Chapter 37: I ate some meat last night, Song You...
Song Youning stopped outside the hall. She turned around and saw Xiao Lin holding her sleeve. This guy was determined not to let her in...
If the stalemate continued, the jealous Li Funing would get jealous again. She sighed, turned around and said to Xiao Lin, "You wait here. I'll ask Lord Li for his opinion. Once he agrees, you can come in when I call you. Okay?"
"Okay, okay!" Xiao Lin nodded repeatedly in approval.
Song Youning looked up at Li Funing in the side hall, shook his head, pushed the door open and walked in, leaving Xiao Lin alone at the door.
Song Youning walked towards Li Funing who was serving dishes. After hesitating for a while, his eyes fell on Li Funing's face. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. Li Funing poured soup into the cups without saying a word.
Song Youning twisted her sleeves, trying to explain to him, but she saw Li Funing pick up the jade pot and pour her a cup of cold chrysanthemum drink. His eyebrows and eyes were as gentle as before, and he was still as gentle as ever: "Your Highness, there is no need to explain."
"I understand..."
The voice was like a pine tree in the snow, cold and quiet, "I know that Prince Xiao was also Your Highness's childhood friend, and our friendship is also precious..."
He slowed down his voice: "What's more..."
At this point, he looked towards the hesitant figure outside the palace gate. The faint sound of Xiao Lin scraping against the ground could be heard outside the palace gate. He turned back to look at her, his cold eyes flickering with warmth. "The King of Zhenbei will be leaving in three days. It's not appropriate to argue with Prince Xiao at this time... I understand..."
Song Youning looked at him, and suddenly a feeling of bitterness and shame rose in his heart.
He was always like this, able to stir up all her thoughts with just a few words.
Compared to Xiao Lin, his gentle, silent demeanor made her heart hang on him. How could she not lean towards him? "Prince Xiao," Li Funing suddenly turned and called out to the door, "Come in, the food is getting cold."
This sound made Song Youning's throat tighten. She looked at the faint smile on the corner of his mouth and the few oil spots on his moon-white robe sleeves from serving dishes. The more considerate and thoughtful he was, the more uncomfortable she felt in her heart.
When Xiao Lin heard the sound, he looked up suddenly, like a little wolf cub smelling meat, his eyes were shining, and he rushed into the hall in two steps.
Seeing Song Youning staring blankly at the table, he placed his hands on her shoulders and pressed her firmly into the huanghuali armchair. "What are you daydreaming about? You're not in a hurry to eat?" He smiled with his white teeth.
The sunlight outside the hall made Xiao Lin's eyes, which were staring at the food, brighter and brighter. He had not had time to eat breakfast, and his lunch was also delayed until now, so he was already very hungry.
He stared intently at the crab meatball on the table and exclaimed, "Chun Tao is such a master of cooking!" Before he finished speaking, he had already picked up his silver chopsticks and poked the tip of the chopsticks precisely into the golden crab paste in the center of the meatball. He smiled at Chun Tao standing beside him and said, "Look at this filling. It's obvious that Chun Tao put a lot of thought into it. No wonder I think you look a little plump."
Chun Tao stomped her embroidered shoes lightly when she heard this: "How could the prince still be the same as before, always teasing me?"
Li Funing lowered his eyes and looked at one of the crab roe lion heads that was pierced by Xiao Lin. The golden fat slowly seeped out and formed tiny oil droplets in the soup.
He silently picked up the white handkerchief and took the white jade cup in front of Song Youning. He brushed the snow-white silk surface, patiently wiping every tiny corner. The handkerchief made a very light rustling sound when it passed over the edge of the cup.
Song Youning was amused by the carefree conversation between the two. She saw Li Funing wiping the jade cup in front of her with a white handkerchief. After the jade cup was as bright and clean as new, he gently placed it back in front of her.
Song Youning's eyes swept over the lonely lion head on the celadon plate, and her heart tightened. She forgot that this was prepared for Li Funing, so she picked up the jade chopsticks and wanted to put the remaining lion head into his plate, but her hand paused in mid-air. Before she knew it, Li Funing's bowl was already filled with half a bowl of porridge.
"Master Li..." With a twist of her wrist, she gently placed the amber-soaked crab head on his porridge. The golden crab meat melted in the heat, leaving strands of oil on the porridge.
"I asked Chuntao to get up early and make this especially for Lord Li. It took a lot of effort on my part. Lord Li, would you like to try it?"
Before Song Youning finished speaking, Li Funing suddenly coughed lightly and rubbed his fingertips on the spoon: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. It's just that when I stayed in the princess's bedroom last night, I had a midnight snack with the princess... and now I'm not hungry."
His eyes drooped slightly, and his voice was gentle, "Prince Xiao is about to go to war, so he should eat more."
He added leisurely, "Also, I ate too much meat last night, so today I'll just have some porridge and some side dishes..."
"Stay overnight?!" Xiao Lin's silver chopsticks clanged onto the porcelain plate, shaking the lion's head in the soup. His amber eyes suddenly widened, and his gaze darted back and forth between the two of them.
Song Youning thought of the scene last night, and the words Li Funing had just said echoed in her ears again. The tips of her ears instantly turned red. She looked up suddenly and met Li Funing's smiling eyes.
He slowly picked up the jade bowl, and with his slender fingers, he stirred the bowl with a spoon.
Song Youning felt that Xiao Lin's gaze seemed to shoot through her.
She said awkwardly, "Yes...yes." Song Youning didn't know how to respond and could only stammer, her earlobes reddening to the point of almost dripping blood.
"Those...those meaty things last night were indeed too greasy..." His voice got softer and softer, and he almost choked on the last few words.
At this time, Li Funing calmly picked up a piece of Dongpo pork and put it into Xiao Lin's bowl.
"Last night, I was discussing with His Highness how to take over the northern border in a short period of time. I forgot myself and missed the time. Chuntao specially made a midnight snack..." Li Funing looked at Xiao Lin with a faint smile at the corner of his lips, which made Song Youning's scalp numb.
Meanwhile, Li Funing continued the conversation tirelessly, "If the prince wants to know... the specific details of last night..."
"Um, Chuntao!"
Song Youning stood up suddenly, accidentally knocking over the chrysanthemum tea beside her. She forced a halt to the conversation and looked up, signaling, "Go... go get me my new cloud tea!"
The yellow liquid from the spilled chrysanthemum tea spread over the hem of her plain white skirt.
Li Funing handed her a white handkerchief and ran his fingertips across her palm, making her whole body numb. "Your Highness, be careful."
Her voice was as gentle as jade, but she deliberately emphasized the word "be careful". What happened last night suddenly came to her mind again, causing her fingertips to tremble.
She hadn't expected that beneath Li Funing's seemingly decent appearance, he was actually so... scheming and frivolous...
Song Youning's face was about to burn, but Xiao Lin still kept his watery eyes open and asked excitedly: "How is the strategy you discussed last night? Do you have a solution?"
Song Youning clutched the tea stains still lingering on the hem of her skirt, her throat tightening. If Xiao Lin pressed her further, she had no idea what shocking things Li Funing would say...
"Sir, do you really want to listen?"
Li Funing turned his head to look at Xiao Lin, who had an innocent face. A hint of ill intention flashed in his clear eyes. He gently waved the folding fan in his hand. If you didn't know him, you would really think he was a kind of person with a clear mind and bright moon.
Xiao Lin's eyes grew more curious, and he pressed on with determination, "Father will be leading his troops to the northern border in three days." His mind raced, and he added, "If we can come up with a good strategy that will not only help us defeat the enemy quickly but also...save a few soldiers, Lord Li, why don't you share it with me?"
"In that case!" Li Funing paused and looked at Xiao Lin, who was eager to learn.
"Last night, Your Highness and I deduced repeatedly..." As the two of them talked, Song Youning's neck flushed red. He raised the corner of his mouth and changed the subject: "I think it's safest to take a detour through the cedar forest."
Li Funing suddenly fell silent, snapped his folding fan, and looked at her with a smile on his face. At this time, the tips of Song Youning's ears were so red that blood seemed to be dripping out.
Xiao Lin frowned slightly, not understanding what he meant. Why did he choose the cedar forest as the safest place? He continued to ask, "Why?"
Li Funing tapped the edge of the table with his fingertips, his tone becoming more serious. He used tea to illustrate a diagram on the table: "If our army takes the official road, the northern border will be ablaze before the cavalry arrives."
"But the cedar forest is different..."
"Every spring hunting season, there are no fewer than a hundred caravans and hunters entering and leaving the cedar forest. If our army disguises itself as a hunter group and breaks up into smaller groups, we can better conceal our presence."
He added, "Our troops will be hidden under the 'animal hides' each team carries. This will obscure our strength and catch the North unawares!"
Hearing this, Song Youning's heart suddenly relaxed. If he hadn't changed the subject just now, she would have rushed over to cover Li Funing's mouth.
It was obvious that Li Funing was deliberately teasing her and had to bring up what happened last night in front of everyone... It turned out that once a man becomes bad, he can be three times more powerful than a woman.
Li Fu Ning continued to talk tirelessly, and the two of them looked like brothers in a friendly and respectful manner. Then he added, "The soldiers and horses of the Northern Territory are strong, and they conquer the world on horseback. If our army confronts them head-on, I'm afraid it will consume a lot of manpower. It would be better to rely on a surprise attack, which will also increase our chances of victory. Let's use the cedar forest to hide our troops... so that we can send troops later!"
Xiao Lin clapped his hands and said, "Brilliant!" The chrysanthemum tea was so fragrant that it swayed out of the cup. "Why didn't I think of borrowing your passage..." He gestured excitedly, not noticing the glances between Li Funing and Song Youning that intertwined and then quickly separated.
Li Funing gave Song Youning an uninhibited smile: "Your Highness taught me the best last night... I was just repeating it!"
Song Youning rolled his eyes and raised his hand in the air, "You two, don't talk while eating and don't talk while sleeping, just eat well..." and thus cut off the conversation between the two.
Her face was stern, and her earlobes were still flushed.
She nodded towards the food and said, "Even eating can't stop you two from eating. Aren't you both hungry? Why don't you eat quickly?"
Li Funing thought for a moment and said seriously, "Your Highness is right. I was not tactful and showed off. I will have my meal now!"
Under Song Youning's rule of not talking or sleeping, the two of them did not communicate anymore. After eating and drinking, and with the sun being scorching outside, Song Youning asked them to take a rest in her palace.
Suddenly, the sound of bells and bracelets jingled outside the palace. The young eunuch stepped quietly outside the beaded curtain and said, "Your Highness, the nobles from Fengya Pavilion have passed Yongchun Gate!"
When the young eunuch was reporting, he stole a glimpse of Prince Xiao leaning idly on a recliner in the hall, and Lord Li standing at the window with his hands behind his back, as if thinking about something.
Song Youning looked up at him and said, "I see. You go down first!" Then he stood up from the recliner and glanced at the two of them. "What are you still standing there for? Why don't you get up?"
Xiao Lin lay on the recliner casually, frowning slightly, and said dissatisfiedly: "Isn't the expedition coming in a few days? Why is Ningning's Fengya Pavilion still open as usual?"
Song Youning stood there with her eyes closed, resting. Chuntao beside her was tidying up her clothes. She slowly explained to Xiao Lin, "Let's go to the northern border to deal with those Rong people first. It won't take more than ten days to go back and forth."
"And these newly arrived noble ladies don't even know all the palace rules. This period of time is enough to let them familiarize themselves with the rules. This is like driving a bird into a cage..."
"It's just right that while we were in the North, we've let these young birds get used to the feeding trough... We can divide them into gangs and then catch them all in one fell swoop... Otherwise, when we come back to deal with these people, we'll have to wait for them to divide into teams, which will take some time..."
After listening to this, Xiao Lin did not hesitate. He flipped over and stood up, and followed Song Youning to Fengya Pavilion.
By the time the three of them reached the gate of Fengya Pavilion, dusk had already crept over the carved, vermilion-lacquered lintel. Sixteen bright lamps were already alight within the pavilion, illuminating the room with dazzling brilliance, adorned with pearls and jade.
When Song Youning stepped into the pavilion, her fingertips brushed against the Xiangfei bamboo curtain hanging outside the palace door. She lowered her head and walked into the pavilion. As the beads in her hair jingled, more than 20 figures turned around and looked at her.
The golden hairpins in the girls' hair trembled slightly, and the mutton-fat jade on the boys' waists swayed. Those invited to Fengya Pavilion were all fifteen or sixteen years old. Most of them were the apple of their family's eye and the pride of heaven. Their every move revealed the dignity brought up by aristocratic families.
Seeing her coming, several noble ladies knelt down and the young man bowed and saluted.
Song Youning looked at everyone coming... and knew everything.
When the third girl in pink clothes on the left saluted, the beads of the golden phoenix hairpin on her temples got entangled with her earrings. The red jade beads were pigeon blood stones, a specialty of the Western Regions. The jade pendant on the waist of the young man in indigo robe on the right was in very new condition and was obviously of top quality.
She lifted her wide sleeves slightly and said, "No need to be so polite." Her gaze stopped in front of a noble lady in an apricot-colored skirt. The woman seemed familiar.
The noblewoman in the apricot-colored skirt lowered her head, revealing a plump neck. The silken crabapple hairpin slanted in her hair trembled slightly as she saluted.
When she raised her eyes, she saw a teardrop mole at the corner of her left eye, which made her almond-shaped eyes look charming.
She recognized this girl. She was the legitimate daughter of Marquis Pingyang whom she had met before in Lingnan. Thanks to her last time in Lingnan, she was able to rescue the group of pregnant women so easily. She didn't expect to meet her here, but it was not surprising. She was the legitimate daughter of Marquis Pingyang, so naturally she was invited.
After a brief moment of thought, Song Youning smiled and opened her lips slightly: "You all came to my elegant pavilion to relax, so why bother? Just treat it like your own home!"
Song Youning looked at the people in the corridor and knew that although they were respectful to her, she had a bad reputation over the years. Few of these rich young men and spoiled girls looked up to her. They were so respectful to her only because of her status.
Song Youning wanted to test them, so he pretended to pick up the glass cup beside the table and skillfully dropped it to the ground...
“Bang!”
The cup shattered like cracked ice, and the amber wine splashed. As everyone in the room was shocked, she secretly observed their reactions and explained anxiously, "I wanted to drink tea, but I didn't pay attention..."
She glanced at the corridor. Since they were both sons of important officials, they had met each other several times when they were young.
A noble lady in an apricot-shirt was so scared that she subconsciously hid behind the scarlet girl. The scarlet girl should be the daughter of Yu Nan, the Minister of Rites. She looked a bit like his father.
The frightened woman in apricot shirt seemed to be Xiao Lin's cousin. She had seen Xiao Lin several times when he was a child. Young Master Chen immediately protected the girl in light green shirt beside him. Judging from their intimacy, they must be a pair of nephews and nieces from Grand Tutor Chen's family. And several seemingly unrelated young men and women in the southeast corner were all watching in secret, not idle at all.
Song Youning calmly took in everyone's expressions and actions. Some people nervously clutched their sleeves and hid behind others, some were obviously scared to death but pretended to be calm, and a few thought they were smart and deliberately tried to please others.
She glanced at Chuntao, who immediately understood and stepped forward.
"Since everyone is so tense, why not watch a song and dance show to relax a bit?"
As soon as Song Youning finished speaking, Chuntao led the maids in and filed in. They gently removed the remaining mats on the table and replaced them with freshly scented cushions. The ladies exchanged glances, but no one dared to overstep their bounds. They simply took their seats according to their status.
The sound of stringed instruments arose, and a group of dancers appeared from behind the screen, their wide sleeves dancing like clouds chasing the moon. They were worthy of being the ones she had hired from Jiangnan for a large sum of money.
With the accompaniment of singing and dancing, whispers gradually appeared at the table. Some people covered their lips and chuckled, while others pretended to stare at the singing and dancing intently, but their eyes kept drifting towards the main seat.
Song Youning leaned against the table, her fingertips tapping in time with the rhythm of the music, a faint smile on her lips. After a short song and dance, she had figured out the backbone of this group of young men and women.
The person sitting on the cushion next to her was either Master Chen's nephew or niece, or the girl in the apricot-dressed dress.
The string music gradually faded, and a young girl in a crimson silk dress stepped forward gracefully, a candlelight flickering in her hand. "Your Highness, this piece of music, 'Rainbow Skirts,' is truly exquisite. It reminds me of the fairies I met in the Moon Palace during the Lantern Festival. It's truly a piece chosen by Your Highness, and it's truly unique!"
Song Youning looked at Yu Ying'er, the daughter of the Minister of Rites, who looked a bit like her father. Did she dare to take the initiative to come forward and flatter her? She was quite courageous.
Song Youning's eyes fell on the girl in red clothes beside her, and she smiled gently, "I didn't know Miss Yu was so proficient in music theory?"
"But what wonderful music did your father obtain recently? He wants to present it to me. I remember that some time ago, my Fengya Pavilion was almost shut down because of Lord Yu!"
The crimson girl's face turned three shades paler in an instant.
As expected, she was a person who could not hold her temper, and even her flattery was short-sighted. Song Youning glanced at her pale face. She was too lazy to change these tricks that made the minions take the lead.
Just as Yu Ying'er was in a dilemma, a noble lady with a fringe-colored crabapple hairpin bowed gracefully, "Princess, the Ministry of Rites is in charge of the ceremonies of the country. Sister Yu has been studying the "Rules for Women" and the "Book of Rites" since she was young. Such entertaining skills..."
She pursed her lips and smiled, "It's not worth the ladies' trouble."
Song Youning rolled his eyes when he heard her words. He could have argued for her, but why did he resort to praising and criticizing her? Are you so noble? Are you the only one who doesn't listen to lascivious music...
"What a great way to entertain people..." Song Youning repeated.
Song Youning suddenly clapped her hands and chuckled, "I forgot that I have loved this art of entertaining people since I was young. I learned the "Pozhen Music" at the age of three and composed the "Liangzhou Ci" at the age of seven. Since I arrived, I have loved hanging out with those seductive men and women. In my spare time, I like to listen to some decadent music. Now it seems that I am not worthy of being in the upper class..."
All the noble ladies in the hall gasped in shock. The two ladies suddenly realized that they had said the wrong thing and knelt down suddenly, their knees hitting the floor tiles.
Song Youning held a grudge and didn't want to let the two of them get up, but she had to create an image of being weak and incompetent, so she could only pretend to be panicked.
"Oh, why...why are you kneeling?" Song Youning was in a panic, the hairpins hanging in her hair jingling from the violent movements. She didn't look like a princess at all.
"It's no big deal, no problem, no problem..."
Chun Tao immediately put on a vulgar look of a bully, pinching her waist as she stepped forward, like a shrewd waiter in a street teahouse: "Our princess is the most generous..."
She deliberately dragged out her voice, "Yesterday, I lost three hundred taels of silver playing mahjong at the Jiaofangsi, and I even gave each of the musicians a gold hairpin! Don't worry, my princess is always generous and won't make a fuss about it!"
When everyone saw that the legitimate princess of Dagan was so vulgar and weak, they all let down their guard.
After listening to what Chuntao said, although Li Funing knew that Song Youning was going to play dumb, the hand holding the cup still trembled slightly. She was going to act out this stupid attitude to the end!
But he still had a gentle smile on his face, and a hint of helplessness appeared in his eyes.
Xiao Lin was even more unbearable. A mouthful of wine choked in his throat, causing his eyes to turn red. He felt that he could not do this in front of everyone, as he would lose his dignity as a prince. He could only turn around under the pretense of coughing, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
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