Chapter 80 The Lost Princess Bai Yueguang 11 Kiss
Ji Hanlin just smiled without saying anything, and reached out to pinch Wen Qianning's pink and delicate face.
"Ji Hanlin, you're so bold!" The girl's eyelashes trembled with panic. She hurriedly slapped his hand away and pinched it back in frustration, saying coquettishly, "Who allowed you to touch me? I'm the only one who gets to pinch your face!"
"Sorry." Ji Hanlin suppressed a smile, but still pretended to be serious. "Your Highness is so adorable... I couldn't help my emotions for a moment."
Even bullying her like this wasn't enough. The boy actually pressed on, "What should I do? Because Your Highness is so cute, I really... want to kiss you. Is that okay?"
Hearing this, Wen Qianning was startled and her ears turned even redder. Just as she was about to retort, Ji Hanlin leaned over without saying a word and gently kissed her rosy cheek.
Wen Qianning's face turned red instantly.
"You, you, you..." She pointed at the young man in front of her in disbelief, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time. The arrogant aura that originally belonged to Princess Zhaohua was gone, and her face was flushed with shame.
She was like a deflated ball, burying her head in his neck, sobbing and refusing to look up.
It was just a fleeting thought, but he hadn't expected her reaction to be so intense. Seeing the girl's shoulders trembling slightly in embarrassment, Ji Hanlin felt a wave of pain in his heart, realizing he had indeed gone too far. He had no choice but to calm down and whisper in her ear, "Your Highness, I was wrong. I'm sorry."
Wen Qianning's voice was muffled in the crook of his neck, and she looked innocent and naive.
"Hmph! I don't want to bother with you anymore."
Having said that, she did not loosen her grip on his collar.
Ji Hanlin lowered his eyes, the corners of his lips curling up slightly. She said "ignoring" but it didn't sound like she was really angry. She was clearly just being coquettish, which was adorable.
"Okay." The young man agreed with her words and said deliberately in a serious tone, "Even though Your Highness the Princess has ignored me, I will still protect you. I can't drive you away no matter what."
Wen Qianning became even more shy when she heard that. She raised her head and glared at him. Her eyes were filled with water, as if they contained a pool of autumn water, bright and charming.
She was so angry that she punched him casually, but it didn't have much power.
"Your Highness, please go to bed early." Ji Hanlin pulled the quilt over her, stroked her furry head, and coaxed the girl to sleep.
Unexpectedly, Wen Qianning suddenly reached out and grabbed him, revealing half of her rosy little face, her eyes shining, as if she had come up with some tricks to torment him.
"No!" She shook her head stubbornly, "You have to tell me a story to put me to sleep."
Ji Hanlin was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle: "Tell a story?"
Wen Qianning blinked and said seriously, "Yes. When Mother was alive, whenever I couldn't sleep, she would sit by the couch and slowly tell me stories to lull me to sleep. But after Mother passed away, there's no one to lull me to sleep like this anymore..."
Having said this, her voice softened, and she lowered her eyes aggrievedly, with a hint of loneliness in her eyes.
Ji Hanlin's heart tightened as he couldn't stand the girl's demeanor.
His mother died even earlier, not long after he was born. Not to mention being told stories, he had never even seen what his mother looked like.
He grew up alone in so many silent nights, but he would never tell Wen Qianning these words.
After a moment's silence, Ji Hanlin stood up and picked up a book on the table. The words "University" were written on the cover.
Wen Qianning saw this and was very dissatisfied: "Bah, who wants to listen to these big principles."
He ignored her, pretending not to hear, and unrolled his book. The young man's voice was deep and steady, especially peaceful in the night: "The way of the university is to manifest the bright virtue, to be close to the people, and to stop at the highest good..."
Wen Qianning wanted to make a fuss at first, but Ji Hanlin's words gradually turned into a hypnotic melody. As she listened, her eyelids became heavier and her breathing gradually became even.
Ji Hanlin stopped and looked up. The girl was already sleeping on her side with a sweet smile on her face.
He suppressed the urge to kiss the girl, put away the book, stood up and gently closed the door.
When we walked outside the hall, Zhuiyun and Zhuyue were still waiting at the door.
"Her Royal Highness the Princess has gone to bed." Ji Hanlin said.
Zhuiyun nodded, his expression normal, "Thank you, Master Ji."
Zhuyue was a little stunned, and her eyes involuntarily fell on the boy's back.
A sense of loss welled up in my heart.
She hadn't imagined that Ji Hanlin and the princess had actually reached the stage of mutual affection. They had even spoken openly and honestly in front of Emperor Xuanping. And just now, he had personally stayed by the bed, coaxing the princess to sleep.
Zhuyue felt a slight pain in her heart.
Only at this moment did she realize what her complicated feelings towards Ji Hanlin actually meant.
She likes him.
But this love is destined to have nowhere to go.
*
Before dawn the next day, the sound of bells and drums could be heard outside the temple.
Today is the grand sacrificial ceremony. Emperor Xuanping leads all civil and military officials to gather in the temple in the mountains, burning incense and praying for the prosperity of the country.
Although there was an assassin last night, the incident was sudden and the news was suppressed, so it did not spread. So the ceremony went on as scheduled, but the security was several times tighter.
Wen Qianning was woken up early in the morning by Zhuyue, yawning from sleepiness. She waved her hand impatiently and was forced to put on the bright red sacrificial garment.
The sacrificial garments were made of intricate brocade, and when draped over them, they looked as gorgeous as a ball of fire from a distance.
"Princess, you look so beautiful today." Zhuyue flattered her carefully while straightening her hair.
Wen Qianning snorted and curled her lips, saying, "Even though it looks good, I'm exhausted. This princess would rather sleep in for another stick of incense. Seriously, you have to get up so early."
Zhuiyun couldn't help laughing and patiently advised, "Your Highness, please be patient. Today is a grand ceremony after all, and you absolutely must not lose your manners."
Wen Qianning said "Oh" and muttered to herself, she didn't care about any impropriety, but as the Princess of Xuanping, she had her own mission, so she had to force herself to cheer up.
After the ceremony began, the temple was filled with incense and the sound of bells and chimes. Wen Qianning was placed beside the emperor, sitting upright and suppressing the urge to yawn.
She couldn't help but glance at the crowd out of the corner of her eye.
Standing behind the officials, the young man still looked exceptionally stern, completely out of tune with the hustle and bustle around him, his expression expressionless.
However, Wen Qianning keenly noticed that his eyes briefly met hers.
Her heart pounded, and she quickly turned her eyes away, not daring to look again. However, the more she didn't dare to look, the more she worried about him.
…
The ceremony lasted for a full hour, and finally ended when the last bell rang.
Everyone followed Emperor Xuanping out and headed towards the mountain behind the temple. According to convention, after the ceremony, the emperor would hold a banquet here and have a drink with his ministers to show his favor.
Wen Qianning immediately became more energetic when he saw that he could leave the temple.
There was a lake on the mountain with beautiful scenery. She excitedly pulled Zhuiyun and Zhuyue to the lakeside. The spring mountain breeze made the water surface ripple, and petals fluttered in the wind and landed in the blue waves.
"It's so beautiful." Zhuyue couldn't help but sigh in a low voice. Wen Qianning also nodded, looking like a pretty girl.
Zhuiyun smiled and said, "If Your Highness likes this, you can go boating with me after the banquet. It will surely be more beautiful if Your Highness goes to the center of the lake to see it in person."
Wen Qianning was moved by what she heard and was about to answer yes, but suddenly she saw a familiar figure not far away.
Ji Hanlin was standing alone by the lake with no one around him. Seeing this, Wen Qianning subconsciously slowed down his pace.
"Your Highness?" Zhuiyun looked at her doubtfully.
Wen Qianning quickly pretended to be nonchalant and raised her chin: "I want to go get some fresh air by myself, don't follow me."
"How can this be possible?" Zhuiyun was horrified. "You were just assassinated last night. I absolutely cannot let you act alone again."
Wen Qianning was completely blocked by Zhuiyun. She made up her mind and said confidently, "Alright, alright, it's actually Ji Hanlin who's there! I want to go find him, alright?"
Zhuiyun was startled for a moment, then reacted. A hint of mischief flashed in his eyes, and he leaned closer with a smile: "If Your Highness wants to go look for Master Ji, why beat around the bush? Just say it directly."
"How dare you!" Wen Qianning glared at her in embarrassment, her cheeks instantly flushed. "How dare you make fun of this princess?!"
"I know I was wrong, Your Highness, please don't be angry." Zhuiyun begged for mercy quickly, but he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.
Zhu Yue, standing by, forced a smile and echoed in a low voice, "Your Highness and Young Master Ji... are indeed deeply in love. Seeing others watching, they're naturally happy too."
Having said that, she felt bad in her heart.
Unaware of Zhuyue's expression, Wen Qianning simply shook her sleeves and feigned dignity, saying, "Never mind. This princess won't argue with you. Please leave first. This princess is going to the lake."
After saying that, she walked quickly towards there.
Ji Hanlin heard the noise and turned around. Seeing that it was Wen Qianning, his eyes relaxed slightly and he bowed respectfully: "Greetings, Her Royal Highness."
"Hmph." Wen Qianning missed him very much and wanted to be with him all the time, but she was also a little nervous. Last night, he... kissed her on the cheek and took advantage of her. Now that they met, she felt guilty and couldn't even look him in the eye.
She was extremely stubborn, imitating her usual arrogant demeanor, and said coldly with her hands behind her back, "What are you doing here?"
"The scenery by the lake is very beautiful, I just took a casual look." Ji Hanlin replied calmly.
He was still so indifferent. The more Wen Qianning saw him like this, the more uncomfortable she felt.
He was so... so gentle and bold last night, why did he become so cold and lonely today?
"You, stop pretending to be nonchalant!" She instantly became unhappy, glaring at him angrily, stamping her foot and saying through gritted teeth, "You were so proactive yesterday, why are you pretending to be so in front of this princess now?"
Ji Hanlin was stunned for a moment, then a deeper smile appeared in his eyes, and the corners of his lips couldn't help but rise.
"So the princess really liked my initiative yesterday?" he teased, then said seriously, "I'm sorry, I'm just afraid that if someone saw us outside and heard us, it would tarnish Her Highness's reputation."
He spoke so righteously, but wasn't he the one who kissed her last night when she wasn't paying attention? Wen Qianning was completely at her wit's end because of his shamelessness.
Noticing the faint blue mark under her eyes, Ji Hanlin's expression changed slightly, and he restrained his smile. He asked in a low voice: "Last night... Your Highness didn't sleep well?"
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