Chapter 541: He and Ningning Are Fated
Chapter 541: Chapter 541: He and Ningning Are Fated
"You! You scoundrel, how dare you speak to Us like that!" The Emperor grabbed a memorial from the side and hurled it at Mo Lingwei.
Unexpectedly, Mo Lingwei was agile. With a swift motion, he raised his hand and caught the memorial just before it could hit his head.
As father and son faced off, the air crackled with tension, as if a storm were brewing between them.
The Chief Eunuch at the door was so frightened he trembled uncontrollably.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince... Your Majesty, the Emperor is only thinking of your well-being. Please, both of you, calm yourselves..."
"Get out!" the father and son shouted in unison.
’This temper... The Crown Prince’s personality is just like the Emperor’s in his youth.’
The Chief Eunuch could only retreat dejectedly.
Inside the Imperial Study Room, only the father and son remained.
A cold glint flashed in Mo Lingwei’s eyes. "I will say this one more time. I will only marry Shen Ningning in this life. But if she is unwilling, I can remain unmarried forever, just to be her companion."
"Furthermore, if I do marry her, I will give her the position of main wife. She will be my only wife; I will not take any other concubines."
"Therefore, I don’t care whether the Empress indulges her family’s ambitions, and the Xie family will not seize our throne."
The Emperor was so furious he nearly fainted. He pointed a trembling finger at Mo Lingwei. "You... you... I am your Imperial Father! Would I ever harm you? You are destined to be Emperor! To have only one Empress in the Six Palaces is unprecedented in the history of Cangyun Country! It’s utterly absurd!"
Mo Lingwei scoffed. "What’s the point of taking so many women? Imperial Father, you have plenty of concubines, but how many of them truly love you?"
"You!" The Emperor clutched his chest, his brow furrowed.
Mo Lingwei raised an eyebrow. "Ah, now I remember. The one who loved you most was killed by one of the concubines you took later."
He was talking about his birth mother, the former Empress.
The Emperor collapsed back onto the Dragon Throne. Whether from anger or some other reason, his face turned pale and he struggled to breathe.
His eyes were bloodshot. "Ling Wei, you are truly naive. Even if you remain unmarried for Ningning’s sake, what if she marries someone else?"
Mo Lingwei’s thin lips tightened. "She won’t."
’I’ll make sure of it.’
The Emperor was so incensed that his vision swam with spots of white. He wanted to say more, but his chest was tight and heavy.
Mo Lingwei didn’t want to argue anymore either.
He said, "In any case, from now on, you don’t need to concern yourself with my marriage. Don’t meddle in it again. As for Ningning, I’ll win her over on my own."
With that, Mo Lingwei turned to leave. He had just pulled the doors open when...
The Chief Eunuch glanced past him and shrieked, "Your Majesty! What’s wrong, Your Majesty!"
Mo Lingwei whipped around, stunned.
The Emperor had slid from the Dragon Throne and fallen to the floor, unconscious.
「By nightfall.」
Shen Ningning was in her room at the Xie Mansion, practicing her calligraphy.
Wanchun came running down the long corridor. "Your Highness the Princess, the master has returned from the palace."
Shen Ningning quickly put down her brush. The young girl lifted her skirts, her pale orchid-colored dress making her look like a lily of the valley in the night, emitting a faint glow.
She had heard that afternoon that the Emperor had fainted.
The Imperial Physicians found the situation difficult to handle, so Mo Lingwei had sent someone to the Xie Mansion to request the Divine Doctor, Sima Han, come to the palace to help.
Shen Ningning had wanted to go along, but Xie Suzhi stopped her, telling her to wait at home for news.
And so, the moment Xie Suzhi returned, she rushed to the main hall in the front courtyard.
Xie Suzhi and Sima Han were sipping tea to soothe their throats, discussing the Emperor’s condition.
"The Emperor’s health is of the utmost importance. Venerable Divine Doctor, for now, please do not let word of this get out, lest those with ill intentions take advantage of the situation."
"Rest assured, my lord. I understand, of course. Matters concerning the Imperial Palace must be kept strictly confidential."
Just then, Shen Ningning’s voice called out.
"Daddy!" She stepped into the main hall. "How is Uncle Emperor’s condition?"
Sima Han glanced at Xie Suzhi.
Xie Suzhi gave a slight nod. Ningning was his daughter, and she was intelligent and sensible, so there was no need to hide anything from her.
"The Emperor fainted from a fit of extreme rage, so he is not in good health right now. The Divine Doctor also said that if he gets that angry again, I’m afraid there’s a risk of paralysis."
Just like Shen Ningning’s second uncle.
She knew about this illness. ’After a fit of anger, a blood clot forms in the brain, which then affects the body’s functions.’
Her second uncle, Xie Dizhi, had been consuming her Spiritual Spring water and Spirit Grass for many years, but he was only temporarily half-cured. He still felt weakness in his legs when he walked occasionally.
This was enough to show just how severe the consequences of this illness were.
Shen Ningning’s delicate brows furrowed. "Why did Uncle Emperor suddenly fly into such a terrible rage?"
Xie Suzhi replied, "I heard from the Chief Eunuch that he argued with the Crown Prince. Alas, His Highness the Crown Prince still has a youthful temperament and often angers the Emperor greatly."
Shen Ningning pursed her rosy lips. "The next time I see Big Brother, I’ll be sure to talk to him. He can’t keep making Uncle Emperor so angry."
Xie Suzhi also made sure to comfort his daughter.
"The Emperor needs to recuperate in peace. When I entered the palace just now, I saw the Crown Prince by the Dragon Couch, serving him medicine. He must have realized his mistake by now."
Hearing this, Shen Ningning figured that Mo Lingwei must be very busy recently.
’I won’t go to the palace and bother him for the time being.’
’I’ll wait until Uncle Emperor’s condition improves.’
Recently, due to the Emperor’s ill health, Mo Lingwei had been acting as regent, presiding over the court and handling all government affairs.
The Crown Prince had a cold and fierce temperament, and his style of doing things was even more swift and decisive.
As the Prime Minister in charge of all officials, Xie Suzhi not only had to cooperate with Mo Lingwei’s commands but also had to reassure the other officials when they grew fearful of the Crown Prince.
In the Emperor’s Qianyuan Hall, the faint scent of medicine lingered in the air.
Mo Lingwei usually came to serve the medicinal soup only after he had finished handling state affairs.
At this moment, by the Emperor’s Dragon Couch stood only his confidants: the head of the Imperial Guards, Lord Lu, and Pei Yin.
Palace maids entered with bowls of medicine, and Lord Lu and Pei Yin helped the Emperor sit up to drink it.
Just as the Emperor finished his medicine, Lord Lu gestured, and a pink Jade Seal suddenly fell from his sleeve.
He quickly picked it up.
But the Emperor had already seen it. "Let Us have a look. What is it that you treasure so much?"
It was an ordinary Jade Seal, though the jade itself was a warm, translucent pink.
The Emperor chuckled, but when he saw the characters carved on the bottom of the seal—"Property of Ningning"—his smile faded.
"Why are you in possession of something of Ningning’s?" he asked, looking up.
Lord Lu quickly cupped his hands and reported, "Replying to Your Majesty, this item is not mine. It was... my second younger brother entrusted me to purchase it on his behalf."
He briefly explained the reason.
It turned out that, knowing Shen Ningning’s fondness for jade, Lu Shaoyuan had asked Commander Lu and Pei Yin to visit the largest local jade shop, Cuiyu House, to buy this Jade Seal for him when they were on business in the Capital region a while ago.
Commander Lu had just rushed back and hadn’t even had time to go home when he heard the Emperor had fallen ill, so he hurried back to the palace to coordinate arrangements.
He hadn’t had a chance to give the Jade Seal to Lu Shaoyuan yet.
The Emperor’s expression remained neutral as he narrowed his eyes. "Your second brother? Oh... We have some impression of him. That spirited young man. We recall that he and that little lass Ningning have known each other for a long time, haven’t they?"
Lord Lu replied, "Yes. They were classmates since they were young. The Princess met my second brother when she was studying in Guangyang County."
The Emperor chuckled and handed the Jade Seal back.
"It seems your second brother is quite attentive toward Ningning."
Lord Lu remained noncommittal. "He is usually careless, but when it comes to the Princess’s affairs, he becomes quite meticulous."
Pei Yin, standing behind them, glimpsed the Emperor’s expression, which held an indescribable, contemplative look.
Suddenly, the Emperor asked, as if joking, "How old is your second brother? Is he married?"
"He has just turned twenty this year and come of age. As for marriage, he has his own ideas, so my mother only asked a few times before letting him be."
The Emperor chuckled. "We feel that Ningning and your second brother would be a good match. Has your family ever asked for Ningning’s opinion? When Chancellor Xie arrives later, how about We ask him on your behalf?"
Lord Lu quickly bowed his head, saying urgently, "Your Majesty is too kind! My second brother is unruly and does not have the good fortune to marry the Princess."
"We were merely speaking casually. What are you so flustered about?" the Emperor said, lying back down. Although he said no more, he looked for all the world like a man thinking with his eyes closed.
Lu Fu and Pei Yin exchanged a look. Both of them felt that something was amiss.
’Is the Emperor planning to decree a marriage?’
’But why his second brother, Lu Shaoyuan? Everyone knows the Crown Prince has been chasing after Shen Ningning.’
’It was a tacit understanding among everyone that Shen Ningning was destined to be the Crown Princess Consort.’