Chapter 1250: Chapter 760: Drowning (Second Update)_2

Du Zhimiao listened quietly, not interrupting at all.

"Secondly, you can follow me back to the Imperial Palace, but if you want to go back, you must change your name and identity. You should be well aware that no matter how the Du family is wronged, you are still considered the descendant of a criminal to the Cang Kingdom. And although the Cang Kingdom now respects the Daxuan Kingdom, on the surface, we maintain a relationship of allies. If my Daxuan Kingdom openly shelters you, it will be hard to justify when the news reaches the Cang Kingdom."

"I am willing to conceal my identity and follow Your Highness back to the Imperial Palace." Du Zhimiao answered without hesitation, resolute and decisive.

An Ning actually guessed that he would choose this way.

To put it plainly, staying in Wenzhou means letting go of past grievances, accepting the fact that the entire Du family was executed, and living the rest of his life as an ordinary person. However, by following her back to the Imperial Palace, he could learn about schemes, secretly nurture forces, and wait for the right opportunity to return to his kingdom for revenge.

Clearly, Du Zhimiao chose the latter.

An Ning didn’t ask further, "As long as you’ve made your decision."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"In a moment, I will erase everything here related to you. From now on, your name will be..." An Ning thought for a moment, thinking of a name, "Take my surname, An Ji. It means peace and auspiciousness."

"Yes." Du Zhimiao replied respectfully, "An Ji greets Your Highness."

"Go wash up, treat your wounds, and change into a set of clothes." An Ning said, "I will arrange the other things for you and inform you later."

"An Ji thanks Your Highness."

An Ning raised her voice towards the door, "Uncle Zhang!"

Zhang Wenhe hurriedly opened the door and entered respectfully, "Miss."

"Take An Ji to wash up and buy him a few suitable robes."

Zhang Wenhe was stunned.

"He is now called An Ji, and he is a retainer from the Imperial Palace I brought to accompany Youyou." An Ning stated directly.

Zhang Wenhe immediately understood, "Yes, I will take An Ji to wash up now."

An Ji bowed to An Ning before leaving.

He walked out of the room.

An Youyou immediately leaned her head forward, "Du..."

An Youyou couldn’t remember his name.

She had only heard it once, too complicated.

"Princess, my name is An Ji." An Ji quickly said.

An Youyou was startled, "Did my mother tell you our identities?"

"Yes."

An Youyou frowned.

Her mother had just disdained people and wanted them to leave, and now changed her attitude!

Women really are fickle.

"Where are you going?" An Youyou asked quickly, seeing Zhang Wenhe departing with An Ji.

"Miss instructed me to take An Ji to wash up."

"I’ll go, I’ll go." An Youyou said excitedly, "I just promised An..."

"An Ji." An Ji replied respectfully.

"I promised An Ji to take him to the hot springs. Uncle Zhang, you go about your business, I’ll take An Ji." Saying this, An Youyou quickly reached out to pull An Ji.

An Ji’s fingers twitched.

His dark eyes looked at An Youyou.

Zhang Wenhe had always indulged An Youyou, agreeing to whatever she wanted as long as it didn’t threaten her safety.

This time too, Zhang Wenhe thought for a moment and said, "Then I will prepare clothes for An Ji. Little Miss, be careful."

"Don’t worry, Uncle Zhang."

Zhang Wenhe nodded.

Figuring that within the mansion, there shouldn’t be any danger.

Zhang Wenhe respectfully departed.

An Youyou pulled An Ji’s hand, ready to go to the hot spring pool.

An Ji’s body didn’t move.

An Youyou frowned and looked back at An Ji, "What’s wrong?"

An Ji’s fingers twitched, "Men and women should not have physical contact. Please, Princess, let go of me."

An Youyou looked at their hands.

An Ji’s hand was still somewhat dirty.

She raised her eyes to look at An Ji, her round eyes questioning, "What do you mean by men and women should not have physical contact?"

An Ji was a bit stunned.

An Youyou seemed to be around 6 or 7 years old, and as a princess, she should have already received lessons related to the Women’s Precepts, how could she not understand?!

Or perhaps, there are still some cultural differences between the Daxuan Kingdom and the Cang Kingdom.

In the Daxuan Kingdom, etiquette for women is not so restrictive.

"It means that a man and a woman should not be too intimate or have physical contact." An Ji explained.

"But I often hold hands with my father, my brother, and even Uncle Zhang. When I’m too tired to walk, he carries me back." An Youyou didn’t understand.

She also found it very strange.

An Ji was at a loss for words.

Yet he still drew his hand back from An Youyou’s grasp and maintained some distance.

An Youyou was a bit displeased.

Forget it.

She was too lazy to argue.

She simply pitied An Ji.

If he dislikes close contact, she would stop getting close to him.

"Follow me then." An Youyou bounced ahead.

An Ji watched An Youyou’s demeanor.

Suddenly, he envied her carefree nature...

Both were princesses, but she seemed much happier.

An Ji quickly followed An Youyou.

An Youyou excitedly led An Ji to the hot spring pool and said, "You can bathe here. This is all natural hot spring water, bathing in it is good for your health. I come to soak for two hours every day."

"Isn’t that very dirty?" An Ji blurted out.

Thinking of everyone bathing in the same pool, it seemed quite unclean.

And such a big pool couldn’t possibly be refilled every day.

An Youyou furrowed her little brows.

This little beggar, so dirty himself, where does he get the nerves to despise others!

An Ji also realized he had misspoken.

He couldn’t even remember when he last bathed.

Since fleeing from the Cang Kingdom, he initially had some silver, but later was robbed by bandits, becoming penniless, surviving by begging, and not once changing his clothes.

"Are you dumb?" An Youyou tried to grab An Ji’s hand again.

An Ji quickly dodged.

An Youyou glared at An Ji.

So fussy!

"Follow me." An Youyou nonchalantly walked ahead.

An Ji followed behind.

"Do you see this?" An Youyou pointed to the location of the spring.

An Ji nodded.

"This is the spring’s eye, where fresh spring water continuously flows in, while water is constantly being let out here. It means the spring water here is always flowing, essentially being replaced with clean water every day." An Youyou explained.

An Ji felt a bit embarrassed.

Thinking a princess would certainly not bathe in dirty water.

But indeed, there was no so-called hot spring in the Cang Kingdom, so he didn’t know about these things.

"You go bathe." An Youyou turned to leave.

But her foot suddenly slipped.

The edge of the hot spring was somewhat slippery, and in her usual carelessness, her foot slid, causing her to fall into the spring with a sudden splash.

An Ji was shocked.

Instinctively, he quickly reached out to grab An Youyou’s hand.

An Ji was only nine, thin and weak, and was pulled in by An Youyou.

With a "splash," both fell into the hot spring pool. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

The hot spring pool wasn’t shallow.

Especially by the spring’s eye.

Both An Youyou and An Ji weren’t tall enough.

Once they fell in.

An Youyou quickly swam to the surface. Although she could swim, the sudden fall startled her.

She took a deep breath.

Then turned to check on An Ji.

Seeing An Ji hadn’t surfaced.

An Youyou quickly dove in, seeing An Ji struggling desperately underwater.

An Youyou swiftly swam over to grab him.

An Ji was frantically struggling all the while, and An Youyou spent a lot of effort, and only managed to pull him to the surface when An Ji fainted, then exerted all her strength to drag him ashore.

Gasping heavily, An Youyou didn’t have the time for a rest.

She immediately tore open An Ji’s tattered clothes, revealing his bony chest, quickly pressing on it, and then lifted his chin, opened his lips, and administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation...