Chapter 30: Are You Joking

It was only late in the afternoon, once most of the guests had left, that Ning Zhaorou was finally let go by Yin Mingyu.

When she left, she was still a bit dazed. If one looked closely, her lips were flushed red, like they’d been kissed and bitten. She felt guilty and didn’t dare look anyone in the eye, walking the whole way with her head lowered. It wasn’t until she stepped out of the Western Garden and saw Shuangwu waiting outside that she finally relaxed a little.

She had arrived in the same carriage as Ning Wanqing. While Ning Wanqing did notice how rosy her lips looked, she simply assumed it was due to a bold shade of lip rouge. What she found odd was that Ning Zhaorou had vanished for the entire afternoon.

“Where were you all afternoon? I didn’t see you anywhere.”

Ning Zhaorou gripped her sleeve ever so slightly, but showed no sign of panic. She simply replied that she had felt drowsy after lunch, and the Princess, being considerate, had let her rest in a side room.

Ning Wanqing didn’t question it. Her thoughts were elsewhere.

But a light breeze wafted through the carriage window, bringing with it a scent she wasn’t familiar with.

“What’s that smell on you?” she asked, frowning. She felt she had smelled it on Ning Zhaorou before—but also somewhere else. Tilting her head in puzzlement, she studied her.

Ning Zhaorou’s heart skipped a beat. She didn’t answer right away, just lowered her head and sniffed herself.

She had spent the whole afternoon in the Emperor’s embrace—so close and intimate that, naturally, her body was now imbued with his scent. But she couldn’t say that. So she casually said, “Perhaps it’s the incense from the Princess’s room. I might’ve picked up the scent.”

“Is that so?” Ning Wanqing leaned in and sniffed again. The scent really did seem familiar—not just from Ning Zhaorou, but… elsewhere too. She just couldn’t place it.

Unable to recall, she gave up. There was something else weighing on her mind anyway, so she stopped thinking about it. The rest of the ride back to the Anping Marquis Manor was spent in silence.

Seeing that Ning Wanqing had fallen quiet, Ning Zhaorou gradually relaxed and let out a long, slow breath.

That night, as Ning Zhaorou bathed, she saw by firelight the faint red marks left all over her body. Her skin was delicate, and although she hadn’t felt any discomfort while in Yin Mingyu’s arms, now that her clothes were off, the traces became glaringly obvious.

The marks looked like little blossoms of crimson blooming across her skin. Fortunately, they weren’t deep and would likely fade by tomorrow.

The Emperor had an intense need for control. Once he decided on something, no one could stop him. Ning Zhaorou was used to reading faces and adapting, so when his fingers brushed her lips earlier, she’d already guessed what he wanted. She had taken the initiative to please him and was rewarded with kiss after kiss, until her lips were numb and her body had been pressed down onto a chair—those marks were proof enough.

Thinking of this, Ning Zhaorou gently scooped some water, droplets running down her lips before falling into the tub. She then slowly submerged herself into the water.

The Empress Dowager’s longevity banquet was still a month away. Ever since returning from the Princess’s estate, Ning Zhaorou hadn’t stepped outside again, choosing to quietly stay in the manor.

What was odd, though, was that Ning Wanqing had been frequently visiting Anyunwei’s side recently.

More than once, Ning Zhaorou happened to hear that Ning Wanqing had just returned from the Minister’s residence.

Given her pride, Ning Wanqing normally wouldn’t have associated with Anyunwei. So why the sudden change? Was there some hidden reason?

Ning Zhaorou hadn’t been curious for long before an invitation arrived—an intimate banquet hosted by the Minister’s residence, inviting noble young ladies from various families.

The Minister’s face was still worth saving.

Even if Ning Zhaorou didn’t want to go, she still accompanied the others.

The weather was truly lovely. She wore a water-green brocade dress embroidered with bamboo and winding vines. Her hair was pinned with jade, her ears adorned with dangling cat’s-eye stones of emerald hue. Her waist sash was embroidered with pale magnolia. The overall effect was one of pure, elegant beauty.

“This white jade hairpin on your head is a bit plain. In my opinion, this green jade one suits you better.” As she spoke, Ning Wanqing removed a carved green jade hairpin from her own hair and made a move to place it in Ning Zhaorou’s.

Kindness without reason always carries hidden motives—Ning Zhaorou immediately stepped aside to avoid it.

She eyed Ning Wanqing suspiciously, her expression full of guarded wariness.

The hairpin in Ning Wanqing’s hand missed its mark. Seeing the way Ning Zhaorou looked at her, she simply smiled and, without missing a beat, reinserted the hairpin into her own hair. Her tone light and casual, she said, “If you don’t like it, then never mind. We’re sisters, after all—let’s not make a spectacle of ourselves in front of outsiders.”

They hadn’t even left the manor yet, and Ning Wanqing clearly didn’t intend to show her true colors so soon.

With an air of nonchalance, she boarded the carriage first. When she saw that Ning Zhaorou was still hesitating, she grew impatient. “If you’re not coming, go tell Mother yourself. Stop dawdling.”

Ning Zhaorou had no desire to exchange even a single word with Madam Wu. After a brief silence, she boarded the carriage.

Though the Minister’s Residence wasn’t as grand as the Princess’s estate, their young lady’s banquet still drew quite a crowd.

Ning Zhaorou had thought it was just a gathering of noblewomen. She hadn’t expected there to be male guests as well in the front of the banquet hall.

“You probably didn’t know this,” Li Yuzhu said from the side, standing while gazing at An Yunwei, who was surrounded and flattered by others. Her voice was lowered, yet her tone held a complicated edge. “Although it’s said An Yunwei is hosting the banquet, it’s really the Minister’s wife paving the way for her.”

Ning Zhaorou didn’t understand what she meant, and she didn’t press the matter. She just wanted to stay quietly and not get involved.

But it was as if Li Yuzhu had opened a floodgate and continued speaking, “Who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll all have to greet An Yunwei with bows and curtsies.”

“After all, she’s going to enter the palace.”

Ning Zhaorou’s pupils contracted sharply, her whole body freezing in place. She turned her head stiffly to look at Li Yuzhu and reflexively denied it. “You’re joking.”

Li Yuzhu gave her a sidelong glance and let out a snort. “I’m not making it up. Word is the palace has already drafted a title for her. The decree could come down at any moment.”

She said the palace had drafted a title.

But that title—that title had clearly been meant for her.

Ning Zhaorou wanted to say that it wasn’t true. But these were words she couldn’t speak aloud. Her brows furrowed tightly as her gaze drifted toward An Yunwei—graceful and proud in the crowd.

Li Yuzhu was still talking: “I always wondered why she hadn’t gotten engaged yet. Turns out she has big ambitions. Who knows what rank she’ll be granted once she enters the palace.”

“She’s going to enter the palace? Did His Majesty agree to that?” Ning Zhaorou asked quietly, her mind already connecting the dots—how Ning Wanqing and her mother had been cozying up to the Minister’s household recently, how this banquet had come about. The clues added up—it couldn’t be a baseless rumor.

If His Majesty truly intended to bring An Yunwei into the palace, then what about her?

What would happen to her?

Li Yuzhu gave her a strange look upon hearing that question and couldn’t help but say, “And you think you can question His Majesty’s decisions?”

The words made Ning Zhaorou choke up. She instantly lowered her head and said no more.

But that title—she was sure—had been meant for her.

A quiet, bitter resentment stirred in her heart. She looked again at An Yunwei in the crowd, took a deep breath, and turned to leave.

Seeing her come out, Shuangwu immediately followed. Sensing her poor mood, she was about to ask what was wrong when Ning Zhaorou said flatly, “It’s stuffy inside. I just wanted some fresh air.”