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When things were too painful, each mention of them was like a thousand arrows through the heart.
Empress Dowager Zhuang could wrap herself tightly in cold armor, but underneath that armor, her heart was not much different from an ordinary person"s. It could be hurt, and it could feel pain.
It was just that Empress Dowager Zhuang carried too many burdens; she couldn"t indulge in pain, only endure it and move forward.
Empress Dowager Zhuang said, "Keep an eye on her and find out what she took from the nunnery that night."
Eunuch Qin was startled.
What?
Princess Ning"an took something from the nunnery?
Hadn’t she been there to pay respects to Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing? Could it be... her mourning for the deceased was just a pretense, and taking something was the real purpose!
This explained why, despite knowing that Empress Dowager Zhuang hated Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing, Princess Ning"an still risked falling out of favor to visit the nunnery where Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing used to live.
Of course, the information revealed by this statement wasn’t just that Princess Ning"an took something from the nunnery. It also raised questions about why Princess Ning"an took it and why Empress Dowager Zhuang wanted to investigate.
If it were just an ordinary keepsake, Empress Dowager Zhuang wouldn"t need to investigate.
If it weren"t an ordinary keepsake, this matter became more complicated.
Eunuch Qin, in the end, was someone who had weathered storms alongside Empress Dowager Zhuang. With numerous experiences of turbulence, his psychological resilience had naturally grown stronger.
What could possibly surprise him? Right?
However, at this moment, he couldn"t help but want to shout—— Unbelievable!
……
On the other side, Little Jing Kong entered the palace again.
This time, he came by himself!
...Riding Liu Quan"s carriage.
He came to look for Huangfu Xian.
Because of the unpleasant incident with Huangfu Xian before, Grandaunt didn"t allow him to visit Bixia Palace again. So, he had to sneak in!
Huangfu Xian sat by the window, lost in thought.
Lian"er was in his room, tidying up his clothes. Lian"er gave him a strange look, thinking that since the young master was injured that day, he liked to stare out the window in a daze.
On such a cold day, wasn"t he afraid of freezing himself?
Clearly, he was someone who was afraid of the cold.
"Young master." Lian"er asked him, "Do you want this servant to close the window a bit?"
"No need." Huangfu Xian said indifferently.
"Then let me pour you a cup of hot tea." Lian"er put down the partially folded clothes, poured a cup of warm ginger tea, and walked towards Huangfu Xian.
Right at that moment, a round little head suddenly popped up outside the window.
Huangfu Xian"s eyes flickered, and he reached out to press down that round little head.
"Lian"er!"
"What"s wrong, young master?"
Huangfu Xian calmly said, "I"m hungry. Hurry and get me something to eat!"
Lian"er looked at the cup in her hand, "What about this tea?"
Huangfu Xian impatiently said, "Don"t want to drink it! Pour it out!"
Huangfu Xian"s constant mood swings made Lian"er accustomed to it, and she didn"t suspect anything. She put down the ginger tea and walked out of the room.
Once he confirmed that she was far away, Huangfu Xian withdrew his hand from pressing someone"s head.
That little mushroom head really grew out like a mushroom.
"Little big brother!"
Little Jing Kong tilted his head, looking cute!
Huangfu Xian turned his face away, "Ugly."
Little Jing Kong looked up and down, picked up the little fox playing in the snow on the ground, and said regretfully, "Little big brother says you"re ugly."
The little fox who was inexplicably blamed: “...!!”
The windowsill was a bit high, but Little Jing Kong was a clever child. He moved a flowerpot to stand on, supported the windowsill with both hands, lifted one short leg, and easily climbed up.
Huangfu Xian looked at the small mushroom with disdain.
Unaware that he was being looked down upon, the little mushroom on the windowsill turned in a different direction, aimed its little b.u.t.tocks at Huangfu Xian, and slid down smoothly.
It was too high, and jumping down would result in injury, so this was the only way.
Huangfu Xian watched the little b.u.t.tocks almost hitting his face, and with great effort, he resisted the impulse to push him off the windowsill.
After landing, Little Jing Kong turned around and politely greeted Huangfu Xian again, "Little big brother!"
Huangfu Xian snorted.
Ordinary people would find Huangfu Xian annoying and difficult to approach, but Little Jing Kong didn"t feel that way at all.
On the contrary, he found Huangfu Xian quite friendly.
After all, that was how Gu Yan treated people at home.
It was just that Gu Yan didn"t have the same level of hostility as Huangfu Xian. Gu Yan had a spoiled temperament and occasional tantrums, while Huangfu Xian seemed to live in perpetual darkness. His heart was extremely obscure, and he could spend entire afternoons without any sign of life, sometimes resembling a lifeless corpse.
No one liked him, or more precisely, no one dared not to fear him.
Just a glance from him could make children cry loudly, and as for their parents, whenever he revealed his crippled leg, unexpected expressions would appear on their faces.
It was a face that made him want to laugh heartily in a sinister way.
"Little big brother, were you waiting for me?" Little Jing Kong pointed to the spot where he was sitting, close to the window with a clear view of the courtyard.
"Why would I wait for you? Can you be eaten or drunk?" Huangfu Xian asked in a not-so-kindly tone.
"I have food! Here, for you!" Little Jing Kong took out a small oil-paper package from his bag, revealing a few shiny candied fruits. "These are candied fruits made by my Granduncle. They"re really delicious!"
Huangfu Xian: "..."
Could this kid not understand people?
Huangfu Xian disliked sweet and sticky things like these candied fruits, and also disliked children who looked too pretty.
Of course, he disliked ugly people even more.
In short, he didn"t like anyone!
"Little big brother, take it." Little Jing Kong stuffed the package of candied fruits into his hand.
The child had just played in the snow, and his fingertips were icy, but his palms were sweaty, soft and warm, a strange and delightful sensation.
After giving him the candied fruits, Little Jing Kong withdrew his little hands, leaning on the armrest of the wheelchair, looking at him. "Little big brother, is your injury healed?"
"Yeah." Huangfu Xian replied indifferently.
"Let me see." Little Jing Kong was a meticulous child who needed to see things for himself.
"Why are you so troublesome?" Huangfu Xian grumbled impatiently.
He wouldn"t willingly show his wounds to others, but when Little Jing Kong reached out with that soft, gentle hand to grasp his, he didn"t resist.
That cat-like soft touch came again.
Little Jing Kong examined carefully and nodded seriously after a while, "Hmm, it"s recovering well. The scab will fall off in a few days. Don"t scratch it."
Huangfu Xian coldly harrumphed, "As if I would."
"Little big brother, your hands are really good-looking." Little Jing Kong held his clean and slender hand, admiration clear in his eyes.
To be fair, Huangfu Xian did have beautiful hands——distinct joints, long and fair fingers, delicately carved like jade.
This was the first time someone praised him for being good-looking, even if it was just his hands.Raz P."s Thoughts
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