Chapter 306: Shadows of the Years

After entering the Weiyang Palace, Shen Ning felt that the entire palace was a little empty, and there were few palace servants to serve.

Shen Ning was led into the inner hall by the secretary. After walking around the screen, she saw Xiao Nanrong lying on his side. He was facing the door, his face was pale and his lips were bloodless.

Seeing Shen Ning, Xiao Nanrong was stunned at first, and then struggled to sit up.

The secretary stepped forward quickly and said, "Your Highness, please be careful with your wound."

Xiao Nanrong looked at Chen Ning and then at the secretary, her brows furrowed. The secretary pouted and pleaded aggrievedly, "No one from the Imperial Hospital was willing to come. When they said they were going to the Weiyang Inn, they all came with stomachaches or dizziness... Your Highness's injury couldn't be delayed any longer, so I took the initiative to go look for the prince."

Xiao Nanrong pursed his lips and looked at Shen Ning with an apologetic and embarrassed expression.

At this time, Yan Nu came in from outside, carrying a teapot: "The hot water is ready, Your Highness... Prince."

Shen Ning sat down on the edge of Xiao Nanrong's bed and reached out to feel his pulse. Xiao Nanrong didn't move anymore, lying quietly on his side with his eyes lowered.

What caught his eye were Shen Ning's slender white fingers...even the fingertips seemed to have a lustrous color.

Unlike the delicate and boneless fingers of the noble ladies in the capital, those fingers were white and slender, yet firm and powerful. If I were to hold them, it would surely be an incomparable comfort and peace of mind...

Xiao Nanyong's injury was on his back, caused by him blocking a knife for Emperor Jiaping when the deposed empress led her men to rush into the Ganqing Palace that day.

The blow was not light, and the skin on his shoulder and back was torn.

Shen Ning opened the medicine box and began to look at the ointment inside.

She asked someone to get Ye Heng's medicine box, knowing that Ye Heng had the best wound medicine.

The secretary took off Xiao Nanrong's shirt, and he lay on the couch, with the wound on his back exposed.

Xiao Nanyong's wound had been sutured on the first day. Nowadays, many doctors in the Imperial Medical Bureau have mastered the skills of suturing external injuries. Therefore, Xiao Nanyong's wound was treated in time.

However, no one changed the dressing on his wound in the two days after the coup, so the wound became inflamed. In addition, the wound was too large, and the infection caused a high fever.

Shen Ning took a look, then picked up the sterilized knife: "There is some rotten flesh on the edge of the wound that needs to be removed. It hurts a little. Your Highness can take some anesthetic to relieve the pain, how about it?"

Xiao Nanyong nodded, and Shen Ning took out the anesthetic from Ye Heng's medicine box and asked Shishu to dissolve it in boiling water and give it to Xiao Nanyong.

After a while, seeing that Xiao Nanyong's eyes were a little dazed and unfocused, Shen Ning instructed Yan Nu and Shi Shu to hold him down to prevent him from moving, and began to remove the rotten flesh herself.

Even with the anesthetic, there was still a certain amount of pain. After Shen Ning started to move, Xiao Nanyong struggled subconsciously, but was held down firmly by Yan Nu and Shi Shu beside him... He reluctantly turned his head, but the moment he saw Shen Ning, he suddenly stopped struggling, and then he lay on the couch with the posture of looking back, staring at Shen Ning.

His eyes were a little dazed. The effect of the medicine and the high fever made his face flushed, especially his eyes, which were glowing red and watery. He just looked at Chen Ning without blinking... Chen Ning glanced at him inadvertently and sighed in his heart.

This Second Prince was born docile, and now he looked even more pitiful...

Now that the affair between Concubine Xu and Xu Zhong has been exposed, it is unknown what his situation will be in the future.

Soon, the rotten flesh was removed, Shen Ning sprinkled a layer of anti-inflammatory powder on the wound, and then covered the wound with a thin bandage of gauze.

After finishing everything, she asked the secretary to ask her to go to the Imperial Hospital to get allicin to feed Xiao Nanchen. In order to be able to deal with emergencies, the Imperial Hospital would prepare some allicin every day, which was given to Xiao Nanyong to feed three times a day, and a prescription was also prescribed for him.

She handed the prescription to the secretary: "Take it for ten days according to the prescription."

The secretary took it hurriedly and nodded repeatedly to express his gratitude.

Chen Ning opened Xiao Nanrong's eyelids and looked at his eyes: "Alright, the anesthetic will wear off soon, and His Majesty will wake up... Take allicin twice today. Be careful not to touch the wound, and don't let it get wet. The fever should subside soon..."

Before he could finish his words, he was suddenly stunned.

Her hand that was checking Xiao Nanyong's eyelids was caught by Xiao Nanyong without warning.

"He's under anesthesia and is now unconscious."

After explaining to Yan Nu Shishu, who was also surprised and horrified, Shen Ning was about to pull her hand out, but unexpectedly she didn't pull it out.

Realizing that she was about to take her hand away, Xiao Nanyong actually held it tighter in an instant.

He stared at her, his usually gentle and good-tempered eyes revealing something strange and dark...

Shen Ning raised her eyebrows slightly and pressed her other hand on a spot on his shoulder. Xiao Nanrong frowned and uncontrollably lost his strength and let go of her hand. It was at this moment that Xiao Nanchen arrived.

These were the words that Shen Ning had someone pass on to him before she came over.

Although she is a doctor, Xiao Nanyong is Xiao Nanchen's brother. As they are a single man and a single woman, it is better for her, the future sister-in-law, to avoid suspicion. After all, this is a special period, and there is no harm in being careful.

Seeing Xiao Nanchen walk in, Yan Nu and Shi Shu hurriedly saluted, but Xiao Nanchen had no expression. He glanced at Xiao Nanrong coldly, then asked Chen Ning: "Are you done?"

Shen Ning hummed, stood up and walked to the basin prepared nearby to wash her hands: "Wait for me for a moment, and I'll leave after washing my hands."

After Shen Ning washed her hands carefully with soap, Xiao Nanchen turned his head and said to Xiao Nanrong in a calm voice: "Second brother, take a good rest."

Shen Ning nodded to the secretary, then walked out with Xiao Nanchen.

Yan Nu and Shi Shu bowed and saw him off respectfully.

Inside the hall, Xiao Nanrong's eyes, which were originally somewhat distracted, quietly watched the backs of Shen Ning and the other person. When he saw Xiao Nanchen walking out with Shen Ning while holding Shen Ning possessively, his eyes gradually became dark and quiet.

As he walked out with Chen Ning in his arms, Xiao Nanchen's mood was obscure and difficult to discern.

Just now, when he was about to arrange for someone to move Madam Xie out of the cell, he found out that the people on the Empress Dowager's side had already done it.

He had clearly told Shen Ning that he would make the arrangements, but Shen Ning would rather choose to ask the Queen Mother for help than to look for him, so she was really blaming and resentful of him.

Thinking of what his biological mother said when he met her before, Xiao Nanchen felt a chill in his heart, almost drowning him.

An hour ago, Xiao Nanchen went to the cold palace to meet Wei.

His father said that after all, she gave birth to him and raised him, so going to see her for the last time would fulfill the mother-son relationship of more than 20 years.

Xiao Nanchen went to see him, perhaps because of his father's words, or because he also wanted to put an end to it.

To settle things with his biological mother.

In a side hall of the cold palace, Wei was dressed in plain clothes, with only a silver hairpin left on her hair. Her face was pale, and her expression was numb and confused.

When Xiao Nanchen walked in, she was writing on the wall with a stick. When she heard footsteps, she turned around... When she saw Xiao Nanchen, the deposed Queen Wei curled her lips and said, "Are you satisfied now?"

She seemed to be smiling, but her smile was extremely sinister: "Just like your father, you did whatever it took to gain the throne, even killing your brothers and sisters... Now that Yu'er is dead, are you happy?"

Xiao Nanchen's tone was heavy. "He was the Crown Prince, the heir to the throne of Daxuan, yet he was so confused that he plotted rebellion. He was courting his own death. The Emperor spared his life because of his own impatience."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw his biological mother, Wei, across from him, like she was going crazy. "You still dare to say that to him? You still have the nerve to say that to him! If you hadn't been pressing me so hard, how could Yu'er be so terrified every day that he had to use the dandy act to numb himself...

He was the crown prince, yet you insisted on suppressing him in everything and snatching everything from him! It was you who killed him, you inhuman thing!

Xiao Nanchen seemed to be accustomed to these words. His expression remained unchanged, and he simply shook his head: "Whether you believe it or not, before you killed me last time, I never thought of seizing the throne. Otherwise, I would not have allowed you to go this far."

"Oh!"

Wei Jinxiu responded to her own son's words with a disdainful sneer: "Never thought about it? Don't you know that as long as you stand there, you are competing with him!

He is the crown prince, but after he shot his arrows, you insisted on showing off your archery skills and surpassing him in reading, and you always put yourself ahead of him... You said you didn't steal it?"

Wei Jinxiu sneered and gritted her teeth: "As hypocritical as your father, disgusting!"

A feeling of sadness and self-mockery welled up in Xiao Nanchen's heart.

He was still young at that time, so he didn't think about so many other things. The reason he showed up in everything was just to let his mother see him and praise him.

But since he could remember, every time at this time, when the mothers of other princes were proud and happy for their sons, his mother would only look at him with that cold and indifferent look. For a long time, Xiao Nanchen couldn't understand why this was happening.

He even wondered if he wasn't good enough.

But when he became more and more outstanding and received more and more praise and admiration, but his mother's eyes became colder and colder, he suddenly realized something.

It was also that time that he was praised by Lord Xu who was teaching the prince, but when he returned to Kunning Palace, his mother smashed a teacup with him... He never went to the Imperial Academy to study again.

He hid far away in the army, fighting with swords and bloody battles every day. Sometimes he couldn't help but think that now his mother would be relieved.

If she feels relieved, will she be able to feel sorry for him?

But, still nothing!

Those things that once caused a young man so much pain have now become cold and numb. Xiao Nanchen is no longer sad, but just feels it is very boring.

He asked his biological mother, "Back then, I retreated step by step, refused to study, hid in the army, and refused to marry an official...wasn't that enough? You're still not satisfied and insist on killing me?"

Xiao Nanchen curled his lips: "After all, I was born by you..."

"Do you think I want to give birth to you?"

With just one sentence, Xiao Nanchen's face turned pale.

Wei Jinxiu gritted her teeth and laughed crazily, "If it weren't for you, how could this day have come to pass? My Yu'er died because of you... Those ministers and soldiers all died because of you. You deliberately led us to this point. Now that everyone is dead, are you satisfied?"

She stared at her son like a demon: "Are you satisfied now? You will no longer have a brother or a mother. Oh, and your good father must be quite afraid of you now, right? Don't people like you have nightmares?"

Like a demon from hell, Wei Jinxiu grinned and said in a sinister tone, "No one really likes you or loves you. Everyone only respects and fears you. No one is sincere to you... Even if you snatch it away, it doesn't matter. You will always be alone... You will be haunted by nightmares all your life. Hahahaha, this is your ending, hahahaha..."

That hysterical, crazy laughter kept drilling into Xiao Nanchen's bones. Thinking of how Shen Ning would rather Queen Mother Zhao than look for him, and thinking of the way Xiao Nanrong looked at her a moment ago in Weiyang Palace, when they were sitting so close...

"There are so many doctors in the Imperial Hospital. Don't come to my second brother's place anymore."

Xiao Nanchen's voice was a little stiff.

Shen Ning thought he saw Xiao Nanrong grabbing her hand earlier, so she explained softly, "Concubine Xu is in trouble, and rumors are spreading throughout the palace. The imperial doctors are unwilling to come, and the Second Prince's people have come to me for help. I can't just ignore them. After all, he helped me before, and now he's injured like that, it would be unreasonable to ignore him."

Shen Ning was about to say that she had given Xiao Nanrong anesthesia before, but before she could finish, she was interrupted by Xiao Nanchen: "What's wrong with that? Men and women shouldn't be intimate. Don't be fooled by Lao Er's appearance. Who knows how deep his face is hidden behind the mask... This capital is not short of false pretenses. Everyone has another face..."

Chen Ning was already exhausted, and when she heard Xiao Nanchen Bing's deep voice, she reluctantly raised the corners of her mouth and tried to cheer him up: "Are you too? What is hidden behind His Highness Prince Ding's mask?"

With that one sentence, Xiao Nanchen suddenly froze.

His biological mother, Madam Wei, sneered in his mind again: "You are as hypocritical as your father... Others only respect and fear you..."

His heart suddenly beat very fast, and he tried hard to maintain a calm expression as he grabbed Shen Ning's wrist.

"Are you blaming me? Blaming me for hiding it from you..."

Xiao Nanchen did intend to hide it from Chen Ning, because he himself felt that his actions this time were flawless but also cold-blooded and terrifying.

It is precisely because of his extreme cold-bloodedness and his use of everyone to the fullest that every step goes smoothly according to his plan.

He knew that a general's success was built on the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers, and he didn't care about anyone else. Everyone was just a chess piece in his plan and a weapon in his hand... But Chen Ning was different.

He knew how soft-hearted she was... He chose to hide it from her because he was afraid that she would think he was cold-blooded and heartless.

So, she also thought he was cold-blooded and scary, did she blame and resent him in her heart?

Shen Ning didn't understand why Xiao Nanchen reacted so strongly, but these days, she was mentally tense and so many people had died. She had seen too many tears and crying, and her heart was really tired. She paused, raised her hand and broke free from Xiao Nanchen's shackles.

"It's been so long since we last met, and so much has happened. I'm really tired now, and I don't want to argue... Let's just calm down and talk, okay?"

Xiao Nanchen looked at her, his eyes slightly red.

Shen Ning sighed, turned around and left with Qiyue...

Behind him, in the Weiyang Palace, the secretary cautiously stuck out her tongue and turned back to boil the medicine.

When the medicine was boiled and brought into the palace for the Second Prince, the secretary hesitated a little... After hesitating for a while, she whispered, "Your Highness, I just heard the Prince of Beihai and His Highness Prince Ding arguing outside."

Xiao Nanrong paused slightly and raised his eyes.

The secretary said cautiously, "I vaguely heard His Highness Prince Ding mention something about Weiyang Palace, and Prince Beihai seemed to mention that Your Highness was injured and couldn't just ignore him... From what I saw, it seemed like His Highness Prince Ding didn't want Prince Beihai to come to our place, and then the two of them started arguing."

The secretary pouted: "With a fiancée as good as the King of Beihai, His Royal Highness Prince Ding actually has the heart to quarrel with her..."

After hearing this, Xiao Nanrong lowered his eyelashes, but the corners of his lips curled up almost imperceptibly.

He slowly drank the medicine in the bowl, closed his eyes and continued to lie back on the couch...