She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

Jiang Ruining spoke in a flat tone, as if the person waiting for her outside was not one of the most handsome young noblemen in the capital, but an insignificant mediocre person: "Before, in order to observe him and the people around him, I pretended to be infatuated with him and pestered him for a while."

"Back then, he ignored me completely, even ignoring my brother's request to get rid of him and take care of me. Later, when I stopped bothering him, he started acting crazy, suddenly saying he liked me and wanted me to give him a chance."

Jiang Huai frowned.

But he was a smart man, and upon connecting this to the sentence his daughter had just written, he immediately made a guess.

Without speaking, he gestured towards the direction of the royal tent with a solemn and refined face: "The young emperor ordered him... to get close to you?"

The words "deliberately seducing" ran rampant in the angry old father's mind.

The outstretched fingers had become as sharp as sword blades.

Jiang Ruining nodded, then shrugged and said in a low voice, "He said it has nothing to do with those things, he just admires me."

boom!

Jiang Huai slammed his hand on the table: "Honeyed words masking a treacherous heart! You have ulterior motives!"

Jiang Ruining tilted her head.

Look!

Even the seasoned shrew in officialdom couldn't believe the male lead would like her!

The male protagonist was truly willing to sacrifice himself to help the young emperor and to achieve his unconventional success in supporting the emperor!

When Jiang Huai left.

Shao Yunting was still waiting outside.

The two met.

Jiang Huai remained expressionless, asking calmly, "What is Duke Shao doing here?"

Shao Yunting was slightly taken aback when she saw it was him.

He cupped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "Uncle."

uncle?

Jiang Huai smiled warmly, but beneath that warmth lay a coldness shrouded in the night: "Ningning is naughty and caused my nephew a lot of trouble before. I apologize to you on her behalf. Ningning told me that I took care of her while I was away from the capital. Thank you, Uncle."

Shao Yun pursed her lips.

Ah Xiao had asked him to look after Jiang Ruining, but because he disliked Jiang Ruining's clinginess, he disregarded their relationship and only saw Ah Xiao as creating opportunities for her to pester him. He avoided her like the plague, let alone bothered to understand her situation...

When asked if Ningning was simply being polite to Uncle Jiang out of consideration for Jiang Ruixiao, or if Uncle Jiang was deliberately pointing him out, was it because he had taken care of her?

But he still chose to admit the truth: "I was narrow-minded before, and I listened to what others said. I didn't get to know Ningning myself and I didn't take care of her. She suffered a lot of grievances. It was Tingyun's fault."

"Is that so!" Jiang Huai feigned surprise: "Ningning only told me that although you don't like her, you still took care of her. She told you this because she didn't take your avoidance to heart out of consideration for your brother's friendship with you."

"So you don't need to take it to heart, my dear nephew. After all, there is a difference between men and women. If your marriage is ruined because of taking care of Ningning, it would be the fault of the Jiang family and Ningning."

"Her brother is confused and spoke carelessly; please forgive him, my dear nephew."

Shao Yunting confirmed it.

Those words were spoken by Uncle Jiang to him.

In the past, when Ningning needed help, he ignored his close friendship with Jiang Ruixiao and remained indifferent. Now that she has status, position, and someone to rely on, she doesn't need him to add to her glory. In other words, she doesn't need his... wishful thinking!

"I was shallow before and didn't see Ningning's good points. I'm willing to atone for my sins and give her everything I can! Please, Uncle, give me this chance!"

Jiang Huai approached him slowly, his words barely audible: "Nephew, the Jiang family does not sell its daughters, nor will it allow them to become pawns in someone else's schemes. If you still hope that our two families can continue to maintain friendly relations, then abandon that idea."

Shao Yunting cupped his hands and bowed deeply.

His bent back, the curve of which was filled with sincerity, said, "My nephew's affection for Ningning is genuine and has nothing to do with anything else. If there is any falsehood in this, he will surely meet a bad end!"

Jiang Huai has heard countless people make solemn oaths in his life. Nine out of ten of them treat oaths as mere lines from a play, something they can just casually sing!

So he got used to it and didn't believe anyone's oaths.

He only cares about the results.

He has no excuse for anything that annoys or displeases his daughter.

"I am an open-minded person and I don't believe in arranged marriages. Whether to give a chance, and to whom to give a chance, is Ningning's decision. I won't interfere."

The conversation turned.

"When Ningning was being naughty and bothering you, you were annoyed, so you should understand that pestering her and just talking will only make her dislike you."

The words were spoken very subtly.

But the implication in his words that he was refusing on behalf of Ningning was quite clear.

Shao Yunting understood, but didn't want to give up so easily: "Thank you for your advice, Uncle. I will remember it and will definitely show my sincerity so that Ningning can see my true feelings!"

Jiang Huai neither agreed nor disagreed.

He took a step back.

With his hands behind his back, his tall and slender figure blocked Ningning's tent entrance, clearly indicating that he would not be allowed to enter: "Alright, it's getting late. This is the women's quarters. After all, my nephew is an unmarried man, and it is really inappropriate for him to linger here."

Go!

Shao Yunting's gaze passed over Jiang Huai's shoulder and landed on the tightly closed tent curtain.

The evening breeze at the foot of the mountain was not gentle, but the thick and heavy curtains only swayed slightly. His eyesight was excellent, and through that gap, he saw her slender and graceful figure in the candlelight, her delicate neck hanging in a beautiful arc, standing still, lost in thought.

Is he pondering how much truth there is in his words?

Or is he thinking about... the Regent?

No one gave him an answer.

He bowed again and turned to leave.

In the two tents, one on the left and one on the right, Xin Yang, Zheng Lingyi, and Chu Jin all peeked out, their big, dark eyes peering through the cracks in the tent flaps.

Everyone expressed their regret at not seeing the dramatic love triangle between the two men vying for Ningning.

Inside the left tent.

Xinyang straightened up, feeling that the progress was a bit too slow: "How can we provoke my elder brother to make things more exciting?"

Listening to his wife's grumbling, Gongsun Changming chuckled and said, "I wonder if it's because she's been spending so much time with Ningning, our Aying is getting more and more mischievous!"

Xin Yang smiled, her mood having been sunny and bright lately: "Ningning is so clever; being with her always makes time fly, and my heart is always joyful. It's so easy to be influenced by her!"

He laughed and laughed.

Thinking of Xiao Che and her adoptive mother, Consort Rou, she sighed again.

"Ever since Consort Rou was murdered, my brother has gone mad. A madman can't be happy, but Ningning can influence him, so of course I have to find a way to stimulate him and help him rediscover the feeling of being a normal person!"

"I have you, and soon I'll have the children to keep me company. My brother is too lonely all by himself. If he has someone he cares about, his heart won't be so lonely, and he'll know to protect himself for the sake of those he cares about!"

Gongsun Changming helped her sit down and massaged her lower back: "It would be good if I could help my brother, but I was just worried that you would get tired."

Xin Yang squinted comfortably: "I'll figure something out, you just do the work, then I won't get tired! Besides, Ning Ning said that if you're not lazy during pregnancy, keep your mind active, and maintain a good mood, the baby will be smarter and more beautiful."

"I can see that she's also trying to get the Emperor to acknowledge her first! Don't you want to help Ningning? She's done a great favor for your family of three!"

Looking at his wife's prominently protruding belly, Gongsun Changming felt a wave of fear creep down his spine.

If it weren't for Ningning's reminder, Xinyang and the child might have...

He turned his head and kissed Xinyang's lips, his tenderness filled with deep affection: "As long as you're happy, and Ningning needs me, I, as her husband and brother-in-law, will naturally do anything for her!"

Inside the right tent.

"I really want to see them fight!"

Zheng Lingyi had read many sketchbooks, and she had already imagined several scenes of rivals fighting in her mind, her eyes shining.

Ahhhhh!

So bloody! So violent! I love it!

Unfortunately, they never even met, let alone fought.

She sighed deeply.

Chu Jin withdrew her gaze from Shao Yunting.

After letting go of that fleeting moment of attraction, looking at Shao Yunting again, all she felt was that he was very handsome. "Although the Regent is indeed very special to Ningning, and he seems like the kind of person who doesn't show his emotions, it seems unlikely that I'd see him actually hit someone."

"Ningning risked her life for him, and I haven't even heard of him beating up that dog of a father and son from the Wen family!"

I thought about it.

He added, "The reason we didn't punish that father and son might be because they're too filthy and don't deserve it!"

Zheng Lingyi nodded vigorously: "If Ningning allows Brother Yunting to get close, then it's hard to say! That's how it's written in the stories!"

Chu Jin hadn't read the storybook, but she understood Ningning's personality: "Unfortunately, Ningning won't give him a chance. She's not like Cui Jingwei, who likes to string others along to show how likable she is."

Zheng Lingyi clicked her tongue, expressing both regret and disdain for Shao Yunting: "Who told Brother Yunting to be like those blind fools before, never bothering to open his eyes to understand Ningning! He deserves to have no chance!"

Chu Jin agreed: "That's right! A blind person like that doesn't deserve Ningning!"

The Regent clearly won this point!

However, the Regent has too many political enemies, and Ningning's situation would definitely become dangerous if she stayed with him.

It seems she needs to think of a way to better manage the situation so she can help Ningning.

She turned around and looked at Xiao Lingyi, who was resting her chin on her hand, looking carefree.

"Lingyi, could you tell me about what's happening at court?"

……