In that instant, he felt that his heart was closer to Feng Muting's.
Feng Muting noticed the emotions flowing in Su Fuliu's eyes, and gently hugged him: "I'm sorry, I've gotten used to saying 'this king' all the time, but I didn't expect that you would want to hear 'I' more."
"Your Highness doesn't need to apologize for this. Whether Your Highness said 'this prince' or 'I,' as long as the person speaking is Your Highness, it's fine."
Feng Muting smiled slightly and unconsciously hugged Su Fuliu a little tighter: "How can my A-Liu be so understanding? I've already called you A-Liu, shouldn't you call me Tinglang?"
"I don't want to..." Su Fuliu was too embarrassed to call Feng Muting that in front of others; it was too awkward.
“If you’re shy, A-Liu, you can call out privately. There’s no one around right now, so A-Liu can call out.”
"No." Su Fuliu refused without even thinking.
"It's heartbreaking that Ah Liu refused so decisively, it even makes my wounds ache." Feng Muting started his psychological maneuvering again.
Su Fuliu looked at the scratches on Feng Muting's chest, and then thought of the scars on his back. He thought about how he had always been accommodating to him, and now all he wanted was to hear him call him "Tinglang".
So, after much hesitation, he still called out "Tinglang".
Feng Muting looked at Su Fuliu with delight and couldn't help but kiss his sweet-tasting lips.
"How can Ah Liu be so sweet? She's so sweet it touches my heart." Feng Muting rested his forehead on Su Fuliu's forehead, and when he looked down, he could see Su Fuliu's lips, which were a little red and swollen from his kisses.
Su Fuliu's face had turned a honey pink, his chest was heaving, and he was slightly open-mouthed, trying to "grab back" the air that Feng Muting had taken away.
After finally catching his breath, he dared to look at Feng Muting: "Your Highness..."
"Um?"
Su Fuliu was taken aback, then changed her words and said, "Tinglang hasn't said yet what happened between the Emperor and Aunt Xu at the Jade Pavilion yesterday? Why was the atmosphere a bit strange?"
Chapter 319 My Little Crybaby, Stop Crying
Feng Muting sighed and then briefly recounted what had happened.
Su Fuliu understood the implication. He tilted his head, looking surprised, and said, "Tinglang means... Aunt Xu... Aunt Xu and the Emperor..."
“Aunt Xu and my mother were like sisters. After my mother passed away, Aunt Xu took care of me like a mother. I always knew that she loved my father, but she knew that my father could never let go of my mother and was afraid that I would think that she was stealing my mother’s husband, so she kept it to herself.”
"Actually, I don't mind at all. How could I possibly think that Aunt Xu is stealing my father? On the contrary, ever since my mother passed away, I have always wanted Aunt Xu and my father to be together. I believe that if my mother knew in the afterlife, she would also hope that Aunt Xu and my father could be companions for the rest of their lives."
Su Fuliu nodded: "However, Aunt Xu has a burden on her heart about this kind of thing, and the Emperor also has a burden on his heart. It's not that you can say you don't mind and they can be together."
"Yes, Father Emperor can't let go of Mother Consort. He feels that if he were to be with another woman, it would be a betrayal of Mother Consort. Aunt Xu also doesn't dare to take this step because she feels that she and Mother Consort are good sisters. Even if Mother Consort is gone, she can't be with her good sister's husband. So for so many years, Father Emperor and Aunt Xu have never dared to take this step."
After hearing all this, Su Fuliu was deeply moved, and his eyes suddenly darkened: "Tinglang..."
"Um?"
"If I leave first in the future, you must not be foolish. You must let go of me and start over..."
Feng Muting immediately frowned, displeased.
He interrupted Su Fuliu, saying with a serious expression, "What nonsense are you talking about, A-Liu!"
Su Fuliu was frightened by Feng Muting's appearance.
He hadn't seen Feng Muting look so fierce in a very, very long time.
Moreover, this time the calamity is different from the previous ones.
This time it seems like she's genuinely angry.
He immediately fell silent, his lips pressed tightly together, his eyes instantly reddening and soon filled with tears.
Feng Muting was stunned for a moment, then quickly hugged Su Fuliu and coaxed her, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, A-Liu, don't cry. I didn't mean to be mean to you. It's your fault for saying those scary things. We will definitely grow old together!"
Su Fuliu didn't say anything, she just silently shed tears.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Feng Muting cupped his face and wiped away his tears: "Alright, my little crybaby, stop crying. If you keep crying, it'll rain and my heart will break."
Su Fuliu then spoke up, "Tinglang's appearance just now really frightened me..."
Feng Muting sighed softly, "You're the one who scared me. You really can't say things like that again, understand?"
“Hmm…” Su Fuliu nodded.
"Silly boy." Feng Muting sighed again, then shook his head.
Su Fuliu pouted and then said, "Tinglang, why don't we try to help the Emperor and Aunt Xu?"
"Okay, do you have a solution?" Feng Muting asked.
“I…I do have a way…” Su Fuliu replied.
"Oh? What method do you have? Tell me about it."
Su Fuliu pursed her lips slightly: "If I tell you, Tinglang, please don't think I'm a bad person. I... I've never done anything like that. I only came up with this idea for Aunt Xu and the Emperor."
Chapter 320 I Believe in You
Feng Muting smiled and patted Su Fuliu's head: "Even if you're a little rascal, I still like you. Tell me, what idea have you come up with?"
"My...my solution is that I can give Aunt Xu acupuncture to make her look sick, and ordinary doctors can't cure her. Then Tinglang will go and talk to the Emperor to bring Aunt Xu into the palace and let the imperial physicians treat her."
"The imperial physicians are naturally better than ordinary doctors, so they will have a way to cure Aunt Xu. However, this 'illness' will take time, so Aunt Xu can stay in the palace for a while."
"At that time, the Emperor and she will be able to spend every day together. If they have feelings for each other, I believe that this period of time should be enough to encourage them to take this step."
Su Fuliu explained his plan to Feng Muting, who nodded after listening.
"I never thought my little idiot could be so smart. Father and Aunt Xu rarely saw each other before, so there wasn't much of a chance for them to think about whether they should take this step. Now, if we can create opportunities for them to spend time together every day, maybe they can figure out whether they can accept each other."
“Yes, so we need to create opportunities for them to spend time together. As for whether they will take that step, that depends on them. We have to respect their wishes. If they really can’t get over their mental hurdle, we can’t force them,” Su Fuliu replied.
Feng Muting nodded slightly, then looked at Su Fuliu with a smile in his eyes: "When did my A-Liu learn to give acupuncture to people?"
Su Fuliu was taken aback, her eyes flickering with unease: "I...I..."
"I know, he must have learned it from some medical book again, right?"
"Yes, I... I used to enjoy reading medical books when I had free time, so I learned a little bit. But don't worry, Tinglang, I'm only saying this because I'm confident I can do this well. I would never joke about Aunt Xu's life."
"Yes, I believe you." Feng Muting cupped Su Fuliu's face and laughed, "There's probably no one in this world as lucky as me. I really had to carry a lantern to find such a treasure as A-Liu. I'm going to hide A-Liu away and not allow anyone to covet her."
Su Fuliu blushed and pulled his hand down: "Tinglang, you should put your clothes on first."
"Okay." Feng Muting replied, then put on his clothes. "Ah Liu, you worked hard applying the medicine for me. Now, Ah Liu, lie down and I'll massage your back."
As he spoke, he helped Su Fuliu lie down, but just as he was about to reach out, Su Fuliu pushed him away, saying, "I can rub it myself."
"How can that be? I'm the one who hurt you, so I have to rub it myself. Otherwise, I'll feel bad about it," Feng Muting said seriously.
"Okay..." Su Fuliu was persuaded and had no choice but to lie there obediently and let Feng Muting massage him.
"Ah Liu's waist is so flexible..." Feng Muting couldn't help but exclaim.
"If Tinglang keeps saying that, I won't let you rub me anymore," Su Fuliu said shyly.
Feng Muting smiled and said nothing more.
After a while, Su Fuliu asked again, "When is Tinglang going to find Aunt Xu? Also, how... how can I persuade Aunt Xu to let me give her acupuncture?"
“I’ll go find Aunt Xu after I finish massaging A-Liu’s back,” Feng Muting replied. “As for how to persuade Aunt Xu, that’s even simpler. Just tell her that you saw a set of acupuncture techniques in a medical book that can strengthen the body and that you want to use them on her. She will definitely think you are very filial and will agree immediately.”
Chapter 321 Imported Dried Plums
Su Fuliu pouted, "The more Tinglang says that, the more guilty I feel, because this isn't filial piety, it's lying to Aunt Xu..."
“No, you should think of it this way: you are helping Aunt Xu to be happy. It’s a white lie. Even if Aunt Xu finds out later, she won’t blame you. You don’t need to feel guilty,” Feng Muting comforted him.
“Okay…” Su Fuliu responded softly.
After that, Feng Muting continued to massage Su Fuliu, and Su Fuliu lay there and gradually fell asleep.
Seeing that he was asleep, Feng Muting covered him with a blanket, kissed him on the forehead, and then got up and left.
Meanwhile, Su Yan was checking accounts in the accounting room, skillfully using an abacus in one hand and flipping through the ledgers in the other.
The desk was located quite close to the window, which was open at the moment. Suddenly, a figure appeared outside the window and threw in a package, which landed right next to Su Yan, startling him so much that he jumped up from his chair.
Before he could even see what it was, he heard laughter coming from outside the window.
He looked up and saw Xie Chen leap up and sit on the windowsill, looking at him leisurely: "Tsk, Su Yan, why are you still so cowardly? Look how scared you are."
When Su Yan saw that Xie Chen had scared him, he became furious and immediately started cursing: "You're the coward! Your whole family are cowards! Anyone would be scared if you suddenly threw something at them!"
Xie Chen laughed and said, "I'm an orphan, and you've been the one I've spent the most time with. You're practically family to me, so when you insult my whole family, aren't you insulting yourself too?"
"Pah! Who said I'm half family? Don't try to curry favor with me. Don't think I don't know you're working for the Prince's mansion now, so you want to get on my good side and have me protect you? Let me tell you, after that scare you just now, I'll have to reconsider whether I'll protect you or not!"
After hearing this, Xie Chen did not speak, but smiled and climbed down from the windowsill, tucked the long sword in his hand into his waistband, and then walked towards Su Yan.
Su Yan frowned at his expression and subconsciously took a step back: "I'm warning you, this is the Prince's Mansion, I am the steward of the Prince's Mansion, and you are just a guard of the Prince's Mansion. You can't be disrespectful!"
Xie Chen remained silent. Instead, he walked to the table, picked up the things he had just thrown on it, and handed them to Su Yan before saying, "Here, I just went out to buy these for you. They're your favorite plums. I bought a little of each kind. Want to try some?"
Su Yan was stunned for a moment, then glanced at the package in Xie Chen's hand.
Then Xie Chen opened it, and it was full of all kinds of plums. He picked up a dried plum and put it to Su Yan's lips: "Your favorite is the dried plum, so I bought more dried plums than the other plums."
Su Yan stared at him blankly, not reacting or opening her mouth for a long time.
"What's wrong? Are you that moved?" Xie Chen asked with a smile.
Su Yan blinked, glanced at the plum Xie Chen was offering to his mouth, but didn't eat it. Instead, he said, "Hmph, trying to bribe me? I didn't... um..."
Before Su Yan could finish speaking, Xie Chen reached out and grabbed the back of his neck, biting on a dried plum and offering it to him. When it reached his lips, Xie Chen's tongue gently pushed the plum into his mouth.
Chapter 322 Whose Little Tiger is This?
Su Yan's eyes widened, and his head felt like it had been hit hard, buzzing.
He then pushed Xie Chen away, wanting to spit out the dried plum in his mouth, but because he loved eating dried plums, he couldn't bear to spit them out, so he could only eat while wiping his mouth, and then he didn't forget to curse.
"Xie Chen, are you crazy?! You...you...you're driving me crazy! What are you doing?! What will happen to my reputation if people see this?!"
Su Yan only knew that he was very angry, but he didn't know how red his face was.
Xie Chen stood there watching Su Yan, who was furious and embarrassed, and couldn't help but laugh.