Li Yan is only fifteen years old, and the Empress Dowager was also around fifteen when she gave birth to him. He will be just over thirty this year.
Shen Ning had seen what she looked like at thirty, but she never expected that the Empress Dowager would not be the well-maintained and noble woman she had imagined.
On the contrary, she looked ten years older than thirty, more like forty.
Fine lines appeared at the corners of her eyes, her appearance was dignified and gentle, and her expression, though gentle, could not hide her fatigue. It was a very kind and dignified face.
Qin Zhuo was so wicked and devilish, and Li Yan's baby face was too cute. Shen Ning thought that the Empress Dowager must be an absolutely stunning and beautiful woman.
This was completely unexpected by Shen Ning.
It's not that the Empress Dowager wasn't beautiful. From her bone structure, it's easy to see that she was once a stunning beauty. But she was so dignified and virtuous that there wasn't a trace of evil in her. She seemed to be from a different world than Qin Zhuo and Li Yan.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. May Your Majesty be well."
The Empress Dowager smiled and raised her hand: "Get up quickly and come sit down."
She gestured for Shen Ning to sit next to her, and immediately took Shen Ning's hand affectionately: "I'm so glad to see you, A Zhuo is so lucky."
Shen Ning: "..." This Empress Dowager really has no airs at all, completely treating herself like Qin Zhuo's older sister.
"Meeting Young Master Qin was my good fortune."
The Empress Dowager held her hand and patted it repeatedly: "I know everything about what happened between you. A-Zhuo saved your life by accident, and you risked your life to protect Yan'er. It is karma that has come full circle. We are destined to be family."
“I’ve always wanted to see you, but A-Zhuo always stops me, as if he’s afraid I’ll eat you up.”
"Don't worry, I fully approve of your marriage. Once A-Zhuo returns from the battlefield, I will personally arrange your wedding."
"Don't be afraid, just treat me like your older sister..."
The Empress Dowager seemed to have so much to say, and her overflowing goodwill almost overwhelmed Shen Ning.
When Shen Ning arrived, the young emperor instructed her that the Empress Dowager doted on Qin Zhuo the most, but Qin Zhuo had always been rebellious and didn't want to listen to the Empress Dowager's nagging. Now that he had met her, he would definitely nag endlessly, so he asked Shen Ning to be patient.
Shen Ning didn't think this was something that needed to be endured; on the contrary, she could feel that the Empress Dowager really cared for her younger brother, Qin Zhuo.
Although Qin Zhuo didn't want to listen to the Empress Dowager's nagging, he did his best to protect her and her son.
When Shen Ning took on the responsibility of the Shen family, perhaps this was the kind of return she wanted.
The Empress Dowager spoke alone for an hour, finally expressing all the words that had been pent up in her heart for so long.
Seeing that Shen Ning showed no sign of impatience, he grew to like her even more.
After having lunch with Shen Ning, they sent someone to escort her out of the palace. Before leaving, they reminded her to come to the palace often to talk to her.
Princess Chang Le escorted Shen Ning all day and witnessed the interaction between Shen Ning and the Empress Dowager, which amazed her.
"The Empress Dowager truly considers you one of her own."
The Empress Dowager is not usually like this; she usually exudes a very dignified aura. Today, she's been nagging on and on, acting like a worry-free older sister at home.
But this is good, because her sisters will have a better life after they marry Qin Zhuo.
Shen Ning smiled after listening. The Empress Dowager is a good person, but there still needs to be a proper distance. Once people lose their sense of boundaries, it will definitely be a disaster if conflicts arise.
Even though Shen Ning and Princess Chang Le had a very good relationship, Shen Ning was very careful about maintaining appropriate boundaries.
So she should just listen to what the Empress Dowager said today, and as for what to do, she has her own way of thinking.
------
Princess Chang Le is on duty in the palace, Qin Zhuo is far away at the border, and only Du Yunzhi occasionally visits Shen Ning's residence. Ye Feiyan has been extremely busy since joining the Ministry of Rites and can no longer enjoy his leisure time as before.
Of course, Shen Ning wasn't idle either. The emperor had agreed to cooperate with her, so she had to get things organized; she couldn't just make empty promises.
The emperor was very generous and issued an edict allowing Shen Ning to recruit 500 private soldiers, and also gave him a gold seal.
With the emperor's endorsement, Shen Ning felt that he was now terrifyingly powerful.
While refining his plan, Shen Ning brought Zhu Feng into the business and also bought people to recruit his own private army.
Everything is ready, but something is still missing.
Shen Ning is waiting.
Finally, Tao Ji appeared in Shenning Mansion, accompanied by the young master of the Shan family—that ball.
Peach Princess was slender, and carrying the unconscious prince, she resembled a mushroom with a thin stem and a plump cap.
Seeing that Shen Ning merely glanced at her without much surprise, Tao Ji understood: "You guessed I would come?"
Shen Ning picked up a handkerchief and wiped her hands: "The Zhaowang Mansion and the Shan family have both been ransacked, but this fat man is the only one missing. I think this fat man should be with you. The whole city is under martial law now, and they are searching everywhere for remnants of the rebel party. You can't possibly leave the city with such a big fat man."
“If you want to escape, you will definitely come to me, but the timing will be when you are sure that I can help you get out of the city.”
"Of course, I may not be the only one who can help you get out of the city, but you hold a bargaining chip that I will definitely agree to."
Shen Ning was waiting for Tao Ji to arrive, and when Tao Ji arrived, it would prove that Mo Lin was still alive.
Peach Princess laughed: "Alright, I know you're smart."
She casually tossed the ball on the ground, picked up her teacup, took a sip of tea, and then rested her feet on the unconscious fat man, using him as a footrest.
"Just as you guessed, you will escort us out of the city, and I will return Mo Lin to you."
Shen Ning: "I have plenty of the emperor's spies here; he will definitely hunt you down."
Peach Princess: "Once we leave the city, I have my own way."
In other words, Shen Ning only needs to send the person out of the city, and he doesn't need to be responsible for anything afterward.
"make a deal."
What Tao Ji liked most about Shen Ning was her intelligence and straightforwardness; she spoke effortlessly.
His gaze swept over Shen Ning's hand; it was she who had stabbed her with that sword.
Because he didn't want to hurt Shen Ning, he held back his strength, intending only to kill the Crown Prince. However, he didn't expect that this sword strike would only injure Shen Ning instead of the Crown Prince.
He turned away with a complicated look in his eyes: "Although you brought this injury on yourself, we have some kind of relationship. Since you've suffered, I'll tell you some things as compensation."
"As you might have guessed, Wang Xiaoya is my real name. I'm the youngest daughter of Wang Wei, the former Vice Minister of Revenue. Because of my poor health, they gave me a humble name to make me easier to raise. Unexpectedly, I was the only one from the entire Wang family to survive. Before the Wang family's misfortune, they had an excellent relationship with the Shan family. And this guy..."
She kicked the ball on the ground: "We were childhood sweethearts, but later the Wang family was raided, and I became an unregistered resident."
“The Thousand-Faced Demon Fox was my master, but he is dead. I followed King Zhao after I inherited his mantle. The original Thousand-Faced Demon Fox followed the late emperor.”
"The late emperor used the Thousand-Faced Fox to create turmoil, but in reality, it was to eliminate forces he disliked. Of his five brothers, apart from the moderate and low-key Prince Qi, the other three were all killed by him for treason, and the Thousand-Faced Fox was involved in all of them."
"After I became the Thousand-Faced Fox, I lost contact with the Emperor. He thought my master had betrayed me, so he sent people to hunt me down."
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