Chapter 284

Ning Si cried as she blocked in front of Zhou Yan, stating firmly, "Grandfather, I...I am willing to marry Master Zhou!"

The old man glared at Ning Si furiously, after all she was his precious granddaughter, he couldn't bear to hit her.

So he could only redirect his anger and pointed at Zhou Yan's nose cursing him.

"You brat! Ning Si is engaged to the royal family. Why are you causing trouble now? Aren't you afraid of offending the royal family? Offending Her Majesty the Queen?"

Although Gu Ying did not interfere with the Ning family's affairs, she was also worried that the old man would injure Zhou Yan in his rage. So she stopped the old man, "Grandfather, calm down first and listen to what Master Zhou has to say."

The old man's chest heaved with anger while Ning Changan was even more puzzled.

"A Yan, what's going on? Didn't you dislike my sister? Why are you suddenly asking for her hand in marriage?"

Zhou Yan's expression remained unchanged. He knelt upright in front of the old man and said solemnly, "The plague has now spread in Yueyang City and we are all trapped inside. We don't know when we can get out, or if we'll be stuck here for the rest of our lives. I have long admired the young miss but kept it hidden in my heart without saying it out loud. Thinking about the ravaging plague, not knowing how many days we have left to live, I became increasingly anxious and restless at night. So I made up my mind last night that even if I only have one more day to live, I want to marry the woman I love, so I won't regret this life."

Although she knew these words were most likely lies, Ning Si was still deeply moved.

She had misunderstood Master Zhou! While seemingly aloof on the surface, he was actually quite nice once she got to know him.

She couldn't let him struggle alone, so she knelt by his side and pleaded to her grandfather, "Grandfather, even in death I want to remain with Master Zhou."

The old man stamped his feet angrily. "Are you two fooling around?"

Back then, he intended to match-make these two children. But one was timid and the other cold-hearted. Later he sent Ning Si to Bianjing. When she returned, she only had Prince Duan in her heart.

He didn't agree to her marrying into the royal family. She cried and threw tantrums at him, insisting on marrying the man she loved.

And now this! The engagement he finally secured with great difficulty, she wanted to call it off herself! Even Princess Yueyan wasn't as willful as her!

"Grandfather," Ning Si's eyes reddened slightly. "I have already secretly corresponded with Prince Duan beforehand. When the time comes, His Highness will voluntarily annul the engagement with the Ning family. Grandfather doesn't need to worry."

The old man yelled angrily, "Then have you received a reply from His Highness Prince Duan?"

Ning Si blankly shook her head. "No, I haven't received any letters since the lockdown."

This angered the old man even more. "Then without a reply, how do you know that Prince Duan will call off the wedding? This is no trivial matter!"

Ning Si smiled bitterly. "His Highness is kind-hearted and righteous. He previously wanted to withdraw from marrying me... but out of consideration for the Ning family's reputation, he hasn't said it yet. Now that I have taken the initiative to bring it up, His Highness will probably be even more willing to see this happen."

The old man huffed and puffed his moustache angrily.

Zhou Yan spoke up, "Master Ning, even if the royal family blames us, for Ning Si's sake I am willing to take full responsibility."

He turned his head and as he looked at Ning Si, a hint of unspeakable tenderness rippled in his eyes. "It is because I cannot restrain my profound feelings for her. His Highness Prince Duan's benevolent and virtuous nature certainly will not do something as unscrupulous as stealing one's beloved person."

Even knowing that Zhou Yan was only acting, Ning Si still felt a stir in her heart when she met his deep and affectionate gaze.

Master Zhou's acting skills are so good?

He almost moved me to tears...

She certainly could not fall behind, and cried even harder, "Grandfather, please... if I cannot marry Master Zhou in this lifetime, Ning Si will definitely regret it for the rest of my life... Does Grandfather want to see me living in sorrow and grief every day, unhappy for the rest of my life?"

Zhou Yan knelt calmly, listening to her words. The edges of his thin lips pressed tightly into a line, and tumultuous undercurrents surged in his heart.

Even if she was merely acting, just these few words brought him a joy in life like he had never felt before.

It seems Old Heaven finally took pity on his miserable plight and sent his beloved one to his side.

Hidden within his large sleeves, he gripped Ning Si's hand tightly. Together they knelt before Old Man Ning to ask for his blessing.

Gu Ying also persuaded at the side, "Grandfather, think about it, is the inner palace suitable for Ning Si's existence? It is said that once past the palace gates it is as deep as the seas. If Ning Si truly married Prince Duan, things may not turn out well." In their past life, Ning Si died by smashing her head on a coffin in front of Prince Duan.

And in this life, if she can marry another man, it is also a good thing.

The old man Ning wasn't a fool. If Ning Si married into the royal family and Prince Duan gained power and became the Crown Prince, she might, with some effort, become the Crown Princess. But if Prince Duan was suppressed by Prince Shu, then her future... At best she would be imprisoned, at worst implicated together with the Ning family.

Left without a choice, the old man had to compromise.

Old Man Ning frowned. "Fine then. As long as the royal family annuls this marriage, I'll agree to you."

The veins on the back of Zhou Yan's hands protruded but his expression remained unchanged. "Thank you for your consent, sir."

"Who's your sir! Don't call me so casually." The old man put up a front but was actually quite happy to see this marriage go through.

Over time in Yueyang, Zhou Yan had always been respectful and filial to him, even personally sending the old man home every time.

Within the government office, Zhou Yan had also defended the Ning family and spoke up for them many times.

The corners of Zhou Yan's lips curled up. "Thank you, Master Ning."

Ning Si happily pulled the old man's arm, smiling very sweetly. "Thank you, grandfather."

The old man glared at her. "Don't think you can get away with this by acting cute. What's important now isn't your marriage but the plague. Although I've compromised a step, whether or not this can happen still depends on Prince Duan's reply."

Ning Si laughed self-deprecatingly. "Grandfather, don't worry. His Highness doesn't like your granddaughter. He will certainly annul the engagement."

Maybe the annulment has happened already but being stuck in Yueyang, she hasn't received any news from Bianjing.

It would be a lie to say she didn't feel heartbroken but she had come to terms with it.

Loving someone doesn't mean you must stubbornly marry him and become his wife. As one of his subjects, looking up to him from afar is also a kind of love.

With a cold face, Ning Changan pulled Zhou Yan aside. "A Yan, what exactly is going on? Didn't you dislike my sister?"

Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ning Si chatting and fawning over the old man. "When did I ever say I disliked her?"

The corner of Ning Changan's eye twitched. "Back then when she was bullied and came crying to us for help, we all comforted her and stood up for her, but you remained cold and indifferent, remember? There was also that time she went fishing and nearly fell into the river. I heard you walked by the riverbank and didn't even lend a hand to pull her up. And and, that winter when she wanted to ride a horse to catch snakes, you directly knocked her out without a second word. Each and every one of these incidents, and there's still many more that I don't want to expose you for, tell me, don't you two have some hidden agenda conspiring behind my back?"