Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 428 Confession

Without a carriage, Chaolu had to walk all the way to Xingqingfang. By the time she found the Xiao residence, the sun was already setting.

She was exhausted and thirsty, covered in sweat, and the gatekeeper invited her in to rest.

Concerned about Yan Ciwan's safety, Chaolu urged as soon as she entered the door, "Go and invite your sixth son. I have something very important to discuss with him."

The gatekeeper said apologetically, "Sixth Brother went out with Master Xiao on business and is not home for the time being."

Chaolu immediately became anxious: "When will he be back?"

"I don't know about that. Are you going to wait here, or go back first?"

Without hesitation, Chaolu said, "I will wait for him to come back."

"Okay, sit here for a while, I'll make you some tea."

Chaolu waited until dark before Xiao Wang returned. As soon as she saw him, she said anxiously, "Aci is in trouble!"

Xiao Wang was startled and immediately asked, "What happened to her?"

"I don't know the specifics. I only know that she was injured, that the Emperor took her to the palace, and that a fire broke out at her residence, Qingpingju."

"The gates are now closed, so you can stay at my house tonight."

Chaolu pressed, "What about Aci?"

"I'll think of a solution. You go and rest first."

Xiao Wang had someone take Chaolu away to rest, and then he ran to find Xiao Wenyi.

At this moment, Xiao Wenyi was in his study. He gently smoothed out a piece of paper, placed it next to the candlelight, and carefully read the contents of the paper.

After entering the room, Xiao Wang clasped his hands in a salute to him and asked, "Grandfather, there was a fire at Qingping Residence. Do you know the details?"

Xiao Wenyi beckoned to him: "Come and take a look at this."

“Grandfather, Aci has been taken away by the Sage, and I am very worried about her safety.”

"Take a look at this first before you decide."

Helpless, Xiao Wang could only suppress his worries, walk to his grandfather's side, and take the thin sheet of Xuan paper. The contents on the paper were few, but they were shocking to behold.

This piece of paper details the incident twenty years ago when the Fifth Prince, Li Baizhou, plotted to murder Crown Prince Renxian. The entire process is written clearly and does not appear to be a forgery.

In the lower right corner, there is a signature written in blood, which is the name Li Baizhou.

Xiao Wang was greatly shocked. He looked at his grandfather and asked, "Is this really the handwriting of a sage?"

Xiao Wenyi nodded slightly.

Li Baizhou was one of his students, and no one knew Li Baizhou's handwriting better than him. This signature was definitely written by Li Baizhou himself; there was no way it could be fake.

Xiao Wang asked, "Where did you get this?"

"You might not believe it, but this was sent by Si Buping. He had already figured out our plan and specially sent this confession to help us. As for the fire at Qingping Residence, the reason lies in this confession. Li Baizhou wanted to destroy this confession but didn't want anyone to know it existed, so he ordered the house to be burned down."

Xiao Wang pressed further, "And what about Aci?"

"Si Buping said she was seriously injured and unconscious. Li Baizhou already knows her true identity, and she is in a very dangerous situation now."

Xiao Wang's heart clenched. He had to rescue Yan Ciwan as soon as possible, but without the emperor's permission, he had no chance to see Yan Ciwan, let alone rescue her.

Right now, he has no choice but to take a gamble.

"Grandfather, can our plan be brought forward?"

Xiao Wenyi fell into deep thought, and after a long while said, "Originally, I planned to wait two days until the poison from the Fallen Immortal in your body was completely neutralized before taking action, but now it seems that we can't wait that long. Call Ajiu in." Xiao Wang walked out of the study and called out, "Uncle Jiu."

Uncle Jiu responded and came over, following Xiao Wang into the study.

"What are your instructions, Master Xiao?" Uncle Jiu asked respectfully.

Xiao Wenyi handed over a stack of letters: "You are skilled in martial arts. Take advantage of the night to send these secret letters out. Each letter has the recipient's name on it. You should know them all."

Uncle Nine accepted the secret letter with both hands. Seeing the familiar names on the envelope, a flame burned in his heart. They had been lying low for more than twenty years, and now they could finally avenge those who had died unjustly.

He carefully tucked the secret letter into his pocket and silently withdrew.

Xiao Wenyi said to Xiao Wang, "While there's still some time, you should go back and rest for a while to conserve your energy for a tough battle."

After returning to Wei Rui Lou, Xiao Wang did not go to sleep, but went to the music room.

He heard that Yan Ciwan had fallen into a coma, but he wasn't sure if she was experiencing a sequelae of her soul. Just to be on the safe side, he still played "The Returning One".

The desolate and ancient sound of the zither lingered.

A gentle breeze stirred the door, extinguishing the candlelight and plunging the music room into darkness.

As if sensing something, Xiao Wang looked up at the empty doorway and asked softly, "Aci, is that you back?"

The leaves outside rustled in the wind.

Yan Ciwan walked up to him and said with a smile, "Yes, I'm back."

……

Yan Ciwan's soul returned to her body.

When she woke up, she found herself lying on a bed surrounded by a group of imperial physicians. They were startled when she suddenly opened her eyes.

The oldest of the physicians accidentally fell to the ground. He looked at Yan Ciwan as if he had seen a ghost, and stammered, "She's...she's come back to life!"

All the other imperial physicians fled on their knees and scrambled to escape, except for Physician Liu.

Physician Liu had already heard about the dissociation syndrome from his granddaughter Chaolu. He had even helped Chaolu find a way to treat it. Just now, when he saw that Yan Ciwan had no breath, he guessed that she might have had a dissociation syndrome attack. Now that he saw her suddenly wake up, it further confirmed his guess.

He mustered his courage and walked over, asking, "Madam Ning, may I take your pulse?"

Yan Ciwan trusted him quite a bit and obediently extended her right hand.

Physician Liu gently placed his fingers on her wrist and found that although her pulse was still somewhat weak, she was indeed alive.

He was relieved: "It's wonderful that Madam Ning has woken up."

At this moment, Li Baizhou strode in, and the imperial physicians quickly made way for him.

"Aci, I knew you weren't dead." Li Baizhou was very happy. After he finished speaking, he went to hug Yan Ciwan, but Yan Ciwan raised her hand to stop him, which made his face darken immediately.

He said coldly, "You may all leave."

The imperial physicians sensed that the emperor was in a bad mood, so they didn't dare to breathe and silently withdrew.

Once the door was closed, only Li Baizhou and Yan Ciwan remained inside.

Li Baizhou had a bandage wrapped around his neck, and he was wearing loose pajamas. His gaze toward Yan Ciwan was full of pressure.

"This is the Zichen Palace, my bedroom. You will live here from now on, and I will treat you well."

Yan Ciwan said expressionlessly, "Look carefully, I am Yan Ciwan, not Ning Qingyang. Ning Qingyang died a long time ago. She was killed by you."

These words provoked Li Baizhou, who grabbed Yan Ciwan by the neck and snapped, "Shut up!"