Chapter 571 If I Can’t Escape It, I’ll Face It
“Who are you?”
That was Ning Xueyan’s biggest question today. What he said was true, but they weren’t things that he should be privy to. How old was he then? He must have been fairly young, so he wouldn’t be so clear about it, especially about her mother’s relationship with the Empress.
If he was rely the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min, she didn’t think he had any reason to know all these secrets.
Moreover, she was the only one speculating about this matter. She hadn’t told anyone, not even Lanning and Qingyu.
It wasn’t because she didn’t trust them; she simply preferred they didn’t get involved. The more people knew about it, the more troubleso things would be. She was roped into this unwillingly and didn’t want the people around her to get involved.
“I’m your maternal cousin. You can also call your paternal cousin,” Wen Xueran said, looking calmly at Ning Xueyan. He didn’t give her any chance to avoid the matter. “Our mothers are maternal cousins. Our fathers are paternal cousins who share the sa grandfather.”
“So, you’re also a descendant of the forr royal family!” Ning Xueyan muttered to herself. After a mont of astonishnt, she imdiately cald down. “Princely Heir Wen, I don’t care who you were or are. It has nothing to do with . I’m just , a lady from the Lord Protector’s Manor and the current Princess of the Prince Yi’s Manor. You should leave!”
Her mind was a ss. There seed to be a hint of enlightennt, but also of entanglent. She couldn’t explain it, let alone understand it. But when Wen Xueran opened his mouth to speak, she looked up at him. “Princely Heir Wen, please leave!”
She stood up and walked to the door as if she was going to open it for him.
Wen Xueran understood that he couldn’t be hasty at this mont. He nodded and stood up. Giving Ning Xueyan a aningful stare, he said, “The only reason I ca here today was to tell you your true identity. No matter what, you’re the princess of the forr dynasty and a descendant of the forr royal family. We belong to the sa family. I don’t want you to live without ever knowing your identity.”
Without waiting for her reply, he pushed the window by the back door and turned his head to look at Ning Xueyan who was standing there with her head down. “Cousin, the two of us are the only remaining descendants of the forr royal family. I hope we can help each other instead of distrusting and being hostile to each other.”
His figure then disappeared outside the window. If it weren’t for the shaking window fra, she would have thought it was all a dream, an unbelievable dream.
Ning Xueyan returned to the table and sat heavily on the chair. She stared blankly at the pastries on the table, her eyes looking dull under her long lashes.
She didn’t believe what he said. There was only ever one princess in the forr royal family and it was impossible for another to appear. Besides, she had never heard that the forr Empress was pregnant and left behind another daughter. Yet, she had a feeling that he was telling the truth.
Wen Xueran’s words ought to be true.
With his explanation, everything that she could never explain in the past suddenly made sense.
The birthmark on her body, the strange circumstances in which Madam Ming gave birth to her, the carriage who ca for Madam Ming on the night the palace burnt, Ning Zu’an and Madam Dowager’s complete disregard for her... Everything was proof that Wen Xueran’s words were true.
These words weigh so heavily on her heart that she could hardly breathe.
Was Ning Ziying her biological sister from the sa parents? That ant that she had been reborn in her own sister’s body.
Both sisters were tragic in their own ways: one drowned in the lotus pond and the other cried to death in the mourning hall. Their ti of death was nearly identical too. She felt so suffocated that she felt the urge to cry and laugh at the sa ti. But she could neither bring herself to cry or laugh. She was still stupefied.
Underneath her lowered head, sothing icy seed to have fallen on her skirt.
Both sisters suffered such sad and tragic fates. The mothers that she truly wanted to acknowledge weren’t her own, but what about her biological mother?
She hadn’t heard of any other news about the forr Empress. Everyone said that the forr Empress was martyred in the end, but why was she born then? Shouldn’t she have died for her country as well?
Earlier, she had wanted to ask about the Empress. Wen Xueran seed to know sothing about her. But she couldn’t bring herself to actually ask.
A fear had grasped her heart then, stopping her from asking.
She was afraid to learn that she had been abandoned. Both her past and current selves were orphans that had been abandoned. They were still so young then and one was even newly born. Yet, both suffered the sa fate. How could she not feel hurt?
“Greetings, Your Highness.” The maid’s voice ca from outside the door. She listened blankly without any expression.
“Where’s the Princess?” asked a cold voice.
“She’s inside.”
The sound of footsteps resounded and the door soon swung open. When the devastatingly handso man saw Ning Xueyan looking at him blankly, he paused. He closed the door and strode toward her. After lowering his head to look at her sullen expression, he carried her up.
Ning Xueyan was imdiately surrounded by his familiar breath and a pleasant sll.
“It’s fine. Don’t panic. You’re fine. I’m here with you!”
She was trembling all over. It wasn’t until she was in his embrace that she felt safe and warm.
“What happened? Don’t be scared. I’m here.” Ao Chenyi lowered his head to look at her. Her tears were falling like a broken string of pearls yet she was still quiet. It made him feel even more distressed. He knew that Ning Xueyan would be returning to the Lord Protector’s Manor today. After thinking about it, he decided to chase after her so he could keep her company.
Since the Lord Protector’s Manor would eventually end up in Ning Huaijing’s hands, it was only reasonable for him to show them so respect. Having a powerful family would only benefit Ning Xueyan.
He placed his chin on her head as he gently held her. He reached out to pat her back, gently soothing her like she was a baby. A trace of hostility crossed his eyes. Ning Xueyan looked like she had suffered a trendous shock. Why would this happen here out of nowhere? The woman in his arms had never shown any asure of fragility, so this made him furious.
“I... If I’m related to the forr royal family, what should I do?” Ning Xueyan asked, uttering the words with imnse difficulty. She had once asked him a similar question, but she was even more unsure this ti.
Ao Chenyi reached out to lift her chin and stared deeply into her eyes. “Even if you’re the forr princess, you’re still you.”
“I wouldn’t like you more because you’re the forr princess and neither would I like you less because you’re the forr princess. You’re just you. That’s all that matters to .”
Ning Xueyan struggled hard to understand what he ant. When she finally did, she slowly regained her sanity. She leaned against his chest as tears stread down her face.
He treated her as he usually did, so why should she suspect him?
Yet at that mont earlier, she truly felt like she was all alone in this world, and soone who was abandoned by the whole world at that.
He trusted her, he really did. He even hinted to her that even if she was the forr princess, he would believe in her like he always did. She was sure that he had investigated her before. Knowing his skills, he would have surely learned sothing.
He had always trodden cautiously because of his dealings with the Emperor. He lived every day like he was walking on a tightrope. Therefore, he would solve her issue satisfactorily. Since she couldn’t avoid this anymore, she would choose to face it! It was better than her past life, when she died without knowing anything.
Outside the yard, Lanning and the other maids listened to quiet, suppressed crying inside the room with pale faces. They didn’t know what to say. They didn’t know what happened in the room or why their master would cry so sorrowfully, but they couldn’t enter and check on her. They could only wait outside, worrying by themselves.
They hoped that nothing bad had happened.
When Ao Chenyi sensed that the woman in his arms was beginning to calm down, he caressed her head indulgently and comforted her in a soft voice. “All right, don’t cry anymore. If you have any problems, let solve it for you, okay? Just leave it to .”
“No, I’ll do it myself. I’ll find out what happened,” Ning Xueyan said resolutely, shaking her head. “You’ve already given two n. With them around, I think I can find out what’s going on in the backyard.”
She didn’t investigate thoroughly before because she was doubtful about certain matters. She herself was uncertain about it. Now that the veil had been lifted and she had no choice but to investigate, she might as well do a proper job. She must learn the truth, whether it be about Ning Ziying or Ning Xueyan.
The two biological sisters had dwindled to one now.
Ao Chenyi read her mind almost instantly. He held her gently and watched her use his robe as her handkerchief to wipe her tears. He said rather helplessly, “Okay, go ahead and investigate. Tell if you need anything. It won’t bother .”
He had just changed into a new robe to accompany her to the Lord Protector’s Manor. But after this episode, his new robe was a goner.
Even so, he couldn’t bear to even criticize her.
“The flower embroideries are so rough. It’s not comfortable using to wipe my tears at all,” she said with so annoyance. The red spider lily embroideries on the cuff of his robe had poked her in the face.
“All right. I’ll wear a softer robe next ti so you’ll feel more comfortable using it to wipe your face, okay?” Ao Chenyi coaxed her.
She nodded in satisfaction but soon discovered a problem. She raised her head in astonishnt and asked, “Why are you here?” Her movent was so sudden that she hit his lower jaw. She imdiately reached out to stroke his lower jaw and even blew on it.
Her action was childish but it made his heart turn into mush. “I ca here to accompany you to the Lord Protector’s Manor. I want them to respect you.”
“You don’t have to co. They have enough to be proud of even without you there.” Ning Xueyan snorted. She didn’t want to see Madam Dowager’s hypocritical smile.
“Their good reputation is also yours. Besides, the manor will go to Ning Huaijing anyway. He thinks of you as his sister and he also promised that he’ll take care of you. He said he’ll never ignore you when you need him,” Ao Chenyi said with a triumphant smile.
“You t him?” Ning Xueyan was startled.
“Yeah. I had him brought to the manor as soon as he reached the city. If he treats you poorly, I wouldn’t let him inherit the Lord Protector’s Manor. I have to choose soone who treats you well and won’t act against your interests, don’t I? I need soone who will back you up. I think Ning Huaijing is a clever person.”
He glanced enchantingly at her as he spoke softly.
For her, he purposefully had his n keep an eye on Ning Huaijing and bring him to Prince Yi’s Manor as soon as he reached the capital. He even threatened Ning Huaijing for her sake... Thinking about everything he had done for her, Ning Xueyan’s eyes turned red again. She leaned into his arms, stretched out her hands from behind him, and hugged his slender waist tightly.
There was indeed soone who cared for her, soone who would consider her wellbeing wholeheartedly! She was no longer all alone and helpless in this world!
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