Chapter 210: All is Worthwhile
Translator: Antonia
After the exchange of courteous words, they shifted the topic to the two new poems of Mo Qianxue.
Mo Qianxue modestly answered a few questions and brought their attention to the Book of Songs to further discuss the aesthetics of poems and the like.
Meanwhile, Yunyao had served all the dishes and stayed in the room to wait the table.
Somehow, Mo Qianxue felt that Yunyao was absent-minded… The way she looked at Lu Zhengyang was a little weird…like…
It seemed that having stayed in this mind-blowing place for too long, she became as sensitive as others. Mo Qianxue shook her head to rid of the thought, raising up her cup with a grin.
Mo Qianxue was a veteran in business dinners. Today, Ning Shaoqing was the host, while she was the owner of the restaurant as well as his fiancé. Certainly, she took the initiative to entertain others. The air was subtle but quite lively.
Ning Shaoqing, Lu Zhengyang, Su Jinyu were all well-informed and knowledgeable people with in-depth understanding in literature. Su Qi, however, ever since Mo Qianxue and Junzhu Susu entered the room, never talked after making a toast and leaned on the broad chair back, eyelids slightly drooping down, making him look unruly and careless.
Ning Shaoqing, Lu Zhengyang and Su Jinyu didn’t said serious stuff anymore and lingered on discussing poems and literature to kill the time.
Mo Qianxue analyzed to herself that Su Jinyu must be the default future master of the Su family since he was the eldest young lord.
Su Jinhan was his brother, while Lu Zhengyang and Ning Shaoqing were friends. Both sides were equally powerful. They didn’t seem to have gathered merely to spend some leisure time together in sharing views on literature. Probably they had already reached certain agreement before she came in. Now they were talking about the Book of Changes.
Mo Qianxue was bored to hear their conversations and felt improper to interrupt them. She turned to look at Susu, only to find that Susu, who had always been a carefree girl, should now be bowing her head, silent as a cat missing its tongue, and smiling shyly like a real lady.
Mo Qianxue finally came to the realization that there had been already something wrong with Junzhu Susu when they walked in. By more careful reminiscence, she found Junzhu Susu mostly became unusual when her eyes met Su Qi.
Mo Qianxue glanced at Su Qi, who now looked at ease. Yet, as much as Mo Qianxue knew him, he must be bearing some bitterness right now.
Two carefree people, once meeting each other, became like this. Mo Qianxue dared to bet her life on an inside story.
The idea suddenly occurred to her. Why not make a match of them?
All the people present were on a busy schedule. After another moment of chatting, Su Jinyu stood up and said goodbye.
As he was leaving, Su Qi should go with him too. Seeing this, Lu Zhengyang also found it appropriate to say goodbye.
They didn’t get up immediately because a Junzhu was still here. Certainly they should wait until Susu left first.
Mo Qianxue pulled the hand of Susu, who was still in a daze, and also intended to say goodbye, when Ning Shaoqing smiled and said, “Later, I’ll send you back.”
Of course Ning Shaoqing didn’t want Mo Qianxue to sit in the same carriage with Susu hand in hand.
Nevertheless, he would never tell her the reason, adding, “Junzhu Susu must be tired after you hung around for a day. Don’t bother Junzhu anymore, or Princess Jing won’t forgive you…”
Mo Qianxue was exactly waiting for this excuse, but here, under so many watchful eyes, it’d be better for her to be reserved, so she stayed bashful silent for a while before replying, “That’d be nice. Then, please, master Ning, arranges someone to escort Junzhu Susu back.”
To escort Susu back home, Ning Shaoqing would either pick a few of his own guards or choose one from the three guests. Hopefully, Ning Shaoqing wouldn’t do it rigidly according to rules.
His lips curling up, he smiled like a fox and said spoiling, “Yes, of course.”
As the two ladies were well arranged, the men turned around to go.
“Wait.” Ning Shaoqing stopped Su Qi who was walking behind Su Jinyu, “Lord Jinhan, would you please escort Junzhu Susu back home?”
Among the three men, the eldest lord Su, with a sensitive identity, already married and had just mentioned that he had important things to mind. Lu Zhengyang was a son of a merchant, so his profession and status made him too humble for the task. Only Su Qi was suitable to do it.
Mo Qianxue laughed shrewdly in secrecy. Ning Shaoqing did know her mind.
Su Qi and Susu, how would you guys thank me for such a good opportunity?
Although there weren’t deadly strict rules to forbid contact between men and women, it was indeed improper for unmarried men and women to stay together without a justifiable reason. People would gossip in a disapproving way.
Hearing Ning Shaoqing’s request, Su Qi stilled momentarily and was about to refuse when Su Jinyu nonchalantly looked back and said, “Brother, you send Junzhu Susu back to her mansion, and I’ll go first.”
With these words, Su Qi had no other options.
The refusal at the tip of his tongue turned to a yes, and he said to Junzhu Susu and bowed thirty degrees, a standard posture of a gentleman, “This way, please.”
Seeing everyone leave, Ning Shaoqing and Mo Qianxue brought their eyes onto each other, affection oozing outward. Ning Shaoqing gently hugged Mo Qianxue, his chin softly rubbing against Mo Qianxue’s head.
The warmth around her infinitely magnified Mo Qianxue’s feelings. Her usual toughness already melted out and vanished.
Mo Qianxue reached out to hug back. Once the softest part of her heart was touched, she suddenly felt very exhausted, only wanting to put aside everything and to hug Ning Shaoqing like this. She hoped that time could halt for the moment and that there were only them in the world embracing each other tight and never releasing their hands or going back to the conspiracies.
With no words said, no more movements made, the whole room was filled with love and affection.
The guards at the door, nanny Mo, Chuyi and Shiwu all bowed to look at their own feet.
After a while of silence, Ning Shaoqing released Mo Qianxue and took her hand to go downstairs.
Getting inside the carriage, Mo Qianxue leaned on Ning Shaoqing again, while he brushed her hair with his fingers.
Feeling her exhaustion and attachment towards him, Ning Shaoqing asked softly, “What’s the matter?” The ear-pleasant sound was as soothing as cello. Mo Qianxue couldn’t help speaking her mind, “I’m just too tired! I want to stay in your arms, quietly like this, as if there were only the two of us in this world.”
Mo Qianxue’s light tone sounded somewhat lonely, “To be honest, in this month after I’m here, I’ve been more tired than the last decade. There are rules and plots in every step. I should think again and again before taking any action. This isn’t at all a life I want.
Sometimes, I really wanted to leave this place, this messy bustling capital city, and take you back to the Wang village, to our little house there, where I can smile or cry whenever I want to. And when I’m not happy, I can point at you and scold you like a crazy woman before other villagers or to stay in your arms at any time…”
Mo Qianxue said sadly, and Ning Shaoqing felt very sorry. He wanted to tell her that they could stay together everyday after their wedding in a few months.
However, before he said it, Mo Qianxue covered his lips with her hand.
She stared at him and said lightly, “Moving to the Ning mansion now seems merely to transfer from a small cage to a bigger one… The plots between women in the inner courtyards are sometimes filthier, more disgusting and invisibly ruthless. I fear our love may be grinded out by the cage…”
The Ning family, as a super family, certainly had complicated inter-personal relations in the mansion. His seniors included a grandmother, a father and the favored concubines even if Xie had moved to the domestic temple. There were also loads of others such as his elder and younger sister-in-law, aunts and so on…
Mo Qianxue had spent the last night pitying on herself while complaining the social customs, because there were already people trying to give concubines to Ning Shaoqing. What she didn’t spell out was what should she do if he had concubines in the future? Although she had expressed her attitude in a resolute way, she didn’t want to leave Ning Shaoqing after all.
Ning Shaoqing grabbed her hand and kissed it deep for a long while. After the silence, he said seriously in an irrefutable tone, ordering the driver, “Go out of city.”
Even though the driver didn’t understand why Ning Shaoqing changed his mind after just ordering to send Miss. Mo back to the Founder mansion, he didn’t ask and immediately turned around to drive in the direction of the city gate.
Getting one mile away from the city gate, to everyone’s surprise, Ning Shaoqing suddenly flew out of the carriage, holding Mo Qianxue in his arms, and galloped the best horse that Saber had prepared in advance to dash into the forest.
Gust came in the face…
Mo Qianxue’s worries were also his. When he was a child, he was never allowed to show his emotions, and his only way to vent it out was riding a horse and shouting everything out in a forest.
The wind was blowing in her ears, and Ning Shaoqing’s words were also floating.
“The hardships we’re going through are for a best future for us and our children.
There are many things forced on us in life. You may feel better after the wild galloping and violent wind.
As long as I, Ning Shaoqing, am here for one day, I’ll protect you and love you for one day…
No matter if there will be other women in the mansion, I swear that except Mo Qianxue I won’t sleep with any other women or even get near to them…
Ning Shaoqing only loves Mo Qianxue…”
Mo Qianxue had never expected the gentle Ning Shaoqing could be zealous and crazy like this and couldn’t help responding, “Mo Qianxue also loves Ning Shaoqing only…”
She suddenly felt that all the exhaustion and sufferings were worthwhile.