Unfortunately, until the very end, Imperial Guard Nalan still didn't get to personally witness what kind of extraordinary presence this capable person possessed.
However, this great talent was after all an intelligent man. From Liang Jiugong's clearly peculiar attitude at the side and the Emperor's faint displeasure from above, he more or less managed to guess some clues.
Thinking back to that brief encounter earlier in the year, Nalan Rongruo couldn't help but feel somewhat melancholy in his heart.
Such a person, blessed with all the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, yet confined within the deep palace—what a true pity!
Whether it was a pity or not aside, after drifting for several days, the fleet soon arrived in Suzhou. Hearing the familiar soft dialect of Jiangnan along the riverbank, An Ning was unusually spirited for a moment.
Especially upon learning that the fleet would be staying here for several days.
Early the next morning
"You... you are the m-mistress?"
The moment they saw the person coming out from behind the screen, Xiangzhu and the others instinctively dropped their jaws in shock.
Moreover, perhaps because the movements were too dashing and casual, even with such a face, it was hard to detect any femininity. At first glance, one only felt extraordinary handsomeness, exactly like a refined young master in this dusty world.
And this face, this figure and temperament, even the height had inexplicably increased by a notch. If they hadn't been watching the whole time, witnessing it with their own eyes, and knowing there couldn't be anyone else in the room, they might have almost thought...
After a moment, Xiangzhu tentatively spoke, only breathing a huge sigh of relief upon hearing the familiar voice.
Heavens, that was terrifying!
In fact, it wasn't just the palace servants who were frightened. Just ask Liang Jiugong, who had followed his master to visit Master Chen, only to discover a handsome young man upon entering—and in the mistress's inner chamber at that!
Good grief, what kind of shocking stimulation was this!
In short, in almost an instant, Liang Jiugong had even thought about where he would be buried after this morning.
Instinctively wanting to turn and look at his master, but the next second, he saw the young man stride forward, close the folding fan in his hand, and perform a casual bow in the direction of the newcomer, saying:
"Zi'an pays respects to cousin. I didn't know cousin would be coming at this moment, please forgive your younger cousin for failing to welcome you properly!"
Not to mention, the person was handsome and the voice was quite pleasant too!
But why did it sound somewhat familiar!
Liang Jiugong: Wait, cousin??
Running through several suitable-aged imperial clansmen in his mind, Chief Steward Liang was still somewhat confused when he saw the intimidating gaze on his master's face instantly fade away, transforming into twelve parts of annoyance.
Before sitting down, he didn't forget to shoot a fierce glare in the young man's direction:
"What utter nonsense!"
Hearing this tone, Liang Jiugong, sensing something amiss, instinctively looked up and finally got a clear view of this face.
First impression: what a dashing young master! This appearance and temperament were actually far superior to that Imperial Guard Nalan from next door.
Looking more closely at the facial features: Master Chen's younger brother? No... that's not right... it couldn't be...
Considering His Majesty's attitude just now.
"M-Master Chen?" Liang Jiugong cautiously spoke.
"Chief Steward Liang indeed has sharp eyes!"
Sitting down on the other side of the soft couch, An Ning raised her eyebrows and chuckled lightly. As she moved, the folding fan in her hand unfolded, revealing inside a freely brushed landscape painting.
The movement, though still carrying some awkwardness, inexplicably had an indescribable air of elegant grace.
Ah! No wonder this humble servant was blind and didn't recognize you earlier!
My heavens! Instinctively looking up at his master at the head, Liang Jiugong's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
He... suddenly felt that our Emperor sometimes had it quite tough too.
But... at least his life was preserved.
Poor Chief Steward Liang wiped his forehead again.
And upon receiving his master's meaningful glance the next second, he swiftly stood up and exited the room. His movements had never been more agile.
"Speak, what are you planning to do this time?"
Only after everyone had withdrawn did a voice full of authority finally sound in the originally quiet room.
Looking up and examining the person carefully, Kangxi's eyes showed some understanding, but he still asked knowingly, clearly waiting for the other to speak:
An Ning indeed didn't disappoint his expectations, being straightforward to the point:
"Haven't you already guessed? Since I've managed to come out this time, I should at least go out for a stroll, right?"
"Besides, aren't you going boating on the lake tomorrow?"
"Might cousin be able to include your younger cousin here?" After lightly coughing once, An Ning deliberately lowered her voice, speaking in a slightly deeper tone.
Seeing the other remain silent for a long time, An Ning spoke again:
"Rest assured, I specifically checked just now—aside from familiar people, very few can tell. It definitely won't damage your dignity and reputation."
"If nothing else, Chief Steward Liang from earlier is a good example, isn't he?"
Even he needed repeated confirmation, let alone others!
It had to be said, that fellow Sherlock's self-created disguise technique was quite useful. Making slight adjustments around the eyebrows and nose wings, plus changes in temperament and clothing, and the whole person became quite different.
Pausing his gaze on her face for a moment, Kangxi's eyes finally flickered slightly as he took a light sip of tea:
"How come I didn't know you had this skill?"
Regarding this, An Ning was exceptionally frank:
"Your Majesty, you also know that in my family, there's only me and my sister, and we're both women. If we're fortunate enough to leave the palace someday, we still need to think about what to do afterward, right!"
"And with this face of mine, in those kinds of places in the past, if I didn't cover up a little, wouldn't that be asking for trouble?"
The last point was truly not false. Unfortunately, with this original face, no matter how ordinary she tried to dress, as she grew older, it became increasingly impossible to ignore.
In the end, she still fell because of this.
Thinking of this, An Ning felt somewhat melancholy for once. She had been so close, she could have...
Clearly discerning the other's thoughts, the person opposite suddenly deepened his gaze for a moment. After staring at her for a while, he picked up the teacup again and said in a seemingly casual yet serious tone toward the person before him:
"What did you just call me? Cousin?"
"What else?" Meeting the meaningful look from across, An Ning blinked her large eyes, appearing completely innocent:
"After all, aside from my own surname, you can't expect me to take another family name, right?"
When going out, constantly saying "Your Majesty" doesn't seem very appropriate either.
After a moment of silence, An Ning tentatively suggested:
"How about... uncle?"