Obsessively Raised by My Doll 170

Chapter 170

Though Zheng Xuening had practiced martial arts for many years, and her two legs could stand straight at any time, when Lu Dieqing leaned over like this, her two hands wrapped around her neck, her figure so light and soft, her heart also began to pound, and a wave of heat began to spread throughout her body. She inexplicably felt a little weak in the legs and couldn’t stand steadily.

But Lu Dieqing acted as if she were completely unaware of her reaction. After acting cute for a while and seeing that she didn’t say anything, she pressed on.

“Sister, Sister Ningning, why aren’t you speaking? Look at me, kiss me.”

What a little pest.

Every single word was like it was jumping on Zheng Xuening’s heart.

Zheng Xuening had been born in the Chaoying court since she was a child and had seen many devastatingly beautiful women, but the one in her arms was the most unique in the world.

She didn’t have to do anything. She just had to call her “sister” softly, and her heart would melt.

“Ningning, hold me tight.”

Lu Dieqing, seeing her standing there like a wooden statue, pouted her red lips in dissatisfaction, took the initiative to come closer, and nuzzled into her embrace.

She wished she could completely merge with her.

Zheng Xuening held her tightly in her arms, her arms tightening.

“Little bad egg,” she sighed softly.

Lu Dieqing’s ears, however, were very sharp. She didn’t miss a single word and said crisply, “How am I bad?”

Zheng Xuening tapped her nose.

“You’re bad for doing nothing at all, for making me so captivated.”

Huh! A light shone from the girl’s face, and her almond eyes were filled with a smile.

“Then aren’t you, Ningning, even worse?”

She also knew very well how to return the favor.

The two of them looked at each other and both smiled, as if all the spring flowers had bloomed at this moment, beautiful and romantic.

*

In the court of the Shan Kingdom, the Empress, who had not seen her third daughter for many years, now had white hair at her temples. Even though she had been well-maintained these years, she still showed a certain elderly air.

It was just that her spirit was very good. Her eyes were clearer than the old emperor of the Chaoying Kingdom. After she had aged, she, on the contrary, seemed a little more benevolent.

At this moment, she was sitting on the throne, looking at her third daughter and third son-in-law standing below. After a moment of careful examination, she said with a majestic tone, “Since you have returned to the Shan Kingdom, you will stay here in the future and not run around.”

“Today is your second imperial sister’s birthday. Let the palace staff take you two down to wash and dress up, and bring some congratulatory gifts to have a drink.”

She did not mention at all that when she had sent Lu He to the Chaoying Kingdom, the other had been a hostage, a sacrifice.

She had lightly glossed over the events of that year and had not even asked a single question about how the two of them had fared in the court these years, whether they had been wronged, and what they wanted now that they were back.

On the way back, Lu He had pondered her mother, the Empress’s, thoughts a thousand times. But when she really saw her face to face, her heart felt stifled, heavy, and she was a little out of breath.

It was because she had been away from the court intrigues for so long in the Chaoying Kingdom, and had forgotten that the royal family’s affection was faint, which was why she had harbored unrealistic extravagant hopes.

If not for this, standing in front of her mother, the Empress, and listening to these words, why would her heart be so calm yet so sorrowful?

“Mother, the Empress, why don’t you ask your daughter how she has fared in the Chaoying Kingdom these years?” She couldn’t help it and still looked up and asked this.

However, the moment she said this, the Empress of the Shan Kingdom looked at her as if she were an insensible stone and frowned.

“You have returned safely now. What is the meaning of asking about those things?”

“Don’t take old, trivial matters to heart. It makes you seem petty.”

As she said this, the Empress looked at this third daughter of hers, a little displeased.

She remembered that Xiao He had been a very sensible child back then, not talking much, but understanding and never making things difficult for others.

Even with the matter of the hostage back then, when it fell on others, they would all make excuses, but only Xiao He was willing to accept.

For this reason, when she had occasionally thought of this third daughter these years, she still had some feelings in her heart.

The other knew the big picture. This was how her child should be.

To be entangled was the act of a shrew.

Now, looking at Xiao He’s words and actions, it seemed that she had some resentment towards her, her mother, the Empress? Was it that she was blaming her for not asking about her all these years?

Thinking this, the Empress became more and more impatient with this daughter. She held it in and held it in, and only then did she not get angry.

After all, for her third daughter to be able to come back, it was the Chaoying Kingdom that had let her go, and had even personally had an envoy send her back. Along with this, there was also a personal letter from the heir of the Chaoying Kingdom.

All this let the Empress of the Shan Kingdom know that this third daughter also had some backing and could not be completely written off.

“I see that you have traveled a long way and have just returned. You are a little tired and have spoken out of turn, which is understandable. I will not hold your offense against you today. Xiao He, you must remember where you are from, where your roots are. Don’t go away for a dozen or so years and forget your roots, and not even remember them.”

These words, spoken in front of the court officials, were already very heavy.

Lu He’s expression suddenly turned pale, her entire face losing all color. Her whole person was a little shaky, and she was in great disbelief.

What was her mother, the Empress, saying?

How could she say such a thing to her?

Lu He was a little sorrowful and indignant. Was it that she herself had wanted to be away from home for so many years?

She had never forgotten in her heart that she was from the Shan Kingdom.

But her mother, the Empress’s, words today had undoubtedly, in front of everyone, defined her as a person who had abandoned her homeland.

Lu He’s face almost instantly decayed. If not for Bai Ming supporting her at the side, she would have had difficulty even standing steady.

The strength in her body seemed to have been drained, and her many years of longing for her homeland had now all become a joke.

The coldness of the royal family’s affection was on full display at this moment.

The Empress of the Shan Kingdom saw her third daughter’s posture and slowly looked away, her heart feeling a little more at ease.

If not for the monk’s face, then for the Buddha’s face. With the heir of the Chaoying Kingdom as a backer, the matter of reprimanding her third daughter could not be done too much.

After the court session, Lu He was helped out by Bai Ming. At the side, a palace servant came over to invite them.

“Third Princess, His Majesty has already arranged a residence for you. Please come with this servant.”

The palace servant’s words were quite respectful, and even when she looked at Lu He, a not-so-obvious pity flashed in her eyes.

Who in the Shan Kingdom did not know that the many years of peace had been maintained because the Third Princess had been sent out as a hostage?

The pitiful Third Princess had left before she was even twenty, and had been away for nearly twenty years. When she returned, she did not even have her original garden.

And she was not favored by His Majesty and was suspected of having ulterior motives.

When they, the palace staff, saw this, they all had to sigh in pity for the Third Princess.

Lu He forced herself to cheer up.

“Let’s not go to the residence first. I’ll have to trouble you to take me to see my mother, the Empress, again. I still have something to discuss with her.”

She had not forgotten that she and her husband had not returned this time just to go back to their homeland, but had another mission.

However, when the palace servant heard Lu He’s words, a troubled look appeared on her face.

“Third Princess, this servant does not dare to make a decision on this matter. Today is the Second Princess’s birthday. His Majesty will probably be going to the banquet and may not have the time to…”

The palace servant hesitated and did not finish, also for fear of making Lu He too embarrassed.

After all, they were both daughters. The Second Princess had been living in luxury for so many years, and her birthday was a grand affair. Even the Empress herself would personally go to the banquet.

However, the Third Princess, who had been away from the Shan Kingdom for so many years, and had made a sacrifice to be a hostage for the sake of everyone’s peace, when she suddenly returned, did not even have a place to live and had to rely on others.

Not to mention the Empress’s pitifully little patience for her.

The contrast between the two princesses’ treatment was even more sigh-inducing.

Hearing this, Lu He pressed her lips together and did not say anything more.

On the contrary, Bai Ming, who had always had a scholar’s temper and had seemed overly gentle, suddenly became angry.

“What is the meaning of this? We have an important matter to discuss!”

Seeing his wife return to the Shan Kingdom, but not being favored at all, and being met with only coldness, even if they had already made some preparations in their hearts, their hearts were still full of injustice.

When the palace servant saw Bai Ming speak, she curved her lips, a few traces of contempt showing.

“The Second Princess has been away from the Shan Kingdom for a long time, and she can’t even discipline her own husband, to let him interrupt and speak at will.”

Compared to the slight respect for Lu He, the palace servant did not hide her disdain for Bai Ming at all.

In the whole world, only their Shan Kingdom could understand the meaning of a woman’s natural revered status.

This Third Princess seemed to be a fool as well. After leaving the Shan Kingdom, she couldn’t even manage her own household.

Lu He patted Bai Ming’s shoulder, signaling for him not to speak.

She once again said solemnly to the palace servant, “Please help me to announce it again. I have a verbal command from the heir of the Chaoying Kingdom, which I must inform my mother, the Empress, of in time. This matter is of great importance and cannot be delayed.”

“If it is delayed today, it will be too late to regret in the future. At that time, who will be able to escape responsibility?”

With this, the expression on the palace servant’s face was restrained, and a look of contemplation appeared.

After a long moment, she gritted her teeth and made up her mind.

“Then this servant will be bold and give it a try. It’s just that if this matter does not succeed, please understand this servant’s difficulties, Third Princess.”

She had said it in advance.

Lu He quickly nodded. “Of course,” she even squeezed out a few traces of a smile.

This smile, in the eyes of the palace servant, was also strangely sad.

Sigh, a magnificent Third Princess, speaking of which, was also one of the most revered people in the Shan Kingdom. After being away from her homeland for so many years, when she returned, she had to humbly request a palace servant like her to see His Majesty.

Which prince or grandson had ever lived like this?

It was also sigh-inducing.

*

Lu Dieqing was on her way with Zheng Xuening.

Zheng Xuening’s sword-flying technique was even better than before.

The cultivation of the two of them had both broken through to the fifth layer of the Qi Refining stage.

Considering the time the two had been in contact with cultivation, this matter was already enough to make the geniuses of the cultivation world, where spiritual energy was abundant, dumbfounded.

How could anyone reach such a stage after cultivating for less than two months?

In those few days on the island, Lu Dieqing had listened to Zheng Xuening and had learned a set of techniques to hide her cultivation. So now, the two of them, even if they stood in front of the black dragon, the other would only take it for granted and, based on the realm they had released, would think that they were only at the second layer of the Qi Refining stage.

“Learn to hide your trump cards,” Zheng Xuening had instructed the girl in her arms more than once.

Lu Dieqing nodded like a little chick pecking at rice and leaned against Zheng Xuening’s embrace, like an obedient and well-behaved baby.

“I know, I know.”

When she stood with Ningning, she naturally seemed to have a few less cunning thoughts, which made it easy for people to think that she was too naive, and thus to be less wary of her.

Ningning had said that this was an advantage, and that she should use others’ first impression of her to better hide herself.

Because the cultivation world was definitely a place where the strong preyed on the weak, to properly reveal one’s talent could dispel the covetousness of petty people. But if one’s talent was too outstanding, and they were newcomers with no foundation, they would easily be the tree that stands out in the forest and is destroyed by the wind.

The road to the Shan Kingdom, which would originally have taken seven or eight days, was, under Zheng Xuening’s sword-flying technique, shortened to just half a day. The two of them had already seen the court of the Shan Kingdom.

“Wow, is this the Shan Kingdom?”

Lu Dieqing had opened her almond eyes from afar and looked at the towering city, letting out a cry of surprise.

Was this the homeland that had been in her mother’s thoughts for more than a dozen years?

She was here!

Zheng Xuening looked at the girl’s excited expression and, for some reason, felt a little jealous.