Chapter 359: Daddy...
Chapter 359: Chapter 359: Daddy...
Shen Ningning dispersed the dark clouds, bringing with her boundless sunshine.
The people of the city prepared to crowdfund the construction of a shrine for the blessed girl.
When Shen Ningning found out, she entrusted Mo Lingwei to put a firm stop to it.
The title of "blessed girl," while bringing her the admiration of the masses, also came with a heavy responsibility.
After a life-and-death experience, the little girl no longer cared for such titles.
She especially didn’t want to be trapped by that moniker for the rest of her life.
That was why she even quietly refused the Emperor’s offer to elevate her to the rank of Princess.
Mo Lingwei even felt that the little girl had seemingly grown up overnight.
The ice and snow thawed, and the world settled into a new order.
「Late November.」
The wind was chilly, but not as bitingly cold as before.
Households brought out their stockpiled cotton clothes and firewood to sell.
The sweet potatoes that Shen Ningning had put Dong Sanhua in charge of planting also yielded an abundant harvest.
The court distributed food to families in need, and the common people were deeply grateful.
Gradually, no one in the Capital City went hungry or cold anymore.
After a thorough investigation, the spies planted by the Changliu Country in the Cangyun Country’s court were rooted out one after another.
Six spies were discovered, and four of them turned out to be high-ranking court officials.
The news reached Lion Head City on the border.
General Xie Mingxu, along with General Fang Qingdai and her husband General Liang, led their troops in a surprise attack on the Changliu Country’s encampment.
The morale of the Cangyun Country’s soldiers was high, and their battle cries shook the heavens!
They channeled all their resentment for the Changliu Country into the tips of their blades!
Xie Mingxu used gunpowder supplied by the court to bombard the Changliu encampment relentlessly!
The enemy forces fled, screaming and wailing, their ranks completely broken.
Spurring his horse in hot pursuit, Xie Mingxu cut down Great General Mucun!
As his life hung by a thread, Mucun begged Xie Mingxu to spare him.
However, Xie Mingxu leveled his spear, its tip pointing at the space between Mucun’s brows.
"Ordinarily, I should capture you alive and trade you for my own military honors."
"But I heard you sent assassins after the blessed girl. Do you have any idea that she is my biological sister?"
Mucun saw the cruel, cold killing intent in his eyes.
He began to tremble and was just about to explain.
But Xie Mingxu didn’t waste any more words on him. The Red Tassel Spear plunged violently into Mucun’s forehead.
With a flick of his wrist, Mucun’s head left his body and rolled to the side.
Amidst the smoke of battle, Mucun’s eyes, wide open in death, became two lifeless, gray wooden beads.
Reflected in his eyes, the battle standard of the Changliu Country fell, engulfed by fire until it was nothing but a pile of ash.
The defeat of the Changliu Country was a foregone conclusion.
Reports of victory frequently reached the Cangyun Country’s Capital City, and the Emperor applauded repeatedly.
"Order Xie Mingxu, Fang Qingdai, and General Liang to press their advantage! I want them to capture the Changliu Country’s border city, Bibo City!"
If they could take Bibo City, the Changliu Country would lose its natural barrier.
From then on, whenever the Cangyun Country wished to attack, they could strike straight into the heartland of Changliu.
「Meanwhile.」
Shen Ningning was on Wolf Mountain. She no longer had to go to the National Academy each day, instead spending her time with her grandmother and the Black Wolf King.
Until one day, as she came down from the mountain, a horse-drawn carriage happened to stop right in front of the little girl.
The Black Wolf King sniffed the air and snorted with displeasure.
’It’s someone I dislike.’
The curtain was lifted by a slender hand, revealing Second Master Xie’s handsome face with its sharp brows and bright eyes.
He smiled. "Ningning, I was just coming to find you."
Shen Ningning was pleasantly surprised. "Second Uncle, what brings you here?"
These days, whenever Shen Ningning met people from the Xie Mansion, she still addressed them as she used to.
She just hadn’t agreed to formally return to the family clan.
In the little girl’s eyes, it didn’t matter whether she was Shen Ningning or Xie Yuanning.
Because right now, she was just herself.
Second Master Xie gave a faint smile. "A new teahouse opened in the city. I heard the chef is from Jiangnan and makes excellent pastries. I know you like sweets, so I wanted to take you to see it. Are you free?"
Shen Ningning blinked her long lashes.
’I don’t really have anything else to do,’ she thought.
"Alright then," the little girl said, patting the Black Wolf King with her small hand. "Langlang, go and tell Grandma for me that she doesn’t need to prepare lunch for me."
After that, Shen Ningning boarded Second Master Xie’s carriage.
The two of them headed into the city together.
For the past several days, Second Master Xie had been soaking his legs in the Spiritual Spring Water that Shen Ningning had given him.
For regular outings, he could now walk on his own.
He just couldn’t do it for too long, or his knees wouldn’t be able to take it.
Second Master Xie had reserved a private room in advance and led the little girl upstairs.
By the window, they listened to the wind and leisurely watched the snow.
Shen Ningning held her teacup and ordered several types of pastries from the waiter.
After the waiter withdrew, she looked up and saw Second Master Xie gazing at her with a smile.
The little girl pursed her lips, hesitating.
"Second Uncle, I heard that Second Madam Xie has locked herself away?"
After the truth of Shen Ningning’s identity came out, Second Madam Xie heard that Xie Suzhi had been injured as a result and was scared out of her wits.
Before Second Master Xie could even confront her, she had already confined herself to her courtyard.
She only allowed her maid to bring her food each day; the rest of the time, she stayed obediently in her courtyard, reflecting on her actions.
At the mention of Second Madam Xie, Second Master Xie’s expression became neutral.
He said, "She brought this upon herself. Just let her properly reflect on her mistakes."
"Actually, I came to you today to ask for your help with something else."
"Ningning, I know you’re clever. You must have guessed before I came that I was going to plead your father’s case."
Shen Ningning lowered her long lashes. Her small hands cradled her teacup, and her little face, as white as porcelain, was calm.
Second Master Xie looked at her. "My older brother and Ming An both intend to respect your decision and wait for you to think things through."
"I didn’t come today to force you to forgive them, but rather to tell you some things you don’t know."
As he spoke, he sighed. "Back then, when you were only a few months old, you were taken away by a maid. Later, because my older brother came to visit me, my sister-in-law fell into the lake and died."
"To be frank with you, right after my sister-in-law passed away, your father—my older brother—once thought of taking his own life."
Shen Ningning lifted her watery eyes, her gaze dim and filled with astonishment.
Just recalling that time was painful for Second Master Xie.
Those were the darkest days for the Xie Mansion.
The youngest legitimate daughter was stolen without a trace; First Madam Shen Siyi drowned after falling into the lake; and Second Master Xie was paralyzed, coughing up blood.
Under such agonizing pressure, Xie Suzhi’s hair turned white overnight.
"My older brother refused to eat or drink for three days, truly intending to follow my sister-in-law in death. It was I who begged him to live."
"I brought Mingxu and Ming An to his sickbed and pleaded with him to pull himself together."
"I also used you to encourage him. I said, ’If you die, what will happen to your daughter? Where is she now, suffering?’"
Second Master Xie lowered his sorrowful gaze. "For his daughter’s sake, he pulled himself together."
"In the four years you were gone, he never once gave up the search."
"Ningning," Second Master Xie said, raising his eyes. "I have lost the person I loved most and my closest relatives. I regret it immensely now. I hope... I hope you will cherish them."
"They were indeed wrong, but if you are willing to forgive them, then don’t let this mistake punish all of you for a lifetime."
...
Warm sunlight shone upon the corridor.
Shadows were cast upon the walls as pine and cypress trees swayed, creating dancing silhouettes.
Shen Ningning tiptoed on her little feet, moving silently, and hid behind a pillar.
She poked out half of her little head to peek forward.
The sunlight was perfect, so Xie Suzhi was resting on a lounge chair.
He had a tall, slender figure, and his legs were covered with a silk quilt.
Though he was nearly forty, his face was as fine as Crown Jade. His profile was scholarly and handsome, with thin lips and a straight nose.
At that moment, he had his eyes closed, basking in the sun.
His loose hair swayed occasionally in the wind, and Shen Ningning could clearly see strands of silver hidden amongst the black, glinting in and out of view.
Her eyes immediately turned red.
The housekeeper, Uncle Pang, came over carrying a bowl of black medicinal liquid.
"Master, you must take the medicine prescribed by the Divine Doctor properly. Just relying on this Aconite and black hair dye doesn’t seem to be very effective."
"It doesn’t matter if I don’t take it. My hair won’t turn black again. If not for the fear of frightening Ningning, it would be of no concern," Xie Suzhi said in a cool, detached tone.
Uncle Pang sighed and tried to persuade him, "How can you say that, Master? You’re not even forty yet."
Xie Suzhi remained silent for a long while before finally speaking. "Old Pang, why is your touch so light today?"
For a long time, there was no answer from behind him, only what sounded like a very soft sob.
Xie Suzhi quickly opened his eyes and turned his head to look.
Tears were rolling down Shen Ningning’s milky-white little face.
"Father..." she called out softly.