Chapter 439 Hello, hey, hey! I'm the Queen Mother. Who are you?
What are you panicking about?
The female official was trying her best to pretend to be calm. If she let the young empress dowager know that the princess and General Qi were alone in the attic, she would probably be close to death.
Shi Li saw that the female official remained silent and had a strange expression on her face, so she misunderstood.
"Step aside!"
In an instant, many conspiracies and intrigues flashed through Shi Li's mind. Worried that Zhou Youning was in danger, she walked straight past the female official and headed towards the attic.
Just as she was about to push open the carved wooden door, another person was faster than her and opened the door directly from the inside.
The fierce wind blew away the hair hanging on the shoulders, like a brush stroke, leaving dots of ink.
Shi Li's outstretched hand was hovering in mid-air, just inches away from the other person's chest.
Blinking slowly, Shi Li looked at the man walking out of the attic in confusion.
His face was as calm as water, and his eyes were equally deep, as if hiding the vast and boundless horizon.
——Qi Changchuan.
Shi Li recited the name in her heart. For some reason, it felt like a needle was gently prickling her heart, causing her pain bit by bit.
The two looked at each other.
Maybe only a moment passed, maybe a long time passed.
"Lili!"
Zhou Youning's slightly panicked voice broke the strange silence.
Qi Changchuan reacted a little faster than Shi Li. He took a step back and nodded, "Empress Dowager."
After saying this, he walked around her and left.
Shi Li looked at his back in confusion and raised her hand to touch her chest.
The stabbing pain subsided but did not disappear.
This is not her imagination.
"Why did you come out in such a cold weather? What if you have a high fever like before?"
Zhou Youning never expected that a slap in the face would come so quickly. He walked out nervously, grabbed Shi Li's hand, and pulled her into the attic.
The attic was warmer than expected. Shi Li subconsciously looked around and her eyes finally fell on Zhou Youning's face.
"I was bored in Chengyang Palace, so I came out for a walk."
She really wanted to ask Zhou Youning and Qi Changchuan what they were doing here, but she didn't know how to start. This was not something she should ask.
Zhou Youning personally poured a cup of hot tea and handed it to her.
"I asked Qi Changchuan how to arrange for the princess from the Western Regions tomorrow. I'm worried that she may have bad intentions."
She spoke calmly and naturally, without sounding like a lie at all.
Shi Li had no doubts and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Don't make too much of a fuss, just get it right."
"That won't do. I promised my father that I would always make you happy."
Zhou Youning raised his hand and touched Shi Li's temples, with a particularly serious expression on his face.
The late emperor was a gentleman, but he could not prevail against the strong and unreasonable Empress Dowager Mu and dragged his niece into the whirlpool of the palace, for which he felt deeply indebted.
Later, I learned about Shi Li's character. Before she passed away, she was particularly reluctant to let her go and gave Zhou Youning many instructions.
"I know Aning treats me best."
Shi Li pursed her lips, and her expression was gloomy as she recalled her gentle uncle.
If it weren't for her uncle's protection, she might not have lived to this day...
The snow that had accumulated over the past few days had been mostly cleared away by the palace servants, leaving only a few traces of snow in the cracks of the bluestone under their feet.
Qi Changchuan walked in silence on the road out of the palace, his black clothes fluttering slightly, like layers of cloud waves before the wind and rain.
Wherever he passed, the palace servants stopped and bowed their heads to greet him, but he ignored any of them.
My head was filled with what Zhou Youning had just said.
He recuperated in Shi Mansion and went to the Southern Region after he recovered.
Soon, he heard the news that Shi Li was made empress and entered the imperial palace. If it were not for the tense war, he would have returned to the imperial capital immediately.
Later, Qi Changchuan personally led his troops deep into the enemy's territory.
He went straight to Huanglong and captured the enemy leader, but he was also stabbed several times and was in danger.
When the news was passed back to the imperial capital, I thought I would at least receive a letter of greeting from Shi Li.
Who knows, nothing.
Qi Changchuan could hardly recall the scene in which he was lying in the military camp covered in blood and unable to move a finger.
I waited day after day, but nothing happened.
Watch the sun rise and slowly set every day.
From hope to despair.
And today, he learned from Zhou Youning what exactly happened in the imperial capital.