Rebirth of a Lost Nation: Princess, Please Respect Yourself

Chapter 73 Drunk Kiss

In the Wende Palace, Ning Yunxiao knelt down again. The person who crowned him was not someone else, but Emperor Shengwu in a yellow robe.

Three thousand black silk threads were tied up with a jade crown. Emperor Shengwu held the jade hairpin to fix the crown. He raised his hand slightly as if to drop it on Ning Yunxiao's head, but he turned abruptly in the air, turned around and waved his hand to signal the ceremonial officer to continue.

The ceremonial officer understood and stepped forward to read the imperial edict:

"The year and day are auspicious, and the majesty and dignity are profound. I hereby announce the name of this. Gentlemen, it is appropriate to follow your virtue and forever protect it. I obey your command and name it Hope Su."

Ning Yunxiao accepted the order and kowtowed uprightly.

"Wang Su, I bow to thank the emperor for the calligraphy."

Emperor Shengwu looked at Ning Yunxiao expressionlessly. "The word 'Su' is taken from the meaning of 'Fusu'. 'Wang Su' is to encourage you to be strong, grow into the towering tree of Shengling, and work hard for the prosperity of the country."

"Your Majesty has good intentions, I hope Su will keep them in mind."

"Ah."

Emperor Shengwu nodded calmly, and the ceremonial officer understood and announced loudly: "The ceremony is over——"

In the officialdom, there is no shortage of people who can read people's expressions. Seeing that Emperor Shengwu valued Ning Yunxiao so much, they rushed forward to congratulate Ning Yunxiao on his coming of age.

No one noticed that Emperor Shengwu, who left in a businesslike manner, had slightly red eyes when he turned around the corridor.

"Actually, I still prefer his original name, Yun Xiao. It's as clean and pure as a cloud, a life of freedom and happiness. How wonderful."

Eunuch Lu, who had served Emperor Shengwu for many years, bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty is very attentive. They will understand."

"I hope so."

……

Ning Yunxiao was not a prince after all, so there was naturally no palace banquet for everyone to toast after the coming-of-age ceremony. However, many officials who were used to observing people's words and expressions came over and warmly invited Ning Yunxiao to leave the palace for a small gathering.

Jiang Lige, who was being stared at by several pairs of eyes, put on an eager look and asked Empress Dowager Jiang several times.

"Grandma, will the prince come over later?"

After asking, Jiang Lige added in his heart: "Let's not do it."

To be honest, she didn't really want to see Ning Yunxiao today.

As soon as she saw him, she was reminded of the war that destroyed Nan Chu, with corpses everywhere and countless lives lost.

Whenever she thought of it, she felt a chill all over her body.

Sometimes, Jiang Lige felt that his acting skills were not inferior to those of the famous actresses in Beijing.

Even the kind-hearted ladies in the harem could not see through her thoughts.

After the nanny who had gone to inquire about the news came back, she whispered a few words to Empress Dowager Jiang, and then heard Empress Dowager Jiang say.

"The Crown Prince is coming of age today, and it's only right that we, the elders, celebrate with our family and friends. We should not interfere. Let's disperse."

Since Empress Dowager Jiang had spoken, everyone naturally responded and bowed and left.

After everyone dispersed, Empress Dowager Jiang turned her head and explained to Jiang Lige, "After the coming-of-age ceremony, Ning Yunxiao will be considered halfway into the officialdom. Taking advantage of today's coming-of-age ceremony, it would be beneficial for him to interact more with court officials."

Jiang Lige said "Oh" and revealed a look of extreme regret at the right moment, which made the old lady Gu beside him laugh and teased: "If love lasts for a long time, why should we be together day and night?"

Jiang Lige's face turned red when she was teased by Old Madam Gu. She twisted her handkerchief, stamped her feet, and called out "Old Madam" in a coquettish tone.

Empress Dowager Jiang and Old Lady Gu laughed happily together, saying that they had not seen each other for a long time and now they wanted to reminisce about the past, so they sent Jiang Lige back to Qingge Cottage.

Although Jiang Lige knew that the two old ladies' "reminiscing" was fake and today's conversation would definitely not be particularly pleasant, he didn't want to interfere, so he nodded and returned to his residence.

I don’t know if it was because I got up too early today or because I remembered too many unpleasant things from my past life, but Jiang Lige just felt extremely tired today. After returning home, he dived into the quilt and slept soundly.

Jiang Lige had a long dream. In the dream, she saw the fallen city. There were pairs of eyes full of pleading. In those desperate eyes, there was always hope. They said to her:

"Princess, I don't want to die."

At the end of the dream, Jiang Chuchu, with a harmless face, touched her face with a sinister smile, and the cold armor scratched her skin as sharp as a knife.

Then, the pair of soft, boneless hands slowly moved down, tightly gripping her throat, gradually tightening their grip, and the laughter was so sharp that it seemed to burst her eardrums.

"Sister, it's time to get going."

"Do not--"

The girl on the bed suddenly woke up, with beads of sweat on her forehead. Before she could even breathe a sigh of relief, she immediately became alert and noticed something was wrong around her. There was someone around!

Jiang Lige straightened his back, slowly exhaled, and quickly reached out to grab the hand on the edge of the bed. Using his strength, he pulled the man's hand towards the bed frame, taking the initiative.

Unexpectedly, the other party's reaction was much faster than Jiang Lige expected. With a backhand, he easily neutralized Jiang Lige's fierce move. Then, the man grasped her shoulders, turned her, and pressed down...

In an instant, the situation of the two people was reversed.

While Jiang Lige was stunned, he found himself pressed down on the bed frame by the man, with the aroma of alcohol lingering in his nostrils.

The moonlight filtered through the window lattice and fell into the man's eyes, which were as stunning as the rippling water of a lake. When this delicate face was close at hand, Jiang Lige had to admit that Ning Yunxiao's eyes were truly beautiful.

Maybe he was drunk, for at night he was not as sharp as he was during the day. His lips were carelessly pursed, and his eyes were staring straight at her, making him look a little aggrieved.

But no matter how beautiful the eyes were, as soon as Jiang Lige met those eyes, the hatred that had been suppressed deep in her heart was ignited in an instant. The deep hatred flashed across her eyes, and then she hid it well.

Ning Yunxiao was a meticulous person who never showed vulnerability in front of others. Even in the critical moment of being hunted down when they first met, he didn't forget to test her...

Every failure makes one wiser. Jiang Lige dare not trust Ning Yunxiao easily.

"Sir..."

Jiang Lige was trapped in a place by Ning Yunxiao without any explanation and could not move. Before he could finish a sentence, Ning Yunxiao raised his hand and pressed it against his lips.

"Why didn't you wait for me today?"

In the blink of an eye, the distance between them was a little closer. He curled his lips, his eyes full of grievance. "It's my birthday, you should say happy birthday."

Jiang Lige unconsciously shrank his neck back again, pulled Ning Yunxiao's hand away, and then explained with a red face:

"My great-aunt said that this opportunity is rare, and I should be more sensible and let you interact with the court officials."

"Oh."

"Your Highness can let me go now..."

Before Jiang Lige could finish her words, Ning Yunxiao's face suddenly enlarged infinitely in front of her eyes. The movement was so fast that Jiang Lige felt a heat on her lips before she could react.

Ning Yunxiao's kiss was not as overbearing and cold as he was. It was awkward, immature and disorganized, but it made people unable to avoid it.