Chapter 78

The horizon blurred with time, chaos in one place, spring thunder suddenly rose, and a drizzle suddenly fell non-stop.

On the long street, the treetops spat out new greenery, and the border land of Lingnan gradually woke up from the cold and freezing late winter.

The huge Guang’an Prince Mansion was in this misty rain.

Before dawn, everyone in the prince’s mansion had already begun to get busy. Uncle Qian took the medicine and walked across the covered bridge, all the way to the backyard, stayed in the main courtyard, stopped for a while and waited at the door. He asked in a low voice, then there was a creak inside, revealing Ni Ying’s beautiful and capable face.

“ Uncle Qian, leave it to me. ”

Uncle Qian handed the plate to her and asked, “Can His Highness still sleep peacefully these days?” ”

Ni Ying nodded: “After taking some medicine, he can finally sleep well.” ”

Uncle Qian was relieved at this, he took out a bottle of medicinal oil in his arms and handed it to her: “If His Highness still has a headache in the morning, you can rub this medicinal oil on his temporal jaw and rub it slightly, then it can be relieved… It’s all up to the young lady. ”

Ni Ying answered and was about to enter when she turned around and lowered her voice: “I have to trouble Uncle Qian a bit more, His Highness’s daily medicine must not go through other people.. Be sure to keep it secretive. ”

“ I know.” Uncle Qian’s cloudy eyes were thick: “Don’t worry, miss, I know the appropriateness.”

Uncle Qian was now doing everything himself, even the only young servant under his command has been sent to the backyard, for fear that others will know the news of His Highness’s pregnancy. Nowadays, everything needs to be careful and more careful.

It’s just that now the fetus in His Highness’s womb was just two months, but it still didn’t look obvious. But if it’s older, it won’t be easy to hide from people. He also didn’t know what would be good at that time, so he was deeply worried. He shook his head, and slowly turned his back and left.

Ni Ying stood in place for a long time, before she sighed, and went in with the steaming medicine.

Lifting the curtain, the man on the bed had woken up, he was supporting himself up.

“ What time is it? ”

Ah Ying put down the medicine and hurriedly stepped forward to help him: “It’s not chenshi (7-9am) yet.”

She cushioned his waist and persuaded: “Your Highness should rest today, I will look at the account books sent for Your Highness first.”

Li Yuanmin tugged at the corners of his mouth, “The more you rest, the lazier you get, but tossing my body back and forth is also relaxing.” 

Ni Ying snorted and brought the medicine for him. She looked at the dark medicine for a long time. Li Yuanmin closed his eyes and drank it in one breath.

He just removed the edge of the bowl, but his lips were cold at once, then a piece of sugar was placed on his lips. Li Yuanmin was stunned, and involuntarily bit along his lips.

The sweet taste gradually dissipated the bitterness at the base of the tongue, Li Yuanmin couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, looking at the slight blue and black under Ni Ying’s eyes, he felt pity in his heart: “These days, the pearl of our royal palace has suffered” ”

During this period of being on the verge of collapse, he didn’t know if he would have survived without this girl—she should have been carefree and without worries.

His beautiful face couldn’t help but feel a little guilty, he sighed.

Seeing that he got out of bed, Ni Ying cleverly called the maid to bring hot water up. After washing the face, rinsing the mouth and dressing neatly, she urged him to have some medicated porridge, before she accompanied him to the study as usual.

Now Ni Ying had also given up her playful heart, dedicating herself to assisting Li Yuanmin in dealing with the affairs of the Guang’an Prince Mansion. She learned quickly and with her help, Li Yuanmin’s work naturally became a lot easier. Ni Ying was originally a smart person, it’s just that originally she was greedy for fun and refused to learn, but now not only had she changed her temperament, but she had become more and more stable, like his right arm.

Li Yuanmin was both relieved and sad.

What he didn’t know was that Ni Ying was also generally sad. The more she came into contact with these internal and external affairs, the more she felt that it wasn’t easy for His Highness Gege for these past 8 years. So she learned more attentively, only hoping that she could grow quickly and reduce the burden on His Highness’s Gege’s shoulders.

After finished asking some questions, Li Yuanmin pointed things out to her, Ni Ying wrote it down, and after a short while, she calculated the book in her hand and copied the result to Li Yuanmin. Li Yuanmin glanced at it a few times, his face couldn’t help but show approval. When he was just about to add a few words, there was a vicious burst at his chest. He immediately covered his front clothes up, but couldn’t help glancing sideways, Ni Ying quickly put down the brush and smoothed his back for him.

“Your Highness…”

Li Yuanmin slowed down, hurriedly dug out a sour plum from the clay pot on the side, held it in his mouth, suppressed the gushing nausea, and waited for the annoying feeling in his heart to slow down.

Ni Ying frowned, she wanted to complain about the tossing from side to side thing in his belly, but she was afraid that His Highness would be sad to hear it. Although now he seemed to have returned to his usual appearance, in this matter, he never mentioned a word, as if there was no such thing.

But obviously every day, he was reminded of these discomforts at any time.

Looking at the person who closed his eyes and gasped, Ni Ying felt bitter in her heart, there was nothing she could do besides accompany him silently like this. Suddenly there was a rush of footsteps outside, and Song Zhu hurried in.

“Your Highness! Your Highness! People from the capital are here! ”

Hearing the word capital, Li Yuanmin was shocked. He suddenly stood up, such an action involved his stomach, making him frown. He secretly touched his lower abdomen, breathing a few times, before it calmed down: “Who?”

“It is the imperial attendance who came to announce the imperial decree. ”

Li Yuanmin face became solemn, he thought for a while, and said, “Take me there.”

***

After returning from receiving the imperial decree, Ni Ying obviously felt Li Yuanmin’s unease, although his face was still calm.

The Imperial Decree said that His Majesty was seriously ill and ordered him to go to the capital to serve upon his illness.

But His Highness had been in Lingnan for eight years, and Emperor Mingde was not the least concerned about him, why did he play the relationship between father and son at this time.

Ni Ying’s heart was covered with a layer of shadow. Since the last time she saw the Eldest Prince relying on his power to visit their door, and seeing the humble appearance of His Royal Highness Gege, she knew that this capital city was obviously a dangerous place that devoured people.

However, many things were like this, she was anxious, but there was nothing she could do.

At night, Li Yuanmin locked himself in the study, Ni Ying let him go to be alone in front of a lone lamp.

He thought about the purpose of this imperial decree.

In less than a month, his so-called father emperor will die, how can he be called into the capital at this juncture for no reason?

…… Could it be this was Sima father and son’s doing?

Thinking of this possibility, Li Yuanmin felt a chill on his back, but it was clear that over the years, he had repeatedly refused several intentional or unintentional temptations from Marquis Zhenbei. If Marquis Sima had to support a puppet who had no background and was willing to cooperate to ascend to the throne, it was obvious that the second prince Li Yuanlang was more suitable than him – since the collapse of Wang Chaoluan, Li Yuanxu had no possibility of ascending the throne, but Li Yuanlang, who was born from a female entertainer, frequently showed favor to Marquis Zhenbei and was quite close, he was only a head away from Sima Ji.

And in this life, he was no longer the cowardly prince who has been controlled by Sima Yu in the name of love since he was thirteen years old. In recent years, the Marquis Zhenbei had also lost interest in him, and the two sides were at peace with each other. How can they plot against him for no reason?

…… Or maybe it is not about the Sima family at all, and instead it was ann absurd idea of Emperor Mingde that he suddenly gave birth to. He will also humiliate him before he dies, just like the humiliating chastity belt in his previous life.

All thoughts arose, causing him to shiver.

Li Yuanmin put his hands on the table, covered his face, and let out a long breath. When will he really stop being tired like this? 

After a long time, Ni Ying came in from outside, she looked at the person sitting quietly in front of the desk for a long time, and slowly approached.

As when she was a child, she half-knelt beside him and laid on his knees: “Your Highness, I will go to the capital with you, no matter what, I will be with Your Highness.” 

Li Yuanmin looked at her black hair, and his eyes were sad.

“Your Highness does not need to persuade me.”  She crouched on Li Yuanmin’s knee, as if she was no longer Ah Ying who had supported half of the sky for him these days, and returned to the time when she didn’t understand things. She stubbornly choked, “Please don’t leave Ah Ying behind.”

Li Yuanmin choked on his throat. He almost burst into tears, only touched her head, and let out a long sigh.

Outside the window, it was still dripping spring rain, endless drenching, and moisture penetrated through the window lattice, drowning everyone.

After a long time, Li Yuanmin spoke: “Help me call Zhou Dawu in.” 

Ni Ying raised her head and saw that his face was calm. She was stunned for a long time, then she finally wiped her tears and stood up to go out.

Soon, Zhou Dawu hurriedly entered. Perhaps it was because he saw the solemnity on King Guang’an’s face, he also had a bit of caution on his face, half-bowing and waiting for orders.

Li Yuanmin took out the piece of silk cloth from his bosom, paused for a moment, and handed it to him.

Zhou Dawu took it, spread it out and glanced at it. It was a dense sea chart, although somehow, his heart was uneasy.

“ Your Highness, this…”

Li Yuanmin waved his hand, blocked his words, and only said lightly: “Listen, next I want to explain something to you, there is no other side discussion on this matter. You are not allowed to refuse, you must remember every sentence in your heart, understand?” 

Zhou Dawu’s expression was solemn and he bowed his head heavily.