"Who are you to meddle in my business?" The man was a little intimidated by Feng Muting's powerful aura, but he was used to being arrogant, so he wasn't afraid.
"Feng Muting".
Just those three simple words left the other person speechless.
A servant standing nearby said, "Master, this...this is Prince Ting..."
"Of course I knew this was Prince Ting! Why didn't you say so earlier? Why are you being so hindsight!" The man realized he had kicked a hornet's nest and trembled. "Oh, so it's Prince Ting! I was blind and didn't recognize you. Please forgive me, Prince Ting."
Chapter 15 Scalp Tickling
"Forgive me? You dare to touch my people, and you expect me to forgive you? Forgive you for what? Do you want me to skin you alive and hang you out to dry?!" Feng Muting roared.
The man was so frightened that his legs went weak and he knelt on the ground: "Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me! I didn't know he was one of Your Highness's men. If I had known, I would never have bullied him!"
Upon hearing this, Su Fuliu immediately retorted, "Nonsense! I've already told you I'm from the Prince Ting's mansion, and you still claim you didn't know? You're lying to my face! Your Highness, such a person cannot be let off lightly!"
Su Fuliu was also the type to bully others by relying on his power. Seeing that someone had come to his aid, he immediately vented all the anger he had felt from being bullied earlier.
"So what do you want to do with him?" Feng Muting asked.
Su Fuliu pouted and thought about it seriously: "Let his guards give him a good beating!"
"That's it?" Feng Muting raised an eyebrow.
Su Fuliu nodded: "Yes, isn't that enough? Are we really going to skin him alive and hang him out to dry, as the prince said?"
The thought sent chills down his spine.
"I think this is good," Feng Muting said casually, as if peeling a person's skin were as easy as peeling an egg.
The man knelt there, listening to the two of them discussing how to punish him. When he heard the part about skinning him, he was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat and began to kowtow repeatedly, begging for mercy: "Your Highness, spare me! Spare me!"
"Just beat him up, beat him so badly he can't take care of himself," Su Fuliu replied.
"Alright, I'll listen to you." Feng Muting nodded slightly, then glanced at the guard beside the man. "Do I need to repeat myself?"
The guards trembled with fear at Feng Muting's terrifying gaze. Before they could say anything, their master said, "What are you all standing there for? The prince has ordered you to act, so act now!"
It's better to be beaten into inability to take care of oneself than to be skinned and dried.
Seeing that their master had spoken, the guards naturally began to fight.
Su Fuliu stood there watching the man get beaten black and blue, feeling incredibly relieved. How dare he flirt with him? He was practically asking for death!
"You'd better watch out next time, I'm not someone to be trifled with!" He couldn't resist showing off a little, taking advantage of Feng Muting's presence.
Feng Muting couldn't help but chuckle at his arrogant little face.
He then said to those people, "If we don't beat him to the point of being unable to take care of himself, then I will have you all beaten to the point of being unable to take care of yourself. Do you understand?"
"Yes, yes," the men quickly replied, and then beat their master even more vigorously.
Feng Muting nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Su Fuliu: "What are you still standing there for? Let's go."
"Yes." Su Fuliu paused for a moment, then quickly bought the fish and followed Feng Muting.
"Shouldn't His Highness be sleeping?" Su Fuliu couldn't help but ask on the way.
“Yes, I was asleep, then I woke up and heard that you had secretly left the manor. I was afraid you were doing something bad, so I followed you to check on you. Luckily, I followed you, otherwise, you would have been dragged home and eaten.” Feng Muting replied.
Su Fuliu choked, speechless.
Feng Muting glanced at the fish in his basket again: "Isn't the cook at the Prince's mansion good enough? Why did you have to come out and buy fish?"
Su Fuliu paused for a moment, then shook her head: "No, I came out specifically to buy fish so I could make fish soup for Your Highness. I'm a first-rate fish soup maker!"
"Really?" Feng Muting was somewhat skeptical.
Seeing his doubtful expression, Su Fuliu said with some dissatisfaction, "When we get back, I'll stew the fish soup and send it to Your Highness. Your Highness can taste it and then give your opinion!"
How dare they question his cooking skills? That's one of his best skills!
Chapter 16 Silly Smile
"I'll be watching closely." Feng Muting's lips curled slightly.
Su Fuliu snorted lightly. It seemed that he couldn't prove himself unless he showed off his skills.
After returning to the Prince Ting's residence, Su Fuliu went into the kitchen and started working.
Feng Muting went to the study. Although he hadn't slept enough, once he woke up, he didn't want to go back to sleep.
So I had no choice but to go to the study to continue handling official business.
An hour passed in the blink of an eye. Feng Muting heard footsteps outside and smelled the rich aroma of fish, so he knew that Su Fuliu had arrived.
Then, Su Fuliu came in carrying the cooked fish soup. He placed the soup on the table and then beckoned Feng Muting to come and drink it: "Your Highness, come and drink the fish soup. You'll definitely love it!"
Feng Muting smiled and walked over. He glanced at the fish soup on the table and said, "It looks pretty good and smells delicious, but I wonder how it tastes."
"I simmered this fish soup for an hour. The broth is milky white, incredibly fresh and nutritious. I even added tofu to cook it together. The aroma of the tofu and the fish have blended perfectly. Your Highness, just one bite and you'll know how delicious it is."
It wasn't that Su Fuliu was boasting, but rather that he was very confident in his culinary skills and felt that even this simple fish soup would surely win over Feng Muting's appetite.
As he spoke, he picked up a small bowl, ladled out a bowl of fish soup, and handed it to Feng Muting. “Your Highness, please try it. It tastes absolutely delicious and is very nourishing.”
Feng Muting took the bowl of fish soup, took a sip, and savored it before saying, "It's really good. It seems I made the right decision to make you my personal attendant. If I ever want to change my tastes, you'll have to come and cook a few of your signature dishes for me to try."
"No problem, Your Highness, just tell me to make it whenever you want," Su Fuliu replied with a smile.
Seeing how much Feng Muting liked the fish soup he made, he was genuinely happy. He had only made it to thank Feng Muting, and as long as Feng Muting liked it, he was happy.
With Feng Muting's praise, he was not only happy but also a little smug.
Moreover, this is the first time they've gotten along so well. When Feng Muting isn't angry, he's actually quite nice.
Feng Muting glanced at Su Fuliu, who was standing to the side grinning foolishly: "What are you grinning about?"
Without thinking, Su Fuliu blurted out, "When the prince isn't irritable, he's quite nice."
After saying that, he suddenly covered his mouth. He could have kept those words to himself, but why did he have to say them out loud?
Then, he waved his hand in a panic: "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I didn't mean anything by it. I didn't mean that Your Highness is irritable. Your Highness is not irritable at all. It's just that your temper is a little bit bad... that's all."
Su Fuliu felt that the more he explained, the worse it got.
He glanced timidly at Feng Muting, afraid that Feng Muting would hurl insults at him.
But Feng Muting said, "In the future... I will try to restrain myself."
Su Fuliu was stunned, thinking she had misheard.
Feng Muting looked at his dumbfounded expression and couldn't help but laugh and cry: "I've finished my drink, have another bowl."
Su Fuliu blinked, snapped out of her daze, quickly nodded, took the empty bowl from Feng Muting's hand, and filled another bowl for him.
It seems that Su Fuliu's fish soup was indeed delicious. Feng Muting finished the whole big bowl by himself, leaving not only the fish meat and tofu, but also a fish skeleton.
Feng Muting was very satisfied.
Su Fuliu was also very satisfied.
In the evening, when Su Fuliu returned to her room to rest, she felt a little thirsty, so she went to pour herself a glass of water.
Upon seeing the clear water in the glass, he suddenly became somewhat irritated.
Because he remembered his purpose in coming to the Prince Ting's mansion: to seduce Feng Muting, but he really couldn't do it.
Those people's purpose was clearly to use him to seduce Feng Muting so that they could then take action against him.
He had agreed to this arrangement because he was greedy for money.
But after spending so much time with Feng Muting, he found that apart from his bad temper, Feng Muting wasn't so bad after all.
Feng Muting is a serious and efficient official, a good prince who can serve the country and its people. If he were to aid and abet evil and help those people kill Feng Muting, wouldn't he be punished by heaven?
Thinking of this, Su Fuliu made a decision...
Chapter 17 Attending the Feast at Hongmen
Su Fuliu decided to "abandon darkness and embrace light," and he planned to "turn himself in" to Feng Muting.
So the next morning, he got up early and went to find Feng Muting.
But when they arrived at Feng Muting's room, they didn't see Feng Muting. They went to the study, but they didn't see him there either.
He inquired and learned that Feng Muting had gone out.
He went back to his room, sat there blankly, sighed, and murmured, "I wonder when the prince will return."
"Your prince is not coming back."
Suddenly a voice came, and Su Fuliu stood up in fright to look.
Isn't she one of the two people who sent Su Fuliu to seduce Feng Muting?
"What did you say? What do you mean the prince won't be coming back?" Su Fuliu rushed over and grabbed the man's arm, asking.
The man shoved Su Fuliu aside with one hand, and the frail Su Fuliu was immediately pushed to the ground.
"What, you're worried about Feng Muting? That's ridiculous. You took our gold but didn't do anything for us. We already warned you last time that if you didn't produce results, you'd be beheaded!"
Su Fuliu, who should have been afraid, had no time to think about these things; he only wanted to know what was wrong with Feng Muting.
He asked anxiously and worriedly, "Tell me quickly, what happened to the prince? What did you do to him?"
“Feng Muting has gone to a treacherous banquet and is unlikely to return. Therefore, there is no need for you to stay. Our master has sent me to take your life.”
After saying that, the man didn't give Su Fuliu a chance to ask any more questions. He struck Su Fuliu with a palm, sending her flying several meters away. She coughed up a mouthful of blood and closed her eyes.
The man was taken aback, then smiled and said, "You really are weak and pathetic. One palm strike and you're dead."
Then, the man went over and checked Su Fuliu's breathing. Only after confirming that Su Fuliu was no longer breathing did he leave.
As soon as the man left, Su Fuliu opened his eyes and couldn't help coughing up some blood again. He struggled to get up from the ground and then staggered all the way to find Su Yan.
Su Yan was quite frightened when he saw that Su Fuliu still had blood on the corner of her mouth: "What happened to you?"
Su Fuliu gasped for breath and said, "Don't... don't worry about me, where did the prince go?"
"Your Highness, he received an invitation from the Duke of Huguo's mansion and went to the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion for a banquet."