Chapter 16
Ning Shiyu's expression froze instantly.
He did not answer his uncle until the King of Qin left.
I stood there for a long time.
Upon returning to Songtao Garden, Ning Shiyu instructed the steward to hand over the accounts of the expenses incurred there to Fu'er.
There's no need to take it to the Ningzhai accounting office.
She knew that if she didn't find something for Fu'er to do, she would get into trouble again if she stayed idle.
The steward and servants of Songtao Garden, including the spies around Ning Shiyu, all knew Fu'er.
There is only one girl named Dongyue here; the rest are all men.
Of course, Dongyue was no ordinary maid who could live in Songtao Garden; she was also one of Ning Shiyu's guards.
He is highly skilled in martial arts.
Several years ago, Ning Shiyu was attacked when he left the mansion, and she happened to be on the carriage at the time.
Dongyue easily picked up Fu'er and jumped off the out-of-control carriage.
In Fu'er's eyes, Dongyue was her savior, and she respected her greatly, but at the same time she was somewhat afraid of her.
Despite her usual carefree attitude, Fu'er never revealed a word about Ning Shiyu's secret plans to anyone.
Including her family members.
She had been with Ning Shiyu for over ten years, and the two had a tacit understanding about what could be said and what could not be revealed.
It's all an unspoken understanding.
In Songtao Garden, not only did no one make things difficult for her, but she also felt very comfortable.
They can also make their own spices.
Her room was in the courtyard next to Ning Shiyu's.
When Ning Shiyu went out, she did what she was supposed to do, such as making her spices, and no one disturbed her.
The manager of Songtao Garden was called Uncle Jiu, who was also one of Ning Shiyu's confidants.
As Ning Shiyu instructed, the next day Uncle Jiu asked Dongyue to go to the silk shop to get clothes for Fu'er.
Before lunchtime, Dongyue brought several new dresses and other items to Fu'er.
Even her bralette was replaced with a new one.
Women love beauty, and Fu'er was no exception.
I immediately put it on and tried it out.
The first thing she wore was a green plum blossom patterned jacket with a front opening, which was also lined with fabric.
Fu'er twirled around in front of her and asked, "Sister Dongyue, do you think this looks good on me?"
In the winter months, she often wears narrow-sleeved, dark-colored fitted clothing for ease of movement; to her, all these colorful dresses are the same.
She doesn't talk much, is aloof, and has a straightforward personality.
Seeing Fu'er looking at him expectantly, he glanced at her and replied, "The dress is pretty, but it doesn't suit you."
"You look a bit simple-minded, not quite handsome enough."
"It would look even better if it were worn by the young master's concubine, Yun."
Fu'er's mood plummeted.
My heart ached, but the dress felt warm, and I couldn't bear to take it off.
Looking at myself in the bronze mirror, I didn't look bulky at all.
Fu'er's old jackets were lined with either silk floss or goose down.
It will still be cold, so I'll wear a vest over it.
Wearing this new jacket, I don't feel cold even when I go out wearing just this one piece of clothing.
She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Sister Dongyue, what kind of fleece is added inside?"
"It's warmer than if I wore two coats."
Dongyue replied matter-of-factly, "The shopkeeper said it was deer velvet."
Fu'er stood there with wide eyes, thinking she had misheard.
Deer velvet is extremely rare and sometimes even royalty cannot buy it.
Ning Shiyu's winter brocade robes were mostly embroidered with this item.
But his master was wealthy, and she, a mere maid, couldn't afford to wear such expensive clothes.
He stammered, "Sister Dongyue, this dress is too expensive. Did you hear me correctly?"
Hearing Fu'er's endless questions, Dongyue grew impatient and replied dryly, "My master personally went to the silk clothing store to give instructions, how could there be any mistake?"
"Miss Fu'er, you'd better put it on, otherwise I'll be the one punished."
"Try the other items too. The shopkeeper said to get them altered if they don't fit."
"If you don't like it, go and change it."
Lingyi Fang is Ning Shiyu's clothing shop, and it is also a place that makes robes specifically for him.
On the main street of Lingyang, the shops are large, and the clothes inside are very expensive.
Ordinary people simply can't afford to wear them.
Seeing Dongyue's stiff tone and the long sword she wore, Fu'er swallowed hard and smiled awkwardly.
"Thank you, Sister Dongyue. Everything you're wearing fits perfectly, even the tube top is just right."
“Unlike the corsets my mother made for me, which were always too small, I had to roll them up whenever I raised my arms.”
Fu'er usually eats well at the Ning residence, and her body is still growing.
Every time her mother made clothes for her, she treated her like a child and made them according to the size she imagined.
Almost every time, the sewing was too small.
Fu'er had no choice but to make do with it. Since it was too tight, she untied the back strap.
"Sister Dongyue, you are so thoughtful."
Dongyue stood coldly to the side with her arms crossed in front of her chest, watching Fu'er try on one piece after another. "It has nothing to do with me. It's the size that Master said."
He glanced at Fu'er's chest out of the corner of his eye and added, "He touched it with his hand, so of course it's accurate."
Fu'er was stunned for a moment, "Touch what?"
"You said that was just right, and that's where he touched."
Fu'er realized what was happening, and her cheeks flushed red all the way to her ears.
His expression panicked, and he argued, "Young master, you didn't touch it."
"Sister Dongyue, please don't talk nonsense."
"I am just like you, serving my master."
Dongyue scoffed, "How can they be the same? You're the one who goes to bed with your master to do his bidding."
"We will serve you with our swords."
Having said that, he turned and left.
Fu'er was both angry and helpless. She shouted at Dongyue's back, "The person you're talking about is Yunyou, not me."
Then he couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "I think it's because the young master doesn't fancy me."
*
On this day, the King of Qin finally received a letter from the Crown Prince of the capital, and he was overjoyed.
The letter only described the true condition of his father's health.
Nothing else was mentioned.
But for the King of Qin, that was enough.
The fact that the crown prince was willing to tell the King of Qin the truth proves that he was not confused.
She did not conspire with her mother to hide or deceive the King of Qin.
Perhaps he knew that even if he smoothly ascended the throne in the future, he would not be able to escape the control of the Cui family.
He remains a puppet emperor.
Ning Shiyu had mentioned before that the Crown Prince was a man of true character and did not have much ambition for politics.
However, since it concerned state affairs, the King of Qin still dared not fully believe it.
Perhaps it was a counter-espionage plot of his.
The King of Qin was pondering important matters in his tent when his illegitimate son, Li Huiming, entered.
"Father, Mother keeps saying she dreams of Grandmother these past two days and wants to go back to Suiyang."
"You haven't returned to the Prince's residence for a long time. May I ask you if that's alright?"
The King of Qin's residence was half a day's journey from Lingyang County.
King Qin usually only returns to the Qin Palace once every four or five days.
When he was not in the Prince of Qin's residence, important political affairs were handled by Ning Shiyu.
To avoid arousing suspicion, Ning Shiyu rarely went to the military camp.
King Qin then looked up from the letter. His mind was focused on the Crown Prince's letter, and he did not hear Li Huiming's question.
He handed the letter to Li Huiming and asked, "Ming'er, tell me, how can we get your Crown Prince to be of one mind with us and fight against the Cui family?"
The King of Qin had four sons: Li Huijue, the eldest son born to his principal wife, and Li Huiming, the son born to his concubine.
There were also two children born to his concubines, Li Huiyuan and Li Huiqing.
The second son, Li Huiming, was born to the Prince of Qin's favorite concubine and served as a scout in the army.
He naturally spent more time returning to the Prince's residence than he did.
Li Huiming quickly finished reading the letter and waved his hand without thinking, saying, "Father, His Highness the Crown Prince will never be of one mind with us."
"He will only side with the Cui family to guard against us."
"This letter was also a treacherous scheme to lure the enemy into a trap."
"When we help him get rid of the Cui family, he will be able to more securely rule the Western Chu kingdom."
"In my opinion, it is best not to associate with His Highness the Crown Prince."
The King of Qin's second son had trained with him in the army for many years and had some experience, so what he said was not without reason.
Then, a glint flashed in Li Huiming's eyes, and he leaned closer to the Prince of Qin and whispered, "Father, if this scheme was proposed by Cousin Yu, then we must be careful that he doesn't conspire with His Highness the Crown Prince..."
Before Li Huiming could finish speaking, the King of Qin slapped him across the face and said angrily, "You have disappointed your father greatly."
“Your cousin Yu has been planning for us for many years, contributing both money and effort.”
"Without him, we would still be trapped in the Yunzhou fiefdom."
"Your imperial aunt and uncle died at the hands of the Cui family, and the Empress is also a suspect,"
“If the Crown Prince ascends the throne in the future, he will surely protect his mother. How could he conspire with the Crown Prince?”
"Now, for the sake of the bigger picture, isn't his attempt to win over the Crown Prince a calculated move for our benefit?"
"Yet you question him like this, get out."
"If you slander your cousin Yu again, you and your mother should both go back to Yunzhou and never appear before me again."
"Return to your residence and be confined for a month. Your affairs in the army will be entirely handled by your third brother."
Li Huiming, clutching her slapped cheek, was driven out of the King of Qin's tent by her adjutant.
Only then did he realize that his quick tongue had caused trouble.
I had heard in the past that his father protected Ning Shiyu more than his brothers.
He didn't believe it, but today he finally saw it for himself.
In fact, Li Huiming was so wary of Ning Shiyu because he saw that Ning Shiyu was getting close to his elder brother, which aroused his jealousy.
Unexpectedly, his father defended him so fiercely as soon as he mentioned it, and even stripped him of his military post.
Li Huiming was filled with regret, thinking to himself that he shouldn't have listened to his mother.
Meanwhile, an important event was taking place at the Prince of Qin's residence.
A fire broke out in the courtyard of one of the servants in the mansion. After everyone in the mansion put out the fire, the courtyard was burned to the ground and nothing was left.
Princess Wei was still grieving for the advisor when Ning Shiyu went to the scene to investigate. There, he saw a servant from the manor find a piece of gold-inlaid earring in the fire.
Without the slightest hesitation, he said, "Your Highness, there's no need to be sad. This is just a play put on by Mr. Leng; the person in it isn't him at all."
Madam Wei's eyes widened. "Young master, how did you know?"
Ning Shiyu did not reveal his identity in the Prince's mansion, and on many occasions, the Prince of Qin's family referred to him as "Little Teacher".
Ning Shiyu calmly replied, "I remember that Mr. Leng only had one personal servant by his side."
"There are no maids around, so whose earrings are these?"
"I heard that the young man went back to his hometown a couple of days ago on some business."
"Such a coincidence must have been a pre-arranged plan between the two, allowing the servant to escape in advance."
"If I'm not mistaken, the person who burned to death in the fire was the owner of these earrings."
Everyone present was taken aback.
This Mr. Leng is a kind person and also knows some mystical arts. He cured the princess's headache that she had suffered for many years.
Wei still refused to believe that Mr. Leng, such a kind person, would do such a despicable thing.
Feeling that Ning Shiyu's statement was too arbitrary, he said, "Young master, it is a bit unreasonable to guess that the person in the fire is not Mr. Leng based solely on these earrings."
"Why would he do this?"
Ning Shiyu remained calm. "Of course, he has ulterior motives."
In order to uncover Mr. Leng's true purpose, Ning Shiyu continued to unravel the mystery, "Just now when we approached, Mu Li almost slipped and fell due to a moment of carelessness."
"It hasn't rained or snowed for the past two weeks, so why is the clean road surface so slippery?"
"Looking down and examining it closely, I realized it was tung oil."
"He deliberately set this fire."
The servants who helped put out the fire seemed to have noticed something as well, and they chimed in, "What the young master said is true. When we came in just now, we could smell the tung oil."
Upon hearing this, Madam Wei's face paled, but she still didn't believe it. She even asked Mu Li to take her to see for herself, and sure enough, she saw traces of dried tung oil on the road.
They basically believed Ning Shiyu's words.
Based on these two points alone, Mr. Wei was basically certain that Mr. Leng did indeed have a problem.
“He is truly a man of great hidden talent. Young sir, you must find out what his purpose is.”
"These past two days, the Prince and Jue'er have also been away from the manor, and I, a woman, really can't manage on my own."
Ning Shiyu understood what Wei meant and comforted her, "Your Highness, don't worry. I will investigate this matter thoroughly. Mr. Leng must have his reasons for doing this."
"I suspect it must be... detrimental to the Prince's residence."
Wei swayed and almost fell, but fortunately her maid caught her in time.
"Now I'll trouble Your Highness to inquire whether any maids have gone missing in the manor, or any female relatives who have appeared around Mr. Leng."
Since it concerned the safety of the Prince's residence, Princess Wei dared not take it lightly and immediately ordered the steward to investigate.
Soon, the steward searched all the maids and female relatives in the mansion, and no one was missing.
When Mu Li told Ning Shiyu about this in his study, he was not surprised.
He simply instructed Mu Li to inquire with the steward whether Mr. Leng had been in contact with any women outside the mansion these past few days.
As it grew later, Mu Li realized that his master had no intention of returning to Songtao Garden.
Hearing his occasional coughs, she said worriedly, "Master, I'd better go back and bring you the medicine."
Ning Shiyu stopped him, saying, "I'm much better now. I just took some medicine and I'm fine."
"Your uncle is not at home. You and Zhuang Xing should go and assist the steward in investigating."
"This matter is of utmost importance; we must find out Mr. Leng's motives."
"It would be best to resolve this matter within the next two days."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
