Chapter 86: No Intention (1)
"Besides, the Fourth Young Lady and I are not familiar with each other, but she mentioned coming to help me, and I find it hard to trust her." Meng Yuan continued without any emotion.
Ning Fu looked at Meng Yuan in silence, but she became more and more certain that he knew about her and Zong Si, and even knew about her involvement with Zong Si, such as Liangzhou and Yongzhou, which was why he mentioned "difficult to trust".
Only those who are deeply involved with others are not trusted to be reused.
The third prince gave people the impression that he was not aggressive, but seemed to not care about anything, not care about anyone, not care about power, and was unwilling to flatter or trust anyone.
Among the princes and princesses in the palace, there are very few who are as inconspicuous as him.
"Your Highness, since you have nothing to do anyway, how about playing a game of chess with me?" Nymph said.
Meng Yuan did not refuse.
One needs to be calm when playing chess, so the two went to the pavilion. Meng Yuan was supported by a personal palace maid, while he himself was leaning on a black cane with gold edges. Although he walked slowly, his steps were orderly.
When Ning Fu saw him standing up for the first time, she realized that Meng Yuan was very tall and well-proportioned. If you look closely, you can find that every step he takes is very calm, as if everything is under control.
When he takes off his disguise in private, you can see what a high-spirited person he is. No wonder Jingcheng is fascinated by him.
But a person who is so good at hiding may not take Jingcheng seriously. The queen is always easily attracted to such men in high positions, but these people only have great achievements in their hearts, and emotions are just a pastime.
"Please come in, Fourth Miss." Meng Yuan said.
Ning Fu collected her thoughts, sat down opposite him, brushed her sleeves and took the chess piece. Although she had a purpose, she was 100% serious and pondered over each move again and again. If she couldn't even play this chess well, the other party's first impression of her would probably not be high.
"The fourth young lady's chess skills seem somewhat familiar to me." Meng Yuan said casually.
"Your Highness should also know that if the chess skills are similar to those of the same person, the techniques cannot be learned by simply discussing a few times with the person you are learning from." Ning Fu smiled faintly. She had not been with Zong Si for a long time in her life, and the fact that she might live another life, must have been told by Mu Ruoheng to Meng Yuan.
But she was involved with Zong Si, how could Meng Yuan trust her? That depends on how much value she has. If her value is great enough, even if he doesn't trust her, it's worth taking a risk.
The two looked at each other, but neither spoke a word, each with their own thoughts.
Ning Fu tried to guess Meng Yuan's attitude, but he immersed himself in the chess game and had no intention of testing her.
In a game of chess, the two were evenly matched, but in the end, she actually won by a slight margin.
Ning Fu knew that he was deliberately hiding his skills, but she smiled and said, "It seems that my chess skills are not bad. If possible, it would be nice to be a chess friend with Your Highness."
"You two are not going to appreciate these fine horses, but are taking time out to play chess." When Emperor Jingwen arrived, he happened to see the chessboard in front of the two people. Seeing the moves, he smiled and said, "Afu's chess skills are aggressive and you are a daredevil. I don't usually see that you have such energy in your heart."
"Cousin." Ning Fu stood up and saluted.
"Father."
Meng Yuan held the cane and was about to kneel down, but was stopped by Emperor Jingwen, who said, "You and I are father and son, and we are not in the court at the moment, so there is no need to be so distant."
Although Emperor Jingwen did not pay enough attention to him, he was his own son after all, and he had suffered from leg disease since childhood, so he still had some sympathy for him.
"Thank you, father." Meng Yuan stood up and said.
"Your chess skills are now even worse than that of a female emperor." Emperor Jingwen joked with a smile.
"I spend all day indulging in chess, but my skills are always inferior to others. I am a stupid son." Meng Yuan said.
Emperor Jingwen could not help but feel a little sad. Apart from the eldest prince who died young, Meng Yuan was his first son. He loved him when he was young and he also intended to train him. If he hadn't suffered from a leg disease...
Among the three sons, the fourth and sixth sons were fighting fiercely among themselves, but the third son was honest and did not care about anything. Therefore, Emperor Jingwen was the most defenseless in front of him.
"Playing chess is just to kill time, winning or losing is common. When I came here just now, I heard that Afu and you share the same interests. Why don't you accept her as your chess friend? They are both your cousins, so you don't have to worry about outsiders gossiping." Emperor Jingwen was attracted by Ning Fu because she was sweet-mouthed and good at talking, and could coax his son, so she was not bad.
Meng Yuan was silent for a moment, then said, "I am a very boring person, why should I waste cousin Ning's time?"
Emperor Jingwen glanced at Nymph.
"Playing chess with the Third Prince can be considered a joy in the world. How can it be a waste of my time?" Nymph said immediately.
Meng Yuan hesitated for a long time, but did not refuse: "Thank you, father."
Because he does not fight or compete, he usually stays outside the palace. Although Meng Che and Meng Ze fight fiercely in private, he has no hostility towards Meng Yuan, who is from the same mother as Meng Ze. When he heard that Emperor Jingwen asked Ning Fu to play chess with Meng Yuan more often in the future, he just smiled faintly.
"Third brother just doesn't like to interact with others, but he is not a bad person. There is no need to worry about Fourth Miss visiting his house." Meng Che spoke for Meng Yuan.
Naturally, he had his own thoughts. Meng Ze was somewhat interested in Ning Fu, but the Ningguo Mansion was his, Meng Che's sphere of influence. Rather than letting Ning Fu follow Meng Ze, he would rather see Ning Fu follow Meng Yuan.
If Ning Fu married Meng Yuan, she would be able to confer a throne on Meng Yuan in the future for the sake of the Ningguo Mansion's face. This would not only not be unfair to the Ningguo Mansion, but would also earn her a reputation as a friendly and respectful brother.
Nymph just smiled and said nothing.
Jingwen also said to her: "Cousin Ning, my third brother is not a playboy, unlike my sixth brother... If you want to go to his house to play, I can go with you."
The two were chatting, and Ning Fu suddenly mentioned the affairs of Yongzhou.
"I think your cousin Jingcheng is bold." Jingwen said.
"Although cousin Jingcheng is bold, she is a passionate and affectionate person." Ning Fu said, looking at Meng Yuan. She couldn't help but test him on behalf of Jingcheng.
The latter also looked at her, but there was no fluctuation in his expression.
Ning Fu understood that he might not remember what happened a few years ago, nor did he take it to heart. Now that Kang Yang's grandmother was staying in Yongzhou and it was difficult for her to return to Beijing, he probably wanted to keep his distance.
In the future, she would not need to mention Jing Cheng in front of Meng Yuan. She only needed to talk about the benefits of cooperation. The fact that Zong Si might have harmed his brother in his previous life was a sword hanging over her head. She did not trust him, so she should hold on to Meng Yuan.
Although Nymph was good at riding and shooting, she was not good at choosing horses. The three bets she placed were all mediocre.
Perhaps because of Meng Yuan, Concubine Zong actually talked to her for a while this time.
The reason why the imperial concubine has been favored for so many years is, firstly, the strength of her mother's family, and secondly, her beauty. It's a pity that today, there is always a hint of sadness between the imperial concubine Zong's brows, probably because she is worried about Meng Ze.
When Ningfu returned home, it was time for dinner. Thinking that she had not paid her respects to her grandmother for a few days, she went to Qinyuan.
But he didn't expect Ning Ran hadn't left yet, so he couldn't help but stepped forward and said with a smile: "I thought my brother-in-law had taken Sister Ran away today."
"I want to stay in the mansion for a few more days." Ning Ran smiled perfunctorily. Originally, she was willing to talk to Ning Fu for a few words, but now she just felt that she was an eyesore and didn't want her to see her unhappiness.
Ningfu also noticed her attitude towards her and became much colder, and did not say anything more for a while.
"Your brother-in-law came to pick up your sister Ran today, but your sister Ran asked him to go back." Wei said from the side. She didn't want the second house to laugh at her.
Nymph had no choice but to smile and nod.
Two days later, Wei Xiao came again.
If his parents hadn't forced him to come and pick up Ning Ran, he really didn't want to come again. Just think about which daughter-in-law in which mansion would be treated like her. Everyone in the Wei Mansion pampered her.
Nymph happened to be bumped into by him again.
Wei Xiao, a man who curries favor with the powerful, now makes her feel disgusted. It is obvious that he is trying to climb up the social ladder for power, and he cannot stand being bullied. He is really a hypocrite.
"Fourth sister." Wei Xiao took the initiative to talk to her.
"Sister Ran is waiting for you."
Wei Xiao sighed, "Your sister Ran has a bad temper. If I go over there now, I'm afraid I'll be scolded."
Ning Fu was speechless. It was just that he was the one who was fickle. If he wanted to take a concubine, Ning Ran had given him her maid as a dowry, which was already generous enough. Now he was really taking advantage of him.
"Even if you go there in a while, Sister Ran will scold you. After some time, my uncle will come back, and Sister Ran will probably be even more reluctant to go back to the Wei Mansion." Ning Fu said with a smile.
Wei Xiao's expression changed slightly. He was still afraid of his father-in-law, so he didn't stay any longer and went to Ning Ran.
Ning Ran had heard about his conversation with Ning Fu and was furious. As soon as she saw Wei Xiao, she slapped him in the face.
As a result, he was not very polite to Nymph.
"Sister Ran, you don't have to vent your anger on me." Ning Fu said, "This won't change anything."
"Stop laughing at me!" Ning Ran said with red eyes, "Now that my marriage is not going well, and you are more beautiful than me, I am afraid you don't know how happy you are."
Nymph said calmly, "I only know that people who like to laugh at their sisters are the most useless people."
These words touched Ning Ran's sore spot. She was so embarrassed that she burst into tears: "You just said it nicely."
"In that case, Sister Ran, if you have something on your mind in the future, don't look for me again. If you think I'm a bad person, then don't have any contact with me in private."
Although Ning Fu seemed calm, she was in a bad mood. She should have gone to Meng Yuan's house earlier, but was delayed for a few days.
Meng Yuan's mansion is not far from the palace, but it is not luxurious. It is located in the northwest corner of the capital and few people visit it on weekdays.
It is reasonable for Ning Fu to come and visit with Ning He as her cousin.
The two of them only played chess and didn't say much else.
This happened twice in a row.
It was not until the third chapter that a figure appeared beside Meng Yuan.
Ning Fu recognized Zong Si from afar.
The man looked calm and greeted her calmly, "Fourth Miss."
But there was clear displeasure in his eyes.
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