Chapter 285: Chapter 285: Rabbit Down Earmuffs

A small cut appeared on Shen Ningning’s right earlobe, beading with a few drops of blood.

The splash of red was exceptionally stark against her fair, jade-like skin.

The bowstring must have snapped and accidentally cut her ear.

Shen Ningning kept her head down, her little face clouded over as if she were deeply struck.

Muchun and Wanchun quickly led her back to the courtyard and found some ointment to apply to the wound.

Muchun then soaked a handkerchief in the decorative porcelain vat by the door. The water inside had been brought down from the mountains by Shen Ningning and was said to work wonders on wounds.

Seeing the little girl’s big, bloodshot eyes, Wanchun’s heart ached. Filled with anger, she said, "No matter how terrible Second Young Master Xie’s temperament is, he shouldn’t hurt you, Commandery Princess! You’re his sister."

Shen Ningning’s voice was soft and dejected. "I’m not his sister."

Wanchun froze.

The little girl added quietly, "I’m not a daughter of the Xie family."

Muchun pressed her lips together and hurried forward. "Commandery Princess, shall I find a doctor to take a look at it for you?"

Shen Ningning shook her head firmly. She glanced in the mirror. "It’s just a little cut. I’ll soak it in my spring water and put some ointment on. It’ll be fine."

With that, she reached out her small hands and took hold of Muchun’s and Wanchun’s fingers.

"Whatever you do, don’t tell Godfather about this."

Wanchun was still indignant. "But Commandery Princess, Second Young Master Xie hurt you the moment he arrived at the manor! He..."

Shen Ningning cut her off. "Second Brother doesn’t like me. I’ll just stay away from him from now on and not bother him."

’But if she let Xie Suzhi find out what Xie Ming’an had done, he would surely reprimand him.’

’Wouldn’t that cause a conflict between father and son?’

’Shen Ningning felt that the Xie family had already given her so much care, providing a warmth she had never experienced before.’

’She didn’t want to cause trouble for this family, and she certainly didn’t want them to fight because of her.’

Muchun sighed. "Commandery Princess, it might be easy to hide this from the Master."

"But you’re going to the palace this afternoon to have tea with the Crown Prince. His Highness will surely notice."

Shen Ningning blinked her long lashes, troubled.

She glanced around. "Hmm, I’ll have to think of something..."

「Afternoon.」

Mo Lingwei waited at the entrance to Zichen Palace.

His expression was cool and distant, but as he watched the small, orange-yellow figure draw closer, his stern brow relaxed into a gentle smile.

"Why are you a little late?" Upon seeing her, the first thing Mo Lingwei did was place a hand warmer in the little girl’s arms.

However, as he took a closer look, he noticed her outfit was rather unusual today.

Instead of a fleece hat to block the wind, she wore rabbit-fur muffs on her ears.

As the little girl walked, the fur swayed gently, making her look as fluffy and adorable as a little kitten.

Mo Lingwei chuckled. "What sort of getup is this?"

’It was the first time he’d ever seen someone cover up just their ears.’

Shen Ningning blinked her big, round, black eyes, her little face fair and rosy.

She said in her soft, sweet voice, "I took a nap and woke up late, so I had to hurry."

With that, Shen Ningning shook her little head and asked proudly, "I made them myself. Earmuffs."

"Aren’t they cute? Now when I go out, I won’t have to worry about my ears getting cold!"

Mo Lingwei raised an eyebrow, his eyes glinting. "Wouldn’t a hat do the job?"

He reached out, intending to touch the earmuffs.

But just as his hand was about to touch Shen Ningning, the little girl quickly dodged aside.

Mo Lingwei’s hand froze in midair.

A guilty look flashed across Shen Ningning’s face.

She giggled, trying to cover it up. "Um... Brother, it’s so cold out here. Let’s hurry inside."

Mo Lingwei didn’t overthink it. He drew back his hand and took Shen Ningning’s instead. "Alright."

The two entered the palace hall, where the warmth from a charcoal brazier and the underfloor heating kept the bitter cold at bay.

Mo Lingwei had already arranged for a table laden with pastries and hot tea to be set up by the window.

He and Shen Ningning sat by the brazier, watching the snow fall. The atmosphere was cozy and pleasant.

After they had been drinking tea for a while, Mo Lingwei said, "You should take off your earmuffs. Aren’t you hot?"

Shen Ningning cradled her teacup in her small hands, keeping her head down to sip her tea. She didn’t dare look at him, only murmuring in her soft voice, "Not at all! Besides, they look cute!"

But Mo Lingwei noticed the fine, glistening beads of sweat on the little girl’s forehead, and his sharp eyes narrowed in thought.

’She’s already sweating, yet she says she’s not hot?’

He set down his teacup. "Second Young Master Xie, Xie Ming’an, returned to the capital today. Did you see him?"

Shen Ningning gave a slight cough. "I saw him. Second Brother is... very nice."

Mo Lingwei rose and walked over to a nearby curio shelf. He pulled out two books and handed them to Shen Ningning.

"I hear he’s been collecting Mr. Zhang’s poetry collections. I happen to have two rare editions here, both authentic works by Mr. Zhang. Take them to him as a greeting gift from me."

He wasn’t doing this out of any admiration for Xie Ming’an; it was purely for Shen Ningning’s sake that he treated the Xie family with such consideration.

Shen Ningning was usually eager to help, but this time she hesitated.

"Um... Second Brother seems really busy. I don’t want to bother him. Brother, you should find a chance to give them to him yourself!"

Mo Lingwei’s brows furrowed slightly, a hint of confusion in his sharp eyes.

But Shen Ningning didn’t dare to meet his gaze. She just clutched her teacup guiltily, taking tiny sips.

"Fine. We won’t give them to him for now," Mo Lingwei said, tossing the books back onto the table.

’Seeing her reaction, she probably hadn’t even managed to speak with Xie Ming’an.’

Even Mo Lingwei had heard of Xie Ming’an’s arrogant and cold-blooded nature.

’If Xie Ming’an treated Shen Ningning poorly, then Mo Lingwei certainly wouldn’t look kindly on him.’

Just then, a palace maid came in to refill their tea.

As scalding water was slowly poured into the teapot simmering on the brazier, Shen Ningning caught the clean scent of the tea.

The palace maid had just finished pouring and was drawing her hand back when she accidentally lifted her arm, knocking the earmuff off Shen Ningning’s right ear.

The little girl’s eyes widened, and she quickly clapped a hand over her ear.

The palace maid’s face went white with fright. She immediately dropped to her knees. "This servant deserves death! Please forgive me, Commandery Princess!"

Shen Ningning scrambled to pick up the earmuff. "It’s alright, it’s alright!"

However, just as her small hand touched the fallen earmuff, Mo Lingwei’s long, slender hand picked it up before she could.

Mo Lingwei examined the object in his hand. "I was wondering what you were hiding in here, treasuring it so."

He looked up, intending to help Shen Ningning put it back on.

But then he saw her small hand pressed tightly against her right ear, her face pale with an almost frantic look.

Mo Lingwei’s faint smile vanished, his brows slowly drawing together.

"What’s wrong with your ear?"

"N-nothing’s wrong."

"Let me see," Mo Lingwei said, pulling her small hand away.

Shen Ningning was no match for his strength. Her hand was pulled away by force, revealing the injured ear to Mo Lingwei’s gaze.

On her fair, round earlobe, the red line of a cut was starkly visible.

A thin scab had formed over it, looking as if it might split open at any moment.

An icy frost slowly crept into the depths of Mo Lingwei’s eyes.

"How did this happen?"

"I... I fell by accident." Shen Ningning snatched the earmuff back and hurriedly put it on.

But Mo Lingwei grabbed her wrist, preventing her from hiding it.

"You’re lying!" he chided. "How could a fall cause a wound like that?"

Mo Lingwei examined it closely. It looked like a shallow cut from a sharp blade.

At this thought, his expression turned as cold as ice.

’Who would dare to do this to Shen Ningning?’

"Was it Xie Suzhi?"

"No!" Shen Ningning shook her head frantically.

"Then it was the Black Wolf King."

"It wasn’t him either! Brother, please stop guessing. It wasn’t any of them."

"Was it Xie Ming’an?" Mo Lingwei asked abruptly.

The expression on Shen Ningning’s little face froze.

Seeing her reaction, Mo Lingwei’s eyes instantly turned dark and menacing.

He spun around, his voice thundering with rage. "Summon Xie Ming’an!"

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