Chapter 425: My Brothers Were All Stunned After the Crown Prince Hugged Me

Chapter 425: Chapter 425: My Brothers Were All Stunned After the Crown Prince Hugged Me

Xu Jingxi’s everyday name remained unchanged, and everyone still called him that.

But the name of the Third Young Master Xie, Xie Mingyuan, had already spread throughout the Capital City.

That night, the Xie Mansion held a family banquet.

Xie Suzhi sent people to fetch Grandma Qin and Grandpa Xu to join the happy gathering.

Shen Ningning brought the entire wolf pack into the mansion.

It was a grand and imposing sight.

In the brightly lit and cozy flower hall, a table of people sat across from one another, talking and laughing.

Shen Ningning clung to her Brother, Xie Mingxu’s, arm on her left, while her third brother, Xu Jingxi, was on her right.

The little girl was the center of attention, utterly content!

Her second brother, Xie Ming’an, sat across from her, his handsome face cold.

"Shen Ningning! I’ll ask you one more time. You call Eldest Brother ’Brother,’ and you call Third Brother ’Third Brother.’ What do you call me?" Xie Ming’an asked through gritted teeth.

The little girl blinked her big eyes. "I call you Stinky Second Brother. What’s wrong with that?"

She wasn’t afraid of anything or anyone now!

With brothers protecting her on both sides, the Black Wolf King and her own father in front of her, and Grandma Qin and Second Master Xie sitting nearby.

Shen Ningning’s courage grew, and she kept making funny faces.

"Stinky Second Brother, stinky, stinky, stinky, the stinkiest in the world."

Xie Ming’an slammed his chopsticks down, hitched up his robes, and came over to grab her.

"You little rascal, I won’t let you off the hook today!" He was determined to tickle her until she begged for mercy!

Shen Ningning gave a mischievous shriek and quickly dove under the table.

"Come out! Don’t run!" Xie Ming’an circled the table, reaching for her several times, but he was no match for Shen Ningning’s agility and even ended up bumping his head.

Everyone burst into laughter.

Holding his teacup, Xie Mingxu said calmly, "It’s fine if you bump your own head, but if you let our little sister get hurt, I’ll skin you alive."

Xu Jingxi immediately drew the short knife he used for wood carving.

"Eldest Brother, this will work well."

The room erupted in roaring laughter.

The brothers Xie Suzhi and Xie Dizhi watched with warm smiles.

Xie Ming’an felt like he was the only one they’d picked up off the street, while the rest were their real family.

In the end, Xie Suzhi had a few more cups of wine.

He gazed at the warm scene in the flower hall.

’This is wonderful. The lost children have all been found. The family reunion the Xie family lost all those years ago is slowly being pieced back together.’

’If only, if only...’

"If only Lady Xin were here, it would be perfect."

The full moon shone white and round under a vast, starry sky. In the blink of an eye, five years flew by in the mortal world.

...

「Five years later.」

It was early spring.

The sky was turning the pale green of a crab’s shell as the sun’s first faint glow lit the east, but the Imperial Palace was already bustling with preparations for a grand banquet.

Today’s palace banquet was especially important, for the Emperor’s elder brother, the King Shu, had returned from his fiefdom with his wife and family.

The Emperor and the King Shu shared a close brotherly bond. Moreover, the King Shu was famous in the Capital for refusing to take a concubine even though his Princess Consort had been unable to bear children for many years. He was hailed as a model husband by many young ladies.

Shen Ningning entered the Imperial Palace with her three brothers around noon.

The little girl was now ten years old.

Her baby fat had faded, replaced by a slightly round face, snow-white skin, and bright, expressive eyes.

Her large, moist, dark eyes sparkled with intelligence and mischief.

Her face still held a touch of childish innocence, but the budding beauty of a young maiden was already apparent.

Today, Shen Ningning wore goose-yellow robes. Her hair was styled in two buns, adorned with a pearl hairpin. A Jade Tassel, which only a Princess was permitted to wear, dangled on her forehead, and around her neck hung a colorful gemstone pendant necklace.

She exuded an air of nobility, her appearance delicate and lovely.

Her second brother, Xie Ming’an, sat across from her with a resentful expression. His exceptionally handsome features were marred by displeasure.

Because to this day, there was still no place for him by Shen Ningning’s side!

His little sister was either with their eldest brother or off looking for their third brother.

Xie Ming’an crossed his arms and said coldly, "When we get to the palace banquet, Eldest Brother will have to entertain the other generals he knows, and you, Third Brother, will need to network. Why not let me look after our sister?"

Xie Mingxu and Xu Jingxi exchanged a glance.

Xu Jingxi was now fourteen. He was handsome and elegant, with a cool and aloof aura. His dark pupils shone as if they had been steeped in moonlight.

He smiled faintly. "Second Brother, Ningning should stay with me. I’ve been the one to take her to every banquet before, and the Confucian scholars I associate with are all very fond of her."

Shen Ningning nodded. "Exactly! If I go with Stinky Second Brother, all he does is boss me around!"

"Hmph! One minute he won’t let me hold my brother’s hand, the next he won’t let Lu Shaoyuan whisper secrets to me."

Xie Ming’an’s brow furrowed. "You’re a big girl now. Men and women must maintain a proper distance. You can’t act like you did when you were a child. I’m your brother, what’s wrong with me keeping a close eye on you?"

Shen Ningning tilted her head, the line of her pretty face making her look even cuter.

"Men and women must maintain a proper distance? Then why do you always try to pull my hand and hug me, Second Brother!"

The ever-composed Xie Mingxu, who was sitting to the side, shot a sharp glare at Xie Ming’an.

Xie Ming’an said, exasperated, "I’m your brother! I hold your hand and hug you because I don’t have improper thoughts about you. Are those rascals outside the same as your second brother?"

Shen Ningning stuck her tongue out at him, then shook her eldest brother Xie Mingxu’s arm.

"Brother, listen! He’s being mean to me again." The little girl put on a pitiful act, pouting as her dark, moist eyes welled up.

A stern look appeared on Xie Mingxu’s cool face. He turned to scold Xie Ming’an. "Be nicer to your little sister. This isn’t your Ministry of Justice. Do you use the same tone you use to interrogate criminals with your own family?"

Xie Ming’an complained endlessly about his misfortune.

Xu Jingxi just chuckled softly to the side.

At times like this, he generally stayed out of the fray.

A short while later, the carriage entered the Imperial Palace. The banquet was to be held in the Hall of Honored Years, but the carriage could go no further.

So, the four siblings disembarked on the nearest palace path.

Shen Ningning walked ahead with cheerful steps, her three brothers following close behind her like guardian deities.

Though the little girl was young, her budding beauty was already evident.

Several male classmates from the National Academy who knew her saw her arrive and wanted to come over and say hello.

But the moment they saw the three cold-faced "gods" standing behind her, they only dared to wave from a distance.

Just then, a eunuch announced loudly, "His Highness, the Crown Prince, has arrived!"

Shen Ningning looked ahead happily. A Golden Dragon Carriage had stopped outside the courtyard of the Hall of Honored Years.

A large hand adorned with Buddha Beads first lifted the curtain, and then a youth in a red Python Robe bent down and appeared before the crowd.

Mo Lingwei’s features had fully matured, filled with a youth’s uninhibited spirit. His majestic and graceful bearing made all the young ladies present turn their heads to look.

But he only looked at Shen Ningning, raising an eyebrow with a smile and giving a wave.

Shen Ningning immediately ran over. "Brother!"

Behind her, Xie Ming’an shook his head and pointed at her retreating back.

"See? I told you. Our sister has no concept of the proper distance between men and women. The Crown Prince is about to reach the age for selecting a consort, and she still doesn’t know to keep her distance."

Xie Mingxu shook his head. "She’s still young. It’s normal that she doesn’t understand these things."

Xu Jingxi added, "She hasn’t done anything inappropriate. Second Brother, you’re being too sensitive."

However, no sooner had the words left their mouths...

...than they saw Shen Ningning, just as she always did, dash right into Mo Lingwei’s arms.

She was more than a head shorter than Mo Lingwei. She threw herself into his embrace, and he caught her in a solid hug.

In an instant.

The calm expressions on the faces of Xie Mingxu, Xie Ming’an, and Xu Jingxi all shattered.