Yining was munching on pastries when her name was called. Old Madam Wei noticed some crumbs of dragon beard pastry around her lips and thought to herself, "This little girl must not have been paying close attention to what Zhao Mingzhu was saying..."
Yi Ning put down the dragon beard pastry and said, "Well... not bad, right?" How could she feel? She didn't know much about Shen Yu.
Zhao Mingzhu smiled and said, "Shen Yu is quite handsome. I think sister Yining is also very polite to him."
Old Lady Wei listened to Zhao Mingzhu's words and became more cautious. Shen Yu...Yining was also at the age of marriage, so it was time to start looking for a partner. Shen Yu was a bit of a stretch for Yining, as she was slightly inferior to Cheng Lang in appearance and talent, but at least she could inherit the title. If he was a better person, it would still be possible.
Old Mrs. Wei had this idea in mind and planned to consider it secretly.
Yining frowned when she saw Mrs. Wei looking thoughtful. Could it be that after listening to Zhao Mingzhu's words, the old lady had some association with her and Shen Yu?
She said, "I think Brother Shen Yu is a good match, and he can be paired with the daughter of the Tongpan family." After she finished speaking, she saw that Mrs. Wei frowned again.
Yi Ning felt that Zhao Mingzhu had suddenly become much smarter. It would be impossible for her to do it alone... Yi Ning glanced at the maids and servants around Zhao Mingzhu. Could someone be giving them advice? It was not easy for anyone to become a maid in the Duke of Ying's mansion.
At night, she brought Ting'er back from Old Lady Wei's place. Seeing that she was silent, Ting'er asked, "Are you unhappy?"
Yi Ning saw that he was small, only as tall as her waist, but he looked like a little kid with a big heart. She smiled and said, "How do you know I'm unhappy?"
"Sister Mingzhu is loved by grandma—" Ting'er said, "Don't worry, I will protect you when I grow up." He said nonchalantly, "Anyway, you are my only sister, and I don't have another one. You don't need to worry about grandma."
Yining was a little surprised. She didn't know that this little brat was thinking about this.
But the little devil continued, "But please don't hit my hands all the time, okay? I'm the prince."
Yining smiled brightly after hearing this, and pulled his ear and said, "If I spank you now, will you stop protecting me in the future?"
Tingge'er thought her smile was particularly beautiful, as he rarely saw her smile like that. But soon her pinching hurt his ears, and he screamed for Yining to let her go.
The two siblings returned to Yining's courtyard. Ting'er ran back to his room, huffing and puffing, and brought out a small basket, from which he cleared out a few toys. "These are for you to play with."
Yining was a little bit slower, and what he gave her were tangrams, nine-link puzzles, and even a few dice, all of which were boys' toys.
Ting Ge'er felt that he was expressing his willingness to officially join the group, so he climbed onto the Luohan bed and sat opposite her, saying to her, "I will call you sister from now on. Do you like having a younger brother?"
Yi Ning looked at his innocent childlike expression and nodded with a smile. Ting Ge'er then hummed in satisfaction and asked, "Is this your only brother?"
Yi Ning said: "It turns out I have a younger brother..."
Ting'er frowned. "That's not fair. You're my only sister. You're not allowed to have other brothers."
"Isn't Sister Mingzhu also your sister?"
Tingge'er blinked and said, "She's not, she's my cousin, and I don't like her very much."
Yi Ning was amused by his childish talk, and the maids and servants in the room all laughed. Ting Ge'er was puzzled. What was so funny about this...
Yining saw that it was getting dark outside, so she asked the maid to bring in hot water and wash Ting'er's feet.
Ting'er was wiped on the face by her, and he dodged awkwardly, but finally let her wash it clean. After watching the old woman wash his feet, Yining looked up and asked Zhenzhu, "Why is it so quiet outside today? Is father back?"
Zhenzhu replied, "The Duke hasn't come back yet. He might still be at the garrison."
When Wei Ling wasn't attending court, he was either at home or at the garrison. But since returning from Yining, he usually returned home early, so it was rare for him not to be home this late.
"The chapped feet on Ting'er's feet haven't healed yet." Mother Tong was washing Ting'er's feet and said, "The ointment the Duke gave me last time may not be enough."
Ting'er's feet always get cracked in winter.
Yi Ning was just about to go see why Wei Ling hadn't returned yet. After all, it was so late, so she might as well go and get some ointment. She told Tong's mother, "...You help Tinggeer sleep first. I'll go look for him at my father's place."
Yi Ning let Zhenzhu help her to Wei Ling's courtyard. Something was strange about the mansion. Her father's place was always full of guards, but today, there were none. The snow, which had been falling for several days, had finally stopped. The bright moonlight shone on the snow, creating a subtle reflection. It was completely silent.
As Yi Ning reached Wei Ling's courtyard, she saw a candlelight burning inside the house, but no one was there. Confused, she suddenly heard footsteps. The sound seemed to rustle like gold. She felt the noise was off, and immediately pulled Zhenzhu into Wei Ling's study. Zhenzhu, confused, looked at Yi Ning in astonishment. Yi Ning gestured to her to silence her.
Nothing serious should happen in the Duke of Ying's mansion, as there should be guards on guard, but she still felt something was wrong. Especially since she had experienced the bloody changes in the Lu family, she was particularly sensitive to such movements.
Yi Ning concentrated slightly and heard a man's low voice: "The news of the eldest prince's death should have spread back to the capital. Has the Marquis' Mansion been surrounded?"
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