Chapter 86: You Still Haven't Answered Me!

After getting herself ready, Fu Yan took along her own intimate maids and was just about to go out. But before she had even crossed the main courtyard, her father, who was sitting in the front hall drinking tea, called out to stop her.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Father, you're here?" The voice from the hall startled Fu Yan, who had not been prepared at all for Liu Shijie's sharp call.

She had meant only to slip out early and avoid Liu Shijie, who was at home today. For some reason, her father had been growing stricter and stricter with her lately.

Only a few days ago, he had made her stay home to serve her grandfather, Fu Yan, the Grand Chancellor who had been stabbed during his birthday celebration not long before.

"Hm. You get up this early and still don't come to pay your respects to me. And now you want to go out again?"

As Minister of Rites, Liu Shijie had been busy with official duties recently and had no choice but to stay in the government residence, leaving him no time to return and discipline his wilful daughter. Now that he had found a few days to come back, all he saw was her constantly trying to run outside.

"Daughter greets Father." Fu Yan had no choice but to go over first and pay her respects. Her manners were proper and impeccable, and she presented herself as obedient and sensible.

"That still doesn't answer my question!"

Liu Shijie had no intention of letting Fu Yan off so easily. He wanted her to make plain where she was going, though he himself already knew the answer. Now that Li Rui had returned, there was only one place she would want to go.

"Oh, it's nothing more than going out for some fresh air. I promise I'll be back early." Fu Yan laughed it off and tried to leave.

She knew her father disliked her going out too often. He wanted her to stay home studying the zither, strategy games, calligraphy, painting, and embroidery, the arts and skills proper for a woman to learn. But she had never cared much for those things, and her clumsy hands always made a mess of them.

"Stop right there. Since you have time to go out and 'take your ease,' why don't you go visit your grandfather? He is still bedridden and resting. Go keep him company, speak with him, and show some filial devotion by attending to his wishes."

Liu Shijie snapped the command, and Fu Yan hurriedly halted, for outside the gate stood many guards watching over the courtyard entrance. Yet hearing another round of lecturing from her father, she pouted at once, displeased.

"Didn't you tell me to go see him yesterday? Besides, Grandfather is recovering very well, and I'm not good at serving him anyway. I only end up disturbing his rest. The servants attend to him much better than I do, and far more comfortably."

Fu Yan was not afraid of making her father angry. She shot back at him with every intention of defending herself, though what she said was also true.

Although her grandfather, Fu Yan, had been injured in the assassination attempt, the wounds were not especially grave, and he had almost recovered by now. The emperor, out of consideration, had still ordered him to rest at home, and Fu Yan had been staying by his side to care for him these past few days.

"Do you hear how ridiculous that sounds? Hah! Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You want to go to Prince Rui's residence again."

When Liu Shijie heard his daughter speak so carelessly, he did not know what else to say to admonish her.

In truth, he had known all along that Fu Yan wanted to go to Li Rui's estate. But Liu Shijie turned a deaf ear to his daughter's thoughts, because he had grander ambitions and expectations.

"Father, since you already know, just let me go. I haven't seen Brother Rui in so long."

Fu Yan went up and tugged at Liu Shijie's sleeve, speaking coaxingly. She knew her father was fond of her and cared for her, so she decided to try acting spoiled.

"What 'Brother Rui'? You should call him Prince Rui. Let me put it plainly: don't even think I'll let you go. Stay home, be obedient, study, and learn embroidery. How many young ladies are there who keep running off to other people's houses like you do?"

But Liu Shijie had learned to harden his heart. Spoiling her did not work every time.