Chapter 18
Words:1570Update:22/06/26 06:34:55
The little boy popped his head out from Princess Lee Yu's side and looked over curiously. He sniffled and buried his head in Sangsang's arms. He rubbed his face randomly, and the mucus on his face was smeared on Sangsang's clothes.
Li Yu took out her handkerchief and wiped the little boy clumsily. She did not show any disgust on her face. She then turned to Ning Que and said indifferently, "Follow me when we reach Chang 'an. I will give you a good future."
Ning Que had already guessed the identity of this little brute boy, but he did not expect the princess to love her stepson so much. Especially the little action of wiping the little boy's nose, it had changed his impression of Her Highness slightly. As he thought about these things, his reaction was inevitably slower. He was slightly startled and replied, "Your Highness, I will participate in the Academy's entrance exam after I reach Chang 'an."
Humans could interpret the same sentence in different ways. This sentence could be interpreted as Ning Que saying that he did not have time to serve Her Highness, or it could be interpreted as a euphemistic refusal. There was even a little pride in it: I will have a good future once I enter the Academy, and Her Highness does not need to worry about me.
"Are you sure that you can successfully participate in the entrance exam and pass it?" Li Yu looked at him coldly and said, "Although the Tang Empire selects people based on their talents, the word 'selection' is very particular. If you think that talented people can find a place to display their talents, Mr. Liu of the previous dynasty would not have been living in a brothel all his life."
Ning Que looked at her delicate brows and said seriously, "I also understand this, so I'm begging you to help me get rid of those obstacles that shouldn't exist. I only hope that I won't lose the opportunity to enter the Academy because of my poverty."
Li Yu looked at him with undisguised suspicion and was silent for a long time. She could not understand why this young soldier would so calmly and directly reject her invitation.
After all, she was the Fourth Princess of the Tang Empire who was most favored by the Emperor and the people. With Ning Que's current identity and status, it was already a blessing that he had cultivated for eight lifetimes to be able to have such a close contact with her. If it were any other soldier from the border town, even if they were qualified to participate in the academy entrance exam of the Academy, who wouldn't be moved to tears and worship her when they received her recognition?
After a long silence, she said indifferently, "I promise you, because I owe you this."
After saying this, she lost interest in talking to Ning Que. She held the little boy and stared at the bonfire in front of her. Her eyes gradually became wet. At this time, Lyu Qingchen was sitting cross-legged next to the bonfire to meditate and recover. On the other side, the bodyguards had already fallen asleep. The night was deep and the birds were occasionally awakened by the stars and carelessly chirped.
Ning Que looked at the crystal color in her eyes in surprise. He followed her gaze and found that she was looking at a pile of bodyguards and grassland barbarians' bodies by the road.
Thinking of her wiping the little boy's nose and seeing her sad feelings for her subordinates, Ning Que's impression of the princess changed again. He silently thought that even if she was an idiot, she was still an idiot with humanity.
Sangsang fell asleep on his knees. Only he and Li Yu were still awake by the bonfire. The two of them sat quietly. Suddenly, the little brute boy struggled out of her arms. He rubbed his eyes and said that he couldn't sleep and wanted to listen to a story. Li Yu looked embarrassed. She thought that she had long forgotten the stories she had heard in the palace when she was young. How could she tell the novels about scholars and beautiful women that she loved to listen to when she was a young girl to a child?
The little barbarian boy did not make a noise. He just looked at his nominal mother pitifully and unwillingly. Ning Que looked at the embarrassed princess with a smile and gently coughed twice.
"The wheat was golden, and the oats were green … The duck eggs cracked one by one, but the biggest egg didn't move at all … The mother duck looked at the big and ugly baby and watched it swimming happily in the water. She said proudly, 'Look, it's not a hateful turkey, it's my baby.'"
"But it is too ugly. No matter where it goes, people will point at it … The wild duck said that as long as you don't marry the ducks of our tribe, it has nothing to do with us."
"One night, when the beautiful sun was setting in the west of the Wilderness, the ugly duckling saw a flock of big birds flying out of the woods. The ugly duckling had never seen such beautiful things. They were white and shiny, with long and soft necks. They spread their beautiful wings and flew to the warm country."
"After a winter, the ugly duckling was surrounded by several swans. It felt ashamed. It felt so ugly, but the swans gently pecked its feathers … It suddenly saw how beautiful it was in the pool … Spring came. The sun was very warm. The lilacs hung their branches in the water in front of the ugly duckling. People watched the ugly duckling dance and sing happily. They shouted happily, 'Look at that beautiful swan!'"
Ning Que took a piece of charred wood and casually drew lines on the ground beside his feet. He lowered his head and told a very old story with a smile. The story was so simple, but so sad and happy. The little barbarian boy lay on the princess's body and listened with wide eyes. Li Yu also gradually became absorbed in the story. Sangsang woke up. She had heard the story when she was very young, but she still listened quietly with a childish smile on her face.
The night grew darker. After listening to the story, the children finally fell asleep. After a long silence, Li Yu suddenly said, "Your story is too profound. Xiao Man can't understand it. But I still want to thank you for reminding me of these things … I will treat him as my own child like the mother duck. I will be proud of him. When I return to Chang 'an, I will never let him be laughed at or discriminated against by others. As for whether he can soar like a swan in the future … it depends on his own fate."
Ning Que scratched his head and smiled. He said, "Actually, I didn't think so much. This is a story I told to Sangsang when she was young. She always felt that she was black and ugly and felt very inferior. So I made up this story to comfort her."
"No matter what, it is a good story." Li Yu looked at him with a smile and said, "The ugly duckling that was looked down upon by others finally became a white swan that was respected and loved by others through his own efforts. It is very inspiring."
Ning Que's hand that was holding the charred wood slightly stiffened. He looked up at her and said seriously, "You are wrong. This story will only make many people feel desperate. Because the ugly duckling will not become a swan. It … is originally a swan. Just like Your Highness and the little prince in your arms. And the real ugly duckling will always be an ugly duckling. "
Li Yu quietly looked at the boy's face and thought about this paragraph. She vaguely understood something in her heart.
…
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