The Night Before the Divorce, She Was Reborn to Before Her Marriage - Chapter 20
Ning Fu fell silent. If Zong Si were to ask Lu Xing-zhi for “Radiant Blaze,” the latter would surely be in a difficult position, as he couldn’t afford to offend the Prince of Xuan’s heir.
She thought for a moment and decided not to reveal that “Radiant Blaze” was with Lu Xing-zhi. Instead, she said, “Radiant Blaze’ is part of my dowry. I’m afraid I can’t fulfill your request, Heir.”
Since he had already rejected the engagement, he would surely not ask further.
Zong Si indeed said no more, but a fleeting, cold smirk appeared on his lips before it vanished.
“I will come to keep the heir company whenever I have some free time,” Ning Fu said sincerely. He was using his injury as an excuse to avoid Meng Ze, so he naturally wouldn’t leave his place of recovery so easily.
Of course, she wanted to find out what had happened between him and Meng Ze and if Meng Ze’s anger that day was related to Grand Secretary Song.
Zong Si, on the other hand, wanted to continue probing the Fourth Miss Ning. Her actions were baffling to him, so he didn’t refuse her coming to him.
They each had their own motives.
Since she had successfully slipped out once, there would be a second and a third time.
In the mornings, guests occasionally visited Cold Fragrance Mountain, including Zong Duo and Meng Ze. Ning Fu mostly came in the afternoon.
Zong Si was mostly unapproachable, and he kept testing her. Ning Fu even had the illusion that he was testing whether she had lived a previous life.
Zong Si was indeed testing her because of those two dreams.
However, the Fourth Miss Ning was very cautious about this, and he didn’t want to be too aggressive.
But with their clandestine comings and goings, it was only a matter of time before they ran into someone.
Ning Fu was dressed in men’s clothes again that day. Just as she took off her hat, she saw Zong Ning arrive, fuming. Although she was upset, she still obediently placed the copied Classic of Poetry on the desk.
With her back to Zong Ning, she quickly put her hat back on and shot a questioning look at Zong Si. If Zong Ning saw her dressed like this and visiting him, she would be unable to clear her name even if she jumped into the Yellow River.
The man, however, acted as if nothing was wrong. He showed no panic and remained as stern as ever. It was as if even if he had a mistress outside, his wife would never find out.
“I’ve done what you asked, Third Brother,” Zong Ning said, pouting.
Zong Si opened the book. The handwriting inside was neat and elegant, showing no signs of carelessness. “Are you angry?”
Zong Ning said aggrievedly, “Besides, it’s not like I did a bad job. I can’t control whether they ignore Sister Ning, but I didn’t invite Sister Ning to the snow viewing. It was because of my own selfish reasons. I didn’t want Sister Ning to come here, in case she ran into you, Third Brother, and Sister Xie would be unhappy, so I deliberately didn’t invite her.”
It was because of her own actions. Ning Fu wasn’t surprised, but she knew that he wasn’t doing this for her but to teach Zong Ning and make her a better person.
Zong Si glanced at Ning Fu, who was standing in men’s clothing with her hat on. He then turned back to Zong Ning and said coldly, “Our mother has always taught you not to deliberately offend people. I won’t punish you, but if you continue this way, people will say that the young ladies of the Prince of Xuan’s Estate are bullying others by relying on their power.”
That was a very serious accusation. Zong Ning’s eyes turned red. She was afraid of harming the reputation of the estate, as she didn’t have such intentions. She secretly observed his mood and then noticed the slender “little sir” standing to the side.
“Who is this?” The “little sir” wore a hat and a black cloak. Her small build made Zong Ning think of the phrase “frail and weak.”
Ning Fu curtsied to her. Afraid of revealing her identity, she pointed to her throat.
“Is he a mute?” Zong Ning felt a bit of sympathy.
Ning Fu nodded.
Then she saw the usually calm Zong Si frown slightly, but he didn’t try to help her out at all. It was as if he was enjoying the show.
Ning Fu couldn’t help but feel a bit of resentment. He didn’t have to worry about being found out, and all the blame would fall on her.
“Are you Third Brother’s aide?” Zong Ning wouldn’t look down on others. Anyone who could appear beside her third brother couldn’t be an ordinary person.
Ning Fu shook her head. She knelt in front of the desk, and with her soft hands, she gently began to grind the ink. When the ink was smooth and even, she picked up a brush, smoothed her sleeve, and wrote, “I am Shu Yu, the young master of the Yi-xiang Pavilion.”
After Zong Si read it, a hint of a cold smile appeared on his lips.
“A young master of the Yi-xiang Pavilion? That’s…” Zong Ning couldn’t bring herself to say the words “male courtesan.” She looked at Zong Si, stamped her foot in anger. How could her Third Brother be corrupted by such a person?
“How dare you, a lowly prostitute! You have the audacity to set your sights on the Prince of Xuan’s Estate!” Zong Ning said angrily.
Ning Fu took two steps back and hid behind Zong Si. Her entire body was covered by his tall figure. She held his arm as if afraid, seeking his protection.
Zong Si didn’t stop her.
What a delicate, helpless temptress! If Zong Si were to show affection for such a person, he would be no different from a foolish, immoral man.
He wanted to watch her act, but how could Ning Fu let him? Naturally, she had to drag him into it as well. And since she still needed to find the divine physician Mu, he couldn’t do anything to her.
Zong Si was not a person who was fond of beauty and was disgusted by those who caused trouble. However, in the dream, Ning Fu was extremely enchanting and unrestrained. Her soft moans while he ravished her were just like this pitiful sight now. She seemed to be begging for his protection, yet also willing to be protected by him. A sense of heat rose in his lower abdomen.
Unconsciously, he had completely shielded her behind him.
When he realized what he had done, his expression changed a little, and upon closer inspection, it was much colder.
“Third Brother, how can you protect such a lowly prostitute?” Zong Ning said angrily. “I’m going to go back and tell our mother!”
She refused to look at him any longer and slammed the door as she left.
Ning Fu let go of Zong Si and straightened her robes. “The heir was the one who didn’t want to help me in the first place. Given the current situation, we should be helping each other.” In front of Meng Ze, she had said only good things about him.
Zong Si rubbed his forehead. His tone became even colder. “Go back.”
Ning Fu paused, then nodded. She wasn’t worried. He would have a way to explain things to Zong Ning. If that weren’t the case, she wouldn’t have dared to go this far.
Zong Si added, “I won’t be on Cold Fragrance Mountain for the next few days. You don’t need to come.”
A woman’s intuition could sometimes be inexplicable. Ning Fu had a feeling that Zong Si’s absence was a lie, and his real intention was probably to not let her come again.
Was it because of what she did to tease Zong Ning today?
Ning Fu felt that Zong Si was a sore loser. If he hadn’t refused to help her and allowed Zong Ning to question her, she wouldn’t have done such a thing.
“If the heir doesn’t want me to come, I naturally won’t,” Ning Fu said with a polite smile, not angry. This wasn’t a matter of great importance, so it wasn’t worth getting angry over. Besides, she had a good guess as to why Meng Ze was angry.
It was naturally also because of the Grand Secretary Song case. It seemed that Zong Si wasn’t wholeheartedly helping Meng Ze.
Anyway, once she found the divine physician Mu and obtained the Jade Lotus antidote, they would go their separate ways. She didn’t need to care about his attitude.
A young lady only has expectations for her future husband, not her ex-husband.
Zong Si glanced at her. This Fourth Miss Ning was different from other young ladies. She was very good at hiding her thoughts and was always smiling, not prone to getting angry.
It seemed she didn’t care about these things.
Zong Si withdrew his thoughts. He was rarely emotionally affected by a woman, but today, he had developed a protective instinct toward Ning Fu, and he had to be cautious of that.
After she left the mountain, Ning Fu didn’t hear any news of Zong Si for over a month.
For Ning Fu, meeting Zong Si was like going to work, and no one enjoys being busy with business. Not having to see him was a relief.
As the end of the year approached, Ning Fu finally understood the meaning of the Sixth Prince Meng Ze’s words, “the next time you enter the palace.” Emperor Jing-wen disliked loneliness, and every year on New Year’s Eve, he would invite young ladies and gentlemen who were close to the royal family to be guests in the palace.
In previous years, Ning Fu naturally didn’t have this privilege. But this year, she had made a good impression on Emperor Jing-wen, and the Emperor thought of her. Meng Ze had probably heard the news early on.
Ning Fu had not entered the palace more than a handful of times in both of her lives combined, so she was a little nervous.
Being favored by Emperor Jing-wen was a great honor for the Duke’s Estate. Lady Ning and Ning Zhen-yuan both took it very seriously and had new clothes made for her early on.
“The palace is heavily guarded, and there are noble people everywhere. If you run into someone you don’t know, whether it’s a princess or a prince, you must not offend them,” Lady Ning warned her.
Ning Fu was familiar with the people in the palace, so she felt a little more at ease. She said to Ning Zhen-yuan, “Father, why do you think the heir was injured in Langya?”
She couldn’t bring up Grand Secretary Song directly, or her father would question how she knew. Her father was a smart man, and if she gave him important clues, he would naturally be able to guess.
A few days ago, Ning Zhen-yuan had heard his daughter mention this matter, and to this day, he still felt a sense of dread. Zong Si was injured in Langya, which was surely related to the Grand Secretary Song case. It was thanks to his daughter, who smelled the blood on Zong Si in the Prince of Xuan’s Estate and the fact that Lu Xing-zhi had also mentioned Langya to her, that he was able to connect the two events.
He had already prepared the memorial to plead for Grand Secretary Song and was just about to go into the palace to see the Emperor!
If he hadn’t learned of this in advance, he would have also been implicated.
Ning Zhen-yuan felt fortunate. He was not afraid of something happening to himself, but he was afraid of implicating the Ningguo Duke’s Estate and his children.
“You should act as if you don’t know about this matter. You must not say a word,” Ning Zhen-yuan instructed her.
Ning Fu nodded obediently. “If Father tells me not to say anything, I won’t.”
There were fine lines around Ning Zhen-yuan’s eyes, but his demeanor was as good as it was in his youth. Having a daughter like her, the heavens had been kind to him.
He looked at his wife and felt content.
The day before she was to enter the palace, Ning Fu went to the Nuan-xiang Pavilion, which was her shop. The reputation of the Snow-Jade Pills had gradually spread over the past month, but it had not yet reached the palace. Ning Fu would take some with her to give to the consorts in the palace during her trip.
When she left the shop, she saw Lu Xing-zhi with the guards.
They hadn’t seen each other in two months, and he seemed to have lost some weight. It appeared he was about to leave the capital on business.
When Ning Fu saw him, her heart beat a little faster. She had developed a liking for him now.
As if he had a telepathic connection with her, Lu Xing-zhi saw her and said softly, “Fourth Miss.”
Ning Fu’s heart softened. This was how a person felt when they had a crush on someone. Even just hearing him call her name made her blush.
“Are you leaving the capital again?” she asked in a low voice. She was worried he would get hurt.
“I’m going to Liangzhou with Young Master Wei to deal with the bandits.” he said.
“Young Master Lu’s talent and strategy are excellent. You should have ambitions,” Ning Fu said. She guessed that he wanted to be promoted quickly. Since he had neither a background nor the means to curry favor, he could only rely on his abilities and achievements.
Lu Xing-zhi looked at her and said, “It’s the only way to protect the people I care about.”
Ning Fu didn’t know what he wanted.
“After I’m promoted, the talk of an engagement will go more smoothly,” Lu Xing-zhi said.
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Periwinkleplum
Why I am actually rooting for Ning Fu x Lu Xing-zhi couple? >.< Anyway, I hope our MC will feel all the love she deserves in her second life (^^)