The Night Before the Divorce, She Was Reborn to Before Her Marriage - Chapter 14

“Even if the Crown Prince were here right now, I would still give Scorching Radiance to you,” Ning Fu said after a moment’s thought. She was considering Lu Xingzhi as a potential husband, so she naturally had to treat him differently. Besides, this show of affection was to prevent Lu Xingzhi from misunderstanding her intentions toward Zong Si.

Lu Xingzhi’s mouth first twisted into a pained smile, then he looked directly at Zong Si. Zong Si took a sip of tea in the study, his expression unchanged.

“Is it just because I taught the fourth Miss archery?” Lu Xingzhi asked, looking at her. Although he seemed serious, he clearly knew the truth and was deliberately asking her.

Ning Fu remembered what the princess of Northern Qi had said: Lu Xingzhi was the type of man who seemed indifferent but was actually fierce in bed. To put it simply, he was secretly a bad boy. Her ears flushed, but mindful of the proper boundaries between a man and a woman, she said, “It’s naturally only because Master Lu taught me riding and archery.”

Lu Xingzhi smiled, clearly not believing her. The more he acted this way, the more flustered Ning Fu became. She felt a little like a young lady whose secret crush had been discovered. The ambiguous feelings between a young lady and a young master were the most difficult to control, but fortunately, Ning Fu wasn’t a real young lady and wouldn’t be completely captivated by him.

“Master Lu probably has other things to attend to. I’ll be heading back now,” Ning Fu said.

“It will take a little while longer. The fourth Miss can wait for me in the front courtyard, and I’ll come once I’m finished,” Lu Xingzhi said. Seeing that he wanted her to stay, Ning Fu nodded, a little shyly. “Then I’ll wait for you.”

Ning Fu took Ning He to the front courtyard.

Lu Xingzhi returned to the study and continued discussing the bribery case of Grand Secretary Song with Zong Si. As for Lu Xingzhi’s deliberate provocation just now, both of them tacitly did not mention a single word of it.

“The stolen money from Grand Secretary Song is all in his hometown, Langya, hidden three feet underground in the main residence. However, from what I’ve observed, his father’s tomb is heavily guarded, so there might be some tricks there as well,” Lu Xingzhi said.

Zong Si looked at him. “Why not just collect the evidence directly?”

Lu Xingzhi replied, “Because the Crown Prince has no intention of having me collect the evidence right now.”

Zong Si raised an eyebrow. “First, the impeachment report from Censor Xie has just been submitted. If the Crown Prince immediately finds the evidence, he might be suspected of colluding with Censor Xie. Second, the Crown Prince’s target isn’t Grand Secretary Song, so he naturally needs to give the fish time to take the bait.” He knew that Zong Si had tasked him with the investigation to test his abilities.

Zong Si didn’t deny his deductions, but he also didn’t give him any more details. This was the difference between a superior and a subordinate. The subordinate should be completely open, but they might not hear a single word of information from their superior. However, it was already a rare thing to encounter a superior who was a good judge of character and treated the worthy with respect.

“Since you have an appointment, let’s stop here for today,” Zong Si said, calmly rising and brushing off his clothes.

Lu Xingzhi then said, “The fourth Miss gave me Scorching Radiance. Are you truly not bothered by it at all?”

Zong Si looked at the Scorching Radiance on the desk. It was no different from the one in his dream, so he wasn’t completely unaffected, but he wouldn’t take the dream seriously. “Scorching Radiance belongs to the fourth Miss. She gifted it to you, so why should I be bothered?” Zong Si said nonchalantly.

“I hope the Crown Prince can always feel this way,” Lu Xingzhi said calmly. “Don’t come to me one day in the future and ask for Scorching Radiance back.”

Lu Xingzhi’s repeated probing about his feelings for Ning Fu was beginning to make him lose patience. “Master Lu, you can rest assured. I have no intention of competing with you for the fourth Miss. If you are serious about her, I can even help you with the fourth Miss’s matter.”

Lu Xingzhi replied, “There’s no need for the Crown Prince to worry. No one knows what the future holds.”

A cold glint appeared in Zong Si’s eyes. He pursed his lips and turned to leave.

In the front courtyard, Ning Fu was kneeling and helping Madam Lu plant flower seedlings. Her movements in breaking off branches and tilling the soil were very practiced, which made Madam Lu look at her several times. “The fourth Miss seems to know a lot about flowers and plants.”

“I used to do it to pass the time when I was bored. Later, I realized that raising flowers also helps to cultivate one’s character, and I fell in love with it,” Ning Fu said. In her previous life, she was so bored in the royal estate that only raising flowers could soothe the resentment in her heart.

Madam Lu couldn’t help but smile. “I thought only women like me would feel this way. I didn’t expect a young lady like you to think so too.”

Ning Fu could also be considered a woman, but it was not appropriate to admit it. She just smiled sweetly. “We are fated to be together, and we have similar interests.” She was clearly trying to curry favor. For Lu Xingzhi’s sake, Ning Fu didn’t mind getting closer to Madam Lu.

“Once these butterfly orchids bloom, the fourth Miss can take two pots home,” Madam Lu said, finding her more and more pleasing to the eye. Ning Fu was naturally overjoyed.

Madam Lu then said, “Xingzhi lost his birth mother when he was very young, so he seems cold, but he is not a heartless person. If he does anything that is not thoughtful, I hope the fourth Miss will be lenient with him.” Although she treated Lu Xingzhi sincerely, she was still not as good as his birth mother.

“Don’t worry, Madam Lu. I know in my heart that Master Lu is a good person,” Ning Fu said.

“I was worried that he wouldn’t be able to adjust to life back in the capital and wanted him to stay in Hexian. But seeing the fourth Miss so friendly, I feel relieved now.” She believed that most people would be as kind as the fourth Miss.

Ning Fu asked curiously, “Then how did Master Lu end up coming back?”

Madam Lu smiled and said, “It’s about time for Xingzhi to get a wife. We need to find a good marriage for him, but I don’t know who would take a liking to our Xingzhi.”

Ning Fu’s cheeks flushed. She was the one who had taken a liking to Master Lu. Just as she was about to ask for more information about Lu Xingzhi, she saw him appear behind Madam Lu at some point. He had probably heard her conversation with Madam Lu, but his expression hadn’t changed.

“Master Lu,” Ning Fu said, bowing.

Lu Xingzhi handed her a wrapped package. “When I was in Langya on business, I found some high-quality rosewood. The fourth Miss can take it back and have fun with it.” He had asked her to stay just to give her something.

In the carriage on the way back, Ning Fu unwrapped the package. Inside, besides a few pieces of wood, there was a carved figure of a person shooting an arrow. It was small, exquisite, and lifelike.

“Is this little figure Sister Four?” Ning He also leaned over to look. The expression and the clothing were undoubtedly Ning Fu’s. And besides Lu Xingzhi, no one else could have carved her in the act of shooting an arrow.

Ning Fu ran her fingers over the little figure. Such detailed carving, even for such a small figure, must have taken a lot of effort. He must have been thinking of her constantly to be able to replicate her expression so perfectly.

Constantly thinking of her meant he wouldn’t have the energy to think of anyone else. Ning Fu felt a surge of emotion.

“Master Lu is a really good carver,” Ning He said in admiration. “He’s also a very handsome man.” But then Ning He remembered when she was waiting in the courtyard and accidentally saw the Crown Prince of the Prince Xuan’s estate leaving. He was as bright as the moon, exceptionally handsome, and stood out among all the men. She was so lost in thought that she looked at him for a long time, which was impolite. Zong Si gave her a cold glance, and her heart immediately pounded like a drum. It was a pity that her status was so low. He probably didn’t even know who she was and didn’t even notice her. Thinking of this, Ning He bit her lip. If only she were a legitimate daughter, she wouldn’t have been so ignored.

But when she looked at Ning Fu, she felt relieved. Even a legitimate daughter was not able to make the Crown Prince look at her twice. Although she was an illegitimate daughter, she shouldn’t belittle herself.

Ning Fu carefully wrapped the wooden carving in a handkerchief and instructed her, “Fifth Sister, Master Lu gave me these rosewoods because he saw that I like to have fun. But if outsiders find out, it might cause gossip, so please don’t say anything.”

Ning He nodded. She and Ning Fu were in the same boat. For her own sake, she would also keep quiet about the wooden carving.

The Plum Blossom month was Zong Ning’s birthday, and the Duke of Ning’s estate, as in previous years, received an invitation. Because the Prince Xuan’s Consort had rejected Ning Fu, Old Madam Ning disliked the Prince Xuan’s estate and just hastily prepared a birthday gift. Fortunately, since it was a junior’s birthday, Old Madam Ning didn’t have to go in person to offer her birthday wishes, which saved them from an awkward situation.

Ning Fu, however, couldn’t not go. She was the same age as Zong Ning and they were classmates, so not going would only arouse suspicion.

Madam Ning privately told Ning Fu, “It was your grandmother who went to the Prince Xuan’s estate to discuss the marriage, so you can just pretend you don’t know about it. You can’t make decisions about the elders’ business, and besides, we have a suitable candidate in mind.” It was good to have self-respect, but there was no need to have so much self-respect about what others had done.

Ning Fu understood this logic, but when she arrived at the Prince Xuan’s estate, she still felt a little uncomfortable. Although Old Madam Ning had proposed the marriage, it was she, Ning Fu, who had been rejected by the Prince Xuan’s estate. Anyone who was rejected would inevitably feel inferior.

Of course, the person Ning Fu wanted to avoid most was Zong Si. But unfortunately, things didn’t go her way. Just as she got out of the carriage, she ran right into Zong Si, who was returning to the estate.