Chapter 232 Let's go to Haijin together

Li Manyan smiled and shook her head: "How could I blame you? I'm thanking you both. If it weren't for the two of you, I don't know what would have happened."

Sheng Sheng sensed that Xie Yunchuan intended to leave, and inwardly sighed that it was rare for her older brother to feel uneasy. On the surface, she still said very considerately, "Then Sheng Sheng should go too. Sheng Sheng hasn't had dinner yet, and you must be hungry, Fifth Brother. Why don't you take Sheng Sheng and Fifth Brother to get something to eat?"

"good."

Xie Yunchuan took Shengsheng's hand, stopped looking at anyone else, and walked straight out.

"Actually, I'm not hungry at all."

Xie Yunqi looked left and right, but decided to go with her younger sister.

Xie Yunqi chuckled and said to Consort Jing, "Your Highness, I don't want a reward. Heroes do good deeds without seeking recognition, hehe. But Your Highness, please remember to mention it to my mother a few times, whether intentionally or unintentionally."

After saying that, Xie Yunqi ran away in a flash.

After everyone left, Consort Jing's thoughts returned to Li Manyan. While urging her to lie down and rest, she couldn't hide her smile: "These princes are really good children. Especially the Fifth Prince, I remember he used to be a little tyrant, but today he's become so sensible."

Li Manyan felt a heavy weight in her heart. She didn't know if it was because she was still troubled by Li Manyun deep down, or if she was troubled by someone else. Li Manyan herself was a little unsure where this inexplicable heaviness came from.

Li Manyan was a little distracted and replied to Consort Jing, "Aunt, please don't bother. If you stay here for too long, His Majesty will be looking for you."

"His Majesty is busy. He'll be returning to the palace in a few days. He's been working overtime all day reviewing memorials. He doesn't have time for anything else. But it's good that he's busy. These past few days, Consort Li and I have been enjoying tea in the mornings and admiring flowers in the afternoons. It's been very pleasant." Consort Jing tucked her in. "Auntie will have someone bring you some food in a bit. Lie down for a while."

"Okay, thank you, Auntie."

"No need to thank me, I'm your own aunt. Don't worry about this, I'm your own aunt, and His Majesty is your own uncle, he'll definitely stand up for you." Consort Jing smiled at Li Manyan and said, "I just don't know how your second uncle raises his children. First it was your eldest brother, and now it's your second sister. I don't know what sins this second branch of the family has committed. No, no, I have to ask His Majesty for a chance to leave the palace and go home to see if there's a problem with the ancestral graves."

Li Manyan was amused and said, "Auntie is joking, it's not that serious. Actually, Second Sister was just temporarily bewitched, she's not a bad person at heart. How about... we leave it to Grandfather to decide, after all, it's a family matter. Even an upright official has difficulty judging family disputes, so His Majesty would probably have an even harder time."

Consort Jing sighed: "Actually, you've softened your heart, haven't you? Well, after all, she's been your sister for over ten years. Regardless of whether she's legitimate or illegitimate, the bond is still there. I've been away from home for many years, and although I don't have much affection for those children, we're still connected by blood. How could an elder not feel heartbroken when their own children do something wrong? Alright, alright, I'll do as you say. Your aunt will go and write a letter to your grandfather explaining the situation right now."

"Yes, thank you, Auntie."

Consort Jing smiled and tucked the blanket around her before going out to call someone to bring her food.

After Consort Jing left, only Li Manyan remained in the tent.

With Li Cheng and Li Manyun making mistakes one after another, it's hard for Li Manyan not to be emotionally affected.

However, her emotions didn't fluctuate much. Others' mistakes didn't concern her much; she just needed to do her best.

It is precisely because Li Manyan firmly adheres to this statement that she is now wondering why she has been in a... uh, somewhat excited state?

Li Manyan shook her head and decided to go to sleep.

*

The next morning.

Sheng Sheng got up early again, not because she had a lot of fun yesterday. On the contrary, she barely glanced at the bonfire party she had been looking forward to.

She was so excited to get up early today because she was going to Haijin with Xie Yunchuan and Xie Yunyang!

According to their plan, the two were to set off today to visit Doctor Shen in Haijin, and bring with them the "Rejuvenating Herb" that they had seized from the two notorious bandits.

Haijin is not far from Shanglin Hunting Ground; a round trip by horseback takes only half a day.

In addition, with the time spent in contact with Doctor Shen along the way, regardless of whether things went smoothly or whether they were able to ask the questions they wanted, they would basically be able to catch up with the main group and set off back to Beijing when they returned from Haijin.

Sheng Sheng figured there wasn't much fun to do in Shanglin Weichang these past few days, so she kept pestering him to come along.

Xie Yunchuan readily agreed, as the trip only involved the matter of Doctor Shen, and he had several days to spare.

Their invitations have been sent, their sincerity is there, whether or not they see him depends on whether that Dr. Shen is willing to meet with him.

If you're willing to see them, that would be best; if not, we'll have to find another way.

Because they had to ride horses for more than an hour, Sheng Sheng was afraid she would faint on horseback, so she called Xie Yunqi to come with her.

Before setting off, Sheng Sheng thought about visiting Li Manyan, but unexpectedly, she met Consort Jing again at Li Manyan's place.

Unlike yesterday, when Xie Yunchuan and Xie Yunqi were present and Jingfei didn't feel anything amiss with so many people around, this time, Jingfei and Shengsheng's eyes met, and that faint sense of awkwardness returned.

Sheng Sheng greeted her with a smile, "Greetings, Consort Jing! Are you here so early in the morning to take care of Sister Yan Yan?"

"Yes, that's right."

Li Manyan was leaning against her pillows, drinking porridge, when she saw Shengsheng arrive. She called her over affectionately, "Shengsheng, you're here."

Consort Jing was somewhat surprised by how the two women addressed each other: "Yan'er, are you acquainted with the Second Princess?"

Shengsheng hopped over, smiling, and said, "Yes, Yan Yan and I are good friends."

Consort Jing smiled and said, "Then, you two can chat here."

After saying this, Consort Jing retreated somewhat awkwardly, leaving them alone.

Blinking her eyes, Li Manyan said, "Auntie is still a little uneasy, don't overthink it."

Sheng Sheng smiled and shook her head, then moved a small stool and sat down next to Li Manyan: "Sheng Sheng knows, it's okay, Sheng Sheng will talk to Consort Jing later."

Li Manyan chuckled. After yesterday's events, in addition to her affection for her, Li Manyan felt a sense of security and trust—a strange kind of sense of safety.

Whenever Li Manyan saw Shengsheng appear beside her, she felt that no matter what the situation was, she wouldn't panic as long as Shengsheng was there for her.

The same thing happened when we faced the wolf pack last time, and it also happened last night when I helped her catch Li Manyun.

Li Manyan herself was puzzled as to why she had such a strange feeling towards a little dumpling.