Chapter 237: Chapter 237

Facing her suddenly somewhat sullen close friend, An Ning vaguely had some speculations in her heart.

Logically speaking, the time she had spent coming and going to the palace wasn't short, but the number of times she had truly seen this emperor could be counted on one hand. On the contrary, she had seen the several princes more frequently.

However, according to rumors, ever since Consort Shu passed away, the current emperor had not only undergone a drastic change in temperament but had also treated his few remaining sons quite indifferently. Even the eldest prince's marriage earlier had been something he personally went to request. For him to make such a grand and thoughtful effort today...

"Alright, no matter what, the two of us are the closest..."

Hugging her close friend's waist in return, An Ning said cheerfully.

The next day, Renshou Palace.

Spring was at its finest.

In the afternoon, as usual, An Ning accompanied the Empress Dowager in conversation. Just as she was about to go out to pick two of the newly delivered Dianzhuang Red Peonies in the garden, the young maid ran off to fetch the forgotten tools.

In the not-so-large garden, an unexpectedly slender figure had appeared at some unknown time.

"This subject's daughter pays respects to His Highness the Prince!"

"Your Highness, what brings you here with free time now?"

Pretending not to notice the slightly clenched right hand beneath his sleeve, after paying respects, An Ning cheerfully raised her eyes, her tone noticeably casual.

April, with spring at its finest, was when the garden was most lively. Especially the peonies by the pavilion were blooming particularly brilliantly, layer upon layer becoming increasingly dazzling.

It was a kind of bright and vivid beauty that could be recognized at a glance.

Especially now, slightly raising her eyes, one could even see one's own silhouette reflected in the exceptionally pure gaze of the young girl before them.

After a dazed moment, the visitor quickly averted his eyes.

What An Ning didn't expect was that the person before her didn't answer immediately. Instead, he silently stepped back, maintaining a certain distance before speaking slowly. During this time, his gaze only occasionally fell upon the young girl before him, not excessively intense.

His tone remained as gentle as ever.

After a moment, the man before her slightly nodded:

"The jade hairpin sent to your residence earlier—did the young lady dislike it?"

Jade hairpin? An Ning couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.

Thanks to this lifetime's brain capacity, after rummaging through her memories for a long time, An Ning barely managed to recall a hairpin forgotten in a corner.

It was also the night before her coming-of-age ceremony, said to be a congratulatory gift from Jingyu Prince Manor.

A peony hairpin exquisitely carved.

Admittedly, the style and material quite suited her taste—refined and elegant—but unfortunately, it clearly hadn't been made recently, obviously an old item. Who knew how many people had worn it before?

Moreover, since it was a gift from an unrelated man, An Ning had only glanced at it briefly before tossing it into a corner. Remembering it now, she only frowned.

Seeing the thoughts in the other person's eyes at a glance, Situ Jing's eyes dimmed slightly, yet his feet remained unmoving.

As if sensing something, the visitor gently explained again: "Third Young Lady misunderstands! This item is a keepsake from a deceased... from an elder.

Please believe me, whether before or after, this prince absolutely never had the slightest intention of looking down upon the young lady."

Perhaps because the explanation was rushed, after a light cough, a faint blush unconsciously spread across the face of the person before her.

At this point, even a fool would understand the other's meaning. An Ning curiously raised her eyes, examining the other's noticeably unusual expression.

For someone of princely status, admittedly the person before her was quite handsome—one could say jade-like in accumulation. His features somewhat resembled those of the Mingde Emperor she had seen before, though with less severity.

Perhaps due to years of recuperation and seldom seeing people, his somewhat thin face added a touch of aloofness. Now slightly flushed, it instead gained some rare vitality.

"Your Highness, you are...?"

Directly meeting the young girl's purely clear eyes.

So bright and vivid, capable of easily stirring anyone's emotions, yet herself carrying not the slightest hint of amorous feelings, like a piece of pure, flawless spiritual jade.

Gripping the folding fan in his hand, after who knows how long, the person before her finally spoke gently:

"Although parental orders and matchmaker's words are the proper way, before that, allow this prince to be presumptuous—I wish to ask Third Young Lady your opinion."

"Regarding this prince, does the young lady harbor any dislike or aversion?"

Half an hour later, the young maid who should have returned was still nowhere to be seen. The spacious garden still only contained An Ning and the other person. Seeing she seemed tired, the person before her quickly took off the cloak he carried with him and spread it layer by layer over the stone chair not far away.

Spring afternoons still carried some chill. Making sure the stone seat beneath was no longer cold, Situ Jing then gestured for her to sit, while he slowly stood up, hands behind his back, standing to the side.

Still maintaining the same neither too close nor too far distance as before.

Unlike the other's thorough etiquette, An Ning never knew what politeness meant. After brief shyness, she quickly perked up. She appeared to sit with the proper, elegant posture of a boudoir lady, the red jade tassel between her pale fingers swaying back and forth lightly.

Unreasonably eye-catching, Situ Jing's gaze grew warm, and he quickly looked away.

During their aimless chatting, staring at the noticeably somewhat obscure gaze of the person before her, An Ning rarely felt more curious and deliberately tilted her head to probe:

"What if I said I'm unwilling, or want to marry someone else?"

What answered her was the other's suddenly profound pupils. His originally clear and bright face now gained an additional stubbornness.

The breeze brushed by, bringing some floral fragrance. An Ning could even vaguely see the slightly deformed folding fan in the other's hand from gripping it too hard.

After who knows how long, the visitor slowly shifted his gaze away:

What to say, it really wasn't surprising at all!

So may I ask, what was the point of specifically asking this time? Wouldn't it be better to directly and neatly ask your dear imperial brother for a marriage decree?

So the previous gentleness and elegance were just superficial?

Sigh, after several lifetimes, the stereotype about royal family members has never been wrong even once...

While silently complaining inwardly, she didn't delay the present moment. Taking advantage of the other's brief, whether genuine or false, guilt, An Ning unceremoniously made various demands:

"I still want to accompany Mother for a couple more years and don't want to marry so soon!"

After a slight pause, Situ Jing still said gently:

"If possible, I want to build a greenhouse at the residence, um... it would be even better if there could be a hot spring estate. Also, I already promised Mu Yang that no matter where I go in the future, I must save a courtyard for her!"

This time, the other party didn't hesitate at all, even seeming somewhat eager:

"Once the marriage decree is issued, I will have someone deliver the blueprints to your residence. Since it will be where we two reside long-term, it naturally should suit your preferences."

"As for hot spring mountain villas." Situ Jing couldn't help but say with a gentle laugh: "Imperial brother previously gave me several places, all quite spacious. In the future, you can also arrange them according to your preferences..."

Hot spring mountain villas, several places...

An Ning couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth.

Thinking about how her father had worked hard all these years and still couldn't even touch the basics of such things.

Indeed, the watershed of life...

"Speaking of which, host, why do I feel like you're particularly fond of the position of princess consort?"

Having witnessed today's events, on the way back, the system couldn't help but find it particularly strange.

After all, if others didn't know, wouldn't it know? Thinking about that person's appearance earlier, sigh, especially over the past six months, to what extent had its host "inadvertently" led him on.

"Otherwise?" Rubbing the newly acquired jade plaque in her hand, An Ning noncommittally said:

"In ancient environments , should I serve multiple layers of mothers-in-law morning and night, deal with all kinds of messy relatives and sisters-in-law, or socialize and entertain for a husband striving for official career? Since marriage is unavoidable, not to mention other things, isn't having a residence where one person has the final say wonderful?"