C12 Reunion

Before Chu Nianhe could turn her head to see what had happened, she heard the whine of a horse and fell into a cold and hard embrace.

She looked up and saw his face in an instant — Yan Liqing.

It was still a pair of crystal clear eyes, and his black pupils were like a pool of deep lake water. He had a straight nose, thin lips, and a face that was supposed to be absolutely beautiful, but it was stained with the spirit of a bloodthirsty man. His brows were still tightly furrowed, as if he was in a dungeon, hating that he couldn't protect her appearance …

"Liqing …" Chu Nianhe's memories flooded into her mind, and she couldn't stop her tears from rolling down. "I'm sorry …"

Her tears were warm and soft on the back of his hand. Yan Liqing didn't say anything and only stared at the woman in front of him, who had tied up her hair and was pretending to be a man. He seemed to have seen her somewhere before, and the familiarity made him feel strangely flustered.

"Miss!" Xiaochan, who was still in a panicked state, shouted and woke up Chu Nianhe, who was immersed in her memories.

Chu Nianhe thought for a moment and immediately realized that she had lost her composure. She pushed with force with her hands and broke free from Yan Liqing's embrace.

Xiaochan and Xiaoling immediately rushed up to support their mistress. Chu Nianhe's heart was still pounding, and in order to stop staring at Yan Liqing, she had to lower her head. She just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

Xiaochan was also scared by the horse. When she raised her head, she saw a man hugging her daughter, and now she saw Chu Nianhe's aggrieved expression with her head lowered. She yelled at Yan Liqing in anger, "Who are you? How dare you offend my family... Young Master?! "

Yan Liqing didn't look at her, his eyes only staring at Chu Nianhe. As if sensing his burning gaze, Chu Nianhe lowered her head even more.

A man in a low-level military uniform walked over and whispered something in Yan Liqing's ear. Yan Liqing nodded, turned around and stepped onto a war horse. His movements were smooth and majestic. He didn't even look at Chu Nianhe before leaving.

Xiaochan didn't expect him to be so rude. She couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "Even if he was dressed in the uniform of a general, he still doesn't look like a general with status. He really is a barbarian!"

Barbarians...

Chu Nianhe recalled that Yan Lichen had once described Yan Liqing to her in this way, saying that he didn't have the noble bearing that a prince should have, and was just a vulgar barbarian. At that time, she trusted Yan Lichen so much that after hearing this description, she didn't even want to look at Yan Liqing again.

Her hand trembled slightly, and her lips had lost their color from the clenching of her teeth. Xiaoling quickly pushed Xiaochan away, gesturing for her to stop talking. When Xiaochan saw that Chu Nianhe's face had turned pale, she asked worriedly, "Is Miss scared? I will go to the mansion and summon an emperor's carriage to pick up the young miss! "

When Chu Nianhe heard this, her complexion recovered quite a bit. She looked at Xiaochan and Xiaoling's worried expressions and said with a smile, "There's no need."

She knew that she did not have the time, did not have the right to hesitate, she could not repeat the same mistakes of the past, risking abandonment to taste a drop of dew that she did not know if it was sweet or not. She had to be strong, she had to be pampered, she had to be calm and collected, and she had to have her body brought to life in vain.

It was already afternoon when the three of them returned to the manor. The servant standing in front of the gates seemed to have been waiting for her for a long time. He bowed his head and said, "Eldest Miss, the madame has returned."

Chu Nianhe's heart skipped a beat when she heard this. She asked in a low voice, "Where's Second Miss?"

The attendant replied respectfully, "Second Miss came back with the madame."

Chu Nianhe gently stroked her brocade sleeve, which had been embroidered with the word "back" embroidered on it. She didn't say anything. The madame had doted on her when she was young. However, after her mother gave birth to her younger brother, she had somehow decided to go outside to cultivate. Thus, the madame had treated her coldly. As for Madam Susheng's Second Miss, she was the one who was doted on by the madame and enjoyed the dignity of being by her side all day long.

It was a pity. The young miss of a noble family used her life to flatter the matriarch of the family, all for the sake of getting a good marriage in the future. What Chu Leyan had asked for was nothing more than this.

Since the madame had returned, the first thing she had to do was to pay her respects. Chu Nianhe suppressed her chaotic emotions and walked around the large garden, towards the old mistress' Jinglan Pavilion.

Before he even got close to the Jinglan Pavilion, he heard a bell-like laughter. Chu Nianhe tidied up her men's clothing without batting an eyelid and stepped into the pavilion without hesitation.

Although it was already winter, the house had a brazier filled with plum blossoms. The entire room was filled with the sweet smell of plum blossoms, which was both unique and warm at the same time. Maid and her wife waited on the side with smiles on their faces. It looked like they were truly enjoying the show.

The old mistress was dressed in a dress embroidered with golden flowers and a hairpin of a blue phoenix. She was sitting gracefully on an armchair in the middle of the room. Second Miss, on the other side, was dressed in a Jiang-Nan embroidery knitted jacket with tasseled gold plates at the hem. She wore a pair of shoes embroidered with a coloured phoenix, which looked even better than Chu Nianhe's usual ones.

Chu Leyan was telling a lively joke to the madame, teasing her so much that the wrinkles on her face seemed to relax a little. Madam Su was also smiling at the side with eyes full of praise for her daughter.

Madam Su first saw Chu Nianhe walk in, and her eyes immediately started bleeding with hatred. Although she already bought Chu Yinqiu a mansion with private money, she still hated the fact that she couldn't see her son every day. She wished she could skin Chu Nianhe alive.

Looking into their eyes, Chu Nianhe wasn't flustered at all. She calmly blessed the madame with her blessings and said, "Nianhe greets the madame."

When Madam Chen saw Chu Nianhe's reaction, she was infuriated and said with a frown, "Where did you go crazy?" The young miss of the Prime Minister's Mansion is actually dressed in such a manner, it is simply too improper. "

Chu Nianhe raised her head and looked at the unhappy madame with bright eyes, saying, "Nianhe has an important matter to attend to and does not intend to dress up like this. Grandmother, please don't be angry."

Ever since Chu Leyan had fallen in love with Madam Chen, she had always had a high opinion of her, especially after hearing Madam Su's crying complaints, she hated her older sister to the core. She looked coldly at Chu Nianhe, her tone somewhat sarcastic, "Elder sister is so muddleheaded. To think that the young miss who has yet to leave the pavilion would show her face to those people in the market, isn't this just embarrassing? After all, grandmother scolded you for your own good. It's better if you don't contradict her! "

These words made Chu Nianhe guilty of contradicting the madame. Her heart could be punished.

Since you dared to provoke me, don't blame me for being impolite!

Looking at Madam Chen's increasingly stern face, the corners of Chu Nianhe's mouth curled up into an imperceptible smile. "Second Sister is also becoming more and more familiar with the rules. Could it be that this is a form of etiquette to speak to her?"

"You …" Chu Leyan was anxious, opened her mouth to scold Chu Nianhe, only to see Madam Su wink at her. Chu Xinqiao immediately understood, and reluctantly gave Chu Nianhe a blessing. As she said good night, she squeezed out a few tears from the corner of her eyes, looking as if she had suffered a great grievance.

Madam Chen couldn't stand Chu Leyan's pitiful look, and her tone became even colder. "You mean, Leyan was taught by me to be rude?"

When Xiaochan, who was standing beside Chu Nianhe, heard this, she was so scared that her legs started to tremble.