Chapter 273 You want me to marry Nangong Sui? Impossible!

When Nangong Ming arrived, the area around the military stronghold had already been cleared by the Nangong family. Those who came to gather information were kept out, and most of the spies did not witness Zhongli Ci severing Qing Kui's right arm.

However, there were quite a few people in the military headquarters, so it was only a matter of time before the news spread. It was just that the news of Qingkui's severed arm only spread to various parts of the four streets after Qingkui had already returned to the Nangong Prince's Mansion.

When Emperor Qingyang in the palace heard about this, he remained indifferent and said nothing.

The Crown Prince, standing below, couldn't help but ask, "Although it's still unclear whether Your Highness cares about this daughter, Zhongli Ci really dared to make a move in front of Your Highness?"

Emperor Qingyang: "Why do you think he wouldn't dare?"

The Crown Prince paused, then lowered his head slightly and said, "On the surface, Chu Jin is innocent. The evidence against her for assassinating Zhongli Que has been overturned. Now that Zhongli Ci has cut off her arm, it looks like he is deliberately venting his anger."

"Do you really think he doesn't know the truth?" Emperor Qingyang sneered. "He just returned victorious from battle. Even if he did something like this, who would dare to touch him?"

Emperor Qingyang does not yet have the ability to immediately suppress the Zhongli clan after their rebellion, so he will not take action against them for the time being.

At most, he would be scolded a few times at the morning court session the next day, but it wouldn't bother Zhongli Ci at all.

“Zhong Lique has injured her hand and cannot lift heavy objects anymore. Even if she is talented, she will never be able to have the same strength as her father and brother.” Emperor Qingyang said calmly, “Send Chief Ji to Zhong Li’s residence to personally examine her pulse as a gesture of the royal family’s condolences.”

Zhongli Ci injured the daughter of the Nangong family, further worsening their relationship. Emperor Qingyang, however, was quite satisfied with this situation.

After a pause, Emperor Qingyang added, "Send some things to the Nangong family as well, and invite the prince to the palace, but there's no rush. Let him handle the affairs of his household first."

The eunuch bowed his head in response and slowly withdrew.

Emperor Qingyang then turned around and looked at the Crown Prince standing a few steps below.

He used to think it was a pity that there were too few girls in the Nangong family.

The only girl was a layman.

Now Nangong Ming has another daughter, who is exceptionally talented and should have been a suitable candidate, but Zhongli Ci cut off her arm.

However, after Nangong Sui, who was a practitioner of the Pingshu school, went to Taiyi, he became the disciple of a sage of the Ghost Dao school and was able to cultivate the Nine Schools of Arts. Although his level was still low, he was more suitable than Chu Jin, who had lost an arm.

Emperor Qingyang believed that his relationship with Nangong Ming needed to be strengthened.

"What do you think of Nangong Sui?" Emperor Qingyang asked.

The Crown Prince was taken aback at first, then couldn't help but show a look of disgust: "Her? Father, she is just a commoner. I'm afraid she is not well received by the princes. She relies entirely on her brothers for support. If it weren't for her status as a princess of the royal family, she wouldn't be able to survive in the capital."

His disdain was undisguised in his speech.

The Crown Prince indeed disliked Nangong Sui. It was his arrogance that caused Nangong Sui to fall into the water. Later, Han Bing, because of this incident, humiliated him in front of Emperor Qingyang. The Crown Prince will remember this brother and sister for the rest of his life.

Emperor Qingyang suppressed his anger and said calmly, "She has now gone to Taiyi to study and is no longer a person of Pingshu. She has also been taught by a Ghost Dao Saint and is incomparable to her former self. Moreover, she is still the nominal heir of the Nangong Prince's Mansion."

The Crown Prince seemed to understand his father's meaning. His expression changed slightly, and he said, "Father, Nangong Sui is stupid and weak. It's hard to tell if her cultivation in Taiyi is true or false. In addition, the Prince's mind is deep and hard to fathom. Currently, the apparent heir is Nangong Sui, but she has three outstanding older brothers and now she has an exceptionally talented older sister. Who knows who will bear the Nangong surname in the future?"

"His Highness is wise and resourceful, and he certainly wouldn't entrust the future of the Nangong family to his weakest child."

Emperor Qingyang looked at him coldly, sighing with a hint of anger. He had intended to support the Crown Prince and tried his best to ignore the abilities of the other children to prevent factional strife among the princes, but the Crown Prince's performance never met his expectations.

What an idiot!

If he really marries Nangong Sui, then the only heir to the Nangong family can be Nangong Sui.

Looking down on Nangong Sui for being stupid and clumsy? Little do they know that Nangong Sui's stupidity and clumsiness are easy to manipulate, which is exactly what's best for him!

If he can't even control people several times weaker than himself, how will he control the vast Qingyang and its sixty-seven states in the future?!

Emperor Qingyang grew increasingly angry and said coldly, "Get out! Go back and think carefully about what I said to you today!"

The crown prince, suppressing his anger, bowed and withdrew.

Everyone could see that the Crown Prince looked extremely unwell on his way out of the palace.

The Emperor actually reprimanded him because of Nangong Sui!

You want me to marry Nangong Sui? No way!

The sound of the golden bell echoed throughout the four streets, and everyone knew that a storm was coming.

The carriages of the Prince of Nangong's mansion stopped at the gate in the pouring rain. Lady Hui and Su Feng came out to greet them, while Han Bing and Su Feng stood together behind Lady Hui.

Mrs. Han did not come back with them this time.

A large group of people were in front of the Prince's Mansion. After Nangong Ming and the others came down, the steward conveniently arranged for people to take Chu Jin, who had lost his arm and was unconscious, inside. The physician, who had been waiting for a long time, looked serious and followed the group inside.

When Madam Hui saw Chu Jin's blood-stained body and missing hand, she was startled, and her heart pounded.

She thought Chu Jin would suffer a bit after being imprisoned in Chongtai Third Prison, and would definitely suffer physical injuries, but she never expected that Zhongli Ci would directly cut off Chu Jin's arm.

The thought that her son was partly responsible for this situation made Madam Hui's scalp tingle, and she slowly turned her head to look at the man walking at the back.

Madam Su didn't even glance at anyone else, and quickly followed Chu Jin away, her eyes red from crying the whole way.

Compared to Madam Su's anxiety, Nangong was clearly unhurried, though his expression was somewhat indifferent. When he came down, the people in front of the mansion gate bowed respectfully.

Lady Hui weakly called out, "Your Highness."

Nangong Ming glanced at her: "You came back today?"

Madam Hui nodded, and just as she was about to speak, Nangong Ming asked her with a smile, "How did your talk with the old lady go?"

Madam Hui gritted her teeth and replied, "I brought some gifts for her from outside, and she liked them very much."

Nangong Ming nodded and said calmly, "As long as Mother is happy."

After saying that, she walked past Madam Hui and went inside. When she passed Su Feng, she stopped, moved her eyes, and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye: "I didn't know that the Zhongli family's child was here too."

What does it mean to be a child of the Zhongli family?

Lady Hui's face paled, and she couldn't help but call out loudly, "Your Highness!"

Su Feng lowered his head slightly, pursed his lips, and remained silent.

Nangong Ming asked Su Feng, "When you went to the palace to report back, did you know her identity or not?"

Su Feng replied, "I know."

Lady Hui immediately explained, "He is a lieutenant general in the military and is in charge of arresting rebels. If he were to recant his testimony in front of His Majesty, wouldn't that be a crime of deceiving the emperor? His answer is perfectly correct!"

Nangong Ming then asked Su Feng, "Do you know why Zhongli Ci asked you to go and question him?"

Su Feng replied, "I know."

Madam Hui glared at her son, then explained, "He's so smart, of course he knew! He just had no choice."

Neither of them paid any attention to Madam Hui. Nangong Ming said calmly, "Get out. From today onwards, you only have one choice: to become a dog of the Zhongli family or a member of the Nangong family."

Madam Hui's eyes widened.

Han Bing also looked up.

Su Feng's eyes trembled slightly upon hearing this, but he ultimately walked out in silence, only to stop in front of the Prince's Mansion, standing in the pouring rain.

Nangong Ming didn't look back at him once, and walked straight inside.

"Your Highness!" Lady Hui hurriedly followed.

She hurried forward, running out from under the umbrella held by the maid, getting herself soaked. The maid panicked and chased after her, calling out to her.

Lady Hui, angered by the pursuit, stopped and shouted, "Your Highness! If you intend to send him to the Zhongli family and deny his identity, then I will go with you! Let's see who loses more face then!"

The maids who caught up heard this and immediately knelt down in fright.

Cao Yan silently lowered his head. In the entire Prince's mansion, probably only Madam Hui dared to say such things to the Prince.

Nangong Ming chuckled as he walked to the corridor, then turned to look at Madam Hui. His cold gaze pierced through the rain, seeing into Madam Hui's worries, and he said in a cold voice, "If you want me to cut off his arm as well, you may do so."

Upon hearing this, Madam Hui knew that he had no intention of cutting off Su Feng's arm to compensate Chu Jin, and she felt relieved, her momentum weakening.

Nangong Ming then said, "Since your mother likes your gift, you should go and stay with her this year. You are not allowed to step out of the capital again."

That means she can forget about going out to play this year.

Madam Hui: "..."

This time, she actually wanted to plead for herself.

It was pouring rain outside, and the raindrops stung my face.

Everyone in front of the Prince's Mansion had left, leaving only Han Bing, who silently watched Su Feng below the steps.

After a long while, Su Feng slowly raised his head, his long, dark eyelashes, wet with rain, trembled slightly, and looked up at Han Bing standing in front of him.

The two brothers had not seen each other for a long time, and when they met again, they both had undergone changes that made them seem unfamiliar to each other.

After a moment of silence, Su Feng spoke first, saying, "Brother, I was quite happy to see you back."

Han Bing remained calm and did not respond.

Su Feng stared intently at him and asked directly, "Did you already know about Chu Jin's existence?"

The torrential rain poured down, accompanied by faint rumbles of thunder in the sky, each drop striking the deepest part of people's hearts.

The thunder and rain were so powerful that they could drown out their conversation. Su Feng used the Eight Trigrams Life Technique to block out the thunder and rain, stubbornly waiting for an answer.

"Yes." Han Bing spoke slowly, his tone as cold as Nangong Ming's earlier, "I knew of her existence the year I went to Taiyi."

Upon hearing this, Su Feng clenched his fists and asked in a deep voice, "You also know what Chu Jin is doing?"

Han Bing: "I know."

"You knew all along that she was Fourth Concubine's child, that Father had raised her well outside, and that you knew what she had been doing outside!" Su Feng couldn't help but raise his voice, "But all these years, you haven't said a word!"

Han Bing's eyes were clear as he stared back at him: "What can saying change?"

“She is Madam Su’s child, and also Father’s child. Sooner or later she will be exposed to the public eye and return to the Nangong family.”

But Han Bing also knew that if Chu Jin were to truly return, it would not be in the current situation.

Su Feng asked with a hint of anger, "I don't care whether she comes back or not! You know perfectly well but you don't say anything, brother. Have you forgotten how Fourth Aunt has treated Sui Sui all these years? You saw it yourself, and how she treated Chu Jin just now!"

Han Bing remained silent for a moment, without responding immediately.

After a moment, Su Feng asked again, "Does Sheng Fei know?"

Han Bing said, "He knows nothing."

[Author's Note]

There will be no update on August 13th. I'm going on a short trip. I'll save a few chapters and update later.