Chapter 294 Missed Eleven Years
Hearing the resentment in Duanrou's mouth, He Yunzheng moved his lips, "Princess..."
Duan Rou continued, "Eleven years ago, when I reached the age of marriage, my father was anxious to choose a consort for me. I once asked you if your family had arranged a marriage for you."
She paused, "Do you remember how you told me?"
He Yunzheng certainly remembered that she didn't dare to look into Duanrou's eyes at that time. He said that he had a woman he liked and he would make his own decisions about marriage and would never let his family interfere.
"That's right." He Yunzheng raised his eyes.
"The woman I admire is the princess. It was the same eleven years ago, and it is the same now."
Duan Rou moved her lips: "..."
What a blockhead! Doesn’t he understand what I just said?
Eleven years have passed, and this guy is still so stupid. He deserves to have liked me for so long.
Seeing Duan Rou remained silent, He Yunzheng continued, "Princess, I dare not have any ambitions. I only want to stay by your side and protect you for the rest of your life."
"My affection for the princess is my own business. Princess, don't feel any burden. I only beg you to keep me in your residence. I will do whatever you want and please you without complaint or regret."
Duan Rou picked up the wine glass she had been holding for a long time, raised her head and drank it, then looked at He Yunzheng, whose eyes were as tender as water, and said, "He Yunzheng, you have already missed me once, are you going to miss me a second time?"
He Yunzheng was stunned and didn't understand what Duan Rou meant for a moment.
Duan Rou smiled helplessly: "What a fool."
He Yunzheng was surprised and delighted at once, his mind turning over Duanrou's words. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind, and his voice trembled a little as he looked at her in disbelief: "Princess...you..."
"That year... you asked me if I had any marriage proposals. Could it be... could it be... that you were asking me?"
Interested.
But he found it difficult to say these two words, and he didn't dare to say them.
Duan Rou didn't agree directly, but slowly said, "Right after my coming-of-age ceremony that year, all the civil and military officials in the court used various excuses to recommend their sons to my father, hoping to become his consort. My father has always loved me, so he let me choose for myself. As long as I like him, he will treat me like a treasure."
"Those young masters from aristocratic families, whether they're arrogant or hypocritical, I despise none of them. I thought about it all in my mind... and suddenly your face popped up."
Speaking of this, a hint of embarrassment appeared on Duanrou's drunken face. As her eyes moved, she smiled calmly: "Never mind, these are all past events, not worth mentioning."
Later, she met Xie Yunche again and developed a liking for him impulsively.
In this way, she and He Yunzheng were truly not destined to be together.
They had liked each other, but neither of them could break through the window paper, and they missed each other in the end.
However, if you miss it, you miss it.
She has long passed the age of romantic love. Even if her youthful love finally comes to fruition, she will not cry bitterly or feel extremely happy or sad.
"Princess..." He Yunzheng called in a hoarse voice.
He felt mixed emotions: excitement, discomfort, regret, but mostly hatred for himself.
I hate myself for knowing Duanrou for so many years but not daring to speak up.
I hate my cowardice and I hate myself for missing out on Duanrou.
If that day, he had directly told her that the person he liked was her, perhaps... he and Duanrou could have become husband and wife.
He Yunzheng lifted his robe and knelt, speaking each word with utmost sincerity: "Princess, I will spend the rest of my life making up for the time I missed in the past."
His eyes were filled with determination and passion: "This time... I will never be a coward again."
*****
Lanyue Kingdom.
In the golden autumn of October, the grassland sheds its summer green and puts on a golden dress.
On this day, Sang Ning was teaching Liu Yuetang archery.
Sang Ning stood at the side and tapped Liu Yuetang's elbow with his finger: "Shoulders down, elbows raised, arrow tip to the bull's eye."
Seeing Liu Yuetang's arms trembling, she said, "Hold your breath, gather your strength into your fingertips—release!"
The arrow flew out of the string, but it brushed the edge of the target and got stuck in the grass.
Liu Yuetang sighed and frowned, "Sang Ning, maybe I'm not cut out for this."
"How about we go horseback riding?" Her usually bright almond-shaped eyes were now covered with watery light, and contained a hint of pitiful pleading.
Sang Ning rejected it outright: "No!"
"Who is born with this ability? You need to be more focused and have more confidence."
As she spoke, she took her bow, put the sword on it, fastened the string, and drew the bow.
"The books you read can teach you to understand the truth and distinguish right from wrong, but when it comes to life and death, it is the ability to draw the bow and the legs that can ride the horse to escape that will keep you alive."
After saying that, Sang Ning let go, and the arrow whizzed past the bull's eye. She looked at Liu Yuetang and said seriously, "We women don't necessarily need men to protect us. We can protect ourselves."
Looking at the arrow in the center of the target, Liu Yuetang was deeply moved. Her arms, which had just been weak, suddenly gave rise to a surge of hot strength.
She nodded heavily, "Yes! Women can protect themselves, they can also wield a bow and arrow and kill whoever they want. A girl's safety is never given by others, but earned by herself."
As he spoke, Liu Yuetang picked up the bow again, held the bow firmly with his left hand, hooked the arrow tail with three fingers of his right hand, and pulled it back little by little.
Although his arms were still trembling a little, his fingertips were clenched tighter.
She stared at the center of the target, and concentrated all her strength into her waist and abdomen, and the longbow gradually bent into a shallow arc.
With a "whoosh" sound, although the arrow did not hit the center of the bull's eye, it was firmly nailed to the wooden frame of the target, only an inch away from the red circle.
Sang Ning smiled with satisfaction and gave Liu Yuetang a compliment, "Not bad, you've made progress. As long as you keep practicing, you'll definitely be able to do it."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard applause from behind him.
The two turned around and saw Zong Zhengjun standing not far away with a beaming smile on his face. He praised loudly, "Tang'er is quite talented. You've made such progress after only half a day of training."
"Uncle..." Liu Yuetang curved her eyebrows and hurriedly walked to Zong Zhengjun while holding up her skirt.
Zong Zhengjun smiled and extended his hand. Liu Yuetang naturally took his arm and walked towards the target with a smile: "Why are you here, uncle?"
"I came to see if Sang Ning taught you well."
Sang Ning pouted, walked around to Zong Zhengjun's other side, put her arm around his other arm, and gently rubbed her cheek against his shoulder, saying coquettishly, "How dare I be lazy? Tang'er is making rapid progress. The arrow just now was almost touching the red circle!"
"Uncle saw it. I was just joking with you." Zong Zhengjun glared at Sang Ning lovingly, then looked at Liu Yuetang, and his smile faded a little.
"Tang'er, I just received news that Xiao Heng will personally lead an army to attack the Liu Kingdom in the near future."
Liu Yuetang unconsciously tightened her grip on his arm, a trace of panic flashing across her eyes: "The emperor is leading the army in person? The court has important generals, why would he lead the army in person?"
Zong Zhengjun's eyes were a bit dazed. "Ever since Xiao Heng thought you were dead, he's been listless. Then, one day, he suddenly decided to personally attack the Liu Kingdom. Uncle thinks... he probably wants to use the battlefield to temporarily forget the pain in his heart."
A faint smile spread across Liu Yuetang's lips. "Why should he do this? He will forget me after a while."
But... Xiao Heng has her in his heart now, so it will be easy for her to return to the palace, but it will probably be more difficult for her to leave the palace.
"Tang'er, I have decided to go and help Jinghe in this battle."
Sang Ning and Liu Yuetang were both shocked. Sang Ning said, "Uncle, Jinghe is now the most powerful country. Why would you help him?"
Zong Zhengjun patted her hand and spoke gently, "Since Lan Yue has already made a lifelong friendship with Jing He, I will do Xiao Heng a favor and consider it as helping Xiao Heng in this battle for my niece. Only if Lan Yue is beneficial to Jing He will Jing He treat her with courtesy and respect. In this way... Tang'er's status will also become more noble, and when she returns to Jing He, she will have a stronger backing."
Seeing her uncle making such plans for her, Liu Yuetang felt warm in her heart, her throat choked slightly, and she could only call out softly, "Uncle..."
Zong Zhengjun gave her a reassuring smile: "Uncle just hopes that your future path will be smoother and more fulfilling."
[Please help me think of a title that can prove the heroine's status and favor. Each title will be deducted once, and the one with the most likes will be used.]
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