Qiao Nian was startled. Even the palace maid looked up in surprise, casting a quick glance at Qiao Nian and Xiao Heng before responding, "Yes."
Soon, the palace maid left on her own.
Xiao Heng gracefully extended his hand towards Qiao Nian. "Miss Qiao, please."
Reluctantly, Qiao Nian had no choice but to walk with Xiao Heng towards the palace gate.
Today, the path out of the palace seemed unusually long. Qiao Nian frequently looked ahead, yet the two massive palace gates remained out of sight.
Neither of them spoke.
The only sound between them was the gentle rustling of their shoes against the ground.
This kind of silence was extremely rare in the past.
In Xiao Heng's memory, she was an extremely talkative girl, chattering non - stop all day long.
Therefore, the current silence made him quite uncomfortable.
Finally, he took the initiative to break the ice. "I heard about what your elder brother did. The Emperor was indeed a bit stern about it, but it's not a major issue. You don't need to worry."
Qiao Nian hadn't expected Xiao Heng to say such things to her. What was this?
Reassurance?
But she had never been worried.
She stared at her toes as she walked, having no intention of responding.
After waiting for a while and seeing that she had no intention of speaking, Xiao Heng continued, "Noble Consort De's actions were also for the good of the Marquis' Mansion. If you feel wronged, just think of the Dowager Lady."
Qiao Nian thought that she already understood this well enough. There was really no need for Xiao Heng to specifically tell her these things. After all, she hadn't felt particularly wronged yesterday.
Compared to the past three years, this bit of grievance was truly insignificant.
Just as she was thinking this, Xiao Heng's voice came from behind her.
"Nian Nian."
Qiao Nian's heart skipped a beat. She never expected that even after three years, hearing Xiao Heng call her by her pet name would still make her heart flutter.
However, she quickly suppressed this flutter.
She knew that Xiao Heng was about to become her nominal brother - in - law. Under no circumstances should she have such feelings.
She turned around and looked at Xiao Heng, who had stopped walking at some point. There was no ripple in her eyes.
But Xiao Heng's brows were furrowed tightly, like an unbreakable knot.
"When did you develop this habit of not talking?"
Obviously, Xiao Heng didn't like this habit of hers.
The Qiao Nian of the past would respond to every word, but today, apart from the sound when she bowed, she had made no other noise at all.
Qiao Nian was a bit stunned by his question. She seemed to realize only then that she had been silent all this time.
She also furrowed her brows. Thinking it over carefully, she supposed this habit must have formed during her time in the laundry bureau.
She had no friends in the laundry bureau, so naturally she spoke less.
Moreover, after those palace maids bullied her, they would go to the nanny and turn the tables on her, and the nanny wouldn't listen to her defenses at all. So, she spoke even less.
But what difference would it make if she spoke more?
Back then, in front of the Empress and the Princess, she had repeatedly said that she didn't break the glazed bowl. But did anything change as a result?
Even if she spoke more, no one would listen. So, she simply stopped talking.
In the past two days, she had said quite a bit to the two siblings of the Lin family, but it had mostly been like talking to a brick wall.
Qiao Nian thought about this and then slightly shook her head.
Xiao Heng's eyes suddenly narrowed. He looked at that small figure standing there, forming such a stark contrast with the tall palace walls on both sides.
It was as if she could be crushed at any moment.
He felt a twinge of regret.
Where else could she have developed this habit of not talking?
Asking such a question was really unnecessary!
However, he really couldn't get used to her quiet and silent demeanor. So, he took a deep breath and changed the topic. "There will be a fireworks banquet at Zui Xiang Lou tonight. It's the usual private room. Remember to come with your elder brother."
A fireworks banquet at Zui Xiang Lou?
Qiao Nian looked at Xiao Heng in mild surprise. She finally remembered that she was brought back to the Marquis' Mansion on the 28th. Today was the 30th.
Zui Xiang Lou held a fireworks banquet every New Year's Eve. It started at a quarter to ten in the evening and lasted until midnight.
The fireworks were magnificent and resplendent. To get the best view, the young masters in the capital would reserve private rooms well in advance.
Lin Ye and Xiao Heng were no exception.
Every year, they would reserve the largest and most spacious private room at Zui Xiang Lou. They would start gathering there at seven in the evening, drinking and chatting until they finished watching the fireworks banquet and then return to their respective mansions.
In the past, Qiao Nian was like a little tail or sidekick to Lin Ye and Xiao Heng, so of course she would go with them.
But...
Xiao Heng watched as a glimmer of light appeared in Qiao Nian's eyes, only to see it quickly fade away.
He didn't know what was going on in Qiao Nian's mind. He just thought that since she still seemed interested in the fireworks banquet, there was still room to ease their relationship.
At this moment, his tone softened a bit. He gave Qiao Nian a faint smile. "The plum wine you love the most has also been ordered."
He specifically mentioned another thing she used to like, hoping to see some reaction in her eyes.
But Qiao Nian just lowered her eyes and then replied indifferently, "Thank you, General."
It was still polite and distant, but at least she had responded, right?
The slight tension in Xiao Heng's eyes finally eased a little. He continued walking towards the palace gate, and Qiao Nian, still with downcast eyes, followed.
Actually, Xiao Heng wasn't a talkative person by nature. So, the rest of the journey was spent in silence.
It wasn't until they reached the palace gate.
When she saw the carriage of the Marquis' Mansion, Qiao Nian let out a sigh of relief.
After all, when Xiao Heng said he would send her back to the mansion earlier, she had been worried for quite a while.
She bowed to Xiao Heng and then walked towards the carriage of the Marquis' Mansion.
But before she could get into the carriage, Xiao Heng's voice came again. "Take this back."
Xiao Heng was holding a box of pastries.
It looked like the box from the carriage a few days ago.
Qiao Nian was a bit surprised, but she took it.
Sitting back in the carriage, Qiao Nian looked at the box of pastries in her hand. The pain that had been forcibly suppressed in her heart finally began to spread bit by bit...
Back at the Marquis' Mansion, Qiao Nian asked a servant to send the box of pastries to Plum - Fall Courtyard, and then she went to the Dowager Lady's courtyard.
The Dowager Lady was in good spirits today. When she saw Qiao Nian, she seemed to relax. "Just back from the palace?"
Qiao Nian went forward and sat beside the Dowager Lady, gently massaging her legs. She replied softly, "Yes."
As if thinking of something, she added, "Noble Consort De didn't make things difficult for me."
Hearing this, the Dowager Lady couldn't help but gently stroke Qiao Nian's head. "It's good that you don't hold it against her. Grandmother also heard that you fell into the water. Are you all right?"
Qiao Nian shook her head repeatedly. "Granddaughter is fine. Ningshuang gave me ginger soup and let me soak in hot water to drive away the cold."
Probably because she was already used to being in contact with cold water, she didn't get sick from it.
But of course she didn't dare to tell the Dowager Lady the last part, for fear of making the old lady worry.
Then, she heard the Dowager Lady ask, "So, are you going to the fireworks banquet tonight?"