Chapter 216 – If you harm her once, she would pay you back a hundredfold (1)
Ning Errong really wanted to march up to Chen-s.h.i.+ and ask her what on earth was going on in her mind. Clearly, Sangyu was willing to call Chen-s.h.i.+ mother. Even if Sangyu wasn’t her biological daughter, Sangyu’s mother had been Chen-s.h.i.+’s fraternal twin. So, how could Chen-s.h.i.+ be so cold-hearted towards Sangyu?!
But, other than silently enduring, she didn’t have any other choice. Chen-s.h.i.+ was her mother-in-law. However, when she turned her head and looked again at the fragile and pale-faced person lying on the bed, she still couldn’t hold back her anger and left the room to look for Marquis Moyu.
She had originally thought that her older cousin had too many constraints to act freely and that was why he sometimes behaved coldly. And if he acted somewhat bias against Sangyu, it was only because of Sangyu’s previous actions. But now, Sangyu had tragically given birth to a toddy cat after a full-term pregnancy, and he was nowhere to be found! Was his heart made of stone? Why couldn’t her cousin’s heart be slightly moved by Sangyu?
She angrily rushed to the study, but when she arrived, a servant told her that Marquis Moyu had gone out.
Right now, Old Madame was sick, and there were people from the Six Ministries waiting at the door for him. Where did Ning Yuxuan go?
—
In a residence on the east side of the capital, a servant girl that was carrying a bamboo basket came out from the back entrance. After looking left and right several times, she finally stepped into a carriage.
The atmosphere had been very tense in the capital during the past two days. There were guards patrolling everywhere. They had originally planned on taking this bamboo basket out of the capital, but now they had to change their plans. This basket would be brought over to the prince’s estate instead.
The servant girl was very cautious. After entering the carriage, she sat near the window and observed the surroundings. When the carriage has pa.s.sed by several alleys and two streets, its wheels seemed to have gotten stuck on something as it was pa.s.sing by Xiangguo Temple. With a neighing sound, the horse stopped.
The carriage driver hurriedly jumped down from the carriage to check the wheels. The baby inside the bamboo basket was also startled awake by the abrupt stop, but it didn’t cry or fuss. Its limpid eyes that had only opened a few days ago innocently looked towards the outside.
The servant girl rocked the bamboo basket and quietly asked the carriage driver, “Is everything okay?”
The carriage driver shook his head. “Come down, I need your help in pus.h.i.+ng it out.”
The servant girl didn’t suspect him. She came out of the carriage and stood at the side. Just as she was about to use a cloth to cover the bamboo basket, a large group of people suddenly rushed out from behind and quickly surrounded them.
“What are you all doing?” Terrified, the servant girl tightly hugged the bamboo basket. She looked for pedestrians on the road. Just as she was about to call out for help, a man walked out from the group.
Standing firmly in front of the servant girl, Ning Yuxuan lightly stretched his hands out. “Return it to me.”
Impossible! The servant girl’s eyes were widened in shock. How could Marquis Moyu have found her? Her whereabouts had always been very well hidden. Even on the prince’s side, only a few of his trusted aids knew of her existence. How could Marquis Moyu have found her so easily?
Shaking her head, the servant girl took a step back.
Ning Yuxuan sneered. With a wave of his hand, the guards went forward, immobilized the servant girl, and securely seized the bamboo basket from her.
The driver kept his gaze on the wheels as if he wasn’t aware of what was currently happening.
The servant girl incredulously looked at him, then she looked at Ning Yuxuan. In a trembling voice, she said, “Someone betrayed master…”
Ning Yuxuan didn’t raise his head to look at her. A guard gagged her mouth and dragged her back into the carriage. A short while later, even the sound of her struggles had disappeared.
The baby in the basket opened its eyes to look at Marquis Moyu. Its mouth briefly trembled before it burst into tears.
Ning Yuxuan’s lips twitched, and his body slightly stiffened. He turned his head and looked at Guibai.
“Master, this servant doesn’t know how to coax a baby either.” Guibai shook his head. “After we go back, the wet nurse will know what to do.”
Marquis Moyu lightly shook his head. “How can we go back?”
In his formal robe and carrying a bamboo basket, Marquis Moyu carefully walked into Xiangguo Temple.
—
Ji Man felt as if she had been dreaming for a very long time. When she finally woke up from this dream, there was no pregnancy or childbirth. It was as if she had merely recovered from a long bout of illness; her entire body felt weak.
Sitting by her friend’s bedside, Errong’s eyes were still swollen.
“Awake?” Errong brought over a cup of tea and supported her friend’s head to help her drink. She forced a smile on her face and said, “You’re finally awake.”
Ji Man blinked. “How long have I been sleeping?”
“You really can sleep. You’ve been asleep for two days, ah. I made chicken soup for you. Just wait, I’ll bring it over right away.”
Ji Man nodded. When she raised her eyes slightly, she saw Nie Qingyun. “Older brother.”
Nie Qingyun pursed his lips. He wanted to soften his expression, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t smile. “Do you want to eat something?”
Chen-s.h.i.+ asked a strange question, “How about fish?”
Ji Man froze for a moment, then she instinctively glanced around her bedside. The toddy kitten was already gone. “Where’s the toddy kitten?”
Chen-s.h.i.+ sneered. “Haha, you’re really suitable to be a mother cat. Are you worried about your cat son? It’s in the backyard. Do you want to feed it milk?”
Furious, Nie Qingyun exclaimed, “Mother! Why did you come here to make Sangyu feel worse?”
Something flickered in Ji Man’s mind and her memories trickled back. She had been pregnant for the last nine months and had given birth to something. It had been a toddy kitten.
Later on, she would out that the midwife had committed suicide. She didn’t know what had happened to the midwife’s servant girls. By this time, Old Madame had already heard the news about the missing baby. Marquis Moyu had only come to Feiwan Courtyard once to look at her before leaving. The estate was full of sounds of mocking and disdain.