Three Years After Falling Off the Cliff

"Nonsense." Yun Zhaobai stretched out his hand and tapped Fu Yi's forehead gently: "You must be tired after going to the palace. Have dinner and rest early."

"Okay." Fu Yi yawned and leaned back in her chair lazily: "The Queen is very kind to me. It seems that I have not provoked that prince."

"It seems less and less like that." Liu Qiongzhi straightened her long black hair that was scattered behind her and said gently, "If you are sleepy, go to bed first. I will call you for dinner."

"Yeah." Fu Yi turned her face to the side and rubbed it against Liu Qiongzhi's palm: "Mother, I'll go back to my room first."

After Fu Yi stood up and left, the gentleness on Liu Qiongzhi's face gradually faded: "Prince Ning will get married the day after tomorrow, you should spend more time with your sister these few days."
"Mother is worried about me?" Yun Zhaobai poured some tea and handed it to Liu Qiongzhi: "Don't worry, I won't take it to heart."
"If that's the case, that's good." With Yun Zhaobai's comfort, Liu Qiongzhi reluctantly felt relieved.

It was almost dawn and Fu Yi was sleeping soundly. In a daze, she heard the voices of her personal maids Qiu Shuang and Xia Yu.

"Miss, Miss Lin and the second son of the Yang family are anxious to see you."

"Who?" Fu Yi sat up holding the quilt, and Qiu Shuang wiped her face with a towel soaked in hot water: "Mr. Yang and Miss Lin, who have played with you since childhood."

"Huh?!" Fu Yi suddenly woke up, jumped off the bed, put on her outer robe and ran out.
"Miss, shoes!" Qiu Shuang holding the shoes and Xia Yu holding the shawl, hurriedly chased after her.

"Boss!"
"Yang Er, Lin Xiaowu!" Fu Yi ran towards the two of them, but before she could say anything, Lin Xiaowu hugged her tightly.

"Boss, you're finally back." Lin Xiaowu was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes: "Do you know how we lived during the three years you were away?"

Fu Yi looked at her and Yang Erlang's plump faces and said hesitantly, "Eating, drinking and having fun every day?"

"With you away, we have no mood to play." Lin Xiaowu glanced at the fat Yang Erlang beside him and was silent for a moment: "Whenever we miss you, we rely on eating to relieve our longing. Look, Yang Erlang has gained weight."

Fu Yi: “…”
She pushed Lin Xiaowu away with disdain: "That's enough."

"You are a little fat, but we really miss you." Yang Erlang squeezed over, smiling until his eyes narrowed into slits: "We heard that you returned to the capital the night before, so we came to look for you yesterday, but we never thought you would enter the palace. Look, today we didn't even sleep in, and came to see you early in the morning. Isn't it very affectionate?"

"It's really early." Fu Yi yawned: "You two wait a moment, I'll go back to the inner room to wash up."

"Okay." Lin Xiaowu found a chair and sat down, and said to Qiu Shuang: "Qiushuang, bring us something to eat. It's so early in the morning, and we haven't eaten anything yet."

"Please wait for a moment, Miss Lin and Mr. Yang. I will ask someone to prepare breakfast right away." Qiu Shuang smiled and told the maid to go to the kitchen to get breakfast, and she stayed to take care of the two of them.

After Fu Yi finished washing up, she heard Yang Erlang and Lin Xiaowu sitting at the table, asking Qiu Shuang about her fall off the cliff. She walked over and sat between them, "Even eating can't stop you from talking?"

"Isn't this because I'm waiting for you to come out and eat together?" Yang Erlang scooped some porridge for Fu Yi attentively: "Please have some, Boss."

"Take more food." Lin Xiaowu put several dishes into Fu Yi's bowl and plate, sniffed, "Fortunately you are okay."

"Eat well." Fu Yi saw that the two of them were about to cry, so she laughed and said, "Didn't I often send you back to the capital with the gifts from Chongzhou in the past two years? How come it's been so long and you're crying again?"

"We can't feel at ease until we see you." Lin Xiaowu held a piece of dessert and sobbed, "If it weren't for the titles that Yang Erlang and I have in our families, we wouldn't be able to leave the capital easily. We would have wanted to rush to Chongzhou three years ago."

"You still have some sense. You didn't really come here." Fu Yi was panicked by the two pairs of tearful eyes. She scooped a bowl of porridge for each of them and said, "Eat first."

Lin Xiaowu and Yang Erlang looked at each other secretly and did not dare to tell Fu Yi that they had actually sneaked out of the capital, but were caught by their families before they ran far.

The two of them were in a state of excitement that came and went quickly. After breakfast, they were back to their usual cheerful ways, clamoring to take Fu Yi out to play.

Outside the courtyard gate, Yun Zhaobai heard the laughter coming from his sister's courtyard and asked the gatekeeper, "Is the young lady's friend here?"

"My lord, the second son of Marquis Yang and Miss Lin of Princess Anping came to see you early in the morning."

Yun Zhaobai listened to his sister's happy laughter, put his hands behind his back, chuckled helplessly, and turned away.

Fu Yi was taken out of Yun Mansion by Yang Erlang and Lin Xiaowu and ran straight to South Street.

"Everyone is very happy to hear that you are back. We have set up a few tables at Caiyinfang on South Street and are waiting for you to come over." Lin Xiaowu lifted the curtain and looked outside: "Don't worry, the food, drinks and songs we sing are all your favorites."

Before Fu Yi could answer, the carriage suddenly stopped.

"What's going on?" Yang Erlang lifted the curtain and asked the coachman.

"Second Young Master, there is a convoy delivering dowry ahead."
Giving up three points during weddings and funerals is an unwritten rule throughout the Dalong Dynasty.

"Is this... the Cui family's dowry convoy?" Yang Erlang looked carefully and thought of Fu Yi still in the carriage. He quickly lowered the curtain and said to Fu Yi and Lin Xiaowu, "Someone is passing by to deliver the dowry. Let them go first."

Seeing Fu Yi reaching out to lift the curtain, Yang Erlang quickly stopped her: "There's nothing to see."

Fu Yi looked at Yang Erlang with a smile, and seeing that Yang Erlang was getting more and more nervous, she put down her hand and said, "There's really nothing to see."
Yang Erlang secretly breathed a sigh of relief and told the coachman to take another street.

When they arrived at Caiyinfang, as soon as Fu Yi got off the carriage, she was surrounded by a group of rich young men and ladies and welcomed into the gate. The noise was so loud that it could be heard in half the street.

"Who is that person that attracted so many young men and women to come out to greet him?"
"I didn't see it clearly, look more."
"That young man in the red coat seems to be a royal relative?"
"Wow, so powerful?!" "Fuyi, try this tea."
"What tea should I drink? Try the new wine here."
"Master, let's get people singing and dancing. Today is a good day for reunion. Let's have some fun."

Everyone was talking at once. Fu Yi had a snack in her mouth, a snack in her left hand, a teacup in her right hand, and her whole body was covered with gifts given by everyone. Fortunately, she was good at dealing with such situations, and soon she was playing happily with everyone, as if she had never been separated from them for three years.

Everyone was in high spirits. Some went up to the stage to sing songs, some played the Ruanxian, and Yang Erlang also went up to play the piano. However, because he played so badly, everyone booed him off the stage.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Fu Yi covered her ears that were damaged by the piano music, shook her head and sighed: "In the past three years, you have only grown in height, but not in ability."

Yang Erlang chuckled and said confidently, "We are all playboys. How much can we improve in just three years?"

He picked up the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp. Then he stood up and walked to the stage. He waved to the musician playing the pipa, and the musician handed the pipa to Fu Yi.

When the sound of the pipa rang out, everyone fell silent.
Yang Erlang turned to look at Lin Xiaowu: "I am so stupid, what on earth am I expecting?"
They are all playboys, and they play the piano awfully. Does the eldest brother think he can play heavenly music?

Fu Yi, who was drunk, didn't care what others thought. She finished playing a song with a ding-dong sound, walked off the stage contentedly, and said modestly, "I haven't played for a while, so my hands are not used to it."
"It's a really hearty song." Yang Erlang gave a thumbs up: "It's full of murderous intent and the artistic conception is amazing!"

"Thank you for the compliment. It's not that good." Fu Yi took the hand of a dandy lady in green and drank the wine with a smile: "Why is this wine better than before? Is it because you personally brought it so it tastes different?"

"Go away." Miss Green Shirt's cheeks turned slightly pink, and she pushed Fu Yi aside. Seeing this, the other dandy ladies all picked up their wine glasses and walked towards her.
"Come on, come on, come and try the wine we poured. Is it better?"

Fu Yi realized that she had caused trouble, so she quickly stood up and begged for mercy: "I was wrong, I was wrong, please forgive me, sisters."

No one was willing to give in and started chasing Fu Yi. Fu Yi couldn't escape and turned around and ran out of the yard.

"Be careful." Fu Yi drank the wine and didn't notice that there was someone in front of him. Seeing that he was about to bump into someone, he quickly leaned aside to hold the pomegranate tree in the yard: "I'm sorry, I didn't pay attention just now, did I scare you?"

"Yun Fuyi, don't run." Everyone chased out of the yard and were about to catch Fuyi, but when they saw who was standing under the pomegranate tree, they were instantly silent.
Everyone secretly hid their wine glasses in their sleeves and saluted in unison: "Greetings, His Royal Highness."

Yun Fuyi also hurriedly followed suit and saluted: "Your Highness, your servant greets you."
She lowered her head and blinked her drunken eyes, looking at the auspicious cloud pattern embroidered with gold thread on the hem of the prince's brocade robe. The embroiderer's skill was really great.

Your Majesty has only this son. After he completes the three years of mourning for the late emperor, I'm afraid you will appoint this prince as the crown prince.

She didn't know much about this prince. She only heard that he had been studious and self-disciplined since childhood, and that the civil officials often praised him.
Such playboys as them would probably not be in the eyes of this prince.

"You don't have to be polite."
His Royal Highness the Prince spoke in a gentle voice, as sweet as the spring breeze in March, and he did not show any dissatisfaction at their laughter and noise here.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Fu Yi straightened up, lowered her head, and stepped back step by step to show her respect for His Highness.

Tick-tock, tick-tock. Wine seeped out of a wine jug hidden in someone's sleeve and splashed onto the ground.
Fu Yi silently moved her feet to block the friend who knocked over the wine jug.

The courtyard was silent. After a while, the prince spoke again: "Miss Yun has been away from the capital for a long time. It is a rare opportunity for her to be reunited with her friends today. Please feel free to do as you please. I have no intention of disturbing your mood."

Fu Yi looked up and saw the back of His Royal Highness leaving. She bowed and said, "Farewell, Your Highness."

"It's really rare that His Highness would actually pass by Caiyinfang." Lin Xiaowu tugged at Fuyi's sleeves, looked at the prince's back, and whispered, "This is the first time I've seen him in a place where he plays."

"I almost didn't recognize you either." Another young lady came over and said, "I heard that Your Highness doesn't like flashy clothes. It's really surprising that you suddenly wore a purple and gold brocade robe today."

"Hmm?" Fu Yi recalled the prince's back as he left, smiled and raised her eyebrows: "That outfit looks good, why doesn't Your Highness like it?"

"I don't know." The young lady shook her head: "I think it was when I was young..."

She didn't dare to say anything more. His Majesty is the eldest son. The late emperor had been very disgusted with His Majesty in the early years, so His Majesty's family did not have a very good life.
The dirty deeds of the royal family are not something that these playboys can mention.

After making sure that His Royal Highness the Prince had left, everyone turned around and continued to listen to the music and dance until dark. Only after the family sent someone to pick them up did they reluctantly leave.

Fu Yi got on the Yun Mansion's carriage and leaned back on the cushion, closing her eyes to rest. She had drunk too much today and her mind was not very clear.

Halfway through the journey, the carriage stopped moving. Fu Yi sat up with difficulty and asked with sleepy eyes, "What happened?"

"Miss." Qiu Shuang came in after lifting the curtain, looking embarrassed: "Prince Ning is in front."

In the night, Prince Ning stood in front of the carriage, looking somewhat lonely. He saw the curtain of the carriage swaying and was about to speak.

"Good dog, stay out of the way, get out!"
The carriage curtain was forcefully opened, revealing half of Yun Fuyi's head, followed by a wine jar.

"Miss, you are drunk!"
"Your Highness Prince Ning, my young lady drank too much and her mind is not clear. My young master will personally apologize to you tomorrow."
"Go quickly, go quickly."

The Yun Mansion's carriage left in a hurry, leaving Prince Ning with only the shattered wine jar on the ground.

(End of this chapter)