He watched, his eyes filled with tenderness.
Qiong Hua helped Jun Ning tidy her longevity lock, and ordered the servants to bring the longevity noodles she personally made for Jun Ning. Jun Ning’s little belly was already full, but she still graciously ate it all.
Jun Ning hugged Qiong Hua and said, "Mother, this is the best noodles I’ve ever eaten."
Qiong Hua lovingly stroked Jun Ning’s head.
Next, several princes, excluding the Crown Prince, gave gifts to Jun Ning; they were straight male aesthetic gifts like rattles, kites, and darts... all to amuse children.
Jun Ning glanced at them and tossed them aside.
However, Jun Yu gave her a little clay figure, though it was a bit ugly and didn’t resemble her at all, it was crafted by Jun Yu himself, and it was said that he ruined dozens of these before making the final one.
Jun Ning held it in her hand and looked at it for a long time.
One could say Jun Ning’s birthday banquet this year was exceptionally grand.
The little girl was very happy inside, yet she didn’t express her joy with loud laughter but kept trying not to laugh, with a faint smile at the corner of her mouth.
Really, such a smug child.
Time turned back to half an hour before.
Over at Jing Shu’s side.
Because she couldn’t eat at the banquet and spoke awkwardly, others also often teased her after hearing her speak. The Crown Princess Consort, for the sake of Jing Shu’s dignity, didn’t keep her at the banquet but instead had the nanny send her back early.
Jun Ning also arranged for Nanny Zhang to follow, to protect Jing Shu’s safety.
Initially, after arriving back at the Eastern Palace, Jing Shu was very obedient, following the Crown Princess Consort’s orders to go to bed early. But as she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly thought of something and instantly lost all sleepiness.
She rummaged through her room, looking through boxes and drawers, eventually finding a small square box.
Using the excuse of needing to use the bathroom, she avoided the palace maids guarding her, and secretly slipped out through a dog hole at the back door of the Eastern Palace, where she frequently sneaked out to play.
Afterwards, her small figure quickly disappeared into the boundless night.
The maids waiting outside for Jing Shu to finish using the toilet were puzzled after not seeing Jing Shu come out for a long time, then went into the lavatory to take a look, but where was the little girl’s figure?
"Commandery Princess?" The maids nervously called out for Jing Shu, but received no response.
When the steward of the Eastern Palace heard the noise from the maids, he inquired about what happened. Upon learning that the Commandery Princess had suddenly disappeared, he hurriedly sent people to search and reported to the Crown Prince.
However, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess Consort were busy discussing something with the ministers, and the dispatched servants did not dare interrupt, so they could only wait for them to finish talking.
Nanny Zhang also joined the search for Jing Shu with the others. After searching for a long time without finding her, she hurriedly went to the banquet to find Jun Ning.
In actuality, Jing Shu didn’t go elsewhere; she carried her little bag to the Weiyang Palace. But halfway there, she was suddenly gagged, had her hands and feet bound by a masked figure in black, and taken to the front of a palace.
Unable to make a sound, she could only whimper and cry.
Frightened, she kept crying.
The masked figure in black, impatient, slapped her, scolding, "Shut up."
It was a woman’s voice, very fierce, fiercer than a man.
Upon hearing that voice, Jing Shu became even more terrified.
She didn’t dare cry loudly anymore, only sobbed softly.
While sobbing, she didn’t forget to keep an eye on the little bag at her waist.
"Why are you still crying?" Even though Jing Shu’s voice was very small, the woman in black was still extremely impatient. She pointed to the tall platform beside them, threatening, "If you keep crying, I’ll throw you off this platform!"
Jing Shu glanced in the direction she pointed, seeing such a tall platform, the ground unseen from above, truly terrifying!
She was so frightened that not only did she not stop crying, but her sobbing grew louder.
The woman became more furious; she crouched before Jing Shu, stepping on her already messy hair, and slapped Jing Shu harshly a few more times.
Jing Shu’s face swelled from the beating, and her mouth hurt painfully, especially where she had chipped a tooth, it hurt terribly.
The pain shook her heart and liver, yet the woman in black didn’t let her go.
Irritated, the woman in black lifted Jing Shu up and pressed her against a white pillar on the high platform. If she let go, Jing Shu would inevitably fall off the platform.
Jing Shu glanced sideways below, nearly fainting with fear.
The woman in black said, "Cry, go on crying."
The woman truly had murderous intent; if Jing Shu cried anymore, she would really throw Jing Shu off the high platform.
The butterfly bone on Jing Shu’s back was painfully pressed against the white pillar below; she wanted to cry from the pain but, driven by a primal survival instinct, she shut her mouth, forcing herself not to cry anymore.
Only when she couldn’t hear crying anymore did the woman in black satisfactorily release Jing Shu.
Jing Shu was so scared that she felt almost paralyzed.
At this moment, the woman in black pulled out a dagger from her waist, preparing to follow her master’s orders, first cutting off two of Jing Shu’s fingers, then, once Jun Ning arrived later, she would throw Jing Shu and Jun Ning together into the small dark room full of rats.
Weren’t they good friends?
Then they should enjoy together.
But, while the woman in black was untying Jing Shu’s hands and preparing to cut her fingers, she suddenly noticed that Jing Shu kept protecting her waist-side bag, as if something valuable was inside it.
Driven by curiosity, she temporarily stopped her actions and sheathed the dagger back at her waist.
She curiously asked Jing Shu, "What’s in your bag?"
Jing Shu shook her head, saying nothing.
Upon hearing this, the woman in black crudely tore Jing Shu’s hand away from the bag and snatched the little bag she had been carrying.
Next, the woman in black took out a small square box from the bag. For origınal chapters go to 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝔫𝔢𝔱
At a glance, the square box was extremely exquisite, with peony patterns carved on it.
Because of the peony patterns, the woman was even more eager to know what was inside.
Jing Shu kept shaking her head, unwilling to let the woman in black touch her things. However, the woman in black ignored her and opened the small square box.
Inside the box lay a delicate coral bead strand, glowing faintly in the dark night, appearing very luxurious, and the strand’s design was indescribably beautiful.
The woman in black was certain this was no ordinary item, and with the peony pattern on the box, she speculated it must have been a gift from the Emperor or Jing Shu’s father, the Crown Prince.
Jing Shu took this to the Weiyang Palace, seemingly intending to...
"You want to give this to Jun Ning as a birthday gift, right?"