Chapter 70 Unrecognizable

When Ning Fu and Ning He returned to Zhuyuan, they were preparing to touch up their makeup.

"Fourth sister, this orchid hairpin on your head is so delicate." Ning He's eyes suddenly lit up.

Ning Fu was stunned, but she didn't remember wearing an orchid hairpin. Looking through the bronze mirror, she saw a piece of fine white jade with a transparent and delicate texture. The orchid was only the size of a thumb.

She reached out and took it off.

The hairpin is extremely thin, but the orchid on the head is very exquisite, with meticulous carving workmanship. The small flower has distinct petals, as thin as a cicada's wings, and blooms gracefully. A few stamens stand delicately, making the orchid lifelike and exquisite.

"Although this hairpin is small, it has not been overshadowed by the scarlet jade hairpin that your aunt gave you. It is most suitable for wearing when you wear your hair in a bun. But was it given to you by your brother?" Ning He thought about it and realized that the only person who could take the trouble to make this jade hairpin was Ning Zheng.

Nymph said nothing.

What Ning Zheng gave her was not a hairpin, but a flute used by Zhao Yi, a musician from the previous dynasty.

On the contrary, it was Zong Si who mentioned giving her a white magnolia hairpin, but it was unknown when he gave her the hairpin.

Nymph thought carefully, the only time he had the chance to put the hairpin on her was along the corridor. Then she remembered that the servant passing by was the closest to her.

When we returned the same way, of course we could no longer see him.

When Zong Ning saw Ning Fu, her mood, which had finally calmed down, began to ripple again. She unconsciously restrained her tone and said flatteringly, "Sister Ning."

She felt guilty for her brother. If there was really something going on between Sister Ning and her brother, it must have been because her brother forced him. If her brother didn't want to, no one could make things difficult for him.

"Sister Ning, Second Madam." Ning Fu greeted, but did not see Zong Si, which meant he must not have come here openly. However, since he could enter and leave the Ningguo Mansion in this way, she couldn't help but be wary.

"I haven't seen the Fourth Young Lady for more than half a year. I almost don't recognize her." Madam Zong Er said with a kind smile.

"How is the Second Madam these days?" Ning Fu asked with a smile.

"It's the same stuff every day in the palace. Apart from being a little boring, it's pretty okay." said Madam Zong Er.

"Sister Ning, you can come to the palace more often in the future." Zong Ning added.

Ning Fu looked at Zong Ning strangely. Today, she was more enthusiastic towards her than usual.

As they were in front of others, Ning Fu couldn't just give the hairpin to Zong Ning directly, so she just smiled and agreed.

But she soon saw Zong Si, who was standing at the corner of the corridor. He had obviously guessed that she was looking for him and wanted her to see him.

As Nymph passed by him, she whispered, "My Lord, follow me."

Zong Si had been looking at her calmly at first, but when he saw her speak, he started to follow her slowly.

If other places were not unsafe, she would not have brought him to Zhuyuan. Dongzhu saw Zong Si with a complicated expression and went to keep watch in an orderly manner.

Bamboo Garden is Nymph's bedroom. The lady has a lot of stuff. It is just like the Jinghua Residence in her dreams, filled with lovely and exquisite objects.

This made him a little distracted.

"Please take a seat, Your Majesty," said Ning Fu.

Zong Si sat beside her bamboo couch and could faintly smell the usual gardenia scent wafting from her bedroom. From the corner of his eye, he could also see her underwear hanging on the screen.

He took a glance, some beautiful scenes flashed through his mind, then he looked away and took a sip of tea.

After all, he was still a young boy when it came to matters between men and women, and just thinking about that day was enough to make his ears blush.

...Nymph was a little confused for a moment when she saw him like this.

But she did not think much about it, but placed the white magnolia hairpin in front of him, frowned and looked distant, and said with a subtle sarcasm: "Prince, you told me before that I didn't want it, so why did you find this hairpin in my hands today?"

"Today is your coming-of-age ceremony, wear it. You and I have had..." Seeing her pale and cold face, Zong Si did not say the words "husband and wife". After thinking for a while, he said, "The rumors are not good for you, so it's better to wear it."

"Those are superstitious words."

Zong Si said, "I am not a superstitious person, but today's matter concerns you. I am that man, and I don't want you to have a bad life because of this."

It was originally to avoid owing her anything.

However, Ning Fu felt that there was a more important reason. If she encountered any trouble in the future, it would be attributed to this "retribution". It would cause countless troubles for him, so he naturally had to prevent future troubles.

"There are many men who go to brothels before getting married. They won't suffer retribution, and neither will I." Ning Fu lowered her eyebrows. In fact, what she wanted to say was that if Zong Si wouldn't do that, then neither would she, but there was no need to offend him.

Zong Si felt that this was a bit of a hidden meaning. He rubbed his forehead and said calmly, "I have never had other women. The reason you felt bad last time might be because it was my first time."

Ningfu didn't expect that he remembered this, but she didn't mean to hurt him. It was also difficult to comfort him on this matter, and she was speechless for a moment.

"Does it really feel that bad?" He looked at her.

Nymph said: "This is not an important matter."

This made Zong Si silent.

"You said you don't like me at all. Is it because you already have a guy you like?" Zong Si asked suddenly after a moment. He even knew who it was.

In fact, when he calmed down and thought about it in recent days, he realized that he was not completely indifferent to this issue.

He has always been aloof and flattered, and he is the only one who dislikes others. On that day, she acted as if she had no feelings for him, and occasionally showed affection towards Lu Xingzhi in front of him. Naturally, he was unwilling to accept this.

Originally, he thought he was her husband, and he could say it was out of a sense of responsibility. But now, the dream that Lu Xingzhi described meant that he might not be her husband. He could no longer tell himself that it was out of a sense of responsibility.

If it was out of a sense of responsibility, he should have been relieved when he found out that Lu Xingzhi was her husband, instead of minding that they were a couple.

Of course, the fact that this was so different from what he had imagined was one of the reasons. Before Ning Fu returned to Beijing, he had already carefully considered the marriage. Even if he didn't like her, he would definitely not treat her unfairly.

But he didn't expect that she refused so bluntly that he lost his composure.

Ning Fu was stunned for a moment, then lowered her eyes and said, "Whether it's true or not, it's my private matter. I hope the prince won't embarrass me."

Zong Si pressed in a calm voice, "You don't want to tell me, are you afraid that I will target you?"

"If I didn't know the prince well enough and he cared so much, I would have thought he was jealous." Ning Fu smiled and tried to defuse the situation. However, she knew that it was the man's possessiveness at work. He didn't even love Xie Ruyi. He was clearly a selfish and unfeeling person.

Zong Si paused.

"I am wearing a white magnolia hairpin today. Can you please stop caring about my rejection of you that day?" Ning Fu said.

Zong Si was silent for a moment and said "hmm".

Ning Fu did not want to keep him any longer, and wanted to find out how familiar he was with the Ningguo Mansion, so she asked Dongzhu to see him off, while she herself rushed to the coming-of-age banquet.

As soon as they separated, Ning Fu saw Lu Xingzhi coming over and said, "Mr. Lu."

"I'm here to give the fourth young lady her coming-of-age ceremony." Lu Xingzhi said.

Not far away, the man stopped but did not look back.

There were people coming and going here, and the two of them did not avoid people and were open and honest with each other. Moreover, Lu Xingzhi had taught her riding and archery, so he could be considered her "master", so even if the two of them were talking, there was no suspicion of impropriety.

Lu Xingzhi glanced at the man not far away, and seemed to recognize him, but also seemed not to. After retracting his gaze, he handed her the box, which turned out to be a wooden hairpin. He said, "I gave a wooden hairpin to the fourth girl before. I have experience in carving this one more delicately."

Although the wooden hairpin was not unique, it had a different kind of beauty. Nymph liked some wood carvings, and the wood used here was something she had never seen before, so it must be very valuable. This hairpin touched her heart.

Ning Fu saw several fine wounds on his hands and couldn't help but ask worriedly, "Did Master Lu clean the wounds?"

"It doesn't hurt." Lu Xingzhi's eyes were full of smiles, and he said, "This is made of blood sandalwood, which symbolizes wealth and peace, turning misfortune into good fortune, and a good start. Today is your coming-of-age ceremony, so it's inconvenient to wear the hairpin given by a man outside, so you can keep it for later use."

"So it is blood sandalwood. I heard that this thing no longer exists in Dayan. Mr. Lu must have spent a lot of effort to find this wood." Ning Fu said with some admiration. To be able to get this wood, Lu Xingzhi must have some ability. Even if Emperor Jingwen sent people to look for it, it might not be useful.

Lu Xingzhi looked at the man again and explained, "When I went to Langya to investigate the matter of Elder Song, I asked for this item from a nobleman. There is only one piece of blood sandalwood in Dayan."

That noble man was Zong Si, but he naturally would not mention him in front of Ning Fu.

Lu Xingzhi had thought about giving Zong Si a chance before, but Ning Fu didn’t like him, and he wasn’t nice to Ning Fu either, so it would be better for the two of them not to have any further involvement.

"Let me take Mr. Lu to treat the wound on his hand first." Ning Fu asked with concern.

In fact, when facing Lu Xingzhi and Zong Si, her heart was biased. For example, her concern for Lu Xingzhi was very genuine, but towards Zong Si, it was a bit fake.

She might not notice it, but Zong Si is the one who can feel it the most.

Not far away, the man raised his foot and left without looking back.

When Dongzhu saw Zong Si off, she didn't dare to say a word.

"Take good care of your girl." He said lightly before leaving.

Ning Fu called a doctor to treat Lu Xingzhi's wound, while she herself went to the banquet.

When Ning Fu walked to Xie Ruyi, the latter smiled politely at her and said, "You are not in the capital, and the female ruler in the school has no idea about everything, which makes An Ning very busy."

"When Sister Xie was no longer in the school, I was like a headless fly, not knowing what to do with many things." Ning Fu still admired Xie Ruyi very much.

"How are your marriage negotiations with him going?" Xie Ruyi suddenly asked.

Ninfu was stunned at first, then her mood became complicated. She didn't expect that she had guessed it.

"I don't think he would be schemed by your grandmother unless he wanted to." Xie Ruyi smiled, a little bitter, and then let it go, saying, "But his marriage with me failed, and his marriage has not been finalized. I think he is waiting for someone, and considering your grandmother, it can only be you."

Nymph shook her head.

Xie Ruyi was somewhat surprised, and then said: "I originally thought that he was somewhat sincere towards you. When he returned to Beijing from Yongzhou, I ran into him going to Xiangshan Temple."

Xiangshan Temple is also very accurate in praying for marriage.

The two met by chance and exchanged a few polite words.

Xie Ruyi asked him politely at that time: "Are you here to find an abbot for Princess Xuan?"

"Calculate the marriage." Zong Si said.

Xie Ruyi felt a little complicated at that time.

And he, who did not believe in these things, was considered pious that day.

When he saw that it was an excellent fortune, there was actually a hint of genuine smile between his brows.

At that moment, Xie Ruyi felt that he finally became like a normal young man and was also looking forward to getting married.