Nan Qianyue disagreed, and was even a little angry. "Uncle Yan, what kind of bewitching potion did he give you? He knew you could live, but he took your life because of suspicion. Why do you follow such a heartless master?"
Yan Bo's eyes still held a smile. "Has Miss Nan gone to see the master?"
Nan Qianyue turned her head away. "Yeah, I never want to see her again."
Uncle Yan shook his head, put down the broom, turned around and went inside to make tea. He came out with a tea tray a short while later.
He beckoned to Nanqianyue, “Come sit here, I’ll tell you about our lord’s past.”
Nanqianyue turned her head away, "Who wants to hear about his past? I won't."
She said that, but she still went over and sat down, seemingly reluctantly.
Yan Bo chuckled and turned to Qin Yi, "Your Highness, please sit down. I have carefully cleaned these tables and chairs; they are not dirty."
Qin Yi, with a cold expression, lifted his precious feet and walked over, lifting his robe to sit down.
Uncle Yan poured Nanqianyue a cup of tea and then prepared to collect the fallen leaves.
"Where is my tea?" Qin Yi frowned slightly.
How dare they ignore him?
Yan Bo was taken aback, then chuckled awkwardly, "...This tea is very ordinary, Your Highness probably won't like it."
Qin Yi frowned. "Then why did you pour it for her?"
Yan Bo's expression was a little stiff. "Because Miss Nan..." Although she is picky, she has a good personality and is easy to serve.
You can't say that.
Nan Qianyue glanced at Qin Yi and poured him a cup. "You're a prince, and you have such an unapproachable demeanor. Who would dare to give you ordinary tea?"
"Uncle Yan, please sit down. Don't sweep yet." She poured Uncle Yan another cup.
Uncle Yan sighed twice and sat down awkwardly.
Nanqianyue cleared her throat and said nonchalantly, "Isn't Uncle Yan going to talk about someone's past?"
A look of sadness flashed in Yan Bo's eyes, and he let out a sigh filled with bitterness before picking up his teacup and taking a sip.
He said slowly, "The happiest time for my lord was probably when he was still an infant, when he had the careful care of his birth mother and all troubles were far away from him."
Nanqianyue pouted, "Of course a little baby doesn't understand worries."
Uncle Yan did not refute, but continued, "The turning point of everything began when I was two years old."
"The Empress had no children, and the Emperor and Empress were not close. In order to consolidate her position, the Empress devised a plan to have His Majesty place Consort Wan's son, the Prince, under her care."
"From the moment His Majesty learned to walk, he was subjected to extremely strict discipline by the Empress. He was not allowed to have any close confidants, otherwise the Empress would beat those people to death in front of him..."
"The Empress gradually molded the Emperor into a calm, patient, cunning, and ruthless man..."
Uncle Yan spoke for almost half an hour.
Nanqianyue gripped her teacup tightly, her thoughts seemingly drifting to a faraway place.
The little boy's hand was swollen and red from being hit for writing a word wrong, but he knelt silently under the scorching sun.
The young boy was given twenty strokes of the cane for exchanging a few heartfelt words with the prince who was his study companion; the study companion fared even worse…
The teenager was imprisoned in a dark room for a whole month for refuting the queen's words...
Yan Bo gazed at the sky, his eyes filled with melancholy. "My lord had no way out. The moment he realized this, he began to secretly cultivate his own power. The hardships and bitterness he endured along the way are indescribable."
He looked at Nan Qianyue with a smile, "Miss Nan, please don't blame the lord for being heartless. If he were soft-hearted, he would have died long ago. Besides, he killed me to save many more people."
"If I betray my lord, even more people will die, and he has no choice."
Nanqianyue slammed down her teacup with a thud. "But you wouldn't betray him, so why doesn't he believe you?"
Uncle Yan shook his head and chuckled, "Being in that position, one can cultivate confidants, but cannot give them complete trust. Miss Nan is a wise person and should understand this."
The southward migration month fell silent.
The courtyard fell silent.
Finally, Qin Yi broke the silence, saying, "Now that you've finished speaking, let's go."
He stood up, without touching the tea in front of him.
Remembering something, Nanqianyue hurriedly asked, "What are Uncle Yan's plans for the future?"
"What do you care what his plans are?" Qin Yi said with a dark face as he pulled Nan Qianyue up.
Nanqianyue raised an eyebrow slightly. "Are you unhappy again?"
Qin Yi's expression was unpleasant. "I knew I shouldn't have brought you. You just listened to a lot of nonsense."
Nan Qianyue smiled and reached out to pat his chest. "Don't be angry. You saved Uncle Yan this time. You are a great hero. You should be happy."
Qin Yi turned his face away and scoffed.
As Yan Bo watched this scene, a hint of bitterness and heartache appeared on his face.
Alas, it seems the only light in the Lord's heart has been extinguished.
By the time they returned to the Prime Minister's residence after the Southern Migration Month, it was already past dinner time.
She grabbed the housekeeper and asked, "Hasn't your younger brother gotten out of school yet?"
The butler was bewildered. "Young master didn't come back with the young lady?"
Nanqianyue smirked, “I didn’t go to the academy; I was held up by other things.”
"You have more business than I do!" Nan Xiang suddenly appeared from some unexpected corner.
Startled, Nanqianyue jumped twice on the spot.
"Father, why aren't you in your study?" Nan Qianyue asked with an embarrassed smile.
The Prime Minister deliberately amplified his anger many times over, "I can go wherever I want. But you, did you go to see Prince Anzheng again?"
Without a second thought, Nanqianyue waved her hand and said, "No, I just went out for a walk by myself."
"Still trying to deny it! You clearly got off Prince Anzheng's carriage! Go kneel in the Jingtang!" The Prime Minister was furious, leaving no room for negotiation.
Nanqianyue pouted, took small, quick steps, and left in silence, thinking, "I'll kneel then."
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