Chapter 44

Before Fu'er could react, Ning Shiyu's cold gaze swept over Fu'er's sleeve as she tugged at Zhu Ping's sleeve.

His expression instantly turned cold.

Fu'er's heart skipped a beat upon seeing this, and she instinctively withdrew her hand.

Seeing Ning Shiyu's imposing presence, unlike his earlier coldness towards Fu'er, the officer's tone turned colder, "And who are you?"

Mu Li stepped forward and shouted, "He is the owner of this silk clothing shop. Officials, please release him immediately!"

"Don't make a mistake in a moment of confusion, or it will be too late to regret it later."

Taking advantage of the moment, Ning Shiyu walked up to Fu'er and grabbed her little hand.

He pulled the person closer to him, silently asserting his dominance.

This conveniently blocked Zhu Ping's view.

Hearing the domineering tone of the other party, the two officers' faces turned pale and then red, realizing that the other party was no ordinary person.

But he felt a little embarrassed, after all, he was wearing a constable's armor.

After exchanging a glance, the two did not argue with Mu Li and took Zhu Ping away.

Just then, constables from the county government arrived with another group of officials.

Seeing the foolish thing his subordinates had done, the constable immediately reprimanded them: "Release them immediately! I will report your account to the magistrate."

The two officers holding Zhu Ping heard their leader speak.

He had no choice but to release Zhu Ping, looking timid.

The constable clasped his hands in a fist and said to Ning Shiyu, "Young Master Ning, I am truly sorry, I will go and arrest the real criminal right away."

Ning Shiyu nodded and responded with a faint smile.

A moment later, the constables, accompanied by several officers, went straight into the silk clothing store.

To everyone's astonishment, the criminal they were talking about was actually Manager Li.

He struggled all the way, shouting that he was innocent.

The constables, annoyed by his noise, immediately stuffed a piece of cloth into his mouth.

When she saw Ning Shiyu, her face turned pale. She ran towards him, but was pulled away by Constable He.

The shop's customers were so frightened that they quickly dodged away.

As soon as the officials left, the female customers all looked at Ning Shiyu, noticing that the owner of the silk clothing store was still so young and handsome.

They all blushed and began to whisper among themselves.

They blocked the entrance to the Lingyi Shop, unwilling to leave.

After Mu Li and Zhuang Xing dispersed the crowd, the area in front of the shop became clear.

Ning Shiyu said to Zhu Ping indifferently, "It's nothing. Go back and continue with the accounts."

Zhu Ping stood frozen in place, his eyes fixed on Fu'er behind him.

Fu'er pushed Ning Shiyu away and wanted to talk to Zhu Ping.

But Ning Shiyu pulled him to her side again.

With a gloomy face, he said coldly to Zhu Ping, "You did a good job this time, and I will reward you accordingly."

"Don't even think about anything else."

Then he pulled Fu'er, who kept struggling, away.

Juanjuan was stunned when she saw this scene.

Even his brother's joy at being safe and sound couldn't overshadow his curiosity about Fu'er and their master.

After realizing what had happened, a sense of unease crept into her mind. "Brother, has Sister Fu'er already been taken away by your employer?"

Zhu Ping looked somber. "You don't need to worry about these things."

"I'm fine now, you can go back."

"Don't tell your parents what happened today."

Juanjuan was reluctant to leave, but after receiving the money from her brother, she happily agreed.

Fu'er, who was forced onto the carriage, was furious the whole way.

They sat far away from Ning Shiyu.

"Why are you pulling me? I still have something to say to Zhu Ping."

Ning Shiyu said in frustration, "We've been apart for so long, don't you have anything to say to me?"

"They don't care at all whether I come back or not?"

"Is he more important to you than me?"

As Ning Shiyu spoke, he coughed slightly. Only then did Fu'er notice that he looked weathered and somewhat tired.

Fu'er's heart softened, and she couldn't help but ask worriedly, "What's wrong with you?"

I thought you wouldn't ask.

Hearing Fu'er's concern for him, Ning Shiyu's eyes lit up, and he immediately moved to Fu'er's side.

Ignoring her resistance, he held her tightly in his arms.

I buried my face in her chest, smelling her familiar scent, and my heart calmed down.

After days of travel, I was enveloped in warmth at this moment, and the tension and fatigue of the past few days were swept away.

Knowing that Mu Li was still outside the car, Fu'er's cheeks flushed red, and she said in a panic, "Let me go!"

Ning Shiyu hugged her tighter and tighter, saying, "Fu'er, don't move, let me hold you."

"I miss you."

Fu'er felt as if she had been lightly bumped in the chest, and forgot to struggle.

Then he said softly, "I asked the shaman goddess, and our... child is doing very well."

When Ning Shiyu suddenly mentioned the child, Fu'er felt a sharp pain in her heart, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Ning Shiyu felt a pang of heartache and lowered his head to press his forehead tightly against Fu'er's.

Her voice was heavy with sorrow, "Fu'er, it's all my fault."

"It was my mistake. You can blame me, but you can't push me away."

"Can you really let go of the friendship you've built over so many years?"

Fu'er's eyes were red and her heart was heavy. How could she not blame Ning Shiyu for his heartlessness in driving her away that night? She still remembered it vividly.

Just as he was about to voice his complaints, he heard Ning Shiyu's coughing becoming more and more frequent, and he couldn't help but feel worried.

The complaint that was about to come out turned into, "Can you drink the medicine?"

Hearing that she still cared about him, Ning Shiyu felt much more at ease. His gaze burned with passion as he kissed Fu'er's red lips.

He swallowed her unspoken words, his thin lips gently caressing the soft flesh of Fu'er's lower lip.

The moment the tongue pried open her jaw, Fu'er couldn't help but shudder.

Unconsciously, her fingertips tightened around the robe on his chest.

Their heartbeats pounded wildly in their chests like drumbeats, and he stole their breaths, leaving only the sensation of their lips and teeth entwined.

Fu'er couldn't give any more response; her body was gradually surrendering, and her nose was filled with his scent.

While she was still somewhat lucid, she pushed against Ning Shiyu's chest.

However, in the end, it couldn't withstand Ning Shiyu's fervent passion.

She was completely captivated by his deep affection.

Uncle Qi and Mu Li, who were outside the car, blushed upon hearing the intimate sounds inside.

Uncle Qi was driving the carriage, and they were almost at Ning's residence.

Knowing that the two people in the carriage wouldn't stop anytime soon, he asked Mu Li, who was beside him, to make a decision.

"Guard Mu, the master didn't give any orders, where are we going?"

Mu Li, whose hearing was always excellent, had already plugged his ears and coughed a few times. "Let's go to the Prince of Qin's residence."

Uncle Qi hesitated and said, "I just came back from the Prince's mansion."

Mu Li frowned and said dryly, "The furthest place is there."

"Young master is in good health and can last a long time."

After listening to Mu Li's explanation, Uncle Qi's old face turned bright red with embarrassment, and he uttered two "oh" sounds.

It's unclear how much time passed before the two people in the carriage finally stopped.

Fu'er lay softly on Ning Shiyu's body.

Ning Shiyu helped her put on her clothes, straightened her crooked hair, and then kissed her forehead.

"Would you like to come back to the Ning residence with me?"

One sentence instantly brought Fu'er to her senses. She sat up from Ning Shiyu's arms and moved to the dark cabinet next to her.

Ning Shiyu's carriage was luxuriously decorated and fully equipped.

It was as if his side room had been moved in.

Inside, there was nothing missing, including desks, chairs, chests, and cabinets.

The incense burner, the lamps, and even the vase on the incense stand were all extraordinary items.

The flowers in this vase are the same wildflowers that Fu'er replaced last time.

Mu Li didn't clean it up either, and after so long, the flowers inside had all withered.

She looked somewhat dazed, but her tone was very firm: "I'm not going back to the Ning residence. Take me to the shop on Qingyu Street."

Ning Shiyu's eyes darkened, but he didn't press the matter. He took out a multi-treasure cabinet from under the incense table.

The room was full of snacks and pastries, and Fu'er secretly swallowed.

"This is something I brought back from Lingnan. Try it."

Fu'er has always loved to eat and can't control her appetite, not to mention the things Ning Shiyu has prepared in the car.

She ate almost all of it, and out of habit, she subconsciously reached out to take it.

Before his hand could even reach the display cabinet, it suddenly retreated.

Thinking back to how many times I had been tricked by Ning Shiyu, it was all because I was greedy for this kind of food.

At this moment, my mind returned to normal, and I couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "What exactly happened with Zhu Ping?"

"Why was it Manager Li who was taken away in the end?"

Ning Shiyu placed the snacks directly in front of her and said unhurriedly, "Uncle Hong noticed long ago that there was something wrong with the accounts of Lingyifang."

After discussing it, they sent Zhu Ping to the shop.

"You mean, the real problem is with Manager Li?"

"Exactly."

Ning Shiyu didn't want to tell Fu'er too much, so he just said a few words and moved on.

Things weren't actually that simple.

Manager Li followed Ning Shiyu from Chang'an to Lingyang. He was steady in his dealings and very good at business.

He was related to the Ning family, which is why Ning Shiyu valued him highly.

They arranged for him to work at the Lingyi Workshop.

He had taken a fancy to a young woman who, though she had been married before, had died of illness.

He returned to the old lady's side once again.

Last time when Madam Ning came to Lingyang, she met with Manager Li.

The two people in position acted as matchmakers.

Now, this woman has become a mistress kept by Manager Li outside the home.

Manager Li also got involved with the old lady of the Ning family.

The clothing store was doing well, making tens of thousands of taels of silver in profit every month.

Secretly, he transferred a considerable amount of money to the old lady of the Ning family.

Over time, flaws will inevitably emerge, and Uncle Hong also discovered the problem.

Uncle Li bribed all the shop assistants, but he couldn't bribe Zhu Ping.

He was unaware that Zhu Ping was his boss's spy planted in the shop.

Unable to bribe him, he framed someone else.

Who would have thought that Ning Shiyu would return so promptly.

We caught him just in time.

"Did you just return to Lingyang today?"

Ning Shiyu moved to Fu'er's side and rested his head on her thin shoulder.

He replied in a low voice, "I just returned from the Prince of Qin's residence when I heard Uncle Hong's report."

"We haven't returned to the Ning residence yet."

"If you won't come back to the manor with me today, I'll come and fetch you tomorrow, shall I?"

After all that, Ning Shiyu returned to this topic.

"I told you before I left Lingyang that I would come back to pick you up."

The tone seemed to imply that Fu'er wasn't returning to the Ning residence because she was waiting for him to pick her up.

No matter how much he pleaded, Fu'er wouldn't budge, saying, "Even if you come to pick me up, I won't go back to the Ning residence."

"Tell Uncle Qi that I need to go back to Qingyu Street."

The two inside the car were so engrossed in their lovemaking that they were oblivious to what was happening outside.

Before Ning Shiyu could soothe Fu'er, he heard Mu Li outside stammering, "Young Master..."

Ning Shiyu was already annoyed because he couldn't bring Fu'er back, and then he heard him interrupt him.

He asked in an annoyed tone, "What is it?"

"It's all my fault. I came to the Prince of Qin's residence without your permission."

"Now, the gate of the Prince's Mansion is full of people... watching... our carriage."

"The car was shaking violently just now, and it attracted quite a few passersby."

Mu Li misjudged the situation; he had assumed that the two would stop once they arrived at the Prince of Qin's residence.

Who would have thought that his master had such a strong back?

The carriage had been running for so long, but the two of them hadn't stopped.

He didn't dare to disturb their good time.

Fu'er heard so many people watching her and Ning Shiyu from outside the car.

Embarrassed, her cheeks flushed red, and she punched Ning Shiyu in the chest.

"It's all your fault, how can I face anyone now?"

Ning Shiyu grasped Fu'er's small fist without showing any panic, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her little hand: "It was my oversight."

"Let's go now."

"Uncle Qi is returning to Ning Residence."

Mu Li replied, "Master can't leave. The Princess is coming this way."