Chapter 466 – Reincarnation (1)
After Zhao Zhe died, there were only three days of crying in the palace. Using the excuse that the various titled princes were coming to the capital with their armies, Marquis Moyu pushed the idea of promoting the fourth prince, Zhao Yu, to emperor.
There were people in the imperial court that voiced objections. The fourth prince was too young and naturally wouldn’t be able to rule by himself. Marquis Moyu’s proposal meant that this child emperor would be under his control, and he would have control of Great Song’s vassals through the child emperor.
This was obvious enough. No one needed to voice these thoughts. Everyone could see the truth for himself.
However, once Ning Mingjie arrived in the capital, his large army felt like a black cloud of oppressive pressure that surrounded the capital. The majority of officials had also switched allegiance to Marquis Moyu already. Someone even suggested for Marquis Moyu to act as regent.
Ning Yuxuan opened the capital’s gates and welcomed the various titled princes that had come to the capital. They were allowed to bring many of their subordinates into the capital with them, but their private armies had to stationed far away from the capital. These princes were all members of the imperial family.
Once the emperor had died, there was no way to bring him back. Xiao-shi, who had recently been promoted to grand dowager empress, moved passed the pain of losing her child and publicly stated that it was only right for the fourth prince to ascend the throne. She made this statement in exchange for Xiao Tianyi’s life.
The titled princes hadn’t except that the ascension would be resolved so rapidly. Couldn’t they have been given some time to adjust to these drastic changes?
Just as abruptly, the borderlands war ended without any warning. Yuzhen announced that its army would retreat, and it would also offer tribute as compensation.
While the fourth prince sat on the throne and played with toys, Marquis Moyu stood at his side and gave instructions on the country’s matters.
Ning Mingjie was going to marry Yuzhen’s princess. It could be considered the two countries resuming their alliance. The members of Xiao Clan were punished for their crimes, and some of them were exiled. Ning Yuxuan spared Xiao Tianyi. He lost his position as the prime minister and became an official that had a position that was neither high nor low.
All the complicated things in the world seemed to have slowly gotten resolved.
—
Marquis Moyu took a sedan chair back to his estate. When he carelessly lifted the curtain to look outside, many young women called out to him, but they also shyly retreated away from the sedan chair.
Dengxin had recently been brought back to the capital and was in the crowd of women that were looking at Marquis Moyu. She sighed. During the long period of separation, the marquis’s popularity had risen. No wonder her master had been perfectly willing to remain by his side. He had once just been a beautiful man, but now he had the kingly bearing of someone that had the entire world in his grasp.
Holding her luggage, Dengxin hurriedly took the last steps to the marquis’s estate. By chance, the marquis was leaving his sedan chair at this time too. Dengxin entered the estate through a side entrance to look for Steward Qian to report that she had returned. Afterwards, she changed her clothes and went to the western courtyard.
When she entered the western courtyard’s main bedroom, the person on the bed seemed to have just awoken. Ning Yuxuan was sitting on bedside.
Carrying a bowl of nourishing medicine, Dengxin went forward to pay her respects. “Master.”
“Dengxin!” Ji Man was thrilled to see her. But, she had left Dengxin in Jing Province. Why had she come here?
Dengxin put the bowl down and properly saluted. “Master, you’re pregnant. It’s only right for Dengxin to return here to serve you.”
Because Ji Man had left behind a store for her, she had been living very well in Jing Province. During this time, she had reached a marrying age. Since Liu Rufeng kept bugging her and wouldn’t give up, she decided that she might as well marry him.
Liu Rufeng had recently been transferred to capital, and she had come along with him. By chance, the marquis found her and told her that her master was pregnant and needed someone to care for her.
Gancao and Muxu were no longer here. She was the only one left.
Overjoyed, Ji Man didn’t even feel sleepy anymore. She held Ning Yuxuan’s arm and pinched him with all of her strength.
Frightened, Dengxin felt cold sweat gathering on her back. She quickly called out, “Master!”
In the past, her master had always been a sensible person. How could she have become so audacious? The marquis’s previous status couldn’t even be compared to his current one. Her master should be more careful…
To her surprise, the marquis, who had been pinched hard enough for his forehead to scrunch up in pain, only took her master’s hand off his arm. He carefully looked at her master’s nails and said, “Be careful, your nails have gotten very brittle lately. If they break off, you’ll be the one crying in pain later. Dengxin, bring over a pair of scissors.”
Dengxin was a bit startled out her wits. She hurriedly voiced her assent and brought over the nearby scissors.
And then, she saw the marquis, who had seemed like a god when she saw him in the streets, quietly sitting on the bed and lowering his head to trim her master’s nails. As he carefully did his task, he muttered, “Why do women like to grow such long nails? Be careful, you might end up scratching yourself. For now, I’ll keep them trimmed for you. We can revisit this topic after you give birth.”
As Ji Man quietly sat there and obediently allowed him to cut her nails, she winked at Dengxin.
This sight dumbfounded Dengxin.
Scenes from the past seem to have appeared in front of her. The marquis didn’t like her master and wasn’t close with her master. He would frequently show her master either an unsmiling face, or a face that had become livid in anger.
She would have never expected there would be a day when the marquis would so gently sit by her master’s side. Although his expression was still a bit hard, she felt…
So wonderful.
Dengxin’s eyes slightly reddened. She suddenly thought of Gancao. She really wished that Gancao could be here to see this too. Gancao, come look, we used to have to work so hard to not be harmed by others in order to help our master keep living. Now, the marquis has already learned to cherish our master.
She wondered; how tall were the grasses on Gancao’s grave?
After turning around and wiping her tears, Dengxin brought over the bowl of medicine. “My lord, please let my master drink this first.”
Ning Yuxuan nodded. After he finished trimming, he took the bowl. But, he felt a bit embarrassed to spoon-feed Ji Man in front of Dengxin. He pursed his lips and said to Ji Man, “Drink it yourself.”
It was no big deal to drink the soup herself. It wasn’t like she was an invalid. Ji Man twitched her lips. She took the bowl and slowly drank the medicine.
Ning Yuxuan couldn’t resist the impulse to take the bowl from her once she was done. He handed the bowl to Dengxin and dryly coughed once before saying to her, “Dengxin, stay here to keep Madam company. I still have work to do.”
“Understood.” Dengxin nodded.
