Raiders of the Duke and Duchess

Chapter 971: Thanks to God’s love, I met you in this life

The old man choked, feeling that he couldn't win the argument with the boy, so he waved his hand and said, "Go ahead, go ahead. A state banquet looks like a place with royal delicacies, but few people eat it seriously. You've been hungry all night, go and eat something."

Ning Xiuyuan said, "It's almost midnight. We've prepared some fireworks. Xi Yu and Xi An are ready. How about we go out with grandma and grandpa to have a look?"

"Fireworks!" Ji Feng, who was enjoying himself with a shrimp in his left hand and a bunch of grapes in his right hand, suddenly raised his head from the bowl that was almost as big as his head. "Ji Feng wants to see fireworks! Are they the colorful ones?"

Ning Xiuyuan smiled and said, "It's the same kind of fireworks that were set off in the palace tonight, colorful and with all kinds of patterns."

"Ji Feng wants to see it!" After saying that, he turned his head to look at the old lady, "Go and see it?"

The old lady touched his head and smiled, "I am old, and I am very tired after waiting till this hour. I will not go with my old bones. You young people should go and have fun tonight."

Although Ji Feng was a little disappointed, he still nodded obediently. Just as he was about to get up, the old lady suddenly embraced him and whispered, "Go watch it with your brother Chu, don't disturb the girl and Third Brother Ning."

Ji Feng looked at this and that, then answered "Oh" obediently. He took the handkerchief handed to him by the maid behind him and wiped his hands. Then he stood up and walked to Shangguan Chu, "Brother Chu, let's go watch the fireworks."

Shangguan Chu was already past the age of being interested in fireworks, and was about to refuse, but Ning Xiuren stood up with a wine glass in hand and walked in front of his wife and asked, "Let's go watch the fireworks? It would be a pity not to watch the fireworks prepared by San'er."

Next to him, Ning Xiuyuan reached out to Ji Wuyan.

Shangguan Chu looked at the couples preparing to watch the fireworks, and then looked at the little kid in front of him with grease spots on his mouth that hadn't been wiped clean... He choked, and finally resigned himself to his fate by taking a handkerchief to wipe the kid's mouth clean, then stood up with a sigh, "Let's go! I'll accompany you to watch the fireworks!"

Ji Wuyan let Ning Xiuyuan lead her away with a smile on her face. She turned around to look at the two figures, one tall and one short, walking in opposite directions, and pursed her lips in laughter.

"Are you still happy?" Ning Xiuyuan scratched her palm. "If you are any happier, he will ask Ji Feng to come and stick to you. You are in your twenties, but you are still so childish, letting a kid vent his anger for you..."

"Aren't you childish too? You made him sleep on the roof all night, and he fell face down early in the morning. Then he was chased and beaten by the old man for an hour... He is such a face-conscious person, and you made him lose so much face, so naturally he will find fault with you." Ji Wuyan also glared at him. These two were both equally petty and childish, and there was no need for anyone to blame anyone.

She knew about the dirty things these two had done, but she pretended not to know and said nothing, letting them make a fuss like angry children, just to add some spice to her recent boring time of recuperation.

Ning Xiuyuan didn't care about being glared at. He laughed shamelessly, "You two are so bold to lift the roof of the old man. When he wakes up, he will definitely track him down. I will just catch him red-handed. This way, it will save a lot of trouble. Isn't it better?"

"You are making a specious argument." As they were talking, the two of them had already walked into the back garden. Today, except for the maids and servants who were preparing dinner and serving the masters, all the other servants had been given a day off to go out and play. This back garden, decorated with lights and colorful decorations, was quiet and lonely. Ji Wuyan looked at the man who had left the palace early and rushed over in the moonlight, still a little worried, "Will His Majesty not blame me?"

"No." Ning Xiuyuan lowered his eyes to look at her. After a brief silence, he said softly, "I... I went to the palace this morning and submitted my resignation."

His voice was very low, Ji Wuyan turned her head and saw that he was looking at her with uneasy eyes, like a child who had done something wrong.

To be honest, Ji Wuyan was very surprised. Everyone knew that the Third Master was at the peak of his career and might even be the next Bian Dongchuan. But he chose to stop so abruptly... Ji Wuyan suppressed her confusion and asked him, "Can you tell me why?" Because she was worried that he would think she was blaming him, she didn't even dare to speak loudly.

"boom!"

At midnight, fireworks were launched, exploding brilliant colors in the night sky. Under the bright colors, Ning Xiuyuan's face was full of anxiety. He said, "You will leave for Yunzhou after the New Year... I have been waiting for you to talk to me formally about this. But you never told me about your plans for me." After saying that, his eyebrows drooped slightly, looking infinitely lonely.

Ji Wuyan was slightly stunned, his mouth opened and his pupils slightly dilated, and after a while he asked, "So, you just handed in your resignation?"

"Yeah." "Then why didn't you ask me before you submitted your resignation?"

"Why am I asking you? If I ask you, will you not leave? You are the young master of the Ji family, and the only heir of the entire Ji family. More than a decade ago, your grandmother lost an heir. Can you stay here now? Besides... you like Jiangnan. Compared to places like Yanjing City, you like the free and beautiful Jiangnan. I know that."

Fireworks exploded overhead, one after another, dotting the night sky into a sea of ​​flowers. From not far away came a faint roar that was already boiling, making the place extremely quiet in contrast.

Ji Wuyan looked up at Ning Xiuyuan, her eyes were soft, and she said softly, "My second sister-in-law just told me about the Ning Xiuyuan before he met me. She said that Ning Xiuyuan at that time... was neither happy nor angry, cold and noble. I thought that he must be a banished immortal...My second sister-in-law also said that if he had not met me, Ning Xiuyuan would probably marry a princess and become a high-ranking official."

"No." Ning Xiuyuan suddenly interrupted, insisting eagerly and stubbornly, "I won't marry the princess. Even if I'm in the highest position, I can't stay with you... Ningning, do you really want to leave me here alone?"

"How long have you been thinking about this question?" Ji Wuyan asked him.

"For a long time." He lowered his eyebrows. In the gorgeous sky, he looked lonely like a large dog abandoned by its owner. He stood there and looked at no one. He said hesitantly, "For many days... I saw you but you never said anything. So I borrowed my mother's name to move all my things here. I wanted to take care of you every day, for fear that one day you would suddenly abandon me and go back without knowing why."

Ji Wuyan also lowered his head and asked softly, "Want to know...what else did my second sister-in-law say?"

"Do not want to."

"But I want to say." Ji Wuyan unconsciously rubbed the ground, licked the corner of her mouth, and then said, "She said that Ning Xiuyuan, who was neither happy nor angry, was cold and noble, but very pitiful... On such days, after leaving the court and returning home, it seemed like she was still in the court. At that time, I felt that it was better not to have such a life of accompanying the emperor like accompanying a tiger... But men always have the ambition to compete for the world, if you also have it..."

"I didn't!" He interrupted hastily, holding Ji Wuyan's shoulders with both hands, looking at the girl with her head down, and explained loudly, "I didn't! I don't have any ambition to compete for the world. Ningning, the position beside you is my biggest ambition! Ningning..."

The girl who had been keeping her head down suddenly looked up, with a fox-like smile in her eyes. When he was slightly stunned, she stood on tiptoe, raised her head, and came closer...

Ning Xiuyuan was stunned, as if struck by lightning.

That touch of tenderness disappeared as soon as it was touched.

The moonlight was slightly cool, and the person, dressed in bright red winter clothes, was more gentle and bright than anyone had ever seen before.

She stood in front of him, smiling slightly with her face up, her smile was gentle and shy, she said, "What I want to say is, if you have it too, I am willing to accompany you. I am going back to Jiangnan, just to deal with some things, and I will be back in a few months. The Ji family can only let Grandma hold on for a few more years. When you have fulfilled your ambition, you will accompany me to Yunzhou to see the mountains and rivers and watch the flowers bloom and fall... How about it?"

Ning Xiuyuan stood there in a daze, overwhelmed by the great joy, making him look like a soulless stone sculpture.

The little girl smiled softly. Although she was shy, she still spoke seriously without avoiding his gaze. "Ning Xiuyuan, I like you, so I won't just want you to cooperate with my plan and my steps, nor will I just want you to make concessions for me. I like Ning Xiuyuan, the complete Ning Xiuyuan, his appearance, his ambition, his dignity, his childishness, his good and his bad... none of them can be missing..."

Before she could finish her words, she was pulled into his arms vigorously, and the man's warm and rapid breathing fell on her ears.

Amid the deafening sound of fireworks, he whispered in my ear, "Ningning... I am always grateful to God for letting me meet you in this life."

【End of full text】

The full text is finished, and the follow-up will be in the extra chapter