42 Witness
◎Lu Jing threw a cloak to her.◎
"No, nothing serious."
Being punished by one's family is indeed not a glorious thing. Gu Ningxi explained the reason vaguely, and I think His Royal Highness Prince Zhao can understand it.
Lu Jing's attention was elsewhere: "One night in the ancestral hall? The rules of the Marquis's Mansion are a bit too strict."
Gu Ningxi didn't dare to agree. After all, this matter involved deceiving the emperor, and she deserved a lesson.
"How badly hurt?"
Lu Jing ordered Sun Jing to fetch some medicine for his injuries, but Gu Ningxi quickly declined, saying, "I've been nursing for two days now, and I'm almost healed."
I just knelt for a whole night and my grandfather didn't hit me with a stick. He still showed mercy.
Before Lu Jing could speak, the stall owner had already wrapped the freshly baked pastries and was hesitant about who to hand them to.
There happened to be two packets. Gu Ningxi signaled the servant behind him to take half of them and gave the other half to the servants of Prince Zhao's mansion.
She smiled easily, feeling the warmth of a friend caring about her in her heart: "It's really nothing."
As the sky grew darker, the two carriages went their separate ways.
After returning to Prince Zhao's Palace, a summary of what had happened in the palace in recent days had been placed on the desk of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
Lu Jing flipped through the book casually, as nothing important happened. But he was thinking, "Thank goodness Yuan Le didn't agree to the marriage proposal with the Duke of Qi." Otherwise, with the Qin family's gentle and graceful daughter, how could she have supported Yuan Le in the inner chambers?
In an inconspicuous corner, Lu Jing suddenly saw the words "Xuanping Marquis Mansion".
"What's going on?"
Lu Jing sent for the steward who stayed behind in the palace and ordered him to report in detail.
The steward respectfully explained that Wei Xunzhou, a personal guard at the palace, was interested in marrying a maid from the Marquis Xuanping's residence. They had met during his trip to the capital with the prince, and a mutual affection had developed. Wei Xunzhou had informed the palace, prepared the betrothal gifts, and asked Lieutenant General Sun to propose marriage to the Marquis Xuanping's residence.
Lu Jing looked at the word "unsuccessful" on the abbreviation and asked: "Did the Xuanping Marquis' Mansion reject this marriage proposal?"
"Your Highness, that's exactly what happened."
The steward also felt sorry for her because Xun Zhou and the girl were in love with each other and the betrothal gifts were in accordance with the standards for a girl from a respectable family.
Lu Jing said, "Go and call Xun Zhou over."
He could guess why the Xuanping Marquisate refused the marriage proposal. It was simply because the Marquisate had the support of the Eastern Palace and did not want to be associated with the Zhaowang Mansion.
Lu Jing disagreed. It was just an ordinary marriage, so why be so cautious?
If Xun Zhou and the girl were truly in love with each other, he could make the decision for them both without any scruples.
Lu Jing closed the report. He was destined to never get what he wanted and it would be difficult for him to achieve perfection.
I always hope that other lovers can finally get married.
…
The oral order from Prince Zhao's Mansion was passed on to Marquis Xuanping's Mansion, causing quite a stir.
Marquis Xuanping suppressed the news and discussed the matter with his father first.
It's not that he's making a fuss. Yinyue from Leyouyuan is a servant of the Marquis' Mansion, and the Marquis' Mansion has no right to interfere in how outsiders deal with her.
But the person opposite them is His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, how can they not give face to His Royal Highness Prince Zhao?
With Prince Zhao's Palace involved, Yin Yue couldn't be allowed to disappear at this critical juncture, otherwise she would be handing over evidence.
Marquis Xuanping expressed his concerns in front of the old Marquis Gu. Was it that Prince Zhao's Mansion had already noticed that Ning Xi's identity was different and urgently needed to find verification, or was it just for this matter to threaten the Marquis' Mansion?
Marquis Xuanping preferred the latter, and Lord Gu asked Gu Ningxi what he thought.
"This is someone from your courtyard. What do you think?"
Gu Ningxi bowed and said, "Grandson would like to test the waters of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao before making any plans."
She was calm in the face of difficulties, and Lord Gu nodded slightly: "Go."
Gu Ningxi hadn't forgotten Yinyue's matter for the past two days, and she was in a dilemma. Now, the decision of Prince Zhao's Mansion seemed to have given her an invisible boost.
The excuse for going to Prince Zhao's Mansion was also ready. Previously, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao had rejected the marriage proposal from the Duke of Qi's Mansion on his behalf, but she had not yet visited to express her gratitude.
…
There were raindrops floating in the sky. Since today was a special visit, Gu Ningxi prepared a name card.
The visiting card was passed in through the gatehouse, and Sun Jingtong reported to His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, thinking that he could invite Lord Gu in directly.
Unexpectedly, His Highness simply replied with two words: "No."
Sun Jingzhi thought he had misheard and hesitated without moving. Lu Jing asked, "Didn't you understand?"
He quickly replied, "Yes, I'll take my leave."
It was raining outside the palace. Sun Jing deliberately slowed down his pace when he left the palace, for fear that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao would change his mind and call him back at any time.
However, His Highness never changed his mind, so Sun Jing could only politely go to His Highness himself and say, "Your Highness will not be at home this afternoon. Please go back first."
Gu Ningxi was puzzled: "His Highness is out? When will he come back? Can I wait in the palace?"
Sun Jing couldn't make a conclusion either. Who knew whether His Highness would not see Lord Gu today or would not see Lord Gu for a while.
He said tactfully, "Your Highness has something urgent to attend to, and I am unaware of it."
He was still hoping that Lord Gu could notice something. After all, His Highness's attitude towards Lord Gu had been somewhat inconsistent in recent days.
But looking at Lord Gu's expression, he was afraid that Lord Gu didn't understand either.
Gu Ningxi didn't want to ask about the affairs of Prince Zhao's palace. She nodded and said, "Thank you, Steward Sun."
After seeing Lord Gu off, the rain got heavier.
Sun Jing returned to the palace study, not daring to admit that he had dismissed Lord Gu. He simply stood silently outside the study, hoping His Highness would understand.
The sound of rain was dripping, and Lu Jing was flipping through the documents in his hand, but in fact he had not read a single word.
He didn't want to see Yuan Le at all. He didn't want to see him being oblivious and watching from the sidelines, completely unaware that someone was tossing and turning and in a dilemma because of him.
Lu Jing threw down the pen in his hand. The waterwheel given by Yuan Le was still lying on his desk.
The drum cart was fine, so Lu Jing did not store it in the warehouse and it did not see the light of day.
And Yuanle—Yuanle is not wrong either.
Lu Jingqing knew that Yuan Le had done nothing wrong.
It was he who had thoughts that he shouldn't have and went beyond the boundaries of friendship.
Now I want to distance myself from him for no reason. If Yuan Le finds out about this, will he feel bad?
No one answered him, only the chaotic sound of rain outside the window remained.
Suddenly, Lu Jing was shocked. What if Yuan Le was looking for him for something important?
He shouldn't have missed him.
"Go and saddle the horses."
After hearing His Highness's order, Sun Jing, who was somewhat absent-minded, stood up straight.
"Your Highness, it's raining outside," Sun Jing advised. "Why don't you take the carriage?"
On a rainy day, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao was riding his horse in the street, which was quite conspicuous. If Your Majesty heard about this, He would punish them for their poor service.
Lu Jing had already walked out with an umbrella, tacitly agreeing with Sun Jing's words.
The rain curtain is as fine as a woven cloth. Every autumn rain brings a chill, and there are few pedestrians on the streets.
Yuan Le's carriage was not moving fast. After just passing two streets, Lu Jing saw a carriage with the words "Xuanping Hou Mansion" hanging in front of an alley.
The carriage stopped on the street for a long time, but Yuan Le was not in the carriage.
The driver took shelter from the rain under the eaves. When he recognized His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, he bowed respectfully.
"Where is your Master Gu?"
Sun Jing asked and the driver quickly pointed out the direction.
The sound of rain covered up the sound of footsteps. In the quiet bluestone alley, two figures could be seen in the distance.
The one in blue is Yuan Le, and the other one holding his sleeve tightly is the girl from the Qin family, Qin Ying.
Although they each held an oil-paper umbrella, they were indeed standing too close to each other.
Qin Ying was wearing a cherry pink skirt today. Her hair was slightly loose and wet from the rain, sticking to her snow-white cheeks.
She looked at the person in front of her, her eyes showing hesitation and reluctance, which made me feel pity for him.
Gu Ningxi was also helpless. She originally thought that since His Royal Highness Prince Zhao had rejected the marriage proposal on her behalf, the matter would come to an end.
Who could have imagined that the Qin family girl would actually stop her carriage in the street? Fortunately, there were no pedestrians around. Fearing that this would damage Qin Ying's reputation, Gu Ningxi chose a secluded place to speak to her in person.
"Gu Lang, I..."
Qin Ying's eyes were red. Her brother had told her that Lord Gu had no interest in her and that the Marquis Xuanping's Mansion was not a good place to go.
But apart from home, how many blessed places are there in the world?
Those noble families in the capital who wanted to propose marriage to her and promised the Qin family that they would respect and honor her, who among them did not have their eyes on the Duke's family background and value her brother's military achievements?
Only Gu Lang, only Gu Lang was different. When the Qin family was at its lowest point, it was he who protected her, spoke to her with such tenderness, and taught her painting. When others mocked her family's defeat on the battlefield with cold words, it was Gu Lang who defended her. He said she had done nothing wrong and did not deserve to endure such malice.
She knew that she was not worthy of the banished immortal in front of her, and she had never dreamed of marrying him.
It wasn't until the Qin family recovered and she felt she could help him that she began to have some delusional thoughts. When her brother said he would ask Gu Lang for marriage, it was like a dream come true. She didn't sleep all night.
But the dream ended too quickly.
Even if it is rejected, the person in front of me is still so gentle.
Qin Ying wanted to make one last effort. She couldn't imagine herself marrying anyone else except him.
The third daughter of the Qin family, who has always been weak and timid, mustered up a lot of courage to take this step.
Gu Ningxi let her grab his sleeve, and seeing the myriad emotions in her eyes, he couldn't help but be moved.
The raindrops hit the umbrella with a crackling sound. If you don't cut it off, you will suffer the consequences.
Gu Ningxi hardened her heart: "Miss Qin, it's not that you are not good, it's that I am not a good match. The situation in my home..."
"I don't care," Qin Ying shook her head, tears streaming down her face like beads from a broken string. "I really don't care. Gu Lang, I'm not as useless as I used to be. I listened to you, studied hard, and learned the skills to manage the household and the accounts. I can help you with your worries."
"If, if..." Qin Ying bit her lip, "If you find someone else you like in the future, I can accept her as your equal wife, Gu Lang..."
Having said that, Gu Ningxi looked up at the gray sky weakly through the umbrella.
His green knuckles still stubbornly grasped her sleeve.
…
Lu Jing didn't know how long he had been looking through the carriage window.
Raindrops rolled down from the umbrella, splashing the hem of the brocade robe.
In the alley, the two figures separated, one in front and one behind.
Qin Ying was in front, her face wet, not sure if it was rain or tears.
Her eyes were red, and when she heard Lord Gu order the Gu Mansion's carriage to take her back first, another string of tears rolled down her face.
Gu Ningxi let out a long sigh. Qin Ying had sneaked out of the house, and he didn't know if the Qin family had noticed.
Why didn't she realize before that this girl could be so brave?
Fortunately, Qin Yanming loves his younger sister the most and should not be harsh on her.
To avoid suspicion, Gu Ningxi originally wanted to stay in the teahouse for a while, wait for the carriage to send Qin Ying off, and then return home.
However, as soon as she looked up, she saw His Royal Highness Prince Zhao's carriage in the distance. She quickly stopped and signaled the coachman not to come any closer.
After watching Qin Ying leave, Gu Ningxi walked away.
Lu Jing ordered the carriage to approach and said to the people without letting them be refused, "Get in."
Gu Ningxi was covered in moisture, so Lu Jing threw a cloak to her.
Gu Ningxi was indeed a little cold, and was afraid that the wet clothes would stick to her body, so she thanked him and took it.
As he tied the laces, Lu Jing said, "You're so reluctant to let her go that you're still waiting here for her to leave?"
Gu Ningxi was a little depressed. She clearly had good intentions and was afraid of tarnishing the reputation of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
"What did you just say?"
After all, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao was the middleman, handling the rejection of the marriage. Gu Ningxi said, "After a deep conversation with His Royal Highness that day, Prince Qin had already put the marriage on hold. I didn't expect Miss Qin to be so unacceptable that she came to see me privately."
"You rejected her?"
"Yeah, that's right." Qin Ying cried bitterly, and Gu Ningxi felt equally bad. But it was better for Qin Ying to be sad for a while now than to be sad for half her life.
Lu Jing hadn't expected the Qin family girl to be so persistent. He couldn't help but think, "What are you going to do if she comes to pester me again?"
He originally wanted to help, but Gu Ningxi said, "I guess... not anymore, right?"
"Why?" Lu Jing's curiosity remained undiminished. "How did you reject her?"
Gu Ningxi sighed deeply. There was nothing she couldn't say in front of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
"I will tell her that I am... a good Longyang."
Seeing His Royal Highness Prince Zhao's gaze suddenly turned towards him, Gu Ningxi hurriedly explained, "No, no, I lied to her."
【Author’s words】
What was Xiao Lu thinking during those three seconds when Lord Gu said yes to Long Yang?
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