Chapter 189 The Heir of the Earl's Mansion 12 (Bonus Chapter 2 for Donations)

What's this? There are even stranger things happening at the Prince Su's residence!

"Your Majesty, this is not something I'm making up, it's true!"

Several other officials were present at the time; I heard this from people there, who witnessed it themselves.

Well, she then recounted in detail how the official had glared at her, and seeing the Emperor frown slightly, she was satisfied.

"Furthermore, Prince Su's manhood was broken by a ghost. I believe that ghost must have known that Prince Su was a wicked man, which is why it did that to him. It's truly retribution!"

Xiao Li glanced at him sideways: "So, from what you're saying, it's just a ghost?"

Ning Yan: ...You're the one who counts as one!

"Doesn't Your Majesty think so?"

Xiao Li secretly chuckled at Ning Yan's expression, but still managed to agree with him, saying, "Yes, she is indeed a good ghost!"

It sounds so satisfying!

"Besides these things, didn't Prince Su say anything else to you?"

Does it count as him getting me drunk and sending me two maids to serve me?

Xiao Li's expression changed. Although the guards had gone to the Prince Su's residence with her, they hadn't had time to report to the palace yet. Could he really have been forced to serve someone else?

"You really accepted it?"

Ning Yan completely ignored the cold aura emanating from Xiao Li and said with a smug look, "I have high standards and would never look at those vulgar women!"

"I was prepared before I went; I pretended to be drunk. How could I possibly be outmaneuvered?"

Xiao Li: Doesn't this mean that his concubine is a beauty of unparalleled grace?

I've been feeling more and more upset lately!

When did he, a dignified emperor, live such a miserable life?

Ning Yan had seen all the changes in his condition, but she pretended not to notice and left the palace when it got late.

These past few days, the Emperor seems to be indulging her more, no longer requiring her to live in the palace every day.

But Ning Yan knew that all of this was only temporary...

No sooner had Ning Yan left the palace than the secret guards responsible for keeping an eye on the Prince Su's residence came to report: "The Prince Su's treasury was robbed in broad daylight. Hundreds of boxes of gold and silver treasures were all taken. At the same time, the Princess Su's treasury was also robbed, and more than a hundred cartloads of dowry were also gone."

I personally heard that Princess Su went to the small storeroom this morning, and everything was still there.

"Your Majesty, perhaps the Prince Su's residence really is haunted!"

emperor:……

Soon, the news of the theft at Prince Su's residence spread like wildfire. Prince Su was revived by the imperial physician, but then fainted again from anger.

Back at her residence, Ning Yan was using her supernatural power: the Ghost Control Technique.

She summoned a group of little devils to dig a pit in the ground of her yard.

Nearly a hundred kids dug until midnight, and finally unearthed a basement about 300 meters deep at a depth of four or five meters.

Ning Yan categorized the things she had stolen that day: gold and silver in one place, jewelry in another, ancient books and paintings in another, and all the fabrics in her room. These things would lose their value if left unattended for too long, so she had to find a way to get rid of them.

She also needs to find time to cash out a large stack of silver notes and hide them in the basement. Then she should seal the basement shut so that even if something happens to the descendants of the Earl's family, these things will not be found. With these things, she will have a chance to make a comeback!

Soon it was time for the day off, and Ning Yan held a banquet for Cui Zhu to take a concubine. Not only that, she also took three days of wedding leave to take Cui Zhu to admire the plum blossoms outside the city, pray for blessings at the temple, fish on the ice, and personally cook for her.

In no time, the image of the Marquis of Cheng'an's heir as a devoted lover became deeply ingrained in people's minds, and even some young ladies from prominent families began to envy Cuizhu—why wasn't the object of the heir's devotion to them?

It's a pity that such a good man was devoted to a concubine. Considering Ning Yan's affair with the emperor, even if they were foolish, they would never want to marry such a man as his principal wife. Before they even got married, their fate was already sealed.

Some clever ones were even waiting to see the concubine make a fool of herself.

After the three-day holiday, Ning Yan resumed her daily court attendance.

At this time, there were only a few days left until the Chinese New Year.

Prince Su was too badly injured and stayed at home to recuperate. Even though he had the best imperial physicians to treat him, bone injuries were easy to heal, but leg injuries were difficult to cure. Without his manhood, Prince Su became extremely irritable. He knew that he could not be put on the throne in such a physical condition, so he could only focus on raising his son.

Then he began to hire renowned scholars at great expense to educate his two three- or four-year-old children.

He planned to have his faction's ministers propose that the emperor adopt a prince in two years. He even discussed with his trusted advisors that no one in the palace should give birth to any child.

Upon receiving the news, Xiao Li: ...

"Your Majesty, is it really true that the imperial physician cannot detect the poison in Prince Su's body?"

"He only invited imperial physicians."

Because the best doctors were all in the palace, if the emperor only gave a slight hint before Prince Su asked someone, Prince Su would never know the true condition of his body.

Moreover, not everyone can diagnose that poison.

Ning Yan praised, "Your Majesty is wise."

Xiao Li looked at the mandarin duck purse tied around Ning Yan's waist, his gaze growing increasingly deep.

In the evening, Ning Yan returned to her residence carrying the food box bestowed by the Emperor. In the days leading up to the New Year, Ning Yan would receive a reward from the Emperor every day when she returned home.

Sometimes it's a few pieces of leather, sometimes a few dishes, and occasionally a belt or a box of beads.

No one in the Earl's household found it novel anymore.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and it was New Year's Eve.

A banquet was held in the palace, and ministers who received invitations attended with their families.

Ning Yan had no legal wife, so she was the only one who entered the palace.

Surprisingly, Prince Su, who had been injured for more than half a month, also entered the palace.

His arm was still in a sling, but he came in such a hurry, as if he was afraid that others would forget about him!

However, his appearance can startle many people.

I don't know if it's because of the pain from my injuries, but I've lost a lot of weight. My face is so thin that I look like I have two eyeballs stuck in a skull.

Only concubines of the rank of Pin or above were allowed to attend the banquet. These women were all dressed in their finest attire, vying to outshine each other. However, when they saw General Ning in his red robe in the main hall, their arrogance was completely suppressed.

They had never seen anyone wear red as beautifully as Ning Yan. This kind of beauty transcended gender, making people unable to look away. Even the most famous beauty in the capital, the Empress, could not compare!

Since entering the palace, Xiao Li's eyes kept drifting towards Ning Yan. The wonderful singing and dancing in the palace could not attract his attention at all. The Empress saw his expression clearly and almost clenched the handkerchief in her hand. She was just barely holding back her anger and did not show her true feelings on the spot.

Halfway through the banquet, a young palace maid accidentally spilled wine on Ning Yan's hem while pouring it, leaving a large wet patch.

"My lord, I was wrong, please forgive me."

Ning Yan smiled at the pink-clad palace maid in front of her and said nonchalantly, "It's alright. Anyway, there are my clothes in the palace. I can just change into a different set."

After saying that, he summoned a young eunuch to his quarters to fetch his clothes.

"Then this servant will take you to the back to wait."

"Thank you for your trouble."

(End of this chapter)