kingnovel Chapter 663 Xiliang's treatment remains the same
Chapter 663 Xiliang's treatment remains the same
Zhang Lu frowned, stroking his beard, and said thoughtfully, "I'm afraid this isn't just a matter of getting along. I'm afraid Xiliang has other plans. Bao'er, you must be very careful now that you've returned. Don't make any mistakes in your future actions, or they won't make a fuss about this again."
Zhang Fubao blinked his bright eyes and said with ease, "Oh, Daddy, you really think too much. Uncle Ma and Aunt Ma in Xiliang are really kind people. When I came back from there this time, they even prepared a gift for you."
Zhang Fubao counted on his fingers, "And then there's Sister Dong Bai, who always teaches me so many interesting things; Sister Wen Ji, who is incredibly talented and plays the zither beautifully; and Sister Yun Lu, with whom we always have endless things to talk about. We get along so well, you really don't have to worry."
Zhang Lu listened, a wry smile spreading across his face. He shook his head slightly, his eyes filled with worry and helplessness. He slowly said, "They're all nice people? Silly girl, you're too naive. If they were truly nice, why would they have sent you all the way to Xiliang? They fought with us before, and even invaded our borders for no reason. Have you forgotten all that?"
Zhang Fubao pouted slightly after hearing this and argued unconvincedly, "Dad, aren't they just trying to transport the food and fodder smoothly? There must be some misunderstanding that forced them to do this."
Zhang Lu looked up at his innocent daughter, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Fu Bao was kindhearted and had yet to grasp the treacherous nature of human nature. He doted on her, sighed helplessly, and said, "Alright, alright, my dear Fu Bao, you're back safely. I can finally put my worries to rest. As for our relationship with Xiliang, we'll have to wait and see how they fare in the court. If Xiliang remains stable and at peace with the court, then we can maintain our current relationship. However, if Xiliang is severely oppressed by the court, we can't get too close to them. After all, we're caught between so many powerful enemies, and survival is not easy."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Fubao waved his hands hastily, his face filled with anxiety. He said, "Dad, you absolutely cannot think that way! We must act according to the agreement we made before I returned. Otherwise, how can I hold my head up high among my friends in Xiliang? This would be breaking my promise. They let me back because they like and trust me. If we break our promise, we might cause trouble again."
Zhang Lu felt a sudden headache after hearing his daughter's words. He rubbed his temples and said helplessly, "Alas, I had hoped that we could peacefully spread the teachings and expand the sect, but we happened to be born in such a chaotic world, and everyone has insatiable desires in their hearts. Forget it, let's just keep everything as it is."
Zhang Fubao smiled brightly upon hearing this. He jumped to Zhang Lu's side like a happy little deer, put his arm around his, and rocked it gently, saying coquettishly, "Daddy is the best! To be honest, if I weren't so worried about you, I'd be quite happy staying in Xiliang."
Zhang Lu looked at his daughter, who he had reunited with after a long absence, his eyes full of love. He said softly, "Bao'er, you haven't been home for a long time. Go see your mother quickly. Your brothers and sisters miss you very much."
Zhang Fubao didn't respond to his father's words immediately. Instead, he hesitated, his voice somewhat cautious: "Dad, Dad, that brother from the Zhen family... when you let him go, you didn't make things difficult for him, did you?"
As soon as these words left his mouth, Zhang Lu instantly became furious. His brows furrowed, and his tone unconsciously became heavier: "Fu Bao, you've been away from Xiliang for so long, and when you came back, instead of asking about your mother's health, you only care about asking about that person. Don't forget that you still have the responsibility of the family!"
Zhang Fubao was frightened by his father's sudden rebuke. His mouth pursed, his eyes quickly turned red, and tears welled up in his eyes. He looked extremely aggrieved and about to cry.
Zhang Lu's heart tightened upon seeing this, regretting that he had been too harsh just now. He quickly and patiently said, "Oh, Fu Bao, that's not what Dad meant. Don't cry. It won't look good if your eyes turn red."
Zhang Fubao sobbed and said, "Daddy, I haven't been back for so long, and as soon as I came back you were so mean to me."
Zhang Lu sighed helplessly, his tone gentle yet a little worried: "Hey, my dear daughter, Daddy is just afraid that you'll be cheated. Besides, things are not what you think. He..." Zhang Lu hesitated here, and stopped talking.
Zhang Fubao was full of doubts and asked, "Tell me, Dad, what's going on?"
Zhang Lu gritted his teeth and decided to tell his daughter the truth: "Let me tell you the truth, my girl. Zhen Mi is not a man, she is a woman. She is the youngest daughter of the Wuji Zhen family in Zhongshan, and she has long been engaged to Yuan Xi, the second son of Yuan Shao and Yuan Benchu. Even if you have other feelings for her, it will not work out."
When Zhang Fubao heard the news, he was struck by lightning. He stood there in a daze, his face full of shock and disbelief, as if the whole world had been turned upside down at this moment.
Upon hearing these words, Zhang Fubao felt a rumbling in her ears, and everything around her instantly blurred and distorted. Her eyes, once filled with anticipation and shyness, suddenly widened. Bewilderment filled them, and then they were filled with deep shock, as if she had been struck by a thunderbolt.
"This... how is it possible?" Zhang Fubao muttered to herself, her lips trembling slightly, her voice trembling with an uncontrollable tremor, as if she were asking her father, and perhaps herself, for confirmation. Her mind uncontrollably flashed back to every moment she had spent with Zhen Mi. Their eyes met, and a strange feeling welled up within her. She had once thought it was a kind of sympathy unique to young people, a slow rapport between two hearts.
At this moment, all her memories, faced with this shocking secret, became absurd and chaotic. Zhang Fubao's cheeks flushed, and she couldn't tell whether it was from embarrassment or regret. She suddenly realized that her hidden, beautiful thoughts had been based on such a huge misunderstanding. Her hands unconsciously clenched the corners of her clothes, her fingertips turning white from the pressure. She felt a mixture of emotions: anger at being deceived, embarrassment at her own absurd misunderstanding, and even more, a sense of loss at having her dreams shattered in an instant.
Zhang Fubao's legs felt as if the strength had been drained from them, and she swayed slightly. If it weren't for the support of the table beside her, she would have almost fallen. She looked at her father and opened and closed her lips several times, but her throat was too dry to make a sound. Her heart was filled with turmoil, and she didn't know how to face this sudden truth.
Zhang Lu felt so distressed when he saw his little daughter's distraught look, but he didn't know how to comfort her when the words came to his lips. After racking his brains for a long time, he could only change the subject helplessly: "Fubao, didn't you always want to study medicine with Hua Tuo? He still stays in Hanzhong. In view of the master-disciple relationship between you and him, your father will not make things difficult for him. After you have met your mother and the others, if you feel bored, your father will no longer restrict you, and you can go to Hua Tuo to continue studying medicine. Okay, baby, don't be sad." As he spoke, he gently patted Zhang Fubao's shoulder, his eyes full of concern and expectation, trying to use these words to dispel the haze in her heart.
Zhang Fubao took a deep breath, trying to gather the tangled thoughts within her, raising her hand to gently wipe away the tears that had quietly escaped from her eyes. She was a teenager, delicate and sensitive, but those feelings were only a hazy glimpse hidden deep within her heart, a simple admiration. She couldn't really articulate what love was, what true affection was, but every time she thought of Zhen Mi, she felt like a little rabbit in her heart, inexplicably happy.
Forcefully forcing a smile, Zhang Fubao spoke, his voice still slightly choked with sobs: "Dad, don't worry. Since Zhen Mi is a woman, this misunderstanding can be put to rest. Father, you really didn't make things difficult for her, did you?"
Zhang Lu waved his hand, a trace of helplessness flashing across his face. "No, no, she has a powerful lord like Yuan Benchu behind her. I can't afford to offend Ma Teng, so how could I dare to offend Yuan Benchu?"
Zhang Fubao looked at his father, whose brows furrowed unconsciously with worry at the mention of the two great princes. He felt a warm feeling in his heart. He took a few steps forward, gently patted his father's back, and said in a warm voice, "Alright, alright, Dad, I'm not upset anymore, why are you still worried? No matter how the princes quarrel, we can just focus on spreading our sect. But Dad, since Zhen Mi is a woman, if she comes to trade again in the future, you must not make things difficult for her. We must give her some convenience."
Zhang Lu looked at his innocent and naive daughter, realizing that her feelings for Zhen Mi were likely just a simple fondness, far from a deep and lasting one. He breathed a sigh of relief. With a grand gesture, he said, "Don't worry, my dear daughter. When she returns to trade, I'll make it easy for her. Your friendship with the future daughter-in-law of the Yuan family will also benefit Hanzhong. Now, go see your mother; she's been missing you for a while."
Zhang Fubao, heart filled with longing, walked briskly toward her mother's home. As she entered, a familiar, warm atmosphere washed over her. The moment her mother saw her, tears welled up in her eyes, and she opened her arms tightly, embracing her. Zhang Fubao hugged her back, feeling the long-lost warmth and reassurance. The two of them lovingly recounted their experiences since their separation, filling the room with warmth and nostalgia.
After leaving her mother's place, Zhang Fubao couldn't wait to go find her sister Zhang Qiying. In the courtyard corridor, she saw her sister's familiar figure and hurriedly ran over.
"Sister!" Zhang Fubao shouted.
Zhang Qiying turned around upon hearing the voice, a gentle smile blooming on her face, "Bao'er, you're finally back. Sister missed you so much."
Zhang Fubao took his sister's hand, hesitated for a moment, and couldn't help asking, "Sister, do you also know that Zhen Mi is a woman?"
Zhang Qiying's face flushed when she heard this. She recalled how her father had intended to marry her to Zhen Mi, who had been mistaken for Ma Chao, and how this had caused such a huge misunderstanding. She couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
"Girl, why do you suddenly ask this?" Zhang Qiying scolded, and then couldn't help teasing her sister, "Why, are you still obsessed with Zhen Mi? At the beginning, father thought it was Ma Chao, and wanted to promote a good marriage. Who would have thought it was a woman? This is really..." Zhang Qiying couldn't help laughing as she spoke.
Zhang Fubao's cheeks flushed slightly, and he stamped his feet lightly, "Sister, you're still laughing at me. I just felt it was too unexpected. I had been making mistakes before."
Zhang Qiying reached out and scratched Zhang Fubao's nose. "Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. This is all in the past. In the future, you will definitely meet someone who is truly right for you."
Zhang Fubao nodded slightly and sat side by side with his sister on the railing of the corridor. The two talked about many interesting things in their childhood. Their laughter echoed in the courtyard, as if all their previous troubles were thrown away.