114 Oblivious (1/2)

Zhou Sheng didn't know what had transpired that night between Ning Fu and Princess but he could feel the strained atmosphere whenever the three of them were together in the following days.

He also noticed the furtive glances his brother would throw at Princess and how his face would considerably pale every time the monarch would ignore his presence.

Even when they discussed what was happening in the shadows of the brightly lit Imperial Capital, Princess wouldn't deign to give more than a one-word response to any of the questions or suggestions posed by Ning Fu.

Though Zhou Sheng was curious to know about what had happened, he didn't try to pry any information from either of them because he knew it would be a fruitless endeavour on his part.

Princess was never one for an idle talk about things that she didn't take the initiative to discuss and he had noticed the rage that would take over Ning Fu's name whenever she asked him to stay behind while metaphorically kicking out the other person.

Meanwhile, Su Li wasn't as oblivious as she appeared to be to the glances and remorseful looks directed her way but she wasn't in the frame of mind to think about rationally.

This continued for a few days before Zhou Sheng became sick of being an audience in whatever play Su Li and Ning Fu were enacting and he finally decided to step in and resolve whatever misunderstanding or miscommunication there was between those two.

He had become sick and tired of the constant back and forth between these two idiots who looked like adults but acted like grumpy toddlers.

Therefore, he used his considerable mental power and decided that another outing was in order.

At least, if all three of them met outside the Imperial Palace, it would visually reduce the impact of their respective positions which in turn, might loosen the stick that seemed to have lodged up his brother's behind and also make Su Li realise that this wasn't the modern world where things would resolve on their own given enough time.

So, when the monarch called him and Ning Fu for a private audience after the morning assembly, he proposed this idea with an innocent look on his face.

”Your Majesty, this lowly one thinks that we should have another meeting outside of these high walls. After all, there are many rats and mice planted inside by others.”

He thought that it would be better if none of the other two realised his motives and simply agreed to follow his lead.

He had also rehearsed a lot of arguments and counter-arguments to make them see as to why this outing was beneficial.

However, as soon as his words landed, he was subjected to two angry pairs of eyes and he wondered if these two shared some emphatic link between themselves to look at him in such a similar manner.

”Zhen is busy with national affairs and doesn't have the time to frolic around in the streets.”

”It isn't safe for the monarch to go out so frequently.”

When Su Li heard Ning Fu's response, she couldn't help but snort in mild contempt and derision.

”But we could look around and try to understand the kind of life people at the grass-root level live in their daily lives if we go out incognito.”