freenovelworld Chapter 339
Chapter 339
Nalan Jingwen remained indifferent, ignoring the surprised or angry gazes coming from all directions. He slightly raised his head and looked at the young man on the high platform.
The boy, however, did not show any joy at her words. Instead, his expression remained calm and unreadable as he looked down at the crowd below.
"Then please thank His Majesty Fengtian on my behalf. As Your Highness said, may the friendship between our two countries last forever."
Nalan Jingwen stared at him, trying to discern something from his face, but found nothing. Something seemed different about him, which made her frown slightly. Suppressing her discomfort, she stepped aside.
As the ceremony continued, she became somewhat distracted watching the elaborate enthronement rituals, unaware that someone had appeared beside her at some point.
Ah Man didn't know how she got here. Looking at the young man on the high platform, she sighed, "It's been a while since I've seen him. He's become someone I can't even reach. Life is so unpredictable."
Nalan Jingwen snapped out of his daze upon hearing her appearance, turned his head to look at her, and asked, "Why are you here?"
Ah Man crossed her arms and said dismissively, "What's wrong? You think you're the only one who can do this?"
She scoffed lightly, then, as if remembering something, her expression turned regretful. "It's just a pity that beauty is often envied by heaven."
Nalan Jingwen frowned, wanting to cover her mouth.
Ah Man paused for a moment, then said, "Judging from his appearance, he probably only has a few months left to live. He just ascended the throne, and now he's..."
Before she could finish speaking, Nalan Jingwen grabbed her wrist with such force that she cried out in pain, "What are you doing! Let go!!"
Nalan Jingwen's eyes sharpened, his face darkening. "What did you say?!"
"What did I say? Isn't this the truth? Didn't you already know? Let go! My hand is going to break!!"
Nalan Jingwen didn't let go; instead, he gripped her even tighter, causing Aman's face to contort in pain.
"What facts?! What months?! What nonsense are you spouting?!"
Nalan Jingwen's tone was urgent, his voice suppressed with anger, and his eyes were like ice.
"Let go first! How am I supposed to explain if you keep this up?!"
The force in her hand suddenly disappeared. Aman rubbed her wrist and then glared at Nalan Jingwen. The latter's face was cold and he stared at her intently, as if a storm was brewing.
A wise man knows when to yield. Ah Man swallowed hard and said, "Didn't you say before that you knew he could only live to be twenty?"
"Then what do you mean by several months?"
"He's nineteen now, just a few months away from being twenty, right? Did I say something wrong?!"
Nalan Jingwen suddenly froze, then flew into a rage, grabbing her by the neck. "Nonsense!!"
"He's only sixteen, so how could he be nineteen?!"
The sound of bells and drums was so loud that it almost drowned out the sounds from their side. Only a very few people noticed that something was wrong with Nalan Jingwen's side, but no one dared to step forward.
Aman grabbed the hand that was choking her neck and tried to pry it off, but she couldn't budge it no matter what she did. Her face turned red, and she really wanted to poison the woman in front of her!
"I'm not lying! He is nineteen now! I couldn't possibly be mistaken!!"
"If I'm wrong, then no one in this world is right!!"
Nalan Jingwen watched the woman struggling, his mind a jumble of thoughts. Her words kept echoing in his mind, and he gradually tightened his grip. Aman was almost suffocating. He slapped her hand hard. If she didn't let go, he would really have to go down to see his master!
"...Let go!!"
The force on his neck suddenly disappeared, and fresh air rushed into his mouth like a tide. Ah Man sat on the ground in a sorry state, having survived a close call.
Nalan Jingwen crouched down and looked at her, his voice icy, "How can you be sure he's nineteen years old now?"
Ah Man coughed twice, covering her neck, and rolled her eyes. "The development of bones is different at each age. Ordinary doctors may only be able to tell which age stage his bones belong to, but I am different from ordinary doctors. I can pinpoint the exact age. Although the bone development of sixteen-year-olds and nineteen-year-olds is not much different, there are still differences. He is clearly nineteen years old!"
"Moreover, he is in poor health, so his development is slow and he looks younger than his age. You might think it's normal for him to be sixteen, but he is indeed nineteen."
Nalan Jingwen looked at her, his expression cold, and remained silent for a moment.
A-Man couldn't possibly lie, Nalan Jingwen knew that what she said was true. Just as she said, if she was wrong, then no one in this world would be right.
Then the one who is lying must be someone else.
Nalan Jingwen stood up, and Aman, seeing this, also tried to stand up. Suddenly, a hand reached out in front of her. She hesitated, wanting to refuse with dignity, but her whole body was weak, so she could only stand up with Nalan Jingwen's help.
Did he tell you he was sixteen?
Nalan Jingwen remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.
Ah Man clicked her tongue twice. "I thought you always knew he only had a few months to live. Turns out you thought he was only sixteen. When I first found out he was the new emperor of Baiji, I was thinking, how could these people put someone who doesn't have long to live on the throne? We've been completely fooled."
"So you knew about his situation the first time you met me?"
Nalan Jingwen looked up at the high platform, his expression somber.
Aman followed her gaze and looked over. The coronation ceremony was nearing its end, and the young man on the throne seemed to be about to give up. His body swayed, but he quickly regained his balance, and it was almost impossible to tell.
"Yes."
Nalan Jingwen remembered that Aman once said she was a strange person who kept a dying person by her side, but now she realized that the two of them thought the dying person was not the same thing.
Bai Ji's prince was abandoned sixteen years ago, a matter she had already investigated, and there were no objections. But Anian is now nineteen years old, so...
He wasn't the prince abandoned by Baiji, so who was he?!
Suddenly, a familiar scent reached his ears, like a snow lotus from the Tianshan Mountains, pure and serene. Then, a clear and cold voice entered his ears. Nalan Jingwen lowered his eyes, concealing the strange light in them, but his hands hanging at his sides gradually clenched.
A cry pierced the sky. Nalan Jingwen looked up, then turned and left the spot, arriving at a secluded place. A huge black eagle landed on her shoulder. She skillfully took the letter from beside the eagle's leg and opened it. Her eyes gradually hardened with coldness, and the thin letter turned to ashes with great force.
Countless clues intertwined, gradually coalescing into a possibility in her mind.
Nalan Jingwen rarely gets angry, but at this moment her eyes are devoid of any warmth, and a storm is gradually brewing. Veins are faintly visible on the back of her hands, and she exudes a dangerous aura. The anger revealed in her bones is chilling.
The black eagle on her shoulder seemed to sense her anger and immediately flapped its wings and fled the place. Nalan Jingwen watched it leave, then turned and headed in another direction.