He turned his head and saw that it was a flowering weeping crabapple tree in the courtyard; the pink blossoms swayed in the gentle breeze, paired with the sound of the zither, they created a sense of peaceful, tranquil years.
Zhu Ci listened closely and discovered the sound was actually coming from the courtyard next door.
Who is in the courtyard next to him?
Zhu Ci looked at the courtyard gate, then at the begonia tree and the stone table beneath it. For some reason, on a sudden impulse, by the time he realized what he was doing, he was already standing on a tree branch, clinging to the wall and peering into the neighboring courtyard.
Fortunately, the person playing the zither next door was sitting in the courtyard, playing.
Under the moonlight, the silver-white long hair cascading down her shoulders was like fine silk, reflecting speckles of light.
Hmm? Silver-white long hair?
Zhu Ci leaned against the wall, stunned for a moment. He began to doubt whether the scene he was seeing was real. Had he truly woken up? Was he not dreaming?
Where in real life would anyone have hair color like that?
Just as he was feeling puzzled, the other person seemed to hear a sound and turned their head to look toward the top of the wall.
The moment he saw that face, Zhu Ci had only one thought in his mind: Oh no, he's coming for me.
He found it difficult to describe the shock he felt upon seeing that face.
The other person's skin was incredibly fair, so fair that it had a translucent quality. With a high nose and beautiful eyes, the light blue eyes made the owner's naturally unapproachable aura seem even colder.
Has an immortal descended to the mortal realm?
Under the other's dissatisfied gaze, Zhu Ci suddenly realized that he looked like a voyeur in his current state.
He immediately wanted to raise his hand to say hello and explain himself, but before he could speak, he heard a faint clicking sound.
He was startled: Oh no!
Before he could even react, the branch beneath his feet snapped decisively from the trunk, sending him falling down with it.
Zhu Ci instinctively reached out to grab the top of the wall, but as he lifted his hand, he tugged at the wound on his arm, missing his best opportunity.
In another courtyard, Fu heard a faint sound and knew someone was watching. He turned to look with a hint of displeasure, but he did not expect that the person climbing the wall was actually Zhu Ci.
Before he could say anything, the other person disappeared behind the wall, leaving only a hand fruitlessly groping at the top of the wall.
Fu..
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: No, this branch looks quite thick, why is it so brittle? Kitten jumps onto the branch. jpg Kitten crushes the branch and falls. jpg
Next update tomorrow morning at six o'clock~
Chapter 93
The commotion caused by Zhu Ci was simply too loud, Jiang Xueyan and Jiang Quan both rushed over immediately.
Jiang Xueyan was scared out of her wits: "Young Master, Young Master, you.. why are you here?"
She tried to help Zhu Ci up while simultaneously glaring at Jiang Quan: "I told you to stay by the Young Master's side, where have you gone now?"
Jiang Quan was also frightened half to death: "I.. I just went to the latrine."
Zhu Ci clutched his foot; when he had fallen just now, he had stepped on the stone table and lost his balance, twisting it. His face was contorted with pain, yet he still struggled to maintain a calm expression as he gritted his teeth and said, "It's nothing, stop shouting."
At this moment, his courtyard gate was pushed open, Fu, wearing a veiled bamboo hat, walked in from the outside.
Zhu Ci stared at him, momentarily stunned. If he remembered correctly, the immortal who had just descended from the heavens next door seemed to be dressed exactly like Fu.
Fu slowly walked over and looked at Zhu Ci, who was covered in begonia petals, asked, "Where did you fall?"
That tone.. it was as if he knew exactly what had happened.
Zhu Ci hesitated for a moment before honestly saying, "I twisted my ankle."
Fu Huaizhang bent down and picked him up without a word. In that instant, Zhu Ci seemed to smell the faint scent of sandalwood mixed with the fragrance of begonia on him, which actually had a calming effect.
Jiang Xueyan and Jiang Quan followed closely behind, not daring to utter a single word, as the Marquis of Huating exuded an aura that warned others to stay away.
Zhu Ci no longer cared that Fu Huaizhang was holding him; he only wanted to know if the face beneath that veiled bamboo hat was the same one he had just seen.
After Fu Huaizhang set him down, he gripped his ankle and gave it a squeeze, saying, "The bone isn't injured. Go get some liniment, bring the medicinal decoction Physician Yan prescribed earlier as well."
Jiang Xueyan and Jiang Quan immediately responded. After exchanging a glance, they both hesitated slightly. Jiang Quan said, "I'll go; Xueyan, stay and take care of the Young Master."
Zhu Ci happened to have something to ask, so he glanced at the two of them and said, "With Brother Huaizhang here, you don't need to worry. Go on."
Jiang Xueyan and Jiang Quan had no choice but for one to fetch the medicine and the other to brew it.
After they had all left, Zhu Ci tilted his head and looked at Fu, asking, "You were the one playing the zither just now?"
Fu was uncharacteristically cold: "Mm."
Zhu Ci looked at his veiled hat and said thoughtfully, "For this illness, you should remember to eat more sea fish and dried mushrooms; it will help you feel better."
“Illness?” Fu looked up, seemingly looking at him. “You say this is an illness?”
At this moment, Zhu Ci suddenly realized that Fu's wearing the veil hat was not entirely to block the sun, but perhaps more to conceal the abnormalities in his own appearance.
His hair was covered by a hair crown, but his eyes and face could only be hidden away like this.
Zhu Ci nodded and said, "That's right, this is an illness you were born with, uh, the principle behind it is a bit complicated."
Fu Chunsheng repeated, "A condition brought from the womb."
Zhu Ci could not see his expression and also found his tone somewhat difficult to understand, so he could only pretend to be quite casual and say, "Indeed. Although it causes some trouble in daily life, it doesn't have much impact if one takes good care of oneself. Back in our place, people with this illness are called Children of the Moon."
Fu remained silent, Zhu Ci did not dare to say anything either.
It was mainly because he had been sleeping for several days, he felt like his brain wasn't working very well right now; if his brain had been working properly, he wouldn't have done something like lying on the wall to peek at the neighbors.
After a while, Jiang Xueyan and Jiang Quan returned. The smell of medicinal salve mixed with the scent of Chinese medicine gave Zhu Ci an unpleasant sensation.
His expression was somewhat distorted: "The medicine.. put the medicine there first, give me the medicated oil, I'll do it myself."
Fu stood to the side; he had originally been about to leave, but seeing Zhu Ci acting as if he were facing a formidable enemy, he could not help but stop in his tracks.
The Crown Prince, who feared neither heaven nor earth and could single-handedly withstand the Qing Army's siege for five days with nothing but a ragtag mob, actually feared taking medicine.
Quite amusing.
Especially seeing Zhu Ci's frowning, disdainful expression, it felt a bit more vivid.
After finishing applying the medicated oil, Zhu Ci said nonchalantly, "Alright, I'm fine now. You two go back and rest first. Brother Huaizhang, you should head back as well; I feel terrible for disturbing you so late."
Fu glanced at the medicine placed to the side and said thoughtfully, "The medicine will be even more bitter once it gets cold. Xinghuo, you should drink it first, so they can take the bowl away."
Zhu Ci..
He suspected this guy was doing it on purpose.
No wonder he hadn't left; it turns out he was waiting for him here.
Zhu Ci took a deep breath, wanting to hold a grudge against him, but then remembered the brainless thing he had done tonight.
Forget it, forget it. As long as Fu doesn't hold a grudge, I'll just drink the medicine.
Zhu Ci held his breath and downed the medicinal soup in one gulp; after finishing it, he felt as if his soul were about to leave his body.
He let out a dull hiccup, vaguely feeling as if he had heard a faint chuckle.
As he looked up, he happened to hear Fu say, "Get some rest; we can discuss anything else tomorrow."
He finished speaking and turned to leave, but stopped at the doorway, asking hesitantly, "This illness.. can it be cured?"
Zhu Ci hiccuped again and shook his head, saying, "It's a congenital defect; it can't be cured, but it won't have much impact if properly protected."
Fu nodded slightly. "I understand."
There was no discernible emotion in his tone.
Once the others had left, Zhu Ci lay on the bed and finally realized that he had perhaps been a bit too blunt just now.
Perhaps he should have been a bit more tactful.
But on second thought, the Marquis of Huating shouldn't be such a fragile person. Besides, no matter how tactful one is, the meaning remains the same. Rather than being vague and leaving someone clinging to a sliver of hope, it is better to just tell them the result directly.
Albinism also comes in different types; with proper protection, one can still be active under the sunlight.
It felt like Fu's condition wasn't that severe, otherwise how could he have grown his business so large? What kind of family does business by heading out every single night?
However, besides the skin, the eyes also require attention; the eyes of those with albinism generally cannot be exposed to light that is too intense.
Thinking of the eyes, those cold, pale blue eyes appeared in Zhu Ci's mind.
Sigh, why does such a beautiful person have to be Fu Huaizhang?
He could solve anyone's personal relationship problems, but as for making designs on the Marquis of Huating, he'd better forget it.
Perhaps there were sedative ingredients in the medicine; even though he had only just woken up, Zhu Ci felt a bit drowsy again.
He closed his eyes and slept until dawn.
When he woke up this time, he felt refreshed. Although the wounds on his body were both painful and itchy, his overall spirits were much better than before.
Only the pain in his feet continued to remind him of the outrageous things he had done last night.
“Young Master, rest for two more days.”
Zhu Ci shook his head. "No, there are many things that need to be handled now. It has already been.. six days, hasn't it?"
Jiang Quan said, "Rest assured, Young Master. The situation is still quite stable, the Marquis of Huating has already handled many matters."
Zhu Ci glanced at him without saying a word, thinking to himself what a blockhead he was.
Jiang Xueyan glanced at Jiang Quan and couldn't help but say, "The Marquis of Huating is the Marquis of Huating. Although he came to support us, Huaian is the Young Master's territory; how can we hand everything over to him?"
Jiang Quan finally realized what she meant.
That's true. The Marquis of Huating seems to be their ally now, but.. he is a rebel, while the Young Master is the Crown Prince of Great Ming.
Jiang Quan scratched his head. "But lately, many things have been handled by the Marquis of Huating and his subordinates. We.. we.. can't compare to them."
Zhu Ci waved his hand. "I am not blaming you."
How could he not know the caliber of his own subordinates? How long had those under Fu Chunsheng's command followed him? If he had harbored rebellious intentions for a long time, he would certainly have been secretly cultivating and recruiting talent.
If a real struggle were to break out, Zhu Ci would be at a disadvantage from any perspective.