son, don't mess around

The smoke of war still lingered over the northern lands of the Daming Dynasty.

With the fall of Anping, all the soldiers in the front-line camps remained on high alert.

Li Piaomiao didn't have much time to spend with Lin Jiangnian and cultivate their relationship. As the new emperor of the Da Ning Dynasty and the commander of the imperial army on the front lines, she had far too many things to do.

She had to personally oversee all troop movements and the situation at the front. Battle reports from the front were coming in almost constantly, keeping her extremely busy.

Faced with this crucial military intelligence, Lin Jiangnian, as the heir apparent of the Prince of Lin, had no choice but to temporarily refrain from any appearance of impropriety.

Although they were already inseparable in private, their identities and positions meant that they had to maintain a facade of a ruler-subject relationship in front of the generals at the front.

Furthermore, Lin Jiangnian knew nothing about warfare, so he didn't cause any trouble.

Of course, Lin Jiangnian wasn't idle either.

Before he arrived at the front line, he had already sent spies from the Prince of Lin's Mansion deep into the local area to gather intelligence on the Xu Prince's rebel army and the news of the Prince of Lin's Mansion in Xuzhou.

Although Lin Jiangnian knew nothing about combat, he was quite skilled in intelligence gathering and how to plot against the Xu Prince's Mansion.

Based on the intelligence sent back from the front lines by the spies of the Prince of Lin's mansion, Lin Jiangnian has roughly analyzed the current situation within the Xu Prince's rebel army.

With Xu Hong supporting Li Yuan's ascension to the throne, the situation within Xu Wang's rebel army has become quite strange.

On the surface, everything within Xu Wang's rebel army is now under the command of Li Yuan, the nominal 'emperor,' while Xu Hong, as the Grand General of the Southern Expedition, commands the entire army. Nominally, however, he is under Li Yuan's command.

But even a fool could see that Li Yuan was just a puppet. Everything he had was given to him by Xu Hong, and he himself was nothing more than a pawn of Xu Hong.

Of course, judging from the intelligence gathered, Li Yuan seemed unwilling to give up and had secretly tried to cultivate his own confidants within Xu Wang's rebel army.

But judging from all the signs, it seems to have failed!

Now, besides Xu Hong, the heir apparent of Xu Wang is also following Li Yuan on Xu Wang's side.

It seems that he is the one controlling Li Yuan.

As for Xu Chaoge, it was said that she remained at the Xu Prince's residence in Xuzhou, staying inside and not venturing out. No one knew her whereabouts, not even the spies of the Lin Prince's residence could find her.

Lin Jiangnian's visit to the northern front was partly to bolster the strength of the upcoming Linwang army.

The Prince Lin's Mansion claimed to have raised an army of 100,000 to defend the emperor, but even Lin Jiangnian was not sure how many troops actually came.

Furthermore, Lin Hengzhong did not personally lead the army in this uprising. The commanders of the Linwang Army were Zheng Zhiming and Dongfang Guanshan, who were under Lin Hengzhong's command.

In addition, there was the most mysterious strategist by Lin Hengzhong's side, whom even Lin Jiangnian had never met.

In this way, when they arrive at the Prince of Lin's army in the north, it is expected that this heavy responsibility will fall on Lin Jiangnian, the heir of the Prince of Lin.

Therefore, Lin Jiangnian must make preparations early.

……

Night was falling.

In winter, darkness falls early, and in the icy, snowy landscape, campfires are lit early in the military camp.

The courtyard was empty, and there was no one around.

Jinxiu was not in the courtyard. Li Piaomiao was extremely busy with government affairs and military matters, so Jinxiu, as the princess's 'capable assistant,' naturally stayed by her side to help her solve her problems.

The cold winter wind howled, passing through the pavilions and corridors, and permeating the world.

On the roof of the side room sat a refined and aloof figure, holding a sword in her arms. Her delicate face stared blankly into the distance, lost in thought.

The howling cold wind ruffled her hair, revealing her delicate and pretty face. Her incredibly clear eyes were lost in thought.

As if blending into the world, the girl's pure white figure was extremely inconspicuous in the vastness of the world.

It wasn't until she heard a soft 'crack' sound of footsteps on tiles behind her that the girl, who had been lost in thought, snapped out of her daze and became suddenly alert.

"Qiang!"

The sound of a cold sword being drawn from its sheath.

"it's me."

A familiar voice came from the side.

The girl was startled.

Then, a familiar figure sat down beside her.

An Ning looked up and met Lin Jiangnian's smiling face.

An Ning was momentarily dazed, then her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, calmed down, and sheathed the sword she had just drawn.

But soon, she realized what was happening and became nervous again, instinctively trying to get up.

"Where to go?"

Just as she was about to get up, Lin Jiangnian grabbed her hand.

The girl's body stiffened, and just as she was about to resist, Lin Jiangnian pulled her back without saying a word.

"You run away as soon as you see me? Have you forgotten what you promised me?"

Lin Jiangnian's serious voice rang out.

An Ning's delicate body trembled. Without hesitation, she recalled what she had promised half a year ago... that she was not allowed to run away again when she saw him!

As if remembering something, An Ning immediately froze.

He remained silent and unresponsive, like a lifeless wooden figure.

Seeing her expression, Lin Jiangnian couldn't help but chuckle.

"Don't worry, I won't bully you. It's been a long time since we last met, I just wanted to talk to you."

The girl's body remained stiff; she simply couldn't believe it.

Lin Jiangnian stared at her, and seeing the girl's stubborn yet reluctant appearance, which reminded him so much of the silly girl who had been scared into falling into the water by him, he couldn't help but laugh again.

The girl had been keeping a straight face, but Lin Jiangnian beside her kept laughing, making her extremely uncomfortable, and her delicate body twisted uncomfortably.

Finally, it seemed that he couldn't hold on any longer.

Turning his head, his expression somewhat displeased, he said, "Laughing? What?!"

"It's nothing, you're cute!" Lin Jiangnian said with a smile.

The girl's face flushed red instantly, and she quickly turned her head away.

Without saying a word, he tried to get up and leave again.

Lin Jiangnian reacted quickly, grabbing her hand and refusing to let go.

"open."

"Don't let it go."

"put!"

"I won't let go... If you don't listen, I'll scream!"

"..."

"Everyone, come quick and see..."

"..."

Before Lin Jiangnian could finish shouting, An Ning had already angrily and sullenly sat back down.

She looked like she had been wronged, staring at Lin Jiangnian with a pitiful expression.

"Haven't seen you for half a year, and your temper has gotten worse, huh?"

Lin Jiangnian raised an eyebrow.

The little Anning who was terrified of him like a rabbit when she first met him, now dares to give him attitude?

They were probably corrupted by Jinxiu!

An Ning remained silent.

However, she was clearly not good at feigning indifference and anger. Although she looked cold, the emotions in her eyes betrayed her.

Lin Jiangnian thought to himself, what a lovely little girl!

Compared to Jinxiu, Anning is obviously much simpler and easier to fool.

"Are you still angry?"

An Ning remained silent, but turned her gaze to the space between the two people... their hands clasped tightly together.

To be precise, it was Lin Jiangnian's large hand that held her small hand tightly, giving her no chance to struggle.

As An Ning watched, her delicate face grew increasingly flushed.

Lin Jiangnian had no idea what An Ning was thinking. He had finally seen this young girl again, and after so long, he missed her quite a bit.

So he sat down next to Anning, gazing into the distance, holding her soft, fragrant hand, and whispering something in her ear. Closer, closer still…

An Ning didn't say anything, just listened quietly, like a porcelain doll.

Night fell, concealing the girl's thoughts.

If you look closely, you can see that the girl's earlobes are gradually turning red, and they are crystal clear and beautiful.

Until Lin Jiangnian turned his head, he could clearly feel the warm body of the girl beside him and her unique, faint fragrance. Looking at the girl's delicate and pure face, Lin Jiangnian asked softly, "Don't you have anything to say to me?"

The girl lowered her head and remained silent.

"It's been so long, don't you miss me?" Lin Jiang asked with a young smile, finding it amusing to tease the blushing girl.

The girl lowered her head even further, seemingly feeling the scalding heat emanating from Lin Jiangnian beside her. Her whole body tensed up, and she almost buried her head in her knees.

Seeing An Ning's strong reaction, Lin Jiangnian stopped teasing her, afraid of scaring the little girl away again.

"It's so late, your princess must still be busy, right? No, now I should call her Your Majesty... Tsk, in the blink of an eye, her status has changed!"

"And Jinxiu, it's been so long since I've seen you both, you've both changed quite a bit. Where is she now? I didn't see her earlier."

Lin Jiangnian sighed, realizing that half a year had passed in the blink of an eye since they parted ways in Jiangnan.

The war in the north has also lasted for several months.

However, it will be over soon!

Lin Jiangnian squinted, gazing at the distant atmosphere that resembled billowing smoke.

The desperate struggle and frantic counterattack from the Xu Prince's Mansion... but in the end, it was all in vain.

The rebellion of Prince Xu's mansion will eventually end, and peace will be restored to the world. And everyone's life will eventually return to normal.

Just as Lin Jiangnian was feeling sentimental, he suddenly noticed a pair of intense eyes staring at him from the side.

Turning his head, he saw that An Ning, who had been keeping her head down, was looking at him at some point.

In the darkness, those clear eyes shone brightly, burning with intense emotion, mixed with shyness.

"you……"

An Ning bit her lower lip lightly, as if she had gone through a long internal struggle.

Finally, I spoke up.

The girl turned her head away, the blush on her face impossible to hide.

"So, you deceived Jinxiu with sweet words?"

Lin Jiangnian: "?"

No, what is this silly girl saying?
"rhetoric?"

Lin Jiangnian looked at her: "What sweet talk? When did I use sweet talk?"

"When did you lie to Jinxiu again?"

An Ning was somewhat hesitant to look at Lin Jiangnian, but still mustered her courage and said, "Jinxiu, you mean... Your Highness likes sweet talk."

Hey, case solved!
Jinxiu, that woman, is slandering him behind his back again, isn't she?
What has she said to Anning in the past six months?!

"This is clearly Jinxiu deliberately slandering my reputation."

Lin Jiangnian said irritably, "She's clearly talking nonsense, and you actually believe her?"

An Ning bit her lower lip, looking somewhat aggrieved.

nodded.

"letter."

hiss!
What does this silly girl mean?
Lin Jiangnian was at a loss for words for a moment, and then he saw An Ning biting her lower lip and giving him a resentful and aggrieved look.

"Your Highness, it's all just sweet talk... deception, deception..."

"You deceived Jinxiu's body?"

Lin Jiangnian: "..."

"Did Jinxiu tell you this too?"

"No, it's not..."

An Ning bit her lower lip, and this time, she seemed to have mustered up her courage to look Lin Jiangnian in the eye: "Isn't it...isn't it true?"

For the first time, Lin Jiangnian saw stubbornness, a strong sense of unease, and... some indescribable emotion in this silly girl's eyes.

Lin Jiangnian stared blankly into the girl's eyes, feeling as if something had suddenly tugged at his heart.

He seemed to understand something.

"of course not."

Lin Jiang sighed, "Jinxiu lied to you. We were mutually in love. Of course..."

"It's the same for you."

An Ning was stunned.

She stood there stunned for a moment, as if pondering the meaning of those words.

When she finally realized what had happened, she felt as if she had been struck by something, and her face turned bright red instantly.

"I, I didn't..."

She tried her best to explain, wanting to prove that it wasn't a mutual affection.

But Lin Jiangnian didn't say anything, he just looked at her and smiled.

This made An Ning's face burn even hotter and redder, and she instinctively thought of getting up and running away.

She struggled to get up for the third time, and Lin Jiangnian pulled her back down for the third time.

But this time, Lin Jiangnian pulled her directly into his arms.

An Ning stumbled and fell into a warm, familiar embrace. Her whole body tensed up, her expression panicked, her mouth slightly open, and her mind went completely blank.

"It's mutual affection!"

In the darkness, on the rooftop, Lin Jiangnian gazed at the delicate, rosy face of the girl in his arms, and spoke softly yet earnestly: "I like you, and you like me too. We like each other, and that's what mutual affection is."

"Clap!"

The sword that the girl always carried with her quietly fell from her hand and landed on the roof tiles.

In the darkness, the girl's face was flushed with embarrassment. She seemed to want to struggle, but her body was stiff and she could not move.

Lin Jiangnian gazed at the stunningly beautiful face so close to his own, his heart filled with a myriad of emotions. Perhaps only tonight would he finally fully understand the feelings of the girl before him.

Or perhaps, it was already quite obvious a long time ago!
At this moment, in the quiet night, Lin Jiangnian gently reached out and softly brushed aside the girl's slightly messy hair, gazing at her tearful, delicate face, and then lowered his head to approach her gently.

The girl's lips were soft and fragrant, like smooth and elastic jelly.

It has a cool, refreshing taste with a hint of ice, yet leaves a lingering fragrance in your mouth, making it a delightful experience.

The silent night felt like an eternity had passed.

The gale subsided, and the world seemed to freeze in that moment.

long long time...

Until Anning, who was in his arms, forcefully pushed Lin Jiangnian away, her face flushed with embarrassment, and she stood up nervously and flusteredly.

She didn't dare look at Lin Jiangnian, turned her head away, stumbled and turned to leave, fleeing in panic.

It disappeared very quickly.

Lin Jiangnian sat there, still quietly savoring the sweetness of the girl's words. It wasn't until he came to his senses that he noticed An Ning's sword had fallen to the ground; she had run so fast that she hadn't even bothered with the sword.

Seeing this, Lin Jiangnian couldn't help but chuckle.

He picked up the sword and gently played with it. The sword, which the girl almost never parted with, still carried a faint fragrance from her body.

Just then, in the darkness, a meaningful voice suddenly rang out from behind Lin Jiangnian.

"His Highness is indeed a romantic and amorous man; even on the rooftop, he doesn't forget to kiss and flirt with his maid."

"I admire you!"

Lin Jiangnian suddenly turned his head.

In the darkness, not far from the rooftop, a familiar figure, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, silently appeared in Lin Jiangnian's sight.

...(End of chapter)