After swallowing my anger and taking the blame, I became the lucky little queen

Xiao Jianting had made great contributions, and the emperor rewarded him with a lot of gold, silver and jewelry, but there was no news about his marriage. Originally, Nian Susu still held a glimmer of hope, but until mid-March there was no decree to cancel the engagement, she gave up her illusions.

During this period, she went to look for Li Yaoyuan several times but was not allowed to see her. However, Wantao secretly met her in the backyard and helped her pass on the message. She learned that Li Yaoyuan was indeed sick this time. She caught a cold and fell ill the day after Xiao Jianting came back. Her illness had recurred for half a month and had not improved. Now she still looks sickly.

Since Nian Susu couldn't get in, he asked Wan Tao to convey a few words to her, telling her to have a good rest and recuperate, but to take her for an outing in the spring.

She didn't mention the marriage between the Xiao and Wang families, fearing that she would be upset. Even if she didn't mention it, the wall was not impenetrable. Li Yaoyuan must have heard some news and must have felt bad.

Seeing Wantao's sad face, she knew that Li Yaoyuan was not in good condition. There was very little she could do. She could only wait until she was done with this and then find an opportunity to go in and see Li Yaoyuan.

Xiao Jianting wanted to get married right after he came back, and one month was too short. His wife passed away a few years ago, and without a woman to help sort out all the customs and rules, it was really a mess.

Xiao Jianting was not interested in the marriage and didn't want to get involved in anything, so General Xiao was busy and confused.

Even the playful siblings Xiao Helin and Xiao Yunzheng had to help with the preparations; they hadn't smiled in days.

Upon learning that the General's Mansion was in chaos, those who were close to the Xiao family came to help one after another, and those who wanted to curry favor with the family kept finding excuses to visit. For a time, the General's Mansion was bustling with people visiting, and the door was crowded with people.

Nian Susu came to express condolences on behalf of the prime minister's residence. It can't be said that she came to help, but she just brought her thoughts. After all, she is also an unmarried woman.

After greeting General Xiao, she went to meet Xiao Jianting.

Xiao Jianting hid in the yard, away from the hustle and bustle outside. When Nian Susu came in, he was sitting under a tree wiping his sword.

Different from his usual polite and steady image, he now had a bit more of a stern look that made him look like someone who wanted to keep away from strangers.

Hearing the footsteps, he paused, raised his eyes upwards, but did not look at her directly, and then went on with his own business as if no one was around.

"Master Xiao." Nian Susu walked closer and kept three steps away from him.

Xiao Jianting sighed, put the handkerchief on his knees, held the sword and made a sword flower. The sword energy startled Nian Susu and made him take a step back. As if he realized it belatedly, he sheathed the sword neatly.

The scabbard leaned against the tree trunk, and he looked up at her, his eyes dark and his tone full of fatigue: "Miss Nian, if you are here to persuade me, there is no need to say more."

He looked away and said to himself, "As long as there is a little hope, I will not give up. As long as I haven't gotten married, I still have one day to fight for it."

Nian Susu shook his head and sighed in his heart: This is also a foolish person.

"Mr. Xiao, you keep saying that you want to fight for something, but do you know what you are fighting for? Are you fighting for the emperor to recoup his costs and cancel the marriage, or are you fighting to marry Miss Li?" Her tone was calm, and her eyes were calm, she was just trying to verify a fact.

Xiao Jianting was silent for a long time. He could tell that there was something behind her words, but he didn't understand what she really wanted to ask.

He knew that Nian Susu was a smart man, and what he said might help him figure out a lot of things, but it might also break down the psychological defenses he had built up with great difficulty.

"What does Miss Nian mean by this?"

He frowned, with a strange expression, "Of course the marriage has to be cancelled... Miss Li, I want to marry her too."

He knew that the incident at Ganlin Temple had had a very bad impact on Li Yaoyuan, an impact that would be enough to make her unable to hold her head up for the rest of her life, but he didn't care, so before going to Jiangnan he was determined to marry her.

When Nian Su Su asked this, a thought flashed through his mind: Could it be that Miss Li asked her to test her intentions?

This idea was immediately rejected. Li Yaoyuan would not do such a thing, and she was disdainful of doing such a thing. Perhaps Miss Nian was trying to sound out the issue from the perspective of a good friend.

Xiao Jianting clenched his fists and told her firmly: "I don't care about the rumors in the capital, Miss Nian can rest assured."

After that, his tone softened a lot, "I will treat her well."

Nian Susu pulled the corner of his mouth, smiled bitterly and asked: "Mr. Xiao has always said that he wants to marry Miss Li, but have you ever thought about whether she is willing to marry you?"

Xiao Jianting's pupils trembled, and the calmness and self-control in his eyes were instantly shattered. His chest heaved violently several times, and he barely suppressed his emotions.

He suddenly laughed, and a self-deprecating and sad laugh spread out. He understood what Nian Susu meant.

With Li Yaoyuan's personality, how could she be willing to marry him again under such circumstances? Even if he didn't mind, she couldn't get over it.

And he claimed to care about and understand her, but he didn't even think of such a simple thing.

He knew the answer in his mind as to why Nian Susu was able to get along well with Li Yaoyuan.

Nian Susu thought he had figured it out and would no longer cling to Li Yaoyuan, but she didn't expect him to grab the sword, leave gracefully, and say loudly: "I will marry her."

She lowered her eyes helplessly. Both of them were stubborn and no one could persuade them.

Nian Susu originally wanted to find Xiao Yunzheng to talk to her, but instead of finding her, he ran into Xiao Helin.

Xiao Helin told her that Xiao Yunzheng had slipped away early in the morning and had not returned yet, so Nian Susu had to give up.

On her way back to the prime minister's residence, she met an unexpected person on the road - Cui Yuqing.

The last time I saw him, his face was ashen, and he was lying on the bed, dying, and looked like he would die at any time. This time when I met him by chance on the street, he was in quite good condition, with a healthy complexion and he looked energetic.

Cui Yuqing didn't notice her at first. It was only when she spoke first that he reacted and went forward to say hello.

He smiled and said, "Miss Nian, you are a step late. Yun Zheng just left."

Nian Susu smiled and replied, "No problem, we have plenty of opportunities to meet.

I don’t know what Cui Yuqing was thinking about, he was in a sad mood, he put his fist on his chin and coughed a few times, his face turned pale at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Is Mr. Cui okay?" Nian Susu asked worriedly.

Cui Yuqing's disease is incurable. He may appear energetic today, but look emaciated tomorrow, or even pass away the day after tomorrow. All of these are possible.

When a terminally ill person is bedridden and on the verge of dying, but suddenly gets better, it is most likely a last-ditch recovery.

So when she saw him standing in front of her, full of energy, Nian Susu couldn't be happy, she just felt sad.

Cui Yuqing probably knows what his situation is, but Xiao Yunzheng may not be sure. He will definitely hide it from her.

After realizing that he had lost his composure, Cui Yuqing quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Miss Nian. I've been out for a long time today and I'm exhausted. I feel very tired now, so I'm not feeling well. I hope I didn't scare you, Miss?"