Fu Zhen glanced at him: "I’m soone who can swap souls at will, how could it be difficult for to find out such a small thing?"
Anyway, he wouldn’t believe anything she said!
Pei Zhan could imdiately tell she was bluffing. But he couldn’t quite point out what was wrong with her words! This left him unsure about how to respond.
Fu Zhen gave him several glances and said, "You don’t need to be so on edge. Just look at , no matter how capable I am, it’s just enough to deal with people inside the house. It’s not enough to handle things outside. Even if I have designs on the Liang Family, what could I possibly do to them?
"To plot sothing, I’d need that kind of power. Soone like could be easily crushed by the Great General.
"Instead of that, I might as well try to get closer to the Great General and General Pei. See, with just a few words from you, my father’s position could be elevated. I’m not foolish enough to oppose you, am I?"
"Your father’s promotion wasn’t just due to a few words from . Without achievents and qualifications, it wouldn’t matter who spoke up."
Pei Zhan promptly corrected her.
However, after what she said, Pei Zhan felt a bit more at ease.
Tracing back, Pei Zhan’s mistrust of her began with her spying on the Liang Family that night, but after multiple interactions, including the information Li Jiang and Li Huai gathered from the Fu Family, it only confird that Fu Zhen rely behaved oddly, with no event proving her ill intentions.
Regarding the Liang Family, she continually produced evidence to prove herself. Instead of evading his suspicions with deception, she consistently provided proof. Pei Zhan wasn’t one to act on feelings, nor one to get tangled up. A noble lady who never left the capital, even if she harbored any fantasies about the Liang Family, wasn’t worth Pei Zhan’s undue alarm.
Thinking this, he relaxed a little and said, "So what will you and your brother do in the future?"
"What do you an, what to do?
The shopkeeper brought over two plates of jujube cake, and Fu Zhen picked one up to taste. It was roughly made, but surprisingly tasty.
Pei Zhan looked at her: "With you following your mother, you’ll be classified as rchants. Doesn’t that trouble you?"
"Of course, it does," Fu Zhen ate the jujube cake and wiped her hands with a handkerchief, "But so what?"
It made it much harder for Fu Jia to pass the civil service exams, but as long as he tried hard, there was still a chance for him to succeed in the future. And from now on, she would be the daughter of rchants. It wasn’t a big deal, except that it distanced her even further from Xu Yin. She had once thought about using Fu Jun’s official position to reenter that circle. Now those plans are voided, but looking at Fu Jun’s character, his position wouldn’t rise much further anyway. And having a father as Director of Rites wouldn’t offer her much advantage, so there was nothing to regret.
Pei Zhan did appreciate her openness. Dropping from the scholar-gentry to rchants was quite a leap downward. The average person wouldn’t handle it so calmly.
After thinking for a mont, he said, "I need to inquire about the transfer, that’s determined by both the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites."
Fu Zhen imdiately bowed: "Thank you, General! I would be very grateful if you could help inquire."
Pei Zhan was about to finish his last sip of tea, but seeing her gesture, he paused: "You bow quite smoothly. Would heavenly soul swapping also change mannerisms?"
Fu Zhen was taken aback, then chuckled awkwardly and withdrew her hand: "Buddha’s light shines everywhere, all things are possible!"
Pei Zhan glanced at her but couldn’t be bothered to speak.
Sohow, seeing her in front of him like this made him recall seeing her, fragile and weak, carrying Lady Du down the mountain yesterday.
Completing such a task was no easy feat. Having finally found soone to help, who wouldn’t have an emotional outburst?
But she seed to have experienced such situations many tis, remaining calm, as if barely concerned even with bloodstains on her and smiling nonchalantly, bantering with him.
She really seed like that person, soone he hadn’t seen personally walking off a battlefield filled with yellow sand, but in imagination, should carry a similarly graceful deanor.
He couldn’t understand why two completely unrelated individuals would evoke the sa feelings in him?
He also wondered how this girl, who was a sheltered civil servant’s daughter, ca to possess the free-spirited and generous soul of a military general?
Too bad there’s no such thing as soul swapping in the world. If there were, then perhaps he could find a way to let that person’s soul also...
"General Pei?"
The call from the opposite side drew back Pei Zhan’s mind. He instinctively looked over to see her beaming as she refilled his tea.
Looking at the cup filled again, Pei Zhan slowly said: "Li Huai ntioned that your mother often took you to the temple to pray. Seeing you so lively, could it be that the deities truly possess so power?"
Fu Zhen hadn’t expected him to bring this up and replied: "Of course, they do. Otherwise, why would Baihe Temple be so popular?"
Before, she wasn’t very devout. However, whenever she offered incense on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month, she did so with utmost respect.
After she passed away for six years and got a second chance at life, she couldn’t help but believe more earnestly.
"Has anyone seen a deity?" Pei Zhan asked.
Fu Zhen was stumped by the silly question: "Whether they’ve been seen or not, I wouldn’t know. Even if I said I have, you wouldn’t believe it!"
Pei Zhan pursed his lips. After a mont he said, "I really don’t believe it."
Fu Zhen raised an eyebrow.
He continued, "When we fight on the battlefield, we rely on real skills with real weapons. No matter how difficult, no one ever thinks about praying to gods. We only believe everything is in human hands. The gods are too intangible. It’s better to rely on oneself than on gods."
"I understand," Fu Zhen nodded, "In most situations, I think the sa way. Only when I really can’t do sothing—like when I’m worried about soone—do I pray for divine protection. Because aside from the deities, many disasters are beyond human foresight."
Back when her brothers and nephews were at war, she lit incense in the temple more often than she powdered her face.
"That’s for the living, it’s different."
Upon hearing this, Fu Zhen looked up: "General Pei, did soone you cared about pass away?"
After she said this, she imdiately realized how normal it was for a military general. After so many years of battles, countless soldiers had fallen. His rembrance of forr comrades was entirely understandable.
She was also soone who’d been through it, as long as he didn’t suspect her of any sches against the Liang Family, truly, she found they could still have common ground!
Fu Zhen then consoled him: "Death is irreversible, General, try to let it go. Such individuals often achieve perfection in rit. Perhaps they’ve already reincarnated, starting a new life. He must have a good fate, a beautiful spouse, lots of children, and a long, fulfilling life."
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