Chapter 90 Xue Qingning's chance encounter at the bookstore

Chapter 90 Xue Qingning's chance encounter at the bookstore

However, after lying on the bed for a while, thinking about her body, Xie Yan tossed and turned, unable to find peace.

As evening fell, he walked into her courtyard, looking refreshed.

The aunt stood under the eaves in the courtyard, glanced at Prince Jing, and quickly lowered her head, "Your Highness Prince Jing."

He changed out of his formal attire and put on an elegant pine-green brocade robe.

The fabric shimmered and rippled, giving his still somewhat sickly face a touch of color.

The weariness in his eyes and brows had vanished, and his posture was as upright as bamboo shoots in the evening breeze.

She was indeed exceptionally elegant and a peerless beauty.

The aunt couldn't help but wonder, how long had she been unconscious?

Shen Nanzi, who had been sleeping for so many days, had not been able to fall asleep again since waking up.

My chest still hurts a bit, but I'm able to get out of bed and move around.

Therefore, when Xie Yan entered the room, she was wearing a light green gauze dress, leaning slightly forward to protect her chest.

With his left hand resting on the edge of the table, he was engrossed in reading a storybook.

Although her face was still pale, her energy and spirit had recovered considerably, making her look like a completely different person from when she was unconscious in bed.

Shen Nanzi felt the storybook in her hand suddenly blocked by a shadow. She raised her eyes slightly and saw a pair of moon-colored embroidered emerald cloud-patterned brocade boots.

The faint scent of ambergris at the tip of his nose made him want to keep reading the storybook without even looking up.

"It's getting late, why aren't you lighting a lamp? Reading like this is bad for your eyes!"

When Shen Nanzi heard his voice, she was reminded of the side room in the Pingyang Marquis's mansion.

After the maid was killed, a wooden box about the thickness of a finger was left on her body.

She opened it and took a look; it was the box containing the poisoned needle, and the wooden box faintly smelled of ambergris.

Ambergris was reserved for royalty, who were also particular about recognizing people by their scents. They would add other fragrances to avoid smelling like each other.

Xie Yan's ambergris contains agarwood, and its fragrance has a calming quality that is very easy to identify.

The moment she was struck by the poisoned arrow, she handed the wooden box to Xie Yu.

Xie Yu found out what happened next, but since it was inconvenient for her to go inside, she wrote a note and slipped it into the storybook, then asked her aunt to give it to her.

She had just learned that the maid was a bounty hunter who had taken the job to kill her from the Phantom Pavilion.

The Phantom Pavilion has a powerful background, and no one can obtain detailed information about the person who hired the killer from there, so the clues have gone cold.

However, the ambergris indicated that Xie Yan had touched that wooden box.

Regardless of whether he was assassinated or not, he is inextricably linked to this matter.

His change of attitude towards her is for Xue Qingning's sake, and it cannot be ruled out that he might take action against her.

The first maid came to kill her.

The second group of men in black, however, were heading straight for Xie Yu.

Xie Yu is a carefree prince who poses no threat to anyone. So who wants to kill him?

Xie Yu couldn't find out, but she had some clues and would have to confirm them with her brother another day.

Upon hearing Xie Yan's words, she closed the book, looked up, and gazed at the colors outside the window.

"It's getting late, I'm not watching anymore!"

He pretends, and so does she.

Shen Nanzi's memory was still stuck at the moment she was shot by the arrow. During her subsequent coma, apart from some scattered dreams, there was nothing else.

Then there was Xie Yu's voice when she woke up.

Seeing her unusually obedient demeanor, Xie Yan felt a slight reduction in his bitterness and his gaze fell on the storybook in her hand.

The words were new, and the outer leather cover was still lying on the table beside him.

The suppressed bitterness resurfaced, surely a gift from Xie Yu.

They really understand each other; they can even consider such small things.

I thought about how they had known each other for a very long time and often met at the flower and bird hut.

Xie Yan's heart was heavy, sinking to the bottom.

Seeing him staring at the storybook, Shen Nanzi, fearing he might open the slips of paper inside, said:

"I was lying in bed with a sore back and aching waist, and I wasn't allowed to leave the room, so I could only watch it to pass the time."

As she spoke, she held out her right hand, palm up, "Do you have any books like these? Lend me a few, I'll return them to you after I've read them."

Xie Yan's expression was solemn, a bitter smile playing on his lips as he slowly asked, "What kind of content do you like to watch?"

"Talented men and beautiful women, gods and ghosts, and strange tales from the streets are all welcome."

The imperial physician came to take her pulse and said that she had narrowly escaped death, but her internal organs were damaged, and she needed to rest for a period of time.

She cherished her life, so she naturally listened to the imperial physician and took good care of herself.

Xie Yan looked at her slightly thin outer garment, took a shawl from the wooden rack, and draped it over her shoulders.

Shen Nanzi stared wide-eyed at his actions, wondering if she was seeing a ghost!

When Xie Yan approached her, he smelled the strong medicinal scent on her body, and he noticed her stiffness and the shock in her eyes.

His fingers ran through the back of her neck, his fingertips touching her cool skin, and he gently pulled out the hair that was pressed under the shawl, letting it fall behind her.

His fingers brushed against her cheek unintentionally, and for a moment, his body trembled slightly.

"It's not summer yet, so you have to keep warm in spring. What if you catch a cold and cough? Your chest can't take it."

His voice wasn't gentle; it carried some of his previous indifference, along with other indescribable emotions.

However, his overly intimate behavior aroused Shen Nanzi's suspicion.

He pulled her close to his chest, glanced at the storybook on the table, and then turned and left.

Shen Nanzi felt like she had seen a ghost, so she called her aunt in.

"Grandma, has Xie Yan been away from Prince Jing's residence every day lately?"

Auntie looked at the extra shawl on Shen Nanzi's shoulders and recalled the days and nights with Xie Yan. She wanted to tell the truth.

Then he thought of the princess's health, which made it unsuitable for her to be entangled in romantic relationships.

What if Prince Jing's guilt is only temporary, and the Princess rekindles her old feelings for him?

So, one day in the future, His Highness Prince Jing will hurt the Princess again.

The princess would probably die on the spot.

Thinking of this possibility, the aunt lied against her conscience and said, "Yes, Your Highness."

Shen Nanzi nodded, indicating that she understood.

*

A bookstore in Luoyang.

"Sir, these books are selling extremely well at our bookstore."

Xie Yan nodded.

Wuying already had more than ten storybooks stacked in his hands, and then he added a few more, which made his body tremble.

The waiter quickly called for help to move it to the counter.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Xue Qingning, wearing a veil, was also browsing books in front of the bookshelf with two maids.

She came here specifically after learning that Xie Yan was here.

During Xie Yan's poisoning, she was ultimately unable to visit him due to Xue Yubai's obstruction.

She was still angry about what happened at Zuixianlou.

But compared to the crisis of his poisoning, she had already let go of the past.

As long as he is safe, she is not such a narrow-minded person.

After all, he had a falling out with Shen Nanzi because of her, and the mother and son had to rely on him.

Xue Qingning's fingers traced across the pages of the books, anticipating an unexpected encounter with Xie Yan around the next corner.

She took the initiative to find him, having already set aside all her pride.

"Recommend some more beautiful women and talented men," Xie Yan's voice drifted across the bookshelf.

Xue Qingning paused, tilting her head to listen.

"Oh!" the waiter exclaimed in realization. "Sir, you're buying this for a lady, aren't you? Please come with me."