Li Wanming was absolutely furious!
She stared at the emperor who was following not far away, her knuckles turning white from clenching so tightly that she even left a crescent - shaped mark on the reins in her hand. If it weren't for the public eye, she would have liked to slap this scoundrel across the face!
By acting like this, where did he put Wanxin?
If she couldn't enter the palace later, how could her elder sister face herself?
Wanxin was a person who cherished her reputation so much, yet now she was left in a dilemma because of him...
"Hey, I never thought that this reckless guy, Zhao the Second, could be so into a woman..." Feng Xiao leaned against the hitching post with his arms folded, clicking his tongue in amazement. "This is probably giving up the whole country just to make you happy!"
A cold glare shot over. Li Wanming stared at him with an ashen face.
"Oh? General Feng seems to understand it well," Li Wanming said coldly, her voice as icy as shards. "I almost forgot that General Feng has a newly - wedded beauty at home. I wonder if Lady Feng will ever be treated like this, having the whole country given up for her?"
Hearing her mention Fang Zhi, Feng Xiao immediately jumped like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. His handsome face turned deathly pale. "Why bring her up out of the blue? She's probably just waiting for me to die on the battlefield so she can happily become a charming widow..."
Xiao Jingnan gave him a sympathetic look, motioned towards the kitchen with his eyes, and coughed lightly. "The kitchen must have prepared the meals by now. Do you want to go and see what's to eat?"
"Sure, sure, I'll go right away!" Feng Xiao was like a prisoner granted amnesty and disappeared in a flash.
"My lady..."
After a while, Xiao Jingnan said softly.
"Shut up!"
Li Wanming interrupted him rudely.
"If you're still going to tell me today that making a girl from the Li family the queen can avoid the problems caused by the empress's relatives, you'd better keep your mouth shut!"
"..."
Xiao Jingnan awkwardly scratched his nose. After a moment of silence, he suddenly smiled. "I think you don't respect your elder sister."
"What?" Li Wanming frowned.
"I mean," Xiao Jingnan explained patiently. "You somewhat underestimate your elder sister and don't really care about her thoughts... Don't be in a hurry. Let me finish."
"What kind of person do you think your elder sister is?"
"Hmm?"
"She took care of you two since you were kids and managed all the household affairs, making everything in order. Do you think she's the kind of person who has no thoughts of her own and is completely at others' mercy?"
"My elder sister..." Li Wanming was about to speak, but Xiao Jingnan gently waved his hand to interrupt her. "It's true that your elder sister is kind and gentle, but kindness and gentleness don't mean being weak and easy to bully. It doesn't mean she's a puppet at others' disposal."
"If she really detested the emperor's behavior, with her wisdom, she'd have at least ten ways to avoid these entanglements."
The sunlight filtered through the tree branches, casting dappled shadows on his eyebrows. His dark eyes looked into hers. "My lady, have you ever wondered why your elder sister has always allowed the emperor to follow her all the way?"
The corner of Xiao Jingnan's lips curled slightly, and his voice was as soft as a feather brushing against the heart.
"Maybe... this is actually your elder sister's wish."
Li Wanming was stunned and couldn't say a word for a while.
Yes, her elder sister had a gentle and conservative personality. But once she made a decision, she was as resolute as thunder and fire and would never change it.
Back then, she gave Chen Lin countless chances. Even though the Chen family had hurt and humiliated her, she still whole - heartedly wanted to be a good daughter - in - law of the Chen family...
However, once she decided to get a divorce, she did it immediately and firmly. She even didn't hesitate to drive Chen Lin out of the house with feces and water!
Facing Zhao Yanke's persistent pursuit, was it really just because she had no way to get rid of him that she had to endure it all the way?
"I think..." Xiao Jingnan said softly. "Your elder sister may not have no feelings for the emperor."
"But... but..." Li Wanming suddenly panicked and stammered. "If... if she marries the emperor, she'll have to enter the palace!"
"So what if she enters the palace?" Xiao Jingnan looked at her deeply. "My lady, if at the moment when you discovered my identity, I wasn't the heir of the Prince of Ning but a certain prince... What would you do then?"
A smile played on his lips, and his phoenix - like eyes were shining brightly, as if they contained the stars in the sky.
"Would you leave me just to avoid entering the palace?"
Li Wanming was suddenly stunned, and her breath caught for a moment.
She suddenly blushed and lowered her head, rubbing the tip of her shoe. "You... you're not..."
"Look," the corner of Xiao Jingnan's lips curved up slightly. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear with his index finger. "People all say that once you enter the palace gate, you're cut off from the world. But if the person you love is there..."
He suddenly pointed to the window on the second floor. There, Wanxin was bending over to arrange a lotus flower. The sunlight passed through the petals and cast little pink shadows on her plain white robe, like morning glow on snow.
Zhao Yanke beside her was eagerly handing her scissors, grinning from ear to ear.
"If the one you love is there—" Xiao Jingnan smiled softly. "Even a mountain of swords and a sea of fire would become a fairyland on earth."
...
When the convoy set off again, Li Wanming, for the first time, got into Wanxin's carriage.
The brocade curtains filtered the sunlight into a soft amber color, and the incense was curling up from the gilded censer in the shape of a lion.
"What's wrong? Why are you willing to come and accompany me?" Wanxin reached out to feel her forehead. "Are you not feeling well? You used to hate the stuffy carriage the most and would rather ride a horse under the sun."
Li Wanming was lying on the couch obliquely, burying her face in the pillow embroidered with intertwined lotus flowers, and replied in a muffled voice. "It's nothing. I'm just a bit tired of riding a horse for several days."
She wanted to ask Wanxin what she was thinking, but when it came to the moment, she didn't know how to start.
After Xiao Jingnan said those words to her, she was undecided. She went to discuss it with Wanmo and Liu Yiyi. But the attitudes of these two were a bit hard to describe...
Wanmo slapped her thigh. "You just realized it? I've long noticed that our elder sister has taken a fancy to that pretty boy!"
Li Wanming stammered. "It can't be..."
"Why not?" Wanmo said angrily. "All the way, she's either treating his wounds or boiling medicine for him... Hey! He's the emperor now. There are so many people serving him. Does he still need her to boil medicine for him? It's just a scratch on his虎口. It's already scabbed. Why does she need to check it every day?"
"Maybe elder sister is just... a doctor with a kind heart?" Li Wanming still refused to give up.
Wanmo scolded. "What kind - hearted doctor? She's just using her position for personal gain! Otherwise, I'm the one who was more seriously injured. Why doesn't she care about me like this?"
This... this was true.
Wanmo had come back from the gates of hell and had almost lost half her life. Logically speaking, she was the most seriously injured here.
However, apart from changing her dressing morning and evening, Wanxin didn't give her any special care.
"Ugh! She values love over friendship and is so ungrateful!" Wanmo scolded.
Liu Yiyi, on the other hand, had a different attitude.