Chapter 349 - Shi Qingxue Is 'Forced” to Make a Friend

Liang Jingxian saw that Shi Qingxue and Liang Zixin talked happily like friends who loved each other deeply.

She was happy, but the sudden word “no” ruined her plan.

It pissed off Empress Liang.

Liang Jingxian glared at the voice source and wanted to rebuke this meddlesome b**tard.

A teenage boy who was almost two meters tall strode over with his head high and chest out.

He looked proud with manliness, like Mars falling from the sky. People felt oppressive yet couldn’t look away from him.

However, the oppressive feeling couldn’t last too long because this teenager looked young, only fourteen or fifteen years old. Even though he was tall and big, it could be seen at a glance that he was just a kid.

Ling Ruiyin saw the comer first and looked joyful. Then she asked with a smile, “Junzhan, why are you back?”

This teenager was born to Concubine Tao, the ninth prince Mo Junzhan.

He was only fifteen years old, but he went to the battlefield with the army. He was brave and battlewise and deserved his name given by Mo Xiangbin.

Logically, Mo Junzhan was supposed to guard the southern border with the army. Why did he come back so soon?

After all, Mo Junzhan was a kid. Although he looked dignified in his military uniform like a general, when Ling Ruiyin called him, the momentum on him disappeared, and he just looked naive and ignorant like a teenager.

The teenager showed a shy smile and moved closer to Ling Ruiyin, greeting, “Grandma, nice to see you.”

“Get up, now!” Ling Ruiyin helped the teenager up in person and looked him up and down carefully.

She praised with satisfaction, “You have been away from home for so long. As expected, you have become stronger.

“But why did your voice become…”

So unpleasant to hear?

It was as hoarse as a drake’s voice.

So when Mo Junzhan said “no”, nobody knew who was speaking.

Mo Junzhan didn’t care that his voice became unpleasant to hear but puffed out his chest with pride. “Grandma, it means that I have grown up. You should be happy.”

When a teenager became a young man, there would be such a change.

Mo Junzhan was a man, so he naturally didn’t mind his voice change.

Even in his opinion, a man’s voice should be husky, and his previous sweet voice was feminine, which made him unlike a man in the past.

There was a young man’s heroic spirit in this teenager’s brows indistinctly, yet he still behaved like a child while he didn’t notice it.

It amused Ling Ruiyin. “Yes, yes. I am so happy that my grandson Junzhan has grown up.

“Come on. Tell me if something interesting happened when you were guarding the southern border.”

Perhaps Ling Ruiyin really liked this little grandson. As soon as she saw him, she forgot everything and asked Mo Junzhan many questions, leaving the others aside.

As a result, Liang Jingxian was anxious.

She winked at Ling Ruiyin repeatedly yet there was no response, so she had to bite the bullet and interrupt, “Prince Junzhan, didn’t His Majesty tell you to guard the southern border? Why did you come back all of a sudden and happen to be just in time for the spring outing picnic?”

Gee, it was a capital crime to disobey the emperor and flee from the battlefield.

Liang Jingxian didn’t make it clear, while none of the people present was an idiot, so they understood her hidden meaning.

Ling Ruiyin’s smile faded at once. She had suspected it just now, but she thought that her grandson’s return in safety was more important, so she didn’t care.

Unexpectedly, Liang Jingxian mentioned it.

Mo Junzhan didn’t look scared but smiled at Liang Jingxian with provocation. “The common people at the southern border live and work in peace now, so the other nationalities don’t dare to intrude, and General is guarding there. I have nothing to do.

“Grandma, I missed Father and you very much and thought of the saying that people shouldn’t travel far away from their parents, so I asked Father to let me return to the imperial palace for now. I will go back to the battlefield and kill the enemies if there is a war someday.”

His words retorted Liang Jingxian who tried to make trouble.

Ling Ruiyin was moved a lot and stated, “You deserve to be my good grandson. You are so considerate.”

“Huh, you are good at acting,” Liang Jingxian cursed in secret.

Because Ling Ruiyin was present, Liang Jingxian didn’t dare to curse in a loud voice but had to smile at Mo Junzhan flatteringly. “Prince Junzhan, you really respect your elders, but…”

Liang Jingxian paused for a moment and then changed the subject. “But you shouldn’t arbitrarily stop others making friends, right?”

She went back to the previous subject as Mo Junzhan said “no”.

Ling Ruiyin also looked at Mo Junzhan in doubt. “Junzhan, why did you say no?”

Logically, Mo Junzhan had never seen Liang Zixin. Why did he cut in without permission?

It was not his style.

Normally, nobody would do something like this.

When Mo Junzhan was questioned, he looked serious and turned his head to look Liang Zixin up and down.

Noticing Mo Junzhan’s stare, Liang Zixin smiled gently and bowed. “Your Highness…”

Mo Junzhan instantly looked away from Liang Zixin and smiled at Shi Qingxue brightly, greeting in a loud voice, “Qingxue, long time no see. Did you miss me?”

He was in the period of a man’s voice change, and his voice was husky and unpleasant to hear, yet it was loud and drowned out Liang Zixin’s voice.

Liang Zixin, Shi Qingxue and all the others were speechless.

Even though Shi Qingxue didn’t like to be forced to make a friend, because it was the Empress Dowager’s decision and Liang Zixin was not hateful, she didn’t object to it.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Mo Junzhan showed up, he ruined this thing.

It appeared that he wanted to embarrass Liang Zixin.

Shi Qingxue didn’t hate Liang Zixin, yet obviously she preferred Mo Junzhan who was her playmate.

So she answered in a natural way, “Of course I missed you, Your Highness. I haven’t seen you for many days. You have become stronger.”

Mo Junzhan immediately showed a big smile and strode to Shi Qingxue, praising himself complacently. “Certainly. Qingxue, I tell you something. I am capable now.

“I met a master good at archery at the southern border, and he taught me a lot, so I made much progress in archery. If you don’t believe it, we can have a competition now, and I am sure that I won’t lose to you.”

Mo Junzhan was resolute and vigorous. Especially when he talked about archery with Shi Qingxue, he got excited and wished to fix a target and compete with her now.

Speaking of which, the friendship between Shi Qingxue and the ninth prince started with an archery competition.

At that time, Shi Qingxue was only eleven or twelve years old. She was excellent in archery and arrogant, and she didn’t know how to admit defeat.

It happened that Mo Junzhan who was nine years old started to learn archery then. After he shot several arrows accurately, he thought that he was invincible and would be the most powerful general in Mo Country.

So after these two kids who didn’t admit defeat met each other, a fight was on the verge of breaking out.

Others would let Mo Junzhan win as he was a favored prince.

Nevertheless, Shi Qingxue certainly wouldn’t do that.

Her natural gift in archery was not exaggerated. When they competed in the first round, she defeated Mo Junzhan who was a fat boy with her shooting skills.

Mo Junzhan wouldn’t admit defeat easily. After he lost, he wanted to compete again, yet he would lose in the end.

His fighting spirit was admirable, while he had never defeated Shi Qingxue once.

Nobody knew what this prince was thinking about, and as time passed, he gave Shi Qingxue special treatment.

Even though he was lofty at ordinary times, he called Shi Qingxue respectfully and took her as his elder sister. Even his brothers might not be respected by him. The two were congenial to each other in archery, so they became good friends.

However, Mo Junzhan still didn’t change his habit that he would compete on archery with Shi Qingxue as soon as he saw her on any occasion.

Shi Qingxue was amused by Mo Junzhan’s action as he was like a rash boy, while she couldn’t compete with him as he wished, so she had to pull his sleeve and wink at him.

Mo Junzhan was smart, yet he was much inferior in rivaling in trickery.

He didn’t understand Shi Qingxue’s reminder but looked at her blankly, asking in doubt, “Are you injured?”

“Why do you blink without a stop?” he thought.

Shi Qingxue was at a loss whether to cry or to laugh after hearing his question. She sighed helplessly and then expressed directly, “Your Highness, it’s the spring outing picnic now. It’s not proper to shoot arrows.”

She couldn’t bear to see the obvious disappointment on Mo Junzhan’s face, so she added, “Your Highness, if you really want to shoot arrows, let’s find a chance to have a competition next time.”

Mo Junzhan got excited at once. “That’s what you said. If you lose, don’t shed tears.”

Shi Qingxue kept quiet.

Who kept pulling her sleeve after being defeated and said in tears that he was a general and couldn’t lose when he was a child? And he asked Shi Qingxue not to tell anybody that he lost.

Shi Qingxue almost swore before she finally stopped this boy from crying.

After Mo Junzhan said that, evidently he thought of his unknown “shameful past” when he was young, like Shi Qingxue did.

In an instant, his face was burning hot and dark red.

Shi Qingxue tried hard to stop herself from laughing and looked away from Mo Junzhan thoughtfully.

Then she said to Ling Ruiyin to defend Mo Junzhan, “His Highness has just been back from the battlefield. Perhaps he is not accustomed to the leisurely life in the capital, so he wants to keep himself busy. Please forgive him, Your Majesty.”

Ling Ruiyin certainly knew well about her grandson. She wouldn’t blame him but felt happy as he was lively.

She stated with a smile, “Junzhan is still rash and hasn’t changed. You must have just returned to the capital and then come here as you heard that Qingxue is here, right?”

Mo Junzhan was seen through, so his young face looked shy. He turned his head and didn’t say anything.

Shi Qingxue was overjoyed to see that.

However, this prince was arrogant, and nobody could laugh at him randomly.

She changed the subject and helped Mo Junzhan out of the predicament.

Liang Jingxian was ignored repeatedly, so she was reluctant.

However, her parents’ family was declining, and she couldn’t lose temper at will like before.

She had to restrain her anger and then pushed Liang Zixin to Shi Qingxue. “Qingxue, it’s beautiful outside in spring. Take your friend to go out and have a walk around. Don’t waste the good weather.”