Chapter 309 – From now on, there’s nothing between the two of us (2)
Ning Mingjie slightly pursed his lips. He gestured with his hand for Changshan to bring his cloak over, then he draped his cloak over her.
On the third level of the stands, the second prince showed an amused look in his eyes. There was a hint of exhaustion on Pengyue’s face as she pushed his wheelchair forward.
“Should we really allow her to remain?” Zhao Li lightly said, “I don’t want to allow that woman to keep living. She’s too clever.”
It was if Pengyue had been jolted awake by his words. With an unhappy expression, she said, “Back then, we agreed that we would help her one time. A mere woman can’t overturn the heavens. What’s the big deal in letting her live? Ah Li, a good person wouldn’t turn around and return kindness with enmity.”
Zhao Li lightly harrumphed. He looked at her in askance and said, “You’re too soft-hearted.”
Still, in the end, he tightly gripped Pengyue’s hand.
Marquis Moyu was sitting on the second level of the stands with other people and quietly waiting for 11:00 AM. As soon as that hour arrived, it would be time for the third prince and his supporters to completely disappear.
Ji Man was also silently waiting. It seemed as if there was someone next to her that was trying to talk with her, but she didn’t hear that person’s words at all.
From far away, there seemed to be the sound of a carriage rushing over here. It was an unseemly scene as the carriage splashed through all the puddles on the way here.
As soon as the carriage had stopped, a married woman with a slightly protruding belly hastily came down from the carriage. Holding an item in her hand, she knelt down right in front of the execution ground and shouted, “Ning Errong requests to speak with His Highness, the second prince!”
“Errong!” Startled, Ning Mingjie stood up and wanted to go down, but then he glanced at the stand behind him.
With a stubborn expression, Ning Errong stayed kneeling in the puddle. With her head held high, she unrolled the imperial edict that she had been holding in her hand. “Ning Clan is willing to use the pardon that the late emperor had bestowed onto our clan for the life of Errong’s unborn child’s father!”
The viewing stands were in an uproar. Ning Yuxuan had also stood up. Nie Qingyun’s expression also finally changed, and he straightened his kneeling position as he furiously said, “No matter what position I fall to, I don’t need a woman to come here to save me! Moreover, we had already divorced. There’s nothing connecting us…”
“Does the baby in my belly not count as a connection?” Ning Errong lightly laughed. The falling rain had drenched her hair and caused some of it to stick to her face. She turned her head to look at him and said, “Do you think I want to save a faithless man like you? It’s only because I don’t want my unborn baby to have difficult days in the future, that’s the only reason why I would want a man like you.”
Ning Mingjie deeply furrowed his brow. Changshan, who had originally been standing by his side, had already gone over and was holding an umbrella above her head.
Looking at Errong’s belly, Nie Qingyun showed an especially vexed expression. “What are you doing…”
“Whatever you do, I’ll do it too.” Ning Errong pursed her lips and turned her head to look at the viewing stands. “This subject will audaciously ask the second prince a question. In your eyes, does an imperial edict from the late emperor still count?”
Back when Marquis Jingwen had accomplished a great meritorious service, the late emperor had bestowed an imperial edict that could be used at anytime to absolve one person of his or her crime. It was the equivalent to a ‘get out of jail free’ card. Marquis Jingwen had always treated the scroll that the imperial edict had been written on as a treasure. No one would have expected that Errong would be able to get her hands on it.
The second prince had been able to pulled Zhao Jue down without complications because he had used the excuse that he was getting revenge for the late emperor. He accused the third prince of patricide, and he had succeed in one fell swoop by using the pressure of public opinion as well as coordinating outside and inside offenses.
But now, Ning Errong was asking if he would honor the late emperor’s intentions.
And so, of course, he had to honor the late emperor’s wishes. Zhao Li had Pengyue push his wheelchair down to the ground level, and he personally took the imperial edict from Ning Errong. Smiling, he said, “As a pregnant woman, you need to be careful. Don’t let yourself catch a cold from being exposed to chilly weather. If you want to exchange this imperial edict for Nie Qingyun’s life, you can do so. But, everyone else’s life can’t be saved.”
Ning Errong laughed and said, “Errong just want her future child to have a father. Why would Errong care about the other people?”
“Alright then.” The second prince gave the imperial edict to Pengyue for safekeeping and looked at Nie Qingyun as he said, “So, what do you think about me sending him to Marquis Jingwen’s estate so that he can be a servant there?”
Nie Qingyun was shocked, and Nie Xiangyuan’s eyes were full of hate as he looked at Zhao Li.
Errong lowered her eyes and agreed, “Sure. Thank you, Your Highness.”
Ji Man blankly watched this scene. She watched as Nie Qingyun was forcefully led out of the group of people and stayed restrained on the side. Errong wasn’t standing far from him. Neither of them looked at each other.
Soon after, the drums were struck. 11:00 AM had arrived.
“No one else is coming forward to save anyone else, right?” Zhao Li pursed his lips and glanced at Ning Mingjie.
Ning Mingjie took a deep breath before throwing a token onto the ground and ordering, “Begin the execution.”
After the poisoned wine was forcefully poured into the third prince’s mouth, the executioner’s blade was raised. Nie Xiangyuan closed his eyes.
The mournful cries seemed to cleave through the horizon, but utter silence returned in the time it would take to burn an incense stick.
There was only endless red in Ji Man’s eyes. There were heads that rolled in the puddles of rainwater, and she could hear the echoing memory of people yelling their grievances before their deaths.
“Father -” A voice cried out as if her heart was being torn into shreds, but no one could hear her except Ji Man.
She was the only one that could feel Nie Sangyu’s heart-wrenching pain.
The second prince smiled as he said, “This is the only possible outcome for rebels and traitors. Yuxuan, do you agree?”
From the corner of his eyes, Marquis Moyu looked at the woman, who was sitting blankly. He pursed his lips and nodded. “En.”
“Has the divorce letter been written?” Zhao Li looked looked at Ning Yuxuan. The latter took the divorce letter from his sleeve, walked over, and placed it on her lap.
Ji Man lightly smiled.
Looking at her with a deep gaze, Ning Yuxuan said, “From now on, there’s nothing between the two of us.”
