Chapter 214 What did you call me?
Li Nanke looked up and met Shen Cong's long, dark eyes.
His eyes were upturned at the corners, carrying an indescribable chill.
But as she looked up at him, she suddenly turned her head away, so quickly that Li Nanke thought he was seeing things.
She actually called Xie Xuanxiao "brother" because in her dream, Xie Xuanxiao was always targeting her and ruining her plans time and time again.
Upon suddenly meeting Xie Xuanxiao in his youth, knowing his straightforward nature, she called him "Brother Xie" in order to tease him.
These words couldn't be explained. She smiled slightly, revealing two sweet dimples.
"I'm a very polite girl."
"Ha! You? Politeness? You even know the word?"
Chen Cong scoffed lightly and walked straight ahead.
Li Nanke...
With a slight shift in her eyes, she followed with a grin.
"Of course, I'm very familiar with politeness."
"Then why haven't I seen you being polite to me before?"
“I am very respectful to Your Highness… If Your Highness wants me to be as polite as you are, I can call Your Highness brother.”
She quickly caught up with Shen Cong and blocked his way.
She tilted her head and called out with a smile, "Brother."
The little girl has a round face, and her clear grape-like eyes have a mischievous and lively look. Her grinning face looks just like a snow-white dumpling.
That sweet "brother" struck his heart like a drumstick.
Shen Cong felt as if something was quietly melting away in his heart.
He paused for a moment, then blurted it out.
"Who is your brother?"
Li Nanke frowned slightly, then changed her address.
"Brother Shen Cong?"
Shen Cong snorted and quickened his pace, walking even faster.
Li Nanke's face was wrinkled.
Calling him "brother" won't work, nor will calling him "Brother Shen Cong." This person is really hard to please.
Erfeng leaned closer and whispered, "Just now, the prince saw that Miss Ke'er's horse was startled and she rushed out of the teahouse across the street."
Unfortunately, we were a step too late, thanks to Prince Xie. Otherwise, it would have been my prince who saved the girl.
he?
Li Nanke pouted.
"Uncle Erfeng, you're kidding me. It's a miracle he didn't cough up blood, how could he possibly tame a runaway horse?"
Erfeng looked unconvinced.
“My prince used to practice martial arts seriously. When he was six years old, he even helped the late emperor tame a wild horse that was a tribute from a foreign country.”
Li Nanke's eyes widened in surprise.
Was Shen Cong that amazing when he was a child?
Erfeng sighed, his voice lowering.
"Ever since the prince fell ill, he has been unable to practice martial arts, and even riding a horse has become difficult for him. He now travels by carriage or sedan chair."
"His Highness has always been strong-willed, and he loved martial arts and horseback riding. Now that he's like this, I wonder how he feels..."
"Shut up! If you dare say another word, you'll be back cleaning up Xueying's dog poop for six months!"
A deep, cold voice came from behind.
Erfeng suddenly straightened his back and chuckled.
"Your subordinate will take men to collect Miss Li's carriage and send it to Bianjing Prefecture as evidence."
After saying that, he quickly made a gagging gesture and ran away as fast as he could, afraid that if he was too slow, he would have to go back and clean up dog poop.
He doesn't hate Xueying, but he hates Xueying's dung!
Shen Cong snorted coldly and stepped onto the carriage.
Li Nanke's eyes darted around, and he chased after Erfeng.
"Uncle Erfeng, there are still some of my things in the car."
The carriage had overturned on the ground, and the prosthetic limb that had been made for Zhou Huai'an was still inside.
Erfeng helped her find it.
Li Nanke reached out to hug him, and almost fell on his backside.
This...this is way too heavy.
With her small arms, she couldn't lift her at all.
Seeing that her face was flushed red from exertion, Erfeng quickly reached out and took the prosthetic limb.
Then he turned around and placed it on the Chen Cong carriage.
"I'm going to Bianjing Prefecture. Your Highness, could you please send Miss Ke'er back to the Marquis's residence?"
Shen Cong sat cross-legged in the carriage, raising an eyebrow upon hearing this.
"Are you ordering me around?"
Li Nanke grinned and poked his head in, then tried to hold onto the prosthetic limb placed on the carriage.
Blinking her round eyes, she said with a smile, "These legs are so heavy, Ninth Brother, can you take me back?"
Shen Cong's face stiffened, and he stared intently at Li Nanke.
After a long pause, he asked softly, "What did you call me just now?"
"Ninth Brother."
Li Nanke, as if they were old friends, climbed into the carriage and placed his prosthetic leg beside him.
He chuckled.
"We're already so familiar with the Prince, and we'll be working together for a long, long time to come. It would seem too formal for me to keep calling him 'Your Highness' all the time."
The prince is the ninth child, so I'll call you Ninth Brother from now on, okay? Ninth Brother, you can also call me Ke'er.
Shen Cong's pale lips pressed tightly together, turning a faint pink.
He silently savored the words "Ninth Brother" between his lips and teeth; no one had ever called him that before.
But... it doesn't seem bad.
"If Ninth Brother doesn't say anything, it means he agrees. From now on, I'll call him that when we're alone."
Shen Cong turned his head and tossed the hand warmer aside.
"Whatever you want."
Seeing that his pale face was still expressionless but showed no anger, Li Nanke secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Shen Cong is the pillar she needs to maintain a good relationship with, so it would be even better if she could show him care and get closer to him.
She sat down next to Shen Cong with a smile, noticing that he had already taken off the white fox fur cloak he had been wearing and had also tossed the hand warmer aside.
I subconsciously reached out to touch the hand warmer.
It was ice-cold, without a trace of warmth.
Just as she had expected, Shen Cong's wearing of a cloak and holding a hand warmer seemed to be merely for show.
Shen Cong stared at her movements, raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
Li Nanke didn't dare to ask.
Shen Cong has too many secrets to explain in just a few words.
Besides, even if she asked, Shen Cong wouldn't tell her!
She changed the subject to a safer one, "How did Ninth Brother know my carriage was parked in front of the blacksmith's shop?"
"I was talking to Xie Xuanxiao at the restaurant across the street, and I saw him through the window."
Is Shen Cong also in the restaurant across the street?
Li Nanke's eyes shifted slightly. "Ninth Brother, did you see my grandfather and second uncle at the restaurant?"
Shen Cong shook his head.
"No."
Li Nanke was somewhat disappointed, but then she heard Shen Cong suddenly speak.
Do you think the Xue family orchestrated what happened today?
Li Nanke rested his chin on his hand, pondered for a moment, and then shook his head.
"It doesn't seem likely. According to the beggar, the person was wearing a cloak, so his face couldn't be seen. If he was disguising himself, why would he be carrying such an obvious thing as a wooden sign?"
The wooden sign felt like a deliberately displayed facade.
"Does Ninth Brother think my analysis is correct?"
Shen Cong gave her a deep look, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"He does have some intelligence."
"So Ninth Brother thinks my analysis makes sense."
Shen Cong remained noncommittal.
"Go on, who do you think wants to kill you?"
Li Nanke's face fell.
The person who wanted her dead...
Song Hui, her grandfather, her second uncle's family, and even Empress Xue, Princess Zhaoning, and the Xue family.
She broke out in a cold sweat instantly, feeling that her life could be in danger at any moment.
She had tried so hard to change her fate in the dream, yet so many people still wanted to harm her!
Help!
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