Chapter 19 They shared a single horse

Chapter 19 They shared a single horse

They rode together on one horse and disappeared from Shen Nanzi's sight.

The horses ran very fast and soon disappeared from sight.

Shen Nanzi stood blankly on the ice, gazing in the direction Xie Yan had left.

Is it appropriate for a man and a woman, who are also uncle and aunt, to ride together on one horse?

That is definitely unreasonable.

If outsiders saw this, who knows what kind of rumors would spread?

The royal family's reputation would not allow such a thing to happen, yet they did it brazenly.

Shen Nanzi felt a tightness in her chest, but she comforted herself, saying that the situation was urgent and that lives were at stake.

There are always special times in everything, and human life is above all rules and etiquette.

Xue Qingning is also a mother of children. With her child already unconscious, she has no other thoughts on her mind.

Even if Xie Yan gets distracted, what about Xue Qingning?

She was so conventional and adhered to etiquette that she certainly wouldn't have ridden Xie Yan's horse if Hong Rui hadn't fainted.

I've already misunderstood them once before, I can't afford to misunderstand them again.

She didn't want to be seen as a jealous woman or a crazy woman; she wanted to make sure Cheng'er had a good reputation outside.

Shen Nanzi kept reassuring herself. Back in the tent, she lay on the bed, but couldn't fall asleep.

Thinking back to every time Cheng'er was sick, she would stay up all night by herself to prepare medicine and take care of him without leaving his side.

At that time, Xie Yan never came to visit.

After such a comparison, how could I not feel sad?

Hate gripped her, making her feel a tightness in her chest, and she drifted in and out of consciousness until dawn.

The noise outside came in bursts, making it impossible to catch up on sleep.

Shen Nanzi rubbed her throbbing temples and got out of bed.

Seeing Cheng'er holding a small wooden sword, silently squatting on the ground, her small figure looked very sad.

"Cheng'er, your father slept with you yesterday." Shen Nanzi walked to his side, trying to weave a beautiful lie to soothe his wounded little heart.

Xie Chengze was not happy; his little face was full of sorrow. "Mother, I know you're just trying to comfort me. Father doesn't like us."

Shen Nanzi felt sad. "Father really did come last night. I'm not lying to you. It's just that Father was busy and didn't get much sleep."

"Really?" Xie Chengze's eyes were filled with joy.

Shen Nanzi nodded, "Really."

"Did Daddy get to hold me?" Xie Chengze's eyes lit up.

Seeing the child's expectant eyes, Shen Nanzi couldn't bear it. "Yes, I hugged you and kissed your little face."

Xie Chengze happily hugged Shen Nanzi, "Mother."

In a direction unseen by Shen Nanzi, Xie Chengze's eyes were filled with tears.

He dared not say that he was still pretending to be asleep when his mother returned to the tent.

Afterwards, he followed behind his mother and saw his father ride a horse to get medicine for Hongrui.

Father never returned to the tent.

But he didn't want his mother to be sad, so he decided to pretend that his father had hugged and kissed him in his dream!

Shen Nanzi hugged the child tightly, and her eyes reddened as she thought about everything that had happened before.

The two women, Bitter Gourd Mother and Bitter Gourd Mother, hugged and cried for a while. Shen Nanzi wiped away her tears and said, "There are ice sculptures to see today. Shall we freshen up and dress up nicely before going to see them?"

"Yes, Cheng'er wants to eat candy."

"Okay, Mother, take it with you."

*

Ice skating naturally involves viewing ice sculptures. After the royal family and ministers have finished viewing them, the ice sculptures will be opened to the general public until the ice and snow melt.

This is a long-standing tradition in Luoyang; as long as the weather is suitable and the national treasury allows, they will undertake the event.

It had been many years since we'd seen such heavy snow. Shen Nanzi had seen it several times, but Cheng'er had never seen it before.

Seeing the ice sculptures towering on the lake, there are various small animals and legendary figures. The most amazing one is the Monkey King coming down the mountain, which is the most popular among children.

Cheng'er probably heard it from his friends, and kept muttering, "Mommy, I want to see the Monkey King."

"Yeah, there are a lot of people there now. We'll go there when there are fewer people."

Children love the Monkey King, and adults naturally spoil him. Shen Nanzi glanced at him from afar.

There were too many people, and many fathers were carrying their children on their shoulders. Lie Feng wasn't around, so Shen Nanzi definitely couldn't squeeze through.

Then he took Cheng'er's hand and went to the other side.

As I approached, I heard someone in the crowd say, "The Second Princess is playing the pipa. Hurry up, it's a rare treat to hear this."

"Wow! The Second Imperial Consort was once proficient in all the arts, especially the pipa."

"Even the Emperor is listening!"

Shen Nanzi followed the crowd. A circle of spectators surrounded the ice, among whom the most eye-catching were the Emperor and Consort Wei.

Next up was Xue Qingning in the center of the arena, with an ice sculpture of a persimmon tree laden with persimmons behind her.

The persimmons are round and orange-red, like little lanterns hanging on the crystal-clear branches.

Xue Qingning wore a silver silk shirt made of ice silk, which shimmered with a cool luster, making her look like an ice and snow fairy under the moonlight.

Holding a large-leaf sandalwood pipa, the sound is melodious, graceful, ethereal, and enchanting.

Many people were completely captivated by her music, swaying to the rhythm of her pipa playing.

Shen Nanzi inexplicably looked around for Xie Yan's figure, feeling that the voice sounded familiar.

Thankfully, he wasn't there, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

After the song ended, Shen Nanzi thought it was over and prepared to leave with Cheng'er.

But then the sound of the pipa rose again, the melody spread, and people cheered.

Shen Nanzi couldn't help but stop in her tracks.

"A stunning pipa melody!" exclaimed the crowd once again. "A rare treat indeed!"

As Xue Qingning played the music, Shen Nanzi's gaze was drawn to her.

As she listened to the familiar melody, some familiar scenes seemed to be stirring in her mind.

However, even after the song ended, Shen Nanzi couldn't recall the origin of that feeling of familiarity.

She didn't dwell on it and took Xie Chengze to see other places.

Cheng'er was thinking about the Monkey King, so Shen Nanzi circled around and finally found a gap, squeezing in with the child.

When Cheng'er saw the Monkey King, he clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Wow! How majestic!"

However, Shen Nanzi discovered another problem: the children were all reaching out to touch the Monkey King's hand.

"The Monkey King's hand," Xie Chengze muttered, his legs bouncing as he tried to touch it.

Shen Nanzi looked at the height; even with her arms around him, she couldn't reach him.

The other children could only be touched by their fathers riding on their shoulders.

No wonder when we looked from the outside, we always saw fathers carrying children on their backs. It wasn't that they couldn't see, but that they wanted to touch the Monkey King's hand!

Shen Nanzi didn't know why the children all wanted to touch the Monkey King's hand, but she knew that children had their own world.

There must be some reason why some child wants to touch it.

Shen Nanzi thought that when the cold wind came later, she would let Cheng'er touch her.

"Let's go out first, and come back to play later, okay!"

Xie Chengze pointed to the crowd and said with some surprise, "Father, it's Father."

Shen Nanzi didn't hear her and led him out of the crowd.

It wasn't until she stepped out of the crowd and saw the anxiety on Xie Chengze's face that she belatedly realized what had happened.

Cheng'er seemed to have called out "Father" just now!

Was your father inside just now?

Xie Chengze nodded, his eyes gleaming, his face filled with unwavering anticipation. "I saw Father. Did Father come to find us?"

Shen Nanzi immediately turned around and searched on tiptoe, but there were too many people, and among a group of men, her height was seriously insufficient.

You can't see what's inside at all.

She could vaguely make out that she really did hear Xie Yan's voice.