuyi smiled as she watched the two of them interacting. His Majesty ascended the throne two years ago, when he was already over 40 years old. He governed the country with integrity and was truly benevolent to the people.

Someone accidentally dropped the lantern in his hand, and the bright red lantern was blown by the wind and rolled to Yun Fuyi's feet.

She looked down at the red lantern, bent down to pick it up, and handed it to the person who came looking for the lantern.

"Thank you, young lady." The man took the lantern and thanked Yun Fuyi.

Yun Fuyi smiled and climbed onto the horse.

Not far away, the carriage of Prince Ning's mansion passed by, with guards clearing the way and maids holding lanterns, looking extremely noble.

Yun Fuyi sneered, patted the horse under her, and disappeared into the night.

The carriage of Prince Ning's mansion stopped. Prince Ning lifted the curtain and looked at the dark alley, his inky eyes flickering slightly.

"Your Majesty?" The eunuch bowed his head and asked, "What instructions do you have, Your Majesty?"

The corner of his eye swept across the bright red double happiness lanterns on the street, and Prince Ning lowered his eyelids slightly: "Nothing, go back home."

After leading the horse into the stable, Fu Yi tiptoed to the door of the main courtyard and took a look. She breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to go back to her own courtyard on tiptoe.

"where to?"

Fu Yi's body stiffened, and she turned her head to look at the tree in the yard. Her knees weakened, and she almost fell to her knees. Then she thought that she had not caused any trouble tonight, but had saved someone. She stood up straight again, and smiled and walked over: "Dad, Mom, Big Brother, you are all here."

"Tell me, why didn't you go to the palace banquet tonight and do anything outside?" Yun Wanggui pointed to the empty seat next to the stone table.

Yun Fuyi quickly sat down on the stone bench and took out some snacks from her arms: "Mother, please try it."

Liu Qiongzhi picked up a piece of the pastry and tasted it, then said with a smile, "Is it the peach heart pastry from the pastry shop on West Street?"

"That's right." Yun Fuyi picked up the hot drink pot on the table and poured it for her family: "On the way back to Beijing, mother mentioned the cakes of this pastry shop several times, and I have kept it in mind."

Liu Qiongzhi was so happy with Yun Fuyi's coaxing that she would never question her late return. Yun Wanggui sighed helplessly, "I went to the palace to report today. His Majesty intends to let me take the position of Minister of Revenue."

"Minister of the Ministry of Revenue?" Fu Yi picked up the hot drink and took a sip: "Dad is so amazing, His Majesty actually trusts you so much."

Yun Wanggui raised the corner of his mouth, then quickly suppressed it: "Father can't stand these flatteries."

"How can this be flattery? It is clearly my daughter's sincere words." Yun Fuyi turned her head and looked at her brother Yun Zhaobai: "Brother, am I right?"

Yun Zhaobai smiled and nodded without saying anything.

Yun Wanggui raised his lips again, and then said in a deep voice: "The Queen will summon you tomorrow, go to bed early tonight."

"The Queen summoned me?" Fu Yi said uncertainly, "Dad, I shouldn't have offended His Majesty's offspring over the years...right?"

Although she has acted recklessly over the years, she has never offended innocent people. Before Your Majesty ascended the throne, he was not favored by the late emperor, and the Empress and her children were not valued either. Some people even took advantage of Your Majesty's family to please the late emperor's favorite son.

She has always looked down upon such mean behavior. Although she had little contact with His Majesty's descendants since she was a child, she has never done anything to bully them.

Hearing his daughter's words, Yun Wanggui almost couldn't breathe. What decent girl would think of whether she had bullied other people's children the first thing she thought of when hearing the queen summoned her?
"If you have offended me, you should go and apologize." Yun Wanggui said unhappily, "Stop causing trouble for me outside every day."

Yun Fuyi looked at him pitifully, her eyes as bright as stars, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Looking at his daughter's eyes, Yun Wanggui recalled what happened three years ago.

In order to help them escape from the assassins' siege, the daughter tried her best to lead the assassins away, but finally fell off a cliff and her life or death was unknown.

He didn't know how the family managed to survive the days without finding his daughter. He didn't believe in gods or Buddhas, but after his daughter went missing, he would worship gods and kneel down to Buddhas, just hoping that his daughter could still be alive.

“Since His Majesty intends to use my father, he will not be too harsh on you.” Yun Wanggui softened his heart: “If you really have offended that prince, I will go with you to apologize to him.”

Before Your Majesty ascended the throne, his life was not easy. The Queen and he supported each other for many years and they had a deep relationship. So far, they have only one son.

Fu Yi stood up and walked to Yun Wanggui, grabbing Yun Wangui's sleeve and shaking it: "Thank you, Daddy, I know that Daddy treats me the best."

"How disgraceful." Yun Wanggui scolded in a low voice, but did not take the sleeve out of Fu Yi's hand.

The imperial palace is majestic and heavily guarded, and many people cannot even set foot inside it in their entire lives.

To Yun Fuyi, the imperial palace was not a new place. She had often visited this place when the previous emperor was in power.

The carriage stopped at Dongfeng Gate, where an eunuch was waiting. Seeing Yun Fuyi coming out of the carriage, the eunuch stepped forward with a smile and greeted her: "Hello, Miss Yun."

"You are so polite, eunuch." Yun Fuyi took the eunuch's arm and stepped down from the carriage, smiling and saying, "Thank you for leading the way, eunuch."

"It is my humble servant's honor." The eunuch led Fu Yi to the side of the sedan chair and said, "Dongfeng Gate is very far from Zhaoyang Palace. The Empress took pity on your frail body and specially granted you a sedan chair. Please get on it."

Although the word "weak" had nothing to do with Fu Yi, she had been able to ride on a sedan chair whenever she entered the palace over the years, so after thanking the Queen for her kindness, she sat on it safely.

Along the way, the eunuchs treated Fu Yi very attentively and told her from time to time which palace housed which person.

There was a eunuch who knew Fu Yi. Seeing her sitting high on the sedan chair, he couldn't help but sigh that the palace had a new owner, and the once high and mighty nobles had also lowered their heads. Only Miss Yun, who had returned to Beijing after three years, was still able to sit on the sedan chair and walk around the palace.

"Why is the Chenque Palace fenced off?" Fu Yi looked at the Chenque Palace on the left, feeling a little curious.

"The Chenque Palace has now been renamed the Chenxi Palace and was granted by His Majesty to His Royal Highness the Prince to live in. Because His Royal Highness the Prince likes bamboo, His Majesty ordered people to rebuild the Chenxi Palace. Now it has not been completed yet, so it has been fenced off." The eunuch recalled some past events and carefully observed Yun Fuyi's expression, waiting for her next inquiries.

Unexpectedly, Yun Fuyi just nodded and didn't ask any more questions: "So that's how it is."

The eunuch was a little surprised. Chenque Palace used to be the residence of Prince Ning, and Miss Yun was on good terms with Prince Ning before she left Beijing. Now that the palace has a new owner, isn't Miss Yun curious?
Just as he was thinking about Prince Ning, the eunuch looked up and saw Prince Ning and two eunuchs walking towards him. He flicked his whisk and saluted politely: "Your servant greets His Highness Prince Ning."

Prince Ning stopped and looked at the person sitting on the sedan chair. Today she was wearing a goose yellow palace dress embroidered with sparrows. The flower ornaments on her forehead were bright and eye-catching in the sun, just as dazzling as they were three years ago.

Yun Fuyi raised her eyes to look at Prince Ning, then stood up and stepped off the sedan chair: "This subject greets His Highness Prince Ning."

Prince Ning was silent for a moment, and wanted to reach out to help: "Why be so polite?"

"Things are different now." Fu Yi stepped back, smiling, "My Lord, am I right?"

Prince Ning's expression changed slightly.

"I still have to pay my respects to the Queen. If Your Majesty has nothing else to do, please excuse me and let me take my leave first." Fu Yi turned around and sat on the sedan chair, not caring at all that this would embarrass Prince Ning.

The eunuch lowered his head even lower. Miss Yun was right. Today is different from the past. Three years ago, Prince Ning was the most beloved youngest son of the late emperor, so naturally no one dared to offend him. Now that Your Majesty is the ruler of the world, Prince Ning has become a defeated general.

"Fu Yi..."

"Your Majesty." Yun Fuyi raised her eyebrows: "Your Majesty is the one who is to be married, how can you call me by my name?"
What a lack of male ethics!

"Oh, right." She glanced at Prince Ning and said, "Your Majesty, do you know what the last thing I thought of when I fell off the cliff three years ago?"

Prince Ning looked pale.

"If I don't die, I will make the bastard who harmed our Yun family suffer a fate worse than death!"

(End of this chapter)