Ayane's voice was not loud, but every word she said was like a basin of cold water poured over the head of Princess Cheng, who had just begun to waver, and made her whole body shiver.
Xie Tianyu's affection, every word he said after returning home, and the hesitation and wavering she had just felt were all like a huge joke and a slap in her face. Even the tears on her shoulder that had originally moved her became sticky and burning.
Princess Cheng lowered her head and looked at her wrists which were so skinny that they were just bones. This morning, Gu Helian had mocked her for being so skinny that she was almost as thin as a skeleton and looked so ugly that she was unbearable to the eyes.
But before Nanny Jiang mentioned that she was pregnant, Xie Tianyu didn't see it.
He just looked at her with eyes full of affection, just like he did every day in the past. The guilt, longing, regret and love seemed to have been familiar to her and could be used at any time.
Seeing that Princess Chen looked pale, Ayane reached out and bandaged the wound on her finger.
"I don't know what love is, but I know that true care for a person is not about words. Please don't ignore other things just for a few sweet words."
She said nothing more, only:
"The wound on your hand is quite deep. Don't touch water for the next few days."
Nanny Jiang was gone for a long time in the outer room. When she brought the water over, she found that Princess Cheng's hand had been bandaged.
"Princess, your hand..." Nanny Jiang was surprised.
"The princess was in great pain just now, so I applied medicine using another method. Madam Jiang, please help the princess wash her hands and change her clothes. There are blood stains on her body." Ayane said.
Nanny Jiang only noticed that there was a stain on Princess Cheng's body when she heard this: "How did it get stained with blood? Princess, wait a moment, I will go get you some clothes."
Seeing Nanny Jiang hurriedly walk around the green gauze cupboard, she skillfully rummaged through the back room where the clothes were originally placed.
Princess Cheng looked at the figure coming through the gap in the window frame and was stunned for a moment. For some reason, she suddenly remembered what Ayane had just said.
"…Really caring about a person is not about words."
"I have only seen you twice, but I can still detect your changes. We have slept in the same bed for more than ten years, but he has never seen your bloody hands..."
Xie Tianyu can't see it.
Where is Nanny Jiang?
Princess Cheng was shocked by the sudden thought.
Nanny Jiang had taken care of her for decades and had been by her side since she was a child. She knew everything about her and was very considerate to her.
But on the way back from the old concubine just now, she didn't ask her a single question, and even after she came back, she was just helping Xie Tianyu to explain.
It was when Ayane mentioned this that Nanny Jiang suddenly remembered that her hands were still bleeding. It was also when Ayane mentioned this that she noticed that her dress was stained with blood...
Princess Cheng suddenly tightened her grip, and felt a chill running down from her head to her feet, her face turning pale.
"Princess, would you like to wear this? I remember that you liked this one the most in the past." Nanny Jiang came out with a dress in the color of autumn fragrance and embroidered with dark blue bamboo patterns.
Princess Cheng recognized that this was given to her by Xie Tianyu and was also Xie Tianyu's favorite.
She tightened her grip: "Change it."
"Princess?" Nanny Jiang was stunned.
Princess Cheng said in a slightly stiff voice: "The old concubine is seriously ill. This color is too eye-catching. Change it to something plain."
Nanny Jiang looked down at the dress in her hand. Was this color eye-catching? But thinking of what the Imperial Doctor Sun said, that the old concubine might not survive tonight, she did not refute it in the end, and directly put the dress in her hand away: "Then this old servant will go pick another one for you."
Nanny Jiang went into the inner room again, and Princess Cheng stared at her back with an unpredictable look on her face.
…
After Princess Cheng returned home, Tang Ning was worried about her, but the news from there could not be sent back for a while.
During the day, she chatted with Song Ru who had just woken up for a while, and then sent someone to the Fu family to deliver a return gift. She also sent an apology gift to Qian Qiyue who had been frightened yesterday, and then went to Heli Hall to look through the books that had been brought back from the Lu family.
It was not until it was dark that Xiao Yan came back from outside, exhausted.
Seeing that there seemed to be someone in Heli Hall, he turned his head to look at Uncle He, who whispered, "The girl came here after noon and has been reading at Yueli Terrace."
Xiao Yan's eyes softened, and after waving his hand to ask people to stop, he went straight into the inner room.
It was already dark outside, but the lights were still on in Heli Hall, so the surroundings were a little unclear. Only by the Yueli Terrace, against the backdrop of the remaining sunset glow on the lake outside, could one vaguely see a figure resting on the small couch where he usually took care of his papers.
The small four-legged couch was just big enough for him to lie down with his clothes on, but it seemed much larger for the petite Tang Ning.
She was lying on her side on the couch, seemingly asleep, her long wide dress hanging down close to her body, outlining the slender curves of her waist. The book in her hands half covered her chest, and her black hair had fallen down a little.
Only a faint trace of afterglow remained, as if it had leaped over the fence by the lake and danced on her eyelashes. With the sound of the wind outside, it gradually faded towards the edge of her face, leaving only a hazy light and shadow.
Xiao Yan stood not far away and watched for a while before deliberately making some noise.
Tang Ning opened his eyes dazedly, and saw a figure in the dark. Although he couldn't see his face, he subconsciously said vaguely, "Brother?"
Xiao Yan came out from the other side: "Why are you sleeping here? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"
Tang Ning muttered as he stood up: "I wanted to read a book, but who would have thought that this place is too comfortable."
There are medicinal springs and geothermal energy beneath the Heli Hall, and a cool breeze beside the Yueli Terrace. When the two are mixed together, the warm and cozy feeling is particularly sleep-inducing.
Tang Ning rubbed his eyes and stood up, only to find that it was completely dark outside. He suddenly woke up and asked, "Why is it so dark?"
"If you sleep a little longer, it will be dawn soon."
Xiao Yan laughed, walked to the side, lit the candle, and waited until the lampshade was put in place.
After it was bright again, he looked at the little girl with rosy cheeks sleeping and asked, "Have you had dinner yet?"
Tang Ning shook his head: "Not yet."
"Then use some with me."
"good."
After Xiao Yan called someone in to serve the meal, he saw several books on the table in front of him. All of them had traces of being flipped through. He picked them up and piled them aside before saying:
"The academy is already under construction. The Jingzhaosi has received the order and will speed up the construction. They have already recruited a group of migrant workers from the south of the city. With the addition of a group of people serving labor service, I think the academy will be completed in three months at most."
An academy is different from an ordinary mansion. It does not have so many rules and regulations. It only needs to be spacious and bright, and sturdy enough to shelter students from wind and rain.
Xiao Yan could vaguely guess Xiao Haitang's "ambition". Originally, she planned to build the academy according to the best specifications. But then he thought that if this was true, firstly, it would be too ostentatious and different from the Rong family's past practices, which violated the original intention of "finding a way out" for poor students. Secondly, if the academy failed for too long, most of the momentum that Tang Ning had accumulated with the help of the Lu family would be dissipated.
Three months, at the latest.
It would be best if it could be completed within two months.
To this end, Xiao Yan spent a lot of money and used Emperor An's order to put pressure on him, wanting to set up the academy first, and then slowly supplement it later if necessary.
Except for the most important library, which was built according to the best original plan and could be further rebuilt after the academy began to accept students, the rest was kept simple.
Xiao Yan said to Tang Ning, "During this period of time, many people should have sent you invitations to apply for a job. Although some of them are opportunistic and utilitarian, there are also many gentlemen with good reputations and morals."
"You can first carefully identify them and ask Hang Li and the others to find out their background. If you are still unsure, you can ask Cao Dejiang and the others to take a look for you."
Tang Ning nodded excitedly: "Okay!"
"And have you thought of a name for the academy?" Xiao Yan asked.
Tang Ning shook his head: "Not yet, do you have any good suggestions, brother?"
Xiao Yan said calmly: "Your academy, of course you can name it yourself."
Tang Ning said "Oh", propped up his chin and murmured softly: "I haven't thought about it yet."
She originally wanted to use her grandfather's name, calling it Qian'an Academy or Rong's Academy, but she felt that others would talk about her taking advantage of her grandfather's posthumous reputation, and if she used her grandfather's name, people in the capital would think that the academy had selfish motives, and even His Majesty would have doubts.
Since the day this academy was planned to be built, its purpose was to cultivate scholars from humble backgrounds to compete with the aristocratic families.
If the academy that the emperor supported in every way ended up being named after the Rong family, not to mention whether Emperor An would feel uncomfortable, I'm afraid even those upright courtiers who originally supported it would have doubts in their hearts.
Tang Ning suddenly glanced at Xiao Yan and said, "By the way, brother, I see that you have been to school. I have never asked you before, do you have any knowledge?"
Xiao Yan paused: "Why do you think of asking this?"
"I'm just curious. If it's inconvenient, you don't have to tell me, brother."
"It's no inconvenience."
Xiao Yan's eyelashes drooped slightly: "My mother used to call me Yuan Sheng."
"Yuan Sheng?"
"Well, she hopes that I can be as bright and shining as the rising sun."
"Yuan Sheng..."
Tang Ning smacked the name and felt that it sounded nice no matter how it was pronounced.
Xiao Yan listened to the tenderness in her voice when she called him, as if his heart was sinking in warm water. He wanted to keep her, so he had to let her know some things little by little.
Seeing the little girl's defenseless look, he said calmly, "This name is too unimpressive. Don't tell others about it, or I won't be able to scare people in the future."
Tang Ning laughed when he heard this: "Okay, I won't tell anyone else."
When Canglang came over with the food, he happened to hear these words outside the door. The expression on his face changed slightly, and he couldn't help but glance at Jinyun who was following him.
The two names "Yuan Sheng" were used by the master when he was young. Although only a few people knew it at that time, and because of the master's noble status, others did not dare to call him by this name, but it is not necessarily that no one remembers it. How did the master tell the girl this?
Jinyun was silent for a moment: "Be more respectful to the girl from now on."
Cang Lang: "…"
Jinyun knocked on the door and said, "Master, the news from Prince Cheng's Mansion has returned."
Xiao Yan's voice came from inside.
"Enter."