Rebirth of a Lost Nation: Princess, Please Respect Yourself

This question, neither light nor heavy, made Old Lady Gu feel very uncomfortable. She felt that the resentment was accumulating in her chest, gnawing at her stubborn heart.

Jiang Lige did not wait for the answer from Old Lady Gu, nor did she intend to get one. She sighed deeply, as if she no longer held any hope, and spoke in a plain and straightforward manner.

"Finally, Zhaohua also has something to ask the old lady. If the princess were still alive and saw the child she risked her life to give birth to, the child she cherished so dearly, being treated so poorly by you, do you think... would she be sad?"

After saying this, Jiang Lige didn't stay any longer, but left with a flick of his sleeves. The long wind swept past, and he disappeared into the distance with the wind...

There was also the woman's choked lament.

"How sad it must be."

Perhaps it was because Jiang Lige's expression was too solemn, and the group didn't dare to say a word. It was not until they returned to the palace that Song Yue couldn't help but come over.

"Princess, you had a falling out with Old Lady Gu today. Doesn't that mean you have even less chance?"

Fengquan helped Jiang Lige change his clothes while explaining to Songyue.

"If Princess doesn't do this today, then there will be no chance."

"Ah?" Song Yue thought seriously for a moment, and came to a ridiculous conclusion. "Does everyone in the Gu family deserve to be scolded?"

"Nonsense." Jiang Lige glared at Song Yue helplessly, "Old Lady Gu is different from the other members of the Gu family. Her avoidance is a mixture of resentment and love, but mostly helplessness."

Song Yue understood a little, "It's the wife of the eldest house of the Gu family."

"That's right." Jiang Lige nodded. "Mrs. Gu's chances of having children were cut off because of the Crown Prince, and the eldest branch of the family has also become extinct. The eldest branch of the family is a concubine's child, so the old lady, as the legitimate mother, must take a clear stand."

"Then, can the princess's words really make Old Lady Gu let go of her grudge?"

"I'm not sure. I'm betting," Jiang Lige answered truthfully. "I'm betting that since the old lady will completely sever ties with the prince out of guilt for Madam Gu, she will also take care of the prince a little out of guilt for her only daughter."

Song Yue wanted to ask more, but saw Jiang Lige lying on the Arhat bed and stretching lazily, which neatly blocked Song Yue's question.

"Don't worry, the outcome will be determined tomorrow."

To be honest, Jiang Lige was not really sure about this matter, but she knew that in addition to luck, mentality was also particularly important in gambling.

Instead of tossing and turning all night, guessing what Old Lady Gu would decide, it would be better to rest early and get enough rest so that you can face the enemy tomorrow.

The next day—

Ning Yunxiao's coming-of-age ceremony was particularly grand under the management of Emperor Shengwu.

Early in the morning, the invited officials followed the imperial order to enter the Taimiao, report to the royal ancestors, and pay homage to heaven and earth.

Ning Yunxiao followed the procedure and knelt upright in front of the hall with his robe lifted among the ceremonial officials surrounding him. His posture was as straight as a pine tree, and his sleeves were blown high by the wind. The dark robe embroidered with gold made him look particularly noble.

Emperor Shengwu sat in the hall and presided over the ceremony, while Empress Dowager Jiang presided over the viewing platform.

Empress Dowager Jiang wanted to talk to Jiang Lige, but she saw that she was watching too seriously. Before the ceremony of coming of age was over, the little girl's eyes turned red. She couldn't help but laugh and joke:

"Prince Zhao is so handsome, and he and Li Ge are a perfect match."

After Empress Dowager Jiang finished speaking, the concubines who were pleased followed suit and praised her, and Jiang Lige came back to his senses.

Everyone thought that her loss of composure just now was due to her love, but only she knew...

Ning Yunxiao's domineering aura made her feel for a moment as if she saw Ning Yunxiao in her previous life, holding a sword and approaching the city.

His majesty is unshakable, like a natural king, but beneath this supreme power are the corpses of countless people of Southern Chu!

Her eyes were not red for him, but for those innocent people of Nanchu!

However, she couldn't tell anyone about all this, let alone continue watching the ceremony. She was afraid that she couldn't hide her overwhelming hatred.

Therefore, Jiang Lige had to avoid the ceremony platform and turned his head to ask Nanny Kong in a low voice.

"Mammy, is the coming-of-age ceremony almost over?"

"Exactly. According to the procedure, the next ceremony is the coming of age ceremony."

"No news from the palace gate yet?"

Madam Kong nodded, "No news."

Jiang Lige looked at the empty seats on the viewing platform and felt a little disappointed. Seeing that the ceremony was almost over, he couldn't help but stand up and say.

"Maybe I didn't know the way and missed the time. I'd better go and greet him myself."

"sit down!"

Empress Dowager Jiang rebuked them with full force, furious at the Gu family's indifference. She had only allowed Jiang Lige to act that way out of consideration for her relationship with Ning Yunxiao, but now that the Gu family was so ungrateful, she no longer wanted to indulge their incompetence. "You're not allowed to go."

Empress Xiao took every opportunity to find trouble with Empress Dowager Jiang, smiled and said sarcastically:

"Princess Zhaohua, please don't joke. The time for the coming-of-age ceremony was calculated by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory. The time for viewing the ceremony is also fixed. The palace gates will not let anyone in after noon."

Empress Dowager Jiang's expression turned even uglier when she heard this. She frowned and rarely offended Jiang Lige in public.

"If they don't buy it, it won't help even if you show up at their doorstep."

Empress Xiao took the opportunity to speak, "Princess Zhaohua, Your Majesty the Queen Mother is doing this for your own good. The Crown Prince and the Gu family are already at odds, and the Princess is the future Crown Princess of Zhao. Acting like this, wouldn't that be displeasing to both sides?"

When the facts were laid out before him, Jiang Lige felt a little embarrassed. He blushed and was about to argue when he heard a burst of hearty laughter.

Old Lady Gu, dressed in the clothes of the first rank imperial decree, walked in slowly, greeted Jiang Lige, and then took Jiang Lige's hand with a smile.

"Your Majesty, that's not right. How could anyone not like a lovely girl like Princess Zhaohua?"

Although Empress Xiao was of high status, the Xiao family had little background. How could she dare to confront Old Lady Gu head-on? She could only smile awkwardly and say, "This palace was just joking. Don't take it seriously."

"I think so too. We elders are supposed to care about the younger generation. How can we suppress them everywhere? We are not vicious stepmothers!"

The moment the word "vicious" came out, several younger concubines could not help but almost laughed out loud. However, Empress Xiao suppressed her anger and did not say a word, with a hint of smile on her face.

Jiang Lige was stunned for a moment before reacting. He took the initiative to reach out and help Mrs. Gu. "Please tell Zhaohua to wait~"

Old Lady Gu smiled and patted Jiang Lige's hand, her words full of intimacy, "My legs and feet are slow, am I doing this correctly?"

"Of course not." Jiang Lige also smiled sweetly in response, "You came at the right time!"

Old Madam Gu was also famous for her graceful manners. Entering the palace to watch the ceremony was just a small event for her. She quickly integrated into the group with a smile and her words were full of care for Jiang Lige.

Seeing that Old Lady Gu was so understanding, Empress Dowager Jiang no longer treated her as hostilely as she had at the beginning, and the two even exchanged a few friendly words.

As he was speaking, he heard the loud shouts of the ceremonial officer from the front.

"salute!"