"It’s fine," the Emperor said indifferently, "Xian’er is still young."
He wouldn’t stoop to argue with a child; otherwise, his own Little Fat would have aggravated him to death many times already.
Besides—
The Emperor’s gaze fell on Huangfu Xian’s legs, considering his frail physique, some outbursts were inevitable.
"Lianlian, take Xian’er out for some sun," Princess Ning An instructed Lianlian.
"Yes," Lianlian replied respectfully, cautiously approaching from behind Huangfu Xian and pushing his wheelchair out.
"Your Majesty," Princess Ning An explained, "I spoiled Xian’er. Please bear with us."
"You still address me as ’Your Majesty’?" the Emperor asked, looking intently at her.
Princess Ning An forced a bitter smile and corrected herself, "Royal Brother."
Eunuch Qin approached, smiling as he reported, "Empress Dowager, the Sleeping Palace for Princess Ning An and the Young Master is all set."
"Mother..." Princess Ning An looked astonished at Empress Dowager Zhuang.
Empress Dowager Zhuang said, "Bixia Hall, where you stayed before your marriage, has always been preserved for you. You and Xian’er can stay there for now."
"I..." Princess Ning An’s eyes wavered, and she asked with lowered gaze, "May I still live in the Imperial Palace?"
Unmarried princesses returning to live in the Imperial Palace was uncommon; usually, princesses would stay with their own mother’s family. Princess Ning An was an exception. Empress Dowager Zhuang and the Emperor were too fond of her, having built a Bixia Hall especially for her.
And through the years she was married far away at the border pass, Bixia Hall had never been repurposed.
The Emperor quickly said, "Since it’s Mother’s wish, you should stay."
The Emperor also hoped that Princess Ning An would stay in the Imperial Palace, as it would be more convenient for him to take care of her and her son. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
There were many things the Emperor wanted to say to Ning An, and he guessed the Empress Dowager felt the same, except that some things were hard to say when the three of them were together.
Jing Consort personally made warm clothes for Princess Ning An and instructed the relief envoy to take them to the border pass along with her.
Nowadays, the Emperor really did not wish to mention that name; he loathed her intensely, and yet, paradoxically, she was Ning An’s biological mother, which was really awkward.
Princess Ning An smiled faintly, "Yes, my mother Consort Jing also sent me warm clothes back then."
"What does that have to do with Xian’er’s legs?"
"At that time, both his father and I were providing disaster relief to the people, and he sneaked out of the Princess Residence alone. The child was mischievous from a young age and couldn’t be still for a moment; even the guards couldn’t keep an eye on him, and he managed to get lost. By the time we found him, a day and a night had passed; he had tumbled down a hillside and was lying in the cold Snowfield. Both of his legs were frostbitten to the point of gangrene. To save his life, the doctors had no choice but to amputate his legs."
As Princess Ning An spoke, she tried to appear calm, but her breathing and tightly clenched fingers betrayed her inner turmoil.
A pang hit the Emperor’s heart, unsure whether he felt more sorrow for Huangfu Xian or Princess Ning An, whose son had suffered such an ordeal.
He took her hand just like in their younger days, "I didn’t know you and Xian’er had been through such an ordeal... why did you not mention it in your letters?"
Princess Ning An replied softly, "Such matters... are hard to speak of."
Each mention was like a knife to the heart; each sympathy received cut again. When one truly suffers to the core, they do not seek comfort everywhere, but isolate themselves from the world.
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