Chapter 20: Showdown in the Imperial Garden
Following Nangong Yu's majestic "Dismiss the court--", the tense atmosphere in the Golden Throne Hall dissipated instantly like a punctured balloon.
The court officials bowed as if they had been pardoned and filed out, but their pace was much faster than usual and their shoulders still trembled with suppressed laughter or shock.
Old Master Dongfang Yanru was supported by his two sons. His steps were unsteady and he looked ten years older in an instant. He was still muttering unconsciously:
"It's a misfortune for our family... What an evil fate..."
The Marquis of Zhenguo, Dongfang Liezheng, was like a volcano about to erupt, emitting a murderous aura that indicated he was determined to find Nangong Ye and fight him to the death. He strode out of the palace with big strides, his target aimed directly at Prince Yong, who was holding a blank imperial edict and had his eyes locked on his little sister!
Dongfang Qichen, the Minister of Rites, followed closely behind with a sullen expression, muttering:
"Etiquette and law! Where is etiquette and law? We must understand it clearly!"
The eyes of the imperial merchant Dongfang Linyuan flickered the fastest as he was already rapidly calculating the assets, inventory, working capital, and the price of the betrothal gift that would barely make up for the pain he felt for losing Xiao Baicai.
However, they had just taken a few steps when they were stopped by Li Dequan, the eunuch beside the emperor, with a smile on his face.
"Master Taifu, Lord Marquis, Lord Shilang, and Third Master Dongfang,"
Li Dequan bowed his body, with a look of just the right amount of respect on his face.
"Your Majesty has ordered that all of you gentlemen move to the Imperial Study. Your Majesty, I have some excellent Rain-Predawn Longjing tea that I would like to taste with you and chat about family matters."
Let’s chat about family matters?!
The four men of the Dongfang family paused in unison, their faces showing wonderful expressions.
Dongfang Yanru: [Your Majesty, are you... going to be a peacemaker? Or are you going to act as a matchmaker yourself?]
Dongfang Liezheng: [Drinking tea?! Now I just want to drink Nangong Ye's blood!]
Dongfang Qichen: [The theory before the emperor seems... more in line with etiquette?]
Dongfang Linyuan: [Opportunity! Here's the chance to negotiate! Bride gift! Agreement!]
Looking at the emperor's meaningful and unquestionable eyes, and then looking at Li Dequan's smiling but extremely determined old face.
Even though the men of the Dongfang family were filled with rage and reluctance, they could only hold their breath, turn around, and follow Li Dequan towards the imperial study as if they were heading to the execution ground.
Before leaving, Dongfang Liezheng turned back unwillingly and glared fiercely at the hall, his eyes seemed to say:
"Nangong Ye! Just wait! Don't touch my little sister!"
There was a petrified cabbage on the luxurious stool in the Golden Throne Hall. The huge Golden Throne Hall suddenly became empty, with only a few eunuchs and palace maids left to clean the hall, their movements as light as cats.
There was still one person who didn't move.
Dongfang Yuning was still sitting stiffly on the luxurious little stool given to her by the emperor, and was under the spell of being immobilized by the bright, golden blank imperial edict.
My little head is still scrolling through the screen like crazy:
[Blank imperial edict…using power to oppress others…Princess…old cow eating young grass…raping a common woman…help…]
She felt like a little white rabbit that had strayed into a wolf's den and was targeted by the wolf king. She was weak, pitiful, and helpless.
I just want to disappear from the spot, or grow wings immediately and fly back to my sister's Fengyi Palace!
However, that oppressive figure with an unignorable wolf light was walking towards her step by step.
Nangong Ye held the blank imperial edict that symbolized the "official seal" in his hand, as if holding an invisible scepter, and stopped in front of her.
The shadow cast by the tall figure completely enveloped her.
"Ning'er~"
Nangong Ye's voice was low and pleasant, and his deliberately soft tone carried a hint of coaxing, completely different from the fierce look he had just shown when he kicked the Beidi prince away.
"Now that the court is calm, would you like to accompany me for a walk in the Imperial Garden?"
Dongfang Yuning shuddered and came back to his senses in an instant. He shook his little head like a rattle and forced a smile on his face that was uglier than crying.
"Ah? The Imperial…Imperial Garden? Your Highness, um…um, my sister asked me to go home for dinner! Yes! Go home for dinner! An elder sister is like a mother, she must be waiting anxiously!"
She tried to get up from the small stool in a hurry, but her legs were still a little weak and she stumbled.
Nangong Ye was quick to reach out and hold her arm firmly.
The touch came through the thin sleeves, warm and strong, but it made Dongfang Yuning feel like being scalded. She suddenly retracted her hand and her little face turned red instantly!
[Wuwuwuwu…Tongzi, help! The prince is out of control! What does he want? In broad daylight, in the open, he he he…he touched my arm! There’s no such thing as physical contact between men and women! I’m just a baby now~]
She screamed like a groundhog internally.
System 118: [Beep! Contact detected with target Nangong Ye. Energy fluctuations are stable, no attack intent, but... the possessive magnetic field intensity continues to soar! Host, wish you the best! This system supports you spiritually! (Eating melon mode activated)]
Nangong Ye looked at the panicked little thing in front of him with flushed cheeks, and the smile in his eyes deepened. His frozen handsome face was like the spring snow just melting, with a thrilling charm.
He leaned over slightly, leaning close to her ear, and whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear, with a hint of dangerous magnetism:
"Follow me,"
He paused, his breath brushing against her sensitive earlobe, and he was satisfied to see that the small earlobe instantly turned pink.
"Or... should I carry you away? Hmm?"
The last rising ending tone carried a naked threat and... a hint of barely perceptible expectation?
【!!! 】
Dongfang Yuning's hair stood on end! Hug... hug, hug, hug, hug?! In front of so many people (although it was already a small number)?! Is she still going to be a human being?!
[Tongzi! He's a hooligan! He's threatening me! I'm going to call the police, no, the Dali Temple! There's a perverted prince here!]
She screamed madly in her heart.
System: [Host, calm down! This system scan shows that the probability of the prince carrying out the act of hugging is as high as 89.7%!
Judging from energy consumption and route planning, he favors a princess-carry position, with the destination being the central pavilion of the Imperial Garden. His advice... follow your heart. After all, a good man doesn't suffer a loss in front of him, and a good woman doesn't fight with a prince!
Under the threat of social death and the system's advice to follow his heart, Dongfang Yuning surrendered in grief and indignation.
She pouted, and followed Nangong Ye with a wronged look, taking three steps at a time, like a little prisoner being escorted. The villain in her heart had already cried down the Great Wall:
[Wow, wow, wow… Feudal tyranny! The evil old society! Bullying children! My freedom… My unique and beautiful life… It’s over before it even began…]
The palace ladies, eunuchs, and guards around him would run as far away as possible when they heard the sound. What a joke! They disturbed Prince Yong and the little ancestor's good deeds. No matter how many lives they had, they would not be enough to compensate them!
In the imperial garden, the sun is shining, the breeze is gentle, the exotic flowers and plants are competing for beauty, the rockery and flowing water are gurgling, and the whole place is peaceful and tranquil.
However, Dongfang Yuning felt as if he was walking on thin ice at every step as he walked in this picturesque scenery.
Nangong Ye deliberately slowed down his pace and walked side by side with her. His tall figure blocked the glaring sunlight for her.
He turned his head and looked at the little girl beside him who was only as tall as his chest, with her head lowered, as if she wanted to curl herself up into a ball. The frost in his eyes completely melted away, leaving only an almost gentle concentration.
"Ning'er,"
He spoke again, his voice a little softer than before, but with an unquestionable certainty.
"The day you come of age will be the day I announce the imperial decree and declare to the world that you are my, Nangong Ye's, princess."
Boom——!
Another thunderbolt struck Dongfang Yuning's head! She raised her head suddenly, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, and her little face was filled with fear, "Are you serious?"
[The imperial edict was announced on the day of her coming of age?!]
The villain in her heart was jumping around like crazy,
Three months! Only three months left! Are there only three months left of my single life?! It's going too fast! I'm not ready yet! I don't want to be a princess! I just want to be a happy melon-eating civet!
Nangong Ye seemed to see through the resistance in her eyes and continued to throw sweet bombs, trying to appease her:
"Don't worry, I will wait until you are sixteen, and then I will marry you with a grand ceremony, with a red dowry that will last for ten miles, and you will become the sole mistress of my Prince Yong's mansion."
His tone was solemn and promising.
[Getting married at sixteen? What a grand wedding... and the only mistress...]
These words went around in Dongfang Yuning's mind, and instead of making her feel at ease, they aroused even deeper fear!
[Wuwuwuwu…Tongzi! I’m done! Am I about to become the poison of this evil feudal arranged marriage?
Princess? That sounds nice!
By then, there will be two concubines, a bunch of beautiful concubines, and a mistress who knows where she is...
House fights unfold every day! Either they're poisoned or framed! In the end, they die in depression...
Wuuwuwu… I want to be alone and beautiful! I want to be free to fall in love! I don’t want to be a resentful woman in the boudoir~~~ I can’t see the light anymore!!]
She seemed to have seen her miserable future, and her little face wrinkled.
System: [Host... Please accept my condolences. This system has just conducted a deep scan of the biomagnetic field emanating from the prince's body...]
Dongfang Yuning: [How is it? Is it fake? Are you planning to have three harems and six courtyards?!]
System: […The scan results show that the prince is currently emitting an extremely rare strong magnetic field fluctuation that is a mixture of determination and possessiveness, with the peak value far exceeding the historical record!
The bioelectric signal feedback of its only mistress's words...is highly consistent!
To put it simply, he currently... seems serious. As for the future, I cannot predict it. But I suggest the host cherish life and stay away from family feuds?
After hearing the system's conclusion, Dongfang Yuning did not relax, but became even more desperate:
[It's even scarier when he's serious! It means he's got his eyes on me! I can't run away!]
Tongzi! Quick! Is there any invisibility charm in the mall? Disguise pills? Or... a time machine? I want to go back in time!]
Nangong Ye watched the little girl's face change from one moment to the next, sometimes fearful, sometimes sad and angry, and sometimes as if she were in a trance (talking to the system). Her rich and vivid expressions made a corner of his heart soften. He stopped and turned to face her.
The sunlight filtered through the gaps between the branches and leaves, casting fine shadows between his deep brows.
He stretched out his hand, and very naturally, with an irresistible tenderness, gently brushed away a strand of hair that was messed up by the wind on her cheek.
His fingertips accidentally touched her delicate and warm skin, and both of them trembled slightly.
"Ning'er,"
His voice was as deep as a cello, with a bewitching power.
"This king will only have you as his woman. In this life, only you."
His eyes were burning as he locked onto her panicked almond-shaped eyes.
"We still have so much time before the wedding..."
He leaned slightly closer, his warm breath almost surrounding her.
"Ning'er, give me a chance to understand you, take care of you, and make you marry me willingly, okay?"
These words, almost a confession, were so straightforward, so overbearing, yet carried a hint of cautious request.
With his unparalleled handsome face and focused and affectionate eyes, Dongfang Yuning thinks he is like a hungry wolf staring at meat, and his lethality is simply MAX!
【!!! 】
Dongfang Yuning felt like his heart was about to jump out of his throat! His cheeks were so hot that he could fry an egg!
[He, he, he... why is he so close?! Just talk! Stop touching me! And... what are you talking about, "I'm the only one here?"
Men's words are deceiving! Especially an old man like this who's in a high position, handsome, and powerful! If I believe him, I lose!
[Tongzi! Help! He's using his ultimate move! A beauty trap with a sugar-coated bullet! I... I can't take it anymore! My heart's beating so fast! This isn't scientific!]
The deer in her heart was already pounding away, but her rationality was still struggling.
System: [Beep! Host physiological indicators monitored: heart rate 128 beats/minute, elevated blood pressure, dilated facial capillaries (commonly known as blushing), increased adrenaline secretion!
Overall judgment: The host is suffering from a "three highs" sweet attack of high appearance, high status, and high concentration of sweet talk! The defense system is on the verge of collapse! Recommend a strategic retreat or surrender?
Nangong Ye looked at the little girl in front of him. Her face was as red as a ripe apple, her almond eyes were watery with panic and a hint of barely perceptible shyness, her little mouth was slightly open, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.
This look was so adorable that it made his heart tremble. He resisted the urge to hug her and waited patiently and coaxingly for her response.
The villain in my heart declared forcefully:
[Little one, there's no point being shy. You can't run away! Be my princess!]
Just when the ambiguity index was off the charts and Dongfang Yuning was about to be knocked unconscious by this "sweet" attack -
"Yu Ning——!"
A roar full of energy and anger was like thunder out of the blue, instantly breaking the charming atmosphere of the Imperial Garden!
The Marquis of Zhenguo, Dongfang Liezheng, was like a mad lion, followed by Dongfang Qichen with a sullen face and Dongfang Linyuan with a gleam in his eyes. Dongfang Yanru was probably relieved to be left in the imperial study, and the three of them rushed towards the water pavilion with great momentum!
It was obvious that the Emperor's tea and chat failed to completely suppress these Dongfang family men who were eager to protect their children, or rather, Nangong Yu had no intention of suppressing them at all and was happy to see his younger brother suffer a setback.
When Dongfang Liezheng saw Nangong Ye getting so close to his little sister, his eyes almost popped out!
[Ahhh! Big brother! Second brother! Third brother! Help!—!]
Dongfang Yuning shouted in ecstasy in his heart, he saw his savior!
She almost instinctively wanted to hide behind her brothers.
Nangong Ye looked at the Dongfang brothers rushing over, especially Dongfang Liezheng's murderous eyes. He frowned almost imperceptibly, and a hint of displeasure at being disturbed flashed in his eyes.
But his hand holding the blank imperial edict tightened quietly.
It seems that if one wants to successfully snatch away the most juicy cabbage from the Dongfang family, it is not enough to just deal with the little thing herself and her scheming emperor brother.
The three brothers of the Dongfang family who are protecting their cub, especially the irritable Marquis Zhenguo, are the real tough guys.
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