Ning Lianchen was evidently shocked by her words. Liu Yinyin is still young; how can she possibly understand the feelings between men and women? She simply doesn’t like me favouring others because she has no family and has depended on me for so long.The only reason I treat Fang Lingdang well is because I feel guilty for holding her in the imperial palace. Once the matters in court have stabilised, regardless of how Fang Lingdang implores me to let her stay, I will definitely send her out of the palace.
“Lianchen, I see that you were unaware of this. I neglected to teach you about such things.” Su Xi-er slowly said with a trace of self-reproach.
Ning Lianchen replied, “Imperial Elder Sister, this is a trivial matter that I don’t need you to teach me about. Besides, my heart has no room for such a thing anyways; I should be focusing on ruling the country.”
He took out a wooden hairpin from his sleeve and passed it to Su Xi-er. “This is your wedding gift that I’ve personally carved.”
Su Xi-er accepted the wooden hairpin and closely examined it. It was made of peachwood, with the characters for ‘Xi’ and ‘Hao’ carved onto the handle.
Su Xi-er was visibly moved as she clutched the hairpin to her chest. “I didn’t expect you to know how to carve so well. Your Imperial Elder Sister likes it very much.”
“Imperial Elder Sister, you are Su Xi-er in this lifetime. The person known as Ning Rulan is part of the past. I can tell after watching him that Prince Hao is sincere towards you, and that you have made the right choice this time around. It makes me feel gratified that the effort I spent carving this hairpin hasn’t been in vain. Only if you stay together with Prince Hao can I rest easy.”
Su Xi-er stared at Ning Lianchen. He has grown into an upright and steadfast man who’s attentive to details.
“Imperial Elder Sister, the wind is blowing. Let’s go inside to warm ourselves.” Ning Lianchen gestured his hand forward. It went without saying that his personality had matured, but Ning Lianchen was now also very tall, much different from the times when he had darted into his sister’s embrace as a child. Right now, he was like a grown man leading the way.
A heater that had been placed in the room had already warmed it up, leading to a warm current of air hitting Su Xi-er’s face as she watched Ning Lianchen pull out a chair for her. “Imperial Elder Sister, have a seat. I’ll pour some tea for you.” Before long, a hot cup of tea was handed to her.
Su Xi-er took the cup and had a small sip. “You should go and check on Yinyin. She was crying so intensely that I’m afraid that things could worsen if you don’t go.”
“She will stop crying after a while. Besides, I will be able to see her every day in the future, but the same does not hold true for you, Imperial Elder Sister.” Ning Lianchen’s eyes were smiling, happy that his sister had found the right person.
“Grand Tutor Liu died for the country, and Yinyin was deprived of her father’s love because of that. Lianchen, you have to take care of her.” Su Xi-er set down the teacup and advised him.
Reminded of Grand Tutor Liu, a trace of sorrow flickered across his eyes. “I owe her too much, and will definitely treat her well.”
“Why are you still not going then?” Su Xi-er urged him.
Ning Lianchen was hesitant. “Imperial Elder Sister, even if I am going to stay in Beimin for a period of time, it wouldn’t be that long. I don’t know when I’ll be able to see you again.”
Afraid that Su Xi-er would ask him to leave again, he decided to switch the topic. “Imperial Elder Sister, Prince Yun seems to have changed for the better. However, I don’t know if it’s true, or if he’s just faking it.”
Su Xi-er’s brows furrowed. Yun Ruofeng excels at concealing his emotions. How can he possibly turn over a new leaf?
“Imperial Elder Sister, some of the more obstinate officials initially didn’t agree to the new policy, but they were immediately silenced after Prince Yun passed down an order. Right now, the new policy has been implemented well, and the commoners are singing its praises. Those officials have nothing more to say now.”
“He even returned the imperial power to you?”
