Chapter 573: The Emperor Admits His Mistake
Chapter 573: Chapter 573: The Emperor Admits His Mistake
He held Shen Ningning so tightly she couldn’t break free.
Mo Lingwei’s eyes recognized only her. He clutched her like a precious treasure, refusing to let go and only pulling her tighter.
Shen Ningning’s face paled.
"Mo Lingwei," she managed to say, "You’re hurting me!"
Mo Lingwei finally snapped back to his senses and immediately let go. His crimson eyes scanned Shen Ningning from head to toe, making sure she wasn’t hurt.
Amid the surrounding moonlight, flickering torches, and glinting swords, the young woman before him stood with her hair in disarray, her red lips slightly parted as she caught her breath.
The tearing pain in Mo Lingwei’s mind began to subside, especially when he noticed a drop of blood that had, at some point, spattered onto Shen Ningning’s cheek.
It stood out starkly against her flawless, porcelain-like skin.
He couldn’t help but reach out, wanting to wipe it clean for her.
But he forgot his hands were covered in blood. Instead of wiping her delicate face clean, he only smeared it further, until it was streaked with grime and blood, like a little grimy kitten.
Mo Lingwei froze, looking down at his own palms. "I’m sorry. I got you dirty."
But Shen Ningning soothed him in a soft voice, "It’s alright. Can’t you just help me wash it off, brother? Let’s go back to Zichen Palace now, shall we? You can have a Palace Attendant bring water to help me wipe my face."
Mo Lingwei nodded at once. "Yes, yes."
He took her hand, his eyes full of affection. For him, there was no one else but Shen Ningning.
Thus, the onlookers watched as the Crown Prince, who had nearly carved a bloody path through them moments ago, became utterly gentle—a complete transformation from the man he was before.
The Emperor’s expression was extremely complex, his eyes welling with the worried tears of a father.
The Imperial Physician had said that if Mo Lingwei’s head ailment could not be cured, it would surely endanger his life. The best solution was to have the Crown Prince marry as soon as possible. Once the Imperial Grandson was born, the Emperor would not have to leave the throne to his other sons.
In his eyes, only the legitimate son born to his late Empress could inherit the throne.
Moreover, the Emperor had always felt a sense of guilt towards Mo Lingwei and the late Empress.
The Emperor had thought Mo Lingwei’s illness was completely cured, but seeing him today, it seemed like an incurable, terminal disease!
Mo Lingwei walked Shen Ningning down the steps. The recovery from his earlier violent episode brought on a wave of intense dizziness.
Shen Ningning seemed to anticipate it, catching him just as he began to collapse.
Mo Lingwei’s entire body leaned against Shen Ningning. The Emperor snapped back to reality and shouted urgently, "Quick, help the Crown Prince into the bedchamber!"
Everyone scrambled to take the Crown Prince from Shen Ningning’s arms.
Unexpectedly, the imperial guards supporting the unconscious Mo Lingwei suddenly found they couldn’t move.
Everyone looked down and saw that Mo Lingwei’s hand was still gripping Shen Ningning’s sleeve tightly.
The young woman froze. Seeing the Emperor standing there out of the corner of her eye, she bit her lip and began to pull her sleeve out bit by bit.
The Emperor sighed. "Ningning, you should go in with them. Otherwise, if Ling Wei wakes up and can’t find you, he’ll likely grow anxious."
Shen Ningning was a little surprised. ’Uncle Emperor is actually allowing me to be alone with Mo Lingwei?’
She hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright."
Meng Wanning had only just arrived. She’d heard the Crown Prince had gone berserk and was killing people, so she was afraid of getting injured if she came any earlier.
But not coming was out of the question. If she didn’t show her concern now, she would miss a golden opportunity.
When she saw the figures of Shen Ningning and Mo Lingwei entering the bedchamber, she hurriedly lifted her skirt to follow.
The Emperor turned and saw her, then shot Lu Fu a look.
Lu Fu immediately blocked Meng Wanning at the bottom of the White Jade Steps.
"The Emperor allowed me to enter the palace. I heard the Crown Prince’s old ailment has flared up, and I’m very worried. Please just let me have a look. I’ll leave after just one glance."
Lu Fu’s gaze was ice-cold, his entire presence imposing and powerful.
"The Emperor has given an order. While the Crown Prince is recuperating, only Princess Funing is to remain by his side. Please return."
Meng Wanning was extremely unwilling to give up. She looked up at the brightly lit palace halls behind him.
But the imperial guards were lined up sternly, and she didn’t dare act presumptuously. She could only bite her lip and leave.
Inside the hall, Shen Ningning sat by Mo Lingwei’s bedside, her face now washed clean and glowing with its natural, rosy complexion.
She wrung out a clean cloth and began to wipe the blood from Mo Lingwei’s hands.
The Emperor stood to the side, watching quietly, his expression complex and tinged with a hint of regret.
’I must have been a fool,’ he thought to himself. ’A wonderful girl like Shen Ningning... isn’t she the perfect choice for a daughter-in-law?’
The Imperial Physicians had all rushed over, preparing to perform acupuncture on Mo Lingwei to nurse him back to health.
Seeing no sign of Mo Lingwei waking up, the Emperor called Shen Ningning into an adjacent side hall alone.
"Ningning, I must apologize to you. That unreasonable request I made before... it seems utterly absurd now." The Emperor’s face, etched with a deep weariness, seemed to have aged years overnight.
Shen Ningning sat across from him, watching him quietly before speaking after a long moment. "Parents always make plans for their children’s distant futures. Uncle Emperor was only trying to be thorough in his considerations for my brother."
She did not utter a single word of complaint, and her etiquette was perfect, revealing none of the grievance she felt in her heart.
The Emperor was filled with emotion.
’Such a wonderful girl,’ he thought. ’Even if my son, Mo Lingwei, were to one day pass away from his illness, Shen Ningning, as the Empress, could surely raise their child and guide Cangyun Country into an era of prosperity.’
"Ningning, I will no longer restrict your interactions with Ling Wei. If his illness can never be cured, you are his only pillar of support, his only hope. I wish for you to reconsider him. If you are willing, I will issue an imperial edict for your marriage at once."
Upon hearing his words, the warmth vanished from Shen Ningning’s calm face, her expression cracking like ice.
"Uncle Emperor, I am your junior and should not be disrespectful, but what you’ve just said is truly insulting."
The Emperor was stunned.
Shen Ningning lifted her chin slightly, her gaze frosty.
"When you feared the Xie family’s power growing large enough to threaten the Mo Family’s empire, you demanded I stay away from my brother. Now that you’ve discovered I am the only one who can soothe him during his episodes, you want me to stay."
"So let me ask you, Uncle Emperor, do you truly believe I am a pushover, with no temper of my own? I agreed to your previous unreasonable demand because I was also willing to make sacrifices for my brother! He has always been good to me. He took care of me and protected me when I was little, and that is why I agreed without complaint."
"But as for this second unreasonable request, Uncle Emperor, I’m afraid I cannot agree. If I did, I would not only be wronging my brother, but I would also be wronging Lu Shaoyuan. The only good thing to come of this is that I no longer have to implicate Lu Shaoyuan in a sham marriage with me."
The Emperor stared in a daze, his eyes gradually turning red. "Ningning, it is I who have wronged you."
"You haven’t wronged me. It is my brother, who has been kept in the dark this whole time, whom you have wronged. You want his empire to be stable and his life to be long, but you only ever give what you want to give, never asking what he truly wants."
After Shen Ningning finished speaking, she stood up and patted down her dress. Her posture was dignified and graceful, but her expression was as cold as frost and snow.
"I will be leaving the palace now. As for my brother’s illness, I can only trouble Uncle Emperor to concern himself with it."
The young woman curtsied. The Emperor took two steps after her and even had Lu Fu summon a sedan chair to send her out of the palace.
That night, the Emperor kept watch by Mo Lingwei’s bedside until the fourth watch, when Mo Lingwei finally, slowly woke up.
He saw the Emperor and the Imperial Physicians beside him. His voice was hoarse. "Where did Shen Ningning go?"
The Emperor paused, then said reassuringly, "Ningning said she would come to see you in the palace another day. She went home just now. You were unconscious the whole time; how could I let her stay here and watch over you until the fourth watch?"
Mo Lingwei nodded lightly. He wouldn’t have wanted Shen Ningning to wait here for him.
His thin eyes under his sword-like brows closed slightly. He suddenly remembered something and asked again, "My episode earlier... it didn’t frighten her, did it?"
The Emperor felt a bitterness in his heart. "Of course not. You and Ningning have a bond from growing up together, and she’s such a good child. How could she be afraid of you?"
But Mo Lingwei looked unconvinced. Shen Ningning’s cold attitude toward him made him uncertain if he still held any importance in her heart.
The Emperor watched him close his eyes to rest and recuperate, yet he was still completely preoccupied with thoughts of Shen Ningning.
He felt even more strongly that he had made a terrible mistake.