Li Nuo finished his meal and was preparing to return to the Ministry of Justice when he passed by Ning’er at the Song Residence.
She carried a sword in her hand and looked very weary, her hair drenched in sweat, sticking tightly to her cheeks.
Li Nuo had truly underestimated her before.
He had thought her martial arts practice was just a passing whim, but now it seemed she was even more diligent than Mumu.
Li Nuo hadn’t planned to go to the Ministry of Justice that afternoon.
But in the morning, he had spoken of "asking not for frequent meetings but for unison of heart," and "when the beloved leaves, even Chang’an feels empty," yet in the afternoon he left an old friend who he hadn’t seen for ages alone at the Ministry of Justice—half of the emotional weight of that poem was lost.
But there was nothing pressing at the Ministry of Justice, and Li Nuo sat across from Li Anning, bored, practicing his writing.
Li Anning watched him for a while, then stood up and said, "If you really have nothing to do, why don’t you come out with me for a walk? We can see how the Anti-theft Bureau is doing..."
A short while later, Li Nuo and Li Anning were walking shoulder to shoulder on the streets of Chang’an.
Time can dilute everything.
After a month of not seeing each other, she no longer engaged in unconscious acts of intimacy while walking on the streets of Chang’an.
But Li Nuo was somewhat unaccustomed to this, as he had been taking walks hand in hand with his wife during this past month.
Before Li Anning left Chang’an, the Anti-theft Bureau had already been on the right track.
A month had passed, and there hadn’t been much change in the bureau.
Other places, however, had seen considerable change.
There were noticeably more young men dressed as scholars on the streets of Chang’an.
The Imperial Examination, which took place every four years, was fast approaching. Over the next few months, young talents from all over Daxia would gather in Chang’an.
Some scholars from other places would come a few months early to acclimate to the environment of Chang’an.
It was also the busiest time in Chang’an.
Li Nuo walked slowly on the street and said, "I need to start preparing for the Imperial Examination, so I probably won’t be going to the Ministry of Justice much..."
Mid-sentence, he realized that Li Anning hadn’t followed him.
Li Nuo turned his head and saw that she had stopped next to a tea stall.
Li Anning stood beside the tea stall while a few customers sipped their tea and chatted.
"Do you think the Phoenix lady or Miss Song is the number one beauty in Chang’an?"
"Come on, it has to be Phoenix, right? I’ve seen both ladies, and although Miss Song is indeed beautiful, she doesn’t come close to Phoenix in figure—those curves, tsk tsk..."
"I disagree with you. Although the Phoenix lady is beautiful, being from a place of ill-repute, she lacks the demeanor when compared to Miss Song, who truly deserves the title of unparalleled beauty."
"I still choose the Phoenix lady."
"I choose Miss Song."
...
Hearing their discussion, Li Anning sighed silently in her heart.
She had only been away from Chang’an for a month, and Song Jiaren and Phoenix were already competing for the title of Chang’an’s number one beauty.
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She was no less worthy than they were, but she didn’t even have the chance to be mentioned.
Song Jiaren was one thing.
Despite how well she treated him, she still couldn’t compare to Phoenix in his heart.
Li Anning admitted that from a man’s perspective, Phoenix indeed had a lot of charm.
But she still felt a sense of loss inside.
Ahead was the Jade Sound Pavilion. From a distance, Li Anning could see a figure standing at the door, wearing a veil.
She had heard that the current Phoenix was not the same Phoenix from a month ago.
Now, just to see her once would cost fifty taels of silver.
Probably, only that person could casually see the beauty beneath her veil.
Phoenix stood at the entrance of the Jade Sound Pavilion, where she had been waiting for a while.
When Li Nuo passed by the Jade Sound Pavilion earlier, she had received the news.
He hadn’t been to the Jade Sound Pavilion for a month; at first, she thought he was concerned about outside rumors and worried that his wife would be angry.
But for an entire month, he hadn’t even lingered outside the pavilion.
Gradually, she realized that things might be more serious than she had thought.
In her eyes, his temperament was extremely good.
It didn’t fit the image of a noble’s son, much less that of a traitor’s.
When she secretly spread rumors about the two of them last time, he hadn’t gotten angry.
But this time... it seemed different.
She wondered if he was keeping his distance out of discretion, or...
As she saw Li Nuo coming, she quickly stepped forward to greet him.
But Li Nuo merely glanced at her indifferently and continued walking straight ahead without pausing.
That indifferent look made Phoenix stop in her tracks, her heart sinking.
This was bad.
She feared that this time she might have really messed up.
Watching his figure grow distant, a flicker of regret surfaced in her heart...
...
Li Nuo walked on the street as Li Anning hurried to catch up and said, "Didn’t you see? Phoenix just greeted you..."
Li Nuo said, "I saw."
Li Anning, surprised, said, "You saw and still ignored her?"
Li Nuo indifferently replied, "Do I have to acknowledge her just because I saw her?"
Li Anning paused, then exclaimed with delight, "Did you two have a fight?"
Li Nuo offered no answer.
Arguing hardly counted.
He simply preferred the company of friends like Li Anning, those with simpler thoughts.
Wife, Mumu, Princess, they were all straightforward-minded, and after spending time with them, he couldn’t be bothered to interact with those more scheming.
Of course, even though she had used him, he wouldn’t seek revenge.
After all, his success in the Shooting provided significant help from the nightingale.
Li Anning’s mood suddenly improved a great deal.
On the way back to the Ministry of Justice, she hummed a song the entire journey.
As soon as she walked into the government office, she couldn’t wait to ask, "When did you two have an argument?"
Li Nuo glanced at her, "Why do you ask?"
Li Anning replied, "Just curious, wasn’t everything fine last time..."
Li Nuo continued his calligraphy practice and said indifferently, "It was only a few days after you left."
A look of surprise appeared on Li Anning’s pretty face; if it had been only a few days since she left, didn’t that mean he had been ignoring Phoenix for nearly a month?
Based on her understanding of Li Nuo, he rarely took things seriously.
To give someone the cold shoulder for a month.
This definitely wasn’t just an ordinary quarrel.
Looking at Li Nuo, she tentatively asked, "Are you planning to ignore her forever? Arguments among friends are normal; it shouldn’t have escalated to this extent..."
Li Nuo said indifferently, "She’s not a friend."
Hearing this, Li Anning didn’t feel the joy she had expected, instead feeling a little uneasy inside.
She had no idea what Phoenix could have done to provoke such a statement from him.
He, who was usually so good-tempered, also had such a cold side; if she made a mistake in the future, would he also treat her this way?
She looked at Li Nuo and tried again, "We’re friends, right?"
Li Nuo looked at her speechlessly.
How could she ask such a thing?
Their relationship was more than just simple friendship; she was not only a friend but also a comrade, a military advisor, a temporary superior, in some sense a former wife, not exactly a sweetheart, but certainly a dear one.
Li Nuo looked at her and said, "Yes, definitely..."
Li Anning held out her pinky and said, "Then let’s make a promise, friends can argue, but no ending friendships!"
With gestures as childlike as Mumu’s, Li Nuo believed they would never part ways.
He hooked her pinky with his own and then said, "After we finish work today, let’s go to the Song Residence for dinner, to celebrate your return."
Li Anning smiled and asked, "I’m fine with it, but will your wife not get angry?"
Li Nuo replied, "As long as you don’t feed me in front of her again..."
Li Anning’s face turned red, and she lightly smacked him, retorting with embarrassment, "Don’t bring that up again!"
Inviting Li Anning to dinner as friends, naturally, his wife wouldn’t be upset.
This past month wasn’t for nothing.
At noon, Li Nuo had already mentioned this to his wife.
In fact, Li Anning and his wife had some similarities.
Both were powerful.
Both lacked culture.
In this regard, Li Anning was a bit better, at least knowing more characters, but like his wife, she knew nothing about Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting.
They found common ground in their lack of artistic talents.
After work at the Ministry of Justice, Li Nuo and Li Anning went together to the Song Residence.
This second dinner at the Song family felt much more harmonious than the first.
There were no misunderstandings, no awkwardness.
It all felt natural, as if she were part of the family.
During dinner, she noticed that Mumu’s voice sounded off, and upon inquiry, found out she had caught a chill; after the meal, she made a special trip back to the Princess Mansion and brought the mansion’s female doctor.
The Princess Mansion’s female doctor had previously treated the concubines in the palace.
She used the Medical Family True Qi to circle through Mumu and Ning’er’s bodies, and they quickly became lively again.
This act greatly bridged the distance between her and the two sisters, leading them to drag her into playing house.
Li Anning truly lived up to her name, being able to get along so well with two six-year-old children.
As curfew time approached, Li Nuo approached the table and said, "It’s getting late, Anning, it’s time for you to go, and you two should head to bed as well."
Having just met a great sister who would play with her, Song Ning’er said, "Why not let Anning sleep over at our house tonight..."
That certainly used to be possible.
But the Song Residence had a shortage of blankets these past two days.
He and his wife could only share one blanket.
Li Nuo looked towards the bed, slightly startled.
Why were there two blankets?
He looked at his wife and asked, "This extra blanket... did Housekeeper Wu bring it?"
Li Nuo mused internally.
Hadn’t Housekeeper Wu been reminded just this morning?
When needed, he really wasn’t reliable!
Song Jiaren shook her head.
She didn’t know who had brought the blanket; she had stepped out for a while, and upon her return, there was an extra blanket on the bed, perhaps brought by a maid from the house.
Li Nuo thought for a moment, went to the bed, picked up the extra blanket and said to Li Anning, "It will be curfew soon, you probably can’t make it back in time, why not sleep here tonight? I’ll help make the bed for you..."
Li Anning looked at the blanket in Li Nuo’s hands, then at the only remaining blanket on the bed.
She immediately shook her head and commented, "No need, I’m fussy about my sleeping place, I’d better go back to the Princess Mansion. Even if it’s curfew, there won’t be a problem, you forgot who I am, they wouldn’t dare stop me..."