Chapter 30
Li Huiqing is kind-hearted and not good at such occasions.
Unlike his three older brothers, he didn't like wielding weapons.
He prefers quiet and especially loves reading, reading both carefully selected and widely.
Unless his father forced him to practice archery, he spent the rest of his time in his study, reading various books all day long.
If the King of Qin and his three elder brothers needed to inquire about some puzzling matters in the study, they would rather ask him directly.
He will surely be able to give them a satisfactory and applicable answer.
Although he was not as learned as those great Confucian scholars, he was still well-versed in a wide range of subjects and had extensive knowledge.
If it weren't for the Cui family's control of the court, his name would probably be on the list of successful candidates in every imperial examination.
The King of Qin appeared strict with his youngest son, but in reality, he doted on him immensely.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have allowed Li Huiqing to have such a large collection of books.
The amount of money he spent was more than his three older brothers had spent in total.
At the banquet just now, Cao Siyan had witnessed Li Huiqing's talent and learning.
They were all scholars, and they admired him greatly.
A blush rose on Li Huiqing's cheeks as she was about to answer truthfully.
A glance from the servant reminded him of his cousin's instructions: "My residence is located in the east of the city."
The eastern part of the city is inhabited by the wealthy and powerful families of Lingyang City.
Judging from this, their family background is quite good.
"My parents arranged a marriage for me."
Cao Siyan looked disappointed, glanced outside, and smiled, "I'm sorry for being so presumptuous, but I won't keep you any longer, young master."
"Then send someone to take the young master out of the manor."
As soon as Li Huiqing stepped out of the room, she saw a beautiful girl wearing a light purple half-sleeved blouse and skirt.
She stood on the steps under the eaves, her eyes slightly red.
It's as if they waited here on purpose.
Cao Siyan found it extremely impolite for his sister to appear at this time and meet with a stranger.
He hurriedly reprimanded the maid beside her, "What kind of behavior is this? Hurry up and take your young lady away."
The girl stubbornly refused to leave, her gaze fixed intently on Li Huiqing behind Cao Siyan.
At this moment, Li Huiqing also saw the woman's face clearly, and her face showed surprise, "It's you."
When the woman saw that Li Huiqing recognized her, she was overjoyed and shy, ignoring the fact that her brother's eyes were practically bulging with excitement.
Instead of avoiding suspicion, she took two steps closer, slightly opened her mouth, and asked, "It's me."
"I didn't expect you to still remember me."
Seeing that the two seemed to be in love, Cao Siyan, who was standing beside them, immediately turned around and stood between them, blocking their view.
She immediately guessed that this person was the handsome young man her sister often mentioned, the one she had hit when she jumped down from a tree at Xiangshan Temple in the suburbs.
However, considering that this person was already married, she couldn't let her sister get involved.
He immediately ordered his men to take Li Huiqing out of the courtyard.
However, Miss Cao followed closely behind, relentlessly asking, "Didn't you say last time that you weren't engaged?"
"It hasn't been long, and they've already gotten engaged."
Cao Siyan tried to stop it, but it was too late.
Li Huiqing had to stop and reply, "The last time I met you was last year, it's been almost a year, and I'm of marriageable age now."
"One must not disobey the orders of one's parents and the words of the matchmaker."
"Please wait a moment, young lady. I'll take my leave now."
Li Huiqing looked up and saw Miss Cao's teary eyes. She dared not look any longer and hurriedly looked away.
They quickened their pace.
Seeing his sister crying so sadly, Cao Siyan couldn't bear to scold her anymore.
"Yue'er, your fate is not yet sealed, so please don't force it, Father..."
Before her second brother could finish speaking, Cao Siyue cried out, "I don't care, I want to marry him!"
"Anyway, Father has already agreed to let me choose."
"Isn't your poetry gathering today just a way for me to find my Mr. Right?"
"I cooperated with you to select a room, but you're telling me it won't work."
Seeing his usually well-behaved younger sister start crying and making a fuss.
Cao Siyan was in a panic and had a headache. He didn't know how to deal with it, so he had to send someone to call their mother.
Ever since Cao Siyue met Li Huiqing at Xiangshan Temple, Li Huiqing has been on her mind for the past year.
After finally getting through this year's coming-of-age ceremony, the Cui family, the Empress, set their sights on her.
Not to mention that her father would not agree to the marriage with the Cui family, Cao Siyue refused to eat or drink and made a scene at home for two days after she found out.
Cao Yukun was heartbroken and wrote to his beloved daughter, promising to find her a suitable husband.
Cao Xinyue always longed for the person in her heart, but she was helpless because she couldn't find him.
He had no choice but to agree to his father's arrangement, hoping for the best.
Perhaps it was because she went to the temple to make a wish every month that moved the Bodhisattva and God, and she actually saw him.
Unable to contain her excitement, she waited until the banquet ended.
But instead of the answer she wanted, she received news that he was already engaged.
A moment later, the mistress of the house, Madam Fang, rushed over and saw that her daughter's eyes were red and swollen from crying.
She glared fiercely at her youngest son.
Upon learning the reason, Chang Shu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "He's only engaged, he hasn't gotten married yet."
"Yue'er, you still have plenty of opportunities."
One sentence rekindled Cao Siyue's hope. She threw herself into her mother's arms and asked, "Mother, will you help Yue'er?"
"Of course, Mother will help my Yue'er fulfill her wish."
“Mother knows that my Yue’er has been waiting for this person for a long time.”
"How can I let my Yue'er be disappointed in vain?"
Inside the carriage, Li Huiqing looked ashamed. "Cousin, we really can't bear to deceive Miss Cao like this."
"My father has not arranged a marriage for me."
Ning Shiyu smiled faintly and said, "Then let me ask you, if your uncle agrees to let you marry Miss Cao, are you willing?"
Li Huiqing was stunned, unsure how to respond.
Ning Shiyu twirled the ring on his finger, a sly glint in his eyes, and then asked in a different phrasing, "You're seventeen this year, you'll have to get married eventually."
"If you had to choose between marrying another girl and Miss Cao, who would you choose?"
Li Huiqing had a clean background, and the King of Qin knew he was kind-hearted and did not want him to get involved in romantic relationships too early.
He was surrounded by servants, not even maids.
Every day, the first thing he does upon waking is to peruse the books he hadn't finished reading the day before. Apart from his two younger sisters, who only know how to compete for flowers, he has never had any contact with girls.
His expression was somewhat tense and uncertain. The image of Miss Cao's red, tear-filled eyes flashed through his mind again. He asked absentmindedly, "Does cousin really have to choose?"
Ning Shiyu looked at the young man experiencing his first stirrings of love and became more patient. "You must choose."
"Today I'm asking you if you still have a chance to hesitate."
"From now on, it won't be a choice anymore; we'll just have to accept it."
“You are luckier than your three older brothers and many others, so you should cherish it.”
Li Huiqing understood Ning Shiyu's reminder: his father was still in Lingyang, but would later enter Chang'an.
When interests are involved, he has no choice; at that point, he won't even have time to say no.
After hesitating for a long time, Li Huiqing said, "I choose... Miss Cao."
If Li Huiqing agrees to this, then their plan will be half successful.
The decision was made for Cao Yukun in advance, leaving him no room for turning back.
After the censor returned to Chang'an last time, Ning Shiyu suggested to his uncle and made arrangements in advance.
They took the initiative to win over the Cao family.
Cao Yukun's attitude was to offend neither side.
If one must offend someone, then offend the King of Qin in the Northwest.
The military pay of the troops stationed in Hexi still depended on the Cui family in the imperial court.
If Cui Mingyou cuts off his supplies, the Cao family doesn't have the financial resources to support the massive military expenses on their own.
For Cao Yukun to agree to this, it would probably be only when he was defeated by the King of Qin.
Such losses would be enormous for both sides; only by joining forces against the Cui family can they secure a victory.
If Cao Yukun doesn't agree, then force him to agree.
Ning Shiyu then recalled that Zhuxi had returned last year to report on the matter between the Fourth Young Master and the Cao family's daughter.
He didn't take it to heart at the time.
When he proposed this plan to the King of Qin, he had not yet thought of a way to get close to the Cao family.
Until the moment when King Qin came out of his study and saw Li Huiqing coming towards him.
A sudden inspiration struck him, and he used Li Huiqing's brief encounter with the Cao family girl as a starting point.
Li Huiqing was not as shrewd as Ning Shiyu, and she couldn't think that far ahead. "Isn't this taking advantage of Miss Cao? If she finds out my true identity, won't she resent Zheng Yan?"
"Furthermore, cousin, how can you be so sure that General Cao will marry Miss Cao to me?"
Ning Shiyu unfolded the jade folding fan in his hand and said with certainty, "Because the Cao family's gathering today is for Miss Cao to choose her ideal man."
"She loves you and wants your sincerity. Just treat her well in the future."
"What is rare in this world is that two people who love each other can stay together for a lifetime."
Sensing Ning Shiyu's envy, Li Huiqing asked, puzzled, "Cousin, are you envious of Zhengyan?"
"You lack nothing, so why do you envy me?"
Ning Shiyu smiled bitterly, "I envy you for being able to marry the woman you love as your wife."
He thought that if one day he were to weigh the pros and cons and ask him to abandon Fu'er and marry someone else, he would be tempted to do so.
What should he do?
That night, Ning Shiyu was much fiercer than usual on the bed, tormenting Fu'er until she begged for mercy repeatedly.
By the time things finally calmed down, it was almost dawn.
Fu'er was so angry that she refused to talk to him.
She didn't want to go to the inner room to bathe and change clothes. In her drowsy state, she heard Ning Shiyu say softly, "From now on, you don't need to drink the contraceptive soup anymore, it's bad for your health."
Fu'er immediately became more alert and opened her eyes. "What if I get pregnant? I'm afraid my parents will beat me to death."
Ning Shiyu held the sweat-drenched Fu'er tightly in his arms and whispered, "Silly girl, didn't you feel that I used a different method tonight?"
Fu'er blushed as she thought of what he had prepared beforehand. She leaned close to Ning Shiyu's ear and whispered, "I know, but is it reliable?"
Ning Shiyu kissed those eyes that he was so infatuated with.
He nodded.
Mentioning this, Ning Shiyu's bright eyes dimmed; he longed for a child with his child.
I once heard his mother say that she had Ning Shiyu when she was sixteen.
Fu'er is at the perfect age now.
But now is not the time to act rashly. As long as he returns to Chang'an and takes Fu'er away completely.
Perhaps her mother had no choice but to let go.
The two had been sleeping together for three months, and it was Fu'er who had been drinking the contraceptive soup the whole time.
Previously, my period would come early, but this month it hasn't come at all.
Dr. Wu warned last time that long-term use of contraceptive soup can cause irregular menstruation in women, at the very least.
Years later, the excessive strain on a woman's body can lead to infertility.
Ning Shiyu was also afraid.
Fu'er wanted Doctor Wu to take her pulse carefully, but she didn't take it seriously.
She said she had times like that in the past, it's alright.
Ning Shiyu couldn't dissuade her, and he was worried about her health, so he listened to Doctor Wu's advice.
They switched to using sausage casings.
This topic completely dispelled Fu'er's sleepiness, and she got up and followed Ning Shiyu to the inner room to take a bath.
Smelling the same fragrance in the bathroom and bedroom, Ning Shiyu asked, "Why aren't you using your favorite incense?"
In the past, Fu'er would casually order pear blossom scented drinks that she made herself.
These days, shops on Qingyu Street are in dire need of supplies.
She sold all the pear blossom incense she made in her shop.
Of course, Ning Shiyu couldn't know the inside story, so she made an excuse, saying, "I want to try something different."
"I heard you've almost picked all the flowers in the inner courtyard of the Ning residence bare."
How much incense are you making?
When Ning Shiyu got up, he glanced at the fresh flowers that used to fill the bathtub.
He hadn't seen a single one in the past few days, so he casually asked.
Afraid that he would ask about the subsequent incense-making, Fu'er quickly changed the subject, saying, "It's not all for incense making; some of it is for making pastries or sachets later."
"Young master, are you also worried that there won't be any fruit to eat when summer comes?"
While Ning Shiyu was getting dressed, Fu'er quickly put on her nightgown as well.
Seeing that she was dressed in thin clothes, Ning Shiyu held her cold hand and hugged her tightly.
The pain in his eyes was obvious. "These days you fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow. I'm afraid you'll get tired."
"If you have other uses for picking flowers, ask the nanny to call a few more people for you."
"You should rest well. Once you've recovered, I'll take you out of the manor for a trip in a couple of days, okay?"
As long as he didn't ask about incense making, Fu'er secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't want to go out to play. Young master, could you teach me how to make agarwood?"
"The old lady said that the agarwood your mother made is different from the ones bought elsewhere. The fragrance lasts longer, and you can still smell the fragrance after several days. Is that true?"
Ning Shiyu patted her round head. "It's true."
Now that the two have reached this point in their relationship, Ning Shiyu has nothing to hold back.
"I'll teach you when I have time."
Princess Zhaoyang made incense simply out of personal interest.
She only taught Ning Shiyu how to make this agarwood.
They claimed that they would only pass it on to family members.
Princess Zhaoyang was unwilling to teach even her trusted confidantes, such as Granny Yu.
Fu'er was overjoyed to hear that he had actually agreed. In a good mood, she quickly fell asleep in Ning Shiyu's arms.
She thought that no one in the Ning family would be aware that she had opened an incense shop.
Unexpectedly, a maid in the manor bought back pear blossom incense made by Fu'er.
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