Chapter 16 Extra Chapter 3: The Matchmaker (Part 2)
Rong Chifang was lost in thought all night and didn't fall asleep until very late.
The next day, after getting up late and having breakfast, she followed Bai Hua's instructions and went to the appointment with trepidation.
In the pavilion beside the rockery in the courtyard, Rong Chifang waited quietly alone, without any maids by her side.
She wore a jade-colored pleated silk dress, her makeup was simple and elegant, and she looked exceptionally beautiful.
After drinking a cup of tea, she was still waiting for the person to arrive. Feeling utterly bored, she looked around and casually observed the octagonal, pyramidal roof of the pavilion and the bamboo curtains swaying in the breeze.
The gentle breeze was refreshing and perfect for cooling off, and besides, she was in a good mood, so she wasn't impatient while waiting.
After a while, the sound of someone approaching finally came from outside the corridor. It was the sound of footsteps approaching, unhurried, getting closer and closer to her.
Rong Chifang quickly glanced over to confirm that the person who came was indeed Kong Pingsheng.
He wore a dark gray, narrow-sleeved robe, his hair was neatly tied up, and he had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. His expression was not fierce, but he naturally exuded a solemn air.
The two were now only ten steps apart.
Rong Chifang quickly withdrew her gaze. In her nervousness, her heart was beating faster and faster. At the same time, a thought flashed through her mind: Young Master Kong's temperament was indeed very suitable for showing off his power on the grim battlefield.
I hope his ambitions will be realized soon.
Just as she was thinking this, Kong Pingsheng stood in front of her with an apologetic expression. Their eyes met, and Rong Chifang nodded slightly with a reserved air. Kong Pingsheng looked at her and hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Miss Rong, I apologize for keeping you waiting. I drank too much last night and slept very soundly. I was just woken up."
After saying that, he looked annoyed.
Rong Chifang smiled and said understandingly, "You got drunk last night, so I should have told you to rest properly. It's just that Hua'er set the meeting time a little early."
The sun was already high in the sky, how could it be early... Upon hearing this, Kong Pingsheng looked even more embarrassed.
"It was my fault for being late. I should apologize to the girl."
After saying that, he bowed to Rong Chifang.
Seeing his serious demeanor, Rong Chifang couldn't help but chuckle, and quickly waved her hand to add, "It's alright, I didn't wait long either."
Hua'er had originally arranged for her to arrive first, and Young Master Kong would arrive about a cup of tea later. She had just finished one cup and then sipped half a cup, so he would be no more than half a cup of tea late.
Besides, there was a reason for it. He was drunk and sleeping soundly last night, and he didn't deliberately try to lure her away by not showing up for a long time.
Rong Chifang: "Please sit down first."
Kong Pingsheng: "Okay."
The two faced each other. Kong Pingsheng accepted a cup of warm tea from Rong Chifang, thanked her, held the teacup in his hand for a moment, and then tilted his head back to drink it to moisten his throat.
Rong Chifang was also quietly drinking tea. Actually, she didn't really want to drink it right now, but she would probably feel very uncomfortable if she did nothing.
Kong Pingsheng put down his cup and took the initiative to speak: "I heard yesterday that you have an older brother in your family, so are you the youngest in your family?"
Rong Chifang shook her head: "I'm the second oldest. I have a younger sister who's two years younger than me."
Kong Pingsheng continued, “My mother suffered a lot when she gave birth to me, and she didn’t have any more children after that. I am the only child in the family, so I have always envied my playmates who all had brothers and sisters. It must be so lively for the whole family to be together during festivals.”
Thinking about her own family's affairs, Rong Chifang couldn't help but sigh: "It's lively, but there are also many troubles. Although we are a family, our hearts are not necessarily united. Especially sometimes, there are some things that you can't stand. If you stop them, it's a betrayal of the family. If you let it go, you'll feel uneasy. So, a family of three has its own kind of ease and warmth, while a large family has its own complexities. You envy others, but you don't know that you are also being envied by others."
Kong Pingsheng paused, pondering Rong Chifang's words carefully.
Although I don't know exactly what happened, judging from her sigh just now, I can roughly guess that she must have had a disagreement with her family.
As an outsider, Kong Pingsheng felt it inappropriate to blindly offer advice. After a moment, he carefully spoke, "When I first met Miss Rong, I could tell that she was a reasonable person. If you think something is wrong, then it is definitely wrong. Even if you are dealing with family members, it is not wrong to follow your heart. Don't overthink things and put too much burden on yourself."
Rong Chifang chuckled lightly, dispelling the brief gloom in her mood: "Thank you for your comfort, young master."
Faced with the girl's gentle smile, Kong Pingsheng lowered his eyes awkwardly. He hurriedly took a sip of tea and finally mustered the courage to say, "Young Master Ning and Miss Bai have treated me with such sincerity. Not only did they bring me to the capital and give me the opportunity to realize my ambitions, but now they have also introduced me to such a wonderful young lady. I am truly... truly flattered. I am very satisfied with you, but if you have no interest in me, I will never pester you. So, please feel free to speak your mind."
Rong Chifang's cheeks flushed slightly, and she couldn't help but look away.
His words, "I'm a hundred percent satisfied with the girl," echoed in my ears, making me feel truly ashamed.
Kong Pingsheng waited anxiously, his upper body visibly tense. Rong Chifang did not reply for a long time, which made him even more uncertain.
Fearing she might have other concerns, Kong Pingsheng tried to persuade her, saying, "After I join the army, I'll most likely be recruited in Xiangcheng. The border region is inevitably harsh and cold, so it's understandable that Miss Rong might have concerns about that. If you can accept a compromise, such as spending half the year with me in the army and the other half staying in Jiling to be with your parents, you won't have to go to Yuncheng to stay with them. I think you might be more comfortable at home in Jiling. Oh, and about my military pay, I'll only keep what's for daily expenses and send the rest to you. The manor earns quite a bit of money every year, so you'll always have plenty. Perhaps there are other ways too; if you have any better ideas, please feel free to suggest them."
Such a compromise is simply unheard of.
A married woman is expected to follow her husband. How can a married woman be allowed to stay freely and unrestrained in her parents' home? Not only is it against the rules, but she may not actually be at ease either.
If she were truly the apple of her family's eye, she would be especially reluctant to leave during her first year of marriage. It would certainly be a good thing if she could stay at home and accompany her parents. However, Chi Fang believed that she did not have that kind of blessing.
It was also a coincidence that she had just received a letter from Ji Ling this morning.
The letter was quite long, but it contained very little concern for her. Most of the words were instructions for her to maintain the relationship with her cousin and, if she could find an opportunity, to speak well of her brother and ask Lord Ningjue to be magnanimous and give him a chance to return to officialdom.
Ning Jue and Hua'er were already being very lenient by not pursuing the matter further since their brother had made a mistake. How could she possibly ask for more favors?
The letter also instructed her not to be lazy in the capital, but to attend banquets with Bai Hua as often as possible, to take the opportunity to get to know men from prominent families, to choose good husbands for herself and Chi Fei, and to work hard to establish herself in the capital. Later, she might even be able to use her husband's family's influence to help her brother.
She has received similar letters before, and at first she would reply, but now she simply pretends she didn't see them.
Her brother's career, her younger sister's marriage, and even the future of the entire Rong family... Her parents, in their desperation, tried to place all these burdens on her shoulders. Rong Chifang was not capable of bearing such a burden. Moreover, she did not want to scheme against her cousin and repay kindness with ingratitude.
Staying in the capital wouldn't allow her to escape the constant pressure from her parents, and returning to Jiling wouldn't let her avoid bearing the weight of the family's rise and fall. She was truly exhausted.
Perhaps, only by stepping outside ourselves and taking a further step can we unload our burdens and achieve true ease.
Thinking of this, Rong Chifang became even more determined in her decision.
She looked up at Kong Pingsheng, who was also looking at her intently.
He looked somewhat melancholy, as if he was anxiously waiting for her answer, perhaps already having a bad feeling, thinking that her silence was a way of carefully choosing her words to refuse.
Looking into the other person's deep features, the gloom that had settled in Rong Chifang's heart slowly dissipated.
She didn't want to see him continue to be so anxious and uncertain, so she stopped hiding her feelings and finally mustered up the courage to say, "I'm satisfied with you and I'm willing to go to Xiangcheng with you in the army. But how can... how can one live at their parents' home after getting married? If that's the case, wouldn't I become the laughingstock of the streets? Even though Xiangcheng is a harsh and cold border region, I'm willing to go with you and help you realize your ambition of defending the country."
This was probably the boldest confession of her life.
She entrusted her trust to this man she had only known for two days, and based solely on her feelings and inexplicable attraction, she took a gamble. After calming down, her heart began to pound wildly with panic.
Upon hearing this, Kong Pingsheng was first taken aback, then his body tensed up, and his gaze, which he restrainedly fixed on Rong Chifang, slowly became fervent.
"I guess I'm still a bit tipsy..." Kong Pingsheng stammered.
Rong Chifang raised an eyebrow, looking amused: "Is that so? So what you just said was just drunken talk and doesn't count?"
Kong Pingsheng realized she had misunderstood and quickly denied it: "No, of course not. What I just said was my true feelings, I am very clear-headed."
After saying that, seeing Rong Chifang's amused expression, Kong Pingsheng realized that she was joking and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Rong Chifang nodded and replied, "Yes, I know, and I'm very clear-headed too."
The two looked at each other, and after a while, they smiled in unison.
...
Bai Hua and Ning Jue stayed nearby, but did not stand guard in front of the pavilion, for fear of disturbing them and ruining their private time.
Seeing Rong Chifang and Kong Pingsheng emerge side by side from the pavilion, chatting and laughing, no longer cautiously avoiding the passing servants, Bai Hua immediately understood what was going on.
She was a little excited, but tried to keep her voice down as she said, "It's done!"
Ning Jue withdrew his gaze, walked to Bai Hua's side, put his arm around her shoulder and said, "Yes, you've successfully tied this red thread."
Bai Hua's eyebrows curved into crescents, her expression smug and full of pride.
Then, as if remembering something, she added, "I should share this good news with my sister-in-law as soon as possible and tell her to stop looking for my cousin."
After saying that, one must take action.
Ning Jue quickly grabbed her, restraining her wrist, and then changed the subject, his tone becoming much more serious: "Hua'er, I have something to tell you later."
Bai Hua turned around upon hearing this, first glancing at her tightly gripped hand. She moved it slightly and noticed that the other person's grip had loosened a bit, so she tried to slowly pull her hand away.
Seeing that Ning Jue's expression remained serious, Bai Hua tilted her head and asked him, "What is it? Why are you so serious?"
Ning Jue stopped and replied truthfully, "I plan to go to Suizhou in a few days. I originally wanted to tell you a few days ago, but you have been busy with my cousin's matter, so I thought I would wait until this matter is over before mentioning it to you."
“Suizhou…” Bai Hua looked surprised, then reluctant, and asked him, “Why are you suddenly going on a long journey? Has the Prince sent you on another mission?”
She was about to complain that the prince was unreasonable, knowing that Ning Jue had a pregnant wife at home, yet still sending him far away, making things very difficult for him.
Unexpectedly, before she could finish speaking, Ning Jue denied it first: "It wasn't the prince who sent me; going to Suizhou was my business."
Suizhou, the more I hear this place name, the more familiar it sounds...
Bai Hua had a sudden flash of inspiration, and after a beat she finally remembered that Ning Jue's wife's hometown was Suizhou.
He had lived there for a period of time when he was young, and he had previously taken her to the Ning Family Ancestral Hall to offer incense to his master and mistress.
Bai Hua took his arm and asked softly, "What are you planning to do, my husband?"
Ning Jue explained: "Ji Fukun is utterly shameless. For his own selfish reasons, he forcibly moved my master's wife's grave, hoping to be buried with her after death. I hate him to the core for thinking about this. Although I moved her grave back afterward, I always felt that the outskirts of the capital were not a good place for my master and master's wife to be buried together. I didn't want to disturb their peace in the afterlife, so I hesitated and didn't move. Then, seven nights ago, I had a rare dream about my master. He said many things to me in the dream, but I can't remember most of them after waking up. The only thing I remember is that he said he missed home, so I thought of Suizhou."
I see.
This makes perfect sense; Ning Jue's master and mistress were no different from his own parents.
He could ignore any dreams his elders had of him, showing no concern whatsoever.
only……
Bai Hua pondered for a moment before speaking, "Suizhou is not close to the capital, so transporting the coffin will probably be difficult."
Ning Jue had clearly made some preparations, replying, "I specifically asked around, and this is not without precedent; someone has indeed succeeded before. However, we need to find some rare medicinal herbs to put in the coffin beforehand to prevent insects and suppress the smell, and also place ice crystals in the carriage. In addition, as the weather gets colder, traveling at zero degrees Celsius and traveling at high speed might make it feasible."
Now that we have a feasible plan, we should definitely make this trip.
Bai Hua felt a sudden emptiness in her heart and quickly asked, "When does my husband plan to set off, and how long will it take for him to return?"
Ning Jue patted her shoulder and replied, "I heard that the capital will see its first snowfall of the winter soon. It will be difficult to travel in the snow, so I plan to set off before the snowfall."
Bai Hua lowered her eyes, reached out and touched her belly, and murmured worriedly, "You must come back soon. I'm afraid that when I give birth, you won't be by my side. I'll feel uneasy and scared."
Ning Jue had already planned the date carefully, so he wouldn't miss the opportunity.
He held Bai Hua's hand tightly and comforted her, saying, "You still have two and a half months until you give birth, and I can be back in a month and a half at the latest. Don't worry, Hua'er, I'm keeping this in mind. I'll definitely stay home with you on the day you give birth."
Bai Hua was finally relieved.
She leaned forward, embraced Ning Jue's waist and abdomen, pressed her face against his chest, and said, "My husband, may you return soon and have a safe journey."
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