The Night Before the Divorce, She Was Reborn to Before Her Marriage - Chapter 5

If a man was already engaged, the Duke of Ning’s residence, no matter how much they wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Prince’s residence, would have to give up.

Besides, among the countless noblewomen in the capital, the second Miss Xie Ru-Yi was also a top contender, sought after by many young masters. To avoid any further complications, Zong Duo thought it would be best to settle the marriage as soon as possible.

To put it more plainly, they might not be able to beat everyone else to it.

“The situation in the palace is still unclear. It is too early to talk about marriage,” Zong Si said. The Emperor’s suspicion hung over them like a sword. He was afraid that the Emperor would interpret an alliance between the Prince of Xuan’s residence and the Duke of Qing’s residence as a bid for power.

With the Crown Prince not yet appointed, it was indeed a time of many troubles. Zong Duo had no choice but to say no more.

.

During the several hours Ning Fu and Lady Ning were at the Prince of Xuan’s residence, neither of the two young masters of marriageable age appeared.

Lady Ning naturally understood what this meant: the Prince of Xuan’s residence had no intention of a marriage alliance.

Fortunately, Lady Ning didn’t either. She didn’t like such high-and-mighty families. For example, in her own marriage, even though she had married into a lower-ranked family, Ning Zhen-Yuan barely dared to show her any attitude.

After lunch, Lady Ning excused herself.

Before leaving, Ning Fu said to the Princess of Xuan, “Boiling winter snow with osmanthus, honeysuckle, and zephyr lily into a paste is extremely effective for treating rash scars. Your Highness can give it a try.”

In her previous life, Ning Fu had been scalded and had spent a lot of time and effort to find this scar-removing formula.

Just thinking about the source of the formula, Ning Fu’s mind suddenly stirred. If she were to use this formula to make some money, she could probably make a fortune.

The Princess of Xuan raised her eyebrows but only gave a perfunctory smile and thanked her, saying, “You are so thoughtful to remember.”

Ning Fu didn’t say anything more. Her former mother-in-law was a person who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside and was actually easy to get along with, though she looked a bit intimidating. The Princess of Xuan was a beauty, and she would definitely try her formula.

After Ning Fu and her mother left, Lady Zong praised, “That fourth Miss Ning has grown into such a lovely young lady.”

“Have you taken a liking to her?” the Princess of Xuan glanced at her.

Lady Zong shook her head and said, “Although I like her appearance, my second son is not as steady and willing to listen to advice as the third young master. I’ve never been able to decide his affairs.”

The Princess of Xuan sighed inwardly.

Everyone thought Zong Si was steady and restrained, but they didn’t know that he was just as stubborn.

When he was young, he didn’t want to study and was beaten with a military stick by his father in the army. He was in so much pain that he couldn’t get out of bed for three months, but he never gave in. It was only when he was willing to learn on his own that he became the talented third young master of both literary and military arts.

If he did something, it was because he wanted to do it, and no one could force him.

He seemed cold and rational, but in reality, he was both cold and stubborn. She didn’t know if the second Miss Xie would be able to handle him when they married.

.

Two days later, Ning Fu returned to the academy.

The academy was divided into a women’s academy and a men’s academy. It was founded by the Ministry of Rites during the establishment of the dynasty and was the most famous academy in the Great Yan Dynasty.

Almost all the talented officials in the Great Yan Dynasty came from the Fragrant Mountain Academy.

In other words, if one did not come from the Fragrant Mountain Academy, it would be difficult to climb the official ranks later on, because the officialdom also paid a lot of attention to “circles.” Naturally, they would use their own people first.

The women’s academy also had this kind of atmosphere.

And because of this “fellow student” relationship, the students in the same class were almost a community of interests. Even if their relationship was not good, they would not be on bad terms on the surface. On ordinary days, they would tacitly maintain their own circles.

In the academy, the young ladies were sitting in groups of two or three.

When they saw her, they greeted her and exchanged a few pleasantries.

Ning Fu smiled and replied, then went and sat next to Wei Zi-Yi.

“You’ve come back at the perfect time. You’ve made it just in time for the autumn hunt,” Wei Zi-Yi said with a smile when she saw her.

Ning Fu had rushed back to the academy for this autumn hunt.

The women of the Great Yan Dynasty did not advocate for martial arts, and the autumn hunt was usually only for men. This time, however, a Northern Qi envoy was visiting, and a Northern Qi princess had also come. The princess wanted to hunt, so the Emperor allowed the young ladies to attend as well.

She wanted to use the autumn hunt to solidify her riding and archery skills, since she hadn’t practiced for many years.

“Aren’t you curious as to why the women have to participate in the autumn hunt this time?” Wei Zi-Yi asked.

Ning Fu pretended not to know and asked, “Why?”

“The Northern Qi princess has come. Nomadic people are skilled in riding and archery and want to try out the hunting grounds of the Great Yan Dynasty. The Emperor naturally has to find some young ladies to keep her company,” Wei Zi-Yi said. She then leaned close to Ning Fu’s ear and whispered, “But I heard she’s also here to find a consort.”

Ning Fu did not remember the princess’s private affairs and didn’t care.

She only wanted to review her riding and archery skills.

This autumn hunt was unprecedented in scale. The academy arranged for the young ladies to ride in carriages in pairs.

Ning Fu’s companion was Zong Ning.

The two had not had much contact since they were young. Although there was no bad blood between them, they were not close, so after a few polite words, they went about their own business.

Although Ning Fu had a good impression of her former sister-in-law, she couldn’t bring herself to get close to her at this moment.

They hadn’t been on the road for long when someone suddenly called out Zong Ning’s name. The latter smiled and lifted the curtain, calling out, “Second Brother.”

Zong Duo’s gaze inadvertently swept into the carriage. He saw a familiar young lady reading a book. When she heard Zong Ning call out to him, she looked up. Without any makeup on, her eyes shone like stars. It was no exaggeration to say that she was breathtakingly beautiful.

Zong Duo’s heart, which had been dormant for more than 20 years, inexplicably skipped a beat!

“I just picked some wild fruits. They taste good. I brought them for you to try,” he said, already feeling a little embarrassed, and quickly averted his gaze.

“Thank you, Second Brother,” Zong Ning said happily. After eating a steady diet of exotic delicacies, eating wild fruit once in a while had a unique flavor.

Zong Duo couldn’t help but ask, “Which young lady is with you in the carriage?”

Zong Ning said, “It’s Miss Ning from the Duke of Ning’s residence.”

Zong Duo frowned. The woman was Ning Fu, the fourth Miss Ning.

He naturally knew her, but he had only seen her from a distance most of the time, and he hadn’t gotten a good look at her face at the Prince of Xuan’s residence that day. In his memory, she was just a little girl, so even though she looked familiar, he hadn’t thought it was Ning Fu.

No wonder the Duke of Ning’s residence had the confidence to send another daughter. It was because the fourth Miss Ning had some charm!

“Call me if you need anything,” Zong Duo said, his mood complicated. After instructing his sister, he lowered the curtain.

Zong Ning divided the wild fruits and said, “Although my second brother looks strong and seems like a reckless man, he’s actually a very good person.”

Ning Fu nodded in agreement. Zong Duo was a military general. He just didn’t speak much, but in her previous life, he had taken great care of her and was very good to his wife and children. Because he was so upright and loyal, she had a good impression of him.

Halfway through the journey, Zong Ning started to feel sleepy and took a nap.

Ning Fu, however, was wide awake. She had only eaten two of the fruits, and instead of satisfying her craving, it had only made her want more.

Outside the carriage, the second young master Zong was still riding alongside.

Ning Fu gently lifted a corner of the curtain. She couldn’t see outside but said in a low voice, “Second Young Master, are there any of these fruits at the autumn hunting grounds?”

But she didn’t know that the person outside the carriage was not the second young master but her former husband, the third young master Zong.

To a person with ulterior motives, Ning Fu’s action seemed intentional, as if she was deliberately looking for an excuse to talk to him.

Zong Si glanced at her. The silk curtain swayed gently in the autumn wind, with only one corner lifted. The hand of the person speaking was sometimes visible, sometimes hidden by the swaying curtain, delicate and boneless.

He coldly averted his gaze.

Ning Fu flattered him and said, “If there aren’t any, can I ask for some more? I heard that the second young master has always been kind and generous, so I dared to trouble you. I will repay you later, Second Young Master.”

The “repayment” a woman mentioned could have some hidden meanings, and flirting between a man and a woman was one of them. A young lady who could even critique her skills in the bedroom was probably not that innocent.

Zong Si’s expression was cold and aloof. The fourth Miss Ning was really not very clever to try to find a better horse while riding this one at the Prince of Xuan’s residence.

Ning Fu saw that he hadn’t spoken twice and thought he hadn’t heard her clearly. She lifted the curtain a little more so she could see him, but she didn’t expect the person riding alongside her to be Zong Si.

He sat on his horse, his close-fitting clothes accentuating his tall and straight posture. His demeanor was noble, cold, and aloof, and he was looking down at her at this moment.

She had expected to run into him during the autumn hunt, but she had only expected to see him from a distance. She didn’t expect to be so close to him. She could even clearly see the look of scrutiny on his face.

Ning Fu sat in the carriage, bowed slightly, and said, “My greetings, Crown Prince’s son.”

Even though the beauty’s bow was not perfect due to the moving carriage, it was still beautiful.

But a beauty was not necessarily pleasing.

Especially a fickle one.

“Fourth Miss Ning, are you really just looking for fruit?” Zong Si asked in a cold and profound tone.