章 3: Chapter 3 The Boy Who Gave the First Kiss
The worship this time ended quicker than in the last life. Last time, it was hurried because Zheng Nianru thought of visiting the Crown Prince's Mansion again on her way back, to obtain the things she desired through persistence and coaxing, like the Red Jade String that currently hung in the Crown Prince's Study Room, which matched perfectly with her rose-colored dress.
But Zheng Nianru didn't go.
As soon as Zheng Nianru returned to the palace, she headed to places she remembered from previous visits.
Today was not only the anniversary of her mother's death, it was also the Day of Hibernation Feast in the palace. In Nanzheng State, the Day of Hibernation in the first lunar month marked the awakening of all things, with customs to drive away pests. Because the Emperor's health was deteriorating, Master Huo Yi claimed that it was due to evil spirits. Hence, the customs of the last few years had become quite popular, and the Imperial Palace also hosted a banquet for some high officials and their families.
Zheng Nianru naturally was not included in the banquet, and even her father, Prince Duan, never attended due to it being the anniversary of his wife's death, always feigning illness. Naturally, in the palace, she was not the only one forgotten, such as the young man she encountered in her previous life.
Located in the same secluded courtyard, the Hostage of Nanmen State actually didn't stay within the Harem. The residence was in a dilapidated courtyard of Hanyuan Hall in the former palace, which was far from Qishun Building, so their meeting that time could only have been an accident.
"Commandery Princess—"
"Commandery Princess—" Nanny Yun followed, breathing heavily, looking around suspiciously. This place was so unfamiliar, it seemed they had already left the Harem. "Commandery Princess, let's go back," she suggested.
Just then, Zheng Nianru caught sight of a figure in a worn pavilion, the slender clothes blending with the brown stone, almost invisible.
Zheng Nianru took a few steps forward; she remembered asking Nanny Yun, who had paused a long time before she could remember such a person.
"He must be the Hostage of Nanmen State, helpless here, quite a pitiful person," Nanny Yun, being from Nanmen State, felt a flicker of sympathy. But before her sympathy lasted even two seconds, she grabbed Zheng Nianru's sleeve.
"Commandery Princess, to capture a man's heart, you must understand them better than they understand themselves. In our Art Workshop, we always find a few men for the Flower Girls to practice with, and right now, he is the most suitable," she advised.
Upon returning from the worship with not the best mood, Zheng Nianru nodded and walked straight towards the young man. Without a word, she kissed him directly, she even felt annoyed that the young man's face still had some grime she hadn't wiped clean, leaving Zheng Nianru dissatisfied.
Why couldn't Empress Dowager Yan Ping tolerate someone as insignificant as her, plotting against her repeatedly and yet superficially maintaining a hypocritical kindness with Zheng Congyuan?
Therefore, she had to act quickly, to thoroughly win Zheng Congyuan's heart and make him hers completely.
At the time, she and Nanny Yun thought that since this young man was the Hostage of Nanmen State, helpless in the Imperial Palace, it has justified their actions.
Later, Zheng Nianru would learn that this line of thinking directly led to the ensuing three-year-long tug-of-war between Nanzheng State and Nanmen State, leaving her harried and frazzled. Even now thinking back, she couldn't help but wish she had taken initiative to eliminate this source of trouble.
At this time, Zheng Nianru still retained a girl's innocence, without the charm and deliberate allure that would come later. As for the men she wanted, a mere beckoning would suffice. Regarding what Nanny Yun said about understanding men, she had never really put any effort into the Hostage of Nanmen State.
"Commandery Princess—"
Nanny Yun frowned slightly; this definitely wasn't part of the Harem anymore. Continuing this way could lead to trouble. Moreover, the place was eerie and decrepit, clearly not a good place.
"Who are you?" Zheng Nianru stopped and asked toward the damaged pavilion.
The dark figure hidden behind the flower trellis, with half of his body obscured by the artificial mountain, suddenly heard Zheng Nianru's voice and revealed a pair of bright eyes, staring at Zheng Nianru, momentarily forgetting to hide.
Zheng Nianru discovered for the first time that the young man's eyes were exceptionally clear, yet deep like pools.
The first time the young man saw Zheng Nianru, he watched her as she approached him step by step, her beautiful face full of confusion, but there was no fear or even a hint of disgust.
"Who are you?" Zheng Nianru asked patiently once again, ah, it was Nanmen Yu, even though he had grown taller than her by a head, the silhouette from those days was still faintly recognizable.
"I—" The young man felt for the first time that his tongue wasn't his own, could it be because of the girl in front of him who was excessively beautiful? How could there be such a beautiful woman in the world, the clothes she wore were expensive, the embroidery vivid as if alive; even in the darkness, the lustrous gleam gently spread under the moonlight.
All of a sudden, the young man felt uneasy. He should, no, he shouldn't be sitting here so filthy, like a clown suddenly exposed to the sunlight, wishing he could just burrow directly into the earth. The next moment, Nanmen Yu did just that; he ran, wanting to escape.
Luckily, Zheng Nianru was prepared. In her past life, it was exactly like this that Nanmen Yu had slipped away, without even leaving his name, which infuriated her even more.
Zheng Nianru grabbed the young man's sleeve in one swift motion, the texture of his clothes made her frown a bit, stiff and threadbare, as if a bit more force could tear it, the young man was bones and skin, far from the robustness he would have later.
"Why are you running? I'm not going to eat you," Zheng Nianru's heart softened, back then, she had Nanmen Yu do quite a few bad things, the kind that couldn't be done openly, or see the light of day. As long as she proposed them, he would get them done, Zheng Nianru would not care about him coming back with a bruised face; even if she saw him, she pretended not to.
The young man immediately became nervous and didn't dare to struggle since his clothes were worn-out, and they were the only ones he had.
"Let go of me—" The young man stubbornly tried to hold onto his last bit of dignity.
Zheng Nianru smiled, making the young man's dignity instantly have no place to hide, she ignored his words and turned to look at Nanny Yun.
"Auntie…"
Nanny Yun looked bewildered, Commandery Princess, what are you afraid of, he's just a young lad, easily manipulated.
Did she not explain herself clearly enough? Or did she need to demonstrate it herself?
Nanny Yun stepped forward hesitantly; it wasn't impossible, but she hadn't done such things from the Art Workshop for a long time and felt somewhat rusty. In this Imperial Palace, apart from seeing palace maids and eunuchs, she hadn't seen a man.
Zheng Nianru took a cloak from Nanny Yun's hands and threw it over Nanmen Yu.
"Put on the clothes, and then you can leave," Zheng Nianru clapped her hands and smiled, the girl's playfulness and beauty formed their own painting, the young man wanted to refuse, but oddly he wrapped himself in the cloak.
"That's better." Now you're obedient, Zheng Nianru was very satisfied, this Nanmen Yu was a ruthless person, but handy to use, a bit of small favors never did any harm.
"Commandery Princess…" Such a good opportunity, the night is dark, and the wind is high, such a perfect chance.
Zheng Nianru looked at the retreating figure that had already run away, her mood undisturbed.
"Too dirty, it would be unsavory."
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