37 Forbidden Food
◎He ruined her career and mercilessly locked her up in the palace◎
Gu Ningxi's residence, Leyouyuan, was some distance from the female quarters of the harem, so Lu Jing's words weren't impolite. Gu Ningzheng and his companions would often bring their close friends to the courtyard as guests, and the Marquis's residence would treat them with respect.
Xuan Ping Hou laughed and said, "Your Highness, you are joking. There is no reason for Your Highness to condescend to Yuan Le."
There is a distinction between rulers and ministers, and Marquis Xuanping was well aware of this principle.
He insisted on sending someone to invite Gu Ningxi, and Lu Jingke followed his master's wishes without saying anything more.
"Please wait a moment, Your Highness."
In Qinlan Courtyard, Mrs. Meng was startled when she heard Linglan reporting from outside.
Without time to change back into his clothes, Gu Ningxi temporarily hid behind the curtain, not knowing why his father sent people to Qinlan Courtyard.
The pearl hairpin swayed as she walked, and Gu Ningxi reached out to adjust the tassel.
Mrs. Meng calmed herself down and realized there was nothing to panic about.
"Please ask someone to come in." She said gently and glanced in the direction of the curtain again.
The visitor was Lü Zheng, a close confidant of the Marquis. He bowed and said, "My Madam, how are you?"
Madam Meng asked politely, "But what are your instructions, Lord?"
"Madam, we have a distinguished guest today. The Marquis has ordered me to invite Mr. Erlang to the front hall to entertain him."
Lü Zheng's expression was filled with anxiety. He had just visited Leyouyuan and, upon hearing from the servant that Erlang had paid his respects to the Madam, had hurried back. The trip had taken quite a while, and the Marquis and his distinguished guests were still waiting.
Lu Zheng said, "I heard that Erlang Jun is in Madam's courtyard. I must invite him over immediately."
"Right now, whose guest is this?"
"It's His Royal Highness Prince Zhao." Lu Zheng didn't want to say much about other things, as he already had the intention of urging him to hurry.
Mrs. Meng asked Lu Zheng to go to the front hall first in a roundabout way, saying that Gu Ningxi would be here soon.
"This..." Lu Zheng looked embarrassed. The Marquis's order was in front of him, and it was difficult for him to get through like this.
He hadn't seen Erlangjun for a long time, and he couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Madam Meng had no choice but to say, "She...is not in my courtyard. I will have to send someone to look for her."
Such a simple task turned out to be so tortuous. Lu Zheng, who had just been employed by the Marquis, secretly groaned in his heart and hurried around to look for someone.
After finally getting rid of Lu Zheng, Madam Meng ordered the maid to close the door.
Gu Ningxi had already sat in front of the bronze mirror and started to pull out the hairpin on her head.
Mrs. Meng was worried as she took off her hair. "It's all my fault. Why did you go through all this trouble?"
"How can I blame my mother for His Royal Highness Prince Zhao's sudden visit?"
Gu Ningxi looked calm as she wiped the lip balm off her lips. The initial nervousness she had felt when she heard the name "King Zhao" had been suppressed.
It would take her at least fifteen minutes to change her clothes and tie her hair to get to the front hall. She called Yinyue and instructed her, "Go to Yuehua Courtyard and follow the instructions I gave you."
Yin Yue wrote down every word: "Yes, sir."
…
In the front hall, a cup of tea had already been drunk.
Marquis Xuanping was feeling a little embarrassed as he hadn't been able to show up for a long time to see Gu Ningxi and had troubled His Royal Highness Prince Zhao to wait for so long.
Xi'er clearly had not left the mansion, so why couldn't she be found? It seemed as if his mansion was deliberately mistreating His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
The maid came to add tea for the distinguished guest, and Marquis Xuanping whispered to send two more people away.
Lu Jing had noticed something unusual: "But what happened at home?" He was worried that Gu Ningxi was disturbed by the office and got tripped up.
Marquis Xuanping first thought of his disappointing second son, hoping that he would not cause any more trouble.
"I don't know either. Your Highness, please forgive me."
Marquis Xuanping was puzzled. Several maids in the backyard said that they saw Lord Gu enter the lady's yard, so why was there no one in Qinlan Courtyard?
"If you don't mind, Lord, I'll go with you to take a look."
"Your Highness, what are you talking about? Please, Your Highness."
Marquis Xuanping did not dare to offend His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, and he could not let His Royal Highness Prince Zhao wait here.
He personally led the way and went to Gu Ningxi's Leyouyuan with Prince Zhao first.
Everything in the courtyard was as usual, and the servants all greeted each other with courtesy.
There was a woman in gorgeous clothes sitting in the west wing. She also stood up to greet him with proper and elegant manners.
"Your Highness, Prince Zhao, may your Highness live long and happily."
"Meet father."
Although Xuan Pinghou was confused, he still said to King Zhao: "Your Highness, please forgive me for laughing. This is my eldest daughter."
He led His Royal Highness Prince Zhao into the side room and sat him down, then asked Gu Ningwan, "Why are you here?"
Gu Ningwan smiled. "I heard that father was looking for my second brother. It's really unfortunate that my daughter asked her to go out and buy two books. Since the servants are not well-versed in writing and can't distinguish the format, I had to ask my second brother to go in person."
Her reasons were reasonable, but upon closer inspection, they seemed inappropriate. How could a simple, open-minded act of buying books lead to the entire palace being unaware of Erlang's whereabouts?
Gu Ningwan was initially worried that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao would question her, but unexpectedly, he simply smiled and even took the initiative to smooth things over: "So that's how it is."
His Royal Highness Prince Zhao agreed with this statement, so Marquis Xuanping certainly would not ask any further questions.
He said, "It's getting late. Why don't you please honor me with a simple meal at your residence?"
Lu Jing originally just wanted to give Gu Ningxi a birthday gift, but unexpectedly, there were many twists and turns, and he stayed in the Marquis' Mansion for a little longer.
Since he had already made this trip, he always wanted to see him, so he accepted the request of Marquis Xuanping.
Since there were outsiders here, Gu Ningwan couldn't stay for long, so she took her leave first.
She was wearing a green, casual skirt today. Lu Jing noticed that the two siblings didn't look alike, but the elegance of their demeanor and the calmness of their conversation made them feel familiar.
When the news reached Qinlan Courtyard, Gu Ningxi had just wiped off the flower ornaments from her forehead.
With her sister saving the situation, she no longer had to rush and worry about making mistakes.
She had her bra bound again, and it was quite a hassle for her to change her outfit.
"This time it's all thanks to the elder girl. Fortunately, she is willing to help."
Gu Ningxi nodded and carefully checked her makeup in the mirror to make sure that all the rouge had been washed off.
Yinyue watched from the side as the originally bright and charming girl turned back into a handsome and elegant man, as if by magic.
By the time Gu Ningxi returned home from the "outside room", lunch in the main hall of the mansion was almost ready.
His Royal Highness Prince Zhao said to keep everything simple. In addition to Gu Ningxi, Marquis Xuanping also arranged for two other outstanding young people in his family to accompany him.
"Your Highness." She arrived at the perfect time.
The atmosphere in the hall was initially somewhat subdued, with Marquis Xuanping sitting in the vice-chair. The two young Gu family members were usually quite talkative, but in the presence of a noble like Prince Zhao, they were stiff and reserved, their responses clumsy.
Gu Liulang also felt distressed. Seeing the prince's demeanor of keeping strangers away, they dared not say anything more.
Marquis Xuanping shook his head in his heart. This generation of nephews and nieces were not capable enough. How could he trust them to support the Gu family?
As the sun shifted, and when Gu Ningxi appeared in the hall, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao's expression became much gentler.
Marquis Xuanping originally wanted her to apologize to His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, but seeing that His Royal Highness really had no intention of caring at all, he decided not to do so after careful consideration.
After lunch, Gu Ningxi invited Prince Zhao to sit in Leyou Courtyard.
In the study, she personally made tea for His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
"Your Highness is visiting today. Why didn't you tell me in advance? It would be rude of me."
Lu Jing smiled gently, "I was just discussing politics with Marquis Xuanping and happened to bring the birthday gift with me. I didn't come here specifically to see you."
Although he said that, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao leisurely picked up the teacup and showed no intention of leaving.
Gu Ningxi accepted the birthday gift. The rosewood brocade box was wrapped so carefully that Gu Ningxi did not open it for a while.
She jokingly said, "Buying the casket and returning the pearl, I now know how precious the box can be."
The two of them chatted casually, as they saw each other frequently and there wasn't much new to talk about in the capital.
Lu Jing asked, "Have you bought all the books your sister wanted?"
Gu Ningxi's eyes flickered slightly. She hadn't expected him to ask, "I went to two bookstores, but couldn't find it either."
"What book is it?" Lu Jing thought, he could help find it.
Gu Ningxi avoided his gaze and simply said, "I've already asked the bookstore owner, and they should be able to deliver it tomorrow. Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."
Lu Jing nodded lightly, not suspecting anything.
Gu Ningxi lowered her head to sip her tea, concealing the expression in her eyes. His Highness Prince Zhao was not someone to be trifled with, but he trusted her so much right now. No matter what she said, he was always willing to believe it.
If one day, he found out about her deception...
Gu Ningxi's fingertips curled slightly, and the tea tasted bitter.
The dream had already given her the answer. He ascended to the supreme throne, ruined her career, and mercilessly locked her away in the golden palace, making her his exclusive possession.
She couldn't break free, let alone escape.
…
The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window pane, and there was a knock on the door. Gu Ningxi raised his eyes.
"Why are you sitting here alone in a daze?"
Gu Ningwan told the maid to stay outside and walked into the house.
Gu Ningxi gathered her thoughts. She had been staying in the study since His Royal Highness Prince Zhao left in the afternoon.
She bowed and said, "Thank you for what you did today, sister."
"We're a family, so why be polite?"
Gu Ningwan recalled Yinyue rushing to her yard during the day. Fortunately, she managed to help in time and delayed it for a while.
"But why didn't His Royal Highness Prince Zhao become suspicious?"
It was just about buying books, so it was really far-fetched to be so mysterious. When Yinyue relayed this, she thought Yinyue had missed something.
Gu Ningxi forced a smile. "He knows that my sister and I have a good relationship, but we don't interact in front of outsiders. So I can only buy books for my sister secretly, under the pretext of paying respects to my mother, but not in Qinlan Courtyard."
With each link connected to the next, the original flaw is no longer a flaw.
Gu Ningwan smiled knowingly, "Your Highness Prince Zhao knows quite a lot." After a pause, she said, "He's also very good to you."
All the doubts in Gu Ningwan's heart disappeared. No wonder His Highness took the initiative to reveal this matter in front of his father.
The only person in the world who could make His Royal Highness Prince Zhao so accommodating was Xier, apart from the one sitting on the dragon throne.
Gu Ningwan said, "As for the title of the book, to be on the safe side, we still have to decide on one volume."
She was about to discuss it with Gu Ningxi, but she noticed a look of worry on her sister's face.
"What's wrong?"
"Sister, I deceived him like this, didn't I..."
She spoke with a touch of guilt, but Gu Ningwan disagreed: "What are you thinking? You've been pretending to be a boy since you were young, not just to deceive His Royal Highness Prince Zhao. Besides, you're an official in the court now, so you have to be careful about your identity. Hiding it from the outside world is unavoidable. If you're trapped in the inner chamber, what can you accomplish?"
She carefully comforted her sister: "Don't worry, and don't feel guilty."
As the sky gradually darkened, Gu Ningwan turned on the light in the study.
The bright candle flame danced, dispelling the previous darkness.
Gu Ningxi helped her sister trim the wicks. Gu Ningwan asked, "But His Royal Highness Prince Zhao is here to visit. What does he want from you?"
"He came to discuss politics with my father and gave me a birthday gift."
On the desk lay the red sandalwood brocade box, its decoration intact. In the candlelight, it looked even more precious and noble.
Gu Ningwan smiled and said, "Aren't you going to open it and take a look?"
Gu Ningxi was so distracted in the afternoon that he couldn't take care of this matter for a while.
She lifted the brocade box to the center of the desk and carefully untied the laces. The carvings on the rosewood box were exquisitely crafted, clearly from the imperial court. Gu Ningxi turned it around, admiring the designs. The box alone was more than adequate for a birthday gift.
There was a scroll stored in the box, and Gu Ningxi took it out.
The two sisters unfolded their hands slowly together, and under the candlelight, their hands stopped at the same time.
The room was silent for a long moment. Even Gu Ningwan, who had grown up surrounded by wealth and luxury, could not help but gasp. After a moment, she regained her voice and sighed, "What a generous gesture."
Li Sidao's "River Boats and Landscape" is considered his greatest masterpiece. It's no exaggeration to call it a peerless masterpiece, so rare that even successive emperors have struggled to find it. How can one truly estimate its value?
His Royal Highness Prince Zhao gave Xi'er this masterpiece that has been passed down through the ages as an ordinary birthday gift.
The two sisters looked at each other in silence, and Gu Ningxi was even more silent.
The "Landscape Painting of River Boats" that first appeared in her dream and that she caught a glimpse of in the storehouse of Prince Zhao's Mansion actually fell into her hands in the end.
Fate plays tricks on us.
After a long while, Gu Ningxi said, "Sister, do you think I can return it to him?"
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