Rong Ning glanced around the hall and felt there was nothing fun left. She had been sitting there for a long time, and it would be a bit awkward for her to sit any longer.
She thought for a moment, her eyes darting around, and inadvertently swept her wine cup lightly, spilling the wine onto her clothes. Seeing this, A-Ying quickly squatted down to clean it up for her. Rong Ning stopped her movements, stood up, and told the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine that she needed to go and change her clothes.
Although the clothes I was wearing were nice, they were also stuffy and uncomfortable to wear in this kind of weather.
Rong Ning left Hanyuan Palace and hadn't gone far when she started tearing at her clothes. Aying was horrified and quickly advised her, "My dear Your Highness, please bear with it for now. We can take them off when we get back to Zhaoqing Palace, okay?"
Frustrated, Rong Ning pulled up her long, trailing dress and strode back to Zhaoqing Palace.
They moved quickly, and as soon as they entered Zhaoqing Palace, Rong Ning took off her clothes and had her servants prepare water to remove her makeup. Then she lay straight on the bed and said, "If Father or Consort sends someone to ask, just say that the coming-of-age ceremony is over, and everything that needs to be seen has been seen. There's nothing more for me to do. I'm too tired today and want to rest for a while. Tell them not to worry about me."
After Rong Ning finished speaking, she turned over and fell asleep.
Aying felt sorry for her and quickly nodded in agreement, telling her to sleep peacefully and that she could handle anything.
Rong Ning didn't wake up until it was completely dark; she woke up because she was hungry.
Aying was sleeping soundly on the small couch next to her. Rong Ning didn't want to disturb her, so she got up and dressed herself, and asked the palace maid to prepare some food.
She moved very gently, but still woke Ah Ying up. "Your Highness~ why didn't you wake me up?"
Rong Ning walked over, poured herself a cup of tea, and said slowly, "If you're sleepy, just sleep a little longer. Anyway, there's nothing to do. You've been quite tired lately."
"It's quite tiring!" A-Ying stood up and stretched. "But it's all worth it, Your Highness. Once things have settled down, can we go back to the north?"
"I hope so..."
The servants worked quickly and prepared the food in no time. Rong Ning and A Ying ate a little something together. After they were full, A Ying wandered around the palaces to chat with her sisters and hear if anything significant had happened in the palace while they were away.
Rong Ning moved a deck chair and lay down in the courtyard, lost in thought.
There was already little she could do while in the palace, and after her coming-of-age ceremony, there was even less to do. She could just lie quietly and sort out her thoughts for the future.
When the Crown Prince arrived, she was resting her head on her hands with her eyes closed, thinking about how to tell her father about the selection of the consort. Suddenly, she heard a noise and immediately opened her eyes, only to find the Crown Prince standing beside her.
Rong Ning was surprised that he would come at this hour. "Why are you at Zhaoqing Palace?"
"Just came to see you~"
"We just met during the day!"
The Crown Prince sat down next to her and said leisurely, "There were too many people and it was too chaotic during the day. You left right after that, so I didn't get to have a proper chat with you. After tonight, you'll probably be rushing back to the Princess's residence tomorrow, so I came here."
Rong Ning tilted her head and looked at him directly, asking, "What do you want to tell me?"
What are you saying?
Even the crown prince didn't know.
My feelings are a bit complicated. I feel like my little sister has suddenly grown up. I wonder how the little girl who used to turn the whole palace upside down has reached marriageable age.
"Ah Ning...how did time fly by so fast!"
"Um?"
Rong Ning couldn't sense his complex emotions...
"Is it fast? I feel it's quite slow, so slow that I don't even know when I can return to the Northern Territory. Brother, I can't stand staying in Nanyang City any longer. Now that the Prime Minister's Mansion has fallen and the Prime Minister's faction has been dealt a heavy blow, I think it's about time for me to return to the Northern Territory!"
The Crown Prince remained silent for a while before saying, "If you simply want to return to the Northern Territory, you can leave at any time. But if you want military power in the Northern Territory, you'll have to wait a while."
Rong Ning sighed softly and sat up. "I know, I can wait!"
"Um..."
The Crown Prince nodded, then took out a large box from somewhere and stuffed it into Rong Ning's arms.
"What is this?" Rong Ning opened it and found many house deeds and land deeds, including those for shops and estates, as well as a token.
“This is all my properties in the north. That token is my token. If you ever need it, you can use this token to mobilize the underground forces I operate in the north to do some shady things for you.”
The crown prince had been working with the emperor in the court for a long time and had also been building his own power base throughout the Southern Dynasty.
These people are either not needed or not, but when they are used, they are extremely useful.
Rong Ning laughed, "You're really willing to transfer all of these to me?"
"Of course... consider it a coming-of-age gift for you!"
"Big Brother is so generous!" Rong Ning praised.
But something still felt off.
Think back to the last time she had such a good thing, it was when her elder sister was going to marry into a foreign land and transferred all of her properties to her.
Rong Ning was a little scared and asked, "Big brother, have you encountered some problem?"
"What?"
"It feels like you're entrusting things to someone like an older sister..." Rong Ning said earnestly, "After entrusting what needs to be entrusted, I'm leaving!"
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince laughed helplessly and flicked her forehead, saying, "What are you thinking? As the Crown Prince, where else could I possibly go?"
Ah Ning, ever since Father Emperor ascended the throne, my entire life has been tied to the imperial city. My only goal is to do everything well, without making mistakes, without losing, and without running away...
Otherwise, you might lose everything, including your life.
"Wouldn't it be better if you kept all these things? You need the money and the people!"
The crown prince smiled and patted the top of her head, saying softly, "These are for you. I don't lack money or people. These businesses and influence are all in the North. It's not easy for me to manage them in Nanyang City, so they're not of much use to me. You'll eventually have to go back to the North, so it's perfect for you!"
Ah Ning... I just hope to help you in my own way so that you can gain a foothold in the North in the future.
To tell you the truth, Yang'er's marriage to a foreign ruler taught me a lesson: I can't always protect the people I care about; I guess I'm not that capable.
All I can do is try my best to help you grow, to make you stronger, and to give you the confidence to stand in the world, which comes from yourself, not from relying on others.
That way, if I can't protect you in the future, or if I'm blinded by greed and treat you badly, you'll have something to protect yourself!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com