newbobooks Chapter 278
Chapter 278
Liu Qingxu remained silent, hesitating. This prompted Nalan Jingwen to glance at her a few more times. Seeing that she was genuinely considering taking the carriage in the back, he said, "Charcoal is only available here with me. Have you thought it through?"
Before Liu Qingxu could speak, she heard the sound of horses' hooves outside. She excitedly pulled back the curtain and rushed out. The cold wind rushed into the carriage, startling the person in her arms.
Nalan Yin was awakened by the wind. Still sleepy, she instinctively reached out to hug Nalan Jingwen, calling out, "Sister."
Her voice was soft and gentle, with a husky quality from just waking up.
Nalan Jingwen lifted the person up in her arms, and Nalan Yin wrapped her arms around her waist, buried her head in her neck, and nestled herself in her warm embrace. Her black hair was casually draped behind her, and the familiar scent lingered around her nose. A satisfied smile appeared on her face.
It's very warm, warmer than ever before.
Back when he spent the winter in the palace, he would go around doing chores for the palace servants, doing all sorts of hard labor, like boiling water and chopping wood. He could split four pieces of wood from one log. He wasn't very strong, so he had to do it many times to cut a log in half. The rough axe handle would make his hands numb from the impact. At first, he would get blisters on his hands, and then the blisters would burst, leaving his hands a bloody mess. Just when they started to heal, he would get blisters again, and then the scabs would break again. At first, the pain was unbearable, and he could barely hold the axe steady. The axe handle would be covered in blood, and he would be scolded by the palace servants.
As I did more work, calluses formed on my hands, and I no longer felt so much pain that I couldn't even lift an axe. I chopped wood much faster and was rarely scolded.
He also took care of almost all the palace servants' clothes. The palace servants didn't have hot water to wash their clothes. It was okay in the summer, but in the winter, no one wanted to wash clothes because the water was as cold as ice. After washing clothes for a while, their hands would turn red and stiff from the cold. He had to wash a lot of clothes each time, piling them up like small mountains. Even when his hands were numb from the cold, he still had to wash them. Even when his hands were chapped, he still had to continue. There were too many clothes and the time was too long. He couldn't stand bending over all the time, but he had no choice. When the pain became unbearable, he would straighten up and rest for a while, and then continue when he felt a little better.
This is how I get chilblains on my hands and back injuries every winter.
He did so much just to ensure that the palace servants refused to use inferior charcoal, even though it produced a lot of smoke and was choking. He cherished it all, because without it, he would have frozen to death in one winter after another.
Every time he got charcoal, he used it with extra care, dividing it into portions so as not to use too much. The smoke was very pungent, but he felt very warm, and that was when he felt happiest.
That's great, he'll be able to get through another winter.
But now, he felt that this embrace was warmer than the charcoal fire back then. Back then, he had curled up in the corner of the bed, warming himself with the charcoal fire he had so painstakingly obtained, and felt like the happiest person in the world. But now, he felt that the warmth of that time was nothing.
Nalan Jing noticed that his arms around her waist tightened a little more. She gently stroked his hair and asked softly, "What's wrong? Are you hungry?"
Nalan Yin buried her face in her neck, gently shook her head, then raised her head to look at Nalan Jingwen, her eyes wet and a smile spreading across her lips.
"Yin'er is very happy."
He leaned in and gently placed a kiss on her lips, which lasted only briefly.
"Thank you."
Fortunately, he is still alive. As long as he is alive, he can stay with Nalan Jingwen and grow old together.
It's so good to be alive.
Every hurdle is difficult, but every hurdle can be overcome.
Nalan Jingwen didn't know why he suddenly thanked her. She just stared at his wet eyes, which were like a kitten's and as beautiful as glass beads. She slowly approached, and Nalan Yin subconsciously closed his eyes. His dark eyelashes trembled slightly, like butterflies fluttering their wings. The soft touch landed on his eyes, soothing his unease. The butterfly wings finally stopped trembling and returned to calm.
A soft laugh reached his ears.
"Are you hungry?"
Nalan Yin opened her eyes and saw a nonchalant smile on her face, but seriousness in her eyes.
"A little."
Nalan Jingwen placed a plate of pastries in his hands, saying, "Eat some first to fill your stomach, and then eat more when we get to town."
As soon as he finished speaking, the curtain was lifted again, and Nalan Jingwen frowned slightly and looked up.
Liu Qingxu paused, looking at Nalan Jingwen with a hint of apology, "Your Highness, may I ask you for a favor?"
"what's up?"
Liu Qingxu chuckled twice and said, "Could Achu sit in this carriage?"
Nalan Jingwen raised his hand to wipe the pastry crumbs from Nalan Yin's lips, raising an eyebrow slightly. "What, not sitting with your fiancé?"
"Well, that carriage doesn't have any charcoal, so I thought Ah Chu could ride in this carriage while I ride in the one in the back. I'm a woman, so I'm more resistant to the cold than men. I don't mind a little cold wind, but Ah Chu can't."
As she spoke, she quickly raised her hand and swore to the heavens, "Your Highness, I promise he will not interfere with you!"
Nalan Jing chuckled but did not reply. Liu Qingxu was unsure of her attitude and hesitated for a moment.
Nalan Yin glanced at her again, then looked through the gap in the curtain at the man standing outside the carriage. He was handsome, wearing a mink cloak that ordinary people couldn't afford. He had fair skin and a fair face that was slightly red from the wind, but his eyes held a determination that ordinary men didn't have.
He looked up, as if to say something, but Nalan Jingwen squeezed his slightly cool fingertips and said to Liu Qingxu, "No."
Liu Qingxu's smile vanished instantly. He said "okay" in disappointment and was about to turn and leave when he heard Nalan Jingwen's voice from inside the car. His tone was indifferent.
"There's still some extra charcoal. We don't need that much here, so take some with you."
Liu Qingxu was taken aback for a moment, then realized what was happening, immediately knelt down to express his gratitude, and turned around happily to find Shen Chu.
……
The journey was relatively peaceful, with a few occasional assassination attempts along the way, but none of them were worth mentioning.
The letter from the manor arrived along with the letter from the Heaven and Earth Pavilion. The entire Qi Lin court had undergone a complete reshuffle. Nangong Yu'an had already declared himself emperor, and the speed was astonishing. Nangong Shiyu and Qi Lin's Grand Tutor Xue Qingheng had disappeared without a trace. Nangong Yu'an ordered that if the two were seen, they should be killed without exception.
After she became empress, she extended invitations to the other three kingdoms in the hope of cooperation, but the three kingdoms remained in a wait-and-see mode and did not respond.
Qi Lin and Feng Tian had originally reached an agreement, but now that the country has changed hands, the cooperation naturally needs to be reconsidered. Nalan Fengxing is not someone who doesn't know his limits, which made Nalan Jingwen feel a little more at ease.
The fact that Nangong Shiyu and Xue Qingheng have gone missing is not necessarily a bad thing, at least they are still alive.
After reading the letter, she destroyed it, wrote down some instructions, pinned them to the black eagle's feet, patted its head, and the black eagle rubbed against Nalan Jingwen's palm before spreading its wings and flying into the sky.
A pair of hands reached out from behind and hugged her neck. Nalan Yin leaned close to her ear, her breath intimate.
"I've heard that the new Emperor Qi Lin has a Grand Tutor by his side, who is so wise he's almost supernatural, and incredibly talented. He has all the affairs of the world under his control. He was the one who orchestrated Nangong Yu'an's successful ascension to the throne. Does your sister know about this?"