Chapter 294: Consort Rong is Punished
Chapter 294: Chapter 294: Consort Rong is Punished
Shen Ningning heard the sound of the lock being pried open.
Then, the main door of the Sunlight Tower was pulled open from the outside.
A sliver of somber snow-light shone in, mixed with the cold north wind.
Shen Ningning shielded her eyes with her small hand. Peeking through the gaps between her fingers, she saw the newcomer had a slender build, with a treasure sword worn horizontally at the small of his back.
Ye Shangyi rubbed her eyes, a hint of joy in her voice. "It’s Captain Pei!"
"Did Her Highness send you to let us out?"
Pei Yin’s expression was calm. He glanced around the inside of the Sunlight Tower, confirming that only Shen Ningning and Ye Shangyi were present.
He held up a letter. "No. My hawk delivered a letter from the Commandery Princess asking for help."
As he spoke, he held out his arm, and a sharp cry echoed from the sky.
The same hawk flapped its wings and landed on his arm, as docile as a pet sparrow.
Shen Ningning was surprised. "This hawk, it was raised by you, Captain Pei?"
Pei Yin nodded. "Mengyi has a proud and solitary nature. It took me two or three days to tame him. I never imagined that you, Commandery Princess, would find a way to make him deliver a message for you."
Shen Ningning just smiled.
’Forget a hawk,’ she thought. ’Even the ferocious beasts in the mountains become obedient to my command after eating anything irrigated with my Spiritual Spring Water.’
The little girl took Ye Shangyi’s hand. "So can we leave now?"
Pei Yin’s brow furrowed slightly. "After I received the Commandery Princess’s letter, I immediately reported it to Commander Lu. The Commander has already gone to inquire about Consort Rong’s wishes."
"Unfortunately, Consort Rong has been gravely ill since last night and has yet to wake up. Even the Ninth Prince has been by her side attending to her all night. Therefore, my coming to release you—Commandery Princess and Miss Ye—is actually in defiance of Her Highness’s orders."
Ye Shangyi grew worried. "Then what will we do? When she wakes up, we won’t be punished again, will we?"
But Pei Yin said, "There’s no time to worry about that. It’s frigid in the tower. Commander Lu has already dispatched a rider to inform the Emperor, so he ordered me to get you two out of here first."
As he spoke, Pei Yin’s inquisitive gaze swept discreetly over Ye Shangyi and Shen Ningning.
Shen Ningning’s letter said they had been locked up for an entire night.
Commander Lu had said he feared the cold had already done them harm.
But looking at them now, their complexions rosy and glowing, they looked more as if they had just enjoyed a good night’s sleep. Pei Yin found it unbelievable.
Once, an Imperial Guard was accidentally trapped inside the Sunlight Tower during winter.
When he was discovered the next day, he was already a frozen corpse.
And yet, during a harsh winter, on a night of swirling snow, these two little girls had somehow managed to take care of themselves.
It was nothing short of a miracle.
Shen Ningning and Ye Shangyi followed Pei Yin out of the Sunlight Tower.
Pei Yin took them directly back to the Guard Office, where the Imperial Guard were stationed.
The Guard Office was located on the periphery of the Imperial Palace and was filled with male imperial guards.
Concerned for the girls’ reputations, Pei Yin said, "Our men have already gone to the Ye Family to notify the Imperial Tutor to send someone to pick you up."
"Commandery Princess, Mr. Xie will be entering the palace soon to review some case files. Should we ask him to take you home as well?"
The moment she heard Xie Ming’an’s name, Shen Ningning, who was holding a warm cup of tea, hurriedly shook her head.
"No need to trouble him."
Ye Shangyi sensed Shen Ningning’s reluctance.
She spoke up, "There’s no rush. Let’s warm up first."
"My grandfather will come to the palace to get me in a little while. The Commandery Princess can go back with me then."
Pei Yin nodded in silence.
However, someone else entered the palace before the Ye Family arrived: the Prime Minister, Xie Suzhi, who had just heard the news.
His face was dark as he quickened his pace, heading straight for Consort Rong’s palace.
Standing outside, Xie Suzhi raised his voice and said coldly, "Her Highness has always prided herself on being magnanimous and kind-hearted, a follower of Buddha’s teachings. And yet, you can’t even tolerate two children under the age of eight!"
"When you serve the Buddha, do you not feel fear in your heart?"
The Chief Palace Maid’s expression changed, and she quickly turned to enter the hall and announce him.
A moment later, the Ninth Prince stepped out.
Under the somber sky, Xie Suzhi stood in his official robe, his bearing as straight and unyielding as a pine.
The sharp brows above his narrow eyes were drawn into a severe, cold line.
The Ninth Prince, looking gentle and mild, stood on the White Jade Steps. His tone betrayed no hint of his feelings.
"Prime Minister, my mother is ill. This disturbance you’re causing is highly inappropriate."
"Furthermore, for an official of the outer court to barge into the inner palace without a summons is a breach of protocol!"
Xie Suzhi sneered. "Ninth Prince, please relay a message to Her Highness."
"I promised my wife that I would never make an enemy of Her Highness. But if she tries to harm my family or meddle in my household’s affairs again, then she shouldn’t blame me when I turn on her!"
The Ninth Prince’s expression turned cold. "Prime Minister, how dare you speak to my mother in such a manner?"
Xie Suzhi was utterly fearless as he looked at the young boy on the steps.
"My family is my bottom line. When Her Highness mistreats Ningning, she makes an enemy of me. I won’t just say such things to Her Highness—I would say them even to you, Your Highness!"
"Back when you were about to be born, if my wife hadn’t done everything in her power to protect you, Your Highness wouldn’t even have the chance to be standing here speaking with me today."
With that, Xie Suzhi flicked his sleeve, turned, and strode away.
Consort Rong’s palace attendants watched the Prime Minister’s furiously retreating back, not daring to utter a single word.
Once he was far in the distance, the Chief Palace Maid hesitantly called out, "Your Highness..."
The Ninth Prince, lost in a bewildered daze, asked, "What did he mean by that?"
「Inside the hall.」
Lying on the chaise, Consort Rong kept her eyes closed, seemingly fast asleep.
Her pale face looked exceptionally haggard, as if she were in a coma.
However, whether she had heard the exchange outside or not, her fingertips dug into her palm, leaving deep red crescents.
Xie Suzhi strode quickly to the Imperial Guard’s Guard Office.
"Ningning!"
Shen Ningning was holding a cup of hot tea and eating pastries brought by Pei Yin with Ye Shangyi.
The little girl was swinging her feet, looking quite content.
But when she saw Xie Suzhi hurrying in,
her eyes lit up. She immediately put down her teacup. "Godfather~"
The little one scampered over and threw herself into Xie Suzhi’s arms, as happy as a child waiting for a parent to come for them.
"How come Godfather came to get me?"
"I came the moment I heard. Are you all right?" Xie Suzhi held the little girl, looking her over from head to toe.
"I’m fine! See, Godfather? I’m perfectly all right, aren’t I?"
Heaven knew, when he heard that Shen Ningning had been locked in the Sunlight Tower all night, his heart had nearly leaped into his throat.
With the heavy snow falling all last night, he couldn’t imagine how a child could have possibly survived in that frigid Buddha Tower.
But seeing Shen Ningning’s fair little face, tinged with a healthy pink and looking completely unharmed,
he finally breathed a sigh of relief and hugged the little girl tightly.
Pei Yin and Ye Shangyi, watching from the side, were both secretly astonished.
Everyone knew that Chancellor Xie never betrayed his emotions and was always calm and self-possessed.
Yet now, they saw a face filled with pure relief.
Shen Ningning blinked her big eyes and patted Xie Suzhi’s back gently with her small hand.
"Godfather? Are we going home?"
"Yes, I’ll take Ningning home." Only then did Xie Suzhi manage to compose himself.
He stood up and looked at Ye Shangyi. "The snow is deep on the roads, making travel difficult. On my way into the palace, the old tutor’s carriage got stuck. He was extremely anxious."
"I promised him I would bring you back with me, so please, Miss Ye, come with us."
Ye Shangyi immediately nodded. "Alright. Thank you for the trouble, Prime Minister."
After thanking Pei Yin, Xie Suzhi departed, carrying Shen Ningning in his arms and leading Ye Shangyi by the hand.
Shen Ningning wanted to walk by herself, but Xie Suzhi, afraid the deep snow would soak her shoes, carried the little one in his arms the whole way.
As they were walking along a palace path, they happened to run into Xie Ming’an, who was on his way into the palace to review case files.
Shen Ningning quickly buried her head in the crook of Xie Suzhi’s neck, pretending she hadn’t seen Xie Ming’an.
Xie Ming’an frowned at her spoiled display, which looked like an attempt to curry favor.
"Father." He walked up to Xie Suzhi and offered a cool salute.
"Mm. Your sister was locked in the palace for a whole night. I’m taking her back to the mansion now." After saying this, Xie Suzhi walked straight past him.
Xie Ming’an frowned, suspicious.
’Locked up for a whole night?’
’He had arranged for a guard to deliver a message to Consort Rong. Had she really not released them?’
「Late that night.」
The Emperor and Mo Lingwei returned, weary from their journey.
Mo Lingwei immediately wanted to go to the Xie Mansion to see Shen Ningning, but Chen Shaobei persuaded him to wait.
"Go tomorrow during the day. At this hour, the Commandery Princess must be asleep."
Mo Lingwei closed his sharp, cold eyes. "Find out exactly what happened and report back to me."
Meanwhile, the Emperor had already gone to Consort Rong’s palace.
Consort Rong had just regained consciousness and was being helped up by a palace attendant to offer her greetings.
"This consort greets—"
Before she could finish, the Emperor struck her across the face.
A crisp SLAP echoed.
All the color drained from Consort Rong’s face. Clutching her cheek, she looked up in terror. "Your Majesty?"