Chapter 23 Night Talks

  Ning Er listened but remained silent, Lu Qi was surprised and said: "Sister, didn't you hear clearly?"

  Ning Er said in a soft voice: "I heard clearly, actually you were engaged when you were young."

  "What? What did you say, sister?" Lu Qi suddenly sat up with his elbow, asking in surprise.

  Ning'er lay there looking at him, softly saying: "Don't be surprised, your engagement was told to me by your father, he said that when you were two years old, you were engaged to a one-year-old girl who is the daughter of a superior official."

  Lu Qi was surprised and asked: "Is this true? Why didn't Mother tell me about this engagement?"

  Ning'er said in a soft voice, "This matter is somewhat complicated. According to your father, after Shouzhou fell, the imperial court punished the defeated generals. That Zhonglang general was held accountable for the defeat and his family was confiscated by the imperial court. At that time, your father was seriously injured, so the imperial court did not pursue the matter further. Later, due to the chaotic situation, our whole family fled here. Your father later sent someone to Kyoto to investigate, but could not find any information about that Zhonglang general and his family members, nor whether they were dead or alive. Your father has always been resentful about this matter."

  Lu Qi nodded and said, "So you can't find anyone."

  Ning Er said in a soft voice, "Not being able to find someone is one thing, but the reason Madam didn't tell you about this matter is that she doesn't like this marriage arrangement. The reason is that the daughter of the Zhonglang general can't speak, she's a mute girl who can only listen and not talk. Of course, Madam wouldn't want you to marry a mute girl."

  Lu Qi was taken aback and exclaimed: "It's a mute girl."

  Ning'er nodded and said, "It was a mute girl. At the time of the engagement, the daughter was only one year old and didn't know she was mute. Later, when it became known that she couldn't speak, the young man's family proactively requested to cancel the engagement, but your father refused to do so. Now, there is no news from them, and the engagement might as well be considered null and void. You are almost twenty-three years old now, and that girl is twenty-one or two. If she hasn't passed away, she must have been married off by now."

  Lu Qi nodded thoughtfully and Ning Er said in a low voice: "Don't tell the lady about this, okay?"

  Lu Qi smiled and nodded, embracing her as she passed by.

  The two hugged for a while, and Lu Qi asked in a soft voice: "Sister, do you know what that girl's name is?"

  "I don't know, your father just reminisced about the past and didn't mention what the Zhonglang general's name was. Are you asking to acknowledge this relationship?" Ning'er said softly.

  Lu Qi fell silent for a moment, then said in a gentle voice: "My father was a man of his word and integrity. This matter had been weighing on his mind before he passed away, so it's an unfulfilled wish. As his son, I have the responsibility to fulfill his wish. In the future, when I have time, I will go to Kyoto to search for her. If I can find her and she is not yet married, I will consider accepting this marriage arrangement."

  "How can you just accept it?" Ning Er asked again, this concerned her future happiness.

  Lu Qi and Sheng said: "Family harmony is everything, I won't accept a unreasonable woman into our family. If that girl has a kind heart and is generous, I won't reject her just because she's mute."

  "How will you explain it to the mistress?" Ning'er asked anxiously again, her current low status making her most afraid of offending the various masters.

  "Sister, don't worry, if I find out, I'll just say it was an old friend of Father's from the army who told me." Lu Qi said softly, and Ning'er let out a gentle "en" and felt reassured.

  As they chatted, neither of them felt sleepy. Shi Tou leaned against Ning Er, looking at the faintly lit window and suddenly laughed: "Sister, I knew from the start that we wouldn't be a match made in heaven. You go and check her out for me, what kind of girl is this Yan Er Miss?"

  Ning Er smiled and scolded: "What? Has your mind been occupied by romantic thoughts?"

  Lu Qi smiled and said: "What's there to worry about? No matter how beautiful she is, she won't surpass sister."

  Ning Er smiled and scolded: "Your mouth is really sweet and touching people's hearts."

  "Eldest sister, I'm speaking from the bottom of my heart. Among all the women I've seen, eldest sister is the most beautiful."

  Women love to hear people say they are beautiful, and Ning Er was naturally delighted. She said softly: "Xiao Qi, I think my looks are not much different from Miss Yan's, but Miss Yan's temperament is elegant and noble, which is something I can't match."

  Lu Qi smiled and said, "I heard Dong Qing say that Miss Yan likes literary men of elegance. Most girls who admire this type of man are often self-indulgent and don't know the difference between reality and beautiful dreams. After getting married, they will all sigh about their fate being shallow and not finding a truly elegant and refined husband."

  Ning Er smiled and said: "Your words sound a bit sour."

  Lu Qi's face was slightly hot, and he argued: "What I said is the truth. Those so-called literati and elegant scholars, how many of them do not miss the green sleeves? Many famous poems in history were born from brothels and spread widely. It is rare for someone to become famous by writing poetry at home."

  Ning'er smiled and scolded: "If the ancients had listened to your words, they would have died of anger. Are you also thinking of lingering in the brothel and writing some famous poems?"

  Lu Qi smiled and said: "I'm a martial artist, but I don't have that kind of talent, I won't go to the brothel."

  Ning'er suddenly stretched out her jade hand to cover his mouth and said softly, "Xiao Qi, it's very normal for men to go to the brothel. In the future, even if you don't want to go, you'll have friends inviting you to go. Sister doesn't want to hear you say unrealistic empty words."

  Lu Qiyan was taken aback and smiled awkwardly, in fact he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't go to the brothel.

  Ning'er withdrew her jade hand and said softly, "Xiao Qi, sister has no right to lecture you, but can only remind you of one thing: when going to the brothel for fun, be careful not to contract a disease, try to find high-end courtesans. Secondly, don't get emotional, the brothel is a place where money is spent, it's okay to go occasionally, but if you become infatuated with a certain courtesan, even with millions of silver coins in hand, they will still be spent in vain, and when there is no more silver left, the emotions will also fade away. The brothel is a place where transactions are made, basically it's about recognizing money not people."

  Ning Er's gentle words made Lu Qi feel guilty, and he hastily nodded: "Sister, I will remember your words."

  Ning Er smiled comfortingly and said softly, "Actually, the women in the brothel are all quite pitiful. Since ancient times, there have been many stories of talented and romantic women in the brothels being passed down. From now on, you shouldn't look down on them."

  Lu Qi was stunned, feeling that Ning Er's words and actions were somewhat abnormal. Normally, a virtuous woman would dislike her husband going to brothels and despise him for it, but Ning Er not only didn't advise him against it, but also sympathized with him.

  His misunderstanding was to ignore Ning'er's current identity. Ning'er's concubine status is not much stronger than that of a courtesan, and she also knows that it is useless to strongly advise Lu Qi to stop going to the brothel after this incident. It would be better to guide him gently, because Ning'er does not want Lu Qi to deceive her in the future. Once deceived, he will open his mouth, and by using understanding methods, encourage Lu Qi to trust her for a long time, so that whenever Lu Qi has anything unpleasant or pleasant, he will come to her to confide.

  Looking at Lu Qi's puzzled eyes, Ning Er smiled and said: "Little Seven, guess how old Miss Yan is?"

  Lu Qiyan was taken aback and thought for a moment before responding in a soft voice: "Twenty."

  Ning Er was taken aback and smiled softly: "So you knew."

  Lu Qi shook his head and said, "I don't know. Your tone of questioning, combined with Miss Yan's fastidiousness as a literary woman, suggests that she is definitely older, but not too old. Saying twenty years old was just a rough guess."

  Ning'er nodded and said in a soft voice, "It's rare for a maiden from a boudoir to remain unmarried at the age of twenty. The elderly members of the Zhou family are all anxious, but this Miss Yan is born with a proud nature, and many proposals from wealthy families have been rejected. Moreover, Wangjiangbao is located in a rural area, and it's hard to find a young man with both talent and good looks, even in Shizhen County. The marriage prospects for this Miss Yan are indeed difficult."

  Lu Qi smiled and said: "The Zhou family is indeed very fond of this Miss Yan Er."

  Ning'er smiled and said: "You're right, Miss Yan is the darling of Old Lady Zhou's heart. With her backing, no one dares to force Miss Yan into marriage."

  Lu Qi smiled and said: "A young lady as delicate as this, I'm really not worthy of her. Let's just forget about her."

  Ning'er smiled softly and said: "Don't mention her anymore, let's talk about you. Tell sister who Aya is?"

  Lu Qiyan was taken aback and then intentionally feigned surprise, saying: "Aya? I don't know this person."

  Ning Er said with a pout, "You say you don't recognize me, but last time when you were drunk and asleep, why did you call out the name 'A Ya'? You called out for A Ya, I couldn't save you, your voice was extremely mournful."

  Lu Qi sat up, pretending to be lost in thought. The name Aya was a secret he kept deep within himself. When he was eight years old, he had fallen off his horse and seemingly died once. After waking up, he became someone named Li Zhuo, but this Li Zhuo did not erase his original self; instead, he brought him many life principles and inexplicable, vague memories that were difficult to recall.

  As he grew older, everything about Li Zhuo faded away in Lu Qi's life, and it can be said that everything about Li Zhuo was assimilated into Lu Qi's growth and environment. He is now Lu Qi, and everything about Li Zhuo seems like a strange dream, sometimes even a nightmare. This secret he dare not tell anyone, for if he did, others would think him possessed by an evil spirit, and that would bring big trouble upon himself.