The room was filled with an atmosphere so sour it was as if a vinegar jar had been overturned.
Qi Cheng's face darkened as he coldly glared at the few people who had spoken, his temper flaring: "It seems to me that you all want someone to discipline you to make progress, but you don’t have anyone."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean exactly what I said. It's common knowledge that Lord Cao dotes on A'Qing. Others can only dream of receiving such affection. If you're jealous, just say it outright. The envy in your words is so strong it could be smelled from miles away."
The expressions of those few people changed. One of them, who hadn’t spoken yet, sensing the tension, quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Alright, alright, we're all friends here. We were just joking around. No need to get so worked up."
"Brother Fu has already left, why keep talking about him? He’s probably going back to study like crazy, not as carefree as us. Come on, let’s drink."
Qi Cheng, however, let out a cold laugh and slammed his cup down: "Drink my ass!"
He was already fuming!
He stood up, kicked the table leg, and stormed out of the room with a dark expression.
The faces of those who had been laughing in the room turned grim.
...
After Fu Laiqing left the tavern, he couldn’t help but sigh softly.
Most of the people he had been drinking with were old friends from his past, but Fu Laiqing could clearly feel that a "barrier" had emerged between them.
Ever since he entered the court, this barrier had suddenly appeared. Even though they still joked and laughed as usual when they met, and he had never looked down on anyone because of his changed status, his old friends had still started treating him differently.
Even when they joked, there was now a hint of caution, and occasionally, their conversations would include subtle probes—probing him, probing his uncle and the Cao family, and even matters within the court. Although most of them were not overt, Fu Laiqing, having been "harshly" tutored by his uncle, could still sense it.
Once or twice, and then every time, Fu Laiqing no longer wanted to associate with them. If it weren’t for Qi Cheng, he wouldn’t have come today.
"A'Qing!"
Just as he thought of Qi Cheng, he heard his voice from behind.
Fu Laiqing turned around and saw Qi Cheng running towards him.
"Why did you come out too?" Fu Laiqing asked, puzzled.
Qi Cheng let out a cold laugh: "If I didn’t come out, I’d probably have been suffocated by their sourness."
Seeing Fu Laiqing looking at him, he pursed his lips and apologized: "I’m sorry. I thought they just wanted to hang out, and since it had been a while since we last drank together, I called you over. I didn’t expect them to be like this. If I had known, I wouldn’t have asked you to come."
Originally, he had wanted to help Fu Laiqing relax, but instead, it only made him more frustrated.
Fu Laiqing, seeing Qi Cheng’s anger, said: "It’s not your fault. My uncle has offended some people in the court, and there are always a few who can’t trouble him directly, so they try to stir up trouble through me."
The relationship between the Cao family and the Fu family was already somewhat delicate. If it were an ordinary family, the Cao family would have long been dissatisfied with the way his uncle doted on him. Fortunately, his cousins and brothers were all very good to him and never minded it. However, outsiders always tried to use this to drive a wedge between him and the Cao family.
Qi Cheng frowned: "Are you saying they did it on purpose?"
"Whether it was on purpose or just pure jealousy and sourness, they definitely didn’t have good intentions."
Hearing this, Qi Cheng’s face darkened even more: "Those bastards, I’ll beat them to death!"
Fu Laiqing stopped Qi Cheng, who was about to turn back, and pulled him back: "What are you going to do? We’re all in the capital, and their fathers are almost all court officials. We’ll see each other sooner or later. There’s no need to make a scene and ruin relationships. Let’s just avoid them in the future."
Qi Cheng, who was close to Fu Laiqing, cursed a few more times.
Fu Laiqing tugged at his arm and walked forward: "Alright, this isn’t the first time this has happened. I’m not even angry, why are you so worked up?"
Qi Cheng glared at him: "I’m just standing up for you!"
Fu Laiqing laughed: "Yes, yes, thank you, Brother Qi. But tonight is Qixi, and seeing blood is inauspicious."
Qi Cheng: "...Since when have you become so patient?"
He had grown up with Fu Laiqing, and Fu Laiqing’s temper was no better than his. If this had happened in the past, even if Fu Laiqing didn’t resort to violence, he would have cursed those bastards from head to toe.
Fu Laiqing thought for a moment: "I guess it’s because I’ve learned from my mistakes?"
"Huh?" Qi Cheng was confused.
Fu Laiqing, however, smiled. After entering the court, he had suffered many setbacks. His uncle had scolded him several times, and he had finally gained some wisdom. Moreover, he could never forget how the little peacock from the Qian family had looked at him after he was schemed against by Song Jinxiu. At the time, she had sarcastically said that he was helping to whitewash Song Jinxiu’s reputation. Although she didn’t outright call him stupid, her eyes might as well have been pointing at his nose and saying it.
Thinking of the Qian family’s young lady’s indescribable expression at the time, he couldn’t help but laugh. As he looked up, his eyes suddenly caught something, and he froze.
Qi Cheng was still wondering what Fu Laiqing meant by "learning from mistakes," but when he turned his head, he saw Fu Laiqing staring intently into the distance. He followed his gaze and after a moment, let out a soft exclamation: "Why are they here?"
Fu Laiqing turned back: "Who?"
"The Qian family’s young lady."
"You know her?" Fu Laiqing narrowed his eyes.
"Of course I know her." Qi Cheng looked at Qian Qiyue with a complicated expression: "Qian Baokun’s daughter, the jewel of the Qian family. She even fought with me when we were kids. Oh, and that Yiyang County Princess, the granddaughter of Grand Tutor Rong."
"Back then, she was like a little bull, suddenly charging at me and knocking me flat on my back. Qian Qiyue was right beside her, taking cheap shots. The two of them nearly scratched my face off over a crab lantern."
Fu Laiqing was stunned: "What did you say?"
Qi Cheng said: "Don’t believe me? Qian Qiyue had trouble with her legs when she was young and looked pitiful, but that Song Tangning was fierce."
Seeing that Fu Laiqing seemed skeptical, he glared: "If I’m lying, I’m a grandson. After that Lantern Festival, I hid at home for three months to heal my face. My father said I lost a fight to a little girl and beat me instead of letting me get revenge. When I went out to look for them later, they were gone."
He heard that Qian Qiyue had been sent back to Lingnan by her family to treat her legs, and Song Tangning had stayed at Grand Tutor Rong’s residence, rarely going out. Before he could get his "revenge," his father was ordered to go south to guard the border, and he went along. By the time they returned, several years had passed, and the childhood incident was naturally forgotten.
Qi Cheng looked at the stunningly beautiful young lady in the distance and said: "My mother recently arranged a marriage proposal for me, and it was with the Qian family’s young lady. I sneaked a peek at her once. She’s changed a bit from when she was a child, but I can still see the girl who scratched me in her features. There’s no mistaking it, though she’s even more beautiful now."
Fu Laiqing was initially shocked that the gentle Tangning he knew had once been involved in a childhood fight, and he wondered why she and Qian Qiyue, who had known each other since childhood, had seemed distant before.
But when he heard the latter part, he suddenly looked up: "You’re planning to marry into the Qian family?"
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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