Zheng Nianru’s visit to the Crown Prince’s Mansion was very sudden, just like that mont early in the morning when one decides to take a walk and ends up taking a few extra steps, and before know it, she had reached the Crown Prince’s Mansion.
There was no court today, and neither Qi Jin nor Qi Yu had expected Zheng Nianru to co. They were so startled by the sight of her figure, suddenly suffused with the glow of dawn, that for a mont they just stood there in a daze, with the mansion’s main gate ajar, blocking Fu Dong’s path as he tried to enter.
"You two blockheads, not awake yet?" Nian Xia said unceremoniously as she pushed them aside; Fu Dong had already followed Zheng Nianru to the gate.
Qi Jin and Qi Yu imdiately snapped out of their daze and hurried to open the door.
"Commandery Princess, to look at Qi Jin and Qi Yu, one would think they’re hiding so secret in the Crown Prince’s Mansion, afraid of us stumbling upon it," Fu Dong teased.
Qi Jin and Qi Yu dared not join in the conversation, largely because they were feeling guilty.
The Crown Prince had just returned yesterday, and now the Commandery Princess was on their doorstep today; this was not a good sign.
And that matter...
Qi Yu glared at Qi Jin fiercely. What matter? At most, they were just involved in taking Prince Duan to the Crown Prince’s Mansion for a inkstone, it had nothing to do with them, they didn’t know anything at all.
"Commandery Princess, you’re very early." Qi Yu imdiately ca forward to greet her, hurriedly opened the gate, and Fu Dong naturally picked up the horsetail whisk from the corridor, fending off the tiny insects that were attracted by the fragrance of the lotus leaves from the lake. Zheng Nianru then leisurely stepped towards the study.
"Commandery Princess, look, the lotus flowers of Siyan Lake are about to bloom. You’ve co at just the right ti. If you hadn’t co, I was preparing to invite you down myself," said Qi Zhu, who promptly stepped forward and glanced at Qi Jin and Qi Yu’s expressions.
The Commandery Princess also remained calmly composed, not looking like she was in any rush at all.
"Have the boats been prepared?" Zheng Nianru asked, seemingly in a good mood, as she graciously went to see the lake. A breeze wrinkled the water’s surface, waves of the lotus’ fresh fragrance filled the air, broadening the view and relaxing the mood.
"Steward Hu had everything ready early in the morning, just waiting for the Commandery Princess to co," Qi Zhu replied imdiately, thinking to himself, how could he not have been inford a bit earlier.
"Where is Brother Crown Prince?" asked Zheng Congyuan cheerfully as Qi Zhu hurried to draw curtains for the Commandery Princess.
"His Highness is reviewing the morials to the Throne. He has accumulated quite a few because of the recent state examinations," said Qi Zhu quickly. This took Fu Dong by surprise; as guards, they rarely discussed matters of state in front of the Commandery Princess.
So, when Zheng Nianru entered the study, she saw Zheng Congyuan sitting at the desk, wearing a smoke-blue plain robe, his ink-black hair secured by just a Jade Hairpin, his slender fingers flipping through Chun Ying. Zheng Nianru felt a softness in her heart. Even though she had sketched this side view in her mind countless tis, seeing it in person still managed to stir different emotions each ti.
The temptation that lingered in her mind beca exponentially stronger once it was right before her eyes.
"Brother Crown Prince—" Zheng Nianru’s voice was soft and sweet, and the emotions she had been accumulating for two lifetis burst forth like the richness of brewed wine.
Zheng Congyuan turned around, the morning light gently fell on his nose, tracing the contours of his features, a natural masterpiece.
"Why do you have the ti to co by?" Zheng Congyuan’s voice was deep yet not gruff, gentle in his throat, lacking the steady composure and authority he exhibited outside. This indicated he was in a good mood, his gaze landed on Zheng Nianru, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly in a smile, softening ti.
"Brother Crown Prince, I always have ti to co here," Zheng Nianru said naturally as she sat at the desk, flipping casually through the morials, scattering the neat stack, opening one and reading a couple of lines before tossing it aside, reaching for another, reading two more lines, and losing patience even faster.
Zheng Congyuan laughed helplessly, "If you try to stop her, she’ll definitely rebel and make an even bigger ss, maybe even sweep it under the desk."
Qi Ling dared not speak, carefully placing the teacup down, the fragrance of the flower fruit tea wafting through the air. Qi Ling closed his eyes, deliberately ignoring the Commandery Princess placing the teacup on the morials to the throne.
Seeing the woman in front of him flipping through another two morials, Zheng Congyuan hurriedly finished reading what was in his hand, knowing that if he didn’t stop soon, everything on this table would suffer.
"Brother Crown Prince, look at what these ministers have written, just grab any two, half of the content is the sa. These words of loyalty that are carelessly spoken, how can people believe them?" Not only now, but it will be the sa for the next ten years, inconsequential matters written about at length in grandiose prose.
"Fancy a trip to the lake? I’ve had Hu Yuan prepare a boat," Zheng Congyuan said, putting the morials down and not comnting on Zheng Nianru’s previous words, though he did think they contained so truth.
Qi Ling also turned a blind eye to the Commandery Princess’s inappropriate discussions about court politics. Pushing open the window lattice, the fine gauze softened the sparkling light on the lake. The crisp lotus leaves and the expanse of clear water inspired even a reluctant Zheng Nianru to feel interested.
"I’ve been boating in the Crown Prince’s Mansion every year; it’s not fun at all," Zheng Nianru said, though she got up with a noticeably good mood.
Seeing this, Qi Ling imdiately had Qi Zhu go to relay the orders.
Zheng Congyuan put down the morial in his hands; although he said nothing, he knew that these days, her mood must have been bad. Given Prince Duan’s regard for Nianru, her current predicant must have imposed quite a few restrictions on her.
The news of Nann Yu’s departure had reached him in complete detail yesterday. He had taken all his people with him, leaving behind only those of no consequence. The puppet followed the rules without causing any trouble, bringing this matter to a close.
He had deliberately avoided this issue over the period, making Nann Yu’s affair seem unconnected to him, even evading Prince Duan’s attempts to imply so involvent to make the incident appear unrelated to him.
Now, it seed the woman before him harbored no suspicions about him and, as he expected, in a few days she would speak of it herself, prompting him to feign indignation on her behalf.
"Not happy? You’ve been stuck with the palace examinations these days, probably unable to co back, suffocating in the palace?"
"Yes, it’s been several days since I last saw Brother Crown Prince. Oh right, Brother Crown Prince, my people have been captured; let them out..."
"I’ll have Qi Yu take care of it..."
Zheng Congyuan walked alongside her, the faint scent of flowers lingering at the tip of his nose, his mood was also floating up gently. In that instant, Zheng Congyuan suddenly realized a fact—the girl beside him had grown up at a pace he wished not to see yet had to acknowledge, and now she was nearly shoulder high to him.
She had grown up so much and it was ti to consider certain matters, Zheng Congyuan was reluctant to think about it, but couldn’t help that this little person had developed her own thoughts. This ti it was Nann Yu, so who would it be next ti?
As long as there was a vivid, bright life, it could easily catch her attention. She was still clueless about Nann Yu, unaware of much, but what if there was soone else?
As quickly and buoyantly as Zheng Congyuan’s heart had risen monts before, it now fell swiftly and awkwardly.
He hated how easily it occurred.
He hated everything that could change.
Reviews
All reviews (0)