Chapter 361: Ingratiation
Lin Mu straightened his posture, put on a polite smile, and walked into the front hall of Mu Tangju.
Hearing his footsteps, Xiao Fuzi immediately put down the teacup in his hand, stood up, smiled and took two steps to greet him.
"Master Xiaolin is well."
As they both held the rank of fourth grade, Lin Mu nodded in greeting.
"Hello, Mr. Fu."
Knowing that others could not hear what was going to be said next, Lin Mu ordered the tea-serving maid to leave and then got down to business.
"Thank you, eunuch, for coming to my house to urge me. You blame me for being lazy and getting up too late this morning. Now that I have finished washing up, I will hurry up to the west tower alone."
Xiao Fuzi gestured for him to sit down with her, smiling in a flattering manner.
"How can you be lazy? It is wise for Lord Kobayashi to get up late."
Hearing a pause, Lin Mu asked.
"Where do you start talking about this?"
Little Fuzi smeared molasses on his lips and never forgot to flatter.
"It's like this. Last night, halfway through the process, the eldest son suddenly regretted his decision and personally escorted Lord Gao back home, without being rude at all. Upon hearing this, the emperor was deeply moved and praised the eldest son for his integrity. We all admired him from the bottom of our hearts!"
When mentioning the emperor, he bowed in the direction of the palace, then turned his head to look at Lin Mu, smiling at the clear sky with a pleasant and friendly look.
"If Master Kobayashi had gotten up on time and set off, it would have been a waste of time. So what I said was wise."
Lin Mu's flattery sounded like he was speaking from the bottom of his heart.
"Master Zhuang is worthy of the high praise for being a decent man. Therefore, I have to admire my master for his wisdom in identifying talent. He recognized Master Zhuang at an early age and found him to be a virtuous man. He specially kept him by his side to teach him."
Xiao Fuzi clearly conveyed the emperor's intention to restore his reputation.
"The Emperor said clearly that he agreed to this matter in order to test the eldest son. Now he has seen with his own eyes that the eldest son has a noble character and has not wasted the Emperor's teachings. He has worked hard for several years and the Emperor is deeply pleased."
Lin Mu saw through it but didn't point it out. He just used flattering words and was very polite.
"Your Majesty is so upright and righteous, which shows the virtue of a wise ruler. Even if there is no test, it is reasonable. With the virtue of Lord Zhuang, any unrelated person would be moved and cherish him. Even if Your Majesty has such a heart, it is human nature."
Xiao Fuzi's eyes sparkled with admiration and his smile was full of praise.
"Master Xiaolin is eloquent and eloquent. I am willing to admit defeat."
Lin Mu smiled ashamedly.
"Eunuch Fu's words are too serious to be accepted."
Xiao Fuzi's face became a little serious and he got back to business.
"My eldest son has heard the emperor's words and is willing to lower himself to ask for love. If there is any result, I hope Master Xiaolin will help you."
Lin Mu understood what he meant and agreed falsely.
"We should cancel the engagement and fulfill Mr. Zhuang's kindness."
Xiao Fuzi praised it generously.
"Lord Xiaolin understands justice well."
Lin Mu offered a cup of tea to express his joy.
"Mr. Fu, you are too kind."
Xiao Fuzi raised his teacup to show that he wanted to drink together.
Lin Mu smiled warmly and took a sip of tea at the same time as him.
After drinking, Xiao Fuzi immediately stood up and said goodbye.
"I still have some business to attend to in the palace, so I can't stay any longer. Next time if there is a chance, I will have a long talk with Master Xiaolin."
Lin Mu stood up as well and showed great respect.
"I will see you off respectfully. Please, eunuch."
Xiao Fuzi waved his hands repeatedly without being rude at all.
"Master Xiaolin, you are too polite. Please stay."
A burst of bird calls broke the tranquility of the secluded residence in the manor.
The branches and leaves were drooping, the grass was flourishing, the dawn light passed through the thin clouds and sprinkled on the courtyard of Youqingju. Yong Chang walked hurriedly past and came to Zhuang Wei's bedroom.
After Zhuang Wei finished washing up, he randomly chose a crimson purple brocade robe and was helped by servants to dress him up.
At this time, Yong Chang knocked on the door and walked in, reporting respectfully.
"According to the young master's instructions, this servant has already respectfully welcomed Master Feng to take a seat in the front hall."
Zhuang Wei was still unhappy, without a trace of smile on his face.
"Well, I'll be there right away."
After saying this, he walked out of the bedroom and came to the front hall.
They had a tacit understanding. He was not in the mood to say hello, and she did not leave her seat. Just like that, they got straight to the point.
Feng Yihe smiled gently, with a hint of contempt clearly in her eyes.
"Master Zhuang, you can resist eating the meat right before your mouth. I really underestimated you."
Having said this, she looked away and her smile suddenly disappeared.
"Why did you secretly change inns last night, and why did you set up a battle array? It wasn't me that Lord Zhuang was guarding against, was it?"
Zhuang Wei responded with an arrogant and sharp look, indifferent.
"Is it not okay if I don't want others to pry into my private matters?"
Feng Yihe fiddled with the round fan in her hand, looking somewhat nonchalant.
"Why do I think this is a delaying tactic?"
Zhuang Wei raised his eyes slightly and glanced at him with disdain.
"You guessed it correctly, just to not give you the opportunity to think of strategies and plot against King Di Jin."
Feng Yihe waved a round fan, looking calm and gentle.
"is it?"
"Although this is the plan, Master Zhuang doesn't seem to be truly protecting his master."
She was contemptuous without restraint.
"You didn't think you were smart, but ended up being tricked by someone, did you?"
When her thoughts were revealed, Zhuang Wei looked gloomy and ruthless.
“So what if it is, so what if it’s not?”
Feng Yihe covered her lips with her round fan, with a hint of contempt, which could be seen through the thin gauze fan, half of which was not covered.
"The descendant of the Fang clan is worthy of his reputation."
Zhuang Wei suddenly became furious.
"You come here just to mock?"
Feng Yihe denied it in a sarcastic tone.
"Master Zhuang, you misunderstood. I guess this plan came from Master Ning, the governor of the state, so I want to ask, Master Zhuang, do you know where his heart lies?"
Zhuang Wei responded angrily.
"How can I know how scheming this person is?!"
Feng Yihe put down her fan, took a sip of tea, and looked relaxed.
"Lord Zhuang has a bad temper. He should learn from your father. He was repeatedly attacked by Lord Ning, but even when he almost lost his life, he remained calm and never cared about the details."
Zhuang Wei frowned and lost all his patience.
"Have you tested enough? Will you ever stop?"
Having said that, Feng Yihe stopped teasing and asked seriously.
"What are you going to do next?"
Zhuang Wei was not willing to be outdone and mocked him directly.
"You are so foolish that you are still willing to get involved even though you know that it will delay you."
Feng Yihe glared at him, but controlled her temper, not getting angry, and pretended to be humble.
"Apart from the plan, there is still hope that they can cancel the engagement, right? As long as there is a little hope, I will not give up easily."
Seeing her anger, Zhuang Wei curled his lips, knowing that she cared very much about Gu Mengzhen's opinion, so he directly rubbed salt into her wounds.
"You are obsessed with love and ignore the overall situation. No wonder the emperor doesn't value you!"
Feng Yihe picked up the round fan with her delicate hands again and immediately clenched the handle of the fan. The longing for fatherly love buried deep in her heart turned into Wanrong's, trembling.
"You and I are allies, what's the point of mocking each other?"
There was a hint of satisfaction in Zhuang Wei's eyes, and he looked proud and fearless.
"I always do what I want, and it's not your turn to teach me a lesson."
He waved his sleeves as if to dismiss a servant.
"Just test the matter, you can go now."
Feng Yihe suppressed her anger and asked coldly.
"You haven't told me yet, what are you going to do next?"
Zhuang Wei's eyes were sharp and he looked superior, but his tone was still commanding.
"Appease her family and force them to cancel the engagement. I will use strategies against the Gao family, the Feng family, and the Qiu family one by one until the matter is resolved. You will act according to the situation and cooperate with me in the strategy."
Thinking that all this was done for Brother Mu, Feng Yihe swallowed her anger.
"okay."