Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 362 Offense
After the Crown Prince left, the main gate was reopened, and Yan Ciwan and Xiao Wang's group left the Xiao family smoothly.

Yan Ciwan was moved to the carriage, and Dongli was in charge of driving. Qiushuang took out a blanket and covered Yan Ciwan's legs, saying, "Madam Ning is very weak right now, so please be careful not to catch a cold."

Nie Xiayun praised, "You're quite thoughtful, girl."

"Thank you for your praise, Madam. This is all what I should do."

Yan Ciwan was still pondering Li Cunxing's matter and did not notice the conversation between the two people beside her.

She only snapped out of her daze when Nie Xiayun called her name.

Nie Xiayun asked, "Are you very familiar with that Grand Secretary?"

"so so."

Nie Xiayun leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "He seems to be paying a lot of attention to you."

Although her voice was low, the carriage was small, and Qiu Shuang heard her words and was startled. Could there be some gossip between the Grand Secretary and Ning Ci? Qiu Shuang remained calm on the surface, but her ears quietly perked up.

Yan Ciwan said helplessly, "You're overthinking it. He's so much older than me. In his eyes, I'm just a junior."

Nie Xiayun didn't believe it: "Xiao Liulang is much younger than him, so why doesn't he take such good care of Xiao Liulang? Why does he treat you, a junior, differently?"

Left with no other option, Yan Ciwan had to tell the truth.

"The Grand Secretary was castrated years ago and is no longer able to marry and have children, so it's impossible for him to have those kinds of feelings for me. You can put your mind at ease."

Nie Xiayun was shocked. The Grand Secretary looked so imposing, but she never expected him to be a eunuch!
She was increasingly puzzled: "If that's the case, why is he still paying so much attention to you? Does he have ulterior motives towards you?"

Because Qiu Shuang was still nearby, Yan Ciwan couldn't bring up the fact that her mother had been kind to Si Buping back then. She could only give a vague answer: "It was probably because the Sage asked him to protect me. He has always been like that. He does whatever the Sage asks him to do."

Nie Xiayun felt that things were not as simple as she said, but she couldn't think of a more reasonable explanation for the time being, so she had to accept Yan Ciwan's statement for the time being.

The carriage stopped in front of Qingping Residence.

Everyone carefully helped Yan Ciwan out of the carriage. Yan Ciwan looked at Xiao Wang, who was standing not far away, leading his horse. The sunlight fell on him, making his face look even warmer and gentler.

She said with great reluctance, "Even a thousand-mile journey must come to an end. I have arrived at my destination, and you should go back now."

Xiao Wang secretly squeezed the sachet hidden in his sleeve. He had stayed up all night making it, intending to give it to her today, but before he could find a chance to give it to her, she was leaving.

With so many people watching in broad daylight, if he were to openly present the sachet to Yan Ciwan, it would surely cause misunderstandings and potentially damage Yan Ciwan's reputation.

He had no choice but to abandon the idea of ​​taking out the sachet now, and slowly said, "Take good care of your injuries, I will come to see you tomorrow."

The swallows depart late, nodding in agreement.

Xiao Wang took one last look at her, suppressed his reluctance, and mounted his horse.

Accompanied by the clatter of hooves, the figures of a man and his horse quickly disappeared at the end of the street.

Yan Ciwan was still carried into the mansion in a sedan chair.

After a while, the sedan chair finally came to a stop. The curtain was lifted, and Dongli and Qiushuang helped her out.

Dongli carried her into the bedroom. Nie Xiayun wanted to follow, but Qiushuang stopped her. "Madam, this is Ning Niangzi's residence. Your residence is elsewhere. I will take you there to see it."

Nie Xiayun was unwilling to leave. She asked, "So what if this is Aci's residence? Am I not even allowed to go in and take a look?"

Qiu Shuang was quite embarrassed by the question. She tried to find an excuse to brush it off, but Nie Xiayun didn't give her the chance. She pushed her aside and strode over the threshold and went inside.

After entering the room, Nie Xiayun discovered that besides Yan Ciwan and Dong Li, there was also a middle-aged man inside.

The young man was dressed in a dark blue round-necked robe, with a black turban on his head. He had a short beard, fair and delicate skin, and handsome features. Most importantly, he had an air of dignified authority that commanded respect without anger.

Especially when he looked over, Nie Xiayun subconsciously felt a chill run down her spine, and she blurted out, "Who are you? What are you doing in my granddaughter's room?"

Qiu Shuang, who followed closely behind, quickly grabbed Nie Xiayun's arm and whispered, "Madam, please don't be rude. This is the Emperor himself!"

Nie Xiayun was taken aback; she hadn't expected the emperor to appear here.

Qiu Shuang pulled her to kneel down and pay her respects.

Yan Ciwan stepped forward to plead for her grandmother: "Grandma is meeting the Sage for the first time and does not know his identity. If she has offended him, please forgive her this time, considering that ignorance is no excuse."

The emperor smiled slightly and asked Nie Xiayun and Qiushuang to get up. He said gently, "I was very worried when I heard that the old lady had been captured by the Five Gods Sect. Now that I see you have returned safely, I am very pleased. From now on, you can stay in Qingping Residence and live with Aci."

Nie Xiayun bowed slightly: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

Yan Ciwan knew that the emperor must have something to say to her since he was waiting here. She said to Nie Xiayun, "Grandma, why don't you go and wander around the mansion and enjoy the scenery of Qingping Residence? If you need anything, you can tell Qiushuang and she will take care of it for you."

Nie Xiayun realized that she was being asked to leave, so she went along with it and said, "Then I'll go out for a walk and come back to see you later."

She said goodbye and left. As she lifted her leg to step over the threshold, Qiu Shuang quickly followed, wanting to reach out and help her, but was pushed away.

"No need to help me. I'm not an old woman in her seventies or eighties. I can walk by myself."

After saying that, she stepped over the threshold and walked out.

Qiu Shuang thought to herself that the old lady was really strong, as she had been pushed away by her twice.

After Nie Xiayun and Qiushuang left, Dongli also withdrew, leaving only Yan Ciwan and the Emperor in the room.

Yan Ciwan sat on the bed, leaning against a pillow, covered with a quilt. Her face was still pale, but her energy was much better than yesterday.

The emperor sat down by the bedside, reached out and touched Yan Ciwan's cheek, and sighed, "You've lost a lot of weight. If I had known you would suffer such a serious injury, I shouldn't have agreed to let you take this risk."

Yan Ciwan was very averse to the emperor's touch, but reason made her refrain from pulling away.

She said, "As long as Grandma is safe and sound, all the sacrifices will be worthwhile."

The emperor gazed at her and asked, "If I were to encounter danger in the future, would you treat me the same way?"

Yan Ciwan answered without hesitation, "Of course!"

The emperor laughed: "I hope you can keep your word."

Yan Ciwan didn't want to waste any more time on these nonsense, so she cut to the chase and asked, "I wonder what important matter Your Majesty has come to Qingping Residence to instruct me on?"