Chapter 207 Beauty's Schemes (10) - Prince Rui's Summoning
Ning Shu's curiosity was piqued, and like the other young ladies from noble families, she craned her neck to wait, eager to meet the master of this royal mansion.
A tall, imposing man strode forward.
The other party was dressed in a black brocade robe, wearing a jade crown and a jade python belt with red agate inlaid on it. His gait exuded an aura of majesty, which made people feel awe.
The other person not only had an outstanding temperament, but their face was also... wait, it looks so familiar.
It's him! It's actually Si Zhong!
What... is he here too?
Perhaps because of the unpleasant memories linked together in the dungeon, Ning Shu wasn't as happy to see Si Zhong as she was to see the graffiti.
Instead, they worried that Si Zhong's actions were too flashy and would affect their ability to complete the task.
Because he wasn't her teammate, she couldn't see the character indicator above his head and was a little curious about whether he was character A or B.
She secretly hoped the other person was character A, so that she wouldn't be implicated by them since they didn't know each other.
Prince Rui had already arrived before the Dowager Consort. After exchanging greetings, the Dowager Consort asked him to greet all the women present, implying that she wanted him to make a choice.
Prince Rui merely glanced at them, nodded as a greeting, and then told the Dowager Consort that he had to go out to continue entertaining guests.
Ning Shu was stunned.
You can't tell anything from a single glance. You probably don't even know how many women are here.
Judging from Si Zhong's behavior, he seems like an NPC, while the other party appears to be character A.
Of course, if she guessed wrong, it can only be said that the other party was too good at acting.
When Prince Rui left, he didn't even glance at Ning Shu as he passed by, as if she were no different from anyone else.
Ning Shu became even more certain of her guess.
As the concubine watched the man leave, she felt a little annoyed, thinking that her son had wasted all her efforts.
Ning Shu was overjoyed, thinking to herself that as long as today passed, she could go out to find Cui Zeyu tomorrow.
But to her surprise, the steward of the manor came to her the next day, saying that the prince wanted to see her.
Ning Shu had just finished dealing with the Empress Dowager and was preparing to leave.
Upon hearing that Prince Rui wanted to see him, his heart skipped a beat.
Could the other person be character B, and so you want to... team up with her?
Regardless of her guesses, she had to go there first. She wasn't afraid of being bad people openly, but she was afraid of being bad people secretly.
This was Ning Shu's first time entering Prince Rui's study.
The study had several neat rows of bookshelves, filled with thread-bound books. In the center of the study stood a large desk, behind which sat Prince Rui.
After Ning Shu entered, she bowed to Prince Rui, but she did not kneel. The steward beside Prince Rui shouted, "Why don't you kneel?"
Ning Shu thought for a moment, since the Empress Dowager hadn't made her kneel, and replied confidently, "The Empress Dowager exempts me from the kneeling ceremony."
It means, can a prince be more arrogant than his mother?
The steward fell silent, mainly because he couldn't gauge the prince's attitude, but he felt that the Dowager Consort's distant niece was too arrogant.
Prince Rui's expression was unfriendly. He didn't pursue the issue of her bowing, but instead asked, "Do you know your crime?"
Ning Shu was puzzled. Was it a crime not to kneel? Wouldn't she be imprisoned?
This wasn't worth it; it would delay her mission. So she quickly knelt down and said, "I know my sins, Your Highness, I'm sorry."
Prince Rui's expression was somewhat cracked; they weren't talking about the same thing: "I'm asking about your role as a spy. Do you know your crime?"
Me, a spy? You think too highly of me?
Ning Shu was full of questions and asked timidly, "Why does Your Highness say that?"
Prince Rui didn't bother to answer him and glanced at the steward.
The butler stepped forward and said matter-of-factly, "Lately, you've either been going out or plotting with outsiders at the back door before the lock is locked. You still dare to say you're not a spy?"
...That's it?
Ning Shu didn't understand, but she was deeply shocked. How could someone be labeled a spy just by exchanging a few words with others?
Ning Shu looked at the housekeeper and asked a profound question: "Couldn't it be me going on a date with someone else? What kind of spy would plot against someone else at their doorstep?"
housekeeper:"……"
The housekeeper thought for a moment, trying to figure out where the problem lay.
Suddenly he thought of something: "You two went to Dali Temple as soon as you met. Who knows what you're up to?"
Ning Shu was speechless, then retorted, "We just like going there on dates, is that wrong? Does the law prohibit dating at the Dali Temple?"
The housekeeper was stumped by the question. It seemed there was no such law, but she couldn't escape suspicion.
He recalled the fortune teller's impoverished appearance and his unsightly face.
In a moment of madness, she blurted out, "I don't believe you would be interested in him. With the Prince around, how could you possibly be interested in that kind of guy?"
Now, not only Ning Shu, but even Prince Rui was rendered speechless.
How could this be related to him? Although he felt that the butler's words made no mistake.
Seeing that Prince Rui had no expression, Ning Shu worried that he might think she coveted him and then try to trip her up.
He quickly clarified, "No, no, Your Highness possesses a divine appearance; how could a mere mortal like me possibly covet it?"
Her swift clarification drew the attention of Prince Rui.
Sensing Prince Rui's gaze, she quickly put on a simple and innocent smile, desperately trying to prove that she had no feelings for him whatsoever.
Her only dream is Cheng Chuan!
The butler was speechless, since he had no concrete evidence.
When I mentioned it to Prince Rui, I simply wanted to remind him to be careful of this girl. I never expected that he would suddenly decide to see her.
His attempt to flatter the prince has backfired, potentially leaving him with a bad impression.
Prince Rui remained silent for a moment before speaking: "So you do have an affair with an outsider?"
For some reason, Ning Shu felt that the pressure from Prince Rui was even stronger when he said those words, as if the problem was more serious than her being a spy.
She was somewhat unsure whether having an affair with an outsider violated the rules of the household.
Damn game, they let her in without even giving her a note about the basics of dungeon settings.
What if she says something wrong and gets eliminated, dragging Cheng Chuan down with her?
Ning Shu considered it carefully. If she said no, then she would have to admit that she was a spy, since she was now trying to use personal feelings to get rid of the accusation of being a spy.
If you say so, it might violate the rules of the government and you will be punished.
She thought again that the charge of having an affair was definitely lighter than that of being a spy.
Besides, the rules of the manor wouldn't punish someone so severely; at most, they'd be beaten or kicked out of the manor.
If it's the latter, wouldn't that be exactly what she wanted?
However, you can't push yourself to the limit; you have to leave some room for maneuver.
She answered in an almost inaudible voice, "Yes, a little."
Ning Shu's "little bit" means that no matter where the bottom line of the prefectural rules is, it is "a little bit" lower than it.
These words silenced both the steward and Prince Rui, and the study became as quiet as a chicken's nest.
Prince Rui felt he had been silent a lot today.
The butler originally intended to say that if there was something, it was, and if there wasn't, it wasn't. So where did this "a little bit" come from?
However, seeing that the prince had not spoken, and realizing that he had just misspoke, he dared not say anything more.
After a long silence, Prince Rui spoke: "Go down."
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