Chapter 165 You can use me to fool me
Ming Luo's eyes first fell on Cui Jing's face.
With just one glance, she noticed that he was different at this moment.
Although the young man still had no expression on his face, his facial features, which usually gave people a feeling of being unapproachable, were no longer stern. She had only seen this subtle but unignorable change in his expression when he was facing that person.
Therefore, before Ming Luo looked at the person beside him, he already had the answer in his mind.
When I saw the person disguised as a teenager, the only feeling I had was "as expected".
It is indeed Chang Suining.
It can only be Chang Suining.
Ming Luo's gaze was silently withdrawn for a moment, and he turned to look at Cui Jing, calmly shaking hands and greeting: "General Cui."
Cui Jing also looked at her: "Ms. Ming."
Ming Luo had a proper smile on his face: "I am here on the orders of His Majesty to discuss the details of the Chongyang Festival ancestor worship with Grand Commander Cui."
"General Cui has official business, so there is no need to see me off." Chang Suining said at the right time, "I'll take my leave first."
Cui Jing nodded at first, and when he saw her raising her foot to leave, he suddenly said, "By the way—"
Chang Suining looked at him.
Cui Jing said, "I have prepared a birthday gift for Senior Adian, but I will not be in the capital on that day. How about you take it back and give it to Senior on my behalf on that day?"
Chang Suining nodded and said with a smile, "Okay."
Adian's birthday was the day before the Double Ninth Festival. When she picked Adian up, the copper lock he was wearing had his birth date on it.
But she didn't expect that Cui Jing even knew this and remembered to prepare a birthday gift for Adian in advance.
He treated the old people and things in Xuan Ce Mansion so attentively that even she at that time would almost feel ashamed of herself.
And she remembered one year in the army, when she was staring at the sand table in the tent, Wu Jue brought her a bowl of noodles. She ate it hastily and went back to work. The next day when she had some free time, she belatedly asked Wu Jue why he suddenly spent so much time and effort to make noodles yesterday. Wu Jue was stunned and told her that of course you have to eat noodles on your birthday. She then asked whose birthday it was, and Wu Jue was stunned again - of course it's your Highness!
She suddenly realized that yesterday was her birthday.
Therefore, whenever she got busy, she would always forget about these things.
By the way, the bamboo dragonfly that Adian still carries with her was the one she had suddenly bought as a birthday gift on Adian’s birthday one year.
In comparison, Cui Jing is more reliable than her in such matters.
Cui Jing asked Yuan Xiang to fetch the things, and then asked Chang Suining, "Would you like to go to the front hall and have some tea?"
"No need." Chang Suining pointed to the pavilion at the end of the path and said, "I'll just wait there."
Cui Jing nodded.
Ming Luo never looked away from Chang Suining, but she took every word of their conversation, especially Cui Jing's, to heart.
Following the demeanor that he only had when dealing with Chang Suining, the way and tone he used when speaking to Chang Suining was now completely different from how he spoke to others.
She originally thought that by pushing Chang Suining to the position of Crown Princess as soon as possible, she could stop the bad omen on him in time, but she never expected that it would push him towards Chang Suining even faster... It's true that things in the world are unpredictable.
Ming Luo did not show any strange expression, and went to the study outside Xuan Ce's mansion with Cui Jing to discuss matters.
This was not the first time that the Xuan Ce Army had escorted the emperor on his trip. The rules and arrangements were all there, so there was not much that needed to be discussed specifically.
After everything was quickly agreed upon, Cui Jing said, "There is no need to trouble Ms. Ming to come in person for this matter. We can just send a palace messenger to convey the message later."
His temperament and behavior have always been like this, Ming Luo was used to it, but thinking about his words and actions towards Chang Suining just now, his mood at this moment could not remain calm as usual.
After a moment, she said, "This concerns the safety of the Holy Chariot, so I dare not be careless."
Cui Jing did not comment, closed the charter document in his hand, and was about to send the guest away when he suddenly heard Ming Luo, who was sitting there, say, "Speaking of which, I am very curious about something and would like to ask Grand Commander Cui to explain it to me."
Cui Jing raised his eyes and looked at her.
After all, they were discussing the emperor's outing, and the details should not be leaked. Therefore, in the huge outer study room at this moment, apart from one of Cui Jing's confidants, there were only Cui Jing and Ming Luo.
Ming Luo smiled slightly and asked curiously in the tone of a familiar friend, "I wonder what it is about the girl from the Chang family that Grand Commander Cui likes?"
Cui Jing seemed to have never expected that she would ask about this. After a slight pause, he answered without evasion or hesitation: "All."
Ming Luo's smile froze slightly.
I like Chang Suining... everything? Including her willfulness, self-righteousness, and arrogance?
She found it funny, but did not comment. She only asked, "But the Chang family girl claimed that she had no interest in Grand Admiral Cui... In this case, does Grand Admiral Cui really want to waste his life for her?"
Cui Jing: "Even if she wasn't there, I had no intention of getting married. It's not a waste of time to choose someone on my own."
Ming Luo just smiled.
So, what he meant was that if Chang Suining hadn't appeared, he would still be alone and would not choose anyone else. For him, being alone was the norm, and wanting to marry Chang Suining was an exception, right?
But she doesn't think that a person will make an exception for only one person in his or her life.
When it comes to making exceptions, once there is a first time, there will be a second time; once there is a first person, there will be a second person.
"It's a good thing that Grand Commander Cui has met someone he likes." She said slowly, "I can also see that Grand Commander Cui is really sincere to Lady Chang, but sincerity should be given to sincere people..."
She paused for a moment before saying, "I have no prejudice against the Chang family's wife, but she has already rejected Grand Commander Cui in public, and now she is looking for Grand Commander Cui again. I wonder what she is thinking?"
Cui Jing sorted out the documents beside him and said calmly, "She didn't come to look for me today."
Ming Luo smiled.
He actually believed such words?
"I am a woman, so I naturally understand women better. Such remarks..." She stopped talking halfway, without any targeting in her tone. She just reminded with the attitude of a bystander: "Looking at what the Chang family girl did, she is definitely not a person with a simple mind."
Cui Jing raised his eyes slightly and looked at her: "Why does Cui have to like people with simple and pure minds?"
It is rare to find people with truly pure minds in this world, but what can really attract him is never the shallow, simple and pure color. What he admires and yearns for has always been a soul that is heavy and firm, but underneath that heaviness there is a thousand-foot-high blazing light, and someone who dares to confront fear head-on and never gives up.
Ever since that snowstorm, he learned to admire the strong. He was destined to be attracted only by those who were strong enough for him to look up to. Those who looked down upon him were all ordinary creatures in his eyes. He could have pity on them and protect them, but he could never have the slightest feeling that touched his heart.
So, maybe he was attracted to her a long time ago.
From her fearlessness in front of the divine elephant, from her murderous intent towards him when she was drunk, from her sitting outside Dengtai Tower eating buns with the two little beggars, and so much more...
Regardless of whether she was that person or not, what she had now was a soul that was naturally destined to dazzle and attract him.
At this moment, during the question and answer session with Ming Luo, Cui Jing suddenly realized this. He lowered his eyes to look at the tea swaying slightly in the teacup at hand, and a wave of emotion suddenly arose in his heart.
Hearing this, Ming Luo couldn't calm down.
"People are born with different personalities, and there is no distinction between high and low. It is not the case that only people with simple and pure minds are worthy of being liked. Grand Commander Cui has misunderstood my meaning." She agreed with Cui Jing first, and then said, "I just don't want to see Grand Commander Cui's sincerity being used and fooled by others, so I took the liberty to remind you a few things."
Chang Suining clearly rejected him in public, but she always appeared in front of him. If this wasn't taking advantage of him, what else could this be? Cui Jing looked at her and said, "She can take advantage of me, but I don't care."
He was the one who pushed for the flower banquet in the first place, and if there was any use being made of her, it was he who recommended her to be used.
Ming Luo's eyelashes trembled, and he even suspected that he was hallucinating.
What? What the hell is he saying?
Is this still the Cui Jing who is always calm and self-controlled, never makes mistakes, and has no weaknesses in front of or behind others?
So, he was not unaware that Chang Suining had ulterior motives, but was willing to be fooled by him? At this moment, Ming Luo felt that the person in front of him seemed to be possessed by a demon.
However, he remained clear-headed and calm, without any emotional fluctuations, and there was no trace of confusion in his eyes.
It's obviously still the same person, but why...
Cui Jing finally said: "Anyway, these are all private matters between her and me, so Ms. Ming will not bother with them."
If he hadn't suspected that Ming Luo mentioned this matter today because the saint had instructed him to test the sincerity of his feelings, he wouldn't have said a word.
"Yes..." Ming Luo lowered his eyes: "I was presumptuous today, I hope Commander Cui will not take it to heart."
Cui Jing nodded without saying anything.
Due to his self-esteem, Ming Luo could not stay any longer and stood up and raised his hand to say goodbye.
Her face remained calm and proper, but her heart was already surging with turmoil.
She thought that as long as she knew the reason why he liked Chang Suining, she would have a chance to destroy that reason, but his love had no reason, no reason, and even no principle! Ming Luo forced herself to calm down.
She didn't believe that there was really such a thing as love without reason in this world.
He had been close to Chang Kuo before he took command of the Xuan Ce Army. If he was destined to be attracted to Chang Suining, why did he only start to have feelings for her now? When did he start to feel differently towards Chang Suining?
Many images flashed through Ming Luo's mind quickly. During this time, she thought of the starting point when she really started to pay attention to Chang Suining... It was when Chang Suining began to intentionally imitate Princess Chongyue! She and Cui Jing were both aware of the secrets in the Tiannu Pagoda of Dayun Temple. Cui Jing was even a participant in it, so he knew a lot about Chongyue. Over the years, she could feel his admiration for the princess.
So, was he attracted to Chang Suining because he saw the shadow of Princess Chongyue in her?
As soon as this thought came to her mind, Ming Luo's heart was suddenly filled with a rising anger called unwillingness, and a panic that she could hardly face - Cui Jing was attracted to Chang Suining instead of her, so did that mean... Chang Suining was more like him than her?
In addition to what Master Tianjing said, my aunt has been mentioning Chang Suining intentionally or unintentionally recently, and she even seems to be gradually moving closer to guessing about that matter...
But how exactly is Chang Suining similar to her? Apart from the handwriting, what else is similar about her?
Because she couldn't figure it out, she felt more and more uneasy and flustered.
She had never felt so panicked in all these years, and she was destined to be panicked only about this matter.
She may not really love Cui Jing, and may not really care about her aunt's eyes, but if she wants to move forward instead of being beaten back to her original state, she must hold on to her foundation.
That was her essence, and she knew it.
At least it was, and it still is...
Before she had enough chips to completely take off the coat called shadow, she couldn't let anyone waver and snatch it away.
Ming Luo didn't know how far she had walked until a figure appeared in her sight.
That figure was particularly glaring in her eyes at this moment.
"Young Master Chang...when will you come to see Liuhuo again?" Yuan Xiang asked in a low voice as he escorted Chang Suining across the threshold of Xuan Ce Mansion.
"Come over when you're free." Chang Suining stopped outside Xuan Ce's mansion and took the box from Yuan Xiang's hand: "Thank you for running around today."
Yuan Xiang smiled and waved his hands: "It's not hard, it's not hard. I look forward to you coming here every day... to see Liu Huo!"
Chang Suining also smiled and said, "Okay, go in and get busy."
Yuan Xiang nodded, bowed and said goodbye, then turned around happily and went back to Xuan Ce Mansion.
As soon as she stepped into the door, she saw Ming Luo coming out with her maid, so she stepped aside and saluted with a smile: "Goodbye, Ms. Ming."
Ming Luo nodded without stopping.
Chang Suining walked to the carriage, Xier got off, took the box from her own girl with one hand, and opened the curtain with the other.
When Chang Suining was getting on the carriage, she heard a voice behind her: "Madam Chang, please stay."
Chang Suining turned around and saw Ming Luo.
She raised her hand to the other party: "Ms. Ming."
Ming Luo looked at the girl who bowed to him calmly, and his voice was unremarkable: "I wonder if Madam Chang would like to come with me to the teahouse to sit down and have a chat?"
Chang Suining looked across the vast Xuan Ce Mansion and said, "The nearest teahouse is about two quarters of an hour away."
When she looked away, her eyes fell on Ming Luo's carriage, and she casually suggested, "The lady's carriage looks spacious enough, I wonder if we can go in and have a chat?"
Ming Luo raised the corner of his mouth slightly.
She had been too disdainful to say a word to the other party before, but now that she took the initiative to invite him, the other party, on the contrary, acted as if he was afraid of trouble and wanted to save time. He really didn't know what he was talking about.
How could such a person be like the flawless and praised princess in the eyes of the world? The other party didn't know what he meant, but she didn't need to care about this little thing, so she nodded generously: "Okay."
The two of them got on the carriage one after another.
Not long after he sat down in the car, Chang Suining felt that indescribable strange feeling in his heart again.
But this time, she seemed to have found the answer to the source of the inexplicable strange feeling she had when she first met Ming Luo.
Ming Luo did not let the maid enter the car. At this moment, only she and Chang Suining were sitting opposite each other in the car.
"I wonder why Ms. Ming wants to talk to me?" Chang Suining asked.
Cui. Ordinary. Rebellious. Admiring the strong brain. Grand Commander: She can use it to fool me.
Ming Luo: Who taught him to date like this? ? ? ? (End of this chapter)
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