Chapter 14: Meeting
"Even if the prince is here now, I will give Zhuoyao to you." Ning Fu thought about it and added this sentence.
He was considering Lu Xingzhi as a candidate for husband, so naturally he treated him differently.
Furthermore, this statement was also because she was afraid that Lu Xingzhi would misunderstand that she was interested in Zong Si.
Lu Xingzhi first pulled up a not-so-happy smile, then looked straight at Zong Si.
Zong Si in the study took a sip of tea without changing his expression.
"Just because I taught the fourth girl archery?" Lu Xingzhi looked at her and asked.
Although he looked serious, he obviously knew the answer, but he still deliberately asked her back.
Ningfu remembered what the Northern Qi princess said, that Lu Xingzhi was the kind of man who seemed indifferent but was actually ruthless in bed. To put it simply, he was bad in secret.
Her ears turned red, but she considered the proper manners for men and women and said, "Of course it's just because Master Lu taught me how to ride and shoot."
Lu Xingzhi smiled, clearly not believing it.
The more he acted like this, the more embarrassed Nymph felt, and she even felt a bit like a young lady who had her thoughts discovered.
The ambiguity between the lady and the young man is the most difficult to control. Fortunately, Nymph is not the real lady, so her soul will not be seduced away by him.
"Mr. Lu must have something else to do, so I'll go back first." Ning Fu said.
"It will take another cup of tea. Miss Four can go to the front yard and wait for me. I will come after I finish my business." Lu Xingzhi said.
Seeing him trying to keep her, Ning Fu nodded and said with a little embarrassment: "Then I'll wait for you."
Ning Fu took Ning He's arm and went to the front yard.
Lu Xingzhi returned to the study and continued to talk about Lord Song with Zong Si. As for Lu Xingzhi's deliberate provocation just now, they both tacitly understood and did not mention a word.
"All the bribes received by Lord Song are in his hometown of Langya, hidden three feet underground in the main residence. But from my observation, his father's tomb is heavily guarded, so I'm afraid there is something fishy going on." Lu Xingzhi said.
Zong Si looked at him and asked, "Why don't you just collect the evidence?"
Lu Xingzhi said, "Because the prince has no intention of letting me collect evidence at the moment."
Zong Si raised his eyebrows.
"First, the memorial impeaching Lord Song by Censor Xie has just been submitted. If the Crown Prince immediately finds evidence of his crime, he may be suspected of colluding with Censor Xie. Second, the Crown Prince's target is not Lord Song, so he naturally has to give the fish some time to bite the hook."
Sending him to investigate the matter secretly was a test of his ability.
Zong Si did not deny his inference, but did not explain it to him in detail.
This is the difference between superiors and subordinates. Subordinates are expected to tell everything they know, but they may not hear a word from their superiors.
However, it is a rare thing to meet a superior who knows how to appoint people to the right positions and treats people with respect.
"Since you have an appointment, let's stop here today." Zong Si brushed his clothes and stood up calmly.
Lu Xingzhi said at this time: "The fourth lady gave me Zhuoyao, does the prince really have no grudges at all?"
Zong Si glanced at the burning light on the desk and found it was no different from the dream, so he was naturally not completely unaffected, but he just didn't take the dream seriously.
"Zhuoyao belongs to the fourth lady. She gave it to you, so why should I have a grudge against her?" Zong Si said indifferently.
"I hope you can always be like this, Prince." Lu Xingzhi said calmly, "Don't come to me again one day to ask for Zhuoyao."
It was inevitable that people would lose their patience after repeatedly testing his attitude towards Nymph.
"Mr. Lu, please rest assured. I have no intention of competing with you for the Fourth Young Lady. If Mr. Lu is interested, I can even help you with the Fourth Young Lady's matter."
Lu Xingzhi said: "Don't worry, my lord. No one knows what will happen in the future."
Zong Si's eyes were slightly cold, he curled the corners of his mouth, and turned away.
In the front yard, Ning Fu was squatting to help Madam Lu plant the seedlings. Seeing that she was very familiar with breaking branches and digging the soil, Madam Lu looked at her several times: "The fourth lady seems to have some knowledge of flowers and plants."
"I originally did it to kill time, but later I found that growing flowers can cultivate one's mind, so I started to like it." In her previous life, Nymph was too bored in the palace, and only by growing flowers and plants could she soothe the resentment in her heart.
Madam Lu couldn't help but laugh and said, "I thought only women like me would think this way, but I didn't expect a young lady like the Fourth Miss would also think this way."
Nymph can actually be considered a woman, but she is not willing to confess it, so she just smiles sweetly and says, "Madam and I are destined to be together, and we share similar interests."
She was obviously trying to get close to her. For Lu Xingzhi, Ning Fu didn't mind getting close to Mrs. Lu.
"When these Phalaenopsis orchids grow up, Miss Four can come to my place and take two pots back." The more Mrs. Lu looked at her, the more she liked her.
Nymph was overjoyed.
Madam Lu added, "Xingzhi lost his biological mother when he was young, so he may seem cold, but he is definitely not a heartless person. If there is anything wrong with me, I hope the fourth lady will bear with me."
Although she treated Lu Xingzhi sincerely, she was ultimately not as sincere as her biological mother.
"Don't worry, Madam Lu. I know in my heart that Mr. Lu is a good man." Ning Fu said.
"Originally, I was worried that he wouldn't be able to adapt after returning to Beijing, so I wanted him to stay in He County. But now that I see the fourth young lady like this, I feel relieved." Presumably, most people are as friendly as the fourth young lady.
Nin Fu asked curiously, "Why did Master Lu come back again?"
Mrs. Lu smiled and said, "Xingzhi is old enough to get married, so we have to find him a good match. But I don't know who would be interested in our Xingzhi."
Ning Fu's cheeks turned red. She was the one who was thinking about Lu Lang.
Just when she was about to find out more about Lu Xingzhi, she saw him appear behind Mrs. Lu without her noticing.
He probably heard most of her conversation with Mrs. Lu, but his expression did not change.
"Mr. Lu." Ning Fu saluted.
Lu Xingzhi handed her the package in his hand and said, "When I was doing business in Langya, I found some fine red sandalwood. Take it back to play with, Miss."
The reason I kept her here was to give her something.
On the way back in the carriage, Nymph opened the package. In addition to a few pieces of wood, there was also a carved little man shooting arrows. It was small, exquisite and lifelike.
"Is this little person my fourth sister?" Ning He also came over to take a look.
That look and that attire clearly showed that she was a nymph, and the only person who could have carved her archery figure was Lu Xingzhi.
Nymph Mosuo was carving a figurine. Such a delicate carving, even for a figurine like this, required great effort, and he had to think of her all the time to be able to replicate her expression.
If you think about her all the time, you will definitely have no energy to think about others.
Ning Fu couldn't help feeling touched.
"Mr. Lu's sculpture is really good." Ning He exclaimed, "He is also very handsome."
However, Ning He remembered that just now at Lu's Mansion, when she followed the servants to sit in the yard to rest, she inadvertently saw the Prince of Xuanwang Mansion who was about to leave. He was as bright as the moon, and very handsome, and he stood out among men.
She was distracted and looked at him for a long time without any courtesy. Zong Si glanced at her coldly, and her heart beat like a drum. It was a pity that she was of humble status, and he probably didn't even know who she was, and didn't take her seriously.
Thinking of this, Ning He bit her lip. She wished she was a legitimate daughter, so she wouldn't be ignored like this.
But when she looked at Nyfu, she felt relieved. Even though she was a legitimate daughter, the prince still didn't take a second look at her. Although she was a concubine's daughter, she shouldn't belittle herself.
Ning Fu carefully wrapped the wood carving with a handkerchief and reminded her, "Fifth sister, Master Lu gave me these red sandalwoods because he saw that I was playful, but if outsiders knew about it, there might be rumors, so don't tell anyone."
Ning He nodded. She and Ning Fu were in the same boat. For her own sake, she would keep the matter of the wood carving a secret.
.
May is Zong Ning's birthday, and the Ningguo Mansion received a birthday invitation as in previous years.
Because Princess Xuan rejected Ning Fu, Old Madam Ning disliked Prince Xuan's Mansion and only hastily prepared gifts. Fortunately, it was the younger generation's birthday, so Old Madam Ning didn't have to go to the house in person to celebrate the birthday, so it wasn't too embarrassing.
Ning Fu had to go, as she was the same age as Zong Ning and they were classmates. If she didn't go, people would be suspicious.
Madam Ning said to Ning Fu in private: "It was your grandmother who went to Prince Xuan's mansion to discuss the marriage. Just pretend you don't know about it. You, a junior, can't make the decision on the elders' affairs. Besides, we have suitable candidates in mind."
It is a good thing to have self-respect, but you don't need to be so self-respecting about what others do.
Ning Fu knew this truth, but when she arrived at Prince Xuan's Mansion, she still felt a little uncomfortable.
Although the marriage was proposed by Old Madam Ning, it was Ning Fu whom Prince Xuan's Mansion refused to marry. Whoever was rejected would inevitably be at a disadvantage.
Of course, the person Ning Fu least wanted to meet was Zong Si, but things went against her wishes. As soon as she got off the carriage, she ran into Zong Si returning home.
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