Chapter 106 Stranger
The one who came to Prince Xuan's Mansion with Ning Fu this time was Madam Ning.
However, Madam Ning was actually puzzled by the invitation from Prince Xuan's Mansion. It was common knowledge that their Second House was not on good terms with Prince Xuan's Mansion. Even on An Ning's last birthday, the Duke's Mansion specially invited the Wei family to come.
Madam Ning looked at her daughter again, only to find that she had a calm expression on her face. Unlike her confusion, she seemed to know what Prince Xuan's Mansion was planning today.
"Madam Ning, Fourth Miss Ning." The first person to speak was Princess Xuan.
Madam Ning glanced at her in surprise. Princess Xuan was still the proud Princess Xuan. Her clothes and accessories all showed her elegance. But today she was much more polite than usual.
In the past, even if the two met, they would just exchange a few pleasantries and each of them would tacitly not come any closer.
However, if one of the two parties who originally had little interaction suddenly takes the initiative, it must be because they want something.
"The princess's headdress today is quite unique." Madam Ning said with a smile calmly.
"My father bought this for my mother after he returned to the capital." Zong Ning interrupted with a smile.
Princess Xuan touched the jade bead pendant on her headdress, looked at Nyingfu and said, "The fourth lady is dressed plainly today. Why isn't she wearing the usual headdresses?"
Ning Fu was about to speak with a smile, but Madam Ning said, "The weather has been hot recently, so I have been dressing so simply. I usually just like to stay in the teahouse and come back to read books, which can help me to improve my temperament."
"The fourth young lady is plain, yet extremely outstanding." Princess Xuan now looked at Nyingfu again. Her skin was as white as cream, yet she didn't wear any makeup. She actually found her so lovable.
Princess Xuan hesitated for a moment, took off the hairpin on her head, and was about to put it on Ning Fu, but was stopped by Ning Fu, "My Lady Princess, this is too valuable. You can't use it."
The quality of this hairpin is not ordinary jade, it is a rare and precious item, so Nymph naturally would not accept it.
"Fourth Miss, you only need to know my feelings. The value of the gift is secondary." Princess Xuan held her hand and said sincerely, "I was cold to you in the past. I hope you don't take it to heart. At that time, I was not close to you only because of our different positions. I had no bad intentions towards you."
"Don't worry, Princess. I know you are a good person at heart." Ning Fu said seriously.
She had been the daughter-in-law of Princess Xuan and knew her best what kind of person she was. She had been quite caring towards her in her previous life. Although she was more inclined towards her son, she was also considerate and attentive to her and taught her carefully.
Even if any of the maids in the house had evil intentions, Princess Xuan would have already dealt with her before Ning Fu even showed up.
Although Princess Xuan is a good mother-in-law, it does not mean that the royal mansion and the rear quarters are peaceful and tranquil. In essence, it is still a cannibalistic house.
When Princess Xuan heard Ning Fu speak like this, she felt relieved. Now that she began to accept her, she felt that Ning Fu was a good person no matter how she looked at her. She was not impatient or irritable, and she had never heard of her having a conflict with anyone.
When Madam Ning saw Princess Xuan acting like this, she naturally understood a little bit, but she was still puzzled by the change in attitude of Prince Xuan's Mansion.
However, if Princess Xuan wants to arrange a marriage, she still has to make it clear. Madam Ning has already set her sights on Lu Xingzhi. Although Prince Xuan's family is of high status and the prince has a bright future, she values Lu Xingzhi's character more.
Men like Zong Si are difficult to serve, and Madam Ning cannot bear to see her daughter suffer.
Madam Ning and Princess Xuan chatted with each other. Princess Xuan did not say anything, so Madam Ning did not say anything.
Ning Fu also sat aside and chatted with Zong Ning.
The ladies were already familiar with each other, but their conversations were more direct than those of the two adults.
"My third brother has already mentioned your marriage to my father, and my father is very supportive. When my mother found out, she didn't object. Waiting for you to come today, my mother was so nervous. I have never seen my mother like this. I really want to thank Sister Ning for opening my eyes."
Zong Ning told her the gossip.
Nymph remained silent.
"When you marry into the palace in the future, you can play with me every day. The palace is not like the Ningguo Mansion where there are other ladies. It is boring." Zong Ning stuck out her tongue and complained. That was why when she was a child, she could only fight crickets, dance with swords and sticks with her second brother.
But she didn't notice that Nymph's expression was clearly serious at the moment, without a trace of smile.
Ning Fu thought casually, wondering if there would be any consequences if she rejected the marriage proposal from Prince Xuan's Mansion.
Zong Si and King Xuan will return home later.
The moment Zong Si entered the main hall, he quickly glanced at Ning Fu, and then looked away as if nothing had happened.
"Mother." Zong Si walked up to Princess Xuan and said.
When King Xuan saw Nymph, a smile of understanding appeared in his eyes.
Being able to let his son take the initiative to mention marriage is not just a simple matter of gratitude. I'm afraid he has had this idea in mind for a long time. Now that Fourth Miss Ning has helped Prince Xuan's Mansion, it just happens to provide him with an opportunity.
"Long live the King." Ning Fu stood up and saluted.
"There was something going on in the palace, so Sanlang and I were delayed for a while. The fourth lady and Madam Ning have been waiting for a long time." The attitude of King Xuan when he spoke to Ning Fu was very similar to that in his previous life.
She has always had a good impression of her former father-in-law. Although he appears dignified and cold in public, he is very caring towards her. Especially since Zong Si has lived in the north for many years, King Xuan feels that the palace owes him, and whenever there is something good, he always thinks of her first.
Among the three married princes in the palace, only she and Zong Si lived apart all year round. Therefore, when King Xuan favored her, her sisters-in-law had nothing to say.
Although King Xuan chose to protect himself in the matter of the Ningguo Mansion, one thing is for sure, he had no fault to say about himself.
Ning Fu smiled and said, "I was chatting with the princess and sister Ning, so I didn't feel like I had been waiting for a long time."
"This time, the matter in the north is resolved easily thanks to the fourth young lady who took the risk to talk to Lord Ning." King Xuan said.
These were all that Zong Si could say to King Xuan. Naturally, he had to keep the fact of his rebirth a secret.
Although Madam Ning was a little surprised, she didn't say much about it.
The two sides talked for a while. Although they were polite, they were also sincere. Ningfu had the illusion that she was back in Prince Xuan's Mansion in her previous life. Her father-in-law had returned from the battle and took her to ask about her well-being.
Until she turned her head and saw Zong Si looking at her.
He just stood aside, listening to King Xuan talking to her without saying a word, but his eyes were not as sharp as usual. He just looked at her as if he was listening. This was clearly an extremely patient move, and it did not seem like the behavior of a man like him who was busy with official duties every day.
Nymph lowered her eyes.
In Zong Si's opinion, this seemed a bit embarrassing.
Originally, she refused to see him again and again, and then he calmed down. At that time, good news came from the north, and he wanted to share it with her the most, but he didn't even see her shadow.
Zong Si naturally had plenty of ways to force her out, but now, he wanted to live a good life with her, so those methods were no longer suitable. Therefore, he could only endure the resentment and a little bit of frustration of not being able to see her.
When has he ever done this before?
Zong Si glanced at Zong Ning, who then said tactfully, "Sister Ning, please accompany me for a walk in the garden." It was boring to always listen to elders talking, not to mention that the third brother had something to say to her right now.
Ning Fu also had something to say to Zong Si, so she did not reject Zong Ning's invitation but nodded.
Zong Ning took Ning Fu's hand, and the two of them walked slowly to the center of the garden. Zong Ning said, "Today, Sister Zhang wanted to come and play with me, but after I rejected her, she even asked me what happened."
Ning Fu thought of Zhang Linsheng. In his previous life, he was seriously injured in order to save King Xuan. She didn't know what happened to him in this life, so she asked, "How is Lord Zhang now?"
"I was injured while rescuing my father and is now recovering from my injuries. When I saw Sister Zhang yesterday, I saw that her eyes were red, but fortunately her life is not in danger." When Zong Ning talked about this, he was no longer leisurely and contented, but a little serious.
Nymph paused for a moment, then quickly let it go. Not everything can be avoided. She only had some memories of her past life, and the rest was no different from anyone else.
"Sister Ning, what kind of wedding dress do you like?" Zong Ning looked at her and revealed, "My mother was afraid that you would complain about her, so she wanted to let the palace take care of everything. When my third brother told her about this, my mother's face changed."
After thinking for a while, he continued, "But my third brother, um, has been quite happy recently. Even the servants in the mansion have noticed that my third brother has been in a very good mood recently. Even the nanny beside me has asked me whether my third brother's marriage is going to be decided."
Zong Ning didn't know how to describe it, but when a man is missing someone, there is always something different about him. This is probably what people call spring color.
Ning Fu saw Zong Si walking towards her.
Zong Ning also heard the footsteps, looked back, then winked at Ning Fu and said, "Sister Ning, please sit down and wait for me for a while. I'm thirsty. I'll go back and have some tea before coming back."
"Okay." Nymph said.
Zong Si slowly walked over to her and stood beside her. The only jewelry she wore today was a pair of pearl earrings, which set off her fair complexion. In addition, she looked thinner, so she looked even more ethereal.
"Did I make you angry a while ago?" Zong Si looked at her and asked.
Ning Fu shook her head and said, "I was busy with work at the time. The prince did not say or do anything to offend me, and I am not such a petty person."
Zong Si asked calmly: "Then why don't you want to see me? Even if you are busy, you should write me a letter so that I can have peace of mind and not..."
Even he himself felt that the four words "always thinking about you" were a bit too hypocritical and he couldn't say them out loud.
But I am indeed concerned.
Before the situation in the north became clear, Nymph wrote to me from time to time, asking about every detail.
Zong Si saw that she was so concerned about the affairs of Prince Xuan's mansion and Prince Xuan as if she was concerned about her father-in-law at home. This made him feel as if he and she were already husband and wife.
Although he had no memory of his previous life, he felt like he had returned to his previous life and had a wife who always supported him from behind.
Just when the North gradually became stable, she seemed to have suddenly disappeared.
Zong Si was already used to her asking him questions every other day, and he began to feel a little anxious.
Ning Fu asked, "Who sold the news to the Hu people? Has anyone figured out who did it?"
Zong Si couldn't help but smile bitterly. He was talking to her about personal matters, but she was talking to him about official matters. She said in a deep voice, "Your grandmother is involved in this, and I'm afraid she will be affected to some extent. At this moment, the emperor will not keep Princess Kangyang any longer, but the palace will try its best to save her life."
Although he had made a contribution in saving King Xuan, it did not mean that the Princess Mansion had not been plotting against King Xuan. It was just that the plan had not been accomplished.
That is enough.
Although my grandmother had no choice but to do so this time, it was not without fault. She was able to save the lives of everyone in the princess's mansion, unlike in the previous life where no one had a good ending. Ningfu was already satisfied.
However, even if Zong Si did not intervene in this matter, Meng Yuan would not ignore it. What Emperor Jingwen wanted was only to eliminate his grandmother's power. As long as his grandmother no longer posed a threat, Emperor Jingwen would pretend to be magnanimous.
"I have something to say to the prince." Ning Fu thought for a moment and spoke.
"It's okay to speak frankly between you and me." Zong Si said.
"Now that King Xuan has returned safely, I'm sure that the Crown Prince will agree to my request since I have contributed a lot to this matter." Nyingfu looked at him.
"As long as I have it and it doesn't harm the palace, I will give it to you." Zong Si promised.
"I don't want anything, but it's better not to meet the prince in the future." Ning Fu lowered her eyelids and said softly.
The man in front of him didn't say anything.
According to his temper, he should have a gloomy face right now.
In fact, if Ning Fu looked up, she would see that his emotion was not resentment, but a bit of trance. He seemed a little unbelievable and was wondering if she had heard it wrong.
"No." Zong Si's first reaction was to refuse. Now that he was ready to marry her, how could he accept not meeting her?
Ning Fu then continued, "If it weren't for the breakup with the Crown Prince, I would have no intention of saving King Xuan. Since I have already given the favor, if I can't get it, it will damage the fortune of King Xuan's mansion."
This is the Prince Xuan's Palace that Zong Si cares about the most.
"I'm not a superstitious person." Zong Si pulled the corner of his mouth and said sarcastically, "I know there may be some problems between you and me, but they may not be irreparable. Things that happened in the previous life may not happen again in this life. Afu, the me in the previous life is not the same as the me in this life."
"I'm not obsessed with my previous life, but I don't like the prince." Ning Fu said, "Compared to the current prince, perhaps the prince of the previous life can make me have some feelings."
These words were quite depressing, but what Ning Fu said was true. If Zong Si from the previous life appeared in front of her now, she would probably feel a little emotional when she saw how cold he was but still treated her as his wife.
When Ning Fu was just reborn, she sometimes felt sour when facing him, but it was also because of Zong Si in her previous life.
After all, he was a man who had been her husband, so there were still some differences.
Zong Si then thought of another thing, "Is it because of your future husband?"
Ning Fu almost forgot that she had another husband in front of Zong Si, so she did not deny it and said, "He is also a very important person to me. I am thinking about him in my heart."
"Do you like him?" Zong Si asked back.
Ning Fu thought about it and said against her will: "I like him very much, so I hope that the prince will let me pursue what I like in this life. Just consider it as a favor."
However, Zong Si felt a little painful in his heart because of her straightforward admission. He felt unwilling and jealous, but he just said calmly: "So what is your attitude towards me? Are you trying to coax me and deceive me?"
Ning Fu couldn't help feeling a little frightened, but she didn't remember when she had ever deceived him. It was obvious that she didn't dare to offend him and was just cooperating with him.
"I hope that the prince can find another good partner." Ning Fu thought for a moment and then reminded him, "In your previous life, the prince had a favorite female ruler in the north, but I don't know if it was Yue Niang or Zhang He. The prince can keep an eye on her."
This is very kind of her.
Who knows, when he and that girl are in love, he might come to thank me for the advice.
"If you want to reject me, just reject me. There's no need to use others as shields." Zong Si said with his normal expression.
"Your Highness will know it in the future." Ning Fu saw that he was still calm, and she gradually relaxed a little. She secretly admired his rationality. If she could do as he did, she would not suffer any loss in love anymore.
Nymph said gratefully, "Thank you, Prince."
"I don't mean to agree to you." Zong Si said lightly.
Nymph: “…”
She sighed and said, "Why do you have to do this, my lord?"
Zong Si didn't know why he did this, he just thought so in his heart and did so. Once he agreed to her, he would never have the chance to marry her in this life. He would be heartbroken and reluctant.
This is the only chance. If you let her go, there will be no chance in the future.
"We'll take a long-term view." Zong Si pondered for a moment and said, "It's not a bad idea to get in touch with him again."
Ning Fu said: "I just want to have no connection with the prince in the future."
"Are you going to go look for that unlucky husband who caused you to die at such a young age?" Zong Si sneered.
Ning Fu looked up at him and said, "If you really want to care about this matter, perhaps my death has more to do with the prince, and has nothing to do with him."
The corners of Zong Si's lips twitched, and his eyes were obscure and unclear.
"If there is anyone who can defeat me, it should be the prince. To be honest, I am also afraid that I will still die young in this life."
…
In the main hall, Princess Xuan also discussed serious matters with Madam Ning.
"Sanlang is now old enough to get married."
Madam Ning smiled and said in agreement, "The Crown Prince is naturally sought after by many people, so Princess, don't worry. As long as the Crown Prince is willing, he will have more room for selection than anyone else."
Princess Xuan smiled and said, "Afu's marriage hasn't been decided yet, has it? To be honest, I do want to meet Afu, but I feel a little guilty when I think about it. If I had been more careful at the beginning, I wouldn't have wasted so much time. Now I want to blame myself for what I did back then."
If Princess Xuan had known what would happen today, she would have been kinder to Nymph.
Especially today, she had no resentment towards her previous actions from the bottom of her heart, and was still in a friendly manner. This reminded her of the time when she came to the palace more than a year ago and told her the formula of scar cream in a friendly manner.
She was so kind that she was on guard against him at that time, but now she remembered his kindness.
Princess Xuan has always been very kind to the female monarch she likes, and in the future, she will treat Nyfu as a close female monarch.
"Madam Ning, even if you blame me for my attitude at that time, I will not have a single complaint." It was done, and if others hated her, Princess Xuan thought it was justified.
Madam Ning said, "I can understand the princess's attitude. Who doesn't follow the family's position? But I can't make up my mind about A-Fu's marriage. I also know that the prince is a very good husband, but A-Fu may not have this blessing."
When you reject someone, you naturally have to talk about your own children.
"Madam Ning, do you have any concerns?" asked Princess Xuan.
"To be honest, I have a suitable candidate in mind." Mrs. Ning said with a smile.
"Have you ever exchanged engagement letters?" Princess Xuan asked further.
Madam Ning didn't want to lie about this, so she shook her head and said, "Not yet."
That means they haven't reached the stage of discussing marriage yet, they just have some affinity. Princess Xuan smiled and said, "The sincerity of the palace is also sufficient. Madam, you may not believe it, but if I were your mother-in-law, I would not be difficult to get along with. I only have one son, Sanlang, and I will naturally treat Sanlang's wife as my own daughter. Ah Fu's personality is compatible with mine."
Madam Ning herself had a mother-in-law whom she was not very satisfied with, so she naturally did not believe this, but she did not want to offend the palace, so she said, "Then let's see what Afu herself thinks."
"Everyone should be here today, but the situation in the north needs to be dealt with, so Dalang and Erlang stayed there, and my sister-in-law also went to look after my eldest uncle, so there are few people in the house today."
Princess Xuan added that this was because she was afraid that people would think she was not paying enough attention to her.
Madam Ning said: "General Zong was also injured."
"It's common for people in the army to get injured. It just so happens that you two haven't seen each other for a long time, so it's a good opportunity for you to get together." Princess Xuan said.
Madam Ning began to think about it again. It was not pleasant to be in a foreign place, but the prince was often in the north. With this comparison, she felt that Zong Si was inferior.
Having the title of Crown Prince's Consort alone is not of much use. If the couple falls out in the future and the husband's family is too powerful, I don't know how much grievances I will have to endure. Even if my mother's family is anxious, they may not be able to help.
Just as she was thinking about it, Madam Ning saw Ning Fu and Zong Si walking back together.
Both of them looked calm.
However, these are the two people in Madam Ning's eyes. In Princess Xuan's eyes, Zong Si is not at peace.
"Thank you, Prince, for your help." Ning Fu said gratefully.
Zong Si just said calmly: "Go back home and have some rest. You look like you haven't had enough rest."
If you listen carefully, you can hear some self-deprecation in it.
The reason why I didn’t get enough rest was because I was thinking about how to tell myself to break up with this matter.
Nymph and Madam Ning soon said goodbye.
"I plan to bring this up next time," Princess Xuan was a little puzzled.
"No need to mention it again." Zong Si said lightly, and left without looking back.
…
Not many days after this incident, Ning Fu learned that Lu Xingzhi had returned to Beijing.
When Lu Xingzhi returned home, he found that the small portrait in the painting had disappeared.
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