Chapter 92: The Princess of the Lost Nation, Bai Yueguang 23 This princess is just with you...

The dining table was filled with gold and jade dishes. The well-behaved girl sat upright, and her every move showed the elegance of a lady from a noble family.

Seeing his daughter leaning obediently beside him, Emperor Xuanping was obviously very happy. A smile appeared on his face. He raised his chopsticks and said, "My little princess, it has been a long time since you have eaten with me."

"Your Majesty is so busy with state affairs that he doesn't have time to take care of me. It's because I, your daughter, am considerate and don't bother you often." Upon hearing what Emperor Xuanping said, Wen Qianning immediately took the dishes and put them into Wen Chengyan's bowl herself. She spoke in a soft voice and curled her eyes at him.

Emperor Xuanping raised his eyebrows and looked at her meaningfully.

The words were so considerate that he knew in his heart that this girl had not come here for no reason.

As expected, after only three or two bites of food, Wen Qianning held up the wine cup, his eyes sparkling, and slowly spoke:

"Father, I heard that the war between Dayan and Xuanping has been getting tense these days?"

"Oh? When did Zhaohua start to care about these things?" Emperor Xuanping paused with the chopsticks in his hand, his eyes slightly darker.

Pretending not to notice her father's inquiry, Wen Qianning continued with a smile, "Although I don't understand much about state affairs, I've heard enough to understand the basics. Dayan and our Xuanping have been at odds on the border for a long time, and the situation has become even more tense recently. If we're not careful, things could get serious."

Wen Chengyan put down his chopsticks and looked at her quietly.

Wen Qianning felt uneasy at the look, frowned, pouted, and picked up the spoon to add soup to his bowl.

"Father worries about this every day, and your daughter's heart aches as well. Our relationship with Dayan is really awkward now..."

The hidden meaning in these words made Emperor Xuanping laugh. He picked up the soup bowl and took a sip slowly:

"If you have something to say, just say it. I suspect my little princess's visit today is related to that Dayan proton, right?"

"Father..."

Wen Qianning blushed at being seen through, and she stopped beating around the bush and acted like a spoiled brat, "Although Ji Hanlin is from an enemy country, he's always extremely cautious and restrained in his words and actions, and has never been disrespectful to us Xuanping. I think letting him go back wouldn't be a bad idea."

The words were already made clear. When it came to the issue of the hostage's treatment, Wen Chengyan's eyes changed slightly: "Zhao Hua hopes that I will let him go back?"

This sentence was a test. From ancient times to the present, few protons have been able to return alive.

"My daughter hopes so." When asked this question, Wen Qianning raised her eyes and answered seriously without any hesitation.

The palace fell silent for a moment. Seeing her father remain silent, Wen Qianning felt uncertain about what Emperor Xuanping was thinking. At this point, she could only continue to persuade him.

"From a public perspective, Dayan is demanding the hostages back with money. If we, Xuanping, refuse, it will only serve as an excuse. On the other hand, if we take the initiative to return the hostages, it will not only demonstrate the spirit of a great power, but also bring temporary peace of mind to Dayan. At least in name, it will be us, Xuanping, who are the first to make a goodwill gesture. If a conflict arises in the future, Dayan will be in the wrong, and we, Xuanping, will have the moral advantage."

After hearing these words, Emperor Xuanping seemed to be thinking about something.

"Then from Zhaohua's perspective, what about Yu Si?"

"Personally speaking... I can't bear to see Ji Hanlin embarrassed in Xuanping. In that case, why not send him back? I can also end my relationship with him. This way, I can put an end to the matter and have one less thing to worry about."

As she spoke, Wen Qianning met Emperor Xuanping's teasing gaze. As if realizing something, her expression changed, and she covered her face with her hands, hesitating shyly, "Father, you're asking even though you already know the answer. You're probably just trying to tease Zhaohua!"

"You have thought very carefully about him." Emperor Xuanping smiled.

She was too embarrassed to admit it, and hurriedly shook her head, saying in a delicate voice, "I'm just sharing my father's worries."

Wen Chengyan's eyes were filled with unfathomable meaning. He slowly drank the wine in his glass before saying, "Zhaohua, Zhaohua, you've been like this since you were a child. You're very thoughtful and protective of your shortcomings."

"Since you have such advice, I will consider it."

Knowing that Emperor Xuanping's words were likely an indication of his agreement, Wen Qianning felt relieved and smiled sweetly, "Father, you are wise."

A few days later, Ji Hanlin was caught off guard and received the news that he was leaving Xuanping.

The eunuch's shrill voice reached my ears, and every word of the imperial edict read out fell into my ears.

Two years of proton career ended so abruptly.

Just like two years ago, when he was forced to leave his homeland as a hostage, he had no choice, no room for maneuver. Fate was like a ruthless hand, pushing him forward.

But this time, the things he really couldn't let go of in his heart were much more than before.

I went to Princess Zhaohua's Yaoguang Palace again, and as expected, I was turned away again.

"I'm sorry, Master Ji." Zhu Yue lowered her eyes and head carefully, saying apologetically, "Her Royal Highness is not feeling well, so I'm afraid it's not appropriate for her to see you today. Please go back."

Ever since the relationship between Xuanping and Dayan took a sharp turn for the worse, Ji Hanlin came here several times but was turned away each time. He already had a vague premonition in his heart.

"How many days?"

Ji Hanlin stood in front of the hall with a cold look in his eyes.

A sneer appeared on his fierce face, and the boy's voice was extremely cold: "It's been a few days, are you still hiding from me like this? I'm about to leave Xuanping, and you still don't want to see me even once?"

The sound not only reached Zhuyue's ears, but also passed through the palace door more clearly and reached the inside of the palace.

There was a silence.

After a long while, a familiar sigh was heard from the hall, with a hint of helplessness: "Zhu Yue, let him in."

Zhuyue pursed her lips and whispered "yes", then stepped aside to invite him in.

In the main hall.

The girl I had been thinking about day and night was leaning on the beauty couch, hugging her breasts. She was still as beautiful as ever, without any of the morbidity that she had used as an excuse for being "ill".

The look she gave him was extremely cold, with a hint of impatience in her eyes, and she didn't have the usual smiling face that greeted her.

Even so, the anger in Ji Hanlin's heart seemed to be half extinguished the moment he saw her. He walked slowly forward and stared at Wen Qianning for a long time, as if trying to catch even a trace of softness in her eyes.

"Ningning." The young man spoke, his tone sounding a little aggrieved.

Wen Qianning turned her face away and didn't intend to look at him.

However, he refused to give in. He took two steps closer and demanded, "Why are you hiding from me?"

"...No." Wen Qianning's tone was indifferent, as if he really didn't care.

"No?" The young man's voice suddenly dropped, a hint of gritting his teeth in anger. "If not, why have you been avoiding me for days? If not, why did you let me not even see you?"

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense. Wen Qianning felt uncomfortable listening to Ji Hanlin's questioning, but when she thought about the fact that her mission had to be completed, this strange feeling was quickly suppressed.

"Ji Hanlin."

She put down her breasts, sat up straight, crossed her arms, and looked at him with disdain, "You take yourself too seriously."

"Since you want to get to the bottom of it, I'll be frank with you. You should know it deep down, but you just don't want to accept it. I'm just playing with you, don't take it seriously."

“…”

These words were like a sharp knife piercing Ji Hanlin's heart, and his pupils shrank suddenly in surprise.

Wen Qianning lowered her eyes, hiding the flash of pain that passed through them. She had to be cruel, she had to speak with absolute ruthlessness.

However, the next moment, Ji Hanlin suddenly stretched out his hand and pulled the girl into his arms.

"Ningning, don't be like this." His voice was hoarse, and he rested his forehead on her shoulder, like a young man who had lost his way, with a humble and flattering look in his actions. "Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong to make you angry? I won't believe a word you say..."

His arms held her very tightly, as if the person in his arms would leave her completely if he let go.

"Ji Hanlin, let me go."

Wen Qianning felt a pang of pain in her heart. She took a deep breath and uttered cold words.

“Ningning…”

He was unwilling to accept it. Clearly, she had only thought of him before, but now when she said that it was just for fun, Ji Hanlin would not believe it no matter what.

"Don't call me that." Wen Qianning pushed him away, her eyes as cold as a frosty blade, and she abruptly blocked his approach. "If you keep pestering me like this, it will only annoy me more."

Hearing this, Ji Hanlin was stunned. He lost her warmth in his arms, as if even his heart had been drained away.

The girl slowly raised her eyes, her expression growing colder. "Once the novelty wore off, I got bored. Now, for me, whether you leave or not, I don't care, because I don't care about you at all."

Such cold words made Ji Hanlin's breathing stagnate. His chest felt like it was being pressed down by a heavy object, making it hard to breathe. He stared at her, his eyes bloodshot, his thin lips tightly pursed.

"Don't you care about me?" These words were forced out of his throat.

Even though she couldn't bear it any more, Wen Qianning could only force herself to remain calm and feign indifference: "Of course, you're just a hostage of Dayan. How could this princess really take you seriously?"

"Haven't you ever thought about this before? There's a barrier between us, our nationalities. You and I will never be together."

How could Ji Hanlin not have considered this kind of problem? But for him, these were all surmountable. However, Wen Qianning had never thought about solving it with him.

The young man stood there, his face expressionless, his heart sinking slowly into the cold abyss.

"Ningning, I just want to ask you one question: do you really think so?"

"What this princess said is absolutely true."

The answer without hesitation completely broke the boy's heart.

Ji Hanlin's chest heaved violently, and his eyes were filled with surging emotions. He wanted to rush up and cover her mouth, and wanted her to take back every word she had just said, but seeing the coldness in her eyes, he no longer had the courage to take a step forward.

He finally understood.

She really wanted to draw a line between herself and him.

Ji Hanlin's Adam's apple rolled, and the light in his eyes gradually dimmed.

"..." He was silent for a long time before slowly lowering his eyelashes and sneering, "Okay."

"If this is what Her Royal Highness wishes, then I will definitely not entangle you any further."

It was as if he had exhausted all his strength to say this. Ji Hanlin had no expression on his face and looked at the person in front of him coldly.

[Ding Dong, the node task has been completed.]

The air was so quiet that we could hear each other's breathing.

Wen Qianning's back stiffened as she was stared at. She knew that every heartless word she said was severing the bond between them.

But she had to do so, because at this point in the mission, she could only push him away with her own hands.

While I was still daydreaming, the boy had already turned and left, his back looking cold and resolute.

-----------------------

The author has something to say: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, my dears [Panda Head] Red envelopes will be dropped in the comment section~