Chapter 41: Open and Secret Mockery
Gongsun Huaili was the best at putting on a fake smile.
"I heard that Earl Gong Ning was getting married, but I haven't had time to say congratulations yet."
Nangong Hua couldn't suppress the smile when he heard him congratulate her on her wedding. "Thank you, Your Highness."
"What a fragrant tea!" Gongsun Huaili ignored him and took a sip of Chunjing's freshly brewed tea. "You know how to enjoy tea. I guess you're a tea lover!"
After a while, he pretended to look regretful and said, "Tsk, what a pity, this lamp is too simple! It really does not live up to the tea leaves."
As soon as he said this, Chun Jing frowned suddenly.
What does the Ninth Prince mean by this? Is he mocking that the Earl is not worthy of their wives?
Nangong Hua seemed not to have caught the underlying meaning of his words and replied with a smile, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. However, this farm is small and was originally just a place for my husband and me to stay while we were traveling. We didn't expect such a distinguished guest to come to visit us. We are truly sorry for not being able to entertain you properly and being rude!"
He said this in a cunning way, and it would be annoying to retort that he came uninvited in his capacity.
Gongsun Huaili could of course hear the hidden meaning in his words and raised his eyebrows.
Oh, you are a person who refuses to suffer any loss!
It must be very hard for her to be with such a petty man.
Nangong Hua said this on purpose.
Anyway, he is no longer his retainer, so why does he care what he thinks!
At present, the Ninth Prince is still an insignificant figure among the princes, and is even disliked by the Emperor.
He didn't want to endure the torture of digging out his ears, cutting his nose, and drinking mute medicine again.
He wanted to see how he could stand out from all the other princes without his help and advice this time!
Seeing that the conversation could not continue that day, Gongsun Huaili found an excuse to leave.
Since he couldn't see her, why should he make himself unhappy and listen to Bo Gong Ning say such unpleasant things?
After the people left, Nangong Hua looked at the spring scenery beside him.
"How did Madam get to know the Ninth Prince? How long have they known each other? How many times have they met?"
Chun Jing was instantly panicked when he asked this question.
"Master, you're joking. How could I possibly know about this?"
"Does that mean they have known each other for a long time?" Nangong Hua frowned and looked grim.
Chun Jing waved his hands repeatedly, "My wife was born in Jiangnan and has rarely been to the capital! Naturally, she doesn't know me..."
"In other words, they met after Madam came to Beijing? When was it?" Nangong Hua continued her words.
Chun Jing showed regret on his face and almost bit his tongue!
How could she not control her mouth? She clearly just wanted to explain something for the lady.
"I'll withdraw first!" Chun Jing bowed and then slipped away as if her feet were greased.
If you can't afford to offend her, why not hide away? Is she just waiting here for Uncle to find out about this?
Originally, there was nothing going on between the lady and the Ninth Prince, but if there were such suspicions, the family would probably be in turmoil.
She had to report to the lady quickly and see how to better resolve the matter.
It’s all my fault and that of the Ninth Prince.
One can't control his mouth, and the other insists on showing off in front of others!
Over there, Pu Qiongzhi found out that Old Tao was actually a master of flower cultivation.
"If you have such ability, why do you become a farmer on this farm? What a pity!" she said regretfully.
Old Tao waved his hands, somewhat helplessly saying, "What kind of skill is this? I couldn't even fill my stomach in Hejian Mansion before! If the uncle hadn't passed by and noticed this skill, I would have starved to death in the countryside!"
"Now, the old man only needs to take care of the flower garden and farm of the uncle, which can be regarded as a retirement! It's not a pity that my old bones can't move anymore, not a pity..."
Pu Qiongzhi heard this and became thoughtful again. She asked, "So, when you grow these flowers, which houses do you usually send them to? How do you calculate the harvest?"
"This..." Lao Tao thought about it and was about to speak when he saw Chun Jingcong running towards him from a distance.
"Madam! Madam! You are here!" She was panting and couldn't say a complete sentence for a long time.
Yan'er rubbed her back and said, "What's the matter? Why are you so anxious? Can't you just take it slow..."
"It's the Ninth Prince who's here..." Chun Jing endured the pain in his throat and went straight to the point.
When Yan'er heard this, he increased the force of his movements. "What?! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"Madam, let's go quickly--" She hurried forward a few steps and pretended to run.
Pu Qiongzhi wanted to ask more questions, but Yan'er had already pulled her two steps.
"No, the Ninth Prince has already left. It was the Earl who met him!" Chun Jing caught up and continued.
Yan'er asked in surprise, "What did you say? Why didn't you stop him?"
"How can I stop it?" Chun Jing held his forehead with his hand.
Pu Qiongzhi was troubled by their interference and said, "I was just asking about the flowers!"
"These things are not serious, Yan'er, when will you change your temper?"
Yan'er lowered his head in shame, and Chunjing next to him felt even more guilty.
"Chun Jing, you haven't done anything wrong, have you?" Pu Qiongzhi asked directly when she saw her like this.
Chun Jing straightened her back a little when her name was called, then lowered her head and whispered, "My Lord asked me when you and the Ninth Prince met. I refused to tell you, so my Lord told me himself. I was afraid he would misunderstand me, so I explained it. As a result, my Lord almost guessed it, but luckily I ran away first..."
"...What's the difference between this and telling everything?" Yan'er looked at her speechlessly with his eyelids drooped.
Chun Jing had this problem. Although she looked quiet, she was actually not very good at lying. Especially when her master asked her questions, she would tell him everything.
Originally in the Pu family, this was considered an advantage, not to mention that Chunjing's advantage was that he was rarely asked about his affairs.
But when the lady married into the Earl's mansion, the Earl became the master, and today was just a coincidence...
Pu Qiongzhi smacked her lips, "My uncle just asked when we met. What are you afraid of?"
"But the expression on Lord Earl's face... Also, when the Ninth Prince was talking to Lord Earl, he was being sarcastic and mocking, as if he was talking about you, but also not..." Chun Jing gave a brief description of what happened.
Now it was Pu Qiongzhi's turn to feel strange.
Why did Uncle behave like this? Normally, he shouldn't care.
"You mean, the uncle just asked these questions and didn't get angry?" Pu Qiongzhi grasped the key point.
Chun Jing recalled, "I wasn't angry, but Uncle seemed very nervous..."
"Since he is not angry, then it doesn't matter." Pu Qiongzhi wanted to continue asking about the flower seeds, but found that Lao Tao had already very tactfully avoided suspicion and went back into the house.
She fell silent, and seeing that it was getting late, she decided to ask again tomorrow.
"Let's go and see if Uncle has calmed down now."
Pu Qiongzhi shook her head helplessly, then looked at Chunjing, who looked as if she had done something wrong, and said, "Go prepare some sweet soup."
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