The Night Before the Divorce, She Was Reborn to Before Her Marriage - Chapter 18

In the dream, the woman was quickly defeated, and she helplessly wrapped her arms around his neck. She turned into a puddle of water, bewitching like a succubus, saying she was tired, yet she clung to him. It was clear she was very much in love, her face flushed, yet she appeared utterly innocent.

A sudden shower came, and the woman moaned softly, arousing a sense of tenderness.

“I should have coaxed you back sooner, my lord, knowing you were so brave,” she said, lying on his shoulder, her face already flushed with passion. “I can’t imagine anyone better than you.”

Zong Si came back to his senses.

Having this kind of dream twice was unusual and naturally made him wary.

Outside the window, a jade mountain stretched across the wild, and a path divided the beautiful woods.

A blackbird, with the ambition of a great swan, flew upward toward the heavens but suddenly lost strength mid-flight and plummeted straight down, disappearing into the woods.

Ning Fu couldn’t help but sigh in admiration, “What does death matter if a person has ambition?”

“Dying for an ambition is admirable, but a reckless act is not worth imitating,” a calm voice said from behind her.

Only then did Ning Fu realize there was someone else in the room, and it was someone she wasn’t fond of.

Today, Zong Si wore a dark robe and a jade crown, as refined as ever, and with the same cold demeanor that kept people at a distance.

Ning Fu bowed slightly but didn’t speak.

People with different ideas couldn’t get along. If it were her, she would sacrifice everything for the Ningguo Duke’s Estate, even if it meant throwing herself into the fire like a moth.

Ever since she agreed to find the divine physician Mu for him, Zong Si had not been so overbearing.

In the past few days, Ning Fu had also come to a realization: no matter what happened to her brother, dwelling on her previous life was meaningless. Her goal wasn’t revenge, but to prevent her brother from falling into a predicament again.

The best strategy was to avoid offending Zong Si while also preparing a way out.

“Sister Ning was right. This is indeed a good place to admire the snow.” This time, Ning Fu took the initiative and sat on the golden bamboo couch opposite Zong Si without waiting for him to speak.

He didn’t respond. He wasn’t a man of many words in public, and Ning Fu didn’t mind.

“It’s a very cold day. Does the heir have any hot food?” she asked, with a casual attitude.

“How about some grilled meat?” he asked in a low voice.

“That’s fine,” Ning Fu replied.

In just a moment, someone brought the meat and charcoal fire.

Ning Fu remained seated and watched him get up to light the charcoal.

“The heir’s injury has not yet healed. Why don’t I do it?” It wasn’t that Ning Fu was overly concerned about Zong Si. Although they had been husband and wife, those feelings had faded over time. However, acting more considerate didn’t cost her anything.

“Sister Ning didn’t deliberately not invite you to admire the snow. It’s just that she is closer to the Second Miss Xie and was afraid of upsetting her,” Zong Si said.

“Sister Xie is not so narrow-minded,” Ning Fu said, speaking on behalf of Xie Ru-yi.

“She would never act like that,” Zong Si said, also praising her.

Ning Fu was silent for a moment, then said, “Please explain clearly to her that I did not know of my grandmother’s intentions for an engagement beforehand. I have no intention of becoming engaged to the heir.”

Not only did she have no intention, she wanted to keep her distance. She had endured enough in her previous life and knew that he would become more and more cold and heartless. Why would she want to get involved in this mess?

It would be best if they never had to see each other for the rest of their lives.

Ning Fu thought that him having Fu Jia-hui bring her to Cold Fragrance Mountain was probably a form of compensation. After all, if it weren’t for Zong Ning, she wouldn’t have missed the snow viewing.

Before long, the room was filled with the aroma of grilled meat.

Zong Si placed the cooked meat on her plate.

Ning Fu didn’t feel flattered by the heir’s condescending gesture. She just thought that he wasn’t completely clueless about how to take care of someone; he just hadn’t wanted to before.

“Is the heir’s injury related to the Grand Secretary Song matter?” Ning Fu was confident in her guess. Since the matter was already decided but had been delayed for half a year, it meant Zong Si didn’t want the truth to be revealed to the public yet. His injury was probably a ruse to buy time.

Zong Si didn’t lift his head. “What makes you say that?”

Ning Fu pondered his tone, which showed no hint of blame. After a moment’s thought, she dared to say, “The heir warned me to be wary of Grand Secretary Song. First, it sells me a favor, and second, it’s a way to use the opportunity to restrain my father. If I choose to let my father protect himself, it would be extremely beneficial for the heir.”

Ning Fu’s father, Ning Zhen-yuan, worked in the Ministry of Personnel and was in charge of managing officials. He had a great network of connections. Although he wasn’t a direct threat, if he got involved, he would bring a lot of trouble.

Although Zong Si and her father weren’t in the same faction, his goal wasn’t her father this time. It would be better to ensure he didn’t get involved in this matter.

Zong Si’s eyes grew colder, but he said, “Continue.”

Ning Fu became a little nervous, but she composed herself and continued, “The heir asking me for help is also a two-for-one strategy. It’s true that the heir needs to find the divine physician Mu, but you’re also using me as a hostage. If my father still decides to take the risk and help Grand Secretary Song, since I’m involved in this matter, the heir can use me to threaten my father.”

This was why Zong Si was so open with her about the Grand Secretary Song case. The more she knew, the less likely her father would act recklessly.

As for why he let her know that Fu Jia-hui was his person, there was probably another motive, but she hadn’t figured it out yet.

“The heir doesn’t need to worry. On the matter of Grand Secretary Song, I am like the heir; I don’t want my father to get involved. I have guessed the heir’s intention and will cooperate with you,” she said.

Ning Fu said this to prevent Zong Si from misjudging her and making other plans against her father. She was showing her willingness to cooperate in dealing with Ning Zhen-yuan.

However, Zong Si didn’t respond as she had expected.

Ning Fu waited for his response, her fingers unconsciously touching the grill, instantly turning red.

Zong Si was quick. He took her hand and led her out of the wooden house, covering the back of her hand with snow.

They had slept on the same bed countless times, so Ning Fu wasn’t shy about him holding her hand. After pulling her hand back, she thanked him. Knowing that she wouldn’t get a response from him, she said, “If I get any news about the divine physician Mu, how should I find the heir?”

Zong Si rubbed his fingers. The woman’s hand was unusually cold. “You can go to the Qing-tian Pavilion and find Miss Fu.”

With the matter settled, a huge weight was lifted from her heart, and she could better appreciate the beauty of the mountains and rivers.

When she made a few remarks, Zong Si occasionally responded, discussing things with her.

However, he still appeared cold and unapproachable.

Unknowingly, the sky grew dark.

Ning Fu put on her cloak. Before she left, she expressed her concern again, “The heir is still injured. You should rest early.”

Zong Si was not short on people who cared for him, let alone fake ones, so he didn’t respond.

The path down the mountain was easier than the one going up.

Ning Fu noticed a few plum blossoms in full bloom, which seemed to match Zong Si’s wooden house.

After a moment of hesitation, she broke off a few branches and turned back.

When Zong Si saw Ning Fu returning, his gaze fell calmly on the bouquet of plum blossoms in her hand.

“The heir can find a vase to put them in. It will add some life to the room.” The cold and beautiful plum blossoms did resemble Zong Si.

“A broken flower, though beautiful for a time, is ultimately a dead thing. Why be so fond of its colors?” Zong Si didn’t reach out to take it.

Fortunately, Ning Fu was used to his rejection and didn’t feel embarrassed. She put the bouquet back in her arms, ready to make a save, but then she saw the man in front of her reach out to brush a strand of hair from her ear.

His breath was warm but steady and unhurried—his usual calm and composed demeanor.

Ning Fu’s breathing quickened. A man brushing a woman’s hair was somewhat intimate. She instinctively wanted to quickly move away.

The next moment, a few petals floated down.

It turned out that a flower had fallen in her hair, and he had simply brushed it away for her.

“You and I just need to be professional. Using these flattering tricks on me is a waste of time,” Zong Si said mercilessly.

After the carriage entered the Ningguo Duke’s Estate, Ning Fu began to think about Zong Si’s attitude.

Brushing a flower from a woman’s hair was a bit intimate and didn’t align with his usual style. However, to say that he liked her was completely impossible.

A woman can usually sense if a man likes her. In Zong Si’s eyes, there was not a hint of affection for her.

“Miss, these plum blossoms are so beautiful. They are much more vibrant than the ones we usually see,” Dong Zhu said with a smile. It turned out Ning Fu had brought the bouquet back. “I’ll go and put the flowers in water for you.”

“Where is my mother?” Ning Fu looked around the Lotus Pavilion but couldn’t find Lady Ning.

Dong Zhu replied, “The Second Miss is pregnant. The Madam and the Eldest Madam went to the Wei Estate to visit her.”

Ning Fu was stunned. She then counted the days. Ning Ran was indeed pregnant with her first son at this time.

In this life, Ning Ran’s life in her husband’s family had always been smooth. Her first child was the eldest son of the third household of the Wei family, and her second was the first young lady of the grandchildren’s generation. Both of her children were the most favored, so her position in the Wei family was as solid as a mountain.

Although Ning Fu sometimes had a little dissatisfaction with Ning Ran, she was still happy for her and wondered what to get her when she went to visit.

Having climbed the mountain today, she was exhausted. She didn’t even eat dinner and fell asleep as soon as she lay down.

The dream that night was extremely sensual. The man was Lu Xing-zhi. They were in that wooden house on Cold Fragrance Mountain. Outside, the snow was freezing for thousands of miles, but inside, they were entwined in a passionate embrace.

When Ning Fu woke up, she drank a large glass of water, unable to understand why she was thinking about men and having such a ridiculous dream today.

When Ning He came to find her the next day, she saw the bouquet of plum blossoms and said, “Fourth Sister, did you pick these plum blossoms on Cold Fragrance Mountain?”

“Exactly,” Ning Fu replied. Hearing Ning He’s tone, she knew there must be something wrong with the plum blossoms and suddenly felt a bit nervous.

“When we went to admire the snow that day, we also wanted to pick them, but the heir said these plum blossoms are called Floating Dream and are poisonous. You should throw them away, Sister,” Ning He said.

No wonder Zong Si had personally brushed the petals off her. But he didn’t tell her about the poison. Ning Fu just thought he was wicked. Still, she wouldn’t speak ill of Zong Si in front of others: “The scenery on the mountain was beautiful. It was worth the trip.”

“It was just a little cold,” Ning He said. Even though she was wearing a thick cloak, her hands were still red from the cold.

“Why didn’t you stay in the wooden house?” Ning Fu asked.

Ning He was puzzled. “Wasn’t that wooden house rented out? Ordinary people couldn’t enter, could they?”

It seemed that Fu Jia-hui had prepared the wooden house for Zong Si and that ordinary people weren’t allowed inside.

“It’s so nice to have a brother like the heir. He considers everything for Sister Ning. Even when she gets into trouble, she doesn’t have to worry, as the heir will take care of it for her,” Ning He said with a hint of envy.

Ning Fu, however, thought that her brother wasn’t bad either. If he were in the capital now, he would surely solve many problems for her.

Ning Ran’s pregnancy made Old Madam Ning ecstatic. She personally instructed Ning Fu to go and see her at the Wei Estate.

The day for the visit was even chosen by a feng shui master. Ning Fu, who was born in the year of the sheep, would bring the most prosperity to Ning Ran in four days, so she could only visit on that day.

“Ran girl hasn’t had much of an appetite lately. The chef in your courtyard has good skills. Have them prepare some pastries and send them over to your Sister Ran,” Old Madam Ning said to Ning Fu.

But Lady Wei stopped her, saying, “Old Ancestor, don’t worry. The Wei family makes sure that everything is available for Ran girl. How could they let her suffer? She just can’t eat anything and only craves sour things.”

“This must be a boy,” Old Madam Ning said with a smile.

Lady Wei just smiled without saying a word.

“If A-fu can be as successful as Ran girl in the future, I will be content,” Old Madam Ning said with emotion.

Lady Wei, deep down, didn’t agree. Ning Fu might marry into a good family, but finding one better than her own son-in-law was as difficult as reaching the heavens. Still, she said, “You can rest assured about A-fu. With her appearance, how could her husband be bad? Even a prince in the palace would be a good match.”

“Let’s not talk about that,” Old Madam Ning sighed. Although the princes in the palace were noble, the struggle for the throne was extremely cruel. How many of them were good to their wives? They were all just pawns to be used, and they wouldn’t even blink if they had to kill their wives. She didn’t want her granddaughter to marry into the palace.

The households of the Wei family had long since separated, each having their own residence, but they frequently interacted and were not estranged.

Upon learning that Ning Fu was coming, Wei Zi-yi arrived at her cousin’s house, which was Ning Ran’s, early in the morning to wait for her.

“I heard that you and Sister Ning have a misunderstanding. You must have felt uncomfortable in the academy lately,” Wei Zi-yi said as soon as she saw her. “In a few days, if I run into Cheng Shuang and Rong Min, I’ll talk to them.”

The two young ladies she mentioned were from the academy and were on good terms with Wei Zi-yi.

Ning Fu was touched and said, “Sister Wei, don’t worry. Sister Ning and I don’t have a big conflict. She’s just a little upset.”

She didn’t hide the matter of the rejected engagement from Wei Zi-yi and explained everything to her in detail.

“Speaking of which, although the State Duke of Qing’s Estate is most satisfied with the heir, Sister Xie isn’t only looking at him. The engagement isn’t set yet, so everything is still uncertain. Their attitude makes it seem like you’re the one who interfered,” Wei Zi-yi said, indignantly.

That was exactly what Ning Fu was unhappy about.

“Why don’t you just marry into our Wei family? Look at your second sister; everyone dotes on her,” Wei Zi-yi said.

The fact that her second sister was doted on wasn’t entirely because the Wei family was kind. Part of the reason was that she had married down, so the Wei family naturally treated her with respect, and Ning Ran was self-centered, so others had to accommodate her.

Ning Fu smiled and said, “I haven’t even had my coming-of-age ceremony yet. It’s not yet time to think about a husband.”

Wei Zi-yi teased, “By the time you have your ceremony, it won’t be the Wei family’s turn anymore.”

Ning Fu just smiled without speaking. She had her own plans. If she were to consider someone, the first person would be Young Master Lu.

Ning Ran was already doted on, and now that she was pregnant, she was treated like a treasure. Wei Xiao was almost always by her side, running around and not letting her worry about anything.

Ning Fu smiled and said, “Brother-in-law is so attentive.”

“All first-time fathers are like this. They won’t be able to do this for the later children,” Ning Ran said, holding her hand and asking about her well-being. She even offered her and Wei Zi-yi the best ginseng to drink.

Although Ning Ran had some intention of showing off to Ning Fu, these sisters-in-law of the Wei family couldn’t compare to her own younger sister. It was better to give them to her own sister than to them.

Ning Fu and Wei Zi-yi spent the entire afternoon in the sun with Ning Ran before they parted ways.

On the way back to the estate, Ning Fu was about to take a nap when the carriage suddenly came to a halt.

“How dare you! You dare to hit a royal carriage and not move out of the way?” a voice outside the carriage shouted.

Ning Fu was startled and quickly got out of the carriage. The commander of the Imperial Guards looked at her coldly, and the coachman was already kneeling on the ground, trembling.

Ning Fu had seen the carriage across from her before; it belonged to the Sixth Prince.

“Is that Sixth Cousin?” Ning Fu asked softly.

Meng Ze had just received a scolding from Zong Si and was full of anger. This soft and careful voice instantly calmed his frustration.