Chapter 359 – Drinking Vinegar (2)

Therefore, she did not reject it and happily accepted the old Emperor’s imperial edict.

…………………..

When the sun had set in the west, Ning Xuemo dressed herself beautifully and left on the grand palanquin that was prepared for special guests.

Just before leaving, she turned around to look at the manor again. Even now, Xijue, who was always by her side still had not appeared. It could not be that she had angered him to the point that he fled, right?

Because she had not seen him for a day, she went to ask Old Zhong. Old Zhong told her that Xijue had left the manor last night and had not returned since.

Xijue’s whereabouts were always a bit of a mystery. Even if he was in the manor, he was still never seen. However, when Ning Xuemo ever left the manor or met with something dangerous, he was always there, like some teleportation god.

Today was the first time this has happened.

‘Could it be that he really left?’

Ning Xuemo shook her head and got on the palanquin.

Indeed, she had originally told Xijue before that he would be free to go whenever and she would not restrict him. But not even saying a farewell before leaving, is that not a little too disloyal?

He really still is a young child.

The little qilin, on the other hand, is always there, sprawled right beside her. It had long been enchanted by the thoughts of delicious food at the banquet. Currently, it was blabbering on to Ning Xuemo about the food it wanted to eat…

The palanquin quickly reached Fragrant Pavilion, which was the location that the Emperor was hosting the banquet at.

Fragrant Pavilion was also the Imperial family’s gardens and the style of it was very similar to the Qing dynasty’s Summer Palace. Aside from the Imperial Palace, it was the Imperial family’s place to host elegant literary parties and the like.

When Ning Xuemo arrived, all sorts of horse carriages and palanquins were already there.

Ning Xuemo got off the palanquin and let the court eunuchs that were by the door welcome her in.

It was worthy of being called the Imperial family’s gardens. Inside, everything was perfectly decorated and trimmed. The style was grand and showed creativity.

Ning Xuemo’s arrival was rather late. Along the way, she bumped into many distant princes, official’s daughters, and other members of nobility. Some she recognized and some she did not.

Thankfully, she did not waste her time going to those parties this past month. At least she recognized some faces. When she met someone she recognized, she would smile and nod her head a little with perfect etiquette. However, when the other side saw her, they would be very cautious and stand far away from her. After nervously smiling at her, they looked as if they would run away at any moment. Ning Xuemo was already used to their attitude towards her and did not care. She leisurely strolled in.

Since she had already been conferred a title, the Emperor naturally bestowed eight palace maids to serve as her maids. This time, she brought along two to help boost her reputation.

However, having them follow behind her was rather annoying, so she decided to let them go off on their own to have fun. Being by herself would allow her more freedom.

Since it was a garden, then it would naturally have plenty of flowers and plants. All sorts of flowers and plants would freely grow, tilting towards the path, or swaying in neat flowerbeds. Ning Xuemo walked while admiring the scenery around her, immersing herself in the garden’s atmosphere.

However, the little Qilin was not as pleased. It’s ears were very sharp, and wherever Ning Xuemo passed, a tirade of gossip would follow behind.

“She’s the new Jingyuan Marquis? She is rather pretty.”

“Who cares that she’s pretty? She’s the Lone Calamitous Star. Whoever marries her will die an early death!”

“Recently, His Majesty the Emperor seems to want to find a husband for her. Apparently, as long as she likes someone, then His Majesty will grant marriage…”

“Exactly. That’s why my father quickly arranged a marriage for me.”

The little qilin had heard of these types of conversations so many times. Crouched on Ning Xuemo’s shoulders, it was infuriated and wanted to give those gossipers a good beating!

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