Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 363 Affectionate
"I came here mainly to see you. You escaped death from those traitors of the Five Gods Sect. Si Buping told me that when you were rescued, you were covered in blood and on the verge of death. You almost didn't make it. I was really worried about you, so I specially asked Si Buping to bring you back. I have already arranged for people from the Imperial Hospital to wait outside. I will have the imperial physician examine you carefully later."

As the emperor spoke, his gaze toward Yan Ciwan revealed concern.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty." Yan Ciwan thought to herself, no wonder Si Buping insisted on bringing her back earlier, it turns out this was the emperor's intention.

"I heard that it was Xiao Liulang from the Xiao family who carried you out of Hengqing Temple, and you have been living in the Xiao family ever since. It seems that you and Xiao Liulang have a very good relationship, right?"

The emperor's tone remained gentle, as if he were chatting casually, but Yan Ciwan immediately became wary.

She said softly, "After I met Xiao Liu and Chao Erniang in Xiangzhou, I came to Chang'an with them. After spending half a year together, we have become good friends who have gone through thick and thin together, and our friendship is naturally extraordinary."

"Just friends?"

Yan Ciwan lowered her eyes: "I only consider Xiao Liu a friend, and I suppose he feels the same way."

The emperor said with great regret, "Is that so? Actually, I admire Xiao Liulang very much. He is well-read and comes from a prestigious family, making him a perfect match for you. If you two are in love, I will act as matchmaker and issue an edict to bestow a marriage upon you. Since you are not interested, I will not play matchmaker for you."

Yan Ciwan felt no emotion whatsoever upon hearing these words.

She already knew that Xiao Wang's background might be related to Crown Prince Renxian. There were many suspicious points surrounding Crown Prince Renxian's death, and the emperor in front of her might have played a part in it.

Even if the old case had nothing to do with the emperor, now that he is firmly on the throne, he certainly wouldn't want to see any descendants of Crown Prince Renxian appear again.

Any emperor becomes exceptionally ruthless when faced with someone who could threaten his throne.

Presumably, the emperor before us is no exception.

As a veteran official who had served three emperors, Xiao Wenyi must have been well aware of this. He used the excuse that Xiao Wang's birth mother was of lowly birth to prevent Xiao Wang from taking the imperial examination and entering officialdom, all in order to reduce Xiao Wang's presence and prevent the emperor from noticing him.

Xiao Wenyi was protecting Xiao Wang in his own way, and Yan Ciwan also wanted to protect Xiao Wang. Therefore, even though she liked Xiao Wang, she could not show it in front of the emperor.

Yan Ciwan thanked the emperor for his kindness and smiled, "If I find someone I love in the future, I will inform Your Majesty immediately. At that time, Your Majesty must grant me a marriage."

At this moment, her expression once again showed some of the arrogance she had when she was still Princess Leyou.

The emperor liked her very much, and his gaze toward her became even more lenient: "Of course, as long as you take a fancy to a man in this world, no matter what his status is, I will grant your wish. At that time, I will order someone to build a princess's residence for you in Chang'an. You can come to the palace often to talk to me. If your husband treats you badly, you can tell me at any time, and I will stand up for you."

Yan Ciwan blinked: "The Princess's residence?"

"This is the second thing I've come to see you about today. I plan to choose an auspicious day to hold a investiture ceremony for you, to announce your status as a princess to the world. In this way, you can openly enjoy the honor of a princess in the future, without having to be as cautious as you are now."

Yan Ciwan hesitated and said, "Isn't this a bad idea..."

The emperor countered, "Why not? Don't you want people to know about your relationship with me?" Yan Ciwan immediately retorted, "It's not like that. I'm overjoyed that Your Majesty is willing to publicly acknowledge my identity, but I have to consider my mother's reputation. I'm afraid that some people will gossip about my mother and Your Majesty's past, making my mother restless even in the afterlife."

"You don't need to worry about this. The people in the Inner Guard are not to be trifled with. If anyone dares to gossip, the Inner Guard will make them pay."

The emperor spoke these words in a nonchalant tone, as if he did not take this trivial matter to heart.

He was no longer the young emperor who had just ascended the throne. Now he held absolute power, and with that power came absolute control. The Inner Guard was one of the means of control. The entire court and the country were secretly monitored by the Inner Guard. Their every word and action was recorded, and anyone who harbored disloyalty would not have a good end.

Therefore, the emperor was very confident that even if his past with Ning Qingyang was brought up, no one in the court would dare to say a word against it.

Yan Ciwan still hesitated: "If my identity is revealed, then wouldn't Yan Tingyu's impersonation of Princess Leyou be exposed?"

The emperor smiled enigmatically: "I didn't expect you to still be worried about Yan Tingyu. Have you forgotten that she plotted to harm you?"

"I'm not worried about her, I'm worried about the Crown Prince. The Crown Princess he married is an imposter, and this has been announced to the world. How will he face people after this?"

"I once hinted to him that there was something wrong with Yan Tingyu's identity, but he had already developed feelings for Yan Tingyu and completely ignored my warning. In that case, why should I care about his reputation anymore? Ultimately, it's because his position as crown prince came too easily, to the point that he doesn't know the wickedness of people's hearts. It's good to let him stumble now; it's time for him to grow up."

Yan Ciwan sensed his dissatisfaction with the Crown Prince from his words, but she pretended not to notice and asked, "When does Your Majesty intend to reveal the truth?"

"Originally, I wanted it to be done as soon as possible, but you are still seriously injured and unable to move around, so I can only wait. A month from now, at the Flower Festival, you should have recovered by then. I will hold a grand investiture ceremony for you and officially announce your identity to the public. I have already decided on the title of princess, which will be Nianqing."

Upon hearing this title, Yan Ciwan understood that the emperor was actually using her name to commemorate her mother.

Even after so many years, and even though her mother had passed away, the emperor still missed her mother dearly; such deep affection was truly rare.

However, Yan Ciwan did not forget the Empress, Consort Xie, and the other concubines he had never met. The Emperor still harbored deep feelings for Ning Qingyang, but this deep affection did not prevent him from bringing new women into his harem one after another.

Thinking about it this way, his deep affection also seems fake.

Yan Ciwan felt uncomfortable inside, but on the surface she was extremely grateful: "Thank you, Your Majesty, I like this title very much."

The emperor smiled slightly: "In addition, I will posthumously confer the title of Duke of Anguo on your grandfather and confer the title of First-Rank Imperial Lady on your grandmother."

According to the rules of the Great Cause, only those who made great contributions during their lifetime could be posthumously granted the title of Duke. For a specific example, Du Lingzhou's father, the Duke of Protector of the State, can be referred to.

Apart from that, only the Empress's father was able to be granted the title of Duke.

Yan Ciwan's grandfather, Ning Wangchen, was a poor and down-on-his-luck country scholar in his lifetime. He had no merit, let alone the qualifications to enter officialdom. Yet the emperor wanted to posthumously confer upon him the title of Duke of Anguo. The intention was obvious: to elevate Ning Qingyang's social standing.