CH 76

The wind stopped, the dense forest gradually returned to tranquility.

Time seemed to stand still, everything was silent. Ni Lie fell into a deep sleep within the cold fragrance, his restless heart was incomparably quiet, as if he had submerged in a pool of warm water.

It wasn’t known how long he had slept like this, Ni Lie’s fingers moved, he inertialy turned over to try to grab something, but it was empty when he stretched out his arms. He become alert and suddenly stood up.

He was the only one left in the wooden room.

The sky was dark, it seemed that there was a light veil everywhere that made it impossible to see clearly.

There was a faint fragrance between the wing of his nose. It was almost not smellable, but clearly present. He sat in such silence for a long time before he got up, hurriedly put on the clothes that were scattered on the ground, and stepped out of the wooden room in a few steps.

In the ambiguous morning light, the barren weeds floated with the wind, making a subtle rustling sound. It was all in the middle of nowhere. The horse on which he came was snapping its nose, flicking its tail, burying its head not far away to eat the weeds. Ni Lie’s pupils shrank suddenly. He walked over in huge strides, grabbed the reins, turned over onto the horse, and kicked the horse’s belly fiercely without a care about this rugged mountain road, and galloped to the forest.

The cold wind of the morning blew on his face, cutting it like a knife, the roots of his teeth were shrugging, his face cold, and his eyes seemed as if they were bleeding.

However, when the fierce horse rushed out of the dense forest, the rapid sound of the horse’s hooves slowed down.

In the cold spring wilderness, one man and one horse stopped quietly, with an eagle circling by, crying out alone before it flew far away.

The sky was full of smoke, and the wind was like a cold wave, pushing repeatedly, without end.

***

The carbon fire made beeping noises. It was obviously extinguished, but occasionally a few flames rose, licking the bottom of the crockpot. The bowl popped and the smell of medicine permeated.

Ni Ying squatted in front of the small stove, her face was hit with the smoke ash, appearing in a sorry state. However, she paid no attention to it at all. She took the feather fan and gently fanned the charcoal fire in the stove, while paying attention to the movement in the crockpot.

Uncle Qian persuaded on the side: “Miss, let me do it, this smoky fire, it won’t be good if it hurts your eyes.”

Ni Ying shook her head, “It’s okay, it’s almost ready.”

Uncle Qian sighed, he stopped talking, and only took a stone hammer on the side to grind the medicinal powder.

After the two bowls of water were cooked until there was one bowl left, Ni Ying left the stove. She carefully poured the medicine into the celadon bowl, instructed Uncle Qian a few words, and went by herself.

Before approaching the bedroom in the backyard, she saw a circle of teenagers outside the room. Everyone had worries on their faces, they stretched their necks, squeezing through the cracks in the doors and windows to look in.

Ni Ying sighed secretly, but she did not drive them away as usual, only let them move to leave a gap to go in.

The bedroom was silent, the curtain hung quietly, only vaguely showing a slender figure lying on the bed. Ni Ying lifted the curtain and entered. She put the medicine on the side of the table, half knelt in front of the bed, looked at the pale and beautiful face for a long time, and then softly spoke: “Your Highness, it’s time to drink the medicine.”

The thin eyelids of the person in front of her moved, he opened his eyes.

He seemed a little confused, his gaze gradually focused on Ni Ying’s face. After looking at it for a long time, the corners of his dead lips tugged gently.

“You look like a dragon Li cat….”

Raising his hand to wipe the stain on her face, Ni Ying’s eyes trembled. she suddenly grabbed his warm hand, unfolded it, and pressed it to her face.

Li Yuanmin smiled gently: “Silly girl, it’s okay, Your Royal Highness’s Gege’s body is fine.”

Before dawn the day before, the patrolling soldiers found King Guang’an who had fainted in front of the door. His hair was messy, his shoes were covered with mud, and his clothes were wet, no one know where he came from, which almost frightened the government soldiers.

After being sent back to the backyard, he was still unconscious. Then, at night he began to have a fever, the whole person was burned until he was bewildered that he began to talk nonsense, making everyone in the Guang’an Prince Mansion anxious. Thus, everyone stayed in the backyard all night.

In such a panic situation, Ni Ying was extremely calm, helping Zhou Dawu maintain the order of the mansion, while personally taking care of King Guang’an. The fever stayed for three days before it finally receded, and he woke up.

The movement inside and outside caused a rustling noise, Li Yuanmin raised his eyes and looked, the window reflected the shadowy figure, he sighed, and said, “You can let them all in.”

Ni Ying pursed his lips, but did not stop him. She helped him sit up, putting up a pad on his waist to lean and went out to relay his words.

After a moment’s effort, the teenagers standing outside squeezed in making the light in the inner room suddenly dim. 

“ Your Highness…”

“ How are you…”

“ Your Highness…”

Looking at those pair of worried and childish eyes, Li Yuanmin’s heart soured. How could he not know that if he couldn’t endure, this group of homeless children would be displaced again. Since he gave them hope, how could he make them fall back into the quagmire so easily?

He had come to this point, he was no longer only carrying himself, but was also carrying the lives of more than a thousand people in the Guang’an Prince Mansion, all of which would not allow him to be selfish.

He closed his eyes and thought to himself that the nightmare that he couldn’t get away with was finally going to wake up.

“ I’ve been ill these few days, which made everyone worry, now that I am very good, everyone doesn’t have to worry too much, you can do your work normally.” 

He smiled at everyone, trying to sound healthier.

Ni Ying obviously could see Li Yuanmin’s reluctance, and immediately blocked the front: “Okay, okay, lunch is ready, you guys go eat.”

However, the teenagers still did not want to leave. They huddled in front of the bed to watch him.

Li Yuanmin could only hold his spirit and say something to them, so that they could disperse.

During the period of recuperation, a news shook the whole territory of Lingnan. The commander of the garrison in Lingnan county, Ni Lie, joined the command of the eldest prince Li Yuanqian. Soon, the news of the conferring title imperial order from the capital also reached Lingnan. Ni Lie took over the Liangjiang camp, while Li Yuanqian’s trusted confidant, the original high ranking officials from the Nine Ministers, Zhu Chen, bestowd the title of governor of military affairs to Ni Lie, while the government affairs fell under Zhu Chen’s control. A pair of Liangjiang’s governors were holding back at both sides. So far, Li Yuanqian’s power was becoming more and more prosperous, the dynasty was already regarded him as the Son of Heaven, only one step away from ascending.

When Zhou Dawu reported with an angry expression, Li Yuanmin didn’t say anything. He waved his hand to let him retreat, and stayed quietly in the study for an afternoon.

***

Since the first spring thunder, Lingnan had entered a long rainy season. Because of this climate, Li Yuanmin was always a little sluggish, lethargic, and unable to bring up his spirit.

However, the current situation did not allow him to be so lazy. After barely recuperating in bed for a few days, Li Yuanmin began to rectify.

He first started to make a move inside Bei’an Prince Mansion, ordering people to take down the prince’s mansion’s General Manager.

The council hall was full of people, everyone did not dare to make a sound. In the huge hall, there was only the cry of General Manager Sun. Li Yuanmin’s face did not have much blood, but there was a fierceness between his eyebrows.

General Manager Sun, who was kneeling on the ground, burst into tears, “I beg Your Highness to not send me away, please just take away the title of General Manager from me. And let me remain here to serve even as a servant to Your Highness…..”

How could Li Yuanmin not know of his loyalty, but the subordinates of the main courtyard were all changed, and yet the General Manager did not even make a report to obtain his consent. Even when he was made a mere figurehead, and put in imprisonment, no one knew anything about it. 

He naturally knew that this account could not be completely calculated on the head of General Manager Sun, all because he relied too much on that person. In everyone’s eyes, naturally his order is the same as vessal state’s king’s order. Before, he could tolerate it, but now he was definitely not allowed to be muddled headed. Now the rumors outside were nothing more than his trusted subordinate switching side to the camp of the Eldest Prince. Everyone is staring at the Bei’an Prince Mansion one by one, if he doesn’t intimidate the inner courtyard, then something will inevitably happen again. 

He can only kill the chicken to warn the monkey!

General Manager Sun under the hall cried heartbrokenly. Li Yuanmin ruthlessly decided, and shouted: “Pull him out and punish him with 20 hits then expel him from the mansion.”

The mansion soldiers hurriedly came in, dragged General Manager Sun from the ground, and went outside.

The chamber gradually fell silent that even a falling needle would make noise.

Li Yuanmin was not in a hurry to speak. The phoenix eyes swept around everyone, everyone all lowered their heads, when he slowly said: “I hope you will remember in the future, who is the real master of this Guang’an Prince Mansion!”

Everyone knelt down in unison and bowed their heads.

After everyone retreated, Ni Ying, who was waiting on the side, brought a bowl of calming tea at the right time, and said softly: “Your Highness, rest assured, I have asked Song Zhu to send travel expenses to General Manager Sun. The pension is more than enough.”

Li Yuanmin sighed. He rubbed his brows tiredly, took the tea, and took a few sips.

The girl on the side methodically collected the books on the desk.

Li Yuanmin looked at her, this girl was now calm as if she was another person. She no longer talked about those things, as if it had never happened. In a short period of time, it has made her grow a lot. Li Yuanmin felt sad, but did not say anything, only accompanied her to the backyard for lunch.

After being busy for half a day, he was really tired, full of softness, and only felt sleepy. He actually slept until the sun tilted for this afternoon nap.

Ni Ying was afraid that he would sleep too much now that he won’t be able to sleep soundly at night, so she hurriedly came in to wake him up.

“ Your Highness…”

The person on the bed turned over, his black hair poured down with his movements like running water. In the afterglow of the setting sun, he had a soft light on his face, frowned slightly, and murmured in a nasal voice with some displeasure:

“ Ah Lie…”

As soon as the words fell, he stiffened for a moment, after a long time, he slowly got up.

Ni Ying acted as if she hadn’t heard it and stepped forward to help him up: “Your Highness is like a lazy cat these days, if you don’t wake up now, I’m afraid it’ll be dark soon.”

Li Yuanmin smiled smoothly. He was just about to get out of bed, when a sense of annoyance rose from his chest and abdomen, he grabbed his clothes, crouched on the edge of the bed and vomited.

Ni Ying quickly supported him and smoothed his back for him.

Li Yuanmin gasped, suppressed the annoyance, smiled calmly, and comforted Ni Ying, who looked worried.

“ It’s because I got up a little more urgently, I’m fine. ”

Ni Ying looked at him carefully for a moment, and saw that he was like each minding their own businesses and sorting out his own attires. There was no abnormality like just now, her heart was slightly relaxed.

“ Ah Ying, there is a letter for the clan elders, you arrange for someone to send it…”

He remembered something, “On the way there, go to the warehouse to sort out the accounts of these two months and send someone to bring it to the study. I will take a look when I have time at night.”

Ni Ying answered, and nimbly withdrew.

The sun did not enter the horizon, filling the whole sky with rose-tinted color. Through the curtain, one can still feel the continuous heat.

Li Yuanmin sat there dumbfounded for a long time, then finally spoke: “Song Zhu, call Uncle Qian to come over.”

***

Uncle Qian knelt on the ground with a bang, old tears ran rampant.

Li Yuanmin no longer had the majesty and calmness of the day, he was like a panicked child, only trembling his lips: “You, didn’t you say, I have no chance of having children anymore. I had drank many medicines, I’ve drank so many medicines…”

He remembered bowl after bowl of swarthy medicine, bitter to the root of his tongue, drinking until his lower abdomen was unbearably painful. There was no possibility of childbirth. He stopped it—obviously it was impossible.

He was helpless, there was no blood on his face: “How long has it been…”

Uncle Qian had no face to see him, and only kowtowed heavily: “More than one month, less than two months.”

Li Yuanmin’s eyes turned black, he fell back a few steps in succession, collapsing on the noble concubine’s bed, desperate.

“ More than a month, less than two months…”

It was around the Lingnan military suppression of the pirates.

……This child, whose child is this?

The author has something to say: First, don’t ask me, I don’t know if it’s Old Ni’s or Young Ni’s. Who made it so that there was no B ultrasound machine in ancient times to determine the specific gestational week, but Old Ni or Young Ni in turn was both intimated with His Highness for only about ten days apart, B ultrasound also seems to be helpless ho ~ not to mention DNA is the same, so who is the biological father, this is an unsolvable medical & ethical question.

Second, why can tiny Ni still firmly grasp the stomach of His Highness after the bloody rain and bloody wind, who is his father —— a super powerful monster who created an infertility medical miracle, of course, tiny Ni naturally has excellent earthquake resistance. Don’t even think that his parents could shake off its fertilized egg! (At a certain night, everything was quiet, the turbulence of the world finally subsided, and there was a cold sweat behind my back? Said tiny Ni: that was a close call!）

Ciacia/N: Is that cold sweat come with white color and sticky feeling? Just wondering!