I get stronger every day I live.

Chapter 16: Domineering and Protective Mo Ruyan
Lai Yang was ultimately unable to persuade Mo Ruyan, and was dragged by her into attending the garden poetry party hosted by the Seventh Princess Yan Yan three days later. Xu Bo followed to protect the safety of both of them.

Lai Yang wanted to bring his sword with him, as he always felt uneasy without it, but Mo Ruyan stopped him.

"This garden poetry gathering was initiated by the Seventh Princess Yan Yan. The attendees are all princes and nobles from the Imperial City. No one is allowed to bring weapons, or they will be mistaken for assassins and arrested by the palace soldiers responsible for protecting the Seventh Princess."

Hearing her say this, Lai Yang had no choice but to put down his sword and accompany Mo Ruyan with his bare hands.

When Prince Wu's carriage reached the garden, it was stopped by palace soldiers.

Seeing this, Mo Ruyan said, "We're here. Next, we're going to walk in. After we go in, just follow me and I'll show you around. The garden poetry festival is really fun. There are a lot of delicious and fun things inside."

"Yeah." Lai Yang nodded.

He has never been interested in places like this, but since Mo Ruyan dragged him here forcefully, he had no choice.

As the saying goes: A man who eats someone's food should be soft-hearted, and a man who takes someone's money should be grateful. When you are under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.

"Little Princess, go in and play. I'll wait for you outside."

"Okay, Uncle Xu, thank you for your hard work."

"Haha, what are you talking about? As long as the little princess is happy, that's all that matters."

"Let's go, Liuyang."

"Ah."

Mo Ruyan took out her identity token, with the word "Wu" engraved on the front and the word "Yan" engraved on the back.

"Princess Wuyan, who is this?" The person in charge of verifying the identity of the visitor looked at Lai Yang standing aside.

"He's my friend and a guest at my Wuwang Mansion. Is it okay for me to bring him along to the garden poetry party?"

"Of course, since you are the princess's friends, we will certainly make the bed ready for you. Please come in."

Mo Ruyan and Lai Yang entered the park smoothly.

Entering the manor, you will see a flat path paved with many bluestones, and beautiful flowers are blooming in the flower beds on both sides.

In addition to the rich floral scent, the air is also mixed with a hint of ripe fruit fragrance.

Not far into the manor, you can see orchards and woods.

There are fruit trees planted in the orchard, and the trees are full of rich fruits.

The trees in the ornamental woods are full of lush and colorful flowers, and countless petals fall in the wind, creating a beautiful scenery like a painting.

"Well, I didn't lie to you, did I? It's your loss if you don't come. There are so many people who want to get in but can't." Mo Ruyan looked at Lai Yang's curious expression and said with a smile.

"Go further ahead and you'll find the poetry gathering. Each pavilion is filled with delicious snacks, all made by the imperial chefs. You can grab some whenever you want."

"Most of the people participating in the garden party this time are either wealthy or noble. Although we in the Wuwang Mansion are not afraid of the forces behind them, in order to avoid you from getting into conflict with those playboys, you should stay put and follow me closely. I'm here to protect you."

Mo Ruyan walked and talked at the same time.

Lai Yang listened silently, nodding occasionally in response.

"You don't have to be too nervous. The Seventh Princess is a very nice person. Even if we run into each other, she won't make things difficult for you for the sake of my Wuwang Mansion."

At this moment, a clear female voice rang out: "Hmm? Isn't this Princess Ruyan?"

Then, the two of them saw a woman wearing a blue skirt, holding a round fan embroidered with clouds, wearing a jade ring on her waist, and with several jade hairpins in her bun, exuding a noble aura approaching.

He was accompanied by two women, both of whom were dressed in gorgeous clothes and had noble temperaments. They were obviously the daughters of wealthy or noble families.

"The one in front is Han Qingxue, the daughter of the Left Prime Minister. The one in red behind her is Pang Xiaoyu, the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Works. The one in green is Chang Feifei, the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Rites." Before the three of them came close, Mo Ruyan quietly introduced the identities of the people to Lai Yang.

"Princess Ruyan, it's been a long time since we last met. How are you feeling lately?" Han Qingxue greeted her gracefully.

"Thank you Sister Qingxue for your concern. Ruyan is fine."

As the saying goes, don't hit a smiling person. Mo Ruyan immediately greeted the three women.

Pang Xiaoyu's face showed concern. In a familiar tone, he asked tentatively, "A few days ago, we heard that the princess was held hostage by a villain. It was extremely dangerous and frightened us. I wonder if the villain hurt the princess in any way?"

Mo Ruyan shook her head gently: "Not yet. Fortunately, a chivalrous man risked his life to save me, and now I am able to return safely. Otherwise, I am afraid that you sisters would not be able to see me."

"I don't know where these villains came from, but they actually dared to attack the Ruyan County Lord. They are truly audacious. Fortunately, the county lord is safe and sound."

"By the way, who is this young man beside the princess? I have never seen him before. Would the princess introduce him to us?"

Han Qingxue's gaze suddenly fell on Lai Yang behind Mo Ruyan. She looked at him with interest for a few seconds, then turned to look at Mo Ruyan and said in a clear voice.

Mo Ruyan showed a hint of pride on her face. She reached out and pulled Lai Yang, then introduced him to everyone: "He is the chivalrous man I just mentioned, and he is also a distinguished guest of my Wuwang Mansion, Liu Yang."

Hearing this, the three women all looked at the young man in front of them with curious and inquiring eyes.

Lai Yang scratched the back of his neck subconsciously, nodded and smiled politely: "Hello."

"So you are the chivalrous man who saved Princess Ruyan. Hello, my name is Han Qingxue, and my father is the Left Prime Minister Han Heguang."

"My name is Chang Feifei, and my father is Chang Yucheng, the Minister of Rites in the imperial court."

"I am Pang Xiaoyu, and my father, Pang Chuanshan, is the Minister of Works."

The Left Prime Minister, the Minister of Rites, and the Minister of Works are all big-name figures.

Han Qingxue, Pang Xiaoyu, Chang Feifei, Mo Ruyan.

Any of the four girls would be a noble lady of inestimable status in the Great Yan Dynasty. I wonder how many young talents in the imperial city would be her dream lovers.

Now they are gathered together, each of them has outstanding looks, beautiful women and unique talents, which is really rare.

"My name is Liu Yang, and I'm a commoner." Lai Yang nodded and introduced himself casually.

"Commoner?" The three women were slightly stunned.

They didn't expect that the person who finally saved Mo Ruyan was just a civilian.

Seeing their strange expressions, Mo Ruyan knew that they looked down on Liuyang Bu Yi's identity.

Mo Ruyan suddenly felt a little unhappy, and she crossed her arms in front of her chest, her demeanor becoming quite domineering.

"What's wrong with common people? Liu Yang is really powerful. When he was in Huangcheng Town, he killed Tian Liang, one of the eight evil men in the martial arts world, who was at the perfect level of an eighth-grade martial artist, with a single sword strike. With his ability, he will become famous in the world sooner or later."

"Princess, please don't misunderstand. We didn't mean that." Han Qingxue and others' expressions changed slightly, and they smiled awkwardly.

"We haven't had time to pay our respects to Her Royal Highness the Seventh Princess yet, so we're leaving now."

After saying that, Mo Ruyan pulled Liu Yang away.

After walking away, Mo Ruyan looked at Liu Yang with a hint of apology in her eyes: "Sorry, don't take it to heart."

"It's okay, I don't care." Lai Yang shook his head slightly.

Mo Ruyan's domineering and protective look made him feel warm in his heart.

(End of this chapter)