Chapter 437 Ningyuan General's Mansion

After the Chongyang Festival, the three little ones returned to Xingqing Palace and resumed their previous life rhythm.

Li Xuan practiced every day, either by himself or by helping the two girls practice, and strolled around the city when he had free time.

The capital is so big, and he hasn't finished visiting it yet.

There are always unknown corners waiting for Li Xuan to explore.

But staying in Xingqing Palace for this period of time has made Li Xuan more familiar with the capital.

At least he won't be like when he first left the palace, when he couldn't even tell the directions when he left.

Princess Ankang and Yu'er, in addition to practicing, worked hard and studied books related to formations and alchemy.

Compared with Li Xuan's three-minute enthusiasm, the two girls are obviously more tenacious.

Those obscure books are more interesting to them the more they read.

Princess Ankang has even begun to enter the practical stage, and asked Shang Zongguan to get a lot of basic materials for formations, and compared them while reading books to deepen her impression.

Li Xuan felt embarrassed when he saw the two girls studying so hard.

He was the first to bring up the matter, but Princess Ankang and Yu'er were the ones who learned the formation and alchemy for him.

How embarrassed the little cat was.

The fulfilling days passed one by one.

On this day, a visitor suddenly came to Xingqing Palace, and it was Princess Ankang who came.

"General Ningyuan's Mansion?"

Princess Ankang looked at the words on the visiting card and showed doubt.

"And it's a female relative who is visiting?"

The three little ones looked at each other and shook their heads.

They all heard the name of this general for the first time, and it had nothing to do with anyone.

The cat at home was the most likely to interact with the outside world.

But at this time, Li Xuan also looked confused, and obviously had no impression of this family.

"Your Highness, do you want to see him?"

General Manager Shang asked Princess Ankang.

Princess Ankang hesitated for a while, but finally nodded:

"Please come in and meet me."

A visitor is a guest, and Princess Ankang has no reason to turn him away.

Moreover, since they moved to Xingqing Palace, this is the first time someone has visited them so formally.

This made Princess Ankang curious about the other party's intentions.

Even though she had made some headlines at the Chongyang Banquet not long ago, her situation had not changed fundamentally.

Princess Ankang was very clear about this.

In the aristocratic class of Daxing, she was still isolated and helpless, and she was still in the cold palace.

Who would come to visit such a princess so blatantly?

After a while, the visitor was brought in by Shang Zongguan.

"Chai Rongrong, General Ningyuan's Mansion."

"Bring my little daughter Qiao An to meet Her Royal Highness the Princess."

The mother and daughter saluted respectfully in front of Princess Ankang.

When Princess Ankang saw them, she immediately recognized the visitor.

"Xiao An, it's you."

Xiao An, who came with her mother, smiled and blinked, looking at Princess Ankang.

But then, Xiao An remembered something, and immediately frowned, pretending to be serious, and secretly glanced at her mother to see if she had noticed her smile.

Now Princess Ankang knew who the visitor was.

Unexpectedly, it was Xiao An, who had played games with her at the Chongyang Banquet before, who came to see her with her mother.

Princess Ankang was very welcome.

She also liked Xiao An very much.

At that time, Princess Ankang came to the lawn where the children were playing, and it was Xiao An who invited her first.

"Mrs. Qiao, Xiao An."

"No need to be polite, please take a seat."

Princess Ankang smiled and raised her hand to them.

The mother and daughter immediately stood up to thank them and sat down on the seats beside them.

Then the servants of Xingqing Palace served tea and snacks.

At the signal from Shang, the others left the room.

"Your Highness, I will take my leave first."

"You can ask me anytime if you need anything."

Shang bowed and left, leaving them space.

When they were the only ones left in the room, Xiao An's mother, Chai Rongrong, spoke:

"Your Highness took good care of Xiao An during the Chongyang Banquet. She has been talking about you these days. Knowing that Your Highness is now temporarily staying in Xingqing Palace, she dared to come and disturb you."

"No, no, Xiao An also took good care of me at that time."

Princess Ankang said with a smile, remembering the situation of playing games with Xiao An that day.

But Princess Ankang knew that Xiao An should be just an excuse.

The reason why the wife of General Ningyuan came to her was definitely not so simple.

Then, the two sides began to chat.

Because of her status, Princess Ankang took the initiative in the topic and had a deeper understanding of the identities of the mother and daughter.

General Ningyuan was a fifth-rank military official.

In this capital, he is not a high-ranking official, and he has no real power. He is the most inconspicuous among all the civil and military officials in the court.

This made Princess Ankang even more confused.

There is no reason to climb up the ladder.

Even if General Ningyuan's official position is small, he should not be close to a princess in the cold palace like me.

But Princess Ankang was not anxious. She patiently talked with Chai Rongrong and teased Xiao An from time to time. The atmosphere in the room was harmonious.

Li Xuan stayed aside and looked up and down at the mother and son.

Neither of them had any cultivation, and they did not feel any malice towards Princess Ankang.

But the more this was the case, the more people could not figure out their intentions.

"Is there someone behind the scenes instructing her?"

Li Xuan also found that the wife of General Ningyuan always looked at Princess Ankang deeply, and the emotions contained in it were difficult to describe.

"Could it be that he knows Ankang, but Jingyang Palace hasn't had any contact with the outside world for many years?"

"And how can a small official like General Ningyuan have any contact with the palace?"

Li Xuan has already made up his mind. He will go to General Ningyuan's mansion to take a look and see what they are planning.

But before Li Xuan could find out, Chai Rongrong spoke first.

"Your Highness, you look like Concubine Xiao, especially your eyes."

Princess Ankang was stunned when she heard this.

"Madam Qiao knows my mother?"

Seeing Chai Rongrong nod, Princess Ankang could no longer remain calm.

She asked nervously, "You and my mother are..."

It's no wonder that Princess Ankang was nervous. When Concubine Xiao was alive, everyone was an enemy, which made Princess Ankang, a child, think that this huge palace was full of people who made things difficult for them.

In Jingyang Palace, Princess Ankang rarely came into contact with outsiders.

But the daily expenses of Jingyang Palace have been decreasing, until later it was difficult to survive.

Although Princess Ankang is young, she understands the truth.

If someone didn't hate them, how could their life become more and more difficult.

Therefore, when Chai Rongrong said that she knew Concubine Xiao, Princess Ankang subconsciously worried that she was here to seek revenge.

But Princess Ankang remembered the harmony when they talked before, and felt that this possibility was not great.

If they were not enemies, then they were old friends.

When she thought of this possibility, Princess Ankang felt more nervous than at the beginning.

"I received a lot of kindness from Concubine Xiao in the past."

"But now the situation has changed, and the queen has already..."

At this point, Chai Rongrong sighed.

After confirming that Chai Rongrong was not Concubine Xiao's enemy, Princess Ankang was relieved.

When it comes to Concubine Xiao's death, Princess Ankang is not too sad.

It has been almost a year since Concubine Xiao passed away, and Princess Ankang has gradually accepted this fact.

When she was sleeping soundly at night, she would miss Concubine Xiao in her dreams, but now Princess Ankang would no longer feel sad when Concubine Xiao was mentioned.

She knew that if she was sad, Concubine Xiao would also be sad.

Concubine Xiao once told Princess Ankang that she would turn into a star in the sky and always accompany her and watch her.

Princess Ankang never forgot this.

Therefore, even though Concubine Xiao was no longer by her side, Princess Ankang always paid attention to her words and deeds, not wanting her mother to worry about her.

Princess Ankang exhaled lightly and said:

"So that's how it is."

"Sorry, Your Highness." Chai Rongrong realized that she had said something wrong, looked at Princess Ankang with some pity, and said, "I brought up a topic that shouldn't be brought up."

Princess Ankang shook her head and didn't care.

"How did Madam Qiao meet your mother?"

"Can you tell me?"

Princess Ankang's reaction made Chai Rongrong smile with relief.

Princess Ankang was not as fragile as she thought.

Then, Chai Rongrong talked about the past with Concubine Xiao.

In those days, General Ningyuan Qiao Wanyun was one of the people who escorted Concubine Xiao from Beiliang to Daxing.

Because of this, he got to know Concubine Xiao.

Later, Concubine Xiao gained power in the palace, and people in the court who had close relations with Beiliang gradually stood on Concubine Xiao's side.

Concubine Xiao did not live up to the support of these people and became a strong contender for the position of empress.

Unfortunately, Beiliang lost all news in the cold wave later, which led to Concubine Xiao's complete defeat.

And Concubine Xiao's supporters also suffered a great misfortune.

Especially after Empress Wu came to power, the liquidation of the Wu family made them miserable.

Many people did not hold on in this process, and many were forced to leave the power center of the capital.

It is rare to be able to hold on in the capital until now like General Ningyuan's Mansion.

Speaking of these past events, Chai Rongrong couldn't help but redden his eyes.

"God is blind, and he actually treated Concubine Xiao like this."

She couldn't help but sigh, but she also realized her own loss of composure. After wiping the corners of her wet eyes, she regained her spirits.

"But fortunately, His Highness is safe and sound now, and even shines at the Chongyang Banquet. It can be regarded as God's mercy."

"Is Your Highness's life in the palace now okay?"

"Has anyone made things difficult for you because of the Queen?"

Li Xuan, who had been listening for a long time, had already frowned.

He also understood Chai Rongrong's intention.

These former supporters of Concubine Xiao may not have seen some unrealistic hopes at the Chongyang Banquet.

The power struggle is a quagmire, and anyone who enters to fight will get covered in mud.

Although the three little ones are now in the palace, they can't hide.

But Li Xuan sincerely hopes that Princess Ankang will not get involved in this.

Power is definitely the most addictive thing in the world.

Turning your hand can kill the people, and turning your hand can save the people.

When the capable are in power, it is a lifetime of hard work.

When an incompetent person is in power, he will be full of evil.

According to Princess Ankang's character, if she is in power in the future, she will probably have to work hard all her life.

Although it can benefit the people, it is too hard and tiring.

Li Xuan is not so conscious, he just wants to live happily with his two girls.

The responsibility of power is too great, he dare not bear it, nor is he willing to bear it.

Therefore, at this moment, Li Xuan is very unwelcome to Chai Rongrong's visit.

"We must kill their ideas as soon as possible."

The three little ones are now so worried about themselves that they have no time to care about these marginal officials who have lost their power.

Even if they have a past with Concubine Xiao, it is all in the past.

In the current situation, it is hard to say how many people still remember the old feelings and are wholeheartedly for the good of Princess Ankang.

For example, Chai Rongrong in front of him, Li Xuan only felt her snobbishness.

After chatting for half an hour, Chai Rongrong took Xiao An to say goodbye and leave.

Today they talked a lot about Concubine Xiao's past, which made Princess Ankang very happy.

Concubine Xiao didn't talk about her past in the past, so Princess Ankang didn't know much about her mother.

Today, through Chai Rongrong, she knew more about her mother.

Concubine Xiao was the only princess of Beiliang back then, the youngest daughter of the previous emperor of Beiliang, and the most favored.

Beiliang originally had two choices for marriage, Damo and Daxing.

Damo and Beiliang are both located in the northern border, and both are among the countries with the strongest background.

If the two join forces, it will unify the northern border and confront Daxing from north to south.

But later Beiliang still chose to marry Daxing, and Concubine Xiao was also married, which led to the later events.

According to Chai Rongrong, many things happened during this period, which eventually led to Beiliang choosing Daxing.

But the specific details are not something that her level can know.

After all, her husband, General Ningyuan, was just one of the people who escorted Concubine Xiao at the time.

"Daxing, Beiliang, Damo..."

Princess Ankang muttered softly.

At this time, Chai Rongrong had already left with Xiao An, and there were only three of them in the room.

"Your Highness, you should be careful when General Ningyuan visits you so suddenly."

Yu'er saw that Princess Ankang was chatting happily with Chai Rongrong today, but she still tried to persuade her.

"Sister Yu'er, do you think they have ulterior motives?"

"Your Highness, these people have not contacted us before, and they didn't ask for help when we were in trouble in the palace. How can they come to us now? What good is there?"

Yu'er was afraid that Princess Ankang would be possessed by ghosts, so she said anxiously.

Princess Ankang smiled and waved to Yu'er:

"Relax, Sister Yu'er."

"I won't trust others so easily."

Then, she turned to Li Xuan and asked:

"Ah Xuan, what do you think?"

Li Xuan shook his tail and wrote casually:

"Sending charcoal in the snow is like adding icing on the cake."

"They can't even do one of them."

Chai Rongrong came to the house today, just to bring Xiao An to reminisce about the past, without even a little expression, how can Li Xuan see it?

Li Xuan felt it was too much trouble after a glance.

As for the future, let's talk about it later.

At least now, Li Xuan thinks it's not worth getting close to someone like Chai Rongrong.

They have a lot of trouble in the palace, so there is no need to give themselves more burdens.

Princess Ankang couldn't help but smile helplessly when she saw Li Xuan's reaction.

But looking at Princess Ankang's thoughtful expression, Li Xuan knew that she should have some other ideas.