When we arrived at Liushui Pavilion, we could already hear laughter and joyful chatter.
Xie Wan Ning went to the women's side and chatted with the sisters she was familiar with. Pei Yuqing couldn't follow her, so she also went to the men's side.
Thanks to the letter, Xie Wan Ning had gained insight into the secret. This time, when she met several noble ladies whom she often met in the past, she felt very uncomfortable.
Several of them were victims of rape by the second prince.
Even after being succeeded, in order to prevent the matter from being exposed, she had to be controlled by others, and could only regain her freedom after the Second Prince got tired of her.
Xie Wan Ning was so upset that she lost the mood to socialize, so she simply made up an excuse to leave.
When she came here just now, she saw a field of blood plums in full bloom from afar, and she wanted to go and see them.
When she left, she glanced in the direction of the male guest, who seemed to be talking about something. Pei Yuqing was holding the teacup and listening casually, looking relaxed and low-key. Xie Wan Ning thought about it and did not disturb them, but walked out by herself.
In the deep courtyard, the red plum flowers are well cared for by the gardener and are not covered by snow. The red is particularly eye-catching among the white snow scene.
This is probably what the so-called proud red plum blossom means.
Xie Wan Ning was even more delighted. She couldn't help but bend down and get closer to sniff. The cool and light fragrance entered her nose. The corners of her lips curled up slightly. After thinking for a while, she reached out her hand and plucked a few branches of plum blossoms, intending to take them back and put them in a jade vase to admire for a few more days.
When she returned along the same route, holding the plum branch in her hand and got off the bridge, she saw a man in blue standing on the corridor not far from Liushui Pavilion.
Looking closely, who else could it be but Ji Chengfeng?
Xie Wan Ning was slightly stunned. How could this person come out alone in the snow? She thought to herself, but did not stop and stepped onto the steps of the corridor.
Ji Chengfeng obviously saw her as well and looked over. He waited until she came closer before bowing and greeting her.
He looked at the plum blossoms in her hand and said with a smile, "My cousin is so elegant."
"..." Xie Wan Ning was silent for a moment at this address, and then she smiled and said, "I came out to enjoy the flowers. Why is my cousin here alone?"
"Come out for some fresh air," Ji Chengfeng said, "There are too many people inside, and the noise is giving me a headache."
The tone sounded quite intimate, and Xie Wan Ning hesitated again.
This was her aunt's eldest son, her cousin, the new top scholar, and a pillar of the country, but she knew that he would die in the spring after the New Year...
She wanted to save him, but it was a short time ago and she didn't know how to tell him that disaster was imminent.
While she was hesitating, the person in front of her spoke first.
"You... want to know what kind of person Duan Cheng is?" he said.
Xie Wan Ning's eyes lit up, "Cousin is familiar with Duan Cheng?"
After saying this, she remembered that this man and Duan Cheng were both Jinshi in the same class, and they were also two of the top three who were personally named by His Majesty in the Golden Palace.
It would be strange if you are not familiar with it.
Sure enough, Ji Chengfeng smiled and said, "Ask first what you want to know, and I'll see if I can help you solve your confusion."
"... him," Xie Wan Ning paused, not knowing what to ask for a moment, so she simply said, "Tell me about him in general."
"He is the legitimate son of the Duan family in Liangzhou. He lost his father in childhood and his mother in adolescence. He passed the examination for a Tongsheng at the age of twelve, a Xiucai at the age of fifteen, a Juren at the age of nineteen, and was selected by the emperor as a Tanhua at the age of twenty," Ji Chengfeng said. "He has a strong character, is good at both civil and military affairs, and is an extremely outstanding man."
Xie Wan Ning listened quietly, and it was not difficult to hear the admiration for Duan Cheng in his words.
She was not surprised at all. After all, the marriage between Xie Ruyu and Duan Cheng was decided by her second uncle himself for his daughter, so he certainly would not choose a mere concubine for his daughter.
It’s just that what men and women care about is definitely different…
Xie Wan Ning thought for a moment and then asked, "He is already 20 years old. Has he ever been engaged? Is he still alone?"
Xie Ruyu has an even stronger temper than her and absolutely cannot tolerate any grain of sand in her eyes.
I only regret that the dream scenes were so fleeting that most of the memories left were about the entanglement with Lu Ziyan. As for other people, I rarely had any impression.
She didn't know whether her cousin was satisfied with the marriage.
When Ji Chengfeng heard her question, his brows finally furrowed and his eyes fell on her face.
Talking about other people's private affairs behind their back is not what a gentleman does.
He hesitated for a while before slowly saying, "I heard that when Madam Duan was alive, she had chosen a girl for her son, but she passed away before the marriage was finalized. The girl's family didn't want to delay their daughter for three years, so the marriage was dropped."
Losing one’s mother is a serious form of mourning and one must observe three years of mourning.
This may also be the reason why he passed the examination for a scholar at the age of fifteen and then passed the examination for a juren at the age of nineteen.
only……
Xie Wan Ning was unhappy because he almost had a fiancée. He didn't know whether it was his mother who chose her or Duan Cheng himself was interested in her.
If it is the latter, then missing out on the other person because of such twists and turns would make one feel somewhat unsatisfied, right?
She has some understanding of human nature. The more you can't get something, the more you will miss it.
She is like this herself. In her previous life, the colder Lu Ziyan was to her, the more obsessed she was with wanting to marry him.
If she did not get what she wanted, but instead listened to her parents' advice and broke off the engagement and married another man, no matter how good the other man was, she would still feel resentful for the rest of her life.
The reason she can let it go now is simply because she has tried it once and is no longer unwilling to give up.
There are many things that you won’t be satisfied with unless you try them yourself.
Therefore, she absolutely did not want her cousin to marry a man who had other girls in his heart.
Xie Wan Ning looked a little ugly.
Ji Chengfeng noticed her expression and finally couldn't help asking, "My cousin has never met Duan Cheng, why do you care so much about him?"
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
