In the blink of an eye, the scene before her eyes changed along with the scenes in Jiang Yuan's memory.
Jiang Yuan stood in the Heavenly Bath Pool, surrounded by swirling smoke.
Ripples spread across the Heavenly Bathing Pool as a graceful figure emerged from the water, splashing water everywhere.
Her dark hair clung to her back, with beads of hair dripping down. The little girl who had previously looked somewhat malnourished was now fair and tender, and had grown quite a bit taller, with even her chest showing slight rise and fall.
Perhaps it was because she had just taken a bath, or perhaps the water in the pool was hot, but her cheeks were rosy, and she looked like a lotus emerging from the water.
But his eyes remained the same as before.
indifferent.
It was as if he was uninterested in everything.
Even Jiang Yuan was taken aback when she saw herself like this.
Is this really her?
It was one thing when I was a child, but I still maintain that indifferent attitude now that I'm grown up.
This reminded Jiang Yuan of Jiang Ningyuan, who was the same way.
No, you're wrong. The 'she' in front of you is even more formidable than Jiang Ningyuan.
Jiang Ningyuan can at least act, but 'she' can't.
This was true when I was a child, and it remains true as I grow older.
It's like a stone; you can't warm it up.
It's like ice, it won't melt.
Jiang Yuan's gaze fell upon Xiao Wu, who slowly rose from the pool, picked up the clothes placed to the side, put them on, and her slender, delicate hands were fiddling with the straps on the clothes.
The movements were slow yet extremely elegant.
Just then, the tightly closed door clicked open.
"Who!" Before Xiao Wu could speak, a cold voice, tinged with wariness, came from the direction of the door.
Young Ning Yuan stared intently at the swirling smoke ahead, his narrow eyes fixed on the distance.
The atmosphere around him became stagnant as his emotions shifted.
The ministers were extremely worried about his choice of empress, and they tried every means to send women to his bed.
As long as the women in their family are favored or catch his eye, even if they are not made empresses, they can ensure the family's wealth and prosperity.
Therefore, even though he made an example of them and publicly punished those women who had climbed into his bed, the ministers still refused to give up.
Recently, the matter has even been brought up in court, pressuring him to establish an empress or to select concubines.
He suppressed the matter in public, thinking that the ministers would quiet down for a while. Unexpectedly, they changed their strategy and instead of putting women in his bed, they sent them to wait for him in the dragon bath.
They've become clever; they even know how to change their approach.
"Your Majesty, it is I." Upon hearing that cold voice, Xiao Wu, who had been on guard, relaxed instead, his thin lips parted slightly, his voice tinged with a hint of hoarseness.
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Wu slowly emerged from the smoke and met the eyes of the young Ning Yuan.
Upon seeing the person before him clearly, the young Ning Yuan's eyes flickered slightly, showing a hint of surprise.
Within seconds, a blush crept onto his face, and even the tips of his ears turned a burning red, as if he had a fever.
A fire seemed to be burning fiercely within him, and reason, like a beast trying to escape its cage, left only impulse, making his breathing even more rapid.
The girl's coat clung tightly to her body, her figure slender as a willow, her collarbones prominent like a butterfly.
Her dark hair was loose and somewhat messy, but it contrasted sharply with her fair skin.
With that indifferent face, she was like an ice lotus on a high mountain.
It deeply attracts others, yet makes them reluctant to harm it in the slightest.
How could this be...?
She's...fouling it...
At this moment, young Ning Yuan realized that as he grew up, she had grown up as well.
Young Ning Yuan looked away, trying to calm himself down.
But my heart was still pounding violently, as if it were about to jump out of my chest.
"Your Majesty?" Xiao Wu called out as the young Ning Yuan looked away, his face flushed.
If someone's face is bright red, there's a high chance they have a fever.
Tomorrow is the grand festival for the Ning family's ancestral worship, and as the king, he must be present to offer the first incense to his ancestors.
During this major festival, when the whole country is celebrating, he cannot afford to fall ill or have any mishaps.
It would be very troublesome if he were sick or had an accident and was unable to attend.
Others' destinies are not as good as his, nor is their fate as heavy. If someone else were to offer the first incense stick in his place, it might shorten their lifespan.
This group of other people also includes Chi Wang.
Although Prince Chi also shared the surname Ning and was Emperor Yuan's uncle, his life was not as important as Emperor Yuan's.
If the King of Chi were to offer incense and make sacrifices, it would be no different from gambling with one's life.
Although she could offer the first incense stick, she was merely the Grand Preceptor of the Kingdom of Li. It would be somewhat contrary to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches for the Grand Preceptor to offer the first incense stick to the ancestors of the king.
Even if she agreed, the court officials and the people of the country would not.
Therefore, he cannot get sick for the time being.
The young Ning Yuan frowned slightly, the restlessness in his heart gradually calming down with the words "Your Majesty II" from the person in front of him.
His Majesty?
All these years, she has always regarded him only as His Majesty.
Even if he caught her taking a bath, she could calmly call him Your Majesty.
She really has remained the same for ten years.
Young Ning Yuan snapped out of his daze and coughed, "What are you doing here?"
This is the Heavenly Bathing Pool, where he bathed.
Ordinary people wouldn't be so foolish as to come here.
Although she was no ordinary person, but—
This was her first time here.
They say something unusual must be a sign of trouble, and he didn't believe that meeting her here was just a coincidence.
"Could it be... that you haven't seen me for a day and miss me?" the young Ning Yuan teased, a smile playing on his lips.
However, Xiao A Wu's face remained expressionless, only his eyes, as black as obsidian, were staring straight at him.
Seeing that Xiao A Wu didn't react, the young Ning Yuan wasn't disappointed at all.
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