son, don't mess around

Night falls.

Beside the woods, An Ning looked depressed and a little distraught.

She didn't know what was wrong with her...she just felt depressed!

Very uncomfortable!

Very strange feeling!

It never happened before, but it has been like this for a while.

When did it start?
She can't remember clearly.

Maybe it was after coming to Jiangcheng, or maybe it was already in the capital...

She couldn't figure it out, but... she seemed to instinctively feel that this should have nothing to do with His Highness!
But why, when I think of His Highness, that feeling of depression seems to get stronger?

An Ning was in a trance.

……

Lin Jiangnian stood quietly aside, looking at the girl holding the sword in front of him.

She sat on the stone with her legs slightly bent. Her pure white dress gently slipped off, revealing a pair of delicate calves under the skirt, which were slightly closed.

The girl tightly grasped the sword in her hand, lowered her head, and let her long black hair fall. Her cold and tense profile was pretty, yet gave people an indescribable sense of loneliness.

In the dim light, one could vaguely see tears brewing in the girl's crystal eyes.

Those confused eyes seemed even more distressing at this moment.

Lin Jiangnian sighed in his heart. He was increasingly unable to understand this little girl!
He walked slowly closer and sat down next to the girl.

The girl seemed to notice it and her body stiffened slightly, but she didn't move.

She tightly grasped the sword in her arms, lowered her head, and said nothing.

Lin Jiangnian did not say anything else. He just sat quietly beside her, accompanying the sword-holding girl.

It was dark and silent all around.

In the distance, they could faintly hear the light of fire and the aroma of rice. They felt as if they were cut off from the world.

Finally, after a long time, Lin Jiangnian turned his head and looked at An Ning beside him again.

She seemed to have recovered a lot, but her expression was dazed.

"If you have anything on your mind, you can tell me."

Lin Jiangnian looked at her and spoke softly.

The girl holding the sword slowly raised her head and looked at Lin Jiangnian, then quickly lowered her head again.

Shake your head!
"Everyone will be worried about you."

Lin Jiang spoke in a young voice, and when he lowered his eyes, he suddenly saw that the little hand that had just been holding the girl had not yet let go.

The girl's palms were not big, her skin was very fair, her hands were slightly delicate, her fingers were slender and long, and they felt soft and a little cool.

At this moment, the girl's hand was still held in Lin Jiangnian's hand, completely covered by Lin Jiangnian's big hand.

however……

Lin Jiangnian suddenly realized something...

He didn't use any force!

Just now, the girl wanted to leave, and Lin Jiangnian subconsciously held her back. Until now, the two have never separated!
However, apart from the initial struggle, the girl did not resist anymore.

Until now, the two have not separated their hands.

It was obvious that Lin Jiangnian was no longer holding her hand tightly, and the girl could easily pull her hand back.

However, she did not.

Lin Jiangnian was stunned, quietly feeling the softness of the girl's palm, and sitting next to the girl, smelling the faint fragrance of the girl.

It was as if some thoughts gradually emerged in my mind, and some ideas began to slowly become clear...

Lin Jiangnian suddenly turned his head and looked at the girl holding a sword beside him.

In the dim light, one could only see the girl's delicate profile, which was fair and flawless.

very nice!
As beautiful as Jinxiu!
The girl has that unique temperament.

Weak, timid, and pitiable.

This kind of temperament can easily arouse others' desire to protect you.

It was obvious that the girl holding the sword in front of him was extremely skilled in martial arts and could kill people without blinking an eye.

But for some reason, her weak appearance makes it hard to associate her with the ruthless murderer.

Lin Jiangnian's heart suddenly moved.

He lowered his head to look at the palms of their hands that were still tightly clasped together. He said nothing, but silently clenched the soft little hand, with their palms intertwined and their fingers intertwined.

The sword-holding girl beside him seemed to realize something and also looked down, just in time to see the two people's hands clasped together.

As if stunned, the girl stared quietly for a while before slowly looking up at Lin Jiangnian.

When their eyes met, Lin Jiangnian could clearly see the panic that flashed across the girl's eyes.

And...his head turned away quickly again.

escape.

The flustered girl, with shyness...

At this moment, the sudden thought in Lin Jiangnian's mind became stronger and stronger.

This……

Something is wrong!
Something is very wrong!

This girl, could it be...

At this moment, Lin Jiangnian stood there in a daze, with a myriad of thoughts running through his mind.

At this moment, the girl next to him seemed to realize something and pulled her hand back in panic.

"I, I'm going back!"

After saying that, the girl jumped off the stone and ran away without looking back!
His steps were staggering, as if he was running away, as if he was afraid that Lin Jiangnian would catch up with him.

Lin Jiangnian did not pursue her.

He still sat on the stone motionless, but an unbelievable thought emerged in his mind.

As many memories of the past gradually came to mind, those things that seemed incomprehensible before suddenly seemed to make sense...

……

There was a cool breeze at night.

There were piles of bonfires burning on the flat ground. Not far away, flames flickered and the figures of guards were hiding in the darkness.

Everyone gathered together and had dinner.

Although they were said to be gathered together, they were actually divided into several small groups.

Xu Lan, with her maid Xiaolu, surrounded Liu Su, calling her "Sister Liu" sweetly. It was very sweet.

On the other side, the eldest princess was sitting by the campfire with Jinxiu and An Ning.

The two sides seem to be two different forces, not interfering with each other and not interacting with each other!

Extremely weird!

However, Lin Jiangnian, the main character, did not appear.

He did not get involved, but chose to run away wisely!
Are you kidding? The strength of these two sides is very different. No matter which side he goes to, he will offend the other side. It would be better for him to just not go to either side.

Lin Jiangnian went straight to stay with Lin Qingqing and her group.

"Your Highness!"

Lin Qingqing and Lin Kong stood up and wanted to salute.

Lin Jiangnian waved his hand to signal the two to sit down. While tearing off a piece of meat from the fire and eating it, he asked, "How is the Jiang family doing? Is the old man in good health?"

Lin Qingqing on the side said, "At the beginning of the year, Mr. Jiang caught a cold and was on the verge of death. Fortunately, Mr. Jiang was in good health and was not affected by the cold. After Miss Jiang and Sister Zhiyuan arrived at the Jiang family, they invited a famous doctor for Mr. Jiang. Mr. Jiang's health has improved, but..."

"But what?"

"After all, Elder Jiang is old. This cold didn't kill him, but it did have a significant impact. Although Elder Jiang is still in good health now, but..."

Lin Qingqing didn't say anything else, but Lin Jiangnian understood.

Although the old man is still alive, he may not die for the time being.

But the duration of this temporary... is unpredictable.

If you do the math, Mr. Jiang is almost seventy years old, which is considered quite old in this era.

"Now the Jiang family is scrambling for power, and many of the sideline descendants are eyeing them covetously, hoping that Old Jiang will pass away."

Lin Qingqing said again: "There are still many forces in Jiangnan who are watching. Once Mr. Jiang passes away, they also want to take the opportunity to get a piece of the pie..." Lin Jiangnian narrowed his eyes slightly. The situation in Jiangnan was not good.

The economy of Jiangnan is booming, and the power of various aristocratic families should not be underestimated. Even the imperial court has to be a little wary of them.

But these aristocratic families are not a monolithic entity. Although the Jiang family is the largest family in the Jiangnan region, the other aristocratic families are not to be underestimated.

In the Jiang family, Old Man Jiang is the most respected and renowned, and his reputation in the entire Daning Dynasty cannot be underestimated.

But once Mr. Jiang passed away, the influence of the Jiang family would be greatly affected. At that time, the other noble families would naturally have an opportunity to take advantage of it.

"It seems that the situation in Jiangnan is not very optimistic!"

Lin Jiangnian sighed, he had expected this.

The prince had reminded him of this before coming.

Although this matter has nothing to do with Lin Jiangnian, he is still Lin Jiangnian's nominal grandfather after all.

We can't just sit back and do nothing.

"First send someone to Jiangnan in advance to secretly find out the forces of all parties. I will deal with it after I arrive at the Jiang family!"

"Yes!"

"..."

After eating and drinking, Lin Jiangnian did not get up immediately, but sat by the campfire, thinking quietly about something.

Soon, a clear voice sounded in my ears.

"Your Highness is really good at hiding!"

Lin Jiangnian raised his eyes and saw a pretty figure standing next to the fire. Her eyes were dim, but there was a faint smile on her face. She was looking at him with her hands behind her back.

"Come, let your highness hug you!"

Lin Jiangnian opened his arms towards her.

"Pfft, no way!"

Jinxiu's face turned slightly red. She glared at His Highness and glanced around quietly.

Your Highness is so shameless, doing this in public.

Jinxiu walked to Lin Jiangnian's side with a smile in her eyes: "Why did your highness hide here just now?"

Lin Jiangnian sighed, "I hid here but you still found me and asked me about it. If I hadn't hidden, I would have been killed by your princess, right?"

"Cuckoo..."

Jinxiu chuckled twice, "The princess wouldn't do that!"

"If you want to blame someone, you can only blame yourself, Your Highness?"

As she spoke, Jinxiu looked resentful, as if she was a little angry: "Who made His Highness so promiscuous?"

"What you said is not right!"

Lin Jiangnian shook his head: "I'm not the one who's flirting with other girls!"

"Your Highness, do you mean that they were the ones who took the initiative to get involved, Your Highness?"

"Isn't it!" Lin Jiangnian spread his hands.

Jinxiu rolled her eyes and refused to continue discussing this topic with the shameless prince.

Thinking of something else, Jinxiu's eyes flashed with worry, and then she asked: "Your Highness...what did you say to An Ning just now?"

Jinxiu probed cautiously.

In the evening, Jinxiu found His Highness and asked him to find a way to appease An Ning. Then His Highness went to find An Ning. Jinxiu didn't know what His Highness said to An Ning. But when An Ning came back later, she seemed to have returned to normal. But the girl was still very silent, and there was an indescribable aura about her.

Of course, he still ignored Jinxiu.

This made Jinxiu feel uneasy, and she couldn't help but run over to ask what the prince had said to An Ning.

Lin Jiangnian looked up at her but didn't say anything.

When Jinxiu noticed the strange look in His Highness' eyes, the two of them watched silently. After a while, Jinxiu's face changed slightly as if she realized something.

Then, there was silence!
It was not until a while later that Jinxiu finally asked cautiously: "Your Highness, you..."

"Did you think of something?"

Lin Jiangnian quietly looked at Jinxiu's delicate yet nervous face.

"beautiful."

"Ok?"

Jinxiu was stunned. This was the first time that His Highness called her so formally.

In the past, I either called her Miss Jinxiu or used all kinds of corny and weird names. This seemed to be the first time I called her Jinxiu.

Seeing His Highness staring at her, Jinxiu suddenly felt a little guilty for some reason. She gritted her teeth and asked, "Why, what's wrong?"

Lin Jiangnian looked at her and narrowed his eyes slightly: "Did you know this a long time ago?"

"Know, know what?" Jinxiu was confused.

"An Ning..."

Lin Jiangnian paused, "Have you known why An Ning has become so strange?"

As soon as these words were spoken, it was obvious that Jinxiu's face was stunned for a moment, and then a look of panic flashed across her face.

He seemed extremely uneasy, as if he had done something wrong.

"me……"

Jinxiu panicked for a moment and instinctively wanted to find an excuse: "How could I know..."

As she spoke, Jinxiu's voice began to become smaller and she became less and less confident.

Under the intense gaze of His Highness, Jinxiu's heartbeat began to speed up. After a while, she suddenly realized something: "Your Highness, you, you..."

"knew?!"

"you answer me first!"

Lin Jiangnian stared at her: "Did you know this a long time ago?"

Under the gaze of His Highness, Jinxiu lowered her head guiltily.

After a while, he nodded.

Looking a little weak, pitiful and helpless.

But soon, Jinxiu realized that something was wrong... No, why was she feeling guilty?

It's not like she did anything wrong?
She's a victim too, okay?

Why should I feel guilty?
Thinking of this, Jinxiu raised her head again, but she looked into Lin Jiangnian's eyes again. When she saw the look in His Highness's eyes, her scalp went numb.

His momentum weakened a bit: "Your Highness, you..."

"What do you know?"

"What do you say?"

Lin Jiangnian looked at her with a stern face.

"you……"

Jinxiu was stunned. Could it be that His Highness already knew... the reason why An Ning had become like this recently?

Did An Ning tell him everything?
Jinxiu opened her eyes slightly and could see that there was no change in the expression on His Highness' face, but she was a little unsure of herself for a moment.

"I, I don't know either..."

Jinxiu cautiously probed: "Your Highness, what did An Ning... tell you?"

Lin Jiangnian shook his head: "She didn't say anything."

Say nothing?

You didn't say anything, why did Your Highness suddenly bring up this?
Is he trying to trick her?
Thinking of this, Jinxiu's eyes suddenly widened. His Highness has learned bad things!

"Your Highness, you..."

Jinxiu was immediately angry and was about to condemn His Highness for bullying.

But Lin Jiangnian sighed, looked at her, and said softly: "So, you actually knew it a long time ago..."

"An Ning likes my things, right?"

As soon as these words were spoken, they rang in Jinxiu's ears like thunder, leaving her stunned on the spot.

The expression on his face was stiff.

No, not cheating her?

...(End of chapter)