In Qizhou, a thousand miles away, the highly praised Fu Yu has been quite busy these past two days.
War has broken out, and people's hearts are yearning for change. Ordinary people are unaware of this, but the Fu family is watching closely. From Jingzhou in the west to Chuzhou in the south, and even news from the capital, a myriad of matters have converged on the hands of Fu Yu and his son. Compared to the military and political affairs of their previous duties, many more major events have now been added, and the matters that need their attention have piled up like a mountain.
Times have changed, and the Fu family is not content to be just a regional hegemon. Naturally, their advisors and strategists cannot hold them back.
With limited energy and the looming threat of war, these tasks had to be shared by others.
In the past two days, Fu Yu entrusted Du He with the task of mobilizing troops. He and Fu Deqing, based on their observations over the past few years, selected trustworthy and reliable officials from Yongning's civil and military ranks to be entrusted with important matters. This arrangement was to lay the groundwork for their ambition to conquer the world, and could not be taken lightly. The father and son summoned them one by one for in-depth discussions, distributing political and military affairs that did not require their personal attention.
Then, as planned, a group of officials were promoted to assist these pillars.
Fortunately, Yongning is a peaceful and prosperous place. The Fu family has appointed people with real talent and ability over the years. In addition, their reputation has attracted many learned and ambitious people to join them over the decades. It is not difficult to promote and appoint people now.
Fu Yu had been busy all day. When he came out of the government office, the moon was already high in the sky and the moon palace was bright.
He had been preoccupied with his work since dawn, having eaten lunch and dinner at his desk. When he got up, he felt a little dizzy, but the cold wind on the street cleared his head considerably. After returning home, he didn't go to the two libraries, but took a shortcut straight to the South Tower—the separation was imminent, and once the war broke out, they would be separated for several months again. In the past few days, whenever he had free time, he had almost been rushing to the South Tower without stopping.
In the stillness of the night, the dim light of lanterns shone through the bamboo fence, and two rows of lanterns swayed gently in front of the door.
The aroma of leftover food wafted from the small kitchen, familiar and nostalgic.
Fu Yu entered the room, which was quite quiet. Aunt Zhou was burning incense with a jade hairpin, and Qiu Kui was making the bed in the inner room. You Tong was nowhere to be seen.
He must be taking a bath.
Fu Yu was not used to being squeezed together with maids and servants, so he strolled to the side room and sat down to rest.
On the desk sat an exquisite jade tripod, from which the fragrance of hibiscus wafted. Beside it lay a half-eaten plate of fruit, which he casually picked up and ate. He then sat in the armchair that You Tong often used, closed his eyes to rest, and gently massaged his brow. As his fatigue gradually subsided, and before he could hear any sound of You Tong finishing her bath, he opened his eyes, intending to pick up a book for leisure.
The first thing he saw was the recipe; he loved the food, but he wasn't interested in looking at it.
Next to it was a collection of poems and a collection of legendary tales, both of which girls love to read.
Next to it...
Fu Yu's mind stirred slightly, and he picked up the account book to take a look.
He had seen the hot pot restaurant's booming business, but he didn't know exactly how much it spent or how much it earned each month, though he was very curious. After casually finishing the book in his hand, Fu Yu was quite surprised to see the steady stream of income. Seeing that the other ledgers were neatly stacked on the bookshelf behind him, he took out two more.
The accounts were meticulously prepared and clearly organized. Fu Yu glanced at them briefly, and as he turned to a certain page, a piece of paper suddenly fluttered out of the firmly bound ledger and landed face down on the table.
It was clearly tucked inside the ledger, and its texture and pattern were completely different.
He picked it up casually, intending to put it back, but his gaze stopped when he saw the words on it—
"They've already divorced."
"What he seeks is vastly different from yours. The mundane world, the mountains and rivers, the forests and springs. Power struggles and strategies, heroes vying for supremacy."
"He's not suitable."
A few short lines of text, with a few random scribbles separating them.
Fu Yu was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood what it meant.
The handwriting on the paper was flowing and unfamiliar, but Fu Yu vaguely remembered the scene that night in the hot pot restaurant when Qin Liangyu wrote a bad poem and gave it to You Tong as a calligraphy brush. After a little recollection, he was almost certain that these words came from someone else's hand—no one else would have left this note as evidence.
For a moment, Fu Yu didn't know whether to be dissatisfied or amused.
His gaze swept over the paper twice, and gradually, an indescribable feeling welled up inside him.
Mountains, rivers, forests, and springs are indeed what You Tong longs for.
But if he's not suitable, is Qin Liangyu suitable?
Chapter 117 Urgent Report
Fu Yu looked at the thin piece of paper three or four times before looking away.
Fu Yu was well aware of Qin Liangyu's lust for You Tong. During his six months in the capital, he even worried that Qin Liangyu might try to steal him away. Too busy with other matters to attend to, he frequently sent her gifts and wrote her letters to express his sincerity. Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and upon their return, they fell in love and had a grand wedding.
I never expected there would be such a section in the middle.
Words that were almost a confession were put into writing and preserved intact in the book.
Only the words on it were truly jarring and unpleasant.
Fu Yu glanced at it again, snorted softly, spread his fingers, easily crumpled the paper into a ball, and threw it into the wastebasket.
After resting for a while, I heard You Tong talking to Yu Zan inside. They had obviously come out after taking a bath.
He got up and went inside.
...
The room was brightly lit by candles, and You Tong stood gracefully in the lamplight. Her dark-colored, loose-fitting nightgown had slightly sloping shoulders and draped down her shapely figure, making her appear even taller and more slender, with a delicate waist and long legs.
Her long, dark hair was wet and draped over her shoulders. She covered it with a towel and sat at the table, slowly wiping it.
Upon seeing Fu Yu, she raised her eyebrows slightly, a smile appearing in her eyes, "Husband, you're back quite late today. Were you busy at the government office?"
"I've been busy all day, arranging many military and political affairs." Fu Yu gestured for Yu Zan and the others to leave, then took off his outer robe and went over to ask her about the banquet she had attended that day. You Tong then told him about it, praising the dishes at the banquet with great enthusiasm, her eyes sparkling.
Fu Yu didn't disturb her, a slight smile playing on his lips as he stood by the table, drinking tea and listening to her comments.
Since she had mentioned going out of the city with Fu Lanyin in two days, he simply moved a chair to sit next to her, put his arm around her, and pulled her onto his lap to sit while he dried her hair.
Having wielded the sword and military manuals for over a decade, Fu Yu, once cold and aloof, focused solely on battlefield affairs and rarely paid attention to women, now, having tasted the sweetness of love, savoring the pleasures of their union, finds her captivating from head to toe. Her flowing black hair, smooth as silk, warm and soft after a bath, carries a subtle, honeyed fragrance.
Fu Yu took a deep breath of the fragrance, then reached out and put his arm around her waist, stroking her arm down to her shoulder, and then moving to her chest, gradually becoming absent-minded.
The beautiful woman in his arms was soft and fragrant, and her gentle voice whispered in his ear how they planned to enjoy the spring blossoms and chase after the springtime beauty. She was full of anticipation, but he had no time to accompany her. As this thought arose, he inexplicably recalled Qin Liangyu's note—though it had been crumpled into a ball and thrown into the wastebasket, the handwriting on it was still clearly imprinted in his mind.
The sour smell that had just subsided surged up again.
Fu Yu knew very well that he and You Tong were not a perfect match.
Although they married that day and shared a bed, it took them more than half a year to overcome their estrangement. She, on the other hand, and Qin Liangyu, shared similar interests and hit it off immediately. If it weren't for their past entanglements, if he hadn't used both gentle persuasion and force to hold her tight, who would she choose between this cold, unromantic military man and the gentle, elegant Qin Liangyu?
Fu Yu wasn't entirely sure, since You Tong had been frank about Xu Chaozong but rarely mentioned Qin Liangyu to him. Yet, she and Qin Liangyu shared many ties; both were easygoing and carefree, both passionate about scenery and food, and often enjoyed meals together thanks to Du Shuangxi's culinary skills. At those times, his appearance always seemed abrupt.
He had once dismissed this thought with disdain, but now it kept popping into his head.
Fu Yu's eyes grew darker and darker, and the hidden displeasure in his heart turned into impulse. The hand that was doing evil to her gradually exerted more force.
You Tong noticed something was wrong and rushed to stop her.
Fu Yu reacted quickly, discarding the towel and firmly grasping her wrist, trapping her behind her.
The discussion abruptly ended. With her hands bound, You Tong was forced to lean back slightly, looking surprised and slightly annoyed. "What are you doing!"
"..." Fu Yu opened his mouth, but knowing that the thought was too absurd and narrow-minded, he tried his best to suppress it and only said according to his heart: "It smells very good."
Perhaps out of guilt, he didn't look into her eyes, but followed his heart, lowering his head to kiss her neck. Her slightly dry lips, aroused by some unknown passion, were a little hot. From her neck to her ear, and then to her lips, he wantonly seized her soft, fragrant flesh.
He kissed her forcefully, and You Tong couldn't break free. Trapped in the presence of his strong and handsome man, she felt restless and agitated.
With only a sliver of clarity remaining in her mind, she felt that Fu Yu was acting strangely tonight.
Unfortunately, her lips and tongue were occupied by him, and she couldn't speak. You Tong whimpered twice, and then he picked her up and carried her to the bed.
After their first sexual encounter, their passion deepened. Fu Yu, in the prime of his life and full of vigor, was like a tiger and wolf these days. It was common for him to drag her to bed while talking. But compared to the gentleness of the past few days, which gradually revealed his ruthlessness and wanton bullying after entering the alley, Fu Yu was indeed a bit impatient and fierce tonight. His tight embrace made her feel a little pain.
Once inside the tatami room, he barely glanced at her, his eyes lingering on her chest and waist like a hungry wolf.
That's where the problem lies.
You Tong wasn't blinded by lust yet. She gripped his undergarment, which had fallen to his shoulders, with both hands, her breath slightly ragged. "Is something on your mind?"
"No." Fu Yu leaned against her chest, his voice low and indistinct.
"It's obvious, explain yourself first." She reached out to push his shoulder, but it was too hard to budge. Annoyed, she snapped, "Fu Yu!"
This shout was filled with anger, and Fu Yu finally stopped, bracing himself on either side of her with his arms, his chest half-red, looking down at her.
You Tong's eyes widened, her cheeks flushed. "Something was off when you came in, and just now... If you have something to say, just say it. Don't keep me guessing. If you continue to be so unreasonable, I... I'll kick you out."
"So fierce?" Fu Yu's eyes burned with desire, and he chuckled softly, looking like he wanted to see her unleash her power. But seeing that she was angry, he seemed to have taken her words to heart. Suppressing the heat rising from their kiss, he said, "I just flipped through your account book from last year." Seeing that she didn't react at all, he continued, "There was a piece of paper inside, but I couldn't quite understand what was on it."
You Tong frowned. "What?"
Fu Yu then read those lines aloud.
You Tong was slightly taken aback, but after a moment's thought, she understood. Although she didn't know how the note ended up in the ledger, she knew Fu Yu had already guessed who wrote it. Since he had seen it, guessed it, and still treated her this way, he clearly took it seriously. So, she glared at him, slightly annoyed, and said, "Do you think I value that thing so much that I carefully hid it in the ledger? Or are you just being paranoid, thinking that I have something going on with Young Master Qin..."
"No," Fu Yu quickly interrupted.
"Why is that!"
Fu Yu's Adam's apple bobbed, a bitter feeling welling up inside him. He spoke in a tone incongruous with his noble status as a military commander, "I want to know..." He hesitated for a moment, his eyes deep and intense, and leaned slightly forward, saying, "If there hadn't been that marriage back then, between me and Qin Liangyu, who would you have chosen?"
His hot breath, deep voice, and the presence of his waist, abdomen, and chest were originally meant to make one's heart flutter and arouse her.
At this moment, however, it stirred up anger.
With both arms held by him and unable to move, You Tong simply bent her leg, raised one foot, and kicked him in the chest. Taking advantage of Fu Yu's momentary daze and the instant he sat up in surprise, she rolled over and got up from the bed.
"What do you mean by this? For most of last year, except for the one time he came to visit, I avoided suspicion the whole time. He was a guest, there was no reason for him to come, so why should I kick him out? I only wrote it down because I couldn't speak, and somehow it ended up in the account book. Those few words really hit a nerve with you, and you treated me like that just now?"
A barrage of questions, filled with anger and dissatisfaction.
Fu Yu swallowed hard. "Didn't you slip it into the ledger?"
"no!"
You Tong knelt on the couch, her black hair disheveled and draped over her shoulders. Seeing him smile as if relieved, she raised her hand and slapped his chest again. "I married you because I love you and want to spend my life with you. What do I care if others are good or bad? I'm overwhelmed with political and military affairs, yet I come here to fuss over these things. General Fu—a man with the world in his heart—when did you become so narrow-minded and petty?"
She angrily cursed him, but to Fu Yu, all that remained were the three words "I like you".
Having been married twice, this was actually the first time she had honestly revealed her feelings for him.
Instead of getting angry, Fu Yu smiled and reached out to catch her, saying, "Say it again."
"Narrow-minded and petty—"
"No, I'm talking about the beginning." Fu Yu couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips.
You Tong had no idea that this man could be so capricious. She vaguely understood the source of his inner turmoil, and found it amusing. She pounced on him fiercely and lightly bit his lips. "I won't tell you. Who told you to bully me just now!" She secretly resented him and rubbed her fingers down, pinching his lean waist.
Fu Yu chuckled softly, hugged her tightly, and rolled over to press her down on the bed.
At that moment, a knocking sound rang out.
Fu Yu initially ignored it, but as the annoying voice grew more and more urgent, he forced himself to suppress his displeasure and asked in a deep voice, "What is it?"