25 Insomnia
◎ His Royal Highness Prince Zhao opened the carriage window a little further.◎
When Gu Ningxi came, she took the carriage of Prince Zhao's palace, and when she returned, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao first sent her back to the Xuanping Marquis's palace.
Gu Ningxi thanked him. The streets were already under curfew at this hour, so it would be more convenient to ride with His Highness.
The carriage rolled through the silent alley. Lu Jing opened a side window. Moonlight streamed in, accompanied by a gentle breeze.
The carriage was moving steadily, and Gu Ningxi, who was originally a little drunk, was gently blown by the wind and slowly sobered up.
Inadvertently, she met the gaze of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao and quickly realized that she might as well be drunk.
They had talked too much in Wangyun Tower just now, and now they were sitting quietly facing each other in the carriage. The atmosphere was really a bit weird.
Gu Ningxi leaned back uncomfortably. It was clearly a spacious and comfortable carriage, but why did it feel like they were too close to each other?
It’s okay during the day, the streets are bustling with people, and it’s okay to take a look at the street scenes.
It just so happens that it is late at night.
After a while of silence, Gu Ningxi felt that he should say something to break the silence. His Royal Highness Prince Zhao opposite him seemed to think the same.
Then she heard him remind her, "The jade crown that holds your hair is crooked."
Gu Ningxi reached out to help, but it was impossible to tie her hair back in front of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, so she could only tidy it up hastily.
She saw His Royal Highness Prince Zhao open the carriage window a little more.
After tying her hair, Gu Ningxi thought of a new topic and asked, "Your Highness, are you going to the polo match in three days?"
Lu Jing nodded, they could watch the game together.
Gu Ningxi smiled and said, "I heard that for the past half month, Wu Anhou and his men have been almost completely victorious, and it's hard to find an opponent."
For those who have been to the battlefield, riding a horse and playing polo are naturally no problem.
Lu Jing said, "If they lose, just wait and see if they still have the dignity to leave the house."
Lighthearted jokes dispelled the previous dullness, and during the casual chat, the street scenes on both sides of the road gradually became familiar.
When the carriage stopped, Sun Jing said, "Your Highness, the Marquis Xuanping's residence is ahead."
Gu Ningxi was almost sober and said goodbye to His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
The next two days, she went to the Ministry of Works' warehouse to look for books, so she did not report for duty at Prince Zhao's mansion.
After watching the green figure enter the side door of Marquis Xuanping's Mansion, Lu Jingfang ordered the carriage to turn back.
…
Around midnight, the mansion had fallen into silence.
Gu Ningxi saw the lights on in the main house of Leyouyuan from afar. When she opened the door, her mother was sitting at the table waiting for her as expected.
"Where have you been? Why are you back at this hour?" Madam Meng put down the embroidery in her hand and saw that Gu Ningxi's cheeks were flushed and there was a faint smell of alcohol on her body.
She was immediately startled: "You drank with others, how much did you drink?"
"Hmm... not much." Gu Ningxi couldn't count. She and His Royal Highness Prince Zhao were having a great time chatting, and before they knew it, they were drinking. However, she had some sense of propriety, and stopped when she realized she was half drunk.
Madam Meng ordered her maid to make some hangover soup and then pulled Gu Ningxi over to her side, interrogating her one by one: "Who else was at the table? Why are they staying up so late?"
"Your Highness Prince Zhao, is it his birthday?" Gu Ningxi half-leaned on his mother's shoulder. "Mother, I'm so sleepy. Can I ask tomorrow?"
She could hardly open her eyes. Seeing how sleepy she looked, Mrs. Meng could only suppress her doubts for the time being.
After all, there are servants accompanying him, so it is impossible that Xier is the only one at His Royal Highness Prince Zhao's table.
By the time the cooked hangover soup was served, Gu Ningxi, who had just washed up, was already fast asleep.
Mrs. Meng sighed, stroked her daughter's still blushing cheek with her fingertips, and carefully tucked the corner of the quilt for her.
She gazed at her daughter's sleeping face for a moment, her eyes tender enough to overflow with tears. Before leaving, Madam Meng softly instructed the maid, "When Xi'er wakes up tomorrow, remember to have her go to Xuanhe Courtyard to pay her respects."
"Yes, ma'am." Yin Lan bowed and saw her off.
The night was dark, and Gu Ningxi was sleeping peacefully on the couch, completely unaware that someone was tossing and turning in the bedroom of Prince Zhao's mansion.
It was already past midnight, and the young eunuch on night watch said sensibly, "Your Highness, would you like someone to make you a bowl of calming soup?"
"No need, please leave."
Unable to fall asleep, Lu Jing simply put on his clothes and got up.
He didn't know why he felt uneasy tonight. When he closed his eyes, he saw Yuan Le's drunken appearance.
In the second half of the night, the moonlight illuminated a corner of the bedroom.
All the birthday gifts delivered to Prince Zhao's mansion in the past two days have been compiled into a list and moved into the warehouse. Only one new item has been added to the antique shelf on the north side of the bedroom.
The waterwheel made of sandalwood is placed in the most conspicuous position in the center, and twenty-three small bamboo tubes turn in sequence under the push of a mechanism.
The newly ascended bamboo tube, carved with Wan Hui, a deity known for its ability to predict good and bad fortune, resolve difficulties, and protect travelers returning home, seemed unable to resolve Prince Zhao's confusion tonight.
…
Remembering his mother's instructions, Gu Ningxi left work early in the evening and went to pay his respects to his elders.
When he arrived in front of Xuanhe Courtyard, he was stopped by a maid.
Madam Liu, the steward, gave a forced smile: "Madam is tired today and has gone to bed. If Erlang is filial, please come back tomorrow."
Gu Ningxi clearly saw that the candles were still lit in the main room. Although she had never liked her, Madam Shen always pretended to be virtuous and generous in front of others, and was a qualified mistress of the house.
Seeing Xuanhe's attitude, Gu Ningxi didn't want to bother herself any more: "Then please, aunt, take good care of mother."
She turned and left, after all, it wasn't her fault today.
"Sent him away?" In the main room, Shen stroked the golden hairpin beside her temples and said lightly.
"Yes, ma'am."
The maid massaged the lady's shoulders, and the eldest daughter and the third young master paid their respects to the lady in her courtyard.
Gu Ningzheng was pleased to know that Gu Ningxi had been turned away. His knees were still red and swollen from being made to kneel in the ancestral hall by his father yesterday. But Gu Ningxi, like nothing had happened, went to work as usual, and his family didn't even punish him.
Gu Ningzheng's tone was still filled with dissatisfaction: "It's all because of him that I'm so unlucky." He was counting all the old and new grudges. If it weren't for Gu Ningxi, the title of Marquis would definitely fall on him. Why would he have to work so hard and study so hard every day?
Gu Ningwan frowned: "Who told you to trip her up at the gatehouse again for no reason?" She used such a petty trick and didn't even feel embarrassed.
"It was clearly he who missed the time, and he was stirring up trouble with my grandfather and father, putting all the blame on me." Gu Ningzheng's voice was a little higher.
Gu Ningwan was about to speak, but Mrs. Shen, seeing that her son was already unhappy, stopped her and said, "Okay, why are you always trying to be so mean? You need to see clearly who your real brother is."
With his mother's support, Gu Ningzheng glanced at his sister proudly and became more and more unscrupulous.
Gu Ningwan simply lowered her head to drink her tea, having long since grown accustomed to such an outcome. It was her own fault for meddling in other people's affairs. If this wasn't her brother, she wouldn't have bothered to say a word. With all the free time she had, she might as well go back to her room and study.
Madam Shen also felt that the Marquis's punishment yesterday was a bit too harsh. Originally, she had said she would kneel until Erlang returned from Prince Zhao's mansion, but he simply never showed up. If she hadn't pleaded, Zheng'er wouldn't have known how long he would have to kneel.
She felt sorry for her son's injustice and comforted him, "Don't be upset. Mother will double your monthly allowance this month."
Although she is the head of the household, Madam Shen will not use the money from the public treasury, but will make up for it from her own dowry.
As if she had thought of something, Madam Shen looked at the quiet Gu Ningwan and said, "Wan'er, do you want to add some to your monthly salary this month?"
"No need for that, thank you, mother."
Madam Shen nodded slightly and continued talking to Gu Ningzheng.
After some persuasion, Gu Ningzheng calmed down a lot.
Madam Shen smiled and said, "Don't always be against her. She can't threaten you. She's just a—"
"Mother."
Gu Ningwan reminded her, and Madam Shen came back to her senses. She pretended to dismiss the maid and said, "The Meng family is just a small family. They are not like you who have the support of your maternal family."
Gu Ningzheng had no doubts: "Mother is right."
As the mother and son were talking, Gu Ningwan lowered her eyes and her thoughts slowly drifted away.
Over the years, her mother had been in charge of the inner chambers. Even if the Qinlan Courtyard was well concealed, over time, her mother would have noticed some clues. When she came of age, she overheard her mother and the maids outside the door mentioning that the identity of the person in the Qinlan Courtyard might be strange, and they must find an opportunity to test it.
She thought, with Madam Meng's ability alone, how could she possibly commit fraud in the Marquis's mansion? There must be her father's instructions behind it, so why should they make it public?
Her persuasion was in vain, until her mother finally brought the matter up to her father. She didn't know how her father handled it, but she only knew that from then on her mother never mentioned the matter again, instead hugging her third brother and smiling happily.
Of course, Xier's identity must not be known to the third brother, otherwise he would accidentally let it slip and bring disaster to the Marquis' Mansion.
My mother obviously knew this too. After all, she could always make clear distinctions on important matters.
Gu Ningwan shook her head slightly. Now that Xier was an official in the court, her status was no longer a family affair of the Gu family. To put it more seriously, she was a criminal who deceived the emperor.
She had no idea what her family had planned. Given Xi'er's academic performance at the Imperial College, it was indeed strange that she didn't take the exam. Gu Ningzheng was unsuccessful, so to prevent the Marquisate from being left without a successor at court, her grandfather and father had allowed Xi'er to take the exam. They hadn't expected her to pass.
Although she has temporarily established a firm foothold in the court, what will happen to Xi'er in the future? Gu Ningwan can't help but worry, is it possible that Xi'er will really disguise herself as a man and hide her identity for the rest of her life?
The Marquis's Mansion must always have a backup plan, she thought.
…
On May 30th, in the early morning, people began to enter the Qingyun Horse Racing Course in western Beijing.
This is the largest polo field in Kyoto, belonging to the royal family. His Majesty has specially assigned eunuchs to manage it.
The polo field is surrounded by high walls. In addition to the pavilions and corridors on the north side that serve as grandstands, in recent years, as the popularity of polo has increased and the number of spectators has increased, new pavilions have also been built on the east and west sides, occupying about one-third of the entire wall.
The area is covered with green grass, and the corridors on three sides are connected to pavilions. The carved beams and painted colors are very beautifully decorated, forming a scene of stars surrounding the moon in the center of Ruiyun and Tianze in the north.
"Your Highness has arrived early today."
The sun was shining brightly. Inside the Ruiyun Terrace, Xie Qian and Zhen Yuan greeted His Royal Highness Prince Zhao with a smile.
There was still some time before the polo match started, so they sat here for a while, looking relaxed.
In the polo matches of the past half month, Xie Qian and Zhen Yuan took turns playing, but even so, they still swept the field.
Today is the last game, and the opponent is also very strong. They don’t need to show mercy anymore and just go all out.
Wei Fan finally retired after completing his mission, and no longer had to be led by the two of them to make up the numbers and lower the team's level.
Sun Jing ordered his attendants to prepare tea and set out snacks. The seat next to Prince Zhao remained empty. On his birthday, Prince Zhao had instructed that a seat in Ruiyun Terrace be reserved for Lord Gu.
Sun Jing also prepared the tea that Lord Gu liked, and everything was ready.
The Qingyun Horse Farm was bustling with activity. It was the end of the month and it was a holiday, so many officials who had some free time had arrived. Judging from the situation today, if I didn't come early, and without a decent background, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to get a good seat.
"It's almost time. Why don't we go downstairs and prepare?" Zhen Yuan suggested with a smile.
Xie Qian agreed, as some people were already warming up by horse racing in the field.
Ruiyuntai has an excellent view, and the entire Qingyun Horse Farm can be seen.
Lu Jing saw the familiar figure. He really stood out in the crowd and attracted attention wherever he went.
Many of the women on the west stand covered their faces with their fans and looked at him.
Yuan Le, on the other hand, did not look around and focused on walking his own way.
Xie Qian also noticed Gu Ningxi and said with a smile, "Master Gu has arrived."
He originally thought that Lord Gu would climb Ruiyun Terrace, but when he reached a pavilion on the east side, Lord Gu stopped.
Afterwards, a young man stood up to greet him, as if the two had made an appointment beforehand.
Xie Qian thought for a moment: "That should be Mr. Gu's cousin?"
After only meeting him once, he was a little unsure and turned to His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
"Perhaps." His Highness's gaze was fixed on the unremarkable square pavilion, and his voice was emotionless. "What's there to worry about?"
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