Gu Ningning hadn’t paid much attention to the incident with Huai’an Wang.
No matter how impressive Huai’an Wang was, he was still just a villain.
To her, the only difference between a villain and a piece of cannon fodder like herself was that the villain had to go through more plot, think harder, and experience more twists before meeting their end.
Either way, they would die badly. Better to die sooner than later—it saved a lot of hassle.
She had spent the entire day wandering around outside, spending over a thousand taels of silver of Shen Que’s, feeling a little embarrassed.
Eventually, she ended up at a jade shop. In ten minutes, spending a hundred taels, she bought a jade pendant as a gift for Shen Que.
Before leaving, an elder at the shop flattered her, “Madam, you truly have excellent taste. This jade pendant, given to your husband, will surely become his favorite.”
She responded casually, but didn’t take it seriously in her mind.
Shen Que was who? Even an ordinary jade pendant of his cost thousands, maybe tens of thousands of taels. Could he really appreciate her crude little trinket?
Anyway, it was his money. If she didn’t buy it, it would have gone to waste.
When she saw Shen Que again, it was already dusk. He had just finished speaking with the Minister of Personnel and made no effort to hide his affection. Directly wrapping an arm around her waist, he asked, “What do you want to eat tonight?”
The Minister of Personnel took the hint and respectfully excused himself. Gu Ningning unhesitatingly named the most expensive restaurant in Jingcheng.
Shen Que, usually so serious, showed a rare hint of a smile and brushed her nose with his, “You really know how to enjoy yourself.”
Bright Moon Tower had a private room reserved for Shen Que. The room was enormous, with artificial mountains and flowing water. The walls were covered in murals painted with gold powder and pigments—an artist’s masterpiece. At a glance, Gu Ningning could feel the overwhelming aura of wealth.
Sigh… with so many rich people in the world, why couldn’t there be one more for her?
They ordered their dishes. Shen Que pulled her onto his lap and asked, “What did you buy today?”
Gu Ningning panicked internally, about to hide it, but Shen Que didn’t press.
Instead, he looked at Xiao Linzi, who immediately spoke up,
“Madam bought peach blossom cakes, osmanthus cakes, plum blossom cakes, roasted pig’s trotters, braised pig’s trotters, braised chicken feet… a butterfly hairpin, a jade bracelet…”
Xiao Linzi’s memory was impeccable. Like reading a menu, she listed everything Gu Ningning had bought, finishing with,
“Oh, Madam also went to the bookstore and bought a few books.”
Shen Que’s expression remained calm. Finally, he looked at Gu Ningning. “Which books? Let me see.”
Gu Ningning, leaning against his waist, buried her face in his chest and whimpered, coquettishly, “Your Highness~ this concubine just found life boring, so I thought I’d buy some books to read.”
Gu Ningning was never one to make casual appearances. Usually, she didn’t even bother giving him a smile; only when she felt guilty or had a request would she reluctantly offer some charm.
Her current demeanor proved she had indeed bought all sorts of random things.
Shen Que deliberately put on a stern face. “Reading is fine, but show them to me first.”
Gu Ningning dawdled, unwilling to hand them over, but Xiao Linzi had no mercy and presented the books directly to Shen Que.
She cursed silently, but Shen Que had already started flipping through them.
Sure enough, the first story in the novels was about a courtesan’s exploits, full of chaos and intrigue. Flipping further, there were scumbags and wealthy patrons.
Shen Que frowned and said coldly, “Nonsense!”
Gu Ningning didn’t reply but knew her novels were about to be confiscated again, letting out a soft hum.
“You seem interested in military strategy. I specially found a military book for you.”
The book’s pages were yellowed, giving it an antique appearance, clearly very valuable.
Shen Que treated her generously. According to Chang Yue, even a casually collected antique in Shen Que’s possession was more valuable than all the gifts given to Jieyu Zhou combined.
It seemed Shen Que intended to cram all his ancient texts into her mind…
Unfortunately, she wasn’t from the past. Learning all this ancient knowledge was mostly useless. Those antiques couldn’t be brought back to the modern era; even if they could, she’d likely have to donate them.
Selling antiques? That would probably land her in prison…
Gu Ningning considered it all far too inefficient. She shivered slightly and wrapped her arms around Shen Que’s neck.
“No, this concubine doesn’t want to fight. I have no interest in military strategy at all!”
Knowing you can’t catch a wolf without willingness, she cleared her throat and, forcing a soft, charming tone, whispered flirtatiously,
“This concubine is only interested in Your Highness… Please don’t make me read these books, okay?”
As soon as she finished, she saw a flicker of amusement in Shen Que’s eyes, though he still maintained a stern face.
“No.”
After a long pause, he reluctantly said, “Learn as much as you can. I will check in seven days.”
Gu Ningning pouted, muttering in her mind that he was a scoundrel in fine clothes.
He pretended to be serious, but if she weren’t sitting on his lap, feeling the undeniable hardness beneath her… she might have actually been fooled.
She persisted, twisting slightly in his arms, and could feel him restraining his voice more. “Don’t move.”
“Oh.”
Gu Ningning then took out the jade pendant she had picked and handed it to him.
“This concubine bought this jade pendant for Your Highness today. Try it?”
Shen Que nodded, granting permission. She quickly removed the pendant he had been wearing and replaced it with the new one.
The jade pendant was made of Hetian jade, carved with two fish. Gu Ningning couldn’t identify its significance—she just thought it looked pleasing.
At the time of choosing, she hadn’t realized it, but now placing the pendant next to Shen Que, she realized it probably wasn’t even as valuable as the corner of his garment…
Not to mention his noble and commanding face, which made her rough little pendant look even more inadequate.
Fortunately, her years of work had thickened her skin. She feigned surprise, exclaiming,
“Your Highness looks so handsome wearing this jade pendant!”
Xiao Linzi almost laughed out loud. Only now did he understand why Your Highness cared so much for Madam Gu. She was truly extraordinary.
Shen Que lowered his gaze, frowning slightly, but still complimented her, “It looks good. Ningning, you have good taste.”
Gu Ningning couldn’t discern if it was praise or criticism, but since he said it, she chose to take it as praise.
As the dishes were brought to the table, Gu Ningning quickly forgot her gloom over the books.
Bright Moon Tower lived up to its reputation as Jingcheng’s top restaurant. The quail soup was fragrant and tender, the crab dish rich and flavorful, the winter lettuce crisp, even the pan-fried meat was exceptionally delicious. Two bites of lotus seed cake completed a truly heavenly meal.
Suddenly, she thought of her parents. She was born into an ordinary family, yet her parents had been very loving, often making her delicious food.
Perhaps because of this, she had been homesick from a young age, liking to slack off with no real ambition.
She realized she hadn’t seen her parents for over a month, with another five months to go…
As she ate, her gaze suddenly lowered. Shen Que, thinking she was sulking, pursed his lips.
He alternated between thinking women shouldn’t be spoiled—they’d only get worse—and that Gu Ningning, being obedient, could be coaxed a little without harm.
Even the usually calculating Crown Prince found himself unusually conflicted over such small matters.
After a while, he picked Gu Ningning up, letting her sit in his lap.
Her stomach was full and round, and she let out a satisfied burp.
Shen Que: …