Chapter 186 Thanks

The heavy door of the imperial study creaked and slowly closed behind him.

That sound was isolation.

Also a freshman.

Chen He stood at the white jade steps, looked up at the dazzling skylight, and was in a trance for a moment.

The suffocation and oppression in the hall just now seemed to still be wrapped around her limbs.

She calmed herself down, lifted her skirt, and walked slowly and firmly, step by step.

From the imperial study to the palace gate, one has to pass through most of the imperial garden.

In the golden autumn season, osmanthus is fragrant and chrysanthemums are blooming all over the garden.

But she had no intention of appreciating it.

She just felt that the palace was like a huge and gorgeous cage.

Just after passing a clump of golden osmanthus in full bloom and turning around the rockery, I ran into a group of people head-on.

Leading the way was the dark figure that she had engraved in her heart but had to push away.

Xue Minglan.

No.

Now, it's time to call him Xiao Minglan.

Beside him, there were two women, one old and one young, both wearing brocade palace dresses that were obviously given by the palace.

The older woman was Yun Wan.

Her face was covered with a thin layer of white gauze, hiding the face that had been burned by the iron, revealing only a pair of gentle but sad eyes.

And the girl holding her hand...

He was only thirteen or fourteen years old, and his body was as thin as a leaf that could be blown away by the wind at any time.

His face was still sallow, showing the sickly look of someone who had lived underground for a long time.

But those eyes were clearly black and white, like two obsidians immersed in water, and they were astonishingly bright.

Perhaps the new clothes didn't fit her well enough, so she walked with some restraint and uneasiness.

But her delicate features and eyebrows already showed that she was a stunning beauty.

This is Xiao Minglan’s sister who was born in the dungeon.

An innocent victim without even a name.

The two sides met suddenly on the path.

Shen He stopped and knelt politely.

"Your servant has seen..."

She paused.

One is a prince who has just returned to his ancestral home, and the other...

What should I call you?

Princess? Or princess?

Until the imperial edict is issued, everything is still unknown.

Xiao Minglan's gaze was fixed on her, with too many complicated emotions surging in his eyes.

Worry, heartache, and a hint of... forbearance that she couldn't understand.

“Miss Shen.”

As soon as he opened his mouth, Yun Wan beside him seemed to be suddenly awakened.

She saw Shen He's face clearly.

The next moment, tears welled up in those sad eyes.

“Yes…it’s Miss Shen!”

Her voice was trembling.

Before anyone could react, she pulled her daughter beside her and with a "thump"!

Kneeling straight in front of Chen He!

This time, it was both urgent and heavy!

Chen He was startled by this sudden gift and instinctively took half a step back.

"Madam! What are you doing? Get up!"

She hurried forward and tried to help.

This was in the imperial palace, with many people watching. If the mother and daughter gave him such a great gift, and if it was seen by someone and got heard by someone with ulterior motives, it would be a huge trouble!

But Yun Wan stubbornly knelt on the ground and refused to get up no matter what.

Her hand tightly grasped her daughter's wrist.

"No!"

"benefactor!"

"Please accept our mother and daughter's greetings!"

Tears rolled down her eyes, wetting her veil.

"If it weren't for the girl, we mother and I...we mother and I would have turned into a pile of yellow earth long ago, and there would be no place like today!"

Chen He was so anxious that sweat appeared on his forehead.

She couldn't pull Yun Wan, so she could only look to Xiao Minglan for help.

"Your Highness..."

Xiao Minglan's gaze never left Chen He's face from beginning to end.

He saw the anxiety and helplessness in her eyes.

I also saw the weariness that could not be shaken off between her brows.

He parted his thin lips slightly, his voice low and hoarse.

"Mother is truly grateful to you."

The implication is that he will not interfere.

Can't interfere either.

Chen He's heart sank suddenly.

Yun Wan's crying continued, every word was heartbreaking.

"Miss, you are so kind and generous. We, mother and daughter, will work like slaves to repay you!"

"Girl, you are our reborn parents!"

She cried and kowtowed heavily.

The nameless girl didn't say a word from beginning to end.

She just knelt down with her mother and cried with her.

A pair of big eyes with clear black and white were filled with tears, as well as fear and gratitude for surviving the disaster.

She looked at Chen He, and imitated her mother, clumsily pressing her forehead against the cold bluestone.

The bluestone was icy cold.

Yun Wan and her daughter pressed their foreheads against it, their thin shoulders trembling slightly from suppressed crying.

This silent scene was like a sharp thorn piercing Shen He's heart.

She couldn't make them kneel down anymore.

In this palace, if one more person sees them, the mother and daughter will be in greater danger.

She also has more trouble.

Chen He took a deep breath, suppressed the chaos in her heart, lifted the hem of her skirt, and slowly squatted down.

This action allowed her to look at Yun Wan, who was kneeling on the ground, at eye level.

Her voice was extremely soft and gentle, as if she was afraid of disturbing anything.

"Ma'am, get up quickly."

She reached out and gently held Yun Wan's cold wrist.

The wrist was so thin that it was just a bag of bones, and it hurt her palm.

"The ground is cold."

“You’ve suffered.”

These four simple words were like a warm current, instantly hitting the softest spot in Yun Wan's heart.

She suddenly raised her head and looked at Chen He with tears in her eyes.

Chen He's eyes were clear and firm, carrying a soothing power.

"Ma'am, please listen to me."

"It wasn't me who really saved you and your sister."

Yun Wan was stunned.

Chen He looked over her shoulder at the dark figure behind her who remained silent.

"It's him."

"It's Minglan."

She spoke clearly, word by word.

"In order to have this day, in order to save you and your daughter from hell, he has endured and hibernated beside the Queen for so many years."

"Those sufferings you endured without seeing the light of day, those dangers you faced walking on the edge of a knife, are the real reasons why you can see the light of day again."

"He has never forgotten you for a moment."

The last sentence was like a heavy hammer, hitting Yun Wan's heart hard.

Her tears burst out again.

This time, it was no longer despair and fear, but a mixture of sorrow and relief.

Shen He looked at her and continued softly.

"Minglan and I are close friends."

"When a friend is in trouble, I help him. It's just my duty."

"So, ma'am, you don't have to thank me."

She paused, each word ringing loud and clear.

"The person you should really thank is yourself."

"You gave birth to such a loyal and upright son."

These words, like a gentle spring breeze, instantly soothed all the excitement in Yun Wan's heart.

yes.

It's her son.

It's her Minglan...

Her eyes were filled with endless gratitude and tenderness.

She had never thought that in this life, after going through such a purgatory, she would still meet a girl as insightful and kind as Chen He.

Isn’t this a kind of luck?

Yun Wan subconsciously followed Chen He's gaze and looked up at her son.

Just one glance.

Then she understood everything.