Chapter 12 Qiqiao Festival
The next day, Dongfang Yuning finally enjoyed a long-awaited lazy nap. Like a flower bud saturated with dew, she stretched out in her soft blankets until noon, when she was gently awakened by the maids from Fengyi Palace.
Inside Fengyi Palace, Empress Dongfang Qiwu was already dressed. Her crimson-purple brocade gown, patterned with peony branches, accentuated her elegance and grace. Her nine-tailed phoenix hairpin, adorned with red gold and kingfisher feathers, swayed gently with its tassels. Her demeanor, the mother of the nation, remained unchanged. However, the long-held icy silence between her brows seemed to have cracked a tiny crack, punctuated by last night's gentle ripples, letting through a faint, barely perceptible glimmer of light.
The eldest princess, Nangong Yue, wore a crabapple-red dress with hundreds of butterflies on it, as bright as a newly bloomed rose. Her butterfly-shaped hairpins fluttered their wings, and she was full of anticipation.
When Dongfang Yuning emerged, surrounded by palace maids, she looked like a spirit condensed from the moonlight. Her moon-white, silver-threaded magnolia silk skirt shone with a shimmering halo. Her pale cherry-pink brocade jacket was embellished with tiny pearls. A mutton-fat magnolia hairpin graced her playful, flowing bun.
She has a porcelain-white face, cherry lips, and especially a pair of clear, curious big grape-like eyes, so pure that they are not tainted by dust, and so cute and innocent that they are heart-warming.
Outside the hall, Nangong Ye, who had been waiting for a long time, breathed almost imperceptibly when he came into contact with this figure. She was like a walking painting of a lady, with a natural and spiritual charm that came to him.
Those cherry lips, those flowing eyes, those pearls dangling gently on the side of her bun all precisely plucked his heartstrings. His Adam's apple moved slightly, and his eyes were drawn by invisible threads, firmly locked on her.
Emperor Nangong Yu's gaze was focused on the Empress, who then walked out. Seeing the slightest softening between her brows, he felt a slight sense of relief, then a surge of deeper guilt and determination. He cleared his throat, his voice a deliberately relaxed one:
"Today I am incognito, so there is no need to be formal. Lie Zheng and Cheng Qian will accompany me and the Queen. Yue'er will be guarded by Qi Chen and the secret guards. As for Ning'er..."
He turned to Nangong Ye, who was obviously distracted, and his smile deepened.
"I'll trouble my royal brother to personally take care of it. Please make sure it's well protected."
"Your Highness obeys your command."
Nangong Ye spoke in a steady voice, took a step forward, and his tall figure stood beside Dongfang Yuning with an oppressive feeling, completely covering her petite figure in his protective range. It was a silent, possessive declaration.
The group quietly joined the bustling crowd of the Qiqiao Festival. The lights came on, and the long street was as bright as day, ablaze with color. Nangong Yu deliberately slowed his pace, walking side by side with Dongfang Qiwu. He was no longer the almighty emperor, but just a husband trying clumsily to make amends.
Whenever a crowd of people came, he would quietly move aside and use his body to separate her from the crowd. His movements were a little stiff, far less natural and smooth than Nangong Ye's protection of Yuning, with a kind of deliberate caution.
Dongfang Qiwu felt this subtle movement, paused slightly, and said nothing, but his long eyelashes trembled slightly.
Passing by an old stall selling sugar-roasted chestnuts, the sweet aroma filled the air. Nangong Yu stopped, his eyes filled with a hint of reminiscence, and whispered to Dongfang Qiwu:
"Qiwu, do you still remember? Before you got married, you loved the chestnuts from this old shop the most. You always said they were sweeter than those from the palace."
Without waiting for her to reply, he personally bought a small package, wrapped it in clean oil-paper, and handed it to her. The chestnuts were still warm from the wok. Dongfang Qiwu looked at the familiar oil-paper package, and it felt as if a small stone had been dropped into the frozen lake of his heart, causing subtle ripples to spread.
She hesitated for a moment, but finally reached out to take it. Her fingertips touched the warmth and she whispered:
"...Thank you, Your Majesty."
A barely perceptible light flashed in Nangong Yu's eyes.
A reckless child nearly bumped into Dongfang Qiwu in the crowd. Nangong Yu was quick to protect her shoulder with one hand, while his other hand subconsciously rose to lightly block the side of her hair, protecting the swaying tassel of the phoenix hairpin.
He withdrew his hand quickly, but his fingertips seemed to still have the touch of her hair, and his ears turned slightly red.
Dongfang Qiwu clearly felt the warm breath and protective gesture that were close to her at that moment. The slight ripple in her heart seemed to grow a little bigger. She lowered her eyes to hide the complex emotions in them.
As the lights came on, the long streets of the capital seemed as bright as day. Lanterns of all colors competed for splendor. Dongfang Yuning, like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, completely let herself go! Candied haws in her left hand, a little rabbit lantern in her right, her eyes gleaming like searchlights.
"Wow! This dough figurine is so realistic! Is that sugar painting a phoenix? Amazing!" She shuttled between the stalls, her inner comments madly scrolling through the screen:
[Tongzi! Look! This lantern spins! Is that Chang'e flying to the moon?]
Melon Eating System 118:
[Ding! Host, that's the ancient merry-go-round—the revolving lantern! It uses hot air, awesome! But... Sister Chang'e's modeling accuracy isn't good enough. It's not even one-tenth as beautiful as you!]
Dongfang Yuning: [Hey, if you can talk, talk more! Huh? There are so many people gathered over there! What are they doing?]
System: [Scanning reveals this is a large-scale offline krypton gold card draw event—the pitching pot game! Ultimate SSR prize: a super-sized cloth tiger, a must-have for tough guys!]
[Cloth tiger! I'm going to explode!]
Dongfang Yuning's eyes lit up even more, and he pulled Nangong Ye's sleeve and went into the crowd, "Your Highness! Let's go to the 'liver activity'!"
Nangong Ye's eyes always followed her gently, but his heart was in turmoil because of her vicious words (he had to remain calm on the surface).
Those sticky gazes instantly made him enter the "keep away from strangers" and nuclear-level deterrence mode.
Dongfang Liezheng and Dongfang Qichen, who were not far away, were so anxious that their bodies were cracking on the spot.
Dongfang Liezheng roared inwardly: [Which little idiot dares to stare at my sister? I'll dig out your eyes and use them as water to stomp on!]
Dongfang Qichen's inner thoughts: [My little sister's looks are so attractive! Your Majesty, please help! Protect me!]
Emperor Nangong Yu appears majestic on the surface, but his inner thoughts are:
[Pfft… Spending money on card draws and grinding for events? Qiwu, your sister's otherworldly vocabulary updates faster than my memorials!]
He suppressed his laughter and whispered to the queen:
"Qiwu, look, Brother Ye's way of protecting his food is even more crazy than Lie Zheng's."
Dongfang Qiwu pursed her lips elegantly, thinking:
[A must-have cloth tiger for a tough guy? Ning'er... cough, the look in your eyes, I'm very impressed.]
Nangong Yue was furiously scrolling through her screen: [Modeling precision, stunning beauty, explosive! Auntie! My favorite topic on the internet! Please say more!]
At this moment, the greasy young man Wang Youcai appeared, ignoring the nuclear-level deterrence, and approached with a greasy smile:
"This little fairy, I..."
Dongfang Yuning's inner alarm bells rang loudly:
[Tongzi! High energy ahead! There's a weird uncle! Check his household registration!]
Melon Eating System 118: [Ding! Melon Eating Radar Beep! Target Locked: Top Male Ordinary Man · Wang Youcai! Identity: The second son of the owner of the South City Silk Shop, Wang·No Talent·Talent!]
[Tips 1: This guy is a landslide in the world of pretentiousness! Last month, he copied homework from an online poetry gathering, and the poem he copied was actually a doggerel from his own housekeeper (the housekeeper). He immediately got ripped off and was dubbed the "mirror of literary discovery"!]
[Tips 2: He has biochemical-weapon-grade athlete's foot! He's a real foot-picker! And the best part is, he even smells it after he's done! He claims to have a true appreciation for life! Wow, this is self-production and self-sales, a closed-loop economy! Ugh!]
[Guadian Three Nuclear Bomb Level: He's possessed by a dog, infatuated with an oiran, and his filial piety goes sour, he steals his mother's treasured Dongzhu necklace to give to a female streamer! The oiran throws it away, mistaking it for a small commodity from Yiwu! The necklace's whereabouts remain a mystery, and his mother is thinking of showing him 100 ways to break his legs!]
Yu Ning: [Poof! My mother tongue is speechless! Yue yue yue!]
She covered her mouth, and her gaze towards Wang Youcai instantly changed from "Who are you?" to "What kind of confusing human behavior is this?" Plus, "Stay away from me! I'm afraid of biochemical contamination!"
Wang Youcai was completely bewildered by this look of mental pollution, and his prepared flirting tactics faltered. Nangong Ye only understood fragmentary yet powerful terms like "copying homework," "biochemical weapons," "licking the dog," "filial piety gone bad," and "giving gifts to female streamers." Combined with Yu Ning's expression of utter disgust, he instantly concluded that this person was a walking garbage dump.
"roll."
Nangong Ye opened his thin lips slightly, and with a single word, he delivered a critical blow, coupled with a killing look in his eyes, which instantly made Wang Youcai experience hell-level pressure.
Wang Youcai crawled out of the stage at the speed of light, and his back showed that life was not worth living.
Dongfang Yuning laughed wildly in his heart:
[Hahaha! In one word, absolutely! Get lost! YYDS! Suggested to be included in the anti-wolf manual homepage, title: Nuclear-level persuasion!]
System: [The host is wise! The prince is domineering! This operation is 666! The greasy nemesis is confirmed!]
This is just an appetizer. As the flow of people increases, the melon fields are harvested:
[Ding! The blue-clad young man in the front left, seemingly a gentleman, is actually a cross-dresser every night, secretly wearing his mother's limited edition bellyband! Psychological assessment: Severe fetish + Miracle Nikki · Ancient Warmth!]
Dongfang Yuning: [Fuck! This is disgusting! Retreat! Non-combatants ahead, please leave immediately!]
Nangong Ye immediately turned her around, thinking:
[A cross-dresser? Miracle Nikki? ... Ning'er's world is so complicated... But, just do as you're told.]
[Ding! The fan-waving uncle in the right back has a Hedong lion at home, and the canary he secretly raised has run away with the money! He is tearfully selling off his father's birthday gifts to fill the hole! Tragic (Comedy) Man of the Year!]
Yu Ning: [Pooh! So sad, but…hahahaha! What goes around comes around! Aquaman's car rollover scene!]
Nangong Ye paused slightly, glanced at him, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.
[Ding! The woman in red is right in front of you! A high-end gamer! A time management instructor! She's raising three fish at the same time, and her hands are cramped from receiving so many gifts! She truly deserves the title of fish pond owner!]
Yu Ning: [Awesome! A fighter jet among the queens of the sea! A spare tire perpetual motion machine! I pay my respects!]
Nangong Yue heard the inner voice and looked over curiously, just in time to see the woman's smile like a "water master" towards different men, and thought to herself:
[Time management instructor, fish farming, spare tire perpetual motion machine... My aunt's voice is really... keeping up with the trend and hitting the nail on the head! I've learned a lot!]
Finally, they arrived at the river. The twinkling lanterns were a breathtaking sight. The Queen and the Princess devoutly released the lanterns and made a wish.
Dongfang Yuning squatted by the river, carefully put down the fat rabbit lantern, and whispered a wish:
"May Yue'er be happy forever, may my sister and brother-in-law live happily ever after, may my elder and second brothers be safe and sound, may..."
She quickly glanced at Nangong Ye, "May... world peace, a bountiful harvest, and good luck to everyone!"
(Inner supplement: The important thing is that everyone is fine!)
Nangong Ye clearly heard every wish, including the final, "online" blessing. His deep eyes shone warmly under the light. He silently took out a delicate lotus lantern, lit it, and gently placed it in the water. The lotus lantern sat steadily beside the bunny lantern, like an officially certified twin lantern pair.
The river lanterns drifted slowly, their lights dimming. Nangong Ye's gaze rested solely on the girl, her face tilted upwards, her eyes filled with stars. The surrounding clamor faded into the background, his world lit only by this single light. Protecting her, keeping her happy, was enough for him in this life.
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