Chapter 162 Flower Boat Appreciation of Lanterns

The shadow said, "Qingfeng, the secret guard beside the Fourth Prince, is also here. I was afraid of being exposed, so I didn't dare to get too close."

The emperor sneered coldly, "This woman is really restless. I knew she had other intentions in marrying Yuan'er."

He had long guessed that the Shen family would not accept the death of Old Madam Shen and do nothing, but he eventually discovered the clues, and it was worth it for them to send people to keep an eye on them for so long.

"Don't pay attention to it. Since she wants to know, let her know." Endless darkness rose in the emperor's eyes, as if there was an ancient bottomless pool hiding inside.

If she wanted to go, then he would let her go. He just hoped that when she learned the truth, she would be able to hold on and not regret it!

The coldness slowly dissipated, and sadness slowly surfaced in the emperor's eyes. He murmured to himself, "I had no choice, Shu'er, don't blame me!"

——

Concubine Shen lived in a nunnery not far from the capital. Her life was hard, but with the Shen family's support, she could still get by.

The emperor now favors Concubine Liang, and he may have long forgotten the existence of Concubine Shen.

The weather this year is exceptionally cold, especially in the mountains. Without the shelter of houses, the cold wind rages unbridled, making people unwilling to even lift a finger.

When the nunnery's steward led Shen An'an to find Concubine Shen, she was washing clothes in ice-cold water. Her originally fair and delicate hands were now covered with frostbite, red and swollen, and even pus was flowing out.

"Aunt." She glanced at her and spoke calmly.

Concubine Shen's body froze visibly, and it took a long while before she slowly turned around.

That face was full of traces of vicissitudes and the wear and tear of time. Although it was only a month or two, it had completely changed its appearance.

Shen Anan didn't show any mercy, because she deserved what she had today.

Concubine Shen took out a rough towel from the pocket of her coarse linen clothes and wiped the water stains on her hands.

Although people are completely different, their appearance, temperament, and habits formed by a life of luxury have not changed.

The steward beside him quickly explained, "Lord Shen had specifically instructed us to take good care of Donor Shen, so he never asked her to do any work in the nunnery. The clothes were her own, but Donor Shen liked to be clean, so her hands were frozen."

Shen Anan didn't even glance at the basin of clothes.

Whatever Concubine Shen wants to do is her business. There are too many people who should apologize for the death of their grandmother, especially her! !

Concubine Shen did not make a sound until she had wiped all the dirt off her hands. Then she slowly raised her head, her demeanor still intact.

She extended her hand to Shen Anan, then walked forward, walked around the corridor of the nunnery for half a circle, and then entered one of the long row of houses in the backyard.

It was relatively clean inside, but a little damp and dark. Perhaps due to limited conditions, there was only one candle with a little light left. Concubine Shen was reluctant to light it, but instead pushed open all the windows, which made it a little brighter.

She didn't say anything, nor did she turn around. She walked to the table, picked up the paint-chipped kettle, poured two bowls of tea, and placed them on the table.

Shen Anan walked over and sat down beside her, and Concubine Shen also sat down immediately, but she was very quiet holding the teacup.

The atmosphere was stagnant for a while, and Shen Anan spoke softly, "I will leave for Jiangnan in the next few days. Does my aunt have anything to tell me?"

As soon as these words fell, Concubine Shen suddenly raised her head, and her dead eyes stared at Shen Anan in disbelief.

She smiled slightly, "Surprised?"

Concubine Shen lowered her eyelids, and tried her best to control her emotions and look away as if nothing had happened.

Shen Anan took a sip of warm tea and suddenly asked, "That day, Concubine Ning said something to you before she died, right? Or did you overhear the conversation between the emperor and Concubine Ning?"

Concubine Shen buttoned her sackcloth tightly without making a sound.

"The secret that grandma didn't let you tell is related to the death of Concubine Shu, right?"

"Also, the woman who was favored by the emperor and broke up with Concubine Shu was from Jiangnan."

Concubine Shen lowered her head, not daring to look at Shen Anan, and the buttons were pulled off by her and held in her palm.

Shen Anan glanced at her hand and pursed her lips, "There is just one thing that I find strange. The emperor doted on her so much, why didn't he leave any record of her deeds in the palace, and she doesn't even have a name?"

Even Shen Changhecha had to spend a lot of effort to find out the existence of this person and the little information he had.

And what happened between Concubine Shu and that woman? What about that woman? How did she die in the end?

Concubine Shen didn't say a word from beginning to end, as if her ears were useless like her throat, but from her movements, Shen Anan could see her guilty conscience and panic.

She had never expected Concubine Shen to say anything. She came here only to confirm the truth of the matter. From this point of view, Concubine Shen's attitude should be certain.

Her direction was not wrong.

The tea in her hand was a little bitter, perhaps because of the tea leaves, but Shen Anan still drank it slowly. She put down the tea bowl, stood up, and looked deeply at Concubine Shen.

"Aunt, please live in this nunnery according to my grandmother's will. If there is a result one day, I will send someone to tell you."

After saying that, she turned to leave, but Concubine Shen immediately took two steps forward and grabbed her sleeve.

Shen Anan turned around, and she immediately let go.

Concubine Shen raised her hand and gestured a few times, tears welling up in her eyes, and she shook her head slightly at Shen Anan.

Shen Anan smiled gently, “Don’t worry, I won’t affect the Shen family. As for my own safety, it’s not that important since I left my grandmother.”

If she were reborn again, it would only accelerate the tragedy of the Shen family and the early death of her grandmother, so her life would be worthless.

After she finished speaking, she turned and left. Concubine Shen's sobbing voice sounded behind her, but was quickly concealed in the cold wind.

She came suddenly and left quickly. Mo Xiang lifted the curtain and helped her into the carriage. Without asking any questions, he drove back home immediately.

Shen Anan leaned against the wall of the car, eyes open, slightly absent-minded.

Half an hour later, the carriage stopped at the gate of the Fourth Prince's mansion. Qing'an was talking to the housekeeper. When he saw her get off the carriage, he bowed respectfully.

Shen An'an nodded and walked back to Wutong Garden. After the people walked away, Qing'an breathed a sigh of relief.

Wutong Garden was unusually quiet today. The maids who used to clean the courtyard had gone somewhere to have some free time. There was no one around.

Shen Anan had something on her mind, so she didn't think much about it and pushed open the door and went into the room.

It was still early in the morning and there was no light in the room, making it a little dark. As she walked in, a tall and cold figure suddenly came into her sight.

He leaned back in the rocking chair, his wrist hanging casually at one side, his long legs resting on a low stool, his lazy and indifferent eyelids slightly raised as he looked at her.

This was the first time Shen Anan saw him acting so casually, yet there was no sign of him breaking the rules.

"You... aren't busy today?" She thought for a moment and took the initiative to talk to him.

"Are you back?" Xiao Yuan did not answer but asked instead with a very cold tone.

Shen Anan nodded, "I was worried about what happened in Dongcheng, so I went to see my eldest brother."

Xiao Yuan stared at her and nodded slightly, without exposing her or asking any further questions.

As long as she doesn't go out to look for a man, he can accommodate her!

He glanced at the chest in the corner of the room, his eyes darkened, "This is our first New Year as a married couple, so even if we want to leave, let's wait until after the New Year."

Shen Anan wanted to say that the longer she pushed it back, the better chance she would have to catch Gu Tan. However, when she met Xiao Yuan's bottomless dark eyes, she swallowed her thoughts back, nodded slightly, and said, "Okay."

"Take Qingfeng with you. When I'm done with my work, I'll go to Jiangnan to look for you."

Shen Anan nodded quickly.

Xiao Yuan stood up from the rocking chair and walked towards her step by step. Shen Anan frowned and immediately wanted to step back, but the man quickly grabbed her waist.

"It would be great if you could always be so well behaved."

After two days of cold war, he took the initiative to look for her. Shen Anan naturally didn't want to continue to make the two unhappy, so she didn't move and let Xiao Yuan lean over and press her into the rocking chair.

But he did not take any further action, but just looked at her deeply, "Shen Anan, do you have anything to say to me?"

She frowned, looking confused. Xiao Yuan pulled the corner of his lips in a mocking manner, said nothing more, and slowly straightened up, staring at her without taking his eyes off her.

She is truly a heartless woman!

"Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. There will be lanterns at night. I'll take you on a boat trip to the river to enjoy the lanterns."

He did not forget that in his dream she had a big fight with him over watching the lanterns.

In comparison, she, who is now like a pool of stagnant water, makes him feel even more lost, like a boat with nowhere to rest, wandering back and forth.