On the Day I Ascended the Throne, I Found Out That I Was the Villain

"In the next period of time, things became chaotic.

When Shen Zhuojun saw Huo Pingsheng return, she cried even louder, not knowing how to cry in a more exaggerated manner. Her tone changed and twisted, causing Fu Ping'an, who was originally comforting her, to look at her suspiciously, stopping talking and observing from the side.

Huo Pingsheng squatted on the ground, looking at Shen Zhuojun sitting on the stone stool with helplessness, and said, 'As long as you stop crying, I will buy you anything, okay?'

'Do you think I'm short of money?' Shen Zhuojun retorted.

Huo Pingsheng looked embarrassed and whispered something. Shen Zhuojun, with tears still in her eyes, smiled and said, 'Alright, let's settle it this way.'

Fu Ping'an looked puzzled, glanced around, and seeing Zhang Qixing looking disapproving, he leaned over to Zhang Qixing and asked, 'How did she manage to appease her?'

Zhang Qixing whispered, 'It must be because of... riding on someone's back.'

Fu Ping'an asked in confusion, 'What is that?'

As they spoke, Shen Zhuojun's voice rose again, 'Why can't it be now? It has to be now, now, now! Sob, sob, sob, it has to be now...'

Huo Pingsheng said, 'Alright, alright, stop crying.'

Saying that, she picked up Shen Zhuojun and carried her on her neck, saying, 'Is this high enough?'

Fu Ping'an was stunned and blurted out, 'How can this be?'

Zhang Qixing said, 'It's something she did herself. During the Lantern Festival, the little girl couldn't see, so Huo Yatou carried her on her back to let her have a look. Since then, she hasn't stopped.'

Fu Ping'an muttered, '...It's not about that.' He was surprised that Shen Zhuojun, who had just left the palace, had already discarded her manners and shocked everyone.

[72583: It's normal. After all, she's only eleven years old, still a child. Suddenly having freedom, of course, she would play around recklessly.]

[What should I call myself: Just eleven years old, think about Ping'an at eleven...]

[Xiu: Well, after all, Ping'an is the emperor.]

[Chang'an Flower: Ah? Ping'an wants to ride on someone's back too? I don't think Chen Yan will refuse.]

Fu Ping'an blushed and said, 'I don't want to.'

Zhang Qixing and Ahua beside him immediately looked at him with puzzled eyes.

Fu Ping'an coughed dryly and said, 'It's better if you stop crying. It gives me a headache.'

Luckily, her habit of talking to herself has become a consensus among the court and the common people. So Zhang Qixing and Luo Qionghua didn't pursue it further. Luo Qionghua just realized that it was getting late and thought about parting ways with Fu Ping'an soon. She felt a sudden sense of reluctance and wished they could set a time to meet again.

She and Yun Pingjun could arrange a time for their next meeting. That way, even if they were separated, it wouldn't feel too disappointing because they were already looking forward to the next meeting.

But if it were Ping'an, it would be difficult to arrange another meeting.

With this in mind, Fu Ping'an stood up and looked at the sky, saying, 'I should go.'

Luo Qionghua was worried in her heart and blurted out, "Are you going to the poetry gathering organized by Xia Zhiying Mountain's students?"

Zhang Qixing cast a helpless look at Luo Qionghua.

She thought to herself, "Could it be that this little girl really considers Fu Ping'an as an ordinary playmate?"

Fu Ping'an was indeed intrigued and asked, "Oh? There's a poetry gathering at Ying Mountain. Who is organizing it?"

This dynasty valued the Xia Zhi festival, probably because it marked the end of spring plowing, and they would often hold ceremonies to pray for a bountiful autumn harvest. Therefore, the day of Xia Zhi was a day off from court, which meant that the Emperor and the officials did not have to attend court that day.

Luo Qionghua said, "It seems to be led by some younger members of prestigious families, and most of the attendees are young people."

Fu Ping'an showed a pensive expression. Zhang Qixing, who had been focusing on farming on the side, suddenly spoke up, "There will be too many people and too much noise. It's better not to go."

She was giving Luo Qionghua a way out to prevent the young girl from feeling rejected and upset.

Luo Qionghua looked disappointed and said, "But it must be very interesting."

At that moment, Huo Zhengmao had just finished changing his clothes and returned. He originally came back with Huo Pingsheng, but when he entered the courtyard and saw Fu Ping'an, he became too nervous to say anything. It was Fu Ping'an who raised her hand to signal him not to make a fuss.

But he still felt self-conscious with his sweaty body, so he went to freshen up and change his clothes first. When he heard Luo Qionghua mentioning the event, he quickly said, "If... if you want to go, I... cough cough, I can invite some friends to come and protect you. I won't let you get hurt."

After Fu Ping'an arrived, she didn't reveal her identity, and the people present seemed to have silently agreed not to mention it either. Everything had been quite natural until Huo Zhengmao appeared; he clearly wasn't accustomed to it.

Fu Ping'an smiled wryly and said, "With you like this, wouldn't everyone figure out my identity in no time?"

Chen Yan stepped forward at this moment and said, "Don't worry, I can protect her well, right, little sister?"

She even patted Fu Ping'an's shoulder.

Wang Ji pretended not to see and looked up at the sky.

Huo Zhengmao widened his eyes and pointed at Chen Yan, stuttering, "You... you... you..."

Chen Yan stood tall and said, "Just by looking at you, I know you wouldn't dare. You don't have the courage to protect... little sister properly."

She hesitated for a moment.

Fu Ping'an laughed and said, "Let's talk about it later. I need to consider."

Since it was time to leave, a decision had to be made about the reward for Ah Hua. Fu Ping'an thought for a while and called Ah Hua aside, saying, "You saved me last time, and I haven't had a chance to reward you..."

As soon as her words fell, Ah Hua said, "I don't want any rewards. Why did you want to give me rewards?"

This question caught Fu Ping'an off guard.

【It's our Ting Ah: Indeed, rewards are clearly given from superiors to subordinates. Ah Hua has always pretended not to know your identity.】

【Fourteen Lions of the Red Star: When I realized there was a clear difference in people's status, it was really difficult to change the way we interacted because there would always be a fixed mindset.】

It was only now that Fu Ping'an reacted. Indeed, if she treated Ah Hua as a friend, she shouldn't have used words like rewards.

Ah Hua smiled and said, "Besides, we were running for our lives together back then. I didn't save you, did I?"

Fu Ping'an was stunned for a while. She suddenly realized that it had been a long time since someone treated her like Ah Hua did, making her feel like treating someone as a true friend. It felt unfamiliar to her. She didn't know when it happened, but the people surrounding her had always had a purpose in their interactions with her, regardless of whether that purpose was good or bad, selfish or noble.

Of course, she didn't think there was anything wrong with that. She didn't feel lonely like a lone wolf. However, when she snapped out of it and thought about it, the reason she didn't feel so lonely might be because she still had the people in her livestream room to communicate with.

When she interacted with Ah Hua, it gave her a feeling of communicating with the people in her livestream room.

So Fu Ping'an understood how to respond. She smiled and said, "Yes, not as a reward. It's just that last time you pulled me out of the carriage, and I want to thank you..."

She took off the jade pendant from her waist. "This jade material is from the Northern Frontier. It's said to bring peace and tranquility. And... I noticed your hair was messy, so I have an ivory comb for you as well."

Lu Qionghua was surprised and asked, "My hair was messy? Where?"

She was indifferent to the dragon pattern on the jade pendant but started to care about her own appearance.

Fu Ping'an raised her hand and smoothed out a stray strand of hair for her, then inserted the comb into her hair, pressing down the unruly strands.

The ivory comb was adorned with red agate, making Lu Qionghua look even more radiant.

Lu Qionghua held her face and asked, "Is it beautiful? Is it beautiful? I can't see it myself."

Fu Ping'an nodded, "It's very beautiful."

Lu Qionghua stared into Fu Ping'an's eyes and said, "Don't move. I feel like I can see my reflection in your eyes. Let me take a look."

Fu Ping'an remained still as Lu Qionghua leaned closer. Fu Ping'an caught a whiff of the soapy fragrance coming from her and saw the fine fuzz on her temples under the setting sun, reminiscent of the little rabbit that used to burrow into her arms.

As Lu Qionghua got closer, Fu Ping'an pressed her hand against her forehead and said, "That's enough, you don't need to get so close."

Lu Qionghua blushed slightly on her cheeks, whether from the sunlight or the color that seeped through her skin, and blinked her eyes, saying, "Your eyes are so beautiful. I got mesmerized."

Fu Ping'an immediately fake coughed and said, "Alright, I have to go."

Lu Qionghua said,"I'll go with you.

Fu Ping'an: "...We're not going the same way."

Luo Qionghua: "...Oh, I see."

She could only watch Fu Ping'an leave and couldn't help but wave until the end, saying, "You must come to the Ying Mountain Poetry Gathering."

At the palace gate, Chen Yan couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, are you going?"

Fu Ping'an remained silent, pondering. Chen Yan didn't dare to ask any further.

Upon entering the palace gate, everything seemed to return to normal. Fu Ping'an resumed attending court sessions and studying the memorials day by day, as the weather gradually grew hotter.

Soon, the summer solstice was approaching.

The palace maids had already changed their attire to thin garments, and lotus buds had formed in the lake. On the night before the summer solstice, Fu Ping'an called Chen Yan and said, "We will attend the Ying Mountain Poetry Gathering. Arrange for some people to provide discreet protection."

...

It is said that during the summer solstice, the day is longest and the shadow is shortest.

Thus, on the day of the summer solstice, the sky brightened unusually early. By the time the rooster crowed, the first light of day had already appeared on the horizon, and Luo Qionghua woke up.

The summer solstice was considered a festive occasion, and the English couple agreed to her request to go out. Besides Er Ya and Tie Zhu, they also allowed her to bring her nanny and sent three servants to accompany her, so that she could travel in a carriage with the people from the neighboring Tai Chang Mansion.

Luo Qionghua felt slightly dissatisfied with this arrangement - she thought there were too many people. But it was evident that her mother was not going to give in. Luo Qionghua was very observant of such emotions. When she saw her mother's expression that hinted at "maybe you shouldn't go out," she readily agreed and said, "Alright, let's go like this."

She was always an optimist, and on this morning, she was extremely excited. She always imagined the best possible scenarios for everything. So when she woke up in the morning, she believed she would definitely see Fu Ping'an today. She specially arranged her hair into a bun, inserting the hairpin that Fu Ping'an had given her into the bun. She looked at herself in the mirror and felt it wasn't enough, so she added several silver hairpins to her hair before considering herself done.

However, she didn't bring the jade pendant with her. After all, even she recognized its value, so she kept it in a box by her bedside.

She happily stroked the comb and suddenly thought that Fu Ping'an had given her a gift, but she hadn't prepared one for him. So she searched through the room, trying to find a suitable gift. However, she wasn't skilled in needlework and didn't like making small trinkets. Due to her young age, her parents wouldn't let her keep valuable things either. So she searched the room but couldn't find anything suitable.

Just as it was time to leave, Luo Qionghua ran into the courtyard and saw the fragrant jasmine blossoming. She immediately picked several branches.

Mammy didn't stop her and sighed, saying, "These are the Lord's favorites."

Luo Qionghua looked up and saw a bare spot in the flower bushes that seemed quite noticeable. She then went elsewhere and picked several branches of Jianlan flowers. This time, the mammy raised her voice, "You really shouldn't pick those. They are the Lord's most cherished."

Indeed, her father liked these orchids.

But Luo Qionghua felt it was already enough and stopped. She held the flowers close to her chest and said, "Let's go."

Just as they took a few steps, they encountered Lady Chang Min, the wife of the Duke Ying.

Since the Duke had a frail and sickly image outside, Chang Min stayed at home to take care of him all year round. Today, she couldn't accompany Luo Qionghua outside, but she still worried that Luo Qionghua might get into trouble. So she decided to take a look before Luo Qionghua left. The result was disappointing.

The flowers had already been picked, and there was no way to plant them back. Chang Min touched her forehead and asked, "Why did you pick the flowers?"

Luo Qionghua replied softly, "To give to a friend."

Chang Min raised an eyebrow, "Which friend, Er Ya, Tie Zhu, or Chou Zi?" She knew her daughter considered everyone of her age as a friend.

Luo Qionghua said, "Um... Ping Sheng!" 

She found a very suitable person.

"Oh, Ping Sheng..."

Because a few months ago Luo Qionghua often goes to the Huo family. Chang Min also came to know about this. Before his departure for the expedition, Huo Zhengmao received it from His Majesty in the military camp. At first, the Duke of England was somewhat dissatisfied, but during the months of the campaign, he found that the other party had considerable military talent and was not a fool. Gradually, he also developed a sense of cherishing talents.

Moreover, the other party had gained favor from His Majesty, and a bright future could be anticipated. As a result, the Duke and Duchess of England turned a blind eye to the friendship between Luo Qionghua, Huo Pingsheng, and his sister.

However, it seemed that their relationship had become a bit too close.

Chang Min examined Luo Qionghua from head to toe and immediately noticed the hairpin on her head. Although she didn't like such accessories in her daily life, she had a keen eye and could immediately tell that it was a valuable item, not something her daughter had previously owned.

She approached and frowned, asking, "Where did this hairpin come from?"

Luo Qionghua was a little flustered but quickly calmed down and firmly said, "It was a gift from Pingsheng."

Chang Min raised an eyebrow and said, "Pingsheng again?"

Luo Qionghua nodded affirmatively.

Chang Min said, "Are you going to meet Pingsheng today too?"

Luo Qionghua nodded again.

Chang Min pondered for a moment and said, "I will go with you."

Luo Qionghua: "..." 

Something unexpected had happened!