160 Did she miss me?
After meeting with Master Jiang, Zheng Liang and Yang Ning returned to their chamber. Their conversation with Master Jiang went longer than they had expected.
By the time they reached Dragon Pavilion, it was quite late and past their usual dinner time.
Yang Ning was expecting Zheng Liang to return to the study room and to continue with his work. However, rather than returning to the study room, he stayed with her instead for dinner.
She felt strange because she was having dinner with him after so long. After His Majesty has fallen sick, she has been eating her meals alone as Zheng Liang was busy with royal court work for most of his time and rarely comes to their chamber.
Though she was used to eating her meals alone, after getting married to him, she started to enjoy the feeling of having dinner together.
That’s why she was surprised when he said that he will be staying for dinner.
___
“Are you going to sleep here tonight or need to return to your study room?” Yang Ning asked while removing her ornaments in front of the mirror table.
Just like Zheng Liang has asked her to do, she didn’t use any formal titles to address him when it was just the two of them.
.....
Zheng Liang, who was sitting on the bed and watching her from afar was caught off guard by her unexpected question.
Her question made him smile with pride and wonder what made her ask that question. Did she miss him while he was away and working?
Because it has been more than three months since they got married and they’re yet to consummate their marriage.
She looked quite terrified and embarrassed when she found out that they slept together on the same bed on their first night when she was drunk.
That’s why he wanted to give her some time and space to get adjusted to the palace lifestyle and feel comfortable in the setting which might be strange to her.
He thought that it might be the best way to improve their relationship which is based on the foundation of an politically-arranged marriage and they could get closer to each other than before.
Rather than getting scared of him, he wanted her to yearn for him as much as he does to be with her.
He never felt this before but these days whenever he sees her, he wants to be with her and stay by her side.
Seeing her asking him such a question, he couldn’t help but wonder if she now feels comfortable around him and she doesn’t dislike his presence in the same chamber anymore? Does she not mind sleeping on the same bed anymore? He wondered.
His earlobes turned crimson in embarrassment and he cleared his throat to hide his proud smirk before saying, “Of course I am going to sleep here, it’s my chamber as well.”
“You are asking as if I never returned to the chamber in the past. Where would I go if I do not come here to sleep with my wife?” He said questioningly while rubbing his neck in embarrassment.
Yang Ning who was now combing her silky black hair looked at Zheng Liang’s reflection through the mirror and saw him looking flustered while answering her question.
‘Why is he blushing so much?’ She wondered. She was simply asking if he has no plans of working tonight or not.
What is so interesting about this question that he is smiling so much?
She let out a low chuckle and said, ” If I remember it correctly, you haven’t returned to the chamber at night to sleep for the past month.”
“In fact, I can count on my fingertips the times I have seen you in the last month as you were extremely busy dealing with the royal court work.”
“In that sense, my question is completely valid and justified.” She stated her reasons behind her question and got up from the chair after removing all of her ornaments and hair pins that Xiaowei stuffed in her hair before visiting His Majesty.
Rather than arranging her long black and thick hair in a neat braid or an updo, she left them open to relax her scalp.
Usually, Xiaowei ties her hair in a braid to sleep at night but today she was having a headache.
It was because she used too much brain power earlier to understand what could be the cause behind His Majesty’s condition.
Moreover, the long braids and hairdos always give her a headache and make her feel restricted with her movements.
That’s why she wanted to rest her poor scalp for a day from any kind of restraint.
Yang Ning’s hair was so long and thick. Though they’re beautiful and silky in nature, it is still hard to maintain them and because of it she has gotten into an argument with Xiaowei many times.
Whenever she asks if she could cut her hair a bit short, Xiaowei stares at her in horror as if she has seen a ghost.
She shuts her mouth with an excuse that women are not allowed to cut their hair short.
Cutting her hair short would mean that she is cutting down her honor and prestige as a woman and as the Crown Princess of the Empire.
Her long and voluptuous hair was almost touching her waist line, making her look beautiful and graceful without attempting to do anything.
As long as she keeps her mouth shut and acts like a lady, no one would doubt her identity as Yang Ning and not someone else in her body.
It was all thanks to Yang Ning’s naturally regal and graceful aura.
Well, it will be a little too much to be suspicious of her about something like that since she was trying her best to act like Yang Ning and not show her true character in front of others.
However, now it is getting frustrating to pretend to be Yang Ning and these days she does not even fear speaking up and saying what is in her mind.
What worse could happen to her? People will start to be suspicious of her and she might lose her innocent neck in the process.
It will be better since there are chances that she might not die in real life and will return to her world. At least that’s what happens in dramas and novels.
However, if she stays here silently and acts like a subservient Yang Ning from before, she will lose her mind and will go crazy in this world.
That’s why rather than waiting for fate to turn up the tables for her, she took the charge in her hands and went to look for Master Jiang Tai to discuss things about His Majesty’s condition.
Rather than waiting for His Majesty to pass away like in the novel and allow the tragedy to repeat once again and do nothing, she will do her best to flip the sides and will not become the Villainous of the novel anymore.
Because in the end of the novel, only the tragic end awaits the Villains of the novel, meanwhile, the main leads gets the happy ending.
This time, she will also have a happy ending!