A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 186

Mo Yan shook her head, and seeing Ning Jin and Zhao Yu gritting their teeth, she quickly changed her words, saying, "Anyway, you will naturally find out in the future."

Upon hearing this, Ning Jin was both amused and annoyed, but there was nothing he could do about it.

"Young Imperial Uncle, come out here for a moment, I have something to tell you." Zhao Yu thought it would be more convenient and safer to have Ning Jin handle that matter.

Ning Jin told Mo Yan to rest well, and then asked a maid to brew some tonic for her to drink before following Zhao Yu out. Once outside the tent, Shang shook his head and said with a smile, "This girl, I can't even remember the last time she laughed like this."

Zhao Yu sighed, "Besides Zhan Zhao, I really can't think of anything that could make her so happy."

Ning Jin was taken aback upon hearing this: "Zhan Zhao?"

“But Zhan Zhao is no longer here. Never mind, let’s not talk about that. What makes her happy is naturally a good thing.” Zhao Yu said to Ning Jin, “Uncle, could you please find the person who found Xiao Qi yesterday? I have something to ask him, and I can also thank him in person.”

"What is it?"

Zhao Yu told him what Mo Yan had just said, and Ning Jin nodded and smiled, "I didn't expect this girl to be so lucky. If she really finds this place, it will save us a lot of trouble. Okay, leave this to me. I can find the person for you before dark."

"There's no need to rush. Just wait a couple more days. Xiao Qi can't get out of bed yet, so we have to wait until she's feeling a bit better."

Thinking of Mo Yan, Ning Jin smiled slightly and said, "Alright. ...You should go and rest too. These days, your face is pale and thin. You don't look like someone who is about to get married."

Zhao Yu smiled faintly, said nothing more, and returned to his tent as instructed.

Watching her enter the tent, Ning Jin stood there silently, seemingly deep in thought. After a long while, he finally murmured, "Zi Chu..."

"Your subordinate is here."

"Did you hear what Xiaoyu'er said just now?"

Which sentence?

“She said, ‘Besides Zhan Zhao, I really can’t think of anything that could make her so happy,’” Ning Jin said slowly.

"Yes, I heard you."

Ning Jin turned to him, his expression thoughtful: "Since Zhan Zhao is dead, then who do you think it could be?"

"...This subordinate is unaware."

Ning Jin sighed and shook his head, saying, "I really don't understand. How come that girl can't see me? Even a barbarian from Liao can outshine me."

Wu Zichu didn't know what to say, so she remained silent and quietly stayed by his side.

After several days of clear skies, a chilling wind swept through the air, biting at one's face. Looking up, dark clouds churned in the sky, signaling an impending snowstorm…

Just as Wu Zichu was about to persuade Ning Jin to return to his tent, he heard cheers coming from afar: "His Highness is back! His Highness is back!..."

"Yelü Hongji is back." Wu Zichu paused for a moment, then said softly.

Volume 3, Chapter 28

The commotion was so loud that Zhao Yu, who had just returned to her tent, naturally heard it. She slowly sat down on the stool, gazed at herself in the mirror for a long time, and then opened the jewelry box next to her, picked out a phoenix-shaped gold hairpin, and instructed the maid, "Do my hair and makeup."

"yes."

"Her hair also needs to be combed again, and her hair should be styled into a cloud-like bun."

"yes."

"Then prepare that plain brocade robe with gold trim, smooth it out, and scent it with lilies."

"yes."

Although they didn't know why Zhao Yu was dressed so elaborately, seeing her solemn expression, the maids dared not utter a single question and hurriedly got to work.

It wasn't for love, it wasn't for affection, it was simply for responsibility, so she should dress herself up even more carefully. Zhao Yu looked at the bronze mirror very carefully; having been ill for so long and exhausted from days of work, she did indeed look too pale and haggard.

"Take out the rouge that His Highness Prince Ning sent this time, take a little, dissolve it in water, and spread it evenly on your face," she instructed.

"yes."

This time, Ning Jin naturally sent the finest rouge and face powder from the palace. After being carefully made up by the maids, Zhao Yu's previous sickly appearance was completely gone, and a faint blush appeared on her face, making her look shy and charming. After changing into a simple brocade robe with gold trim, the sleeves swayed, and a faint fragrance of lilies wafted from her body, making her look completely different from her usual self.

“Princess, since you have your hair styled high, you can’t wear a hat. Why don’t you wrap this around your forehead? It’s both pretty and windproof,” a maid said with a smile, holding a white fox fur headband.

Zhao Yu nodded, instructing a maid to place the hairpin on her forehead. The soft white fox fur gently brushed against her eyebrows, adding to her captivating charm. She spun around a few times, listening to the jingling of the gold hairpin, quite pleased with herself.

"Princess, you are truly like a fairy descended to earth." The maids standing by exclaimed sincerely.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yu gave a bitter smile, thinking to himself, "I've put so much effort into dressing up, but I can't do it for the person I love. How many people know the pain I'm going through?"

The more she thought about it, the more heartbroken she became. She shook her head slightly to stop herself from getting too caught up in it, took her handkerchief, and gracefully walked out of the tent.

A gust of cold wind swept in from outside the tent. She paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and her robes fluttered, making her appear even more slender and charming. Su Zui happened to be returning from walking his horse. He limped and stopped the horse in a secluded corner of the tent. His gaze passed through the cold wind and passersby, settling steadily on her.

He and she were worlds apart, and their relationship would never have a future together.

Zhao Yu seemed to sense something and looked back, only to see half of a horse's body disappearing into the tent, but no one in sight.

Ning Jin came out of the tent and saw Zhao Yu dressed up in her finest attire. He asked in surprise, "Little Yu'er, why aren't you resting properly? What's the matter with you dressed up like this?"

"I heard that His Highness Yelü has returned, and I would like to go and greet him," Zhao Yu said with a slight smile.

Ning Jin was taken aback when he heard this. He then looked her up and down carefully and realized that she had dressed up carefully. He smiled approvingly and said, "Alright, I'll go with you."

He turned to Wu Zichu, but before he could give any instructions, the latter had already gone back into his tent to retrieve a large cloak and draped it over him. The group then headed towards the main tent of the hunting party.

When they arrived at the main tent, it was already in an uproar.