Phoenix Cries Return to Court

Fu Chen's heart skipped a beat. How could he not hear the probing in Fu Yanzhi's words? But he remained calm and said, "Father, the scene was chaotic at the time. The arrow came so fast and suddenly that I didn't have time to react. It was thanks to my third brother's quick reaction that I was able to protect you. Even now, I still feel lingering fear when I think about it."

Seeing his sincere expression, Fu Yanzhi nodded slightly, regaining his gratified look, and said calmly, "I am very pleased that you brothers are of one mind."

Along the way, the father and his two sons chatted about some interesting things from the past, and spent a rare period of joy and harmony in their lively conversation.

About an hour later, the carriage slowly drove to the palace gate.

Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, a shrill female voice, choked with sobs, came from afar, "Jie'er, my Jie'er! Quickly, let your mother see how you are!"

"Mother." Upon hearing that familiar voice, Fu Jie hurriedly propped himself up, the wound on his shoulder aggravated, causing him to gasp in pain.

"Third brother!" Upon seeing this, Fu Chen hurriedly stepped forward to support him, and then carefully handed him over to the palace servants for assistance in front of the carriage. Fu Jie slowly got off the carriage.

Wen Qingyi, dressed in a magnificent phoenix robe, her hairpins swaying slightly, was now streaked with tears, her eyes swollen and red like walnuts. She immediately spotted Fu Jie being supported by palace servants, her eyes welling up with tears, and she rushed to him. "Jie'er!" Wen Qingyi grabbed Fu Jie's hand and choked out, "How did you get like this? Let your mother see if you're still in pain."

"Your Majesty." Fu Yanzhi frowned and said coldly upon seeing this scene as soon as he stepped off the carriage, "Fu Jie, a prince, should not be so delicate. Moreover, the imperial physicians have said that with proper care, he will recover in a month or so. As the Empress, even if you are concerned, you should not lose your composure like this. What kind of decorum is this?"

"Your Majesty makes it sound so easy!" Wen Qingyi sneered. "Jie'er has been frail since childhood. Now, to protect you, he took an arrow to the shoulder and almost lost his life. You don't even feel sorry for him, but instead you scold me for losing my temper?"

As she spoke, her voice grew increasingly agitated, and tears welled up again. The palace servants beside her lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound.

Seeing Wen Qingyi's excitement, Fu Yanzhi remained unmoved on the surface, but his doubts unconsciously dissipated by more than half.

He had previously suspected that this "saving his father" drama was a scheme by the Empress to help Fu Jie seize the throne, but given the current situation, it seemed that although she intended to become the heir, she was also unwilling to let her only son take risks.

Thinking of this, and looking at Wen Qingyi, who was crying her eyes out, Fu Yanzhi's tone softened a bit. "Alright, I know you feel sorry for Jie'er, and so do I. Jie'er has been loyal to me, and I will naturally reward him handsomely. You should take Jie'er back to the palace to rest and recuperate. I will have the imperial physician send the best medicine over later."

A pair of sinister eyes silently gazed at everything before them.

Upon hearing Fu Yanzhi's words, a slight smile subtly appeared on the corner of the man's lips.

He remained expressionless, hidden in the crowd, and exchanged a glance with Wen Qingyi from afar, their understanding unspoken.

……

The following morning, Lin Xihe and Shen Jueyan met at Dongchengkou to investigate the Dongzhu matter again.

The two stopped in front of a sizable courtyard in Qianmo Lane.

Looking at the somewhat dilapidated wooden door and the faint "Chen" character next to it, Lin Xihe looked at Shen Jueyan and said, "This is it."

Shen Jueyan nodded, stepped forward, and gently knocked on the wooden door.

The courtyard was quiet for a moment before a series of dragging footsteps were heard. With a creak, the wooden door was pulled open a crack, and an old man with gray hair and dressed in coarse cloth peeked out. He looked the two people in front of him up and down, his eyes full of wariness. "Who are you? I'm not doing any work here anymore. Please leave." With that, he was about to close the door.

Shen Jueyan reached out and gently pressed the door shut, then looked at the old man respectfully and said, "Are you Mr. Chen? We are not here today to ask you for work, but to inquire about the Xi Ning Powder. We would appreciate your help."

Upon hearing the words "Xi Ning Powder," the old craftsman Chen reacted as if facing a formidable enemy, his face instantly darkening. He hurriedly denied it, saying, "I've never heard of any Xi Ning Powder. You've got the wrong person!"

Upon seeing this, Lin Xihe's heart tightened. She hurriedly stepped forward and looked at the old man gently, saying, "Sir, please don't be afraid. We mean no harm. We just heard that you are the most skilled person in the city in making this kind of powder. Because the matter is of great importance, we came to bother you. Please forgive us."

Old craftsman Chen paused, seemingly hesitant, but then shook his head sharply and said resolutely, "I told you, I don't know! You all need to leave now! If you don't leave, I'll call for help!"

Shen Jueyan took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to the old craftsman Chen with both hands. "Mr. Chen, please don't be anxious. This is from an old friend of yours. Please open it yourself. If you still don't want to tell us after reading this letter, we will leave immediately and will not bother you again."

Upon hearing this, the old craftsman frowned and took the letter with a puzzled expression. He opened the envelope and quickly scanned its contents. After a moment, he slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with more reverence as he looked at Shen Jueyan, and his tone softened considerably. "This old man... this old man was blind to your greatness, please forgive me."

As he spoke, he quickly opened the courtyard gate, stepped aside to invite the two people in, and said respectfully, "Please come in, esteemed guests. The courtyard is simple, please do not find it offensive."

Seeing this, the two breathed a sigh of relief and followed the old craftsman into the courtyard, one after the other.

As soon as they sat down, the old craftsman Chen poured two cups of tea and handed them to the two men. He sighed and slowly said, "To be honest, I no longer practice this craft. However, I have an apprentice who can be of help."

Shen Jueyan accepted the tea, her heart skipping a beat upon hearing this. "Then do you still have contact with him? Has this disciple come to see you recently?"

Upon hearing this, the old craftsman Chen was startled. After hesitating for a long time, he slowly nodded. "Yes... half a year ago, he said he wanted me to do a job related to Xi Ning powder, and he promised me five taels of silver as a month's wages."

"Five taels of silver is too expensive," Lin Xihe said, frowning.

The old craftsman sighed, "But I am getting old, and I was seriously ill half a year ago. My health is not as good as before, and I really don't have the energy to do the work, so I declined his offer."

"And then? Did he come looking for you again?" Shen Jueyan pressed.

"He came," the old craftsman Chen nodded. "He came to see me twice more afterward, both times asking about the process of making the condensing powder."

Lin Xihe's heart skipped a beat. "Old sir, what's the name of that apprentice who was looking for you? Where does he live? Do you remember him?"

The old craftsman frowned, thought carefully for a moment, and was about to answer when suddenly several sharp whooshing sounds rang out.

The next second, thousands of arrows poured in from the window like a deluge.