Chapter 167: I Have Changed My Mind

Xiao Qingling was stunned for a long moment, then his eyes suddenly turned red, "You... you... you remember me?"

Nan Xueyin gave a hum.

Because she had finally remembered him, she was no longer as cold as before, and her expression held a hint of guilt, "I'm sorry. I never thought of you in that way. Besides, ever since I left Qingzhou, I have always been unwilling to look back on the past."

After all, everyone she knew in her memories was already dead.

This was a very despairing thing, so most of the time, Nan Xueyin buried the past in her memories and generally did not deliberately think back on it.

Until now.

The address "Sister Nan" pulled Nan Xueyin back to the past.

She finally remembered that when she was little, she would occasionally take a puppy to play in the temple.

She remembered that the vegetarian meals at the temple tasted quite good.

Once, she caught a group of people bullying a little monk.

That little monk was exceptionally thin and small and looked very pitiful; Nan Xueyin was a person who softened easily, so after that, she always protected him.

Later, she watched as the little monk slowly grew chubby, and she felt very gratified inside.

Until one day later, when Nan Xueyin went to the temple again, she did not see the little monk anymore.

She went to ask, and they said the little monk had gone home.

Nan Xueyin lived in a relatively happy family, and her neighbors were all quite nice, so there were always many interesting things happening in her life.

Therefore, when the little monk left, she was only briefly sad for a little while, and soon she was full of energy again to do other things and make other friends.

It was just that occasionally, when she thought back on it, she would wonder: I wonder how the little monk is doing now? Is anyone still bullying him?

Nan Xueyin never imagined that she would reunite with that little monk in this way.

Hearing her speak, Xiao Qingling's heart felt sour and astringent.

She was finally no longer cold and distant toward him.

He curved his eyes, "It's okay, I know you had your difficulties. You didn't remember me right away, and I'm not angry at all."

Nan Xueyin pursed her lips: "I really never thought that you were actually a prince."

Not long after they first met, while eating vegetarian meals together, the little monk had secretly told her: "I am a prince, you know."

Nan Xueyin was bored and asked him: "What is a prince?"

"It is... the emperor's son."

Nan Xueyin gave an "oh," looking not the least bit surprised.

The little monk asked curiously: "Don't you feel surprised?"

Nan Xueyin said with a grin: "If you are a prince, then I am the Empress. Don't call me Sister Nan in the future, call me Mother."

She hadn't believed him at all.

After all, in the remote countryside, many unhappy children would fantasize that they were children from wealthy families.

The little fatty in her neighbor's house always felt that he was a Little Prince who had been lost from some Prince's estate, and that his parents here were fake; otherwise, why would they always beat him?

At the time, Nan Xueyin said to the little fatty: "That's because you always steal the meat at home."

The little fatty didn't believe it, stubbornly feeling that it was because he was a Little Prince.

Thus, Nan Xueyin also felt that the little monk was just spouting nonsense.

Seeing that she didn't believe him, the little monk didn't say anything more.

And Nan Xueyin didn't take this matter to heart.

Never did she expect that he really was a prince, and now he was even a Prince.

Xiao Qingling smiled: "It's fine, I don't blame you. I was indeed in a very sorry state back then."

Nan Xueyin looked at him with some sympathy.

Sometimes, she truly felt that all living things suffer.

She felt that her own days were quite bitter, but thinking about it carefully, even if he was a prince, hadn't he also experienced many bitter days?

"Let's go," Xiao Qingling spoke again.

"Go where?"

"I want you to come with me to Tingzhou."

Xiao Qingling looked at her earnestly, "From childhood to adulthood, I have never forgotten you. When I was little, I always felt that my birth was a mistake and always pondered whether I should just die. If it weren't for you, I would have definitely died long ago; because of you, I gritted my teeth and persisted until now. Sister Nan, when I was little, you protected me and took care of me. Now that we have grown up, I finally have the ability; in the future, let me protect you and take care of you, okay?"

A very soft and sincere set of words.

Nan Xueyin gazed at him, not speaking for a good while.

Not far away, a scream suddenly rang out.

Nan Xueyin tilted her head to listen—

"Ahhh! That's a pervert! Opening a coffin in the middle of the night!"

"Ahhh! The dead person inside the coffin even sat up, it's a corpse reanimation!"

"What are those two doing? Could they both be ghosts? Help!"

Nan Xueyin:...

Nan Xueyin: "Let's go somewhere else to talk."

Eastern Palace.

Xiao Youlan lay on the bed, unable to fall asleep no matter what.

But he had not closed his eyes for two days and one night.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound. Xiao Youlan looked sideways and saw flower shadows swaying outside the window, and a large head poked out.

A black panther's head.

The black panther looked left and right, scanned the area, confirmed it was safe, and with an easy leap, jumped into the room.

Behind it, two more figures crawled inside.

One landed steadily, while the other nearly tripped, but was fortunately supported by a hand.

"... Thank you!"

Judging by the voice, Xiao Youlan recognized this as Jiang Lian'er.

The one who supported her was a man; he walked a few steps to the bed and said, "Crown Prince, I am Wu Zhui."

Xiao Youlan slowly sat up.

"I heard that Nan Xueyin was captured by the Prince of Duan."

"Mm." Xiao Youlan made a sound, which was unexpectedly quite hoarse.

He slowly sat up on the bed.

"We have come to rescue Your Highness!"

Jiang Lian'er, who was behind, spoke up; because of her nervousness and excitement, her voice was trembling.

Xiao Youlan did not say a word.

Wu Zhui said, "Although Nan Xueyin is the type of person who, once she has made a decision, will not waver or look back, and no matter how the Prince of Duan tries to coax or deceive her, she will not let her heart be swayed. However, Your Highness, I also know the Prince of Duan very well; he values his own face and only cares about himself. I am worried that he might use underhanded methods on Nan Xueyin."

Such as hypnosis or brainwashing.

Xiao Youlan frowned.

Jiang Lian'er seemed to want to persuade him further, but Wu Zhui very lightly tugged on her sleeve—the Crown Prince was thinking, so she should not disturb him.

Jiang Lian'er obediently shut her mouth.

Xiao Youlan pondered for a long time, then slowly said, "I will not leave."

Jiang Lian'er was stunned and asked somewhat anxiously, "Why?"

Xiao Youlan's tone was very calm, "Because I must continue to be the Crown Prince."

Jiang Lian'er was stunned again, "Then... what about Nan Xueyin?"

Xiao Youlan did not answer, only saying, "You two should go back."

Jiang Lian'er's face was full of anxiety.

Wu Zhui guessed, "Could it be that the Crown Prince is afraid of implicating us? Actually, it does not matter; this is something Jiang Lian'er and I are doing willingly."

Jiang Lian'er nodded, feeling extremely guilty, "At, at the time when the personal guards came to the Eastern Palace, Mulan actually sensed it. It kept pacing back and forth in its cage and even roared. I thought it was just unhappy again and didn't pay it any mind. Later, I realized that it was actually sensing that something had happened to Nan Xueyin..."

Xiao Youlan shook his head, "It is not because of that."

Wu Zhui was surprised, "Then why?"

Xiao Youlan said calmly, "I have changed my mind."

He was no longer prepared to become a commoner.

He also absolutely would not compromise.

He had repeatedly thought over the events that had occurred recently, and he realized that Nan Xueyin had met with trouble not because of anything else, but simply because his own power was insufficient.

Being the Crown Prince was not enough; he had to become the Emperor.

And he had to be an Emperor who held absolute power in his hands.

He would marry Nan Xueyin and make her the Empress of the Central Palace.

Everyone else would only be able to kneel honestly on the ground, without even the qualifications to look up and gaze directly at her.