the next day.

"Princess—"

"Um."

Thinking of the pile of sunflower seeds she had eaten yesterday, and seeing Ertai, Chen Nian's expression turned unnatural, and she quickly packed her things.

Without giving Xiao Yanzi a chance to stop him, he quickly pulled Qing'er, who was waiting outside the study, and left.

Waaah, I'm so ashamed to face anyone now. I don't want to go to school anymore. I'll go back and tell the Empress Dowager that I'm not going anymore.

She ate it, and then she even asked someone to peel it for her. How could she eat it with such a clear conscience? Not only did she eat a small handful, but after she finished, she even reached out to ask for more.

How embarrassing! She's so shameless! Next time I'm eating gossip, I'm never going to be so enthusiastic about it again, boohoo.

Does she still maintain her ladylike image?

The inner emotions of the character are rich and complex.

Looking at the regretful, sad, and shy expression on Shen Nian's face, and Er Tai's hesitant expression behind him, Qing'er was truly bewildered.

What happened between these two that she didn't know about?

As Ertai watched the person walk away, he was forced to swallow the words he had been asking, "Do you still want the peeled pumpkin seeds?"

...

For the next few days, Chen Nian stayed to recuperate and didn't go to the Imperial Study, not wanting to infect others.

She didn't expect to be so sick this time; she had a low-grade fever and a sore throat that made it impossible for her to speak.

That's perfect, she didn't know how to face Ertai either, so this could be considered an excuse, she thought to herself, trying to comfort herself.

Chen Nian was sickly and stayed in Cining Palace, unaware that Ertai mistook her behavior for avoiding him.

No one except the people in Cining Palace knew that Chen Nian was ill and that was why he had been staying at home.

...

With the help of Shen Nian and Qing'er, Xiao Yanzi passed the Empress Dowager's test in the boys' and girls' balloon popping competition.

Wherever there is Little Swallow, there is the Empress; and wherever there is the Empress, there is almost always the Empress Dowager.

Wherever the Empress Dowager is, there are Shen Nian and Qing'er. Wherever Shen Nian is, the Empress, out of consideration for her image in front of Shen Nian, does not cause trouble for Xiao Yanzi.

Therefore, with Chen Nian and Qing'er singing in unison, and Xiao Yanzi attributing Chen Nian's poor health to a lack of exercise, the situation became even more complicated.

The Empress Dowager also compromised, and Xiao Yanzi passed the test very easily. She was even allowed to play with the balloons while thinking deeply.

The day Xiao Yanzi went to see the Empress Dowager, Chen Nian's illness wasn't serious; he looked as if he wasn't sick at all. So Xiao Yanzi didn't know anything about Chen Nian's condition. If even Xiao Yanzi didn't know, then naturally no one else would know either.

The Cining Palace was the Empress Dowager's territory, so they dared not inquire about it recklessly, lest they be misunderstood. Their only acquaintance, Qing'er, had not even left the Cining Palace.

So they couldn't find out what was going on with Qing'er, and they didn't know what was wrong with Chen Nian either.

Chen Nian was unaware that because she was sick and embarrassed, unable to face Ertai, she had been staying indoors for the past few days, which made Ertai question his existence.

Ertai recalled every detail of the day he accompanied Xiaoyanzi to get the ball, trying to find out why Chennian was ignoring him.

But he searched for a long time and still couldn't find the place that had angered Chen Nian.

I'm so worried that I can't eat or sleep well, and I have very dark circles under my eyes. I've even been teased about it.

He also considered that it might be because of the pumpkin seeds, but he was certain that Shen Nian had enjoyed eating the pumpkin seeds that day and was not angry.

The only thing that might have offended her was that he held her hand that day, but she wasn't angry at the time; in fact, she seemed to enjoy watching the drama unfold. He apologized promptly afterward.

He assumed that Chen Nian was genuinely not angry, and now that he thinks about it, that must be the reason.

Everyone says girls are fickle, and it seems that's really true. He'll have to be more careful next time; he really doesn't want to go days without seeing her.

He wanted to apologize, but Shen Nian didn't give him the chance; he couldn't even see her.

Chen Nian was avoiding him completely. She spent the whole day in Cining Palace, skipped the Imperial Study, and even cut off his path of apologizing to Chen Nian through school.

Even if he followed Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi to Cining Palace, sometimes he was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them from afar.

More often than not, she was just unlucky and couldn't even see anyone. No matter how much Xiao Yanzi tried to persuade her, she wouldn't leave Cining Palace.

Ertai truly regretted his offensive actions that day.

Qing'er didn't know what had happened between Chen Nian and Ertai. Seeing their situation, she thought her idea would come to nothing, and she felt a little regretful.

...

...

...

……~