Nong Nu Jiao

Yan Chenghui slept for a full day and night.

Cen Lingyi stayed by the bedside for a whole day and night, her eyes red and her heart constantly in suspense.

She looked at his pale face, his lips almost completely drained of color. All the blood and energy he had painstakingly cultivated over the past few days had been lost again after the arrow was removed yesterday.

Why aren't you awake yet?

She held his hand and whispered something softly.

Although the imperial physician said he had survived this ordeal, she was always afraid that something new might happen because he was still unconscious.

Yan Chenghui made a sound, as if in response to her.

"You're awake? Yan Chenghui, are you awake?"

Cen Lingyi's eyes were filled with excitement, and she couldn't help but stand up.

Yan Chenghui's eyelashes trembled slightly as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Jiaojiao..."

He called to her with a weak, feeble voice.

"I'm here. You're awake. You're finally awake..."

Cen Lingyi gripped his hand tightly, tears welling in her eyes as she wept with joy.

"Don't cry..."

Yan Chenghui raised his hand, intending to wipe away her tears.

Cen Lingyi sniffed and nodded: "I won't cry."

It's good that he's awake. As long as he takes good care of his injuries and nourishes his body, he'll recover quickly.

Yan Chenghui leaned against the pillows, catching his breath for a moment, then turned to look at her: "Do you still stand by what you promised me?"

"What's wrong?"

Cen Lingyi wiped away her tears and looked at him.

"marriage."

Yan Chenghui's lips curled up slightly.

"You just woke up, focus on recovering and don't overthink things."

Cen Lingyi choked up.

Why is he thinking about this the moment he opens his eyes?

"No." Yan Chenghui, unusually childlike, grasped her hand in return: "You promised me, as long as I can survive..."

"That will have to wait until you're fully recovered."

Two blushes rose on Cen Lingyi's face.

Yan Chenghui paused, his dark eyes gleaming: "You agreed? Jiaojiao, did you agree?"

"I already agreed to it that day."

Cen Lingyi turned her face away, her ears turning slightly red, and a smile couldn't help but escape from her moist eyes.

I heard a soft laugh in my ear.

She turned her head to look.

Yan Chenghui buried his face in the pillow, letting out muffled laughter, his shoulders shaking with each laugh.

Jiaojiao agreed to marry him!

Overwhelmed with joy, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The next moment, he gasped.

"hiss--"

"What's wrong?"

Cen Lingyi hurriedly checked.

"It aggravated the wound."

Yan Chenghui stood there, frozen.

"Who told you to laugh!"

Cen Lingyi patted him on the lower back.

"Jiaojiao likes to hit people now too."

Yan Chenghui turned to look at her.

Before Cen Lingyi could understand what he meant, she heard him whisper again, "I'll let you beat me up as much as you want later."

"you……"

Cen Lingyi's face flushed instantly, and she clenched her fists, ready to hit him again.

Only then did she realize that he was referring to those times when he had often beaten her for her misbehavior.

"Go ahead and hit me."

Yan Chenghui looked at her and smiled.

"I won't let you off so easily."

Cen Lingyi gave a soft snort, lowered her hand, and turned her face away.

Yan Chenghui's smile deepened.

"Miss, has His Highness woken up?"

Yun Que knocked on the door from outside.

Yan Chenghui gestured to Cen Lingyi with his eyes.

"You're awake. Come in."

Cen Lingyi sat down on the edge of the bed and gave an order.

I reckon Yun Que has something to report.

It's nothing, he won't come in and bother us.

Yun Que pushed open the door and walked in, bowing: "Your Highness, Miss, after Your Highness pulled out the arrow yesterday, Lord Lu went to the Second Prince's residence, and the two of them plotted in the study for a long time."

"What are you plotting?"

Cen Lingyi became wary and subconsciously asked a question.

"There are too many guards around the Second Prince's study, so the people we sent couldn't get close and couldn't hear what they were saying," Yun Que continued. "However, after Lord Lu left the Second Prince's residence, the Second Prince quickly sent out several teams of people, and those people were eventually assigned to the vicinity of the East Palace."

"Did he send people to watch us?"

Cen Lingyi couldn't help but turn around and look at Yan Chenghui.

"We don't need that many people to keep an eye on me." Yan Chenghui remained prone, speaking slowly. "They must be... trying to take my life."

"But aren't there many people around the Crown Prince's Palace?"

Cen Lingyi blinked and asked.

After returning from the border, she had already arranged for the number of staff to be doubled, based on the existing facilities in the Eastern Palace.

In addition, His Majesty sent people over.

The Eastern Palace should now be impregnable.

With the few men Yan Qingci had, it was unlikely they could manage to assassinate Yan Chenghui.

"They probably want us to get out."

Yan Chenghui closed his eyes and spoke haltingly.

He was already running out of energy.

Cen Lingyi instantly understood and looked up to instruct, "Yun Que, go to the side hall and tell Huai Jiao not to go out these days. Also, tell my brother to arrange for someone to buy whatever he needs, and not to go out himself."

She understood what Yan Chenghui meant.

Since Yan Qingci can't get in, they must find a way to get Yan Chenghui out.

Unfortunately, Yan Chenghui was seriously injured and could not go out without a reason.

That would inevitably mean targeting those close to Yan Chenghui.

Yan Chenghui's closest confidant was none other than Huai Jiao.

As long as Huai Jiao doesn't leave the house, Yan Qingci can't do anything about them.

"Yes."

Yun Que agreed and turned to leave.

"Jiaojiao is so clever."

Yan Chenghui smiled again.

He only needed to say a few words for her to understand what he meant.

"That's natural."

Cen Lingyi laughed along with her.

She now looks more like she did years ago when she was still living in the Cen family; her smile is bright and flamboyant.

"However, you forgot to remind one person."

Yan Chenghui looked at her with a smile.

"Who is it?"

Cen Lingyi blinked, unable to think of anything for a moment.

"You," Yan Chenghui chuckled, "if they capture you, I'll crawl out of the East Palace, even if I have to."

"Don't talk nonsense."

Cen Lingyi's eyes held a hint of reproach, but she couldn't help but laugh again.

Yan Chenghui also smiled.

This is so good, so good.

He had always wanted to be like that with her.

Why didn't you think more positively earlier? Why did you have to argue with her about those baseless things?

Even if those things are true, so what? Doesn't he still intend to treat Huai Jiao as his own child?

He deeply regretted his past actions.

"When did you send people to keep an eye on them?"

Cen Lingyi remembered to ask him.

After she returned, she stayed with him and didn't hear him instruct Yun Que and the others to keep an eye on Yan Qingci and Lu Huaiyou.

"I already had people watching them when I was at the border," Yan Chenghui paused, then continued, "Otherwise, how do you think I managed to be invincible?"

"So you had this secret."

Cen Lingyi chuckled.

"Jiaojiao, I'm tired, I want to sleep..."

Yan Chenghui murmured.

"Go to sleep now, get well soon."

Cen Lingyi covered him with the blanket.

"Should we send someone to bring my father-in-law and the others back first?"

Yan Chenghui forced himself to ask her.

"There's no rush." ​​Cen Lingyi blushed. He was calling her father-in-law even before they were married. "It's against the rules to do this before the truth is out. We'll send someone to pick her up after the case is overturned."

She was afraid that if she brought her parents back early, they would be targeted by someone with ulterior motives, which would cause even more trouble.

"good……"

Yan Chenghui responded and fell into a deep sleep.

Cen Lingyi sat there, remembering something.

She strode out of Mingde Hall: "Yun Que."

"girl."

Yun Que and Yun Gong stood guard at the door and curtsied when they saw her.

"Send more people to bring my second sister and that child back to the East Palace."

After returning to the capital, she didn't have time to visit her second sister because of Yan Chenghui's injuries.

She and Huai Jiao never leave the East Palace, so Yan Qingci and Lu Huaiyou will definitely come up with other wicked schemes, and they might even set their sights on the Second Sister.

She needs to take precautions in advance.

"Yes, I will arrange it immediately."

In the afternoon, Cen Wanrou and Cen Chiyao entered the East Palace.

After settling Yan Chenghui's affairs, Cen Lingyi, while she was asleep, asked her brother Cen Lingzhi to take Yan Huaijiao to the courtyard where Cen Wanrou was.

"Second sister."

Cen Lingyi, holding Yan Huaijiao's hand, called out from the doorway.

Cen Wanrou came out to greet them: "Little sister, big brother!"

She was both surprised and delighted to see Cen Lingzhi.

She hadn't seen her older brother's face in all these years.

Although she was born out of wedlock in the Cen family, her elder brothers and sisters, who were born out of wedlock, never mistreated her, and the family was truly harmonious.

"Second sister."

Cen Lingzhi nodded to her.

Cen Chiyao timidly peeked out from behind Cen Wanrou.

"Chi Yao, quickly call her Auntie and Uncle."

Cen Wanrou pulled him over and began to teach him.

"Second sister..."

Cen Lingyi was puzzled.

The second sister told Cen Chiyao to address her and her brother that way, but wasn't Cen Chiyao a child of unknown origin? How could he have become the second sister's child?

My second sister hasn't gotten married all these years.

"Little sister, I have already adopted Chi Yao as my child."

Cen Wanrou offered an explanation, but hesitated before continuing.

Cen Lingyi realized that there were some things she couldn't say in front of the child.

She patted Yan Chenghui beside her: "Call her Second Aunt."

"Second Aunt".

Yan Huaijiao obediently bowed.

"Alright, go play with Chi Yao."

Cen Lingyi released his hand.

Yan Huaijiao walked over, and Cen Chiyao, a little shy, backed away.

But after a short while, the two started playing together again.

There were servants watching over them.

Cen Lingyi and the other two entered the house.

"Second sister, what exactly happened?" Cen Lingyi asked, quite surprised. "How did Chi Yao become your child?"

Cen Wanrou poured them tea and smiled, saying, "We're all family, so I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me. I'm so old; most people would have children and grandchildren around them by now, but I haven't even gotten married yet."

Hearing this, Cen Lingyi felt a pang of sadness: "Second sister, things will be alright once Father and Mother return..."

"I've heard about several people from my neighborhood, and at first, we got along quite well. But as soon as they heard I was the daughter of a disgraced official, they all..."

Cen Wanrou gently shook her head.

"That won't be the case for long. His Majesty has already given his approval to thoroughly reinvestigate Father's case."

Cen Lingyi said softly.

My father was wronged, which indeed delayed the marriages of all his children.

She and Yan Chenghui had a falling out for so many years.

My brother and sister-in-law also got divorced.

I wonder how my third brother and his family are doing in Hexi. Have they gotten married or married yet?

"I've come to terms with it." Cen Wanrou took a sip of tea and smiled. "Isn't the point of marriage to have a child? I raised Chi Yao, and he even takes our surname. Why not just treat him like a son? Then I won't need to get married. With my sister around, I won't have to worry about food, clothing, or anything else. Isn't that better than having to get married myself?"

Cen Lingyi and Cen Lingzhi exchanged a glance.

"I think my second sister is actually quite right."

Cen Lingyi laughed.

"That makes sense, I've figured it out." Cen Wanrou looked at Cen Lingzhi: "By the way, brother, I've met sister-in-law a few times since then, as well as my nephew and niece."

"How are they?"

Upon hearing this, Cen Lingzhi raised his head, his heart tightening.

"My sister-in-law has raised her two children exceptionally well. They've stayed with her parents and haven't remarried." Cen Wanrou turned to look at Cen Lingyi. "My younger sister said that Father's case is about to be overturned. Once Father is cleared of wrongdoing, perhaps you two can reconcile?"