Having privileges is always better than having none.
Jiang Ning was now deeply experiencing this truth.
When she showed her token proving her princess status and explained her purpose, the monk immediately became extremely deferential. He hurried to the small storage room behind the Hall of Longevity and retrieved Nangong Ling's memorial tablet. He carefully wiped off the dust with his sleeve and respectfully placed it on the highest platform in the center of the hall. Without her having to ask, he assured her that this tablet and its eternal lamp would remain forever at the Universal Blessing Temple.
"Does the Princess have any other requests?" the monk asked after showing his attentiveness.
Jiang Ning just stared at the three characters spelling "Nangong Ling" on the black tablet and said softly, "I wish to be alone for a while."
"Of course, this humble monk shall take his leave." The monk bowed with clasped hands and backed out of the Hall of Longevity, taking it upon himself to stand at the bottom of the steps outside to prevent others from entering.
Left alone in the hall, Jiang Ning raised her head and gazed at the small memorial tablet for a long while before slowly speaking: "Nangong Ling..."
"I went back to the Prime Minister's Mansion in your place. I learned that your enemy was Nangong Muyan, and I exposed her true nature to your father..."
"But before I could make her suffer the same fate she inflicted on you, she took her own life. I'm sorry..."
"Your father did care about you, but he didn't love you enough. He failed you, so I severed ties with the Prime Minister's Mansion..."
"I found your birth mother Lan Xu. She has been thinking of you all these years. I brought her to the capital and treated her as my own mother. You can rest assured..."
Jiang Ning spoke softly to the memorial tablet. Though she didn't believe in ghosts and spirits, at this moment she wished there really was such a thing as "spirits in heaven."
"If there is a next life, come be my little sister. I will protect you well!"
The eternal lamp in front of the tablet flickered, illuminating the small text beside it: The ninth day of the twelfth month in the twenty-first year of Yuanning.
In two more months, Nangong Ling would have turned eighteen.
Jiang Ning sighed, took one last look at the tablet, and said softly: "Rest in peace, Nangong Ling."
Walking out of the Hall of Longevity, the sunlight outside was bright. Having stayed in the dim light for so long, Jiang Ning found it rather dazzling.
She squinted for a moment to adjust, only then noticing Liu Ming'an waiting outside the hall with a smile on his lips.
"Ah Ning," Liu Ming'an came forward and took her hand, asking gently, "Shall we return to the inn now?"
"Mm." Jiang Ning nodded slightly.
The monk silently followed behind them until they reached the entrance of the Universal Blessing Temple, where he bid them farewell with a "Amitabha" before returning.
Liu Ming'an held Jiang Ning's hand as they walked at a leisurely pace, his eyes thoughtful.
He remembered Jiang Ning telling him that Lan Xu had set up a memorial tablet and eternal lamp for her at the Universal Blessing Temple. Now that she had abandoned her identity as Nangong Ling, why did she come back to the Hall of Longevity?
"At this rate, we can depart in two days."
Liu Ming'an was lost in his random thoughts when he suddenly heard Jiang Ning say this.
He turned to look at her walking in the sunlight - her features as delicate as a painting, her face like peach blossoms and plums, a faint smile on her lips. Her waist-length black hair was arranged by his own hands, and the inexpensive camellia hairpin she wore was his gift. She even carried his child in her womb.
"What are you smiling at?" Jiang Ning asked, puzzled by his inexplicable grin.
Liu Ming'an tickled her palm and said in a voice as gentle as spring breeze through willow branches: "Ah Ning, I love you."
No matter how many secrets you keep from me, I love you.
The sudden confession caught Jiang Ning off guard. After some thought, she decided to reciprocate: "I love you too."
The couple exchanged glances as they held hands on the busy street, finally both breaking into laughter.
The carriage set out in the early morning two days later, heading toward Maozhu County.
On the sixth day, they passed by Zhuangzhu Village.
They could hear the commotion from far away. Jiang Ning remembered last year's lively pig-slaughtering feast and lifted the carriage curtain. Sure enough, the wide space at the village entrance was filled with men, women, old, and young, with a large pot steaming away.
"Ah Ning, would you like to stop here?" Liu Ming'an asked, seeing her interest.
"No," Jiang Ning lowered the curtain. "Last year when you were just a successful candidate, the village chief treated you as an honored guest. Now that you're the top scholar, I'm afraid he'll keep you here to teach his grandson until you've helped produce another top scholar."
This was clearly a joke, and Liu Ming'an just smiled without taking it seriously.
Jiang Ning simply wanted to hurry along. It was now mid-October, and she hoped to complete everything and return to the capital before the ninth day of the twelfth month. Lan Xu had probably been waiting all these years to celebrate her birthday with her.
As the carriage passed the village entrance, Liu Ming'an heard the piercing squeals of pigs and couldn't contain his curiosity. He lifted the curtain again, just in time to see several strong men carrying a large fat pig with wooden poles as thick as bowls, while the village chief followed behind them happily, holding a small child.
The child was chubby with round, bright eyes that looked everywhere, constantly babbling.
"Is that Wei Zhouhong?" Liu Ming'an could hardly recognize him.
Jiang Ning looked as well and nodded in confirmation: "Should be, the age matches."
"How amazing! Last year he was only this big..." Liu Ming'an said, making a gesture with his hands. "In just a year, he's grown so much!"
Jiang Ning found his naivety rather adorable: "Children change every day, they grow very quickly."
Liu Ming'an lowered the curtain, still marveling: "It's so incredible..."
Jiang Ning was reading a leisure book and didn't respond, but after a while, she saw Liu Ming'an reach out to gently stroke her belly.
"It's too early, what do you expect to feel?" Jiang Ning said with resignation.
"Ah Ning, after our child is born, I want to paint a picture every day to record all the changes," Liu Ming'an said with great anticipation.
Hearing this, Jiang Ning suddenly felt playful and wanted to tease him.
While Liu Ming'an was still touching her belly, his chin was suddenly gripped and lifted. Jiang Ning's flower-like face drew closer, her expression somewhat mischievous.
"We've been together for so long, yet you've only painted two pictures of me..."
Liu Ming'an blinked, and the next moment his lips were bitten - not painfully, but enough to create a tingling sensation that made his heart itch.
"My husband, that's not fair~"
In such a situation, it would be a waste not to do something. Liu Ming'an smiled, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her into his lap. He lowered his head and kissed those red lips.
Aliali: 6744813cc4f3f33ac44271f6When the kiss finally ended, those ravished lips had become even more brilliant. Liu Ming'an smiled and responded: "Ah Ning, I paint the child because you said children change every day. I'm afraid I'll forget what it looked like at three months when it's six months old, or what it looked like at six months when it turns one year old, so I need to paint it down."
Another kiss landed lightly on her lips, lingering for a moment before parting: "But you're different."
"How am I different?" Jiang Ning asked in return.
A well-defined hand caressed Jiang Ning's face, warm fingertips starting from her forehead, moving down slowly, tracing her nose bridge, pressing against her lips, and finally settling on her chin, two fingers holding her jaw.
Jiang Ning met Liu Ming'an's eyes, and for a moment thought the waves in his eyes were identical to the sea outside Quishui City.
"Ah Ning, you're always in my heart. I will never forget what you look like, so I don't need to paint you."
"Besides, I always feel I make you look less beautiful in my paintings. You're the most beautiful girl in the world, and no one can capture your beauty."
These sweet words made Jiang Ning's eyes curve with joy, her heart as sweet as if filled with honey.
"You scholars are just smooth talkers!" she complained verbally, but her hands honestly pulled him down for another kiss.
"But these are my true feelings..." Liu Ming'an managed to defend himself in the brief intervals between their intertwined kisses.