Rebirth of a Lost Nation: Princess, Please Respect Yourself

The next day, at the first light of dawn, the sky was turning pale, and the short but thrilling "palace coup" was buried in the darkness.

The streets and alleys are bustling with people and cars, and the imperial city is still as prosperous as yesterday.

Inside the palace walls, the golden tiles of the imperial palace shone with the light of the morning sun. The guards were on high alert, and officials in official uniforms poured into the Golden Throne Hall one after another with solemn expressions.

Imperial edicts stamped with red ink came out from the Golden Throne Hall, announcing to the world that the rebellion had been quelled.

First, Prince Xiaoping and his rebels were swiftly apprehended and brought to justice. The entire family of Prince Xiaoping was executed, upholding the law. Meanwhile, with the exception of a few leading officers, all of his rebels were incorporated into the Ministry of War, commanded by Deng Sijiu, as a gesture of the court's magnanimity and forgiveness of past offenses.

Princess Jingyu was stripped of her title of Princess and ordered to commit suicide with Crane's Beak Red to save the royal family's reputation. This incident serves as a warning to all members of the royal family: do not harbor second thoughts.

Ye Jiayun, the granddaughter of Grand Tutor Ye, was also sentenced to death for colluding with Prince Xiaoping to murder a member of the imperial family. Given Grand Tutor Ye's meritorious service in assisting the Crown Prince and his lack of knowledge of this, he has been stripped of his title and fined for one year as a warning. It is hoped that his family will learn from this and remain loyal to the country.

Secondly, the Chi tribe and Sheng Ling officially signed a document to become a vassal tribe. From that day on, the Chi tribe became part of Sheng Ling. After being registered with the government, they could freely travel in Sheng Ling's territory, trade, study, and learn the truth. They were no different from the children of Sheng Ling, enjoying the same rights and assuming corresponding obligations.

At the same time, Sheng Ling will also set up a school in the place where the Yuchi tribe gathers, invite famous teachers to teach classics, history, and literature, and also teach the languages and cultures of various ethnic groups in order to enhance understanding and eliminate prejudice.

Luo Sang, the former young prince of the Chi tribe, was both wise and brave, and made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion. He was specially canonized as Princess Zhaohe and granted marriage to Ning Yunxiao, the prince of Shengling, to express Emperor Shengwu's expectation that the two tribes would "blend their blood and be in harmony for generations."

After several imperial decrees were issued, the whole of Shengling Kingdom was filled with jubilation.

After all, the Chi tribe's allegiance meant that Sheng Ling's territory would further expand, and the country's strength would also increase. For the people, a prosperous country and a strong people were everyone's wish.

Deng Sijiu and Zheng Baoyao's wedding day arrived in such a joyous atmosphere.

Deng Sijiu, who had made great military achievements in suppressing the rebellion, was now entrusted with an important task to lead the incorporated rebels and became a hot figure in the court.

In addition, on the day of the wedding banquet, Prince Shengling Ning Yunxiao and the future Princess Luo Sang came together to congratulate, and the Deng family's wedding banquet caused quite a stir in the capital. Nobles and civil and military officials from all walks of life came to congratulate, and the scene was so grand that it was breathtaking.

Jiang Lige attended the wedding banquet as half a member of the "brother's family" and originally went to offer his blessings, but as soon as he entered the Zheng family's door, Zheng Baoyao hugged him and cried his heart out.

While shouting "break up", he said softly "it's good that you're back".

The beautiful bride's makeup was ruined, which made the matchmaker very anxious. She kept shouting "Oh my God!"

Jiang Lige could only pat Zheng Baoyao's back over and over again, patiently admonishing her, "Alright, stop crying. If we miss the auspicious time, won't Deng Sijiu challenge me to a duel with a knife?"

The overly exaggerated tone finally made Zheng Baoyao chuckle and stop crying, and then she glared at Jiang Lige.

"Deng Sijiu should have picked you out. Who told you to keep it a secret from us for so many years? You're so mean!"

Jiang Lige nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, it's my fault, but today is your big day, can you settle these accounts with me later?"

Zheng Baoyao curled her lips and reluctantly agreed, "Okay, then you wait!"

"Well, I'm waiting."

Jiang Lige smiled and finally pushed Zheng Baoyao to the matchmaker to go in to touch up her makeup. The wedding party, led by Deng Sijiu, had already gone through many difficulties and was waiting at the door of the bride's boudoir. They were noisy and urging the bride to get into the sedan chair.

Jiang Lige went out to greet him and immediately saw Ning Yunxiao in a black brocade robe embroidered with pythons. Even Deng Sijiu, who was standing next to him in a striking red outfit, could not overshadow him in any way.

"Wait a moment, Baoyao is going to touch up her makeup. As a bride, she has to look beautiful when she enters her husband's house."

As Jiang Lige finished speaking, Deng Sijiu punched the relatives and friends who were making a fuss, "Girls' attire is already complicated, please stop pushing me."

Relatives and friends took a punch and covered their chests, mocking, "This bride hasn't even entered the family yet, and she's already got Sijiu under her thumb. How are we going to live our lives from now on?"

Deng Sijiu, however, didn't take it seriously and said with a smile, "Once you marry a wife, you naturally have to love her. How can you say you're controlling her? Besides, Baoyao is such a kind person, I should give in a little."

The overly doting remarks caused a commotion among the people around, and Ning Yunxiao also smiled and extended his hand to Jiang Lige at this moment.

"Ari, come here."

Jiang Lige did not respond, but directly held Ning Yunxiao's hand. The two smiled at each other and started talking in a low voice.

"This marriage was done respectably. It shows that Deng Sijiu has put a lot of thought into Baoyao."

Ning Yunxiao raised his hand and pushed aside the red silk in front of him to avoid it getting caught on Jiang Lige's hairpin. "Such a big thing naturally requires some thought."

"Deng Sijiu used to seem careless, but now he's become more steady. We can now safely leave Baoyao to him."

Ning Yunxiao said, "Zheng Baoyao is a good girl, and Deng Sijiu is also a good boy. They will be happy together."

Jiang Lige smiled when he heard that and took Ning Yunxiao's arm. "Yes, if they can do it, we can do it too, right?"

"Yes, we will too."

Ning Yunxiao gently held Jiang Lige's hand, and the two stood side by side, watching the newlyweds leave the Zheng Mansion.

The sound of festive drums and music gradually rose. Jiang Lige and Ning Yunxiao stood side by side in the bustling courtyard, watching Zheng Baoyao slowly walk towards the sedan chair surrounded by relatives and friends.

The wedding was a grand one, and many people came to join in the fun, chatting happily together.

"This girl has made great progress. She married General Deng, a general under the Crown Prince. She will surely live a life of wealth and honor in the future."

"No wonder His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the future Crown Princess are here today to welcome the bride. So that's how it is. I'm so envious!"

"Speaking of which, isn't that Crown Princess even more enviable? Look at our Crown Prince. Not only is he handsome, but he's also a master of both civil and military strategy. In this world, there's no better husband than him!"

Hearing this, some of the Chi people who were among them naturally expressed their discontent, "You can't say that. Our Crown Princess is also a truly outstanding woman, more than qualified to be with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

The woman who had spoken earlier nodded in agreement. "That's true. Princess Zhaohua once protected the peace between Shengling and Nanchu with her life, and now Crown Princess Luosang is raising Shengling's prosperity to new heights. It seems our Crown Prince is truly lucky in his wife!"

The people were chatting animatedly, but the person involved, Jiang Lige, didn't notice at all. His eyes followed the newlyweds, his lips raised high and his face full of smiles.

The same was true for Ning Yunxiao, who was standing beside her, but his eyes did not even look at Xinren. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on Jiang Lige. He watched the golden sunlight shine through the treetops and fall on Jiang Lige's shoulders, covering her with a layer of golden gauze.

Just like her, brilliant and bright.

Then, under the bright sunlight and among the layers of red silk, the man suddenly asked Jiang Lige.

"Do you like it?"

Jiang Lige turned his head away, confused. "What?"

"A grand sedan chair carried by eight men, a long line of red dowries stretching ten miles long, and tens of thousands of people coming to congratulate us, our wedding will surely be ten times more grand than what we have seen today."

Jiang Lige smiled upon hearing this and simply said, "I don't care about these empty formalities."

"I know." Ning Yunxiao replied readily, "But I want to give you the best of everything and let everyone in the world know that you are my Crown Princess."

Jiang Lige glared at Ning Yunxiao with a frown, "Who doesn't know my identity as the Crown Princess now? Your Highness, you are really worrying too much."

As he spoke, Ning Yunxiao had already moved closer to Jiang Lige. He lowered his voice and whispered in her ear so that only the two of them could hear.

"I can't help it. My A'li is just too outstanding. It makes me so nervous that I wish I could always keep A'li by my side so that I can feel more at ease."

When Ning Yunxiao said this, his tone was so gentle that it was almost affectionate.

The noise around receded into the distance, and only his gentle words could be heard quietly, lingering in his heart, making time seem to stand still at this moment, so that Jiang Lige could only hear his heartbeat that was gradually getting out of control.

Then, in broad daylight, the man reached out and lifted a piece of red silk, which fell gently in front of the two of them. The fluttering red silk emitted a faint golden-red glow in the sunlight, forming a gentle barrier between them and blocking the outside world's gaze.

Ning Yunxiao slowly came forward and placed a gentle kiss on Jiang Lige's forehead.

Who would have thought that before she could take the next step, Jiang Lige pushed her away with a red face.

When he looked to the side, he saw that it was those officials who took the opportunity to get close to him and ruined his good deeds in a very tactless way.

The officials obviously noticed this as well, and they all stopped in embarrassment, but they did not dare to retreat immediately. They could only stand there with their heads held high, put on a smile, and then bowed and took their leave.

After the crowd dispersed, Jiang Lige stomped her feet in shame when she thought of what had just happened. Afraid that Ning Yunxiao would come over again out of nowhere, she glared at Ning Yunxiao with a red face and warned him coquettishly.

"Your Highness, please respect yourself!"

The overly familiar sentence structure suddenly reminded Ning Yunxiao of his past self.

Then, the man chuckled, and looked at her with burning eyes through the bright and warm red. His smile was leisurely and comfortable, and for no reason, it caused ripples like a pool of spring water.

Then he said, "Okay. This time, I'll be alone."

what is love?

It is the humble posture of people in high positions; it is the pride of domineering people; it is the uncontrollable loss of composure of steady people; it is the speechless silence of lively people.

At this moment, he and she smiled at each other.

(End of the article)