CHAPTER 557: CHAPTER 556: IF YOU DON’T ROLL OUT NOW, I’M GOING TO GO CRAZY

If gripping your hand would only pull myself into another abyss, Xiao Pingfeng, I’d rather remain in darkness, unrescued and undisturbed.

This sentence...

How grating it sounded.

Xiao Pingfeng’s dark eyes appeared to drown in a black sea as his thin lips pressed tightly together, suppressing the fiery temper within.

His gaze was filled with scorn and mockery.

"Yan Jing told me you had lost your memory, which is why you were manipulated by Chu Qi and Song Huaxu. But now it seems these were mere excuses to absolve you, Yan Wanqing. You’re selfish and self-centred; you see no one but yourself. My kindness toward you, even if bestowed upon a dog, would earn a wagging tail and pleading eyes. Yet you?"

"You would not." Xiao Pingfeng emphasized, as the former lovers crumbled and instinctively sought to wound each other. "You simply magnify your own pain and place all the blame on me. Utterly ridiculous!"

Yan Wanqing had no desire to explain.

She simply asked, "These three years, did you look for me?"

Xiao Pingfeng was blunt, "No, I thought you were dead."

"Then let’s assume I did die," Yan Wanqing turned her back, her feet numb from the icy ground, while a cold draft continued to blow through the gaps in the tent, and her heart grew encased in ice, bit by bit.

A deadly silence once again enveloped the tent after those words.

A gentle voice came from outside, "Your Majesty, it’s cold. You should add some clothing."

Following that, the curtain was lifted, and a woman in lotus-colored palace attire entered, holding a cloak and walking slowly.

Yan Wanqing glanced sideways, eyes slightly narrowed as she recognized the woman’s face.

"Leave," Xiao Pingfeng ordered coldly without even raising his eyelids, radiating an aura that warned others to keep their distance.

Yet the woman seemed not the least bit intimidated. She approached with a smile and draped the cloak over him, her voice utterly gentle, "Your Majesty is the honored ruler, your health is precious. The sudden chill today shouldn’t harm your royal physique. We all depend on Your Majesty to lead us in battle. Do not be so childish."

As she spoke, she helped Xiao Pingfeng put on the cloak.

Xiao Pingfeng stood still, his dark eyes fixated on Yan Wanqing, making no move to stop the woman as she tied the cloak.

"Who is this lady?" inquired the woman, as if she had just noticed Yan Wanqing. Her tone was one of surprise, "Why is she standing on the cold ground without shoes in this freezing weather?"

With that, she quickly fetched a pair of shoes and was about to approach, but Xiao Pingfeng grabbed her arm.

His words were as cold as his voice, "No need. She could not be colder than her heart."

Yan Wanqing felt a wrenching pain as she listened to their exchange.

She slowly turned around and finally saw the true face of the woman.

"Long time no see, nanny." The woman had grown plumper and her cheeks were fairer; she looked five or six years younger than before. Wasn’t this the nanny who had cared for the child all those years ago?

Yan Wanqing hadn’t expected that in her three years of absence, this nanny would receive such good treatment from Xiao Pingfeng and that their relationship would remain so close.

Yan Wanqing’s clenched hands felt a pinch from her own fingernails.

"Mistress, Your Highness!" the nanny exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock, "You’re still alive!" She stood frozen in place, dropping the shoes she held.

Yan Wanqing looked at the scene unfolding before her, her lips curling into a faint smile, "King Yama did not accept me, so I came back."

The nanny’s arm was still tightly gripped by Xiao Pingfeng.

"You, you..." The nanny’s lips trembled, her eyes flashing with fear and resentment.

She cautiously looked at Xiao Pingfeng, "Your Majesty, after such a difficult journey to return, the Empress must have suffered greatly. Please heed this servant’s advice and be no longer angry with Her Majesty."

What seemed like words of comfort were rather unpleasant to Yan Wanqing’s ears.

What was even more suffocating for her was that Xiao Pingfeng seemed to have really taken the nanny’s words to heart, his complexion improving significantly.

"Her Majesty should also understand, spouses quarrel at the head of the bed and reconcile at the foot. Her Majesty has been absent for so many years, which has been very distressing for Your Majesty. Now that everyone can finally reunite, it would be better to be less temperamental," the nanny said to Yan Wanqing with a heartfelt tone.

Between the lines was all about considering their feelings.

Yet every word made Yan Wanqing extremely uncomfortable.

"This is a matter between him and me; you need not trouble yourself," Yan Wanqing said in a detached and cold voice.

The nanny, as if she heard very upsetting words, quickly had tears in her eyes, "Does Your Majesty think this servant is being meddlesome... This servant only has the best intentions for Your Majesty and His Majesty, and that is why I spoke out. Since Your Majesty does not like it, I shall not mention it again."

As she spoke, she picked up the shoes from the ground and bent down beside Yan Wanqing, her tone humble.

"Your Majesty, do not be cross with yourself. The ground is cold, please put on your shoes first." She caught hold of Yan Wanqing’s foot to place it in the shoe without waiting for a response, her sharp nails scraping against the delicate flesh of the calf, causing Yan Wanqing to sharply retract her foot from the unexpected pain.

The nanny fell to the ground in the process.

"Yan Wanqing, are you mad!" Xiao Pingfeng immediately rushed over to help the nanny up, "You don’t need to put shoes on for such a heartless woman, leave."

With her head lowered and her body trembling, the nanny hesitated to speak, "...Perhaps the servant is out of practice in serving people, and the technique did not please Your Majesty. It’s okay, I will practice more, and in time, you will become accustomed to it."

A performance well played.

A game they staged right in front of her.

Truly despicable.

Yan Wanqing sneered.

She had thought the nanny was a straightforward person, but three years of luxury had changed her.

Thinking that her return would threaten her position, so the nanny was trying to intimidate her at every step.

She demeaned herself by calling herself a servant, using self-deprecation as a tactic, to let Yan Wanqing know that Xiao Pingfeng did not regard her as a servant during these three years, but rather allowed her to live in the Imperial Palace of Dawei as a master.

"No need," Yan Wanqing spoke up directly, looking the nanny in the eyes, "I won’t be staying, so put away your little tricks. If you cause any more trouble in front of me, I won’t show you the same pity as your Majesty does."

She would simply get rid of anything unsightly.

"Your Majesty!" The nanny appeared to be frightened by Yan Wanqing’s words and shrank behind Xiao Pingfeng seeking protection.

Xiao Pingfeng shook his head as he looked at Yan Wanqing, "She protected you when you left, taking many beatings on your behalf. And yet, upon reunion, you speak to her so coldly. Yan Wanqing, is your heart really made of stone?"

"You are right, I have no heart," Yan Wanqing tapped her chest, "It’s empty here."

She would never again open up her wounds for anyone to see, to give them the chance to humiliate and hurt her.

"So, Xiao Pingfeng, take her with you and get out of my sight. If I lose my temper, I may just chop her up and feed her to the dogs, which would be quite unsightly."

Her lips curved into a smile, pale as a snow lotus flower amidst the wind and snow.

"Your Majesty..." The nanny’s voice was a cry, "The relationship between His Majesty and me isn’t what you think. Please don’t misunderstand."

The next second, Yan Wanqing had already taken the candlestick, pulling out the burning candle above it.

She brandished the sharp candlestick, "If you don’t leave now, I might just lose my sanity."