Chapter 40: Get ready...
Song Youning frowned. "Li Funing has always been tolerant and generous. Although I know he's still upset about us not getting married, I really don't think he'd get angry with me over such a trivial matter..."
"I teased him yesterday, but he left without a word... Before he left, he even said I never cared about his nonsense..."
"It gives me the illusion of being a child who can't get his favorite snack... and needs to be coaxed..."
Chun Tao said thoughtfully, "Master Li is already such an adult, could it be that... he really wants you to go and coax him?"
Song Youning looked dazed, her cheeks flushed, and she argued: "He has always been noble and proud, how could he be so petty..." Song Youning paused.
"And...if..." Song Youning paused, hesitating...
Chun Tao was puzzled: "What if?"
Song Youning was obviously a little nervous, her hands clenched tightly, and she stammered, "If I misunderstood you, wouldn't it be embarrassing?"
Chun Tao teased, her eyes curved into crescents. "Oh? So Your Highness has been thinking about this from last night until this morning, and has been restless for two days... Just thinking about this matter?"
Chuntao saw that her master's cheeks were slightly red, and she looked a bit awkward and at a loss.
Song Youning angrily said, "Chun Tao!"
Chun Tao stood up and took two steps back: "Okay, okay, I know I was wrong...I know I was wrong..."
"What are you talking about? It's so lively?"
Before the two of them finished speaking, the palace door was pushed open with a creaky sound, and the queen walked in slowly, carrying a carved food box.
The hairpins and beads on her head swayed gently with her steps, and the pearls and jade colliding made crisp sounds that echoed in the hall.
"Mother!"
Song Youning was originally curled up lazily in a rattan chair, but when he heard the sound, his eyes suddenly lit up and he jumped up from the chair like a happy little bird.
She lifted her skirt and trotted a few steps, then threw herself into the Queen's arms and rubbed her cheek against her body affectionately. "Mother, why are you here?"
"Slow down, and fall carefully."
The queen hurriedly placed the food box on the table beside her, reached out to catch her daughter who was rushing towards her, and gently brushed her messy hair with her fingertips, her eyes filled with a gentle smile.
The sweet aroma of osmanthus cake wafted out of the food box, mixing with the soothing fragrance in the hall, exuding a warm atmosphere.
"It's just that heartless little guy. He hasn't come to Kunning Palace to see me in such a long time since I returned to the palace. Is he still angry about me snitching on Lord Li?"
The queen carefully adjusted the raised edge of her collar, smoothing out all the wrinkles one by one.
Song Youning pouted and said angrily, "Humph...Who told the Queen Mother to secretly inform Li Funing of this? Otherwise, I would still be picking lychees in Lingnan..."
The Queen didn't care and smiled calmly: "Okay, okay, your Majesty the Queen knows her mistake. What were you talking about just now? How about your Majesty the Queen discussing this on behalf of Ning'er? It will be considered as a way to atone for my sins. How about it?"
When Song Youning heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up, like a star suddenly lit up in the night sky.
She raised her face slightly, her long eyelashes casting a trembling shadow under her eyes: "Are you serious, mother?"
The Queen: "Of course it's true. Mother understands your thoughts. If this knot is not untied today, I'm afraid that little guy will not even eat breakfast today... I will report it to Ningning as an apology."
Song Youning glanced at the untouched breakfast, lowered his head, grabbed his sleeve and said awkwardly: "My Queen Mother always teases me..."
"Okay, tell me, what were you and Chuntao whispering about just now?"
The queen took her hand and led her to sit down in front of the round carved table. She carefully poured her a cup of tea, and the curling tea mist lingered between the two of them.
He raised his hand and pushed the cup in front of her, a gentle smile between his eyebrows: "We just talked a lot, you must be thirsty, let's eat while we talk..."
Song Youning looked at the silver hairs floating on the surface of the tea leaves, and a few tea leaves swirled and slowly sank to the ground, hesitating: "It's just...it's just..."
"oops!"
Song Youning turned away, looking shy: "Chun Tao, go ahead!"
Chun Tao looked at her mistress's shy expression and slowly spoke, "Your Highness, a few days ago, when His Highness and Lord Li were chatting...for some unknown reason...Lord Li left in a huff. Before he left, he complained that Your Highness had never paid any attention to him."
"Oh!" The Queen took a sip of tea and said calmly, "What were you guys chatting about?"
"I didn't say anything..." Song Youning stammered, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the edge of the teacup, and suddenly he drank all the water in the cup.
"I just said that Lord Li always felt that I was irresponsible to him, so I asked why he was so... considerate to me!"
As she spoke, she suddenly frowned: "Who knew he would be so disrespectful to me right then and there..."
"Although... although I know he might be resentful that I haven't given him a title for so long, he has always been very proud and self-respecting. He will definitely not give up for such a small matter..."
She bit her lip, her voice barely audible: "I just hate it..."
"Yes, yes!" Chuntao took two steps forward.
"Master Li has always been polite and courteous to us servants, and I've never seen him get angry with anyone. How could he get angry over such a small matter..."
The Queen looked at the bewildered master and servant before her, a knowing smile glimmering in her eyes: "Oh? Is that so?"
She picked up the teapot and poured another half cup of tea for Song Youning. She said thoughtfully, "Ningning, your mother remembers that when you were little, you loved to cling to that child, Funing, right?"
Song Youning was stunned: "It is true, but why did the Queen Mother suddenly bring this up..."
The Queen then asked, "How did Ning'er feel about Lord Li at that time?"
"Your son...your son..." Song Youning seemed to be thinking about something.
"I only remember that time... The first time I saw him, I felt that he was like a banished immortal who had walked out of a painting."
She recalled the past, a smile creeping up her lips. "She was born so cool and elegant, but that cinnabar mole at the end of her eye is just... just... so alluring."
The voice stopped abruptly, but the tip of the ear was quietly filled with rouge color.
"It makes me so excited...I can't help but want to stick with him."
The Queen chuckled and spoke slowly: "That's it. I still remember that when Ning'er was six years old, she blocked the Minister of Rites, who was trying to matchmake for Lord Li, outside the palace gate for two hours; when she was eight years old, she threw the sachet that Minister Li's daughter gave her as a gift into the pond..."
"Mother, I remember Ning'er was a generous person who never made enemies. How could she do such a thing?"
Song Youning looked up suddenly when she heard that. She hurriedly explained, "That sachet is embroidered crookedly and is ugly. It's not worthy of Li..."
She suddenly fell silent in the middle of her words, and her fair earlobes turned so red that they seemed to be bleeding.
The Queen picked up her round fan and waved it gently: "Oh! That sachet is for Lord Li, Lord Li doesn't care..."
The Queen raised her eyes and smiled, "Why does Ning'er care so much?"
“Is it because you are jealous?”
Song Youning was obviously a little nervous, clutching the handkerchief tightly in both hands: "Mother!"
"Okay, okay~" The Queen suddenly covered her lips and chuckled, "Mother will not tease you anymore..."
She reached out to straighten Song Youning's messy hair, and her voice was filled with a kind and insightful look: "When you like someone, there's no reasoning!"
"Even the bravest general would be at a loss when he sees his beloved, and even the most timid girl would risk her life for her lover, and Ning'er herself is no exception..."
She gently touched the tip of her finger to the tip of the girl's red nose: "Lord Li is such a polite and self-respecting person, yet he is willing to stay in the capital waiting for you all these years."
"But a certain heartless person has a row of male confidants outside the palace and a pile of romantic affairs..."
"Why, Ning'er, you only allow the governor to set fires, but not the people to light lamps?"
The Queen lowered her voice and said, "In this world, even the most beautiful and charming person cannot escape the word 'love'."
She took Song Youning's hand and held it in her palm: "Now that you are back, you should spend more time with him. All these years..."
The Queen sighed softly: "You have not been in the palace for these years, and your father and I have no other children. As for Funing..."
His voice was filled with emotion: "Either he follows you around to sort out those ridiculous things and help you solve your problems, or he works day and night to help your father with the government affairs. He even personally visits your grandmother to show his filial piety to you..."
"Otherwise, do you think that everything will go smoothly when you return to the palace?"
She suddenly chuckled: "He has arranged everything for you. He has prepared all your favorite foods and toys for you in advance!"
"Actually, it's not your father's fault for favoring him... I am the same!"
Song Youning was stunned. Although she knew that Li Funing would take care of everything for her, she never thought that he would do so much. She had long taken Li Funing's kindness to her for granted.
Song Youning looked at the calming incense burning in the furnace, and was silent for a long time. His lips parted slightly, "Your Majesty, I understand..."
Her eyes moved slightly, as if she had thought of something important: "Mother..."
Song Youning's eyes sparkled: "I have something important to attend to right now, so I'll go ahead... I'll go to Kunning Palace to see my mother when I'm free!"
So he quickly rushed out of the palace gate in two steps, leaving Chun Tao alone to chase after him: "Your Highness, wait for me!"
The queen looked at the two men's anxious backs, took a sip of tea, and suddenly shook her head and laughed.
The image of Li Funing standing in Kunning Palace last night appeared before his eyes again.
The man, wearing a moon-white robe slightly dampened by the night dew, still stubbornly maintained his posture of saluting, "Your Highness has always been...not very understanding of matters of love."
When he raised his eyes, the light of the palace lanterns reflected in his eyes: "I still ask Your Majesty to go to His Highness tomorrow and give him a few more pointers. The rest... I will handle it myself..."
The queen came back to her senses, shook her head and chuckled. Thinking of her daughter's heartless appearance, the helplessness in her eyes deepened a little.
It’s not that she, as a queen mother, doesn’t obey her daughter, but this girl has been spoiled too much by Li Funing. She is like a peony raised in the palace, only caring about blooming wantonly, completely unaware of the efforts behind others.
If you treat feelings as casually as playing mahjong, you might as well take this opportunity to give her a good beating so that she knows what anxiety means.
The queen picked up her round fan and waved it slowly, looking out the window. Song Youning was running anxiously in the corridor, and Chuntao was following closely behind.
A few petals of fallen leaves from a nearby tree were blown off by the wind and fluttered down to the corridor. The contrast between movement and stillness made the scene seem even more vibrant.
The Queen looked at the nanny beside her and said, "Go tell Lord Li that the princess has gone to the Prime Minister's residence. He can handle the rest on his own..."
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