Chapter 79: The Princess of the Lost Nation, Bai Yueguang 10: Confession of Love
Emperor Xuanping walked slowly in the hall with his hands behind his back. He had just angrily scolded the guards, but now he suddenly turned around, changed his tone, and seemed to remember something. He looked at Wen Qianning and asked.
"My little princess... I heard that it was the hostage from Dayan who saved you?"
Wen Qianning's heart skipped a beat, thinking that Emperor Xuanping must have already learned what happened from Zhuiyun and Zhuyue.
She remained calm and only responded softly: "Yeah."
"In that case..." Emperor Xuanping's eyes narrowed slightly, his meaning unclear. "The hostage of Dayan should be rewarded well. Come! Send Dayan the hostage."
Not long after, Ji Hanlin was summoned into the hall.
The young man's expression was calm. After entering, his gaze first fell on Wen Qianning who was lying on the couch, as if he wanted to confirm her current condition. After his eyes met the stunned girl, he immediately looked away, saluted, and stood quietly.
"It was you who saved my Princess Zhaohua?" Emperor Xuanping spoke, but nothing could be heard from his tone.
"Yes." Ji Hanlin's expression did not change, and he replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.
Although he saved his daughter, but... Wen Chengyan's eyes hardened slightly, and some doubts arose in his heart.
The Dayan hostage actually has such good skills?
He couldn't help but suspect Ji Hanlin of possessing some hidden kung fu skills. After all, his identity was clear: a hostage of an enemy nation. Furthermore, he was carrying such a dangerous, sharp, yet inconspicuous weapon, and appeared outside the courtyard in the dead of night. It was all too coincidental. How could he claim this wasn't premeditated?
Emperor Xuanping smiled with great joy, but the smile did not reach his eyes. "You risked your life to save my Zhaohua in time. I must thank you."
Then he immediately changed the subject, feigning curiosity and saying, "However, I still have a few questions that remain unanswered. Why did you appear there in the middle of the night? And why did you carry a throwing knife with you?"
This statement clearly shows that Ji Hanlin is also suspected of being involved with the assassin. Although he was the one who eliminated the assassin, it cannot be completely ruled out that he and the assassin are not in the same group, and he is just trying to gain trust.
Or perhaps, Ji Hanlin wanted to take credit for himself and covet something bigger?
Wen Qianning secretly thought that something was wrong. She was familiar with her father's methods. It was a time of chaos, with many countries standing side by side and Emperor Xuanping surrounded by them. If Emperor Xuanping did not have a heart of iron, how could he stabilize such a big country?
Although Ji Hanlin was called here today because of his contribution in saving her, it was obvious that he had already become suspicious of Ji Hanlin. If there was even a hint of suspicion, the emperor would never show mercy.
If Emperor Xuanping believed that Ji Hanlin had ill intentions, he would definitely make secret plans to completely eliminate Dayan, the hostage, because as an emperor, this is how he would nip in the bud any signs that might threaten the safety of his country.
So, Wen Qianning quickly spoke before Ji Hanlin could, and hurriedly shouted, "Father, I'm sorry!"
She stood up, tightly grasped her skirt with both hands, lowered her eyes for a moment, and when she raised them again, her eyes were already filled with tears.
"It seems... we really can't hide it anymore." She turned her head to look at Ji Hanlin, then quickly turned back to look at Emperor Xuanping. The girl bit her lip, looking a little shy, as if she had made a great decision before she said, "It's because... Ji Hanlin and I have been secretly together."
As soon as the words fell, the hall fell silent.
Ji Hanlin: “?”
Zhuiyun and Zhuyue on the side changed their expressions drastically. They knelt on the ground and kowtowed quickly, not daring to say anything more.
Fortunately, there were only a few of them in the hall at that time, otherwise if outsiders heard Wen Qianning's bold words, rumors would spread again.
Emperor Xuanping was in disbelief, suspecting Wen Qianning was deceiving him. He narrowed his eyes coldly and said in a serious tone, "What did you say? Together? Zhaohua, you can't talk nonsense!"
Wen Qianning forced herself to remain calm, feigning the air of a young woman in love. She lowered her head and said shyly, "A few days ago, we had a fight and didn't speak to each other for several days. Later... he admitted his fault, so we made an appointment to go out in the evening to have a good talk and talk it out."
"That flying knife... was actually a token of love I gave him. It meant... to ask him to protect me well. I never expected it to actually come in handy."
As she spoke, a hint of shame and anger even appeared in her eyes, perfectly portraying a young girl who was just beginning to fall in love and didn't want her father to see through her feelings. Emperor Xuanping was speechless and stared at his daughter for a long time without saying a word.
"What she said... is all true?" Wen Chengyan held his forehead helplessly and asked Ji Hanlin.
Ji Hanlin was silent for a moment, but finally agreed: "...Yes."
Although he didn't know what the little princess was up to, he remained frank and quickly picked up Wen Qianning's words, "I have admired Princess Zhaohua for a long time, but I know my status is humble and I dare not speak rashly. It is my blessing to be favored by Her Highness the Princess."
Wen Qianning's heart skipped a beat as she hadn't expected him to pick up her words so easily. The boy's voice was steady, neither hurried nor slow, but to her ears it was like a stone dropped into a lake, causing ripples in her heart.
Emperor Xuanping lowered his eyes and stared at the young boy and girl, his brows furrowed even deeper. So… when Ji Hanlin asked for permission to move out of Yaoguang Palace, it was not because he was afraid of tarnishing the princess's reputation as he had said at the beginning, but because they had a quarrel?
In this way, what Wen Qianning said just now, that they had been secretly in love for a long time, could be true.
Even so, Emperor Xuanping still felt that they shouldn't be together and couldn't help but scold them: "Nonsense, absolutely nonsense!"
"Father, Ji Hanlin and I are truly in love with each other. I hope you can help us." Wen Qianning's tears had already slid down her cheeks before she knew it. She looked so pitiful and sympathetic, as if she would rather die than be separated from Ji Hanlin.
Seeing how much Zhao Hua loved this hostage, Wen Chengyan couldn't help but waver. He had already doted on his only daughter to the extreme, and now, even though he felt the difference in their status and the intervening considerations between countries, he couldn't bear it and finally compromised and gave his daughter his daughter.
Never mind, there's nothing wrong with letting them be together now, but he will never let their affair be publicized.
In his eyes, it was okay for Ji Hanlin to play with Zhao Hua, but if he really wanted to betroth Zhao Hua to him, he would definitely not agree.
The hall was silent for a long time. Emperor Xuanping sighed and waved his hand as if to compromise. His voice was filled with helplessness: "Zhaohua, you are still young. I can turn a blind eye to your affairs, but...you must not spread this to anyone!"
Having said that, he turned to look at Ji Hanlin: "Since Zhaohua likes you, then let you do as you please. However, I warn you, do not cross the line even a single step!"
Ji Hanlin lowered his eyes, clasped his fists, and replied, "Yes."
The atmosphere eased slightly, and Emperor Xuanping asked again, "You saved Princess Zhaohua. According to Xuanping regulations, you deserve a generous reward. What reward do you want?"
The young man raised his eyes, his gaze landing on Wen Qianning. Under the light, his expression was extremely serious, and each word was as clear as a stone. "I don't need anything. I only ask that I can always protect Her Royal Highness the Princess. That's enough."
When these words were spoken, even Wen Qianning was stunned, and her heart was pounding wildly.
Emperor Xuanping looked at Ji Hanlin deeply, feeling that the young man's tone was very sincere. However, because of this, he felt even more complicated.
"Forget it, in that case, I'll go back first. Zhaohua, go to bed early." Emperor Xuanping was extremely tired, sighed, turned around and left.
Wen Qianning felt relieved and hurriedly pulled Ji Hanlin to bow. After Emperor Xuanping left the palace, the girl still felt a trace of shyness in her heart and glanced at the young man beside her.
Just met his gaze.
At this moment, their eyes met, and the hall seemed to be shrouded in an ambiguous atmosphere. Wen Qianning felt his chest fluttering as if a little rabbit was hiding inside. He quickly looked away, but couldn't help but secretly glance back.
"Zhuiyun, Zhuyue, you go down first." Wen Qianning's cheeks were hot. He coughed lightly and simply withdrew from Zhuiyun and Zhuyue.
There were only two of them left in the huge bedroom.
Wen Qianning pursed her lips, straightened her back, snorted softly, and raised her chin proudly, saying, "Hmph, don't misunderstand me, and don't think that I really like you! I just said that to save your life. After all, you saved me, and I can't just stand by and watch my father doubt you, so I resorted to this desperate measure..."
The girl's eyes were bright and her mouth was chattering, but Ji Hanlin couldn't hear anything she said.
Because... Wen Qianning was finally willing to pay attention to him. He didn't want to go through the cold war like the last few days again. Thinking of this, Ji Hanlin raised the corners of his lips slightly, feeling genuinely happy.
Seeing the normally aloof and reserved young man staring at her and even smiling at her, Wen Qianning was startled. It felt very strange, and with wide eyes, she asked fearfully, "Are you possessed?"
"..." Ji Hanlin was speechless for a moment, then put away his smile and said to Wen Qianning in a very serious tone:
"sorry."
"Ah?" Wen Qianning was stunned and looked at him blankly, not understanding why the male protagonist would suddenly apologize to her.
"A few days ago, I was offended by my words and actions and made you unhappy. But the truth is, it was because when Your Highness returned from the Spring Banquet that day, the jade pendant fell on my bed."
"Zhuyue said it was a token of love given by the Prime Minister's son, so I thought... you and Xie Yunji were in love. I was so upset for a moment that I couldn't help but think that in your eyes, I might... be nothing at all. Since I might be so insignificant to you, I felt like retreating, afraid of getting too deeply involved."
At this moment, his pride and arrogance seemed to be peeling off in front of Wen Qianning, and the boy exposed his cautious heart.
Wen Qianning stood there, looking at him blankly, with an innocent and clumsy expression, but his heart had already melted into one.
Ji Hanlin suddenly reached out, gently put his arm around her waist, picked her up, and placed her safely on the bed.
"Your Highness, you were frightened today." His voice was gentler than ever before. "You should rest well and stop standing for too long."
Wen Qianning sat on the soft bed, and finally realized what was happening. She immediately grabbed Ji Hanlin by the collar and asked with a blushing face, "What did you just say...you said you were upset because you thought Xie Yunji and I were in love, and you said you were afraid that you were nothing to me...what did you mean?"
"Ji Hanlin, do you like me?"
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The author has something to say: [Hug][Hug] Send red envelopes to the babies~
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