Chapter 71 Xie Yan's Sorrow

Chapter 71 Xie Yan's Sorrow

After Shen Minghan left, the palace servants invited the Fourth Prince and the Fourth Princess into the hall.

An hour later, the Fifth Prince and his wife were summoned in again.

Then came the sixth prince, followed by the other princes.

Xie Yan remained standing outside Yongxi Palace until the palace lanterns were lit.

He stood at the doorway like a statue, attracting the attention of the princes and palace servants coming and going.

Because of her status as the Princess Consort of Prince Jing, Shen Nanzi could only stand with him.

When the last prince came out, Shen Nanzi thought it was finally their turn to serve the sick.

But a palace servant came out and said, "His Majesty is tired and has already gone to bed. Your Highness Prince Jing does not need to wait any longer!"

"You don't need to come tomorrow either. His Majesty said he is much better and there is no need to take care of him."

Shen Nanzi looked at Xie Yan under the palace lantern. His back was straight, and his crimson robe seemed to weigh a ton.

His expression wasn't in the dim light; his face was calm and expressionless, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

It was as if the whole day's wait hadn't happened; there was an indescribable feeling, as if it didn't matter, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary...

However, Shen Nanzi could vaguely sense a faint sadness surrounding him.

Shen Nanzi didn't think much of it. She was just glad that today was finally over, and what was even more surprising was that she didn't have to take care of the sick anymore.

It's better not to go with Xie Yan.

Unable to contain her joy, she turned around and walked out of the palace.

The spring night wind was also extremely cold. She hugged her sleeves, which were being blown up by the wind, and plunged into the night.

When Xie Yan came to his senses and looked for her, she was no longer by his side.

Considering her eccentric nature, he stayed with her all day without saying a word.

They had been hungry all day and hadn't even had a sip of water.

She must have guessed something by now! Thinking of his own disheveled state, he suddenly felt a little reluctant to let her know about his past.

He stepped into the dewy darkness and hurried after them.

He didn't know why he had to quicken his pace. He just wanted to know that she had gotten into the carriage safely.

As he was leaving the palace, he finally saw her. Her simple dress made her back appear slender, and her waist was so thin that it could be grasped in one hand.

She breathed on her hands, rubbed them together, and lifted her skirt to get into the carriage.

For some reason, Xie Yan followed them.

When he appeared in her carriage, she stared at him with her beautiful eyes.

Where is your carriage?

"Oh no!" he said casually and frankly, sitting on the right, leaving no room for doubt.

Night had fallen, and in the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Shen Nanzi gazed at him, her eyes flickering slightly as the car started moving.

She hesitated for a moment, tilted her head, and her eyes gleamed in the darkness.

"Has the Emperor forgotten you, or does he simply not want to see you?"

Shen Nanzi asked directly, not wanting to beat around the bush when facing Xie Yan.

Xie Yan placed his hands on his knees, his fingers visibly clenching in a suppressed manner.

The carriage was dimly lit, with only a small lamp. His resolute profile was not illuminated by the light, and his jawline was straightened.

For a long time, it was as if time had frozen.

"He might not have done it on purpose." His voice was hoarse, but there was a clear sense of suppressed emotion in it.

Shen Nanzi's gaze fell on him. "But I think the Emperor did it on purpose. Have you made another mistake?"

She was happy for him to make mistakes.

"Because of what happened with the Second Princess Consort?"

Her probing made Xie Yan turn her head. "No."

"Why is that?" she asked again.

"Your Majesty, our relationship is not harmonious." He spoke with great difficulty.

While Shen Nanzi remained silent, he added, "His favorite son is Xie Yao."

Shen Nanzi looked up and saw that Xie Yao was the deceased Second Prince.

This is a secret of the royal family. The emperor loves the second prince the most because he was born to the deceased empress.

The Emperor and Empress are deeply in love, and the position of Empress remains vacant to this day.

Even though he lost twenty-one cities and caused the deaths of 100,000 soldiers, the emperor still buried him in the imperial mausoleum.

He had indeed made a grave mistake, and the Emperor was furious. However, Shen Nanzi had some idea of ​​the effort the Emperor had put into him.

"The Second Prince has already passed away, and besides, his death had nothing to do with you. Why is the Emperor on bad terms with you?"

Shen Nanzi had some knowledge of Xie Yan's past.

When she was about to marry him, she knew he couldn't possibly be the heir apparent.

Moreover, she was merely the sister of a fourth-rank official, and to be betrothed to a prince like him was already an extremely high social climb.

In her eyes, Xie Yan was also the bright moon hanging in the sky.

She only heard what the outside world allowed her to hear about matters within the royal family.

Xie Yan looked at her, unwilling to reopen his wounds and expose them to her.

Why are you asking about these things?

Looking at the wariness and defensiveness in his eyes, Shen Nanzi almost thought that Xie Yan was going to have a long talk with her all night long, because the atmosphere had been so harmonious just now.

He was incredibly perceptive, leaving her no loopholes whatsoever.

"Concerned about you?" She raised her eyebrows, a slight smile playing on her lips, her eyes carrying a nonchalant air.

Xie Yan moved his hand from his knee to the side, closer to her, his deep eyes meeting her probing gaze. "Is that so?"

Shen Nanzi smelled the ambergris on him; she remembered that in the pear garden, his room was filled with this fragrance.

Shen Nanzi knew it must be a flavor that Xue Qingning liked. She felt nauseous and quickly moved away, leaning back.

Xie Yan looked at her, her eyes growing even darker, filled with emotions she couldn't decipher.

...It seemed to be a mixture of mockery and sadness.

"Yeah, if you're disliked, I'll suffer too!"

She didn't like the smell, wrinkled her nose, and covered her nose with her hand, not wanting to smell it.

Her avoidance pierced Xie Yan's sensitive emotions, as if taking him back to his youth, to those days when he was despised by others.

He replied with a forced smile, "I see! My queen is truly an exceptionally considerate person!"

"Didn't you say that we share both prosperity and adversity?"

His imposing aura made her somewhat uncomfortable. Shen Nanzi knew that he knew her intentions and felt disgusted by him.

However, she remained calm and composed, her beautiful eyes fixed on him.

Xie Yan's lips curled into a smile. He reached out and lifted her chin, his eyes unfathomable.

"Yes, no matter how discordant we are, we always appear as one in front of outsiders."

As he spoke, his eyes flickered slightly, revealing a restrained emotion that inexplicably evoked a sense of sorrow.

Shen Nanzi pursed her lips, swallowed, and released his control. She slightly raised her face, glanced at him, and spoke with an ambiguous smile.

Her smile sent a chill down Xie Yan's spine, a sense of inexplicable alienation and estrangement washing over him.

Unlike any time before, when her eyes held a mixture of hatred and anticipation.

The words may seem like expressions of disgust, but they actually conceal a deep concern.

Every time she was angered to the point of wanting to die with him, only harsh words could calm her temper.

Now that he's deliberately provoking her, she seems to be arguing with him, but her eyes are devoid of emotion, cold and icy.