"Qing'er, let's go back to find the Empress Dowager."
Chen Nian inadvertently turned to the side, blocking Qing'er's view, and tugged at Qing'er's sleeve.
"good."
Looking at the person with a sweet smile in front of her, Qing'er looked away, took Chen Nian's hand, and went to the Empress Dowager's side.
"You two, you're back so soon."
The Empress Dowager smiled faintly as she watched the two girls return quickly.
"Yes, Your Majesty, wouldn't it be better if we came back to be with you sooner?"
Knowing that Qing'er was in a bad mood, Chen Nian took on the task of brightening up the atmosphere.
"Great, why not? With both of you by my side..."
The two stood beside the Empress Dowager, and Chen Nian, holding Qing'er's hand, chattered on and on, hoping to ease Qing'er's mood.
I still regret thinking about the scene where Erkang and Qing'er chatted about poetry and songs on a snowy night.
That day, she didn't expect Qing'er to come to Wutai Mountain. She happened to slip out and didn't have time to stop her. By the time she came back, the two of them had already finished talking.
Looking at the chattering crowd around her, Qing'er slowly smiled. Forget it, let's just pretend that incident never happened.
As the drums sounded and the lotus flowers on the river bloomed, smiles appeared on the faces of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, showing that they were very satisfied with the scene.
Looking at the large river lanterns blooming on the river surface, Chen Nian's eyes also filled with a smile. It has to be said that this scene is truly beautiful.
"Okay, okay, okay—"
"Okay, okay."
"It's so beautiful."
The Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and Consort Ling praised it.
Hearing the chattering noise coming from below, Chen Nian frowned, turned his gaze away from the river lanterns, and looked towards the source of the sound, where he immediately spotted the little swallow running around.
As Xiao Yanzi darted to Yongqi's side, snatched the lamp from his hand, her grip on the handkerchief tightened involuntarily.
Chen Nian looked down at the smiling Empress Dowager with concern, then moved closer to her, almost touching her body, and tightened her grip on Qing'er's sleeve with her other hand.
"What's wrong, Nian Nian?"
Qing'er clearly sensed Chen Nian's unease, moved closer to him, and asked in a low voice.
"Niannian, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Feeling the force pressing against her, the Empress Dowager forgot about looking at the river lanterns and turned to look at Chen Nian with worry in her eyes.
"No, it's nothing, Your Majesty."
Chen Nian shook his head.
The Empress Dowager said, "If you feel unwell, you must tell us."
"Okay, sure."
Chen Nian nodded.
"Ahhh~"
The screams of Xiao Yanzi, the shouts of the young princes, and the panic of the palace maids and servants immediately drew everyone's attention.
Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager's smile froze, and her brows furrowed.
The three of them also looked over.
"What's wrong with her? What's wrong with her?"
The Empress Dowager asked with a frown.
As Little Swallow's shoes flew off, the scene instantly descended into chaos, filled with screams.
The Empress Dowager was shocked to see the Dharma ship begin to burn, and the Emperor immediately stood up.
I must say, the plot is truly powerful.
"This is terrible, this is terrible—"
Hearing Grandpa Pu start fanning himself, Chen Nian glared at him, stopping him before he could utter any unlucky words.
Upon receiving Shen Nian's gaze, Pu Gonggong immediately shut his mouth and fell silent.
Shen Gege got angry, so he stopped talking.
Chen Nian looked down at Xiao Yanzi, who hadn't taken anything and was trying to put out the fire with her hands, but was stopped by Yong Qi. At that moment, she really thought Xiao Yanzi was a bit "stupid" and felt helpless.
I'm already thinking about how to help them out of this predicament.
"It's over, it's over..."
Upon seeing the burned Dharma boat, the Empress Dowager suddenly lost her balance, her breathing became rapid, and her face turned pale. She quickly supported the person and gently patted them to help them catch their breath.
"Your Majesty, it's alright, it's alright. Burning the Dharma boat is just a token of our goodwill; our sincerity is what matters..."
Qing'er quickly helped her up and comforted the old lady.
"Your Majesty, it's alright, it's alright. Just like Qing'er said, as long as we are sincere, that's all that matters."
Chen Nian and Qing'er helped the old lady sit down and soothe her.
"Your Majesty, please don't be angry, please don't be angry. Let's have some tea to calm down."
Consort Yu rushed up to serve tea to the Empress Dowager, while the Emperor and Empress moved over to pat the Empress Dowager's back.
Chen Nian made way for the two of them, and seeing that the fire below had already burned out but still hadn't been extinguished, he was truly speechless. So many people, and they couldn't even put out a fire.
And when Little Swallow's shoes caught fire, no one even thought about how to put out the fire. They just let her run around aimlessly. If even one person had been smart enough to put out the fire, things wouldn't have gotten so out of hand.
"Who did this—"
The emperor was also angry. As soon as he spoke, the servants and palace maids below all knelt down.
The emperor was furious when he saw the two eunuchs bring out the swallow lantern and the flowerpot shoes.
Chen Nian watched as Xiao Yanzi fled, and Er Kang and Yong Qi, who were condoning her escape and providing cover for her.
Chen Nian was speechless. Not only did he not stop Xiao Yanzi from running away in this situation, but he even indulged her. He really spoiled Xiao Yanzi, but wasn't he just adding fuel to the fire?
"Little Swallow, stop right there!"
The Emperor roared, stopping those who were trying to escape. They were also pulled back from their reverie. Seeing that no one was around the Empress Dowager, they walked over.
"Father, I didn't mean it, I really didn't mean it."
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