Chapter 122
"You're teasing Xiaoliu again." The prince laughed.
Gong Yinai's eyelashes fluttered, knowing that she had brought Gong Yifu here. Gong Yifu was a little annoyed. She had been deliberately avoiding the prince, and no one knew the location except her.
"I'm sincere." Zhou Li smiled. The prince shook his head helplessly, still trying his best to sell it.
"My cousin is different from other girls. She'll definitely be able to keep you company, so you won't be lonely at home. Just like you said, these ladies are all boring. They don't know how to play the piano, chess, calligraphy, or painting, and only know about women's virtues and teachings. How can they be a night sweetener? Besides, my cousin is from the northwest and has learned excellent riding skills. I wouldn't introduce her to any other girl."
Because she is not an ordinary person.
Zhou Li complained in her heart and refused to go no matter what. She wanted to appear in the Queen's palace. Even if there was no plan at all, the news would spread.
Zhou Li said, "I have Xiaoliu, who is more sensible than other girls. Besides, I have no say in the family."
Seeing that the prince was still unwilling to give up, Zhou Li lowered his voice and said, "Because it's you, brother, I'm telling you this. My family arranged a marriage for me when I was young, but the other party's family was not high, so we never publicized it. Now that I'm of age, my mother remembered it and couldn't wait to bring the girl home. I originally wanted to send her away, but who knew that my mother liked her? I thought I liked her, so I liked her."
Everyone has heard of the authority of the Princess of Nanliang in the Nanliang Palace. Even if the Nanliang King is a top-notch hero on the battlefield, he will turn into a cat when he returns home. In the Nanliang Palace, everything will be under the control of the Princess.
The prince was disappointed. He brought the people home, fearing that the matter was already done.
The King of Nanliang is a man who values his promises the most. In addition, the Palace of Nanliang has a requirement that a man can take a concubine only if he is childless by the age of 40. It is impossible for him to take a concubine.
The prince smiled helplessly and said, "I don't know what my sister-in-law looks like. I will definitely be there when my brother gets married."
Finally gave up.
Zhou Li clasped his fists and said, "I look forward to seeing you, brother!"
Gong Yinai also breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, thinking that Gong Yifu would not blame her.
Gong Yifu was the only friend she made in the palace. She was a casual person and could chat freely with peddlers and hawkers. She was also easy-going and friendly to servants, so everyone was willing to gather around Gong Yifu, and Gong Yinai was no exception.
There is no discrimination next to her, only joy.
Seeing that it was getting late, the prince asked them to go back to Yangying Hall to study.
Zhou Li shouted on the road, "Hey, Gong Yinai, you have to compensate me."
She put her hands on Gong Yinai's shoulders, leaned her whole body on Gong Yinai, clung to her lazily as if she had no bones, and breathed into her ear.
"How do you want to compensate me for delaying my time and my lunch break?"
Gong Yinai looked at Gong Yifu from the side. She had an exquisite appearance, like a clay sculpture, with a complexion like jade and black hair like clouds. When she lowered her eyes and looked at people, she was inexplicably more charming. Her starry eyes asked seriously, "How do you want me to compensate you?"
He looked like he was completely obedient to Gong Yi Fu.
Zhou Li touched his chin and pretended to be greedy.
"What about the calligraphy and painting class this afternoon?"
"I can help you, but you also have to do a few things yourself."
Gong Yinai continued to move forward carrying Gong Yifu, like an old horse carrying something.
As soon as the two entered Yangying Hall, the Seventh Prince and the Eighth Prince chased after them, each grabbing Gong Yifu's sleeve.
"Brother Gongyi, please judge for yourself! He was clearly in the wrong, but you insisted that I was!" The Seventh Prince grabbed Gongyi Fu's right side, while the Eighth Prince grabbed his left side, and said indignantly, "It's obviously you who was in the wrong!"
"Brother Gongyi, you say!" the two little guys said in unison.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Zhou Li's ears were almost deafened by the noise.
"Tell me one by one, what happened?"
"I told him the child was a fruit that fell from a tree, so it was a ripe fruit that fell from the tree. But he insisted that it floated over from the river, because every time he made a mistake, his mother would say to throw him back into the river."
Zhou Li was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
"You two little brats, what are you discussing this for?"
The Seventh Prince whispered, "Isn't the Crown Prince choosing a concubine? I heard that a little brother is about to be born."
"Silly, that's your little nephew."
"How did the little nephew get here?" the eighth prince asked, looking up.
Zhou Li wanted to explain, but when she saw Gong Yinai walk over the threshold and head for the seat, throwing her over here, she said jokingly, "I don't know either, but Xiaoliu definitely knows. She's the most knowledgeable. You guys go ask her!"
The two little guys hesitated for a moment. After all, they had not had much contact with Gong Yinai, especially since she often had a cold and aloof look on her face, seeming to keep people at a distance.
But curiosity got the better of them and they chased after him.
"Sixth brother! Tell me how a child is born!"
"Did it grow on a tree? Or did it float down the river?"
Gong Yinai had just sat down and was about to attend class when he was bombarded with questions.
Weren’t they just asking Gong Yifu why he didn’t get away with it?
The Seventh and Eighth Princes knelt in front of Gong Yinai with a look of curiosity. Zhou Li walked over slowly with a mischievous look on his face: "Good Xiaoliu, please answer the doubts of your brothers. I also want to know how children are born."
Gong Yinai sat upright, but his ears gradually turned red.
"Sixth Brother?"
"Sixth brother, tell me!"
The two children kept asking questions, and Gong Yinai's ears and cheeks turned red.
She was always smart, but she didn't know where to start. She was stuck in a stalemate. Zhou Li, tired of seeing her laugh, said slowly, "I guess giving birth is a very complicated subject. Your Sixth Brother hasn't figured it out yet. So, how about this? I'll tell you when your Sixth Brother figures it out, okay?"
"Oh, I see." The Seventh Prince curled his lips unhappily, "Then who knows?"
"There must be someone who knows about this, right?" the eighth prince also said.
Zhou Li said with a smile: "You will know when you get married."
"Oh." The two princes made disappointed sounds.
The afternoon classes are usually arranged as music, chess, calligraphy, painting, horse riding and archery. Today is calligraphy and painting, which is Zhou Li's most troublesome subject.
Tutor Wu, who teaches this subject, loves to comment on the students' works. He once commented that Zhou Li's paintings looked like dogs instead of tigers, and were not worthy of being displayed in a refined setting. His comments have been much better recently, but he just turns a blind eye and lets this slow-witted student off the hook.
Zhou Li and Gong Yinai sat at the same table.
Gong Yinai held the pen in his hand, his wrist suspended, his left hand wrapped around his right sleeve, and wrote on the paper.
Her handwriting is very moderate. She is best at small regular script. It is not sharp, but not soft either.
Zhou Li picked up his brush, wrote casually, and then threw the brush away.
Her paintings are average, but her handwriting is beautiful. Her cursive script is like a wandering dragon and snake, with a great air of mastery. Her brushstrokes are lively and unrestrained, just like her personality.
Tutor Wu stood beside Zhou Li's desk for a long time, nodding and shaking his head.
It's a pity that the Prince of Nanliang has an eccentric personality. He is good at calligraphy and painting, but he can never concentrate on painting.
After reviewing the princes' recent calligraphy achievements, today's painting class began. Having covered the basic techniques, Imperial Tutor Wu left everyone with today's homework: to draw a portrait of themselves or someone else. Zhou Li, naturally impatient to draw her own, set her sights on Gongsun Nai. She said maliciously, "Xiao Liu, don't you want to apologize? Why don't you be my portrait artist?"
Gongsun Nai's body stiffened, and he nodded helplessly.
The palace gates will be locked at night, and Zhou Li wants to go home. She asks Gongsun Nai to come to her house to paint tomorrow.
Tomorrow is a day off. Zhou Li took a nap at home and wanted to go out to play, but Master Wu assigned homework. He wanted to let Gongsun Nai do it for him, but Zhou Li wanted to see Gongsun Nai sitting there unable to move and feeling uncomfortable.
If you offend her, you can't just apologize and get away with it.
Gongsun Nai did not have the authority to leave the palace to report to the prince.
After hearing this, the Crown Prince gave her the power to leave the palace and asked Gongsun Nai to go and see who the Crown Prince's Consort was at the Nanliang Palace. In fact, no one in the capital knew who the Crown Prince's Consort was.
It's impossible that this person grew out of the ground without any news.
Gongsun Nai nodded in response, and sighed inwardly as she held the token bestowed by the prince.
Although Gongsun Fu looks frivolous, he actually has a very smart mind. Every time he asked her out of the palace, he would bring the token. After all, as the prince of Southern Liang, she has the power to enter and leave the palace at will. But this time he forgot. Gongsun Nai didn't believe that he was careless, and could only say that he did it on purpose. He deliberately let out the news that the candidate for the prince's wife had been decided, and asked her to go into the palace to investigate.
Gongsun Nai tightly grasped the token bestowed by the prince and straightened his back.
Everything she has now depends on the prince, and she cannot let him down.
The next day, the sky was clear and the air was fresh.
Gongsun Nai arrived at the Palace of Prince Nanliang.
The King of Nanliang took his wife to Zhuangzi, leaving Gongsun Fu alone at home.
Gongsun Nai was taken into the mansion by the housekeeper.
This was not her first time to the Palace of Prince Nanliang. The last time she came, she did not have a good memory of it. Passing by the pavilion in the center of the lake, Gongsun Nai thought of Liu Yingzi again. She could not help but walk slower. The housekeeper looked back in confusion, and Gongsun Nai caught up with her.
Arriving at Gongsun Fu's courtyard, his courtyard was larger than the prince's courtyard in the palace, with red flowers and green willows, vines providing shade, and a hazy screen wall.
Gongsun Nai heard a familiar voice.
"Sir, your friend is coming, so I won't stay any longer."
"Go ahead, and remember to ask the kitchen to make a few more dishes for lunch. I want Xiaoliu to stay at home for dinner."
"Okay, Prince."
As Gongsun Nai walked around the screen wall, she saw a light blue figure disappear behind the wall. She was stunned. Why did the voice sound so much like Liu Yingzi?
Gongsun Fu sat under the trellis and waved to Gongsun Nai. He had all the necessary paintbrushes, rice paper, and colors in front of him.
"Come on, I'm ready."
"Xiaoying brought some fruit and tea in front. Have some and we'll get started."
It's arranged quite properly.
If Gongsun Nai hadn't known Gongsun Fu's character, seeing him dressed in a green and bamboo-like outfit today, looking as elegant and dashing as a poet, he would have thought he was the great painter.
Gongsun Nai sat down and asked, "Who was that just now?"
Zhou Li glanced at her and chuckled, "You're asking even though you already know the answer."
"Apart from the servants, the only person who can walk freely in my house is the Crown Prince's Consort. Her name is Hongying, and she just returned from the northwest with her father."
Red? Gongsun Nai was in a state of confusion.
Recently, a group of officers came from various places during the rotation of guards, but I don’t know who this Hong family member is?
Gongsun Fu was clearly reluctant to discuss further. Seeing her take a couple of sips of tea, he urged her, "Hurry up, hurry up, let's paint! I want to show Xiaoying some of my skills today!"
Gongsun Fu usually doesn't like painting. To put it bluntly, he can't sit still and is always on the go. He made such a request today, which seems to indicate that he has a deep relationship with the Crown Princess. Gongsun Nai was a little curious, but as a male guest, she couldn't ask about women's affairs in detail.
Putting down the teacup, Gongsun Nai stood in front of the green bamboo screen wall. This was the position Zhou Li had chosen specially, which made Gongsun Nai's white shirt look even whiter. She was already pretty, and she was even prettier than the scenery, suppressing the green color.
The emerald green color made her eyes look dark.
Gongsun Nai stared ahead in a daze.
As soon as she arrived at the Prince of Nanliang's Mansion, she thought of Liu Yingzi again.
After searching for her for many days, there was no news at all about this person.
I don’t know whether he is dead or alive.
Liu Yingzi was the first person who gave her warmth after she entered the palace.
Gongsun Nai unconsciously leaned on the green bamboo, with melancholy in his dark eyes.
Her sleeves fluttered in the wind, her figure was like a willow, her hair flowed behind her with her sleeves, her white jade-like chin was slightly lowered, and a picture of a beautiful woman's thoughts came to life on the paper.
Zhou Li sketched the outline with a few strokes, and then added a few more strokes until a figure appeared. The paper blew in the wind. Zhou Li smiled, deliberately leaving a spot of ink on the paper, and sighed, "Alas, the painting is ruined again."
Gongsun Nai came back to her senses and asked, "Are you still not well?"
Zhou Li crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it on the ground. "No, no, stand there for a while."
Gongsun Nai had no choice but to continue standing.
Zhou Li improved his painting skills until they were in line with his usual level before agreeing on it.
She couldn't let Gongsun Nai see that she was approaching him on purpose, right?
Gongsun Nai's legs were sore from standing so long, and when he came over and saw Gongsun Fu's painting, he was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
"Is this...a picture of me?"
Zhou Li mentioned the painting confidently: "Look at these thin eyebrows, pointed chin, and big ears, how could it not be you?"
"Is this how I look in your eyes?" Gongsun Nai suspected that Gongsun Fu had always said that she was pretty.
Zhou Li nodded.
Gongsun Nai shook his head helplessly, "Alright."
"It's time for the prince to eat." A voice came from the side. Gongsun Nai couldn't help but turn his head to look. A woman in blue was standing in the corridor looking at them. She had delicate features and looked a lot like someone.
Zhou Li waved, "Come and meet the Sixth Prince."
Hongying approached and bowed, "Greetings, Sixth Prince."
Gongsun Nai stared at her deeply and asked, "Your name is Hongying?" He couldn't help but feel a little suspicious.
How could there be two people in the world who look so similar? Why does she look so much like Liu Yingzi?
Hongying lowered her head, feeling a little shy.
Zhou Li stood in front of her, grabbed Gongsun Nai's hand and walked away: "Hurry up, hurry up, I've asked the kitchen to make your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs. The food in the palace is not for human consumption. You must taste the food in our Nanliang Palace today. I'm not exaggerating, the chefs in our palace are all veterans of the battlefield."
Gongsun Nai saw Hongying slowly catching up, and her walk was a bit like Liu Yingzi.
Gongsun Nai had seen Liu Yingzi entering the palace from a distance. She walked with her back straight and at a steady pace.
How could a woman who grew up in the northwestern borderland have such a good upbringing?
Gongsun Nai had a hunch that something was wrong.
At the dinner table, Hongying asked someone to serve the food, so she left the table.
After seeing Hongying, Zhou Li gave the system a thumbs up in his heart, and the imitation of her was so similar.
The original plot was that the two brothers became enemies because of a woman, so Zhou Li deliberately brought Liu Yingzi back to her side. As Gongsun Nai's white moonlight, she didn't believe that Gongsun Nai would not take the bait. Sure enough, Gongsun Nai took the bait.
Gongsun Nai asked about Hongying, and she asked thoughtfully, "Your relationship with her is not as bad as you say."
Zhou Li waved his hand, deliberately revealing a flaw and said, "We have known each other since childhood. Even though we may not be in love, we have a family relationship, better than siblings. I don't want to see her wandering around. It's better for her to be by my side. I can always ensure her prosperity and wealth."
Gongsun Nai nodded, finished his drink, and after leaving the Nanliang Palace, he sent someone to investigate Hongying.
The results of the investigation were completely different from what Gongsun Fu said. The two people were not childhood sweethearts at all, so how could they have known each other since childhood?
After receiving the result, Gongsun Nai was stunned, erased it, and only handed the prince a letter expressing the love and affection between the Prince of Nanliang and the future Princess.
Looking at the moon, Gongsun Nai took a deep breath.
Although there is no evidence, she feels that Hongying is Liu Yingzi!
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