Dongfang Qinyin gently played with her messy hair, then took a deep breath to calm herself down, and then walked forward with an elegant pace. When she walked to the door, she ran into Dongfang Xiong who was walking in with big strides. Dongfang Qinyin quickly saluted and said, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you, Father!"
Dongfang Xiong smiled and walked up to help her up, and said with love in his eyes: "Qin Yin, you have worked hard recently!"
Dongfang Qinyin shook his head and replied respectfully: "No, it is my duty to share my father's worries!"
The father and daughter smiled at each other, and the atmosphere was warm and harmonious. However, at this moment, Dongfang Xiong suddenly changed the subject and talked about something else. He said calmly: "Your birthday will be in a few days! This birthday banquet will be very grand. I have notified all countries and major sects to come to participate in this celebration!"
Dongfang Qinyin was slightly stunned, and a surge of joy surged in her heart. But she still maintained a dignified attitude, smiled and nodded in response: "The son thanks the emperor!"
Then, Dongfang Xiong said again: "Qin Yin, you are not young anymore, you are already over twenty years old! Your birthday celebration will be in a few days, all the major sects and nearby countries will come, so father wants to..." After saying that, he paused and looked at his daughter.
After hearing this, Dongfang Qinyin's originally beautiful face changed slightly, and a flash of surprise and uneasiness flashed in her eyes. She hesitated for a moment, and then asked softly: "Could it be... Father, do you mean that you want me to choose a husband at this banquet?"
Dongfang Qinyin's voice was filled with obvious dissatisfaction and resistance. She stood up, looked at Dongfang Xiong firmly, and said, "Father, I already have someone I like, so I won't look for a son-in-law!"
Dongfang Xiong waved his hand to signal her to calm down, and comforted her: "Qin Yin, don't get excited. I know you have your own ideas about love. However, as a princess, you must also consider the interests of the country and the people. The current situation is so tense. The Great Chu next door changed dynasties in less than a year. It is hard to doubt that there is a huge force behind them, and we don't know the situation of the new king."
"We need to establish closer ties with other sects to ensure the stability and security of Da Gan. This is why my father hopes that you can choose a suitable consort at the banquet. This will strengthen the relationship between us and other forces and ensure that we will not fight alone in the future!"
Dongfang Qinyin felt very aggrieved when she heard this. She didn't want to be a victim of a political marriage, she wanted her own happiness. However, when she thought that the people of Dagan might be dragged into the quagmire of war again, she couldn't help but feel tangled in her heart.
Dongfang Xiong looked at his daughter, his heart full of love and pity. He reached out his hand, gently stroked Dongfang Qinyin's head, and said softly: "Qinyin, born in an imperial family, we often cannot choose what we want independently. Regarding your sweetheart, if he is really a genius with superb strength, your father will never stop you. But if not, your father will have to sacrifice your happiness. Think about it carefully!"
After saying these words, Dongfang Xiong stood up and slowly walked out of the study. Dongfang Qinyin sat on the bedside, confused, not knowing how to deal with it. About a quarter of an hour later, Xiao Ning walked out of the study and stood quietly beside her.
Suddenly, Dongfang Qinyin stood up and kissed Xiao Ning's lips without hesitation. Then, she began to take off her clothes and tore off Xiao Ning's clothes. Xiao Ning was shocked by this sudden move, and he hurried forward and grabbed Dongfang Qinyin's hands.
"Princess, please calm down!" Xiao Ning shouted anxiously.
Dongfang Qinyin's tears slid down her cheeks, and she choked and said, "Ning'er, take me! I want to give you my first time. You have heard what father said just now... We... We are destined not to be together..." As soon as she finished speaking, her crying became louder and louder, heartbreaking.
Xiao Ning hugged her tightly with a distressed look, and comforted her in a firm tone: "Princess, please rest assured. Believe me, I will never let you marry someone else, never!"
Hearing this, Dongfang Qinyin's body trembled, and then she hugged Xiao Ning's waist and stopped talking, keeping this posture for a long, long time...
The next morning, Xiao Ning woke up in his room. He returned to Meishan Academy in the early morning. Then he thought about what would happen next. But he fell asleep before he could think for long. When he woke up, it was already morning.
There was a knock on the door. It was Song Yu coming to deliver breakfast. After breakfast, Leng Qingqiu and Bai Ziyun took Xiao Ning out. They were going to have a good time traveling around the capital today.
The capital city has been particularly lively recently, with the streets crowded with people, noises, hawking, and children playing everywhere, interweaving together to make it very lively. Xiao Ning thought that all this should be related to the eldest princess' birthday.
Bai Ziyun and Leng Qingqiu were strolling around the streets holding hands. They would try everything delicious or fun they saw, and then leave the rest to Xiao Ning.
Xiao Ning couldn't help but sigh. It turns out that when shopping with a woman, a man's role is limited to carrying the bag.
Just then, he passed by a stall selling rare treasures. Xiao Ning looked at the various items on the ground with curiosity, and suddenly, his eyes were attracted by a piece of broken stone that looked insignificant.
He squatted down, picked up the stone and looked at it carefully. The surface of the stone was uneven and dull, and there seemed to be nothing special about it. But for some reason, Xiao Ning became very interested in it.
So he asked the stall owner the price of the stone. The stall owner held up five fingers, and Xiao Ning thought it was fifty taels of silver, and secretly wondered whether it was worth buying.
However, the stall owner shook his head and said, "Five hundred taels!"
Xiao Ning frowned, thinking to himself. Although he was not short of money, he did not want to be cheated. It was not worth spending five hundred taels to buy such a broken stone.
Just as he was hesitating, a man of average build and plain appearance, dressed in sect clothing, walked past him, suddenly reached out and snatched the stone from his hand, and shouted loudly: "Five hundred taels of silver, I want it!"
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