son, don't mess around

Chapter 881: Reading people accurately
"peaceful?!"

The girl holding the sword outside the door was An Ning.

An Ning, whom I hadn't seen for half a year, seemed to have grown taller. Now she was almost touching Lin Jiangnian's eyebrows, and she looked very graceful.

Her expression remained aloof, yet her face possessed strikingly handsome features. A flicker of joy crossed her eyes when she saw Lin Jiangnian.

But then it disappeared again, as if it had been deliberately hidden.

Just like half a year ago, the girl still held the sword she almost never parted with, standing quietly at the door.

She met Lin Jiangnian's gaze, then quickly looked away.

Immediately afterwards, he turned and left.

Before Lin Jiangnian could react, she had already disappeared from his sight.

"This……"

Lin Jiangnian was a little surprised. What happened?

How could that silly girl run so fast?

"peaceful?"

Hearing the commotion outside, Jinxiu quickly approached and soon realized something: "Anning is outside?"

"What about her?"

"gone."

Jinxiu glanced at the door twice, quickly realized something, and blushed: "It's all Your Highness's fault, Anning must have found out."

"What did you find?"

Jinxiu was about to speak when she saw His Highness looking at her meaningfully again, and Jinxiu immediately felt embarrassed.

"Ignore Your Highness, I'm going to find Anning!"

With that, Jinxiu straightened her clothes and quickly ran outside.

Lin Jiangnian watched this scene with a smile. It seemed that nothing had changed in the six months since he last saw him.

After so long apart, there was no awkwardness in our conversation.

Jinxiu is still as obedient and sensible as she was six months ago, although she is a little rebellious... but still very compliant.

As for peace...

I hadn't seen her for half a year. She had grown taller and more mature, with a graceful figure and her face had lost some of its childishness.

She still retains her aloof demeanor and remains as easily embarrassed as ever.

When we parted ways, I got along well with Anning, but it was a pity we couldn't take things further.

Now that he's here, Lin Jiangnian has made up his mind that when he has some free time, he'll find a chance to have a proper chat with that girl and get to know her better.

……

Inside the room, the fire in the stove was burning brightly, but a slight chill still lingered in the air.

It was like a frozen wasteland in the depths of winter, the chill was chilling and piercing, as if a cold shivered from the very marrow of one's bones.

As soon as Lin Jiangnian entered the room, he felt that familiar chill.

It's so cold!

Almost instantly, upon contact with this chill, the Xuan Yang Heart Sutra within the body automatically activated, devouring and absorbing the approaching chill completely.

Lin Jiangnian looked up and saw a cold and aloof figure standing in front of him.

Dressed in a long, snow-white robe, she possessed a figure that seemed unapproachable and aloof.

Her cold gaze was fixed on the sand table in front of her, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she were pondering something.

Until Lin Jiangnian burst in from outside the door, seemingly interrupting her thoughts. Li Piaomiao slowly raised her head.

No words were spoken.

She just stared at Lin Jiangnian quietly, her face expressionless, as if she were unmoved.

There was no joy of a long-awaited reunion, no surprise of a brief separation making a new marriage feel better... it all seemed so ordinary and uneventful.

You really couldn't tell any emotion from her face.

All you can feel is the cold, the chill that hangs in the air.

Lin Jiangnian didn't say anything. He stepped closer and stopped in front of Li Piaomiao, gazing at the breathtakingly beautiful face before him.

I sighed in my heart.

This is the kind of beauty a top-tier vase should have!
Just looking at that face is pleasing to the eye, even in the cold weather... it just can't hide its good looks.

It's so beautiful!

No matter how much I watch it, I never get tired of it.

Seemingly sensing Lin Jiangnian's unabashed gaze, the usually calm Li Piaomiao finally reacted. She slightly shifted her gaze, avoiding eye contact with Lin Jiangnian.

At that moment, Lin Jiangnian reached out and grasped her hand.

Upon handling, it felt as cold and piercing as ever.

The chill penetrated Lin Jiangnian's skin and entered his body, making him shiver.

"Your body..."

Lin Jiangnian realized something: "It's gotten worse again?"

Li Piaomiao did not answer, but lowered her eyes slightly, her gaze falling on the two hands clasped together.

For the previous six months, Lin Jiangnian stayed by Li Piaomiao's side, helping her with treatment every now and then, absorbing the cold energy in her body, and maintaining the balance of her physical condition.

Now, after being separated for half a year, without Lin Jiangnian's special physique and the help of the Xuan Yang Heart Sutra, Li Piaomiao's body has been invaded by the cold again.

However, perhaps the previous treatment had a significant effect. Although Li Piaomiao's body was once again attacked by the cold after being separated for six months, it wasn't as severe as before?

"Thanks a lot."

Lin Jiang spoke softly.

After a long separation, Lin Jiangnian met Li Piaomiao again in private, and his heart was filled with many emotions, with a lot to say.

The person before me is no longer the former princess, but the new emperor of the Great Ning Dynasty.

The change in her identity didn't seem to have changed her at all; she remained the same as before... yet, it also seemed as if she had changed a lot.

Lin Jiangnian couldn't quite describe it, but he was very happy.

I was also very excited.

He gazed at the stunningly beautiful yet aloof face before him, opened his mouth, and finally only managed to say, "It's been a long time since we've healed our wounds, hasn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Li Piaomiao raised her eyes to look at Lin Jiangnian, gazing at his face.

A moment of silence.

In the end, he didn't say a word.

He simply nodded.

"Ah."

"..."

Half an hour later.

The chill in the room vanished, replaced by a roaring fire that blazed brightly around them.

The room temperature is a bit high!

A bead of sweat appeared on Li Piaomiao's fair forehead. Her once pale skin regained its normal rosy hue, giving her an indescribable beauty.

Lin Jiangnian, who was standing to the side, was momentarily stunned. He was feeling weak all over and his internal energy was severely depleted, so he simply sat down and watched and admired the scene.

Li Piaomiao noticed and slightly turned her face away.

"What are you looking at me for?"

"You look good."

Lin Jiangnian spoke very seriously.

Li Piaomiao remained silent.

Lin Jiangnian smiled; he knew Li Piaomiao was like that. But the more she was like that, the more he couldn't help but want to tease her.

After regaining some strength, Lin Jiangnian struggled to his feet, returned to Li Piaomiao's side, and reached out to embrace her slender waist.

When she was hugged, Li Piaomiao's body stiffened slightly. But then she gradually relaxed.

She didn't move, letting Lin Jiangnian hold her.

"It's been so long, have you missed me?"

no respond.

"I know you must miss me a lot, I'm sorry?" "..."

"It's no use denying it; I can tell."

Lin Jiangnian gazed at the stunningly beautiful face so close to his eyes, and inhaled the fresh, delicate fragrance that filled the air.

The aloof aura emanating from her was quite pleasant, making one want to explore and inhale it for a while longer.

"I miss you."

Lin Jiang spoke softly, his voice tinged with a sense of dazedness and emotion.

Li Piaomiao's beautiful eyes fell on him, and she seemed somewhat moved.

But they still didn't say anything.

Then, Lin Jiangnian's voice came again.

"How cruel you are! You slept with me half a year ago, put on your clothes, and left... Do you know how I've been these past six months... Hey hey..."

Before Lin Jiangnian could finish speaking, a powerful aura struck him, forcing him back two steps.

Lin Jiangnian rubbed his chest, grinning, and said, "You want to murder your husband, huh?"

"Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're the emperor now!!"

An indignant voice rang out.

In his line of sight, Li Piaomiao stood there aloofly, scrutinizing him, seemingly somewhat surprised: "You... have entered the Heavenly Profound Realm?"

"Not yet."

Lin Jiangnian rubbed his chest again. It was only thanks to his rapid improvement in internal strength that he was able to withstand the shockwave from Li Piaomiao's internal energy.

Lin Jiangnian's current strength level is still at the third rank, but the depth of his internal energy has approached that of the second rank, Tianxuan.

Thanks to the solid foundation he had laid in martial arts earlier, coupled with the Xuan Yang Heart Method that was perfectly suited to his physique, his internal strength grew much faster than others.

Now that Lin Jiangnian has reached the fourth level of the Xuan Yang Heart Method, even without cultivation, the Heart Method within his body is automatically and slowly circulating.

Over the past few months, he has almost reached the threshold of the second-grade Heavenly Profound Realm. It won't be long before he has the opportunity to cross that threshold.

"good."

Li Piaomiao scrutinized him for a long time before giving a cool two-word evaluation, indicating her recognition of Lin Jiangnian's progress in martial arts over the past six months.

Needless to say, gaining this woman's approval in the field of martial arts was a tremendous achievement for Lin Jiangnian.

"Don't think that praising me will distract you from your motive for murdering your husband."

Lin Jiangnian rubbed his chest and came to Li Piaomiao again.

Having not seen her for half a year, Lin Jiangnian was still somewhat reserved when he saw this woman again. But after what had just happened, Lin Jiangnian gradually became bolder.

During his time with Li Piaomiao, Lin Jiangnian constantly tested the limits of a woman's boundaries before doing whatever he pleased.

As they spent more time together, Lin Jiangnian gradually came to understand and grasp the woman's personality.

Isn't he just a first-grade grandmaster?

Isn't she the empress of the Great Ning Dynasty?
...Didn't you sleep with him before and then pretend not to recognize him after putting on his clothes?

Lin Jiangnian is in the right, so what is there to be afraid of?
Just as he was thinking of another excuse to settle accounts with this woman, he heard Li Piaomiao's voice again: "You, you did that on purpose before, didn't you?"

"what?"

"you……"

Li Piaomiao stared at him: "Did you deliberately make a high-profile appearance in the army, letting everyone know you're here?"

This woman was very clever; Lin Jiangnian knew what she was thinking in a single thought. He didn't deny it, but nodded: "That's right."

"Could you have ordered this on purpose?"

Lin Jiangnian raised an eyebrow, speaking with righteous indignation: "I brought you military supplies and provisions from afar. Such a great achievement deserves to be publicized so everyone can know. Otherwise, how can I legitimately ask you for a reward?"

The military pay and provisions sent to the front lines were naturally 'plundered' from Jiangnan.

Of course, to put it more nicely, the prominent families of Jiangnan "voluntarily" donated grain to the imperial court in order to quell the rebellion.

How much of this initiative was voluntary is not important. What matters is that the credit will ultimately go to the Prince Lin's residence.

As the heir apparent of the Prince of Lin, Lin Jiangnian naturally had an obligation to let the soldiers at the front know who had sent the military pay and provisions.

This will be of great use to the Prince Lin's residence in the future!
Li Piaomiao looked at him and asked, "What reward do you want?"

Lin Jiangnian stared at her with a smile: "That depends on what reward His Majesty is willing to bestow?"

The way he addressed Li Piaomiao as "Your Majesty" made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Especially with Lin Jiangnian's slightly malicious gaze, it seemed as if this "Your Majesty" was some kind of playful way of addressing him.

Li Piaomiao looked away, paused for a moment, and said, "If you want it, you can have this position."

"Don't……"

Lin Jiangnian's eyelids twitched, and he quickly stopped the woman from shifting the blame.

He's a man who wants to be the emperor, but he doesn't actually want to be the emperor.

The two may seem similar, but in reality they are very different.

"This throne belongs to your Li family. I promised your royal uncle that I would never usurp your Li family's throne... I am very reassured to entrust this throne to you."

"You should just sit here and relax."

Li Piaomiao fell silent again. After a long while, she looked at Lin Jiangnian and asked, "You trust me that much?"

"why not?"

"This location will cause many people to lose their way."

Li Piaomiao remained silent: "Once I sit in this position, I can't guarantee what will happen in the future."

Lin Jiangnian looked at her and asked, "Would you hurt me?"

Li Piaomiao stared into Lin Jiangnian's eyes, remained silent for a long time, and then shook her head: "No."

"That's enough!"

Lin Jiangnian smiled and said, "This position can indeed cause many people to lose their way, and even forget their original intentions. But I believe in you."

Lin Jiang spoke softly, "You are the most suitable person to sit in this position. No one is more suitable than you..."

"Even if one day in the future the imperial court and the Prince Lin's mansion truly reach the point of breaking ties, I believe it will never be at the hands of the two of us."

Aside from the fact that Li Piaomiao was a woman, she was absolutely the most suitable person to be a qualified emperor.

Her abilities, her methods of governing the country, and her ruthless decisiveness all undoubtedly prove this point.

And her most tender side, which she rarely showed, was only revealed to Lin Jiangnian.

For Lin Jiangnian, this was also the best choice for the Prince Lin's residence.

Li Piaomiao remained silent, not uttering another word, as if she were carefully considering Lin Jiangnian's words.

In the end, she simply nodded.

"Then, what else do you want?"

She spoke again.

Lin Jiangnian looked at her, raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "What does Your Majesty think I should want?"

Li Piaomiao paused for a moment, then met Lin Jiangnian's gaze.

Then, as if she understood something, her clear, cold eyes suddenly became somewhat unnatural, and she quickly looked away as if trying to avoid eye contact.

"Not here now!"

His tone was cold, and he seemed somewhat annoyed.

"?"

No, what do you mean it's not possible here right now?

What are you doing here?
He hasn't said anything yet.
What is His Majesty thinking?

What kind of person do they take Lin Jiangnian for?!

Lin Jiangnian was furious and was about to angrily remark that His Majesty's thoughts were too filthy. Then, Li Piaomiao, dressed in white, suddenly turned her back, leaving Lin Jiangnian with a graceful, tall, and stunningly beautiful back view.

"Let's talk about it tonight."

The sound was very soft, almost inaudible.

Lin Jiangnian stood there, stunned, swallowing back the words that were about to come out.

Hey, don't say it yet.

Our Emperor has a truly accurate eye for people!

……

(End of this chapter)