Chapter 258: Duoduo, Behave Yourself
The shocked gazes from the crowd caused a flicker of something unusual to pass through Gong Moran’s eyes, but his expression remained as cold and detached as ever. Even with a woman in his arms, it was as though he were holding a wooden puppet.
Nan Xun was cradled horizontally in Gong Moran’s arms, and the shock in her heart was no less than everyone else’s. She truly hadn’t expected the big boss to jump into the water to save her himself. Judging by his usual lofty style, sending a disciple to rescue her would already have been more than generous.
After coming back to her senses, Nan Xun pretended to have choked on water. She reached up to hook an arm around the big boss’s neck and coughed heavily, then said weakly, “My lord, cough, cough… my lord, I almost didn’t get to see you again. Princess Yao wanted to kill me.”
Princess Yao, who had just been pulled ashore, was already kneeling before the old monarch. Just as she was about to explain herself, that wretched woman actually beat her to it.
Princess Yao’s eyes widened as she immediately said, “Father Emperor, that’s not how it was! It was Gong Nineteen who pushed your daughter into the water!”
The old monarch slapped her across the face without hesitation, sending Princess Yao flying to the ground, blood spilling from her mouth.
He had always cared deeply about appearances, and that slap showed not the slightest restraint.
“You disgraceful thing! Just now, I and several envoys all saw it with our own eyes—you were the one who pushed Gong Nineteen into the water. And you still dare to quibble? How did I give birth to something so utterly unpresentable!” the old monarch roared.
Princess Yao began to sob softly, grievances filling her heart with nowhere to be voiced. She could only point at the woman in Gong Moran’s arms and say, “That woman insulted me just now. She said I was unbearably ugly, that looking at me ruined her appetite. I couldn’t bear the humiliation and— and accidentally pushed her into the water.”
At this moment, Gong Moran carried Nan Xun over.
He stopped right in front of Princess Yao. His cold eyes lowered slightly; he didn’t even bend his head, looking down at her from on high, as though she were an ant he could crush at any time.
“Is there any part of you that isn’t ugly?” he said.
Princess Yao’s eyes widened abruptly. The upper half of her body, which she had struggled to hold upright, suddenly went limp, and she collapsed helplessly onto the ground.
He actually said… that she was ugly all over?
After leaving those words behind, Gong Moran carried Nan Xun away, leaving the others staring at one another in stunned silence.
The old monarch’s face turned black with fury. He flung his sleeve and said, “Confined for one month! Copy the Admonitions for Women five hundred times for me!”
Once everyone had left, Princess Yao knelt on the ground and cried in muffled sobs, her hands clutching at the grass beneath her until she tore it up by the roots.
A brocade handkerchief suddenly appeared in front of her, making Princess Yao freeze. She lifted her swollen, reddened face.
Qi Hengqing smiled gently and said softly, “Princess, you look quite unsightly when you cry. Wipe your face.”
Princess Yao didn’t take the handkerchief. With reddened eyes, she said, “I didn’t push that wretched woman. She was the one who pushed me. Do you believe me?”
Qi Hengqing seemed thoughtful. “I didn’t see it with my own eyes, but Princess Yao doesn’t seem like someone who would lie. So if you say that’s what happened, I’m willing to believe you.”
Only then did Princess Yao take the handkerchief and say faintly, “Thank you.”
Gong Moran carried Nan Xun all the way back toward Moran Hall, clearly intending to skip the palace banquet entirely and return.
Being carried the whole time made Nan Xun feel rather embarrassed. She let out a dry laugh and said, “My lord, I’m fine now. I can walk on my own.”
Gong Moran lowered his gaze slightly and glanced at her, saying expressionlessly, “If you’re going to put on a show, see it through. A little girl who’s just fallen into the water and been frightened—how could you possibly walk?”
Nan Xun was so startled she almost jumped out of his arms. “My lord, so you knew all along!”
Gong Moran gave a light snort. “Such a small trick could only fool the others.”
Nan Xun raised her brows smugly. “But except for you, everyone else was fooled. Even the old monarch was deceived. All I can say is, my lord, you’re amazing.”
When he didn’t respond, her smugness immediately deflated. “My lord, I protected myself today. Aren’t you happy?”
Gong Moran pressed his thin lips together and said calmly, “Hurting the enemy by a thousand while damaging yourself by eight hundred—an idiotic approach.”
Nan Xun obediently asked, “Then what should I have done in that situation, according to you? The appearance of a dispute was already created, so someone had to fall into the water. It was better for me to fall than for her to fall, but then I thought it was too much of a loss for just me, so I dragged her in with me. That way we both swallowed a few mouthfuls of pond water.”
Gong Moran paused for a moment, then said, “For now, I can’t think of a better solution.”
Nan Xun froze, then burst out laughing, laughing until tears came out.
“Duoduo, restrain yourself. You can laugh once we’re back at Moran Hall.”
“Hahaha… sorry, my lord… I really can’t hold it in… hahaha…” Nan Xun laughed as she clung to his neck.
Gong Moran was helpless and could only let her be.
If people saw them, so be it. With him protecting her, what was there to fear?
Nan Xun didn’t keep laughing the whole way. Only when there was no one around did she dare to laugh out loud. When she spotted a group of patrolling palace guards, she slammed on the brakes, buried her head in Gong Moran’s chest, and trembled all over.
The guards respectfully saluted the National Preceptor. After he walked away, they exchanged stunned looks.
That was the National Preceptor just now, right? Why was he carrying a woman?
Heavens— the National Preceptor was actually holding a woman!
Could that woman be the little disciple Gong Nineteen, rumored to be greatly favored by the National Preceptor?
Setting aside how shocked the servants were at seeing the National Preceptor carrying a woman, once they returned to Moran Hall, Gong Moran was just about to properly lecture his little disciple when the girl immediately slipped away. Her excuse left him both amused and exasperated.
The little disciple said, “My lord, please let me use the restroom first. From being stopped by Princess Yao until returning to Moran Hall, I’ve been suffering inhuman torment the whole time.”
Gong Moran could only shake his head, and that slight upward curve at the corner of his lips simply refused to be suppressed.
Afterward, the palace banquet quickly came to an end without the National Preceptor. Although the old monarch promptly sealed off the news of Princess Yao pushing Gong Nineteen into the water, it still spread to some extent. Apart from a few people mocking Princess Yao in private, the rest were filled with envy and jealousy toward Gong Nineteen.
In everyone’s eyes, the National Preceptor was cold-faced and cold-hearted, never one to play favorites. This incident was the first time they had seen what it looked like when the National Preceptor protected his own, and it nearly made their jaws drop.
Once again, everyone realized that Gong Nineteen was a true favorite before the National Preceptor—someone not to be trifled with.
Nan Xun stayed indoors all day and naturally didn’t know about the rumors spreading in secret. She only felt that sometimes, Gong Da’s gaze toward her was a bit strange.
“Little Eight, why do I feel like Gong Da is always secretly thinking about when to kill me?”
Little Eight had recently been dozing off whenever it had nothing to do. Hearing Nan Xun call it, it yawned and said, “You’re gradually dragging the god in his heart down from the altar. The fact that he hasn’t swallowed you alive and only wants to kill you is already pretty good.”
Nan Xun: …
“That just makes me want to desecrate the god even more.”
Little Eight immediately said, “Damn it, then desecrate him already! Don’t just talk—if you’ve got the guts, go straight for it. Do it first, then we’ll talk.”
