Chapter 350: Chapter 350

"Nalan truly possesses literary talent and extensive knowledge..."

"What's most rare is his broad-mindedness."

She deliberately emphasized the last four words. An Ning casually flipped the poetry volume in her hand, and sure enough, in one corner of the cover, she spotted the four characters "Nalan Rongruo."

Just picking up a random book to pass the time, and she happened to grab this one - what luck.

After pausing briefly, pretending she hadn't noticed, An Ning continued skillfully turning to the next page.

"Broad-minded? Are you saying, beloved consort, that I am petty and narrow-minded?"

He seemed to laugh in extreme anger, casually setting down the memorial in his hand. The eighteen-bead bracelet he kept flipping between his fingers clearly carried some suppressed fury.

Yet the expression on his face had softened somewhat.

"If I remember correctly, I've only met your Imperial Guard Nalan a few times - countable on one hand. And every meeting happened right under your watchful eyes, all conducted with proper boundaries. We haven't even exchanged a single word in private."

"And this is enough for you to make sarcastic remarks."

If this isn't being petty, then what is!

Her answer was met with his meaningful snort:

"Indeed, with just a few brief encounters, he was sharp-eyed enough to recognize your identity at a glance, beloved consort."

"Then why are you asking me? Shouldn't you be asking your Imperial Guard Nalan that?" An Ning couldn't help rolling her eyes slightly, speaking with clear annoyance.

Seeing her , the last trace of suspicion vanished from the man opposite her. He casually picked up a long scroll, his tone ambiguous: "Rongruo has been exceptionally talented since childhood, with countless admirers. Who would have thought he couldn't even earn three-tenths of your appreciation, beloved consort..."

Tsk, if she had truly appreciated him... Having been unfairly targeted with sarcasm, An Ning felt quite displeased too. She deliberately examined his expression carefully for a moment. Then, as if suddenly realizing something, her expression became profoundly meaningful, like a sudden enlightenment:

"Oh, I understand now. So you're unwilling to hold him accountable, and instead come here to find fault with me?"

As her words fell, the entire room instantly fell into complete silence.

It was meant as a joke, but seeing his prolonged silence, An Ning's mind quickly filled with all sorts of messy information.

The more she thought about it, the more her expression toward him became difficult to describe. Especially when she recalled that over the past few days, despite her dressing , he not only didn't mind much, but instead...

Even now, with just a slight intentional approach, she could feel his obvious change in breathing.

After a moment of silence, An Ning finally couldn't resist tentatively asking: "Um, you wouldn't actually have... interests in that area, would you?"

If he really did, that would be too distressing, and she even felt like wanting to... What should she do?

Unfortunately, before her words even finished, she couldn't help gasping in pain. Before she could adapt to the sudden feeling of weightlessness from falling from a height, she found herself facing a pair of eyes filled with desire:

"Whether my interest is for you or for Rongruo - beloved consort, don't you know very clearly in your heart..."

Ah, this... One hour later, glancing at the messy desk beneath her and the clearly still-bright sky outside.

What to do, actually feeling even more suspicious now...

In fact, she wasn't the only one with these suspicions.

Because this young gentleman's appearance and demeanor were too outstanding, and his identity remained unknown - he kept calling the Emperor cousin, yet those who investigated thoroughly couldn't find any royal prince or beile with such exceptional grace and bearing.

This back and forth naturally led some people to misunderstand.

However, since it concerned the imperial carriage, even though they speculated, they only whispered secretly in their hearts, not daring to speak aloud.

Initially, including An Ning and everyone else, no one noticed anything. An Ning even found it puzzling - wasn't it said that during Southern Tours, these officials loved presenting beauties? Why weren't they doing so this time?

Then, on the day they settled in Jiangning, witnessing with their own eyes that all the servants were clear-eyed, handsome, and of remarkable appearance...

After a moment of silence, seeing the man opposite her with a faintly darkened expression, An Ning completely burst out laughing inside.

Of course, on the surface she still maintained a surprised expression, her exceptionally clear glass-like eyes seeming to say:

"As expected of the Emperor's close ministers - it seems Minister Cao truly understands you!"

Whether he understood or not, right now this man's face was truly dark, and he was genuinely displeased. Even Minister Cao, who usually enjoyed great favor, had recently been inexplicably reprimanded over a minor matter.

It wasn't until evening that Liang Jiugong cautiously approached:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, it's true that there were some rumors earlier because of that young gentleman, but most people didn't take them seriously."

"They only said that Your Majesty is wise and mighty, and the young gentleman is exceptionally open and unrestrained, with unparalleled grace and bearing - certainly not the type to engage in such absurd matters."

Actually, what those people said was: How could someone of Young Master Lin'an's caliber, so pure and unsullied, be that kind of sycophant?

Of course, these words weren't really appropriate to say.

Sigh, he didn't know how Master Chen managed it. Even during ordinary conversations, without reciting poetry or deliberately displaying literary talent, she could still attract a crowd of admirers who praised her everywhere, with some talented scholars even composing poems for her.

He was truly impressed, no wonder His Majesty had been in a rather foul mood these past few days.

The problem was, he had already given his word earlier and couldn't go back on it, breaking his promise to Master Chen.

Pausing briefly, Liang Jiugong then cautiously spoke:

"It's just that with many people comes all kinds - inevitably there are some who are overly eager for quick success..."

"By the way, Your Majesty, this matter wasn't Minister Cao's intention. It was his younger brother Cao Quan who coincidentally misunderstood Your thoughts, leading to this misunderstanding. Just now, those people have all been replaced by the minister..."

Kangxi coldly glanced at him, then continued lowering his head to review the memorial in his hand, unclear whether he believed it or not.

Only when Liang Jiugong's forehead was nearly dripping with cold sweat did the person at the desk speak indifferently:

Liang Jiugong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, Cao Residence

Trembling as he pointed at the person before him, Minister Cao was nearly driven to fainting by this unlucky younger brother.

"Foolish! Reckless! Not to mention these matters are completely baseless, pure rumors without foundation. Even if they were true, so what? What kind of person is His Majesty? How could he allow his officials to freely speculate about his personal preferences?"

Especially when it involved such private, sensitive matters.

Wasn't this outright scheming?

Just thinking about His Majesty's expression today made Cao Yin nearly see black before his eyes. However, Second Master Cao opposite him clearly didn't take it seriously:

"Elder brother, as the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. Besides, I only selected a few decent-looking servants for peripheral cleaning duties. Whether there's any implication or not depends entirely on how His Majesty interprets it."

"Moreover, elder brother, you saw Consort Chen at today's banquet - her grace and bearing, with such a brilliant pearl before him, no matter how many beauties you arrange, wouldn't they all be completely wasted!"

Not to mention being taken back to the palace by His Majesty, even if they were fortunate enough to serve, what use would it be if they couldn't please this sage?

Cao Er couldn't help clicking his tongue lightly:

"Elder brother, since that's the case, why not follow my advice and take a unique path..."

"Besides, where there's smoke, there's fire. In my opinion, since these rumors are circulating, His Majesty might not be entirely unwilling!"

Cao Er spoke with absolute confidence, but his answer was his elder brother's furious, cold rebuke:

"Take Second Master away immediately. He is not to step outside until His Majesty's imperial carriage departs."