The Night Before the Divorce, She Was Reborn to Before Her Marriage - Chapter 34

Since Zong Si was discussing his marriage, it was estimated that meeting him would be difficult for a while, unless something threatened the Prince of Xuan’s residence; otherwise, nothing would be more important than his current matter. His thoughts lately had to be focused on his engagement.

Ning Fu thought for a moment and said, “I will leave a letter for the Heir Apparent. I trouble Sister Fu to give it to the Heir Apparent.” The matter of the Jade Hibiscus (玉芙蓉) could certainly not be settled in one meeting. However, when doing a favor for someone, attitude was key. Even if it wasn’t successful, she had to let Zong Si see that she had already done her best. Just like today, she had actively sought him out to discuss the Jade Hibiscus matter; since he was the one absent, if any mistake occurred, the fault could not be placed on her.

Fu Jiahui studied her for a moment and said, “Follow me.”

Ning Fu followed her into a dark room.

“Fourth Miss, please go in,” Fu Jiahui said.

Facing an unfamiliar place, Ning Fu couldn’t help but become more cautious. Fu Jiahui guessed what she was thinking and couldn’t help but smile, “There is a guest today; it’s inconvenient for him to see Fourth Miss. Please relax. This is a place where the Heir Apparent discusses matters, so it is inconvenient for me to enter. You write your letter and place it on the desk.”

A guest who came from afar? Fu Jiahui deliberately sent her away, perhaps not wanting her to encounter that guest, either because the guest’s identity needed to be kept secret or because she was familiar with that person.

Ning Fu gathered her thoughts and pushed the door open. Upon closer inspection, the sound of running water seemed to come from above her head. This dark room was actually underwater. This allowed her to deduce that the river overhead must be an artificial one; it would be easy to build the dark room first and then divert the channel, but the reverse was nearly impossible. Furthermore, artificial rivers were often built near the Imperial Palace or official residences, meaning the area overhead was likely the Prince of Xuan’s residence.

Ning Fu couldn’t help but be startled. While building secret rooms was not novel, one built with such exquisite craftsmanship and excellent concealment was rare—it could even be used to store grain without anyone knowing. To put it plainly, this seemed like preparation for a coup d’état. Ning Fu couldn’t fathom why Zong Si had asked her to come to this place and dared not think further.

However, if she knew that Zong Si had already inferred her identity from the previous life, she could guess that this action was him testing how much she knew about the past life.

On the desk were paintings and calligraphy Zong Si had looked at; they were almost spotless, leading Ning Fu to deduce he had been here recently. Brushes and ink were nearby. After finishing her letter, Ning Fu noticed the poetry collection placed on the desk. It was the collection she had given him that time to express gratitude for saving her life after the rebirth by drowning. The pages were quite old, suggesting he read it frequently.

Ning Fu only thought to herself that her gift was well-chosen, and the grand gesture hadn’t been in vain, as this poetry collection was one she herself found very good, though she hadn’t had time to appreciate it fully before giving it away. Seeing it now, she casually opened it to read a bit.

But one glance was enough to make Ning Fu blush deeply. That was no poetry collection; it was clearly the collection of highly explicit illustrated books her mother had prepared for her wedding! The book described a strong and powerful man and a delicate, alluring woman, intertwined in every chapter with unrestrained passion. Ning Fu felt as if she had been struck by lightning; it was no wonder Zong Si had previously thought of her that way.

When she calmed down, Ning Fu couldn’t help but feel that Zong Si was subtly mischievous. His actions would certainly not be accidental; the album appearing here was clearly intentional. Now that he was about to get engaged, he couldn’t keep this album with him—it had to be returned to the original owner. Leaving it here meant she could take it away, which was a silent way of returning it so that neither party would feel awkward, treating the matter as if it never happened. Although this meant returning the album, its explicit content, along with the creases indicating he had flipped through it many times, made Ning Fu feel a faint sense of implied teasing and provocation. Ning Fu wished she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into. With complex feelings, she took the album, hoping Zong Si would remain tight-lipped about the incident..

Some of those who loved to pry into secrets heard the rumors about the marriage between the Prince of Xuan’s residence and the Duke of Qing’s residence that very day.

“Fourth Sister, just now I overheard my concubine mother chatting with Concubine Mu and heard that the Heir Apparent’s marriage to Sister Xie is close?” Ning He asked the next day when she came to Ning Fu’s place to borrow a book. Although everyone knew this was a done deal, the news still sparked gossip.

“Probably so,” Ning Fu replied, admitting she didn’t know any more than anyone else.

Ning He recalled what her concubine mother had said: a man like the Heir Apparent, even if married, would still have restless women around him; many legitimate daughters from noble families would even be willing to be secondary wives. However, Sister Xie’s position was inimitable and unthreatened; the Prince of Xuan’s residence would protect her, and the Princess Consort of Xuan would not allow anyone to try to surpass her.

“Once Sister Xie’s marriage is settled, they will start focusing on you,” Ning He said cheerfully. Her own sister was very popular now. Even the young ladies around her often mentioned Fourth Sister’s prospects, trying to gather information for their own brothers.

Ning Fu, however, had no mind to worry about such things. Her matters of romance were currently not within her scope of consideration. She didn’t keep Ning He for long; after disguising herself that night, she left the residence with Dong Zhu.

Linglong Terrace, although a pleasure quarter, was heavily guarded; causing trouble there would not be easy, so Ning Fu did not worry about her safety. Furthermore, Zong Si would certainly have spies around her; if any real danger arose, someone would ensure her safety.

Linglong Terrace was built against a mountain, and most of the people entering and exiting were nobles and officials. The women there were mostly respectable, only accompanying people for drinks, and were not required to engage in relations with men unless they willingly chose to. Having mistakenly entered a pleasure quarter yet retaining a clean and pure heart, it was therefore named Linglong Terrace.

For this visit, she used the identity prepared for her by Divine Doctor Mu: that of a young master from the Su Residence in Bianzhou. Upon simply announcing the name, a woman smilingly welcomed her to the terrace, “That person has not arrived yet. You will have to wait a moment, Young Master. You are quite handsome; may I accompany you?” Divine Doctor Mu had not actually failed to arrive; he was likely observing her in secret to see if she harbored any ill intent.

Ning Fu gently fanned herself, feigning contemplation: “This young scholar doesn’t understand the affairs of visiting pleasure houses. Please do not make things difficult for me, Sister.”

The woman’s smile widened: “I understand, Young Master. You prefer men; that is also possible.” She assumed Ning Fu preferred men. Ning Fu pondered for a moment. Since she came to Linglong Terrace, it would seem suspicious if she didn’t have an escort. Thus, she said, “Find one who is tall and good at pouring tea.”

“Murong, come out and serve the Young Master.” The woman clapped her hands. In a short while, Ning Fu saw a tall, stately man walk out. Although he wore a mask, his bearing was already extraordinary, standing straight and tall like a jade statue, cool and detached, making people want to look twice.

“Young Master, you should have the person return. If you return to the residence like this, Madam will blame you,” Dong Zhu worried by her side.

The man glanced at Dong Zhu and then sat down next to Ning Fu.

“Are you one of the highest-grade young masters here?” Ning Fu mused inwardly. That woman just now was probably the manager here, pushing out these expensive young masters to maintain Linglong Terrace’s livelihood.

Murong poured her tea but remained silent.

“I haven’t brought enough silver today; it might only be enough to book you for half an hour,” Ning Fu said after some thought. “However, you are very handsome. If I come again next time, I will book you again.” Meeting with Divine Doctor Mu would not be a one-time event; it would be logical to frequent the place if she was captivated by someone here. Pretending to be engaged in frivolity was not difficult.

Murong asked coolly, “Is the Young Master here on business, or here for entertainment?”

Ning Fu lightly lifted his chin with the handle of her fan, smiling, “Naturally, I am here on business, but running into an exquisite piece like you, what harm is there in a little entertainment?”

The man wore a mask, so Ning Fu could not see him narrow his eyes or the cold, mocking curve on his lips. If the mask were removed, Ning Fu would recognize this man as that cold and emotionless Third Brother, Zong Si. Zong Si was here today to gather information incidentally, but he couldn’t be too conspicuous. Furthermore, Divine Doctor Mu surely wouldn’t trust someone Ning Fu brought herself, so he disguised himself as a member of Linglong Terrace to place himself by Ning Fu’s side, making it safer.

“How does the Young Master wish to entertain me?” he asked indifferently.

Ning Fu’s fan handle gently stroked his Adam’s apple and unintentionally slipped slightly inside his tightly buttoned collar. Indeed, she saw that although he remained outwardly calm, his Adam’s apple visibly rolled twice. This type—pretending to be serious and cold—was definitely more interesting than those who actively threw themselves at her.

“If I want to entertain you any way I wish, is that possible?” Ning Fu asked with a half-smile.