Chapter 201 Have you not forgotten him yet?
That night, pleasure boats were traveling back and forth on the Yongding River in the capital, and the river surface was reflecting the halo of lanterns on the shore, making the waves sparkle.
Inside a pleasure boat, Chen Nian, wearing a cloak, knelt there, offering the gold medal to the man in front of her with both hands: "I, a humble woman, now realize that I am of humble origin. I dare not keep your things for myself. I dare to ask for a meeting with your Highness, so that I can personally return this item to you..."
She was born with a weak and vulnerable appearance, and her eyes were already tearful before she even finished speaking. Crown Prince Xiao Nanyu wanted to hold this beauty in his arms and comfort her.
Xiao Nanyu endured it without showing any impatience. His eyes were filled with concern and a hint of anger. "I already know about your family's affairs. No matter what, those things have nothing to do with you. You are innocent. Don't be afraid. I will support you in everything."
Shen Nian raised her eyes, full of gratitude, and as if she could no longer pretend to be strong, tears rolled down her face: "Your Highness..."
She sobbed, "My old friends all mocked and laughed at me, my mother didn't want me, and my sister hated me... I really didn't know what to do. But I didn't expect that His Highness wouldn't look down on me like others do."
Shen Nian shook her head, her face filled with sorrow: "With these words from Your Highness, even if I die, it is enough..."
After saying that, she kowtowed to Xiao Nanyu, then stood up and was about to leave with tears in her eyes, but the next moment, she was grabbed by Xiao Nanyu.
"Why are you so depressed? It's because others don't want you, but I do!"
Shen Nian kept struggling: "No, no, I am of low status now, I can't let His Highness be ridiculed."
"Who dares to laugh at me?"
Xiao Nanyu immediately said, "You are of low status. I will have your father reinstated. If anyone bullies you, I will take care of you... Nian Nian, as long as you stay by my side, I will support you."
"No, you can't."
Shen Nian cried and shook her head, "My sister hates me so much. She has the support of His Royal Highness Prince Ding. I will never let His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness Prince Ding become estranged because of me... Your Highness, please let me go. I beg you."
The more Shen Nian cried, the more Xiao Nanyu felt that she was weak, pitiful and lovable.
It's just a fourth-rank official at the Ministry of Rites, not a big deal. Besides, what does Chen Nian have to do with Chen's mistress? She is just an innocent and poor girl. How can she be blamed for the affairs of her parents' generation?
Chen Ning is also a domineering person like Lao Qi, who only picks on those with weak personalities.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of this matter for you."
Xiao Nanyu pulled the person into his arms with force, and couldn't help wanting to kiss the beauty's tearful eyes, but Shen Nian seemed to suddenly remember something and pushed him away.
"You can't do this, Your Highness. Sister Wanqing will be your Crown Princess in the future. I am ugly and lowly, and I dare not offend Sister Wanqing..."
"I'll make all the decisions. Xu Wanqing is the principal wife. In the future, I'll let you be my concubine. Be good, don't be afraid."
Xiao Nanyu was used to seeing coquettish and slutty girls, and he had been captivated since he first saw the fresh and fragile Chen Nian.
Now that the beauty was shedding tears, her eyes wanting to speak but unable to, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wanted to protect her well and cherish her, never letting her cry anywhere other than on his bed...
The river was sparkling, and the experienced Crown Prince Xiao Nanyu couldn't help wanting to kiss her. However, the beauty was inexperienced, timid and pitiful. When he got close to her, she wanted to resist but also wanted to welcome him and was about to cry. This made the Crown Prince feel itchy and distressed, and for a moment he was excited by this novel stimulation.
Soon, the story of the golden bees playing with the flowers on the Yongding River reached Xiao Nanchen's ears.
Xiao Nanyu agreed to reinstate Chen Xiuhe?
Of course, this matter is not that simple.
But Xiao Nanchen did not act rashly, because he and Shen Ning planned to step back after Shen Xiuhe was dismissed from office to see if there was anyone else behind him.
If it was just because the prince liked Chen Nian and wanted to reinstate Chen Xiuhe, then his father would definitely not agree.
Sure enough, after the morning court session the next day, Xiao Nanchen went to the imperial study with the second prince, the fifth prince and the crown prince as usual to listen to government affairs. After the official business was over and the ministers left, Crown Prince Xiao Nanyu stepped forward and saluted.
It turned out that he wanted to reinstate Chen Xiuhe.
Xiao Nanyu acted in a well-reasoned manner, meaning that keeping a mistress was not a serious crime, but he directly dismissed the fourth-rank official because he was worried that it might be an overreaction.
Emperor Jiaping looked at his crown prince and asked him slowly, "Prince, do you think that secretly raising a concubine and allowing her children to harm the legitimate son is not a serious crime?"
Xiao Nanyu was slightly stunned, feeling that something was not right with these words.
Beside him, Xiao Nanchen spoke calmly, "It's my fiancée and future mother-in-law who were deceived and harmed, yet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince pleaded for mercy on behalf of such a dishonest official... If you didn't know better, you'd think my Great Xuan Dynasty had no one else to use, and that we had to employ such a lowly individual."
Xiao Nanyu immediately denied it and tried to argue, but Emperor Jiaping waved his hand, seemingly tired: "Alright, you guys go down, I need to rest for a while."
The prince was helpless, but Xiao Nanchen and several other princes beside him had already respectfully taken their leave, so he could only leave in disappointment.
After leaving the imperial study, Xiao Nanyu quickly caught up with Xiao Nanchen and pulled his brother aside: "Seventh Brother, just give your brother a favor and let that Shen Xiuhe go, okay?"
Xiao Nanchen asked him, "Why did my brother ask for mercy for him?"
Xiao Nanyu coughed lightly twice, looked around, and then lowered his voice: "Brother, I won't hide it from you, brother has taken a fancy to that Shen Nian... I want to take her as a concubine. If her father is a commoner, she can't be a concubine, so I have no choice but to want to restore Shen Xiuhe's official position."
He murmured, "Or, how about we dismiss him after I marry her?"
Xiao Nanchen looked quietly at the prince in front of him, as if he had long been accustomed to his absurdity.
He said coldly: "No matter what!"
"Royal brother, please be more careful and don't let any trouble come in..."
After saying that, Xiao Nanchen turned around and walked away.
Xiao Nanyu was both angry and annoyed. Not only did Old Seven not give him face, but he even dared to teach him a lesson!
He doesn't care about brotherhood at all... What if his people commit crimes?
An idea popped into Xiao Nanyu's head, and the next moment, he snorted and turned back.
Lao Qi treats his widowed fiancée like the apple of his eye, and he’s not afraid that he won’t be able to make her surrender!
“The prince wants to marry Shen Nian?”
When Shen Ning heard the news from Xiao Nanchen, she was shocked: "Isn't he going to marry Xu Wanqing as his concubine? Xu Wanqing and Shen Nian were close friends. How come, are they going to marry into the East Palace together?"
She shook her head in disgust: "These people are really unrefined."
Xiao Nanchen poured tea into her cup and gestured to the box beside him: "I brought all the things for you, but you didn't even look at them. You're only concerned about other people's business."
His Royal Highness Prince Ding's tone was somewhat resentful.
Shen Ning quickly said: "No, no, it's not that you mentioned it, so I just expressed my admiration..."
She took the box, opened it, and saw a thick stack of banknotes and some jewelry inside. She immediately smiled and said, "Thank you very much. When we make money, we will split it in half."
Xiao Nanchen asked her, "The news of the maritime ban has spread. It will be officially issued after tomorrow's morning court session. Silk prices will surely plummet... Do you still want to continue buying?"
Shen Ning smiled: “After the plunge is the time to really show your strength.”
The things she collected before were just to drag those people from the Prince's Mansion who wanted to harm her into the water, and then she would take real action.
By the time the maritime ban is issued, silk prices will plummet and there will be no market for it...
"By then, everyone will be selling their silk at a loss, and I can buy high-quality raw silk at less than half the usual price."
Xiao Nanchen pondered and asked her, "What happens after you buy it? You said you planned to stockpile at least 200,000 kilograms of raw silk. How are you going to sell it later?"
Shen Ning laughed: "You don't know what I want to do and you are not sure, yet you give me so much money. Aren't you afraid that I will mess it up?"
Xiao Nanchen looked at her and said, "If I mess up, I can make more money."
The money I earn is to be spent on...my wife.
Of course, he didn't say this out loud.
Shen Ning smiled and said, "Don't worry, your money won't go to waste. If nothing unexpected happens, I can still make some money back for you."
Xiao Nanchen said calmly, "I'm confident in leaving the affairs of the inner palace to you."
Shen Ning hurriedly said: "Don't talk nonsense, this is business, what does it have to do with the inner house."
Why is this person always like this...
Xiao Nanchen no longer knew why he should retreat, and instead pressed forward step by step. He looked at Shen Ning dimly, "You have all the treasury in my Ding Palace at your disposal... Ningning, do you want to deny your responsibility?"
Shen Ning's ears felt a little hot: "Don't call me that."
His Royal Highness Prince Ding was very shameless: "Look, I'm happy no matter how you call me..."
Shen Ning: “Xiao Qi.”
Xiao Nanchen: ...
Very naughty, I want to kiss!
After the joke, Shen Ning changed the subject: "I don't think the maritime ban will last long."
She vaguely remembered that the original plot mentioned that smuggling appeared after the court imposed a maritime ban, and there were many court officials among the smugglers... It seemed that there was even unrest.
Because many officials also had industries, there were originally sea markets. Although they were not fully opened up and could not meet the needs of economic development and trade, those few sea markets could still barely maintain trade. However, after the direct sea ban, it was equivalent to completely blocking it.
Many people who rely on trade for their livelihoods take risks and even go crazy for the sake of profit...
Chen Ning said slowly, "This is about the life and death of thousands of merchants and the farmers who depend on them. When people are forced into a desperate situation, it is hard to say what they will do... The court's attempt to ban the sea may not last long."
Xiao Nanchen was surprised. He didn't expect that Chen Ning could even predict this.
He had information and knew that after the news of the upcoming sea ban spread, chaos had already appeared in the Jinnan area. If those people were really forced to engage in smuggling, it would be more trouble than it would be worth.
But before he told Shen Ning this, she could already imagine a series of possibilities after the sea ban...
Xiao Nanchen spoke slowly: "Sometimes I wonder, are you really the Shen Ning I met when I first arrived in Qingyuan Village?"
Shen Ning was suddenly startled, and her scalp suddenly felt numb.
These feudal monarchs and emperors were most wary of supernatural things... Although she felt that Xiao Nanchen treated her with extraordinary care, if she really told her origins, it would be too unbelievable.
Shen Ning smiled and said, "If I weren't Zhao Mu's wife..."
However, before she could finish her words, Xiao Nanchen suddenly frowned, and without any warning, he suddenly leaned forward and kissed her on the lips, interrupting her words.
The next moment, he looked at Shen Ning seriously: "It's not his, it's mine."
Shen Ning's ears and cheeks were a little hot from being kissed. She gritted her teeth and whispered, "Speak properly and don't move your mouth casually."
His Royal Highness Prince Ding looked away and whispered, "I can't stand hearing you say that. I know Zhao Mu is a good person..."
Shen Ning nodded in surprise: "Yeah, it's very good."
She subconsciously agreed, but just as she said it, Xiao Nanchen turned around and looked at her, staring straight at her: "Did you like him in the past?"
No wonder, no wonder she kept saying that she was a member of the Zhao family in life and a ghost of the Zhao family in death... and she was so caring to him, the fake Zhao Nan. She always thought that Zhao Mu was very good and must have liked Zhao Mu at the beginning.
Zhao Mu is a good man, tall and strong, and he also brought her out of the burning pit of her adoptive parents. So, she must have always been thinking about Zhao Mu in her heart, right?
The more Xiao Nanchen thought about it, the more he felt that this was the case.
If it were in the past, he would definitely be happy for Zhao Mu, but now... the bitterness in his heart was about to overwhelm him.
He kept forcing himself not to think about it, but he couldn't bear it for even a moment.
Xiao Nanchen looked at Shen Ning and asked with gritted teeth: "Have you not forgotten him yet?"
After hearing Xiao Nanchen's words and seeing his appearance, Shen Ning was a little hesitant to answer rashly.
She said helplessly, "How should I answer you? If I say yes, you will definitely be unhappy. If I say no, won't it seem that I am heartless..."
His Royal Highness Prince Ding didn't know what answer he wanted to hear. He hoped that Chen Ning would forget Zhao Mu? This was rather ungrateful.
But if she still cared about Zhao Mu, he couldn't bear it.
"Then don't answer."
Xiao Nanchen pursed his lips and spoke word by word: "Don't answer, kiss me..."
His Royal Highness Prince Ding's eyes were stubborn, as if he was a little fierce, but also seemed to be a little aggrieved.
Shen Ning looked at him silently, and after hesitating for a moment, she moved forward and pecked his cheek lightly... But just as she was about to stand up, a big hand pressed down on the back of her neck. Xiao Nanchen tilted his head, and their cheeks brushed against each other. The next moment, Shen Ning's lips were deeply kissed.
As if to reassure himself, Xiao Nanchen kissed her deeply, as if to confirm something, or as if he wanted her to be more deeply infused with his scent.
Shen Ning felt that Xiao Nanchen's kiss was very comfortable, so she put her arms around his neck and responded lightly.
But just the slightest movement of the tip of the tongue made His Royal Highness Prince Ding go crazy.
He pulled her into his arms, hugged her tightly, and lowered his head to kiss her deeply.
Shen Ning was placed on his lap, and the two were very close. It didn't take a moment for him to sense the ferocious weapon...
She gritted her teeth and pushed the man away, but she didn't expect to hear the man gasping as soon as she moved.
"Don't move."
Xiao Nanchen begged in a hoarse voice: "I won't kiss you anymore... Let me hold you slowly."
His Royal Highness Prince Ding's voice was extremely hoarse: "Let me hold you, otherwise I will go crazy..."
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