The villain and I have eight hundred minds combined

Chapter 185 What’s Your Name (2)

After the performance, the little prince really stopped crying and laughed happily, his laughter as hearty as a silver bell. The Witch Queen and Emperor Ning had never seen the little prince laugh so cutely, so they were very pleased and Emperor Ning immediately rewarded the Lan family opera troupe generously.

At the end of the dinner, when the emperor was leaving, he could not help but look back at the "apprentice" with a pleasant voice, calm and intelligent. Although the apprentice was wearing a veil, one could still see her pair of clear and spiritual eyes. Her bright eyes were particularly moving, making people imagine her face.

After that, the two countries continued to have friendly exchanges. Emperor Ning often went to the Bo State in disguise to watch shadow puppet shows. In the Bo State, he was an elegant scholar dressed in plain clothes, with a jade crown and hair tied up. He was handsome and unrestrained. Whenever he went to the people, many girls would cast admiring glances at him.

Emperor Ning used the alias of Mr. Ruohe among the people. He traveled in Bo State for several days, enjoying the mountains and rivers, boating on the lake and listening to operas, and was so happy that he didn't want to leave. A few days later, his secret guard brought a news that Western Rong people were found in the territory of Bo State, and they were acting furtively and no one knew what they were up to.

He heard that there was no commotion and was planning to go back home, but he didn't expect that he would be recognized. Lan Qin's father ordered his subordinates to find him in a teahouse and personally invited him to the palace for a chat.

The two men exchanged pleasantries when they met, but after so many roundabout ways, Emperor Ning still managed to understand that the leader of the Lan family wanted to marry his daughter to him to prevent future trouble.

It is precisely because many Western Rong spies have sneaked into the city in the past few days, and the Western Rong people are eyeing the city covetously. The situation in the Bo State is turbulent, and the Bo State has weak military strength. If it wants to fight, it may only lose a huge amount of money or the entire city. Therefore, the leader of the Lan family plans to prepare for a rainy day and exchange his daughter Princess Lanqin for the Ning State's military strength.

Emperor Ning smiled but said nothing. He just lifted his coat and stood up and said politely, "I am just a passing visitor to your country. The tea is good. Thank you for your hospitality."

This means a polite refusal.

The leader of the Lan family also knew that this matter could not be rushed and needed to be done slowly, so he could only put on a false smile and stand up to respectfully see Emperor Ning off.

After Emperor Ning and his secret guards left the teahouse, the secret guards whispered to him, "Your Majesty, are we leaving now? If there is no Earldom to hold us back, what should we do if the Western Rong invade our country?"

Emperor Ning had naturally thought of the secret guard's words a long time ago, so he had been hesitating. Helping Boguo might not bring any benefits, but if he didn't help, it seemed that there would be endless troubles. The most important thing was that he hated people from all walks of life trying their best to put people in his harem. Just thinking about it made him feel a little disgusted with Princess Lanqin.

As he slowly walked down from the teahouse, he heard the sound of gongs and drums on the street. The place was bustling with activity. A group of people gathered around and cheered. He vaguely saw a lively and clever lion jumping up and down in the gap among the crowd. It turned out to be a street performer performing the lion dance.

He had no interest in lion dancing, but his good mood in recent days was ruined by a long-planned marriage, so he might as well have some fun.

He ordered the secret guards, "Let's watch for a while. It's been a long time since I've seen such a lively lion dance in Huajing. It's quite fun."

The secret guard nodded and hugged his sword respectfully, "Yes."

The two watched for a while. Although the person leading the lion dance was small in stature, he was full of energy and his movements were standard. He made the whole lion look joyful and lifelike.

The two were watching the show with great interest when it ended. Mr. Ruo He, who had just arrived, was left wanting more and could not help but watch for a while longer. He took a few steps forward and saw the golden and red lion taking off its hood, revealing a girl with a bright smile under the furry lion's head.

It was a bright day, and a ray of sunlight just happened to fall on the girl's face. She was smiling and chatting with her friends from the opera troupe beside her. The girl was cheerful and sweet, with bright eyes and white teeth like a lotus emerging from the water. Unexpectedly, this glance made Mr. He stunned on the spot.

Emperor Ning had seen many beauties in the world in his life, and he thought that he would no longer be moved by seeing a pretty girl. After all, with three thousand beauties in the harem, it would be a bit boring.

Who could have thought that this day would be such a stunning sight that I would never forget.

"Princess Qin'er, I didn't expect you to be able to dance the lion!"

"That's right, we are all stunned. Who did you learn this from? Why don't you teach us?"

"Yes, you should join the opera troupe as an apprentice tomorrow and learn some skills from Princess Qin'er. Who knows, she may have other skills."

"That makes sense, hahaha!"

"Haha, you just know how to curry favor with me. If you have the ability, give me more money." Lan Qin held the lion head and joked with the people, without any airs of a princess at all.

Her companions in the troupe and the common people gathered around her, talking and laughing heartily, looking like a group of close family members.

Mr. Ruo He hid behind the crowd, his eyes burning, and he was lost in thought.

How could someone's smile be so sweet that it just touches his heart?

He had seen princesses who were gentle and shy, and princesses who galloped across the fields and were passionate and unrestrained, but he had never seen such a cheerful, sweet and versatile princess. This one sight made him completely unable to sleep.

After leaving the crowd, he whispered to the secret guard: "This marriage... doesn't seem to be impossible?"

The secret guard's eyes widened immediately, his face full of question marks.

……

After that, Emperor Ning often disguised himself as Ruo He to visit Bo State. He would ask people from Bo State and roughly found out about Lan Qin. It turned out that the masked woman who aroused people's reverie at the full moon banquet that day was her.

The fate is wonderful.

It still allowed him to meet her again.

One day, he sneaked into the backstage of the Lan Family Opera Troupe, pretending to be a lost passerby. In order to avoid being recognized by her, he deliberately covered his face when meeting her.

He took a look around the backstage and saw a pretty girl in a simple workshop. She had two pigtails and wore the simplest clothes. She was conscientiously sewing a worn leather figurine at the table. If her true identity was not known, who would have known that she was the princess of the Earldom?

"Sir, no one is allowed to enter the backstage without permission. Are you lost?" Someone from the opera troupe asked when they saw him coming.

This voice caught Lan Qin's attention. She turned her head and saw a handsome, tall and straight young man with an imposing manner. He was definitely not an ordinary person. However, he was wearing a mask, so she didn't know what he looked like.

She was the team leader, so she quickly put down her work, walked over and asked enthusiastically, "Young Master, you are a foreigner who is here to have fun. There are many people coming to the city these days because of the celebrations. You should be careful. If you get lost, I will take you out."

Emperor Ning smiled and said unceremoniously: "Okay, I can't find the way back to the inn, please lead the way, young lady."

"Come on, I'll take you there." Lan Qin was more cheerful than him. She also smiled and walked out first.