Chapter 185: Kissed by Xiao Nanchen
That afternoon, just as Shen Ning and Xie Yunqing returned home from leaving the palace, the Empress Dowager's imperial decree arrived.
Old Madam Shen and Shen Xiuhe knew nothing yet. After the eunuch read out the Empress Dowager's decree, everyone was stunned.
Madam Shen's eyes were filled with shock and confusion. Shen Xiuhe was left with a complicated expression after being shocked, while Shen Nian was stunned and panicked.
Her original intention was to cause trouble for Shen Ning so that she could not take care of her family and could not continue to oppose her, but how did things turn out like this?
How did she get engaged to Prince Ding?
Originally, Prince Ding always protected Shen Ning. Now that they are engaged and become an engaged couple, wouldn't it be more legitimate for him to support Shen Ning?
How else can she win?
What should she do!
Shen Nian was completely panicked...
At this moment, she felt extremely regretful.
If she had known that Prince Ding was standing behind Chen Ning, and knew that Chen Ning was so difficult to deal with, she would never have attacked Chen Ning and torn her face off directly in Xinzhou.
But it's too late to say anything now. They have become complete enemies and there is no room for change.
The next day, Shen Nian found an excuse to go out and see Xue Surong... The important thing is that the Imperial College is closed today, and her brother Shen Chong is also at home.
It has come to a critical moment for the survival of their family of three. They must find ways to protect themselves.
Now it is impossible for them to be a match for Shen Ning, so the only thing they have to do is to win over her father, Shen Xiuhe, before Shen Ning tears her face and makes trouble, to ensure that even if something happens, they can still stay in the Shen family.
By then, what would it matter even if Shen Ning won?
Xie Yunqing could either be patient and forgive, or break up and divorce... If she chose to be patient and forgive, then the three of them would be safe.
Even if Xie Yunqing chose to break up and divorce, then when her father Chen Xiuhe lost Xie Yunqing, the best option would be to accept their family of three.
If this is the case, what does it matter if Xie Yunqing knows the whole truth? In the end, he will still be the one who is kicked out and can only watch their family live in harmony.
If that's the case, she wouldn't have lost.
After all, keeping a mistress is not a serious crime. After weighing the pros and cons, her father would not abandon the mother and son who depended on him wholeheartedly and choose Xie Yunqing, with whom he had already broken up.
Therefore, the key now is to ensure that her father, Chen Xiuhe, chooses the three of them.
Just when Shen Nian was about to go out with a heart full of anxiety, Shen Ning got on the carriage of Prince Ding's Mansion.
Xiao Nanchen came to pick her up and bring her into the palace. The Empress Dowager had granted their marriage, and the two of them were going to express their gratitude.
It was just a formality, and the empress dowager was furious and didn't bother to deal with them. The two men just went into the Cining Palace, kowtowed, and left.
After leaving Cining Palace, Shen Ning asked Xiao Nanchen: "Do we need to do anything else now?"
Before she could finish her words, Xiao Nanchen grabbed her hand. She turned her head suspiciously and saw him whisper, "Someone is peeking from behind."
Shen Ning immediately perked up, clasped her hands tightly with Xiao Nanchen's, and deliberately acted like she was attached.
Xiao Nanchen is very skilled in martial arts, so he can naturally detect someone following him.
His Royal Highness Prince Ding had originally felt a little ashamed of deliberately deceiving Shen Ning, but when he was held obediently by the slender and soft hands, and felt the person beside him suddenly become gentle and dependent, his heart began to beat violently, and he immediately threw morality to the wind.
He wasn't a gentleman to begin with...
"Shall I take you to see where I used to live?" Xiao Nanchen suddenly asked.
Shen Ning immediately became interested when she heard this, and then asked, "Can I go?"
"No one will find out."
A moment later, the two took a shortcut from the Imperial Garden and headed towards the Xingyun Palace where Xiao Nanchen used to live.
But when passing by Tianxing Lake on the south side of the Imperial Garden, Shen Ning accidentally saw someone in the pavilion in the middle of the lake.
The eunuchs and palace maids surrounded the queen and the prince. The prince seemed to have just caught a fish, and the young eunuch next to him was scrambling to catch the lively fish. The prince was happily saying something to the queen, and the queen was wiping his sweat with a handkerchief.
Even though the distance is far, you can feel the deep maternal love and pampering just by looking at her figure and posture.
Shen Ning's heart stagnated slightly.
When she saw the Queen talking to Xiao Nanchen in Chuxiu Palace the day before, she thought that the Queen was aloof by nature, so she was always dignified and cold towards her son.
But at this moment, she was filled with gentleness...
Shen Ning subconsciously looked at Xiao Nanchen beside her, and saw that Xiao Nanchen had quickly turned his eyes away and stopped looking over there.
Only then did Shen Ning realize that some of the rumors she had heard from time to time before were actually true: the queen loved and doted on the crown prince, but was very strict with her other biological son, the seventh prince.
In fact, think about it, Xiao Nanchen is the Queen's biological son, but he entered the army for training when he was a teenager... The other princes were born to mothers of humble status, and none of them had suffered such hardship.
After all, those were bloody battles with real swords and guns...
Xiao Nanchen looked calm, or rather, somewhat numb and indifferent. Shen Ning suddenly realized that he had probably experienced such a situation countless times before.
Now he is in his twenties, tall, mighty, and noble. Seeing this situation, she still feels a little sorry for him...but what about before?
What about when he was very young?
Shen Ning didn't know what she could say to make him feel better. In fact, she also knew that it was useless to say anything, so she subconsciously held Xiao Nanchen's hand tightly, wanting to let him know that there was someone by his side.
The next moment, he met Xiao Nanchen's gaze.
The corners of his lips curled up: "No one is following us here."
"Oh..." Shen Ning came to her senses and was about to let go of her hand, but as soon as she moved, he held it tightly again.
"But I still want to hold your hand."
Shen Ning was struck by this sentence and didn't know what to say. She felt that this situation seemed a little weird... But Xiao Nanchen walked straight forward and didn't give her a chance to question it.
A moment later, the two arrived at the Xingyun Hall.
Compared to the several palaces of concubines that Chen Ning had visited, Xingyun Palace did look cold and icy, with high walls and thick gates, and the trees in the courtyard were all thick and straight, with no ornamental flowers or plants.
Walking along the stone path, Shen Ning saw crisscross marks on the stone slabs, which were left by weapons... The extremely thick spruce tree next to it was also covered with scratches from swords and knives from top to bottom.
Xiao Nanchen followed her gaze and spoke softly, "The lowest mark was left when I first started practicing martial arts. I used less strength, so the mark is relatively shallow..."
Looking at those mottled marks, a small child appeared in front of Shen Ning, holding a weapon longer than himself, gritting his teeth and swinging with all his might.
"Chen Ning, come here."
Xiao Nanchen walked to the only blooming plum tree in the yard and waved at her: "I buried something here."
Shen Ning trotted over and asked curiously, "What?"
Then, His Royal Highness Prince Ding pulled out a dagger that was adorned with gems and was obviously worth a fortune, and stabbed it into the soil.
Soon, an exquisite rosewood box was revealed.
Xiao Nanchen carried the box out and opened it... Chen Ning saw that it was filled with pearls, jade and gems, all of which were priceless.
“You…”
Xiao Nanchen rarely showed any discomfort and coughed lightly: "I used to dream of going out into the martial arts world, and I saved this money for myself."
Shen Ning couldn't help laughing.
"I can't go back to Jianghu anymore, so I'll give these to you."
Xiao Nanchen's eyelashes trembled slightly.
In fact, he lied. This was a gift he had specially picked out and hidden to prepare for his future wife... At that time, he saw that the ladies were overjoyed every time they received the rewards from their father, so he thought that he should also save some money for his future wife.
If his wife is unhappy, he would take out some to comfort her.
When Shen Ning was at a loss for words, she suddenly saw a small booklet next to her: "What is this?"
Xiao Nanchen even gave her the box. This booklet shouldn't be something important, so she picked it up casually. At this moment, His Royal Highness Prince Ding opposite him suddenly remembered something, his face stiffened slightly, and as he watched Shen Ning open the booklet, he quickly reached out and snatched it back.
“There’s nothing to see here.”
Xiao Nanchen turned his hand and crushed the faded booklet into pieces. Shen Ning paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Then don't read it."
But with that glance just now, she had actually seen that page.
It was a child's immature doodle, but it was clear that it depicted a gorgeously dressed woman holding a sword-wielding child...
This box is the dream that Xiao Nanchen hid when he was a child.
Shen Ning seemed to see a stubborn, patient and obstinate child, swinging his sword vigorously again and again, while not far away, his mother was holding his older brother and doting on him.
He gritted his teeth and practiced martial arts with all his might, while forcing himself to suppress his grievances and pretending to be indifferent...
But how could I not care?
When she walked out of the palace, Shen Ning clearly had a large box of jewelry, but she was not in a particularly good mood.
After they got on the carriage, when Xiao Nanchen leaned in and personally placed the heavy treasure chest beside her, Shen Ning reached out and gently hugged him for some unknown reason.
Xiao Nanchen paused.
Shen Ning gave him a loving hug and was about to let go, but the next moment, he suddenly grabbed her, and then she heard Xiao Nanchen say, "Someone is here."
The curtain of the carriage was half opened, and Shen Ning happened to see the eunuch at the palace gate who was looking at this side with a shifty look in his eyes.
"It's the Queen Mother's people."
Xiao Nanchen whispered, "She might have some doubts."
Shen Ning paused for a moment, and was about to say that the Queen Mother had already issued the imperial decree granting the marriage, so wasn't it a bit late to keep an eye on them all day?
But unexpectedly, Xiao Nanchen's breath suddenly approached, and then, a slight warmth came over her cheek.
Xiao Nanchen pecked her cheek lightly before letting her go and exiting the car.
Shen Ning covered her face in a daze, her head buzzing...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
