Rebirth of a Lost Nation: Princess, Please Respect Yourself

Jiang Lige's question was tricky. If she gave an inappropriate answer, the girl's reputation would be ruined.

Qiu Yuyan naturally knew this as well. She was speechless and could only cry with red eyes. However, Jiang Lige had a look of "what can you do to me" on his face and showed no intention of backing down.

"Zhaohua, please do not be rude. As for Miss Qiu, I shouldn't interfere in the Qiu family's affairs, but Miss Qiu's temper does need to be tempered."

Upon seeing this, Emperor Shengwu coughed lightly twice. With these words, he lightly revealed his attitude of treating Jiang Lige as his own family member.

Lord Qiu, who was singled out for criticism, was so ashamed that he couldn't even raise his head.

Ning Yunxiao watched the farce indifferently before bowing and explaining.

"The fabric used for this screen was donated by the people. This item not only represents the people's blessings for the Empress Dowager, but also symbolizes the people's support and love for the royal family. Therefore, my grandson believes that although the material of this screen is not precious, it is the most suitable as a birthday gift."

Empress Dowager Jiang was stunned. "Donations from the people?"

Ning Yunxiao nodded, "That's right."

"Yun Xiao's kindness is rare," Emperor Shengwu said with a smile, "but why did I hear that Yun Xiao left the capital for something important?"

"Nothing can be hidden from the emperor's discerning eyes."

Ning Yunxiao bowed and answered in a neither humble nor arrogant manner.

"A few days ago, the capital city was hit by heavy rain. Yun Xiao was worried about the suffering of the people in the suburbs, so he went to provide assistance. As luck would have it, he happened to see a riverbank on the verge of collapse. It took three days of repairs to prevent the collapse."

Empress Dowager Jiang laughed when she heard this, "No wonder the people are willing to donate hundreds of clothes, this is all thanks to Yun Xiao."

Emperor Shengwu was also very pleased. "As a son, he worked hard to prepare birthday gifts for his elders; as a minister, he worried about the livelihoods of the people and rushed to help them. Yun Xiao is worthy of being a role model for the royal family!"

"Your Majesty, I am deeply ashamed to receive your praise."

"I said you deserve it, so you deserve it!"

Jiang Lige glanced at Ning Yunxiao and felt very emotional. He only had the advantage of living one more life to gain a slight advantage.

And what about Ning Yunxiao?

I just casually said "a thunderstorm that only happens once every ten years", but this person saw the hidden meaning and acted accordingly. Such a smart mind...

No wonder my mother told me that!

While he was thinking, Emperor Shengwu had already ordered Ning Yunxiao to take a seat. Seeing this, Jiang Lige also returned to his seat. As soon as he sat down, he heard Jiang Chuchu pleading for Qiu Yuyan in a low voice.

"Sister, Yuyan is always outspoken and never meant to offend you. How can a girl withstand a beating? Sister, please be lenient and plead for Yuyan."

The tone was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the ladies around to hear.

Firstly, Jiang Chuchu can gain a good reputation for herself;

Secondly, if Jiang Lige openly refused, he would get a reputation as being "mean".

It’s a pity that Jiang Lige doesn’t care about these.

Therefore, Jiang Lige rolled his eyes ungraciously, and just as he was about to open his mouth to argue, he heard Ning Yunxiao chuckle and asked back.

"May I ask, if I hadn't arrived as scheduled, would Miss Qiu have let the princess go? Princess Zhaohua may be kind-hearted, but she should have used her power in the right place, otherwise she would be ridiculed."

When Qiu Yuyan heard the first half of the sentence, she was about to respond, but the second half blocked her way. Her face turned red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, and she simply kept silent.

"That's exactly why. Miss Qiu has been provoking me so many times today. I'm being kind by not taking it to heart!"

Jiang Lige also reacted quickly, smiled and waved to Jiang Chuchu.

"Chu Chu, why don't you come over? You're so close, if others don't know, they'll think you're the one who instigated it."

As soon as the word "provoke" came out, the ladies around looked at Jiang Chuchu with a little more inquiry in their eyes.

Indeed, Qiu Yuyan and Jiang Lige have no grudges against each other, so why would she target the princess of a friendly country and embarrass herself?

Jiang Chuchu's face flushed red, how could she dare to use this as an excuse again?

He nodded slightly to complete his manners, then returned to his seat next to Jiang Lige in a dejected manner.

From the high seat, seeing the interaction between Ning Yunxiao and Jiang Lige, Empress Dowager Jiang nodded with satisfaction, while Emperor Shengwu rubbed his jade ring thoughtfully.

……

Although the birthday banquet was lively, it was a tough job for Jiang Lige. Maintaining the etiquette perfectly took several hours and basically cost Jiang Lige half his life.

He walked out of the main hall with small steps and a decent smile on his face. The moment he left everyone's sight, he grabbed Song Yue and ran all the way back to the house to lie down!

After quickly turning the corridor, Jiang Lige was stopped by an unexpected person.

It’s Ning Luyang.

"That day at the Marquis' Mansion, I saw that Princess Zhaohua's foot was seriously injured. If Lu Yang hadn't been unable to move these days, he would have come to visit the princess long ago." Ning Lu Yang was dressed in dark green, his eyes gentle. "Is the princess's foot injury better now?"

Jiang Lige blinked, thinking that Ning Luyang's ability to find conversation out of nothing needed to be improved.

"Was I not running fast enough just now? Or should I run another one for Master Ba?"

"..."

Ning Luyang choked for a moment, and it took him a while to find his voice again. "Now that the princess has recovered, I am relieved."

"Since Mr. Eighth is relieved, I will leave first!" Jiang Lige nodded and was about to leave.

"Ali."

Following a familiar call, Jiang Lige was grabbed by the arm by Ning Luyang without warning and pressed against the wall.

Ning Luyang was probably driven mad by Jiang Lige's repeated disregard, and there was still a burning anger in his eyes, but when the distance got closer, it was soon covered up by a deep sense of helplessness.

Jiang Lige's eyes were wide open, and besides shock, there was more hatred.

What Jiang Lige hated more than Ning Luyang's behavior at the moment was his word "A Li".

In his previous life, he also called her this.

The affectionate calls of "Ali" wove a poisonous web wrapped in honey, trapping her in it, leaving her with countless holes and a fight to the death.

A slap landed on his face, and Ning Luyang took a step back in surprise. A burning pain spread across his face, followed by a strong sense of shame.

As for Jiang Lige, there seemed to be a gleam of light in his clear eyes, his hands were trembling slightly from exerting too much force, his thin lips were shaking, but every word he spoke was exceptionally firm.

"Eighth Master should know what to do and what not to do."

Ning Luyang finally came to his senses and quickly suppressed the discomfort in his heart to explain.

"Yes, I overstepped my bounds today. But I know for sure I haven't offended the princess, yet she avoids me like the plague. I have no other options today. Even if it means risking my dignity, I still want to ask the princess why she's avoiding me."

"There are differences between men and women. Master Ba doesn't even know this basic etiquette?"

"Princess, you know that's not what I'm asking."

Ning Luyang sighed with feigned sadness, "As the saying goes, time reveals a person's true character. If the princess could open her heart to me, how would she know that Luyang is not someone to befriend?"

Jiang Lige was just about to say "Please don't disgust me" when he saw the bright light dodging around the corner and understood.

He chuckled and slowly leaned close to Ning Luyang's ear.