Chapter 523: When Are You and the Crown Prince Getting Married?
Chapter 523: Chapter 523: When Are You and the Crown Prince Getting Married?
Some time passed.
Cangyun Country welcomed a harsh winter of swirling, pale snow.
For her meritorious service in helping Shen Ningning expose Xiuxiu’s plot, Qi Xiuwei had now been named Commandery Princess Lingyi.
The Emperor showed special favor, bestowing upon her a Commandery Princess Mansion for Qi Xiuwei and her mother, Mrs. Qi, to reside in.
A carriage draped in fine silk pulled to a stop outside the Commandery Princess Mansion.
Wanchun hopped down first and lifted the curtain. "Your Highness, please come down slowly. The ground is frozen, be careful not to slip."
A jade-white hand reached out and rested in hers.
The next moment, Shen Ningning’s beautiful and delicate face appeared in the early winter sun.
She had skin like snow and lips of ruby. Her dark brows framed clear, dark eyes that shimmered like two pools of radiant light, and her figure was as fresh and graceful as a newly bloomed hibiscus.
Lifting her skirt with her left hand, she carefully stepped down from the carriage.
Qi Xiuwei, having already heard the news, came out from the mansion to greet her.
"Ningning, you’re here! My mother was just talking about you. She said she knows you love the pastries from Moonview Pavilion and had the servants rush to buy some. They’re being kept warm on the stove right now, so they don’t get cold."
Qi Xiuwei was dressed in a light blue dress and a small silver-brocade jacket, looking very proper and elegant.
When she smiled, her eyes curved, making her appear even more gentle.
Shen Ningning had Wanchun hand the gifts she brought to one of Qi Xiuwei’s servants.
She then covered her lips with her hand and chuckled. "Aunt Yu has always been so good to me. It’s my fault for not visiting her for so many days. You see, I just got back to the Capital, so I rushed over to see you both. Is her health much better now?"
"She’s doing great. The Spirit Grass and spring water you left have been very effective as medicine. The Divine Doctor occasionally comes to check her pulse, and with an Imperial Physician overseeing her care, my mother’s health is getting better and better."
As she spoke, Qi Xiuwei linked arms with Shen Ningning, and the two walked along the covered corridor into the courtyard.
Along the way, they saw several red plum blossoms in full bloom in the courtyard, a breathtakingly beautiful sight.
When the wind blew past, it carried their refreshing, heart-lifting fragrance.
Qi Xiuwei asked, "I heard from Changyi that when you went with the Crown Prince to inspect the two prefectures near the Capital, you were visiting two cities a day. You must be exhausted, right?"
But Shen Ningning just smiled brightly, her red lips parting to show pearly teeth, her eyes shining with a vibrant light.
"Not tired at all. My brother took great care of me. He said he was taking me along for the inspection, but once we got there and he saw it was snowing, he wouldn’t let me go out."
Qi Xiuwei blinked.
Shen Ningning continued, "And not just that. He wouldn’t let me go out when it was freezing cold, or when there were too many people out celebrating a festival. He said he was afraid I’d get bumped or pushed in the crowd."
"When we went to the government office to check the accounts, suspecting an issue with local taxes, I would only be looking at them for two hours before he would make me stop, insisting on dragging me out for a walk."
At this, Shen Ningning pouted, a little exasperated.
"So I wasn’t busy at all these past few days. Instead, he just stuffed me full of local delicacies. Oh, speaking of which, the date blossom cakes in Ying City are delicious. I’ll have to take you to try them when we have time."
Shen Ningning finished speaking but didn’t get a response for a long moment. When she turned her head, she found her friend watching her with a knowing smile.
"What are you looking at?"
"I’m just wondering when I’ll get to attend you and the Crown Prince’s wedding."
Shen Ningning’s scalp tingled. Her moist eyes filled with flustered anger, like a kitten that had its tail stepped on.
"Xiao Wei, it’s one thing for other people to tease me like this, but you too? He’s my brother!"
"What brother? More like a love-struck ’brother,’ if you ask me. The Crown Prince isn’t your real brother."
Qi Xiuwei covered her mouth, stifling a giggle. "Everyone can see it. He likes you."
"At the Emperor’s birthday banquet that day, when Lu Shaoyuan invited you to go see the flowers, he actually dared to flip the table. Then, afraid you’d be angry, he claimed his hand had slipped and he’d flipped it by mistake."
"And think about it, why do your first and second brothers try to find any excuse to tag along the moment they hear you’re spending time with the Crown Prince?"
"Think about it again. Why did the Prime Minister repeatedly petition to accompany you on this inspection tour with the Crown Prince, only to be shut down by the Emperor?"
"Ningning, you’re almost sixteen. Who knows, you might be engaged to the Crown Prince any day now."
Shen Ningning’s face was completely flushed.
She gently pinched Qi Xiuwei’s ticklish spots.
"Oh, you, Xiao Wei! I’m going to teach you a lesson today so you won’t dare talk nonsense again."
Qi Xiuwei was ticklish and ran off laughing, with Shen Ningning chasing after her.
The two of them played and chased each other for a while until they were both breathless, collapsing directly under a tree full of red plum blossoms.
Wanchun stomped her foot anxiously. "Princess, Commandery Princess, please get up! It’s so cold!"
But Shen Ningning and Qi Xiuwei just lay there together, their heads touching.
The two girls gazed at the brilliant sunlight peeking through the clouds, surrounded by red plum blossoms and white snow.
It made one want to immerse themselves in the moment and never get up.
"Xiao Wei, actually... there’s something Deputy Captain Pei wanted me to give you."
Shen Ningning said this when she felt they were both in a calm and peaceful state of mind.
Unexpectedly, Qi Xiuwei shot up into a sitting position.
She quickly brushed the snow from her skirt, her expression turning somber.
"Ningning, didn’t we agree not to mention him anymore?"
Shen Ningning sat up as well. "You know how it is. Pei Yin is always asking me to bring you things."
"You wouldn’t accept what Mengyi brought before, so he came to me. I ignored him and refused a dozen times, but he kept asking every single time."
"My brother said that if you really don’t want to talk to him, you should meet him once and say something harsh. That way, he’ll stop thinking about apologizing to you."
Qi Xiuwei lowered her lashes.
"Ningning, you know me," she said, her voice tinged with a calm sadness. "I’m not angry with him, and it’s not that I can’t forgive him. It’s just..."
The matters of a young woman’s heart were truly complicated.
Back then, she had to act a certain way to coordinate with Shen Ningning’s plan.
Pei Yin’s disappointment in her was like a needle piercing her heart.
Even after the misunderstanding was cleared up and the truth came to light.
Pei Yin had tried to see her and apologize many times.
But Qi Xiuwei felt that it was no longer important.
Pei Yin hadn’t believed her, even though they had been corresponding for years and were close friends who could talk about anything.
Yet, at the first sign of trouble, he had chosen to doubt her.
Just thinking about the look in his eyes made Qi Xiuwei feel awful, so she had simply been avoiding him.
Seeing her resolute attitude, Shen Ningning didn’t press the matter further.
Instead, she linked arms with her again. "Let’s go see Aunt Yu. She must be getting anxious waiting for us."
「At that moment.」
Outside the Commandery Princess Mansion, Mo Lingwei’s carriage arrived.
His long, slender fingers lifted the curtain, and he glanced outside.
"Go on. Shen Ningning has already gone inside. Now is the perfect time for you to appear," Mo Lingwei said faintly.
He was dressed in purple-gold robes embroidered with a four-clawed dragon, his hair held up by a Jade Crown, and his narrow eyes were sharp and profoundly dark.
As Mo Lingwei spoke, he looked at Pei Yin, who was sitting beside him.
’If he didn’t want Pei Yin to keep pestering Shen Ningning, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to make this happen.’
However, although Pei Yin had prepared himself before coming, he hesitated now that he was actually at the gate.
Mo Lingwei was about to lift the curtain and get out of the carriage, but he saw Pei Yin still sitting there, his fists clenched tightly.
"Are you going or not?" The Crown Prince furrowed his brow, already growing impatient.
Pei Yin handed the apology gift to Mo Lingwei.
"Your Highness, please deliver this on my behalf. I misunderstood the Commandery Princess before, and I’m afraid a sudden visit now would only displease her more. So, I think it’s best if I don’t go in..."
Mo Lingwei narrowed his eyes. "You really are..."
’Useless!’
’How could he possibly win back the person he likes like this?’
’If Pei Yin keeps this up, he’ll probably end up pestering Shen Ningning for help again.’
Mo Lingwei raised a cold eyebrow. "Fine. I will give you another push. Don’t you dare back down at the critical moment."
Before Pei Yin could react, Mo Lingwei pressed a hand to his brow, lifted the curtain, and gave an order to those outside.
"Go and inform the Princess that I was just passing by and was suddenly struck by a headache. Ask if it would be convenient for the Qi Mansion to receive me, as I need to rest for a moment."
Finally, his narrow eyes darkened as he added, "Guard Pei is escorting me. See what the Princess says."
Pei Yin was stunned, but before he could refuse, the Crown Prince’s personal guard outside had already departed.
Mo Lingwei didn’t look like he had a headache in the slightest.
He sat back down next to Pei Yin with a lazy, unrestrained air.
"This is your only chance. If you don’t seize it, I will personally help Commandery Princess Lingyi find another suitable husband and marry her off as soon as possible."
’It would save his Ningning the trouble.’