Chapter 65
It looks like...
Are you shy?
Thinking of Xiao Minghuang's expression just now, a picture involuntarily flashed through Lin Wanqiu's mind.
Xiao Minghuang's cheeks were flushed, her face was delicate and alluring, her lips were as vibrant and luscious as roses, and her eyes were like pools of water, gazing at her with tender affection.
Lin Wanqiu's face instantly turned bright red, even her ears turned pink.
How could she have imagined such a scene? It's utterly embarrassing.
What is she thinking?
How could Her Highness, such a noble and elegant person, possibly do such a thing? She must be overthinking it.
She must like His Highness so much to have such a hallucination.
Lin Wanqiu shook her head, trying to banish the idyllic scene from her mind.
She reached up and touched her burning face; her heart was still pounding at an alarming rate.
Lin Wanqiu sighed, shook her head, and dared not think about it anymore, afraid that her face would become hotter and hotter.
She shook her head, secretly circulated her internal energy to suppress these thoughts, and turned to walk towards her room.
89. Seclusion, breakthrough!
That night.
The moonlight was hazy, and the starlight was dazzling.
A dazzling star hangs in the sky.
Dozens of smaller stars twinkled around the main star, their presence making the entire sky even brighter.
Under the starry sky, Xiao Minghuang stepped out of the courtyard. The flame in her heart gradually died down, and her cheeks returned to normal temperature.
She raised her hand and touched her cheek, feeling utterly lost.
Why was her heart beating so fast just now?
Just now, when she saw her hands touch Lin Wanqiu's, a thought suddenly occurred to her.
That is to hold that hand and intertwine her fingers.
I want to be close to her, to hold her in my arms, to touch her skin to skin, to kiss her lips, to do even more intimate things with her...
Xiao Minghuang didn't know what was wrong with her; she had never had such a strong feeling before.
But just a moment ago, she really wanted to kiss Lin Wanqiu, to touch her skin.
Before this, she had been intimate with Lin Wanqiu more than once, but her heart remained pure and without any ulterior motives.
However, just a moment ago, a ripple of emotion stirred within her, a feeling she had never experienced before.
What exactly happened?
Xiao Minghuang was puzzled.
She had never experienced this feeling in either her past or present lives. Why was that?
"Oh well, let nature take its course..."
Xiao Minghuang stopped dwelling on it and quickened her pace back to her room.
That night, she had planned to go into seclusion to break through to the Peak Qi Refining Realm, but what had just happened left her with unsettled emotions and she couldn't calm down, so she temporarily gave up.
The following morning.
Xiao Minghuang woke up early.
When I opened my eyes, I sensed someone waiting for me in the courtyard.
After quickly washing up, she opened the door and saw Lin Wanqiu standing gracefully in the courtyard, dressed in a delicate light red dress.
Sunlight shone on Lin Wanqiu's flawless white skin, highlighting its crystalline radiance.
Xiao Minghuang's gaze froze for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure.
Why did you come so early?
Xiao Minghuang chuckled softly and strode towards Lin Wanqiu.
"Your Highness."
Lin Wanqiu smiled sweetly and asked playfully:
Do you know why I came here so early in the morning?
Upon hearing this, Xiao Minghuang's lips curled up slightly, and a smile appeared in the corner of her eyes. She glanced at Lin Wanqiu and saw that her cultivation level had not improved significantly and she was still at the Third Level Qi Refining Realm.
Since it's not an improvement in cultivation level, there's only one possibility.
"Have the children from Beiyang City arrived?"
The only things that could make Lin Wanqiu care so much, besides herself, are Beiyang City.
Lin Wanqiu nodded gently and said:
"Yes! Your Highness guessed correctly. The children from Beiyang City just arrived this morning. I came to inform Your Highness immediately after I found out."
"Good!"
Xiao Minghuang smiled and replied,
"Then let's go see them."
The two left the courtyard together and headed towards the Princess Mansion's Training Ground.
Not long after.
The two arrived at the Training Ground, where a group of girls... or rather, girls, a total of thirty, were gathered in the spacious area, each standing with their familiar companions, chatting quietly about what they had seen and heard along the way.
They were all girls from various villages and towns in Beiyang City. They were selected to come to the capital and this place because of their outstanding talents or virtuous character.
As Xiao Minghuang appeared on the Training Ground, the girls' eyes were filled with awe, admiration, and reverence when they saw her.
Xiao Minghuang wore a bright yellow, luxurious dress, a jade belt around her waist, and Phoenix Hairpin in her hair. Her features were exquisite, her face was stunningly beautiful, and her skin was as white as snow without a single flaw. She was like Banished Immortal Descends, elegant and refined, noble and otherworldly, a fairy that no mortal could ever reach.
In their eyes, this high and mighty Princess Your Highness was someone they looked up to.
It wasn't just because Xiao Minghuang was a princess of the Great Xia Dynasty, but also because she had once killed an evil cultivator who was causing trouble in Beiyang City, thus eliminating a scourge for the region.
Afterwards, she represented Beiyang City in the battle against the Golden Elephant Kingdom, promoting the Great Xia.
Afterwards, he personally confronted the Beast Tide and killed a tiger demon at the Qi Refining Realm, sparing no expense to protect Beiyang City.
For Xiao Minghuang, each and every one of these events was probably just an ordinary experience.
But the children present revered her as a goddess, and their gratitude was beyond words.
Xiao Minghuang stood on the high platform of the Training Ground. Her face was stunningly beautiful and her temperament was otherworldly, like a goddess descended from the heavens. The girls around her couldn't help but lower their heads and blush when they saw her, not daring to look directly at her.
Her gaze swept around, and she noticed that all the girls were sweet and lovely, with obedient faces. She smiled and nodded.
"Very good, you are all very good. From today onwards, you will stay in the Princess Mansion. I will assign teachers to instruct you. I hope you will study hard and not let me down!"
"Furthermore, your status here is merely that of my maids, not servants. No one in the manor will bully you!"
As she spoke, Xiao Minghuang glanced at Wang Er, who was standing to the side.
Her gaze was calm, yet exuded an air of authority without anger.
Wang Er was suddenly stared at, his face turned pale, and a chill ran down his spine. He trembled with fear, as if walking on thin ice.
Inside the Princess Mansion, besides Xiao Minghuang herself, there were only two young ladies Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu.
Xiao Minghuang planned to have them help tutor the children, so the only one who might be causing trouble in secret was Wang Er, so it was best to give him a warning beforehand.
The girls responded and bowed:
"Thank you, Your Princess Your Highness!"
"Thank you, Your Princess Your Highness!"
A childish voice rang out, not in unison, but scattered.
Xiao Minghuang glanced at the children again and spoke once more:
"Alright, you can stay at the Princess Mansion now. In seven days, I will assess your performance. If you don't meet the standards, you will still be sent back to Beiyang City, so you must work hard!"
Upon hearing this, the girls all turned pale, their hearts filled with unease. They hadn't heard anything about any assessment before they came.
This is no joke!
They all knew that if they were driven away, it would mean they would never have the chance to follow the Princess Your Highness.
If I return to Beiyang City all alone, how will I explain it to my parents?
Seeing their expressions change drastically, as if facing a formidable enemy, Xiao Minghuang couldn't help but chuckle and said:
"Don't worry, everyone. This assessment isn't difficult. It mainly tests whether you can abide by the rules of the Princess Mansion. As for other matters, you don't need to worry. I hope all thirty of you will stay on!"
After meeting the children, Xiao Minghuang turned and left.
On the Training Ground, a group of girls gathered with their friends, excitedly discussing what had just happened at the Princess Mansion. Everything was joyful and lively.
They had smiles on their faces as they talked about what had just happened, and they were all in a very good mood.
Before they came, City Lord Lin personally told them that Her Princess Your Highness liked obedient and well-behaved girls.
Hearing the Princess Your Highness speak for herself now confirms this.
But among the group of girls, three girls dressed in brocade dresses stood out, separated from the others.
A girl in the middle, looking indignant, said to her companion beside her:
"My grandfather told me to follow the Ninth Princess in cultivation, how did I become a maid? I am the Third Miss Liu, how can I be someone else's maid? Even if she is the Ninth Princess, this is still too insulting!"
One of his companions also looked displeased and said:
"That's right, that's right! How can we be compared to those commoners? Ninth Princess is looking down on us too much!"
Another person advised:
"We're currently at the Princess Mansion, so it's best to be careful with our words and actions!"
The two said nothing more, but a trace of resentment remained in their eyes.
After Xiao Minghuang left the Training Ground, Lin Wanqiu followed.
"Your Highness, how do you plan to teach these children? They are all still young. Now that they are in a strange place, they will probably miss home once the novelty wears off, and then it will be difficult to manage them."
Xiao Minghuang didn't have much experience in educating children, so she thought for a moment and suggested:
"When I have time, I'll go to the palace and invite a few matrons over to teach the children etiquette. I'll also find a few martial arts instructors to help them build a foundation."
As she spoke, she glanced at Lin Wanqiu and smiled slightly:
"Wanqiu, would you like to be a teacher?"
"Ah?"
Lin Wanqiu was taken aback for a moment, then immediately understood and chuckled:
"Your Highness, you don't mean to ask me to be the children's teacher, do you?"
Xiao Minghuang nodded slightly and said with a smile:
"That's right. I believe you will be a good teacher and can teach these children with peace of mind. I don't want these children to be taught by people of bad character. Only by entrusting them to you can I feel at ease."
"Moreover, while you are teaching the children, you can also hone your own foundation and review basic martial arts techniques. It's a win-win situation, so why not?"
"Don't worry, I won't keep you tied to this matter forever. You just need to check on the children's cultivation every morning and report back to me every now and then."
Upon hearing this, Lin Wanqiu understood that what she needed to do was not to be a mentor who took care of everything for the children, but simply a teacher who provided instructional guidance.
Having understood this, Lin Wanqiu no longer refused and readily agreed.
"Very well, in that case, I will agree, Your Highness!"
Seeing that she agreed, Xiao Minghuang smiled and said: