My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 185 Recollections 2.8 - Undercurrents

"what happened?"

Seeing that he had suddenly stopped, Fu Tingyu asked him with concern.

Upon seeing his expression, a chill ran down her spine. "Do you know who it is?"

Was it the Fifth Prince or the Xuande Emperor?

In the eerie stillness, Chu Ling shifted his gaze and shook his head with a slightly grave expression.

After a moment of silence, he finally said softly, "I've thought about it carefully. This palace has always been a place of trouble. Now that we're in it, we need to be careful with every step we take."

Fu Tingyu nodded in agreement.

"Rather than searching for enemies we can't defeat, it's more important to protect ourselves first, so..."

"So?" Fu Tingyu looked up.

"As long as my brother is alive, that's all that matters."

Fu Tingyu: "..."

I thought you cared about him a lot.

Perhaps because Chu Ling stood up too quickly, he swayed and staggered to the side after speaking.

Fu Tingyu reached out to support him and asked, "Can you stand up?"

Seemingly disliking contact with outsiders, Chu Ling turned slightly, trying to pull his hand away from Fu Tingyu's, but unexpectedly heard a soft gasp in the process.

Chu Ling paused for a moment, looked down, and noticed that Fu Tingyu's wrist had developed a noticeable red mark, with a red and swollen patch on his fair skin.

The young prince is delicate and pampered, having been spoiled by fine clothes and delicacies since childhood. He probably has never done any heavy work.

That's why he was injured like this by his own counter-clamp.

Seeing that the person in front of him was unresponsive again, Fu Tingyu reached out and hesitantly checked his body temperature.

This time, however, Chu Ling did not show the slightest sign of aversion or resistance.

Even when the soft fingertips touched him, the boy obediently lowered his head and very considerately moved closer to Fu Tingyu, who was a head shorter than him.

His face was still abnormally red, his body temperature was low, his lips were pale, and there were still some bloodshot eyes.

"I'll have the imperial physician examine you again."

But Chu Ling shook his head upon hearing this, only looking down at Fu Tingyu's wrist, his voice muffled, "I'm sorry, Your Highness was hurt."

"nothing."

Fu Tingyu smiled, and was about to say something more when he heard the sound of palace servants bowing from outside the hall—

"I have met the imperial concubine."

"Is Mother here?"

Fu Tingyu was surprised and only had time to tell Chu Ling to "get some rest" before he hurriedly went out to greet him.

Chu Ling's eyes darkened, and he followed his back for a few steps before looking up again.

From a distance of several meters, I could see clearly the figure following behind the palace servants. It was indeed Consort Chen, whom I had met once before.

She looked very anxious at that moment.

Perhaps because she had arrived in a hurry, a few strands of hair still fell on her cheeks, and even the hair ornaments on her hair were tangled together.

As soon as Fu Tingyu stepped out of the palace, Consort Chen quickly bypassed the palace servants who were leading the way, rushed to him, and grasped Fu Tingyu's hand with a worried expression.

"Yu'er, I heard you fell into the water? Let your mother see if you're hurt anywhere."

Consort Chen nervously looked Fu Tingyu up and down, and after a few glances, she immediately noticed the particularly conspicuous red mark across his wrist.

"What happened? Didn't the imperial physician say it was nothing serious? What happened to this injury?"

She tenderly stroked Fu Tingyu's wrist, her eyes filled with tears, looking as if she wished she could take his pain away from him.

Seeing this, Fu Tingyu could only gently comfort her, "Mother, there's no need to worry. I just accidentally bumped into this spot, and it's nothing serious."

But Consort Chen wouldn't let it go and insisted on checking him over and over again.

Only after confirming that her son was completely unharmed, with no injuries except for his wrist, did she finally breathe a long sigh of relief.

She patted Fu Tingyu's hand, her expression slowly becoming more complicated. "Yu'er, I heard that you fell into the water while saving someone?"

Fu Tingyu nodded.

Seeing that Consort Chen remained silent for a long time with her lips pursed, I tentatively asked, "Does Mother think that this matter is inappropriate?"

Consort Chen sighed, considered her words carefully, and then said meaningfully, "Saving people is a good thing, but..."

Do you know who you saved today?

Upon hearing this, Fu Tingyu subconsciously looked into the hall behind him.

Fortunately, Chu Ling did not follow them out.

Only then did she feel relieved. She took Consort Chen's hand and whispered, "Mother, there are too many people here. Let's find another place to talk."

Consort Chen followed Fu Tingyu's gaze and looked behind him. Without saying anything, she took his hand and turned to walk towards the side hall.

The palace doors were closed, isolating the people outside.

After confirming that no one was around, Consort Chen spoke again: "Yu'er, do you know that the person you saved is General Chu's son?"

“Your father thinks the Chu family’s achievements are too great and he is wary of them. You should not get involved.”

Seeing Consort Chen's worried face, Fu Tingyu was silent for a moment. "Mother, I know he has a special status. But in that situation, if I didn't go, no one else would."

Consort Chen frowned, wanting to say something more, but seeing his firm expression and no intention of changing his mind, she finally sighed softly.

She understands her child; he will do what he wants to do and will never be swayed by others' opinions.

She changed the subject, "Never mind, perhaps it's a good thing that you saved him."

Fu Tingyu looked over in confusion.

"I just received news that His Majesty was furious upon learning of this matter. He ordered the Fifth Prince's guards to be beaten to death and the Fifth Prince to be confined to his quarters for a month."

Fu Tingyu was surprised, not expecting that the matter would reach the ears of Emperor Xuande so quickly.

"Although His Majesty allows others to bully the two children of the Chu family, he probably still wants to rely on them to keep General Chu in check, so he doesn't want anything to happen to them for the time being."

Thinking of the increasingly fierce undercurrent between Emperor Xuande and the Chu family in recent days, Consort Chen would involuntarily feel a strong sense of unease.

Storm is coming.

Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, an unpredictable storm may strike.

And her children, too, could not escape the impact of this storm.

Consort Chen suddenly felt a little tired.

She looked at Fu Tingyu for a few deep glances, then stroked his face a few times before slowly saying, "Yu'er, since you have saved that child, you have formed a good relationship with the Chu family."

She closed her eyes briefly. "Perhaps, in the future, this good deed will bring you a chance at life..."

Fu Tingyu keenly sensed something amiss in Consort Chen's words. "Mother, what are you worried about?"

Consort Chen smiled, seemingly unwilling to discuss the topic further with him, and instead looked outside.

"Speaking of which, you're old enough to go to school. I'll talk to your father and ask him to make that child your study companion."