Chapter 66 This is what I should do

The cook in Jiuling Hall was painstakingly selected and sent by Manager Liu, preparing dishes from Yangcheng and the capital.

"Does it suit your taste?" asked Miss Jun.

Ning Yunzhao tasted a dish and nodded with a smile.

"My uncle's household also has cooks from Yangcheng," he said. "My uncle has traveled many places and has been away from his hometown for a long time; he still can't change his taste for food, but my sisters and brothers are more accustomed to the tastes of the capital."

"After all, Lord Ning grew up at home, so his tastes won't change," Miss Jun said with a laugh.

Fang Jinxiu, sitting on the other side, picked up her bowl and looked at the two of them.

Really...

Not to mention your previous relationship, but even now, how can you still have the peace of mind to discuss the tastes of food?

Can't you talk about something serious?

"By this time, my family should also be having a meal," Ning Yunzhao said, looking at Miss Jun with a smile. "But I haven't had the chance to take care of it today."

Fang Jinxiu straightened up.

No one knows better about the marriage agreement than the people of the Ning and Fang families.

The Fang Family was troubled by this marriage arrangement, and the Ning Family was also enraged by it. There were several disputes, which almost led to loss of life, and the annulment of the marriage arrangement meant they could be considered dead to each other.

Now, with Ning Yunzhao suddenly declaring in public that there was a marriage arrangement and that Miss Jun was his fiancée, the Ning Family must be more shocked than they were.

The Ning Family must be in complete disarray.

They definitely couldn't care about eating.

Thinking of that scene, Fang Jinxiu couldn't help feeling a bit of schadenfreude.

The Ning Family also had such a day.

She reached out with her chopsticks, took a big mouthful of food, and ate heartily.

Miss Jun, however, put down her chopsticks and looked at Ning Yunzhao.

"How is it such a coincidence?" she thought for a moment and asked.

Ning Yunzhao looked at her and smiled.

She didn't question why he did it, knowing that he didn't act on irresistible impulse or take the opportunity to extort her.

He had expressed his feelings to her, and he had accepted her rejection.

In her eyes, he was an upright gentleman.

If he did this, there must be a necessity for it, and it was surely well-intentioned.

"Yesterday, after the imperial examination concluded, it was already late, so I didn't go back. I stayed at my uncle's government office, considering the imperial examination essays," he said.

Miss Jun laughed.

"So Noble Son Ning also plays the role of Xie An," she joked.

"Not at all," Ning Yunzhao said with a smile. "It was because I was too excited. I didn't dare, and didn't want to face everyone, so I just hid to calm myself down, to avoid losing composure in front of others, and to appear as if this top scholar took things lightly and calmly."

Miss Jun laughed out loud.

Fang Jinxiu also smiled but immediately frowned again.

Again straying from the point, who cares about your feelings after you became the top scholar, can you get to the important matter at hand?

"Afterward, when the sky was almost bright, I rested at my uncle's government office," Ning Yunzhao continued. "When I woke up, it was already afternoon, and coming out, I witnessed the commotion in front of the Northern Administrative Court."

He stroked the chopsticks in his hand.

"At that time, Thousand-Man Commander Lu was about to declare his feelings in public."

When he said the words "declare his feelings," he glanced at Miss Jun, who smiled in return.

"Earlier, during the Ministry of Rites' examination and the closed-book imperial examination, I was focused and unaware of the happenings outside," Ning Yunzhao said.

What if he had known earlier? Would he have come out to say there was an existing marriage agreement? Fang Jinxiu chewed on her chopsticks thoughtfully.

Miss Jun nodded.

"It's all happened so recently," she said.

"Someone like Thousand-Man Commander Lu naturally doesn't care about anything," Ning Yunzhao continued.

Doesn't care about anything; in other words, he's shameless, right?

Fang Jinxiu couldn't help but laugh and then quickly composed herself.

"Because the Duke of Chengguo's heir was already accountable for his crimes and did something so ridiculous, the emperor was determined to have them publicly punished," Ning Yunzhao went on, looking at Miss Jun.

The Duke of Chengguo's heir was already awaiting punishment, which means the emperor wouldn't show favoritism towards him. For the emperor, it was rather an opportunity to suppress and teach him a lesson.

Miss Jun remained silent.

"Actually, he's someone who doesn't care about anything either." She said with a smile.

Zhu Zan, of course, knew the emperor's thoughts, but once he agreed to proceed, he didn't care about anything else.

"They all don't care about anything, but Miss Jun, you can't be like this," Ning Yunzhao said. "Or to put it another way, you can't be treated like this. It's a fortunate coincidence that we have a history, and this history just happened to be turned into a farce in the Fang Family's story recently."

The Ning Family and Miss Jun's engagement were clear to both families, but when Fang Chengyu promoted Miss Jun, he changed the story of the past. He didn't say that the Ning Family broke the engagement; instead, he told it as if Miss Jun, in order to help the Fang Family seek vengeance, voluntarily disgraced herself by calling off the engagement.

"You were willing to forsake an engagement for your maternal family, and we naturally could do the same for loyalty and righteousness," Ning Yunzhao said. "Such a matter is reasonable and highly honorable. At that time, I could only think of this much and went to do it. If it was inappropriate, please forgive me, Miss Jun."

Miss Jun hurriedly smiled and shook her head at him, and then nodded and gave a bow.

"That was all fake, right?" Fang Jinxiu blurted out.

"Of course, it's fake," Ning Yunzhao said with a laugh.

"Just fake for you and us to know?" Fang Jinxiu asked, looking at him.

"Of course, until there is no need to pretend anymore," Ning Yunzhao said, then looked at Miss Jun, "If it's inconvenient for you, you can stop pretending at any time."

Until there's no need to pretend, everything will depend on Miss Jun's wishes, everything will comply with whether it's convenient for Miss Jun or not.

Fang Jinxiu bit her lower lip as she looked at him.

"Then, Noble Son Ning, do you have any inconveniences?" she asked.

Ning Yunzhao laughed.

"What inconveniences could I have?" he said with a laugh.

He was the newly announced top scorer; the gold-plated list had just been posted, and the people were eagerly waiting to admire him.

He was the most outstanding descendant of the Ning Family of Beiliu; his parents and family were proud.

He studied diligently, seeking the way of the scholar, with no concern for other affairs. Now, at last, his wish had been fulfilled and he had stepped onto his official career path.

The people were waiting to witness the elegance of the top scholar, his parents and family were waiting to arrange his marriage. A standing was established, a household could be formed, the glory of the Ning Family of Beiliu, and the limitless future of the new top scholar. How many daughters of various families to choose from, how many powerful and influential families to form alliances with through marriage.

But now, just because of that coincidental stance taken at the Northern Administrative Court, everything changed.

What the people were waiting to see was no longer the scholarly grace of the top scholar but a top scholar who had his fiancée snatched away by Thousand-Man Commander Lu.

The Ning Family was also about to be thrown into chaos; those arrangements that had already been made, the concern of friends and relatives, all were disrupted without warning.

Moreover, the engagement that caused all this chaos was also fake, and when it was announced in the future, it would inevitably lead to another round of chaos.

Not inconvenient, is this what you call having no inconveniences?

Fang Jinxiu looked at the young man in front of her, smiling serenely, and felt an indescribable sentiment.

"Noble Son Ning, why did you do this?" she asked.

Ning Yunzhao looked at her.

"Because," he said with a smile, "I know Miss Jun."

As expected.

Fang Jinxiu tugged at the corner of her mouth and looked at Ning Yunzhao without saying anything.

There are many people in the capital who knew Miss Jun.

"Miss Jun should not be treated like this," Ning Yunzhao said again, his expression serious.

There are many things in the world that shouldn't happen, many injustices, so what's one more?

Fang Jinxiu still did not speak, looking at him.

Ning Yunzhao put down his chopsticks and looked at Miss Jun.

"This is what I should do," he said. "This is what I owed initially, and what should be paid back."

Fang Jinxiu clenched her fists on the table, then released them, her expression slightly wistful.

Miss Jun let out a gentle sigh, feeling as though something knotted in her heart had dispersed.

That knot was not hers but likely Zhenzhen's.

After all, it was a matter of a human life.

Waiting for this acknowledgment of what should be done, what should be repaid.

"Noble Son Ning," she looked at Ning Yunzhao, equally serious, nodding solemnly, "now, you owe nothing."

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One update for today.