Chapter 472: The Very Kind Queen Nie

The Zhaoyang Palace is simple and majestic, with a double-eaved hip roof. The ridge beasts on the roof are exquisitely carved, looking majestic and solemn.

The palace gate was open. Concubine Rou got off the sedan chair outside the palace gate and entered the palace with Eunuch Hong and Xingxing.

Under the palace eaves, an older maid was playing shuttlecock with a few younger maids. When she saw Eunuch Hong and Concubine Rou coming over, she quickly stopped playing and bowed to Concubine Rou according to palace rules: "Greetings, Concubine Rou."

Concubine Rougui curled her lips, as if smiling: "Her Majesty has always been lenient with the people below. You are really enjoying a peaceful life in Zhaoyang Palace."

The palace maids dared not respond, but Eunuch Hong smiled and said, "Thanks to the Queen's leniency, we will not bother with these naughty boys."

Concubine Rou Gui snorted and said nothing more.

After the palace maid went in to pass on the message, a friendly-looking maid came out shortly afterwards and led them inside.

There was a faint scent of incense in the Zhaoyang Palace. Empress Nie sat upright on the chair at the top of the table. The incense permeated most of Empress Nie's face. Xing Xing could not see clearly, so she bowed her head and knelt down to pay her respects to Empress Nie.

"I, Yu Xingxing, have met the Empress."

Queen Nie's voice came from behind the incense, warm, gentle, and smiling: "Get up."

It is a very soothing sound.

Xingxing stood up as she was told.

Although Concubine Rou Gui looked so innocent, she performed the formal etiquette in front of Empress Nie.

Queen Nie smiled and gave him a seat.

Concubine Rougui smiled sweetly and said, "I came by chance. I happened to see the daughter of the Yu family on the way, so we came together. I didn't expect that Yang Wanyi was also here with you... Yang Wanyi, you are already so heavy, and it has been freezing these days. Aren't you afraid of slipping on the road? You must take the dragon fetus first."

Yang Wanyi, who was sitting in a chair nearby, covered her stomach, made a sullen face, and didn't dare to speak.

Concubine Rou felt extremely bored and was too lazy to pay any more attention to Yang Wanyi, so she leaned back in her chair and waited leisurely for Empress Nie to talk to Yu Xingxing.

Queen Nie called Xingxing forward to speak.

Xing Xing took a few steps forward as she was told. Queen Nie smiled and said, "Good child, don't be so reserved. Come closer."

Xingxing took a few steps forward.

Xingxing was about to salute, but Queen Nie took her hand and asked her to raise her head.

Xingxing raised her head as she was told.

Only then did she see Empress Nie's face clearly.

However, when Xingxing saw it clearly, she was a little stunned.

Queen Nie was looking at Xingxing carefully and did not miss the surprise in Xingxing's eyes.

She really liked Xing Xing's cute and lovely appearance, and couldn't help but slow down her voice: "What's wrong? It's okay, don't be afraid, just tell me."

Xing Xing hesitated for a moment, but Queen Nie was so gentle, and the look in her eyes seemed to carry some expectation, making it impossible to refuse.

Xing Xing pursed her lips and whispered, "Your Majesty is very beautiful. She reminds me of a brother I knew back home."

Queen Nie's heart was about to jump out of her throat. She was so excited that she almost wanted to ask, "It's A Yan, right?"

At this time, Concubine Rou Gui and Yang Wanyi were still there. Empress Nie suppressed her excitement and smiled gently at Xingxing: "Really? ... It seems that I have some fate with the brother you know."

Seeing that Queen Nie was not angry but instead smiled happily, Xing Xing could not help but laugh as well.

Queen Nie wanted to ask Xing Xing more. She looked at Concubine Rou Gui and Yang Wan Yi and said directly, "Well, the girls are a little restrained with you guys here. Go back to your own palaces."

Concubine Rou Gui couldn't help but be a little surprised and looked at Xing Xing with a sidelong glance.

Does the Queen like this little girl so much?

Yang Wanyi stood up gracefully. She was born with a gentle and beautiful appearance, just like Concubine Rou. However, she was obviously much younger than Concubine Rou. Even though she was pregnant, she only had a bulge in her belly, which did not affect her beauty.

When Concubine Rou Gui saw Yang Wanyi like this, she couldn't help but curl her lips.

She also stood up and said, "Since the Empress is busy, I will return to my palace first."

"I'm back too." Yang Wanyi bowed gently and said goodbye to Empress Nie.

Empress Nie saw off Concubine Rou and Yang Wanyi with a smile on her face.

After the two men left, Xingxing could clearly feel that Queen Nie seemed to have become more cordial.

Queen Nie dismissed the servants, stood up, held Xingxing's hand, pulled Xingxing to the couch in front of the window, and let her sit down.

Xingxing was confused.

The Queen is too kind to her, isn't she?

So friendly that even Xingxing found it a little weird.

Queen Nie was a very smart woman. Perhaps she saw Xingxing's confused expression and guessed what was in her mind. She couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Don't worry." Queen Nie comforted Xing Xing with a smile, "I have three sons and no daughters. When I see a cute and lovely little girl like you, I can't help but get close to you."

Xing Xing nodded in understanding: "My aunts and uncles also really want a girl."

Xing Xing noticed that after Concubine Rou Guifei and Yang Wanyi left, the Empress Dowager changed her self-proclaimed name from "this palace" to "I". Although Xing Xing was a little confused, she also received the Empress Dowager's kindness and changed her self-proclaimed name from "a common woman" to "I".

Queen Nie liked Xingxing more and more. She was pure-minded and very smart. She was a really likable child.

Queen Nie chatted with Xing Xing as if it were a family affair, and said with a smile: "You just said that you have a brother in your hometown who looks a bit like me. What kind of person is he?"

Xingxing hesitated for a moment.

Wei Shiyan and the old Taoist priest lived in seclusion in the mountains. She didn't want to tell outsiders too much about their situation. She just said cautiously: "...He is a very handsome brother. He saved me and he is a very good person."

Queen Nie saw that Xing Xing kept her mouth shut about the specific details of A Yan and only mentioned that she had saved her, which showed that she treated A Yan very seriously.

Queen Nie liked Xing Xing more and more, and her smile became brighter.

Queen Nie did not pursue Xingxing's vague words. Instead, she followed Xingxing's words and asked her with a smile how the other party saved her.

She missed her A Yan and wanted to know some traces of her son's life over the years.

Although Qin Gongfeng often wrote back, he was a carefree person and most of his letters were just to report safety and he never mentioned these daily trivialities.

But for a mother, even the daily trivialities of her son are always on her mind.

Therefore, during the Chinese New Year, Queen Nie asked Mrs. Wei and the others a lot of questions, hoping to piece together some information about her son from various bits and pieces.

Fortunately, although Xingxing was reluctant to mention Wei Shiyan's specific situation, she was very willing to talk about how she was in danger that year and how Wei Shiyan descended from the sky, showed his skills, and saved her from the bandits.

Queen Nie was a little stunned by what she heard.