“Your Highness the Princess, Young Master Soren has arrived.” The eunuch walked to the front of the carriage without his feet touching the ground and spoke in a low voice.
“Come in.” Princess Zhi Ning said lightly and indifferently.
Lan Ling could not help but freeze slightly upon hearing this voice, because it really sounded very pleasant, clear and soft, yet with a faint sensuality. It did not sound like the voice of a woman with a heart as venomous as a snake and scorpion at all.
Then the large, luxurious carriage door opened. Lan Ling first took a deep breath, pressed his hand on his own heart for a while as if to calm his heartbeat, and only then stepped into the carriage.
This scene was secretly glimpsed by Zhi Ning, and the corner of her mouth immediately revealed a trace of a triumphant smile.
Of course, all of this was acted by Lan Ling. He was performing.
It was not quite as he had imagined. The inside of the carriage was not so magnificently ornate but appeared elegant and simple.
Princess Zhi Ning sat upright on a soft couch, holding a scroll in her slender jade hands.
After Lan Ling entered, he neither saluted nor sat down. He simply stood straight there with an icy expression on his face.
Zhi Ning said to the eunuch, “You go out first and walk farther away. Do not come in without my order.”
“But…” The eunuch glanced at Soren (Lan Ling).
Zhi Ning said, “This profligate has no strength to truss a chicken. What do I need to worry about?”
“Yes!” That eunuch floated away into the distance. Inside the large carriage, only Zhi Ning and Lan Ling remained.
……
“Soren, you called me a slut.” Zhi Ning asked indifferently, “You dare to curse me like that. Are you not afraid I will kill you?”
Lan Ling’s face twitched and he said, “You want to harm me to death and seize my family’s foundation. Can I not even curse you once? Moreover you… you also deceived my feelings…”
At this point, Lan Ling’s face flushed red as he desperately tried to suppress the agitation in his heart.
He was still acting at full force. He had once told Suo Ning Bing that for a vicious woman like Zhi Ning, he knew how to deal with her.
Zhi Ning felt even more pleased in her heart. The man before her was still so infatuated with her. Before it was love, now it was only hatred, and to a large extent hatred was an even more intense form of love.
“How did you know the anti-counterfeiting method for my gold notes?” Zhi Ning asked.
“Why should I tell you?” Lan Ling sneered. What he was playing now was a youth who had been hurt by a woman. He just needed to keep rebelling.
Zhi Ning did not ask any further and said indifferently, “You should know that once you make this technique public, you will gain nothing and will instead lose your little life.”
“That is my own business.” Lan Ling said. Then he sneered again, “Rest assured, I am not that stupid. Moreover let me tell you, if anything happens to me or my sister, your gold note anti-counterfeiting method will be made completely public.”
Zhi Ning smiled noncommittally. She had already sent people to research a second set of anti-counterfeiting methods. She possessed the most suspicious heart in the world. Once this anti-counterfeiting technique became known, even if Soren would not make it public, she would not feel at ease using it any longer.
Then the carriage fell into silence once more.
Zhi Ning said seriously, “Soren, do you want your sister to live?”
“Of course.” Lan Ling said.
Zhi Ning continued, “Do you yourself want to live?”
“Obviously.” Lan Ling said.
Zhi Ning said, “You should know that neither I nor His Highness Zhi Li have any personal grudge against your family. It is merely that you have blocked His Highness Zhi Li’s strategic path and blocked the kingdom’s road of expansion. Therefore your Tian Shui City definitely cannot be kept. It is useless for you to seek help from anyone. Duke Zhi Ting is merely a clown jumping around.”
Lan Ling’s face twitched.
Zhi Ning said, “Originally you were doomed to die. But your sister’s talent has made His Highness Zhi Li cherish her greatly. Previously she proposed the naval development strategy and the foundation for making the Furious Wave Kingdom strong, both of which were extremely brilliant. And recently she saw the reason behind why the king would definitely not agree to develop the navy. It is because he does not want to stimulate the Yan Empire and does not want to change the current situation of hiding one’s strength and biding one’s time. Such wisdom has made us look at her with new eyes.”
“And then?” Lan Ling said coldly.
Zhi Ning said, “Therefore your sister can live. You can also live. Our royal family will borrow your Tian Shui City for twenty years.”
Lan Ling was stunned. He truly knew nothing about this matter, but immediately afterwards he became filled with vigilance and asked, “What do you mean?”
“Your sister Suo Ning Bing will become the woman of His Highness Zhi Li. The son she bears for His Highness Zhi Li will become the master of Tian Shui City in the future.” Zhi Ning said.
As soon as these words came out, the hairs on Lan Ling’s neck instantly stood up, just like a lion whose territory and lioness were about to be snatched away.
“As for you, Soren.” Zhi Ning said, “You can also live, but for the sake of safety you cannot produce offspring, so you will be castrated. It just so happens you can come to my side and serve as a eunuch. Does this not suit your wishes?”
Hearing this, the blood in Lan Ling’s entire body instantly rushed to his head. He wanted nothing more than to rape and then kill the peerlessly beautiful yet heartless woman before him.
Immediately he arrogantly raised his chin, looked at Zhi Ning and said, “Woman, you are dreaming. I, Soren, would rather die standing than live kneeling.”
With that he turned to leave.
“Soren, this is the last chance for you siblings.” Zhi Ning said, “Either kneel down and surrender completely, or die with nothing.”
Lan Ling looked at Zhi Ning’s peerless beautiful face and said word by word, “Woman, remember this. I will either die gloriously or rightfully keep my Tian Shui City. I will absolutely not live ignobly.”
“How will you keep your sister and your Tian Shui City? With your mouth? With your sharp tongue? Haha…” Zhi Ning rarely let out a giggle, as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world.
Lan Ling stepped forward, pinched her delicate chin, opened his teeth and bit hard on Zhi Ning’s gorgeous red lips.
It was incomparably soft and incomparably sweet. Instantly a sweet yet salty taste flooded into Lan Ling’s mouth.
And when her lips were bitten by Lan Ling, Zhi Ning was instantly completely stunned. Everything happened too fast and too suddenly. She could not react at all for a moment.
Only when a burst of stinging pain came from her lips did she fully wake up. She looked at the Soren before her in disbelief.
He, he actually dared to do this?
“This is my mouth, my sharp tongue.” Lan Ling said coldly, “Have you tasted it?”
“You, you are seeking death!” In extreme shock and fury, Zhi Ning suddenly struck out with her palm.
Instantly Lan Ling’s body flew out like a straw. However, Princess Zhi Ning’s martial skill was only so-so, so he was not seriously injured.
But immediately afterwards that eunuch instantly grabbed him by the neck and quickly knelt before Zhi Ning’s carriage, saying, “Your Highness, the thief has been captured. Do you want him dead or alive? Please give your instructions.”
Zhi Ning used a snow-white handkerchief to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth. This… this should count as her first kiss, right?
This bastard had actually bitten her without any warning.
At this moment she was completely filled with palpitations and really wanted to tear Soren into ten thousand pieces.
Meanwhile Lan Ling, who was being held by the eunuch, kept showing her a careless and devilishly charming smile.
He could not be killed yet. He could not be killed before the graduation grand examination, nor before he lost his title.
“Soren, remember, you brought this death upon yourself. No one can save you.” Zhi Ning fiercely closed the carriage door. When no one was watching, she slightly opened her small mouth and breathed in large gulps.
The eunuch looked at Lan Ling for a while, then directly threw him to the ground.
Lan Ling climbed up from the ground, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and even brought it to his nose to smell it.
Biting and kissing Zhi Ning just now had not been part of his plan. It had been an impulsive reaction when his inner anger had reached its extreme.
But Zhi Ning ultimately would not kill him at this time.
Watching that low-key yet luxurious carriage depart into the distance, Lan Ling patted the dust from his body and entered the dean’s office of the Royal City Academy.
……
This was the first time Lan Ling had met Marquis Jian Yong.
It was said that the relationship between the two was really complicated and messy. Soren had slept with his daughter-in-law and put a green hat on his son. And Dean Jian Yong stood completely on the side of Prince Zhi Li.
Dean Jian Yong’s hair was already half white and neatly combed back. He was very tall and thin, and his handsome and elegant face gave people a feeling of unfathomable depth.
Before Lan Ling could speak, Dean Jian Yong said, “Last time you had Niya come to me to withdraw the order expelling you. Niya threatened me that if I did not comply, she would reveal Jian Ning’s scandal. So I went to see Prince Zhi Li and told him about this matter.”
As soon as these words came out, Lan Ling was greatly startled.
“As a result Prince Zhi Li merely chuckled and then told me to withdraw the decision to expel you.” Dean Jian Yong said.
Lan Ling’s gaze narrowed. He truly had not expected this point at all.
Dean Jian Yong said, “Whether a king is wise or not is extremely important to the entire country and its subjects. And Prince Zhi Li is a wise monarch.”
Lan Ling nodded. Although he had never met Zhi Li, he could feel that he was not only a formidable character but also a lord full of charisma.
“Prince Zhi Li harbours no malice towards the Suo clan, but there are some things he must do. Can you understand?” Dean Jian Yong said, “For the future of the kingdom, the sacrifice of your Suo clan is worthwhile.”
Lan Ling immediately sneered, “Does that mean my Suo clan deserves to die? Why does your Jian clan not sacrifice instead?”
Dean Jian Yong said, “My Jian clan gave up its territory several decades ago.”
Lan Ling smiled and said, “Your Jian clan’s territory was originally conferred by the royal family and was only a few dozen miles. My Suo clan’s territory was passed down from our ancestors. Before the Furious Wave Kingdom even existed, my Suo clan was already ruling Tian Shui City. Now you want several hundred years of foundation to be destroyed in my hands?”
Dean Jian Yong fell silent and said, “I feel great sympathy for this, yet I am powerless to help.”
Lan Ling said, “Of course you are powerless, but I only came to ask for leave from you.”
Jian Yong said, “That is fine. You may take leave for as long as you wish. However, where are you going for this leave?”
Lan Ling said, “I am taking leave to practise martial arts. I hope that within two or three months I can become a second-level warrior archer and obtain the Noble Warrior Medal.”
Jian Yong was stunned, as if Lan Ling were telling a very cold joke.
Soren could not even draw a fifty-jin bow, yet a second-level warrior archer required drawing a two-hundred-and-fifty-jin bow with a hit rate exceeding eighty percent.
Even a person with very high talent, starting from scratch, would need at least four or five years to become a second-level warrior archer. Yet Soren had not even passed the first three steps of enlightenment and now wanted to reach that level in three months. It really was a very cold joke.
“Leave granted, but remember to come and take the graduation grand examination. If you do not make it, it will be considered as giving up.” Dean Jian Yong said.
“Of course I will definitely come. Otherwise the several-hundred-year foundation of Tian Shui City would be destroyed in my hands.” Lan Ling said.
Dean Jian Yong did not speak any further but looked at Soren (Lan Ling) with eyes full of sympathy.