The Night Before the Divorce, She Was Reborn to Before Her Marriage - Chapter 56

If Yue Niang hadn’t made that mistake years ago, would Zong Si have taken her as his woman? In her heart, Ning Fu already knew the answer.

Lords of Zong Si’s age usually had concubines. Given the status of the Prince of Xuan’s mansion, they certainly would have arranged them for him long ago. Growing up surrounded by such adoration, he wouldn’t have been averse to the idea of taking a concubine.

Moreover, if he hadn’t intended to take Yue Niang, why would the Princess of Xuan even consider an unknown woman from the north? It was clear he had nudged his mother toward Yue Niang, and she had simply followed his lead.

It was only because Yue Niang made a mistake later that the matter was dropped.

Listening to her now, Yue Niang’s eyes flickered with emotion. As Ning Fu expected, she did not deny it.

“Fourth Lady, the past is no longer meaningful. Now, I am only grateful for the Heir’s protection. I only hope to do what little I can for him to atone for my mistakes,” Yue Niang said softly and sincerely.

Ning Fu asked no more.

Upon reflection, the fact that Zong Si was willing to bring Yue Niang back to the capital suggested he might have harbored desire for her; it wasn’t necessarily just out of the goodness of his heart. How could a man as suspicious as he easily trust a woman in distress?

He had simply taken an interest, confident that even if she had ulterior motives, she could never escape his grasp.

No man is immune to beauty; there are only those who hide it and those who don’t. No matter how cold or ascetic Zong Si appeared, he was still a man. He was no exception.

As for what Yue Niang was truly thinking, Ning Fu didn’t want to dwell on it.

Returning to the West Court, Ning Fu slept deeply until dawn, when a sudden chill woke her. Her heart felt heavy; with so much happening tonight, it wasn’t impossible for someone to try and kidnap her to threaten her grandmother.

“Dong Zhu,” she called out in a low voice.

There was no answer. Dong Zhu never left her side at night and was always there the moment she was called. She had never disappeared like this before.

Ning Fu’s heart sank. It wasn’t fully light yet. She stayed still on the bed for a moment, but when no one moved, she reached out in the dark to light the oil lamp by the canopy bed.

In the flickering light, she saw Zong Si sitting on the daybed. His expression was unreadable.

Ning Fu pulled the quilt over herself, remaining silent. Zong Si watched her with an enigmatic gaze for a moment before walking over. Without a shred of propriety, he reached out and lifted her chin.

His grip wasn’t forceful—in fact, his strength was restrained—but the gesture itself was entirely inappropriate.

Ning Fu frowned at his high-and-mighty attitude. “Have some self-respect, Heir.”

“That maid of yours has so little vigilance; you should dismiss her sooner,” Zong Si said. When he had appeared tonight, the maid hadn’t noticed a thing. She was sleeping too soundly. He detested servants who couldn’t protect their masters.

“What did you do to her?”

“She’ll wake up after a short nap.”

Ning Fu thought for a moment. “How Dong Zhu behaves is my business. She doesn’t interfere with you, so I hope you won’t judge the people around me.”

“To those who don’t know better, it would seem this girl is your half-sister,” Zong Si remarked, his tone hostile.

“You don’t understand Dong Zhu,” Ning Fu said, displeased. “She has virtues you know nothing about. Why judge someone so superficially?”

“Is it because you grew close to Lu Xingzhi today that you are being so cold to me?” Zong Si demanded, his voice turning icy at her sharp tone.

“It’s not just Lord Lu. In the future, there might be a Lord Xie or a Lord Ye. There are so many handsome gentlemen in this world; I like them all,” Ning Fu retorted. She wasn’t just spiteful; she was trying to draw his fire away from Lu Xingzhi.

“You have quite a temper,” Zong Si mused after a silence.

“How would I dare find fault with the Heir?” Ning Fu gave him a false smile. “Even if you make me wait for half an hour—or even a day or two—I must endure it. I am the one asking for your help; what else can I do?”

“I was bathing at the time,” he said, gauging her reaction.

“Whatever you say, Heir,” Ning Fu replied. She didn’t believe him. Did he take her for an innocent girl who didn’t know the ways of the world? She knew exactly why he had made her wait.

Zong Si looked at her. “If the Fourth Lady doesn’t mind seeing a man’s body, next time this happens, I shall simply invite you in.”

“Since you’re being so generous, why don’t you strip right now?” Ning Fu mocked his excuses. She knew she shouldn’t be so impulsive, but the thought of Yue Niang—reminding her of the “hidden beauty” he kept in the north in her past life—made her lose control.

It wasn’t about love; it was a lingering grievance for her past self. Even if she had moved on, the memory of that pain was not easily forgotten.

Zong Si went still, his thoughts unknown.

“The Heir is pampered and delicate,” Ning Fu smiled. “Perhaps you feel your physique cannot compare to gentlemen who train every day?”

In truth, Zong Si had spent much time in military camps. Coupled with his natural build, his physique was among the best of any noble lord. She was intentionally insulting him.

Zong Si asked coldly, “Afu, who exactly do you think I cannot compare to?”

“Many people,” she replied with a shimmering, playful smile.

Zong Si pursed his lips. He knelt with one knee on the edge of the bed and pulled her hand toward his belt. The moment she touched him, she could feel the power in his core. She tried to pull away, but he held her hand firm.

“Many people? Like your Lord Lu?” Zong Si’s voice was low. He still remembered that scene in the rockery.

“I wasn’t talking about him,” Ning Fu countered immediately.

“Protecting him already?” he asked meaningfully.

“I’m not.”

“If you want to see, do it yourself.”

Ning Fu didn’t move. Zong Si gave a cold, quiet laugh. “Don’t you dare?” It sounded like a whispered, provocative challenge.

Ning Fu breathed softly, making no answer. She saw his gaze move from her face down to her lips, where it lingered. His eyes grew dark.

She had a bad feeling and lowered her eyelids quickly. Zong Si leaned down until he was barely an inch away. He thought of Lu Xingzhi tonight—how he had asked her to call him “husband” and held her. The memory made his gaze turn frigid.

In their previous life, he was the one who had been her husband. Lu Xingzhi’s actions had infuriated him to the core.

Suddenly, Princess Kangyang arrived, pushing the door open and walking straight in.

Ning Fu reflexively pushed Zong Si to the inner side of the bed. Between the curtains, the air was filled with her scent—the faint, intoxicating fragrance of gardenias.

She scrambled to throw on her dress and got out of bed. “Grandmother.”

“I heard you were wandering around in the middle of the night. Why weren’t you in your room? Where did you run off to?” Kangyang asked, picking up a cup of tea as if casually.

Ning Fu scrambled for an excuse. Knowing she couldn’t hide everything, she mentioned Lu Xingzhi. “Lord Lu was so drunk today; I was worried, so I went to check on him.”

“If that’s all it was, fine. I only fear you’ve been bewitched by that Zong youth. He looks down on you, yet you still go running to him,” Kangyang said with a meaningful expression.

With Zong Si still hidden in her bed, Ning Fu was terrified her grandmother would say something worse. While she had gone to see him, it was for business, not romance. She knew his heartlessness better than anyone. “Why did Grandmother come so early?”

Kangyang smiled but said no more, clearly calculating something.

“I have much to attend to lately; do not wander off. Although I have influence in Yongzhou, it is not an unbreakable monolith,” Kangyang sighed.

Ning Fu realized her grandmother had sensed something. Glancing toward the bed, she intentionally asked, “Grandmother, although Li Fang targeted my late uncle first, his crimes didn’t warrant death. What you did… was too much.”

Kangyang disliked being judged, but seeing her granddaughter’s worry, she couldn’t stay angry. She said coldly, “I only intended to give him a lesson. I didn’t expect him to die.”

She already knew. This was exactly what Ning Fu wanted Zong Si to hear.

“Grandmother, don’t you think his death was too suspicious?” Ning Fu pressed.

Kangyang was silent for a long time. “His death was indeed not that simple. But with me here, you need not worry. If anything happens in the coming days, look for your Cousin Jingcheng.”

She had to leave early, which was why she had stopped by. Before leaving, she cast a lingering look toward the bed.

When Ning Fu returned to the bedside and opened the curtains, Zong Si was gone. She knew he wouldn’t believe her words alone, which was why she had staged the conversation about Li Fang.

The day after the birthday banquet, the Princess Mansion felt unusually quiet. That afternoon, Ning Fu met Lu Xingzhi again.

The meeting was awkward for her, but he remained as unreadable as ever.

“I am returning to Liangzhou today,” Lu Xingzhi said, looking at her.

“Lord Lu, since your tolerance for wine is poor, you should drink less in the future,” Ning Fu said caringly.

“Alright,” he said seriously. “If you say so, I won’t drink.”

Ning Fu felt conflicted. They had no formal relationship; he didn’t have to listen to her. Such an attitude made it hard not to overthink things. She did want a husband who was this obedient, but now was not the time for romance.

“Will the Heir… target you?” she asked worriedly.

“The Heir is not a petty man,” Lu Xingzhi replied gravely.

Ning Fu felt a bit embarrassed, as if she were flatteringly assuming Zong Si cared enough about a romantic rivalry to interfere with business.

“Last night was my fault,” Lu Xingzhi said, his guilt obvious, yet strangely incomplete.

“It was an accident. Do not dwell on it,” Ning Fu comforted him.

Lu Xingzhi said no more. Before leaving, he met with Zong Si to discuss Liangzhou affairs. There seemed to be no friction between them.

However, after their official business was concluded, Lu Xingzhi spoke up. “There is one thing I wish to make clear to the Heir.”

He paused, then said firmly: “I like the Fourth Lady.”