Chapter 285.2: a conversation between men
The imperial guard bowed and extended his hand. “Your Majesty, this way please.”
Ning Lianchen nodded and followed the guard out of the posthouse, boarding a waiting horse carriage before heading straight back to the imperial palace. Ning Lianchen’s was deep in thought the whole way back. Although Pei Qianhao didn’t explicitly say how he would treat Imperial Elder Sister, I can tell from his words that he does care for her. At the very least, he won’t treat her unfairly in the future. After all, it was only because of her that he was willing to utilise Beimin’s military and wealth to deal with Yun Ruofeng.
Not many people can achieve this. Between power and the beauty, Yun Ruofeng chose the former, whereas Pei Qianhao… Ning Lianchen sighed. He is powerful enough to not have to choose.
Before Ning Lianchen’s horse carriage could reach the imperial palace, an imperial guard from the palace approached while riding a horse. The moment the guard saw the carriage, he dismounted and signalled for the carriage to stop.
With one knee on the ground, the imperial guard reported, “Your Majesty, Prince Yun has caught a bad cold. His symptoms have worsened since this morning, and he is currently stuck in bed.”
Ning Lianchen turned to the carriage driver after listening. “Head to the Prince Yun Residence.”
“This subordinate obeys the order.”
The wheels of the carriage turned rapidly, and it took them less than 10 minutes to arrive at the Prince Yun Residence.
All of the Prince Yun Residence’s guards wore grave expressions as they stood in place, bowing to Ning Lianchen as he walked by. He gestured for them to rise as he entered the main hall.
Imperial Physician Fang had just come out from the main room; upon seeing the emperor, he put both hands out in front of him and greeted, “This humble official pays his respects to Your Majesty.”
“How’s Prince Yun’s condition?”
Imperial Physician Fang looked troubled. “It’s just a normal cold, and should not have led to something this serious. This humble official thinks that Prince Yun has overworked himself and has too much on his mind, leading to his condition deteriorating to such an extent.”
“This Emperor shall go in to take a look.” Ning Lianchen then entered the room.
Imperial Physician Fang sighed. Before the state banquet, Prince Yun was in charge of the nation. Now that it has ended, Prince Yun has become depressed, while His Majesty has taken the lead. Is there going to be a political upheaval or regime change?
When Ning Lianchen entered the room, he found Qin Ling taking care of Yun Ruofeng. He gave the latter a perplexed look. “Are there no maidservants in the Prince Yun Residence?”
Qin Ling sighed. “Prince Yun won’t allow the maidservants to wait on him, this subordinate has no other way.”
Ning Lianchen took a few steps forward and a feeble call entered his ears. “Lan-er…”
“Qin Ling, you may withdraw. This Emperor will watch over him.”
“This…” Qin Ling hesitated.
“Withdraw,” Ning Lianchen’s tone turned icy. Qin Ling could only bow and withdraw, closing the room doors on his way out.
Ning Lianchen sat by the bed and watched the pale Yun Ruofeng. What power or prestige is there to speak of when he is in such a state? If the news of him falling ill were to spread, it would certainly cause a commotion among the commoners. No matter how despicable he is, or how much of his authority he has lost, he still holds an important place in the hearts of the people.
Although he is evil, I must admit that he does have some ability in settling internal strife and leading the military.
“Lan-er…” A soft call once again streamed into Ning Lianchen’s ears.
Ning Lianchen replied, “If you knew that this day would come, then why did you act the way you did? You pushed Imperial Elder Sister away yourself, but now your want her back. Not everything will go according to your wishes.”
Though Ning Lianchen spoke softly, the sleeping Yun Ruofeng seemed to have heard it. His brows furrowed together, and an anxious expression appeared on his face.
Ning Lianchen hated Yun Ruofeng, but seeing his current state, he didn’t have the heart to put the latter down anymore.
“You can’t get Imperial Elder Sister to return to your side. This Emperor already tested Prince Hao, and found out that he is extremely possessive of Imperial Elder Sister. His power is stable as well as immense, making it impossible to stop him. In fact, it would be better to simply learn from Beimin and focus equally in martial and literary arts.” Ning Lianchen muttered slowly. He only realised after he finished that Yun Ruofeng had opened his eyes.
Yun Ruofeng looked at him. “You knew long ago that Su Xi-er is Ning Rulan?”
“Indeed, this Emperor found out even earlier than you. Perhaps we realised at the same time, but you refused to believe it.”