Volume 2: Awakening Memories ☆ Light of Dawn Chapter 17: A Vow

  "Hehe, Uncle was just joking with Ajiu, don't take it too seriously."

  His face changed as quickly as turning a page, Xu Tianba burst out laughing, looking at Yixin's eyes flashing with a hint of gloom. If one were to scrutinize it carefully, not only did she not need to pay her respects to him, but he should be the one paying his respects to her instead.

  He was forced to go through the formalities of a national courtesy, which was really a big hat that pressed him so hard that he couldn't even breathe.

  "Rice can be eaten casually, but words cannot be spoken casually. Chang Li Hou is knowledgeable and has a broad vision, he should understand what 'disaster comes from the mouth' means." The ancient princess's title Yi Xin Ran did not understand, in order to meet Chang Li Hou, she also made sufficient preparations.

  Taking advantage of her amnesia, she can ask whatever comes to mind without arousing any suspicion.

  The title of Princess of the Commandery was of the first rank, and only princesses born to an empress, who had made great contributions to the imperial family, could enjoy this title, which ranked above other princesses in the imperial family.

  The three daughters of Empress Xu, although they were demoted to princesses, only enjoyed the title of Princess of the First Rank. Other princesses enjoyed their own titles according to their mother's rank.

  In the Southern Kingdom for hundreds of years, Yixin was the first princess to be granted the title of First Rank, and among all the princesses in the Southern Kingdom royal family, her status is the most noble.

  No matter whether they were civil and military officials of the previous dynasty or imperial concubines in the harem, those who were lower in rank than her had to pay their respects to her with a bow, as a sign of respect.

  Xu Tianba's smile froze, his eyes twitched slightly, and the anger in his chest surged to the sky. He was so stifled that he couldn't vent his frustration anywhere. "Ajiu has already married into the Night Country. I came today to pay my respects to the War King's consort."

  Although he was the noble Chang Li Hou, bestowed by the Southern Emperor himself, with a prestigious and honorable status, if it were said that he had to pay his respects to Yixin, he would have to kneel down and salute her, which is something he would rather die than do.

  Such insults are indeed detrimental to his lifelong honor and prestige.

  "The Emperor has bestowed upon me the title of Princess, so you don't have to kneel." Yixin's slender fingers gently stroked the edge of her teacup, her eyes cast downward and a faint smile on her lips. "If the Emperor knew that some random candidate dared to show attitude in front of me, I wonder what kind of expression he would have?"

  Nan Huang was keen on imperial power, no matter how much he indulged Empress Xu, no matter how much he yielded to the powerful family behind Empress Xu, as a monarch, his dignity would not allow him to be provoked.

  She was gambling that the Xie family had not yet become powerful enough to turn their hands into clouds and cover them with rain, otherwise, with Empress Xie's ambition, how could she be willing to be controlled by others everywhere.

  Empress Xu was just a woman after all, so eager to seize the dragon pulse of Nanguo, the reason behind it is worth pondering.

  "The title of Princess is just a mere name, what's there to be proud of? You think I would kneel down and pay respects to you? Impossible." If only I had known it would come to this today, I should have strangled her to death the moment she was born.

  "You think I'm interested in what you have to say? Tell me, what's your purpose for coming to Night Country."

  "The ninth princess's acting skills are really good, in the harem where she is humiliated everywhere, you who are indifferent to the world, are like a speck of dust that is not eye-catching, who would have known that under that protective color, you are also a ruthless character."

  She batted her eyelashes innocently, raised an eyebrow and said, "Life is like a play, everyone has their own acting skills."

  "Heh heh, well said. That thing doesn't belong to the Ninth Princess, it's better for you to hand it over sooner rather than later." The secret of the Southern Country Dragon Pulse can only be unlocked by the Xu family themselves.

  After nearly a hundred years of pursuit, it's not easy to get this clue, no matter what the cost is, I must get it.

  "What thing is this? How can our princess not know?"

  "Don't pretend to be crazy and foolish, you don't know who knows."

  "The princess's mother passed away early, and even the appearance of her mother is not clear. All the dowry was arranged by Empress Xu. What can be brought from Ye Guo? It seems that Empress Xu knows better than the princess herself."

  Only said it was something, without specifying that she had to hand over the necklace. It seems that Empress Xu's intelligence was only a little bit, and the purpose of her coming here was just to probe her.

  "The imperial noble consort didn't give you anything, don't even think about deceiving me."

  The Empress Dowager valued the Imperial Noble Consort the most, and after searching high and low throughout the palace, the only possibility was that the Empress Dowager had given it to the Imperial Noble Consort back then, who in turn gave it to Yixin.

  "If you really don't believe me, the dowry brought from the southern country can be checked one by one, but it's better for you to think of a slightly better excuse to explain to the war king."

  "Isn't the Ninth Princess worried about the safety of the Fourth Prince?" The Fourth Prince and the Ninth Princess have been inseparable since childhood, suffering from bullying in the palace. Their brotherly love is different from that of ordinary siblings, each being the other's weakness.

  In Xu Tianba's view, using the Fourth Prince as bait was no difficult task to lure out Yixin's true words.

  "Are you an idiot?" Yixin cast him a rather pitiful glance and said with a tone that wasn't quite pleasant.

  "You're asking for trouble."

  "This princess doesn't want to die, and this princess can even tell you that in the War King's Manor, if you dare to touch a single hair of mine, your head might just part ways with your neck."

  "You're threatening me." The threat didn't work out, instead he was threatened back, never seen him so frustrated.

  "It's not possible, when the princess's mother passed away, the princess was still very young, what could she know and what could she take care of? Unless someone's brain has been squeezed by a door, no one would entrust anything important to the princess."

  Xu Tianba's face was stern and cold, his sharp eyes fixed intently on Yixin's, eager to determine something.

  When Huang Guifei died, Yixin was only three years old. Even if it were him, he wouldn't have handed over something so important to her. Did she really not know?

  Empress Xu repeatedly instructed him that the object would only refract dazzling seven-colored light on a woman of the purest royal bloodline in the Southern Kingdom, and even if it were given to a man, it would have no effect.

  Therefore, the fourth prince was excluded by them early on.

  "You look quite clever, didn't expect you to be a fool." She yawned, and Yixin's beautiful and lively big eyes narrowed, her sweet voice seemed to exude a hint of sweetness, "As you said, this princess has already married into the Night Kingdom and is the queen of the war king. From now on, the affairs of the Southern Kingdom have nothing to do with this princess."

  "The ninth princess didn't even care about the fourth prince."

  At an age that was more than three times that of Yixin, he who had seen countless people, couldn't see through the thoughts and mind of this little woman in front of him, how could it not shock his heart.

  If she didn't know, they would have to re-determine the direction of their search.

  If she knew, all one could say is that her city was deep and profound, even he had been deceived.

  "It's only natural, we share the same blood in our veins. Although I'm just a humble woman, I'd be delighted to make a vow in front of Chang Li Hou."

  The mysterious secret that came from afar seemed to be locked onto the necklace, and Yixin wanted to get the answer, so she had to crack the secret of the necklace.

  Her arrival was as if destined, and the responsibility carried by the identity of Nan Guo's Ninth Princess also became her unshirkable mission.

  From now on, her enemies will be dealt with by her own hands.

  Her loved ones, she will protect them.

  "What oath?" Her heartbeat skipped a beat, as if intimidated by the aura of dominance emanating from her bones.

  "If the Xus dare to touch a single hair on my brother's head, harm his life, even if it means overturning the entire world and rivers of blood flowing, I, the princess, will still exterminate your entire family, leaving no chicken or dog alive."

  Her voice was soft but powerful, leaving no room for doubt.

  "Just you..." The sarcastic words got stuck in her throat as she met her pitch-black eyes, and her back couldn't help but break out in cold sweat under her smiling gaze, numbness spreading all over.