Chapter 215 Beauty's Schemes (18) - The Meeting of the Two Masters
Ning Shu was in a good mood after ordering the food, and she subconsciously asked for the graffiti.
After all, it wouldn't be good for her to order all the dishes we had discussed earlier by herself.
So she only ordered half, and planned to let the graffiti do the other half, feeling that she and the graffiti had reached a consensus.
But when it came time to actually order the graffiti, the other party only ordered two dishes, their perfunctory attitude was simply outrageous.
Ning Shu was puzzled, but she couldn't say it directly, so she remained silent.
Both Cui Zeyu and Prince Rui found Ning Shu's behavior inappropriate, as their status and position were far superior to Bi Yi's.
Why didn't she show any consideration when it came to ordering food?
Ning Shu was completely preoccupied with the food and forgot all about the world setting of this instance. After ordering, she simply waited for the food to be served.
Prince Rui saw that Ning Shu had ordered a lot of dishes, so he only added a pot of wine and didn't order any other dishes.
Cui Zeyu was the last to order; he didn't order any dishes.
After the waiter left, the private room fell silent.
Prince Rui spoke first: "How did Cui Licheng get involved with a maid in my residence?"
Upon hearing this, Ning Shu exclaimed in dismay that she had been careless and forgotten the nonsense she had just made.
She thought that if they became NPCs, they would be easy to fool.
Who knew they just lost their memories, not their intelligence?
Now, not only have the two main figures met, but it also seems like they're having a frank meeting, which will inevitably expose her secrets layer by layer.
Ning Shu subconsciously looked at Cui Zeyu, actually hoping that Cheng Chuan, who had become an NPC, would come to her rescue.
When Cui Zeyu heard what Rui Wang said, she immediately understood that Rui Wang was not the "master" who had asked her to participate in the case.
Given that Prince Rui was her apparent master, Cui Zeyu still came to her rescue.
"Miss Ruyi is involved in a case that I was handling, which is why we have been in contact."
Prince Rui raised an eyebrow: "What kind of case is it that would be related to people from the Prince's Mansion?"
Prince Rui is currently in charge of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, but his influence in other ministries should not be underestimated.
Although he is not officially in charge, he still has the right to intervene.
Cui Zeyu didn't hide anything and gave a general overview of the case, emphasizing the role that Miss Ruyi played in it.
After hearing this, Prince Rui rubbed the jade thumb ring on his hand.
This case was not a major case; in his eyes, it was even insignificant.
He didn't understand why Ruyi would pay attention to such a case.
When the guards reported earlier, he thought Ruyi was only trying to get close to Cui Zeyu, or just using it as an excuse to plot against the Prince's Mansion with Cui Zeyu.
But after listening to Cui Zeyu's words, he felt that Ruyi's efforts in this case did not seem like an act.
He became increasingly suspicious of Ruyi's motives, and only said, "I see. The people in my manor saw that Ruyi often went out, and they thought she was a spy."
Ning Shu felt a little annoyed when she heard this. This matter wasn't over yet. Hadn't she explained it back then?
Spy?
Cui Zeyu was quite sensitive to this word. How could the Prince's mansion tolerate someone suspected of being a spy being kept around?
He glanced at Ning Shu and felt even more that this Ruyi girl was no ordinary person.
He pressed on, asking, "Your Highness, was Miss Ruyi ultimately cleared of suspicion?"
Even Ning Shu looked at Prince Rui nervously at the question.
Prince Rui took a sip of wine: "Of course, otherwise how could she sit here unharmed and dine at the same table as me?"
Ning Shu rolled her eyes inwardly, as if he were saying something incredibly nice about her dining with him.
Tuya thinks Ning Jie is amazing. She was suspected by someone like the Prince and managed to get away unscathed. If it were him, he would have been dead long ago.
Cui Zeyu felt relieved and didn't say anything more. After the dishes were served, he just ate them silently.
Because of their previous conversation, Ning Shu's appetite had greatly decreased, and she could no longer taste the food.
Graffiti is another example.
After finally finishing her meal and seeing Prince Rui off, Ning Shu vowed never to eat with her boss again, as it caused her indigestion.
Standing at the entrance of the inn, Ning Shu wondered whether she should explain things to Cui Zeyu.
Although she wasn't sent by Prince Rui to investigate the case, she never said it was Prince Rui; she could also be a concubine.
She had already come up with an excuse, but Cui Zeyu himself didn't ask.
If I rush to explain, won't it make me look like I'm trying to cover something up?
Finally, seeing that Cui Zeyu really didn't ask, she didn't say anything, just said whatever.
"My lord, let's part ways here. I have to go and do some business for the Dowager tomorrow."
I'll go to the Dali Temple to see you the day after tomorrow to check on the case's progress.
Cui Zeyu nodded: "Okay, I will speed up the progress of the case."
Ning Shu felt that the other person was subtly mocking her, but she wasn't sure if she was just imagining things, so she quickly pulled Tuya away.
She followed the graffiti back to the inn, and after closing the door, she said:
"Tomorrow I will arrange for Madam Gao and the future princess to go to Xishan to enjoy the flowers. The future princess and Prince Rui will have a date on the Yunhai Wooden Bridge."
Madam Gao will be resting in the bamboo forest on West Mountain. I will tell the people in the manor to arrange for someone to send pastries up there.
Disguise yourself. First, pretend to deliver pastries. After taking the token inside, pretend to be a Taoist priest from the Western Hills.
"Think carefully about what you want to say to Mrs. Gao. This is an opportunity I've created for you."
Tuya was overjoyed to hear the news, but Ning Shu's words immediately dampened his spirits.
"However, your metaphysical explanation probably won't work. The situation of not getting married in this instance does not include metaphysical situations."
Next, she recounted all the reasons why Zhao Mama might discourage marriage.
The more he listened to the graffiti, the more disheartened he became; his mission... was doomed...
Ning Shu looked at Tuya's face and comforted him, "It's not like there's no way out. Look at these situations and see which one you can work on, and give it a try."
How can we possibly make an effort? Marriage between people of different social classes and between officials and commoners is prohibited.
Are you suggesting we arrange for Cui Zeyu to commit adultery? That...wouldn't Cheng Chuan beat him to death if he got out?
If you don't marry this person on time, are you going to marry Cui Zeyu's parents or Gao Zhi?
Moreover, observing mourning for one's parents does not constitute annulment of the engagement; it only extends the wedding date.
Graffiti felt utterly hopeless; his mission clearly required him to successfully annul the engagement in order to complete the game.
Seeing him like this, Ning Shu asked him what was wrong.
After hearing the explanation from the graffiti artist, they also fell silent.
Ning Shu paced back and forth in his room, and finally gave a suggestion:
"Otherwise, you can still go see Madam Gao as planned tomorrow, and pretend to tell her fortune, but don't hint too obviously, leave some room for maneuver, and see how it goes."
Although the method Zhao Mama described didn't include the one he wanted, it was still worth a try.
"Also, I remember that Cui Zeyu came from humble beginnings. Go and check his family background."
See if there's anything we can make a big deal out of, like hitting the Gao family's Achilles' heel.
The graffiti artist asked, puzzled, "What kind of thing is considered a dead blood vessel?"
Ning Shu racked her brains: "For example, a blood feud for killing one's father? Or a serious illness or something?"
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