1643 Request

"Your Highness, this is General Jun." the maidservant bowed.

Nan Hua looked at Yan Jin Nian and curtsied in the manner that was suitable for noble ladies. "General Jun greets Empress Dowager Yan."

Empress Dowager Yan, Yan Jin Nian, looked at Nan Hua silently.

She had good memory and naturally, it was impossible for her to forget Nan Hua's face. Considering that the other party was also the person whom that b*stard Long Qian Xing wanted to put close to him, she naturally took more notes about Nan Hua appearance.

General Jun?

The person in front of her is clearly Nan Hua, the young miss of Nan Family.

Yan Jin Nian could still remember that when she saw Nan Hua in the past, the other party was nothing more than a delicate young lady who looked unremarkable. She stayed low and didn't attract much attention.

Even if she knew some methods to protect herself, it was still within the knowledge of a young noble lady.

There was nothing strange.

But this General Jun was truly a person who had been hardened by battles and knew how to fight on the frontline. The number of blood spilled under her sword would have been able to form rivers.

At this time, Yan Jin Nian felt immediate headache.

"You can leave."

The maidservants looked at Yan Jin Nian in surprise. She was worried but the order from Yan Jin Nian was absolute so everyone quickly retreated. They didn't dare to disobey Yan Jin Nian in the slightest bit.

The courtyard was quickly emptied.

Yan Jin Nian looked at Nan Hua in front of her, her expression complicated. She wanted to maintain her majesty as part of the Imperial Family, but she felt that her worldview was severely challenged right now.

How come the noble young lady become the famous young general?

If it was when she was in her previous life where she read those stories and watched some movies, she would only nod along. After all, she felt that it was some dramatic stories that these people made in order to attract attention.

But coming to this world and experienced the atmosphere and real suppression, she clearly realized that it was not easy for women to make name for themselves.

The power of the public opinion was very harsh for them.

Women who didn't take care of their reputation wouldn't be accepted and many people wouldn't even be willing to care for them. The elders only wished to use the women to extend their connections and these women had to stay in the boudoir, learning about the boring four arts.

In the memory she had inherited, that was how she lived except during the time when Yan Family moved from Qi Kingdom to Fei Yang Kingdom, which was filled with many turmoils. But at that time, she was still young and didn't understand many things.

Staying in the Imperial Palace, the words and deeds of these women were under even heavier scrutiny, which was something that Empress Dowager Yan personally experienced.

Yan Jin Nian had to admit that what was written in the records couldn't fully express what the people in this era actually experienced. It was only written through one perspective and there were still many cases buried.

So seeing such a woman who could break through the custom and made a name for herself, made Yan Jin Nian conflicted.

She also wanted to go out.

Explore the vast world and not confined her. 

But being the Empress Dowager and also the lady from Yan Family, she knew how difficult it would be for her should there be words about her adventuring outside. The reputation would take a large hit, which was not a good thing for her, whose reputation was already in tatters.

Adding more will just bring her to ruins.

Not to mention there were a lot of people who wanted to make use of her family background.

It was truly complicated.

"It's been a while, Young Miss Nan."

Nan Hua looked at Yan Jin Nian and nodded. "Empress Dowager Yan looks surprised to see me here."

Yan Jin Nian smiled bitterly. "What surprise me more is your identity more than your appearance."

Nan Hua nodded.

She herself was also a young lady. Having heard of many stories from her aunt and experienced the education from Nan Si Qiao, she herself knew the fact that it was hard for women to truly break out of their usual environment.

If not because of her past life where she was an assassin and had been trained in the most horrible condition possible, she would not be able to make it this far. The past was difficult, but it was what had formed her.

She would not easily forget it just because it was past that many people wished to forget.

It was the past that had made her to this present.

"Empress Dowager Yan, I don't have much time to spare, so I'll be direct. I need help from you." 

Yan Jin Nian could guess that Nan Hua paid a short visit during her journey to the north. She looked at Nan Hua in surprise and nodded. "Is it related to that brat?"

"Not exactly, Your Highness." Nan Hua looked at Yan Jin Nian solemnly. "This is related to the 'me' who had been staying in Yi Shang Temple."

It was not clear but Yan Jin Nian knew that there was indeed someone who had been staying in the other courtyard. The courtyard was cleaned but there were only a few servants around. 

No one was allowed to get closer, not even her.

At first, Yan Jin Nian was curious about who it might be, but in the end she simply ignored it because she knew that it was not her business.

Now, she understood that it was Nan Hua's preparation.

"For you to break this news to me, are you not afraid of me leaking it out?" Yan Jin Nian smiled faintly.

Nan Hua looked at Yan Jin Nian calmly. "You wouldn't do that, Your Highness."