20demayo Chapter 253
Chapter 253
Daylight broke, and my dream shattered.
A fine, throbbing pain wound its way from her heart, slowly engulfing her and pulling her into a sea of bitterness. She struggled desperately, tearing and trying to escape its hold, but the more she struggled, the more unbearable the pain became. The salty, bitter seawater gradually submerged her; she couldn't breathe, her whole body went numb, and she slowly lost the strength to resist.
In a daze, there was another very soft sigh, and a pair of hands broke through the silent sea surface, suddenly pulling her out.
Liu Qingxu murmured, gazing into Nalan Jingwen's eyes. Her eyes were beautiful, like a finely crafted work of art, devoid of any emotion, simply looking at her calmly. The suffocating pain receded like the tide, and her restless heart gradually calmed down.
"Why are you crying?"
Her voice was clear and soft, like snowmelt from the top of the Tibetan mountains, clean and steady yet with a hint of coldness. Liu Qingxu suddenly came back to his senses, lowered his head, and tried to cover it up.
"It's nothing, it's just that I feel so sorry for the prince, I really don't know how to repay him."
Upon hearing this, Nalan Jing handed her the ointment, wiped his hands clean with a handkerchief, and said indifferently, "I haven't even avenged you yet, and you're already thinking about how to repay me?"
She paused, looking at her stunned expression, and continued, "It seems your mother has indeed taught you very well."
The moment Liu Qingxu found her, all her information was presented to her, and she naturally knew about her family situation.
Mentioning his mother, Liu Qingxu suddenly clenched the ointment in his hand, his pale lips pressed into a straight line, and he stared at Nalan Jingwen without saying a word.
The latter said casually, "You don't need to do these trivial things. Once everything has settled down, you might as well consider how to repay me."
"You know what I want."
She doesn't do anything meaningless. Whether driven by self-interest or personal gain, her sole purpose is Liu Qingxu.
Her Heaven and Earth Pavilion now spans four kingdoms. Her meager salary and shop income are simply not enough to support such a vast intelligence network. She needs money, lots of money, and a business empire of her own to support the development and operation of her forces. Liu Qingxu is the person she is most satisfied with.
"I will give you time to consider. I do not like to force others. If you do not want to follow me, I will not stop you."
Just like before, she would never force Liu Qingxu to say no.
What she wants is willing submission, eternal surrender; what is forced will eventually leave.
Liu Qingxu opened her mouth but couldn't utter a word. She didn't give Nalan Jingwen a reply. Nalan Jingwen wasn't in a hurry either. She hadn't avenged her great grudge yet, and she didn't have the energy to think about anything else.
Silence fell inside the carriage, broken only by the crackling of the burning charcoal. The snow was falling heavier and heavier, making it even more difficult for the carriage to move. The temperature plummeted, and Liu Qingxu, who was now weak, was shivering from the cold. He put on several layers of clothing and huddled in a corner of the carriage.
Nalan Jingwen lifted the carriage curtain, and a servant immediately came over and respectfully asked, "Miss, is there anything you need?"
Nalan Jingwen waved her hand, and the servants retreated again. Her calm gaze fell in one direction. The atmosphere in the air became chaotic for a moment, but quickly returned to normal. She looked away, and suddenly a rustling sound came from above. She looked up and saw a black eagle darting through the wind and snow, and then landing steadily on her arm.
Nalan Jingwen remained expressionless, patted its head, and the black eagle nuzzled her palm. Then it raised one leg, and Nalan Jingwen took the letter from its leg, patted its head again, and waited for the black eagle to fly away before opening the letter she had taken from its leg.
Black Hawk was trained by the Heaven and Earth Pavilion and was specially sent to deliver intelligence. Only Cheng He had this authority, so it must be something important.
He glanced casually at the contents of the letter, his expression gradually becoming serious, and his brows furrowed slightly.
The letter said that after Xue Qingheng left, he hurriedly bid farewell to Nalan Fengxing and returned to his country, where Qi was in great chaos.
Nangong Shiyu had only been on the throne for a short time. Although his foundation was not yet solid, it was only a matter of time before a woman appeared out of nowhere. During the time Xue Qingheng was away, she claimed to be the late emperor's daughter who had been living away from home. She even held the imperial seal and led 150,000 Nanling soldiers guarding the border to forcefully break into the palace and force Nangong Shiyu to abdicate.
The Nanling Army has guarded the border for many years and has never participated in the war between the court and the central government. Led by General Zhong Que, the army has fought on the battlefield for many years without ever making a mistake. It is an iron-blooded army of Qilin.
The incident happened suddenly, and Nangong Shiyu received no news at all. She was even unable to resist. The palace guards were no match for her and were placed under house arrest in the Taiji Hall by the woman.
The second princess, Nangong Muwan, actually gave all her power to that woman and took the initiative to befriend her. All the ministers who were loyal to Nangong Shiyu were detained.
Nalan Jingwen looked solemn. She crumpled the letter in her hand into a ball, which then turned into dust and dissipated in the air.
The power in Qi Lin's court was once divided into three factions. After Nangong Jiuyan died, those factions behind her were leaderless and could no longer cause any trouble, so they naturally declined. Given the general trend, Nangong Muwan would not be foolish enough to go against Nangong Shiyu. The remaining people were either directly under Nangong Shiyu's forces or neutral. It was a matter of the victor taking the throne, and they would pledge allegiance to whoever won.
Nangong Shiyu is in a very bad situation now.
To her surprise, the Heaven and Earth Pavilion couldn't find out anything about the woman; it was as if she had appeared out of thin air.
The letter stated that after the death of Emperor Qi Lin, the imperial seal vanished into thin air. A thorough search of the entire imperial city yielded no results. Xue Qingheng suppressed the news to prevent panic, and he certainly wouldn't allow this to affect Nangong Shiyu's ascension to the throne. Therefore, he forged an imperial seal to help Nangong Shiyu ascend the throne while secretly sending people to search for the original seal. However, he never expected the seal to fall into the hands of that woman, who could even command the Nanling army. Was this the work of the late emperor, or was there another hidden story?
After fighting for so many years, Nangong Shiyu and the other two have ended up benefiting others.
Nalan Jingwen lowered her eyes, her jade-like fingertips slowly tapping the table, one tap after another, producing a slightly muffled sound.
If Qi Lin changes hands, Feng Tian, who is currently on good terms with Qi Lin, will also be affected. It is unknown what Nalan Fengxing will do.
She had no doubt about Xue Qingheng's abilities, but the other party was unknown and shrouded in mystery. Her background was a complete blank, and even the Heaven and Earth Pavilion could not find out about the woman's background, only that the woman's name was Yu An.
Nangong Yu'an.
Nalan Jingwen pondered these words, her brows furrowing even deeper. Something in her heart seemed to loosen, making her extremely uncomfortable. She clutched her chest, feeling that strange sensation. Seeing her like this, Liu Qingxu asked with concern, "Your Highness, are you feeling unwell again?"
Nalan Jingwen shook his head, "No need to worry."
Liu Qingxu hesitated, then could only look at her with concern.
Nalan Jingwen closed his eyes and leaned against the carriage, his mind filled with countless thoughts.
Xue Qingheng is, after all, a person from the Divine Realm, so he will naturally not be harmed. If he wants to take Nangong Shiyu away, it will be easy. It's just unknown whether he has a way to deal with it. The throne of Qi Lin cannot fall into the hands of someone of unknown origin.
Recalling Xue Qingheng's methods, Nalan Jingwen felt slightly relieved, but he still needed to send someone to investigate Nangong Yu'an thoroughly.
Since we can't find anything at the Heaven and Earth Pavilion, then we can only look at the Red Passion Pavilion.
Red Love Pavilion...
Thinking of this, a beautiful and flamboyant face appeared in her mind, and she felt another headache coming on.