Chapter 64: Lu Lang returns, the prince is heartbroken
"Afu." Ning Zheng looked at his sister running towards him, and his eyes softened unconsciously.
When he left the capital, she was still a little princess, reluctant to let him come back soon. Now she is as tall as his chin and has grown into a grown-up girl.
It has been two years since they last saw each other, but the familiarity between the brother and sister has not diminished at all, as if they had only been separated for a few days and there was no sense of estrangement at all.
When Ning Fu threw herself into his arms, Ning Zheng hugged her tightly, just like when they were little: "Dear Afu, brother is back."
A familiar breath came over her, and Ning Fu felt Ning Zheng's warm body temperature, and finally she had the real feeling of seeing her brother again.
She looked up at him.
Ning Zheng is a kind person. He was a gentle young man before leaving the capital. Now that he is back, he is a little tanned and taller. Although he is still a little different from his later calm self, he already has the appearance of a general.
Now, her brother was standing in front of her alive, with a doting smile in his eyes, instead of a cold corpse covered with a shroud. She couldn't control her tears and they fell down.
In this life, she will definitely protect her brother.
As soon as his sister cried, Ning Zheng felt pity for her and was distressed. From childhood to adulthood, he could not bear to see his sister cry, so he reached out and gently wiped away her tears.
Ning Zheng couldn't help but curl his eyebrows and smiled, "When I was little, I didn't like to cry. Every time I came back, I would just chase me and ask for fun things. Now that I've grown up, I'm not as good as when I was little."
It's different, because I lost you before. Nymph hugged him even harder: "I miss my brother so much."
Ning Zheng blushed, raised his left fist to his lips, coughed to cover up, and said, "The Sixth Prince is still here, you are... grown up now, you should pay attention to the difference between men and women."
Ning Fu then left his arms and gave Meng Ze a faint smile: "Sixth cousin."
"You have been away from the capital for more than half a year. Jingwen has never won a game of Cuju. She has been thinking about you all the time. When you have time, you can go to the capital to meet her." Meng Ze deliberately used Jingwen's excuse.
"Please tell my sixth cousin that I appreciate Princess Jingwen's concern." Ning Fu said.
"I've taken such good care of this parrot for you, so you don't want to thank me, your sixth cousin?" Meng Ze teased with a smile.
Ning Fu had to be a little more vigilant. After all, Meng Ze was a dangerous man. It would be fine if they just had normal interactions, but if he took a fancy to her, she would be in dire straits for the rest of her life.
If he disliked the women around him, he would order them to be executed. For the sake of profit, he would even let his wives and concubines be played with by others.
"Of course I am grateful to my sixth cousin." Ning Fu said tactfully, it was just a few words.
Meng Ze handed her the cage containing the white parrot and said, "This parrot has been carefully cared for. It won't die easily. Besides, Ah Zheng is back now. Let him take care of it for you."
After thinking for a while, he added considerately, "If there is anything you don't understand, you can always come to me."
In fact, Meng Ze was willing to see her at any time, which was a great honor. Not everyone could see the prince whenever they wanted. Even the concubines in Prince Meng Ze's mansion did not have this treatment.
This certainly couldn't offend his face, so Ning Fu thanked him again and said tactfully, "Sixth cousin has always treated you sisters very well, and now I see that it is indeed true."
Meng Ze thought to himself that he was not so kind to all women. It would be a pity if he didn't accept such a beauty. He smiled and said, "My cousin Ning just returned home today, so I won't disturb the reunion at the Duke's Mansion."
As soon as Meng Ze left, Ning Zheng said, "If you encounter men who try to get close to you in the future, stay away from them."
Now that his sister was so beautiful, Ning Zheng knew at a glance what the men were up to. He was not happy to think that these men were thinking about his sister. In his opinion, none of these men were good.
Nymph nodded, wanting to do everything to please her brother.
She returned to Beijing half a day earlier than mentioned in the letter. At that time, Madam Ning was still preparing a dinner to welcome her back. She was stunned when she saw her unexpectedly.
The woman was tall and slender, with eyebrows as thin as the tip of the moon and eyes full of autumn water. Who else could it be but my own Afu?
"Mother." Ningfu had already hugged her arms.
Madam Ning's eyes were red with joy. She pulled her over and looked her up and down. She was very satisfied, but also felt a little regretful for missing her growth. But she was more concerned about her health and asked distressedly, "You have been sick for a long time at your grandmother's. Are you almost well now?"
"I will come back only after I am fully recovered," said Nymph.
"Now she's taller than mother." Madam Ning looked at her for a long time, and she couldn't get enough of her. The child had grown up, and as a parent, she was both relieved and a little disappointed.
"But I think it's good to grow up so that I can protect my mother and brother in the future." She coaxed her.
Madam Ning couldn't help but smile.
The Ningguo Mansion was extremely lively that day.
Old Madam Ning and Wei Ziyi were all pleasantly surprised to see Ning Fu. Everyone was naturally happy that Ning Fu was back, and they all said that she looked even more beautiful.
Only Wei Shi, now Ning Yu is suppressed by Ning Zheng, she feels a little aggrieved, but fortunately her daughter has a promising future.
"Your sister Ran originally planned to come back to see you today, but the child is still young, so I can't leave." Wei smiled, with a bit of pride in her expression. The daughter's glory is also the mother's glory.
Old Madam Ning explained with a smile: "Your sister Ran gave birth to a little boy for the Wei Mansion." He is the eldest grandson and the eldest son, so there is no need to mention how high his status is.
Ning Fu knew about this a long time ago. She was happy that Ning Ran could be safe and sound. She said, "I will go to visit Sister Ran some other day."
"If you want to go, you can go anytime." Wei said, "The Wei family likes you very much." And the reason they like Ning Fu is only because of Ning Ran, and they love her so much. After all, Ning Ran has the final say in her husband's family.
Wei Ziyi's eyes were a little dim.
Ning Fu glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and had an idea in her mind. Sister Wei was not having any luck in conceiving a child. She had also been married before, and she knew that the pressure on a married woman in this regard would be enormous.
After dinner, Ning Fu called her, "Sister Wei."
"Sister Ning." Wei Ziyi forced a smile.
The two of them just took a walk to help digest their food.
"Did you have a fight with your elder brother?" Nymph asked.
Wei Ziyi lowered her head, her voice barely audible: "It was just a little argument, it will be over in a few days."
Ning Fu thought for a moment and said, "Sister Wei, Big Brother loves you. You must not push him away. Can the love between husband and wife be less than that of a child? Sister Wei, you must believe in Big Brother."
Wei Ziyi was grateful for her comfort and began to care about her again: "What about you? What are your plans now? Since your second uncle was demoted to Liangzhou, those young masters in the capital... When you were not around, grandma always mentioned you, which shows how worried she was."
Previously, Old Madam Ning had hoped that Ning Fu could find a man of equal social status. However, over the past six months, seeing that Ning Fu had passed the age of marriage, her requirements had become lower and lower.
Ning Fu knew what she hadn't said was that the young masters in the capital were avoiding the Ningguo Mansion.
"Of course we will fight against the enemy with our soldiers and block the water with earth." Nymph smiled. She didn't care too much about it.
Wei Ziyi thought of some gossip and said, "The prince's marriage has not been settled yet. Princess Xuan fell in love with the sixth daughter of Marquis Mu'an's family half a year ago. When the prince returned to the capital, he should have taken a look at her, but the prince made a mistake with your grandmother, so the matter was delayed. Princess Xuan hates your grandmother to death now."
She said this to remind Ning Fu to be careful about Prince Xuan's Mansion in the future. After all, she is Kang Yang's granddaughter, and Princess Xuan will only bear the same grudge.
Nymph lowered her eyes and said nothing.
Princess Xuan would naturally blame her as well. If she knew why Zong Si did not handle the Li Fang matter properly, she would probably not just blame her, but would probably want to tear her to pieces, even if she had done nothing wrong.
…
After leaving the Ningguo Mansion, Meng Ze went to Yixiang Tower. Most of the people who wanted to discuss business had arrived, but Zong Si arrived a little later.
As soon as he appeared, the eyes of those charming dancers fell on him one after another. They were hesitant to speak and wished they could cling to him.
Zong Si, however, still gave off a cold aura that kept strangers away.
"Like the prince?" Meng Ze said with a half-smile, "It depends on whether he thinks highly of you. There is no woman around the prince. Whoever can make him want her, I will reward him with 1,000 taels of gold."
The dancers were eager to try, even if it was not for the gold, it was worth a try.
"Are you bored?" Zong Si asked coldly.
Meng Ze actually had no thoughts about the dancer today. All that flashed through his mind was the charming and lively female monarch who was just beginning to blossom. He felt a little anxious and asked casually, "Cousin, you are not still a virgin, are you?"
Zong Si would naturally not answer such boring questions, his expression was indifferent, but this kind of question still made him think of Nymph. He was distracted for a moment, his fingers carelessly stroking the cup.
He didn't really like her, but he would sometimes dream about that night. However, in his dreams, she would be more enthusiastic towards him, and his impulse would be stronger because of her enthusiasm.
If he could go back to that day, he would probably come a few more times, want her deeply, and bite some marks on her body, so that she would not be so cold to him.
It must be avenged after all... She mistook him for Lu Xingzhi.
"I forgot that you have Yue Niang by your side." Meng Ze suddenly smiled meaningfully. After he got married, Yue Niang would definitely enter the Xuanwang Mansion, and with Yue Niang's beauty, it would not be difficult for her to have a child, not to mention competing for favor.
Given the friendship between her and Zong Si, the latter would probably acquiesce to giving her a child. However, Prince Xuan's Mansion has always attached great importance to rules. If Yue Niang had any bad intentions, her life would probably not be easy.
Zong Si ignored him and started talking about business with others.
Meng Ze stopped joking around. Now the war broke out again in the north. Although it was coming to an end, he still had to pay attention to the supply.
After the discussion was over, everyone started drinking and singing.
"All of these dancers today are outstanding." Someone sighed.
Meng Ze disagreed and said to Zong Si as he left: "Third brother, you don't know how beautiful Fourth Miss Ning is now. She is as beautiful as Yue Niang."
Zong Si's expression did not seem to change, and he said calmly: "No matter how beautiful a woman is, she is just like that."
"Once you see it, you will know whether what I said is true or false." Meng Ze said.
Zong Si ignored him, rode back to the palace, and went to Qingtian Pavilion at night.
When Fu Jiahui arrived, he was handling official business. He had noticed him without raising his head, and said calmly, "Give the letter to the fourth lady."
She didn't think much about it, and now that Ning Zheng had returned to the capital, she was also looking for a reason to go to the Ningguo Mansion.
When Fu Jiahui saw Ning Fu, she couldn't help but be surprised that her beauty was even better than before.
After reading Zong Si's letter, Ning Fu smiled and said, "Sister Fu, please go back and tell the prince that I am still recovering and I am afraid I can't go to Qingtian Pavilion."
Fu Jiahui didn't make things difficult for her and just looked around for Ning Zheng.
Ning Fu thought for a while and said something in Dongzhu's ear. After a while, Ning Zheng strode to the bamboo garden.
Fu Jiahui stared at him with bated breath. Compared with two years ago, he had changed a lot. There was no ugly young master or lady in the Ningguo Mansion. He was more handsome than before.
Ning Zheng also saw her, and his face turned red instantly. He stood there for a moment, not knowing whether to leave or stay.
"Mr. Zheng." Fu Jiahui greeted him frankly.
"Miss Fu." Ning Zheng said, "You can play with Afu. I have something else to do. I won't disturb you two ladies' time together."
Although Fu Jiahui felt a little disappointed, she still nodded politely with a smile. If Ning Fu had not been there, it would have been impolite to meet him.
"My mother also suggested several marriage proposals to my brother, but he rejected them all." Nymph said to her casually.
Fu Jiahui smiled and said, "Since it is inconvenient for you to leave the house, I will go back and tell the prince for you."
Nymph nodded.
When Fu Jiahui told Ning Fu that she would not come to Qingtian Pavilion, Zong Si paused and just said "hmm" without much concern.
"Once the fourth young lady leaves the Ningguo Mansion, I'm afraid she will attract many young masters." Fu Jiahui said.
Zong Si didn't say a word.
Fu Jiahui couldn't help but guess that the prince was clearly a little unhappy at the moment, but she didn't dare to ask more.
"Go down." Zong Si said lightly.
However, Ning Fu had not left the Duke's Mansion for a month after returning to the capital. What her nephew Zong Si said about recuperating was not an excuse. After returning to the capital, she felt a little uncomfortable with the climate and was in low spirits.
But even if she hadn't suffered from acclimatization, she would not have gone to Qingtian Pavilion. The letter from Zong Si inviting her to a meeting was too straightforward, asking her to discuss marriage.
She had no plans to marry him.
That afternoon, Madam Ning came to accompany her to bask in the sun, and suddenly she talked about Liangzhou. She said, "Your father is over there, and he is doing relatively well now. But it's not easy for him to come back anytime soon."
Nymph said, "Father won't be back until next year."
Madam Ning added, "But I heard that Master Lu will be returning to the capital soon. I heard that he handled the bandit suppression very well. Emperor Jingwen thinks he can take on important responsibilities, and I'm afraid he will be promoted to a good position when he returns."
Some well-informed people have already found out about this matter, and some of them have gone to the Lu Mansion to get close to him.
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