Chapter 71 Gentle as Jade
PS: First of all, thank you to Xiantou for the tip again. Thank you to YZEL525 and oO悠草汀靈o for the pink votes. Qingqing encountered some urgent matters these past two days, so there were only one update the day before yesterday and yesterday. Starting today, I will resume two updates a day. Thank you for your understanding and support. Qingqing will work hard.
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When Zhong Min finished packing and went to Mo Garden, he found that in addition to the guards who followed Xiao Mingzheng, there were four unfamiliar faces near the pavilion. The four people were dressed like followers, but their overall style was completely different from that of Xiao Mingzheng. It was estimated that some special guest had come today, and these people should have come with the guest.
After greeting the guard, Zhong Min headed straight for the small building. As she reached the top of the stairs, she saw Mr. Li emerging from the tea room nearby. He handed her the tray and said, "Bring the tea to the living room. Today's guest is very special. Be careful and don't make any mistakes."
"Okay, I see." Zhong Min took the tray and asked curiously, "Uncle Li, who are the guests inside?"
Judging from the posture, the person inside should be of high status. What's more, Xiao Mingzheng is a prince. Anyone who can be valued so much by Xiao Mingzheng must be no ordinary person.
"Just do your job well and don't get involved in things that are not your business." Mr. Li did not respond to Zhong Min's words. After saying this, he turned and left, as if what happened here had nothing to do with him anymore.
Seeing this, Zhong Min could only shake his head slightly, then turned around with the tea and walked towards the reception room in the middle.
In truth, she didn't really want to find out anything; she was merely curious. But what Old Man Li said was quite right. It was best for her to stay out of matters that shouldn't be her business in Prince Mu's mansion, lest she get herself into trouble. Besides, whoever he was, she was just a maid. All she had to do was serve him tea and do her job well. It didn't matter who he was.
After entering, he found that the atmosphere in the room seemed a little cold. Luo Jiaxing was not there. He was probably left the palace early. At this time, only Xiao Mingzheng and another man in his twenties were sitting opposite each other in the large room, talking slowly.
The man was dressed in a white robe and was extremely handsome. Most importantly, he always wore a soft, comforting smile. The moment Zhong Min laid eyes on him, an idiom that perfectly described him flashed through his mind: gentle as jade.
Compared with Xiao Mingzheng, this man has two completely different feelings. If Xiao Mingzheng is cool and handsome, then this man is the kind of touching person who is like a spring breeze.
Just as Zhong Min served the tea, Xiao Mingzheng's conversation with the man also paused temporarily. Zhong Min placed the tea on the table next to the man. The man actually nodded at her with a smile, as if to express his gratitude. His behavior and expression showed the demeanor of a gentleman.
Zhong Min was secretly amazed, clearly a little surprised by the man's actions. In modern society, it would be acceptable for a noble person to express gratitude to an ordinary person for their service, as it was a sign of gentlemanly demeanor and cultivation.
But the problem was that in a society with such strict hierarchies, it was impossible for a superior to casually behave so demeaningly towards a subordinate, let alone two people they didn't even know. Therefore, this man did strike Zhong Min as quite odd, but she naturally didn't reveal her feelings. She bowed slightly in return and then withdrew with the empty tray.
Just as she was about to go out and not disturb the two people's conversation, she heard Xiao Mingzheng asking her to take out the Go board and set it up. It looked like she was going to play a game with the man.
Zhong Min naturally obeyed the order, quickly taking the Go board from the cabinet nearby and placing it on the table between Xiao Mingzheng and the man. She then retreated behind Xiao Mingzheng and waited. Since this was a game of Go, not a discussion, then she, as a maid, would naturally have to stay inside and be on call.
"Zhiyuan has heard that the prince is an excellent chess player. Today I finally have the opportunity to fulfill my wish and receive the prince's teachings. It is really a great blessing in life." The man's words were very humble and gentle, but it did not make people feel that he was humble or flattering at all. On the contrary, it made people feel that he was extremely magnanimous.
Xiao Mingzheng's expression remained normal, and he said calmly, "Prime Minister Ning is too modest."
Hearing this, Zhong Min suddenly understood that the gentle man before her was none other than Ning Zhiyuan, the current Right Prime Minister. She had heard Luo Jiaxing mention him before. He was only twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, but he had already served as Prime Minister for over three years. Not only was he highly regarded by the Emperor, but he also held a high prestige within the court, making him a very important figure.
When she heard Luo Jiaxing mention him back then, she was only surprised by his youth and success. But seeing him today, she hadn't expected him to be so handsome and graceful. Heaven truly had been kind to him; all the good things seemed to have been piled up on him. She must have been envious of countless others.
"In that case, Zhiyuan will not be polite. Please give me more guidance, Your Highness." Ning Zhiyuan still said with a smile, and then took the lead in playing with the black pieces.
Xiao Mingzheng was never one for words, and even less so at this moment. He nodded and calmly responded with his white chess piece. For a moment, neither of them spoke, seemingly concentrating on their game.
Zhong Min couldn't quite tell who was winning the game, especially since both players appeared so calm and composed. However, winning or losing made no difference to her, so she simply continued to observe Ning Zhiyuan from the sidelines.
Honestly, a man like Ning Zhiyuan was exactly her type. From her perspective, a warm and considerate man was naturally more appealing than a cold and self-absorbed one. However, one cannot judge a person by appearance, nor can one measure the depth of the ocean. A man as gentle as jade, yet able to rise to such a high position at such a young age, must have possessed a far greater strength and skill beneath that delicate exterior.
Therefore, such a man is not necessarily so attractive in nature. It’s just that for her, she is only limited to admiring him from a distance and has no intention of exploring him closely, so there is no need to think too much about his nature.
As if sensing Zhong Min's scrutiny, Ning Zhiyuan glanced sideways at her, but didn't blame her. He simply smiled and continued playing chess. Seeing this, Zhong Min felt it was inappropriate to stare at her any longer, so she withdrew her gaze and casually stared at the chessboard.
Xiao Mingzheng saw everything that happened between Ning Zhiyuan and Zhong Min. He didn't say anything, but he suddenly felt that Ning Zhiyuan's smile was very glaring and made people feel uncomfortable.
After watching for a while longer, Zhong Min gradually began to feel bored. Since there were other people present, she couldn't sneak out for a walk or sit down quietly in a corner like usual. She grew increasingly disgusted with the boring competitive game of Go. She wondered how bored the inventor of Go must have been to come up with such a time-consuming thing.
Just as she was daydreaming, she saw Ning Zhiyuan pick up the tea beside the chessboard and take a sip elegantly. Then he suddenly looked at her and said with a smile: "Miss, your tea-making skills are unparalleled. This is the first time I have tasted Dahongpao with such a pure and fragrant taste."
His expression seemed as if he was recalling and comparing, as if to prove that such praise was not just casual remark.
Hearing this, Xiao Mingzheng couldn't help but look at Zhong Min. Zhong Min looked normal and there was nothing unusual about him.
Zhong Min naturally didn't expect Ning Zhiyuan to suddenly stop playing chess and instead praise a maid for a sip of tea. She quickly recovered and said calmly, "Your Excellency has misunderstood. This tea was brewed specially for you by Li Bo. It is truly an honor for Li Bo that you like it so much."
Hearing Zhong Min's answer, Ning Zhisi couldn't help but smile again. He turned to Xiao Mingzheng and said, "Your Highness truly has a keen eye. Even a little maid can be so dignified and composed. You can only imagine how many outstanding talents he has around him."
"Prime Minister Ning, you are too kind. How can a northwestern border area like Muzhou be compared with the capital? They are all ordinary servants. It's just that the rules in the mansion are relatively strict." Xiao Mingzheng put down the white piece in his hand as he spoke, and seemingly casually dissolved Ning Zhiyuan's seemingly intentional or unintentional words.
Seeing this, Ning Zhiyuan put the white piece back into the chess box and said with a hint of emotion, "Your Highness is indeed very clever. Zhiyuan has already lost before he even tried his best. If he plays any more, it would be a desperate struggle. It's better to give up now and still have some dignity."
"I am only able to play a few tricks on this small chessboard, but Prime Minister Ning is able to organize and control the entire government. When it comes to true mastery, I am naturally incomparable to him." Xiao Mingzheng stopped playing chess. "Now that the game is over, Prime Minister Ning must be quite tired after traveling all this time. I have ordered people to prepare a place for him to rest. Prime Minister Ning will rest for a while. Tonight, I will host a banquet at the palace with some major officials from Muzhou to officially welcome Prime Minister Ning."
"Your Highness is thoughtful. Zhiyuan is very grateful." Ning Zhiyuan said as he stood up and bowed slightly to Xiao Mingzheng as a thank you.
"Prime Minister Ning rarely comes here, so please stay in this palace for the next few days. If you need anything, just let me know. Don't hesitate."
Xiao Mingzheng waved his hand nonchalantly, indicating that Ning Zhiyuan didn't need to be polite, and then called the attendants outside the door and asked someone to take Ning Zhiyuan to the prepared guest house to rest.
"Haven't you seen enough? They've already left." After Ning Zhiyuan left, Xiao Mingzheng said to Zhong Min, who was still looking out the door, "Weren't you looking at him the whole time?"
Zhong Min quickly averted her gaze upon hearing this. Just as she was about to explain, Xiao Mingzheng stood up and said, "Go to the study on the second floor. I have something to tell you."
Xiao Mingzheng then walked out. Seeing this, Zhong Min didn't have time to figure out what was going on, so she quickly followed him to the quieter, more private study on the second floor.
After entering the study, Zhong Min discovered that Luo Jiaxing had been waiting here early. It seemed that he did not leave the house directly, but stayed here. He must have stayed here on purpose to avoid Ning Zhiyuan.
"Your Highness, he's gone?" Seeing Xiao Mingzheng come in, Luo Jiaxing immediately came forward and asked, "Why did he come here so suddenly?"
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