Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 282 Testing
Although Yan Ciwan had already guessed that Li Chengge was a prince, she did not expect that there would be such a complicated story behind it.

Leaving aside past history, even among ordinary families, it was common for people to give their sons to their brothers for adoption. To outsiders, the sage's actions were seen as an expression of loyalty and righteousness.

But for Li Chengge and Consort Jin, this was far too cruel.

Consort Jin said gently, “I just received my father’s letter and was just about to send someone to inquire where the Emperor had arranged for you to stay. I didn’t expect you to be sent here. It seems that the Emperor has a good impression of you. He specially arranged for you to stay here with me, probably because he knows that I will take good care of you. In that case, you can stay in Xianju Palace with peace of mind.”

Upon hearing this, Yan Ciwan was not at ease; instead, she became even more worried.

Why was the saint so kind to her? Was it because he knew her true identity?

Consort Jin ordered the west wing to be cleaned up so that Yan Ciwan could move in.

Yan Ciwan was pondering the sage's intentions, her heart filled with unease. As dusk approached, Song Qing came to the west side hall and spoke to Yan Ciwan.

"Lady Ning, Her Highness the Imperial Concubine has instructed me to invite you to come out and greet His Majesty."

Yan Ciwan walked out of the West Annex Hall and saw Consort Jin, who was dressed up in front of the main hall. She was already beautiful, but after dressing up, she was even more radiant.

She said to Yan Ciwan, "Just now, the Emperor sent someone to deliver an imperial edict, saying that the Emperor will be dining here tonight. Although you are only a guest staying here temporarily, you should still come out to greet the Emperor when he arrives, so as not to be impolite."

Yan Ciwan nodded and replied, "I understand. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Your Highness."

Seeing that she was both obedient and poised, Consort Jin was quite pleased and gave her a few more instructions: "When you see the Emperor later, you only need to follow Song Qing and the others in bowing. You don't need to worry about anything else."

"it is good."

Not long after, a eunuch came to announce that the Emperor's carriage had arrived outside the courtyard gate.

Consort Jin, accompanied by her entourage, knelt at the courtyard gate to welcome the Emperor.

The emperor stepped down from the carriage, crossed the threshold, and entered the courtyard. He said, "Rise," and then took Consort Jin's hand, leading her into the main hall.

Yan Ciwan mingled among the palace maids, and only after the emperor had gone far away did she get up with the maids.

Thinking that there was nothing more for her to do, she returned to the West Annex Hall alone. A short while later, Song Qing came to the West Annex Hall again.

"Madam Ning, it's time for dinner."

Yan Ciwan walked to the table and saw Song Qing arrange the three dishes and one soup one by one. After she saw the dishes clearly, she couldn't help but be stunned: braised duck with bamboo shoots, bamboo shoots and bracken, whole sheep and chicken soup.

These happened to be the specialties of the cooks in the Xizhou Prince's Palace. She had eaten them many times since she was a child. Because the Princess of Xizhou liked these dishes, she ate them with the Prince of Xizhou.

She looked at Song Qing and asked, "Were these dishes prepared by the imperial kitchen?"

"Of course."

Song Qing waited for a while, and seeing that she had no other questions, she quietly withdrew.

Yan Ciwan sat down at the table, first scooped up a bowl of chicken soup, took a small sip, and found that the taste was almost identical to that made by the cook of the Prince of Xizhou's mansion.

After she had finished eating and drinking, Song Qing came in to clear the dishes and casually asked, "Did you find the food tonight to your liking, Madam Ning?"

"not bad."

"Then I can rest assured."

Song Qing took the tray and retreated.

Yan Ciwan stood by the window, through which she could see the scene at the main hall. The main hall was still brightly lit, and many palace maids and eunuchs were waiting at the door. It seemed that the emperor would be staying at Xianju Palace tonight. After a while, she saw Song Qing come out of the main hall, followed by two young palace maids, each carrying a pot of flowers.

When Yan Ciwan saw them heading towards the west side hall, she left the window and returned to the table to sit down.

Song Qing led two maids into the west wing, where they placed flowerpots on a table by the window.

“Madam Ning, His Majesty sent over a lot of flowers and plants today. These two pots are suitable for the West Side Hall, so I had them brought over.”

One pot contains asparagus fern, and the other contains calamus.

The Queen of Xizhou loved reading and tending to flowers and plants. Her two favorite plants happened to be bamboo and calamus. Behind her house was a large bamboo grove, and in the front yard, she planted a lot of calamus.

As Yan Ciwan looked at the two potted plants, her suspicions grew stronger.

She asked, "Why did you specifically place the calamus and asparagus fern in the west wing?"

Song Qing explained, "It's because the sage said they like places that are half in shade and half in sun. Although there is sunlight in the west wing during the day, it's not much, which is just right for them to grow."

In other words, they brought the calamus and asparagus fern to the West Annex Hall under the instruction of the sage.

Thinking of the dishes for dinner, Yan Ciwan asked, "Is the meal you're having tonight the same as mine?"

Although Song Qing didn't understand why she asked this question, she still answered truthfully.

"No, the meals we servants eat are simple and plain, prepared by lowly cooks. But Lady Ning's meals are prepared by the imperial chefs, far beyond what we servants can achieve."

"But as a suspect, trapped in the palace, how can I receive such high treatment?"

Song Qing shook her head: "This servant does not know."

Yan Ciwan pressed further, "Who ordered the imperial chef to cook for me?"

"Only the emperor has this power in the palace."

Yan Ciwan slowly frowned. The emperor had specially kept her in the palace and even sent her the dishes that the Princess of Xizhou liked, as well as the flowers and plants that the Princess of Xizhou loved.

These cannot possibly be mere coincidences.

Was the sage testing her by doing these things?
If it was truly a test, then how did the Sage know the preferences of the Queen Consort of Xizhou?
He was the emperor, high above all others, while the princess of Xizhou was a subject living far away on the frontier. They were separated by thousands of miles, so it was impossible for him to know her.

Yan Ciwan suddenly remembered that before her mother married the King of Xizhou, she had been a lady-in-waiting in the palace and had also served the Crown Prince Renxian. The current emperor and the Crown Prince Renxian were brothers, so perhaps they had crossed paths at that time.

Song Qing left with two maids, leaving Yan Ciwan alone facing the two pots of flowers and plants.

The King of Xizhou suspects that his queen is having an affair with an outsider, and he is also full of hostility towards the current sage. Furthermore, she saw Xiangzhou engulfed in war after suffering a seizure, which was caused by the King of Xizhou's rebellion.

Connecting all these things, Yan Ciwan had a bold guess.

Does the King of Xizhou believe that the man who conceived a child with his queen is the current sage?!
But Yan Ciwan quickly denied this speculation.

If she is indeed the daughter of the Princess of Xizhou and the Emperor, then she and the Crown Prince are half-siblings. How could the Emperor, knowing this, possibly issue an edict to arrange their marriage?

Yan Ciwan slapped her cheek to clear her mind and stop overthinking.

Perhaps the Sage, like Si Buping, had received help from the Princess of Xizhou, which is why he took extra care of her.