Chapter 161 Polite Rejection
Xu Mingqian smiled calmly and responded patiently.
"If you have any doubts, just speak up."
Ning Jiewei breathed a sigh of relief, regained her composure, and continued to implement her plan.
"Everyone in the world knows that the eldest brother and the third sister are siblings who share weal and woe."
"But from what I've seen privately, the eldest brother doesn't treat the third sister well. It seems like he's just pretending to be nice to the outside world."
"You say, is Big Brother really that bad?"
"Or did I misunderstand him?"
Xu Mingqian couldn't help but guess.
Did Lord Ning really not persuade Princess Yuexi?
It seems that he still has ulterior motives.
After thinking about it, he frowned slightly and asked the question seriously.
"How does Lord Ning usually talk to Princess Yuexi?"
Ning Jiewei had already thought of an excuse.
"let me see……"
"My elder brother seemed to have said: His Royal Highness Prince Chen treats you sincerely, why do you abandon him? In my opinion, you should remarry."
"You don't know that His Royal Highness Prince Chen loves the fifth sister and doesn't care about the third sister at all."
"Big brother, with such advice, aren't you just coaxing your third sister into jumping into the fire pit?"
"I didn't misunderstand him, did I?"
Xu Mingqian smiled meaningfully.
"Your Highness Prince Chen... Heh."
"Didn't he mention the Emperor?"
Ning Jiewei thought about it for a moment and then gave an answer.
"It is often mentioned to the outside world, but I have never heard of it in private."
Xu Mingqian continued to test.
"Then...what about His Royal Highness Prince Li?"
"Did he mention it?"
Ning Jiewei nodded ignorantly.
"I've mentioned it many times."
"He said he wanted to marry me to His Royal Highness Prince Li."
"For the long term, my third sister will marry into Prince Chen's Mansion, and I will marry into Prince Li's Mansion. Our paths run parallel and do not conflict with each other."
"When the time comes, no matter who gains power, he will be the emperor's uncle."
Xu Mingqian smiled amusingly.
"This doesn't seem like something Lord Ning would say."
"When did he become so talkative?"
Ning Jiewei felt guilty but did not show it. After thinking for a while, she gave a reasonable explanation.
"Everyone is different, both in public and in private."
"He always talks to us family members like this."
Xu Mingqian believed it a little.
"is it?"
Ning Jiewei responded with a firm look.
"Yes."
Xu Mingqian nodded yes to show his agreement.
"Well, that makes some sense."
"Some people really can talk about anything at home."
After thinking for a moment, he finally asked tentatively.
"Did he mention King Dijin?"
Ning Jiewei shook her head repeatedly.
"No."
"They don't interfere with each other and have nothing to do with each other."
"If he did anything bad, it has nothing to do with King Dijin."
After saying these words, Ning Jiewei left.
After repeated consideration, Xu Mingqian began to doubt Ning Fengzhe's intentions. If he wanted to investigate the matter secretly, he would have to ask for the emperor's permission, so he went to the palace to ask for an audience with the emperor.
When he reached the palace gate, he happened to meet Ning Fengzhe.
He was seen carrying a folded scroll on his back. After Xu Mingqian greeted him, he asked curiously.
"What reward did Lord Ning receive?"
Following his gaze, Ning Fengzhe turned his head and smiled shyly.
"What kind of reward is this? Lord Xu thinks too highly of me."
"This was given to me by my little sister."
Xu Mingqian was slightly surprised and made a guess.
"Fourth Miss Ning?"
"May I have the honor to see it?"
Ning Fengzhe took off his straps and opened the scroll smoothly.
"Not the fourth sister, but the third sister in my family."
"My graffiti has made Master Xu laugh."
Xu Mingqian turned his head and saw the seal of Princess Yuexi on the signature, and then he smiled.
"It turns out that this is the masterpiece of Princess Yuexi."
"She is so free and unrestrained, and it is a magnificent sight. The princess's talent is indeed well-deserved."
“Seal paintings, if you see the princess, you won’t give them away easily.”
"After going through hardships together, the relationship between Lord Ning and the princess seems to have improved?"
Ning Fengzhe smiled back.
"Master Xu is making fun of me."
"Xi'er said that if there is any danger, let me use the princess's seal to protect myself, so that we can share weal and woe."
“I am deeply moved.”
After the performance, he changed the subject.
"By the way, Lord Xu is going to the palace to meet the emperor, right?"
"Don't waste your time because of me."
"Master Xu, please do as you please."
Seeing this, Xu Mingqian's suspicions were dispelled, so there was naturally no need for him to enter the palace.
"I'm just passing by, I have no intention of entering the palace."
"Master Ning, are you going back home?"
"I'm just going back to Tongshitai."
"Want to go together?"
Ning Fengzhe reminded with a smile.
"The Imperial Palace is close to Tongshitai, while the Ningguo Mansion is far away near the Shengjing City Gate. They are also in different directions. I'm afraid they are not on the same route, right?"
Xu Mingqian wanted to ask a few more questions to confirm it, so he changed his words.
"I made a mistake."
"I need to go back to the Xu Mansion. We are going in the same direction, so I can go a little bit along the way. Sir Ning, can you come with me?"
Ning Fengzhe nodded happily.
"it is good."
"Being respectful is worse than obeying orders."
On the way, Xu Mingqian tried many times and finally had no doubts.
After the two separated, Ning Fengzhe found a secluded place and set fire to the paintings, leaving no evidence.
In addition, he also wiped out those who forged seals.
When I returned to the Ningguo Mansion, I saw Gu Nianting coming in and walking towards Yanxiju.
Upon hearing that Prince Chen was coming, Ning Hanwang told the maid to prepare good tea in advance and then went out to greet him.
After a while, Gu Nianting was seen walking out from behind the rockery with his head held high.
Ning Hanwang smiled and took a few steps forward, giving a simple bow.
"I'm sorry for not welcoming you from afar, Your Highness. I hope you can forgive me."
Gu Nianting returned the greeting according to the rules, gestured for him to come in and sit down with him.
"You're welcome, uncle."
"I have waited for a long time for your reply regarding my taking a concubine, so I came to ask you what you think, uncle?"
Ning Hanwang already knew his daughter's feelings, so he naturally refused.
"I just heard about this."
"Unfortunately, two days ago, I asked Madam to take Wei'er in as an adopted daughter."
"Now, although Wei'er and you are not related by blood, you are cousins in name. According to the law, you are absolutely not allowed to get married."
Gu Nianting guessed that it would be a rejection and smiled indifferently.
"That's not difficult."
"I am originally the adopted son of my mother."
"Please ask for an imperial decree to annul the adoption relationship. She and I will no longer be cousins."
Ning Hanwang's pupils turned slightly and he smiled deeply.
"What His Highness said is absolutely true."
"Since you want to get married, you naturally have some requirements. It's not proper to be oblique and roundabout, so I'll just say it directly."
Gu Nianting nodded and smiled.
"But it doesn't matter."
Ning Hanwang imitated the way Mu Rong talked about marriage, and in the name of custom, made many unreasonable demands.
It was also emphasized that all of them must be delivered to Ning Mansion before the wedding.
The more Gu Nianting listened, the more shocked he was. After a rough calculation, he found that the amount was tens of thousands of gold. He was dumbfounded.
"The princess is getting married, and she doesn't even dare to ask for this much. Is your uncle deliberately making things difficult for you?"
Ning Hanwang raised one corner of his mouth and responded bluntly.
"Weier is my beloved daughter, and she is already my legitimate daughter. She should follow all the rules and etiquette, and naturally she cannot neglect them."
"If you can't do it, forget it."
"Last year, when Xi'er got married, you kept delaying the formalities you promised and never fulfilled them. How dare you come and ask for Wei'er's hand in marriage?"
"I politely declined because I love and respect the emperor, not because I want to give you face."
"You are so arrogant and rude. Do you think that all members of my Ning family are as easy to bully as Xi'er?"
Gu Nianting was angry but did not show it.
"My uncle is determined to support my eldest brother and is unwilling to betray him. I understand."
"In that case, no more words, goodbye."
Ning Hanwang stood up according to etiquette.
"I'm sorry I can't see you off. Please take care, Your Highness."