"Why did Your Highness Prince Yi bring me here?" Nan Wusi looked around at the scenery and found that apart from this enormous ancient tree, there was nothing else around.
"You'll find out in a moment," Xiao Yi said, keeping everyone in suspense.
"Can you climb trees?" Xiao Yi asked.
"Mm." Nan Wusi nodded in response.
After receiving an affirmative answer, Xiao Yi used his lightness skill to reach the treetop and sat on a branch.
Nan Wusi naturally followed suit, sitting down on the other side of the tree branch, separated from Xiao Yi, and looked at Xiao Yi, waiting for him to continue.
"Miss Nan, could you possibly see this bustling capital city from here?" Xiao Yi asked at the opportune moment.
As Xiao Yi finished speaking, Nan Wusi also looked towards the capital. At this moment, every household in the capital was brightly lit, and one could imagine the joyful scenes in each family. The warm yellow candlelight filled the streets and alleys of the capital with a cozy atmosphere.
Looking out from the top of this big tree, compared to the warmth in the distance, there is a sense of loneliness that feels far removed from the world.
"The scenery is beautiful." Nan Wusi felt a little sad at this moment. She thought of her parents and elder brother who were far away on the frontier, and also of her family in another distant time and space. She didn't know what the situation was like there after she came here, whether she was dead, or whether another soul was accompanying her loving parents.
Xiao Yi sensed Nan Wusi's sadness and knew that she might be missing her family, so he didn't speak, and the atmosphere became quiet for a moment.
After a long while, Nan Wusi finally remembered, "Why did His Highness Prince Yi bring me here? Wasn't there a palace banquet today?"
"Hmph." Xiao Yi chuckled. "I have never attended that palace banquet."
"Miss Nan, don't you think it's pitiful for me to spend the New Year alone? Can't I find someone to keep me company for a while?" Xiao Yi looked at Nan Wusi with feigned pitifulness.
Nan Wusi was speechless as she looked at the feigned aggrieved expression on the pretty face. She never expected that the dignified Prince Yi would have such a childish side.
"How did Your Highness Prince Yi know about this place?" Nan Wusi had another question left unasked: Xiao Yi couldn't see anything, so how did he know that the view of the capital from this place would be so beautiful?
Xiao Yi did not answer Nan Wusi immediately, but remained silent for a long time, as if he was lost in memories. "When I was a child, my elder brother brought me here one night. After seeing the beautiful scenery here, I have kept it in my heart ever since. So every year on this day, I come here to wait for the arrival of the new year."
After listening, Nan Wusi fell silent. She had already discerned last time that Xiao Yi's eyes were not congenitally blind, and this time it was confirmed.
She naturally knew that the "elder brother" Xiao Yi mentioned could not be the current emperor, otherwise he wouldn't have treated the palace banquet with such an attitude.
As far as she knew, Xiao Yi was the son of the late emperor and empress, so the "elder brother" he mentioned must refer to her own elder brother, who was also the original crown prince. However, she was not very clear about what happened after that. She had no way of knowing why the original crown prince did not inherit the throne, but instead became the current emperor.
However, Nan Wusi could roughly guess some of it. It was nothing more than the same old drama of vying for the throne. The original crown prince, who was also Xiao Yi's elder brother, had become the defeated party, so now only Xiao Yi, a crippled man, remained in the world.
"Why does Your Highness need to tell me all this?" Nan Wusi had no intention of developing a deep relationship with Xiao Yi. She did not want to have too much contact with any members of the royal family. Her previous request for Xiao Yi's help was only based on mutual benefit.
"Miss Nan is truly heartless. I have helped Miss Nan many times, yet she has not even treated me as an ordinary friend?" Xiao Yi smiled helplessly.
"Everyone knows that although His Highness Prince Yi is unparalleled in appearance and incredibly charming, he has no mercy for women. Countless beautiful women have died by your hand. I am truly unworthy of the 'heartlessness' Your Highness speaks of," Nan Wusi immediately retorted.
"So that's how Miss Nan sees me too." Xiao Yi finally understood why Nan Wusi always avoided him whenever he tried to be friendly; it was because of those rumors.
However, Xiao Yi had no intention of explaining for the time being; the time was not yet right. Until he was certain that Nan Wusi would ultimately side with him, he didn't plan to tell her that those women were merely people sent by the Emperor and Crown Prince to monitor him. Ultimately, they were afraid he would rebel.
Nan Wusi didn't really believe the gossip about Xiao Yi that Nan Wushi had told him.
However, in the past few months, she heard that several beauties sent to Prince Yi's mansion had disappeared one after another. On one occasion, when Tiger's mother went to the weaving workshop, she even saw with her own eyes a corpse being carried out of the back gate of Prince Yi's mansion. It was a beautiful woman from the rumors.
After that incident, Tiger's mother didn't dare to go there again for a long time, because every time she went to the weaving workshop, she would pass by the back gate of Prince Yi's mansion.
Therefore, after hearing numerous rumors and hearing Tiger's mother's personal experience, Nan Wusi had no choice but to believe them and dared not have too much contact with Xiao Yi.
And so, the two fell silent again.
"I'm going back." Nan Wusi couldn't stand the long silence and felt bored, so he stood up to leave.
However, Xiao Yi said, "Miss Nan, if you have nothing else to do, why not sit with me for a while longer? The New Year is just around the corner, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed later."
Nan Wusi looked at Xiao Yi, his expression serene, his white eyes devoid of emotion, only a deathly stillness.
Nan Wusi curled her lips and sat down silently again. She wanted to see what kind of surprise Xiao Yi was talking about.
The moment of New Year's Eve didn't keep Nan Wusi waiting too long; fireworks painted the entire sky beautifully.
The fireworks were incredibly colorful and varied, and lasted a full fifteen minutes. The fireworks bursting in the darkness ignited the entire sky, instantly illuminating the surroundings as if it were daytime.
Nan Wusi watched as vast displays of fireworks burst across the sky, unable to hide her excitement. It was the first time she had ever witnessed such spectacular fireworks in person.
"It's so beautiful." Nan Wusi couldn't help but exclaim, then turned to look at Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi wasn't looking at the sky; instead, he was "looking" at her in the same way.
"Thank you." Nan Wusi had already figured out that Xiao Yi had brought her here today to see this magnificent view. After all, in the imperial city, there were many houses blocking the view, so it was impossible to see everything so comprehensively.
"You're welcome." Xiao Yi smiled and said, "Nan Wusi, Happy New Year!"
This was the first time Xiao Yi had called Nan Wusi by his full name, but it sounded so pleasant to the ear.
“Happy New Year!” Nan Wusi replied.
The two sat on the tree branch, gazing at each other, creating a beautiful scene.
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