Chapter 543 The Heartless Top Scholar 17

Half an hour later, Ning Yan finally left the palace with a happy expression.

The emperor did not agree to her resignation, but he also did not require her to attend court every day. Her official position, title, and salary were retained, as long as she obediently entered the palace when the emperor summoned her.

Ning Yan agreed. Now that Fengyu Kingdom is strong and prosperous, there is really no reason for her to be of any use.

Hehe, she's practically retired early. Thirty is the best age for a woman, and it's finally her turn to enjoy life!

Upon returning to the manor that day, the two husbands couldn't hide their smiles. The Third Prince even took the opportunity to send the servants away and, in front of Yuan Xihua, hugged Ning Yan and kissed her.

Ning Yan was already somewhat shameless, and after dragging two men into messing around in the room for most of the day, she found her legs a little weak when she came out for dinner.

The two men, on the other hand, had rosy cheeks and were full of energy; they were quite handsome!

Indeed, women cannot abstain from sex for too long, otherwise their sexual prowess will decline.

That evening, the mansion hosted a banquet with several tables to celebrate the head of the household becoming the Duke of Ningguo. She coaxed her two husbands to drink several cups of wine. After the banquet ended, she took them to her own courtyard.

She'll get her revenge for any mistakes she makes during the day.

Zhuang Yan was really drunk, and he was pressed against Ning Yan. Yuan Xihua, on the other hand, was afraid that the Third Prince was too heavy and his wife would get tired from supporting him, so he helped support him on the other side. The two of them carried him back to Ning Yan's inner room.

Because they were going to the battlefield, Ning Yan was afraid that the two men would be too bored at home, so she made them each get pregnant again. They were both born girls, one is now five years old and the other is four years old.

The two children originally wanted to talk to their mother more, but the servants were perceptive and quickly coaxed them away.

...

The next day, the youngest daughter came to find her mother, who was still in bed.

However, her mother's door was tightly closed, and there were servants watching outside, preventing her from entering at all.

She was puzzled. "The sun is so high in the sky, why aren't Mother and Father up yet?"

Her caregiver hesitated for a while before finally saying, "The Duke has been traveling for several days and is exhausted. He will probably need to catch up on sleep these next few days. Young mistress, let's go ahead first. We have class today, so we don't want to be late."

The little girl sighed regretfully, "Alright, I'll go to class first, and I'll come find my mother after class."

Inside the room, Ning Yan was awakened by her youngest daughter's voice but didn't make a sound. After the child left, she turned over and pinned the man who was stroking her back down beneath her.

"I still have energy. It seems I haven't been trying hard enough..."

...

Retirement life was so comfortable. Ning Yan spent her days playing with the children and spending time with her husband, riding horses, going on outings, shopping, and watching operas. After a while, the man in the palace couldn't stand it anymore and would summon Ning Yan to the palace from time to time to talk about serious matters.

One day, Ning Yan returned from the palace and immediately instructed her two husbands to pack their personal belongings and the four children's belongings.

Her elderly father and father-in-law became obsessed with raising birds, so she stopped taking them with her.

Seeing her in such a hurry, the Third Prince couldn't help but ask, "My lady, what happened? Why are you packing your bags?"

Ning Yan explained, "When I left the palace today, I overheard that the Emperor intended to send the Fourth Princess to our residence for me to tutor."

The Third Prince instantly quickened his pace. That was the Fourth Princess, the legitimate daughter of the Emperor's consort, who would undoubtedly be made Crown Princess.

To send the Fourth Princess to their residence, the wife must not only teach her diligently, but also carefully protect the Fourth Princess from any accidents, and may even be tied to the Fourth Princess's chariot.

Although his sister and the emperor's husband have a good relationship, who knows what the future holds?

No wonder the wife was packing her things as soon as she got back; she had to run away.

"Alright, let's stop packing. We've brought enough silver notes; we'll get whatever we need on the way."

"If we're delayed, we won't be able to leave once the imperial decree arrives."

Upon receiving the news, Yuan Xihua only packed a large bag of personal clothing for herself and her child, tucked the silver notes into her pocket, and immediately gathered at the gate. The steward had already prepared the carriages, and the family of six hurriedly boarded three carriages and left the city.

The next morning, the Emperor indeed sent someone to take the Fourth Princess to the Duke's mansion, but the master of the Duke's mansion had left the night before, and the Fourth Princess and her party came to nothing.

When the Emperor received the news, he was so angry that he laughed. "Duke Ningguo, you really haven't changed at all in over ten years. You're still as cunning as ever!"

After laughing, she ordered someone to investigate. It was impossible for the Duke of Ningguo to suddenly want to travel outside the capital. She must have received some news. But she and the Emperor Consort had just decided to send the Fourth Princess to the Duke's mansion for upbringing. How did the Duke of Ningguo know about this?

Needless to say, this investigation uncovered a whole host of spies planted by others in Qifeng Palace and Yangxin Hall.

And the palace maid who deliberately passed the message to the Duke of Ningguo turned out to be the Consort's person.

The princess gave birth to the emperor's second and fifth daughters, and also had a son. Her father's family were military generals who were currently stationed in the northwest with an army of 200,000 men.

The noble prince was afraid that the fourth princess would get involved with the Duke of Ningguo, so he deliberately leaked the information to make the Duke of Ningguo leave the capital ahead of time. He really played his cards well.

The Emperor's face darkened as soon as he found out about Consort Gui. She was now in the prime of her life. Her eldest daughter, born to the Emperor and her husband, had died young, and even if she were alive, she would only be thirteen. Her second daughter was nine years old, and her fourth daughter was only six.

So early, and they're already eyeing the chair she's sitting on?

It is extremely easy for someone in a high position to control a subject.

After ten years of fighting, many capable generals have emerged in the army, especially under the command of the Duke of Ningguo, who is truly full of talented people. General Hou can now step down and give way to a more worthy one.

The Emperor kept the matter quiet, but three months later, when the officials returned to the capital to report on their duties, General Hou fell ill after a bumpy journey back home. No one knew how he was treated, but half a month later, the minor illness turned into a serious one, and on the last day of the twelfth lunar month, General Hou suddenly passed away.

As a result, Hou's daughters and granddaughters will have to stay at home to observe mourning for three years.

In this situation, the emperor could have easily granted a pardon, instead of dismissing the person from their post.

But the Emperor was just waiting to punish the Hou family, so how could he possibly take away their life?

The key point is that in this kind of matter, the noble prince cannot plead with the emperor. If he really had to plead, what would he say?

Your Majesty, I am very saddened by my mother's death, but could you please not make my sister observe the mourning period?

With a snap, the label of being unfilial can be immediately slapped onto the head of the nobleman and his family, and it's the kind that can't be pried off no matter what.

That's still the best-case scenario; otherwise, the Imperial Censor might accuse Hou's family of harboring treacherous intentions and plotting rebellion.

Otherwise, what are you going to do if you're not observing mourning? I can't think of anything else but leading an army in rebellion!

The ancient saying about observing mourning for three years does not actually mean three years and thirty-six months, but rather twenty-seven months!

Even two years and three months is enough time to change so many things.

With a new commander-in-chief, Hou's army will have to rotate soldiers on different fronts. In less than two years, three months, or even a year, those soldiers will forget who General Hou is.

Meanwhile, the emperor found a pretext to demote the noble lady in the palace to a mere attendant, and her favor was gone.

...

Ning Yan never returned to the capital after leaving.

After traveling with her family for more than half a year, she settled down in Jiangnan under an assumed name. She then sent all four of her children to Bailu Academy and occasionally went out to travel with her two husbands, enjoying the scenery and writing two travelogues.

The eldest daughter had long been granted the title of Lady of the Nation, and after coming of age, she returned to the capital to inherit the Duke's mansion.

The eldest son met his sweetheart in Jiangnan, who was the daughter of the academy's dean. The two had a harmonious marriage and had a daughter within two years.

Holding the baby, Ning Yan couldn't help but sigh, "I'm still so young, how did I become a grandmother?"

The Third Prince secretly rolled his eyes. You are indeed young!

He's almost forty and he's already thirty-nine, yet he still keeps causing trouble every day. If he hadn't been exercising regularly, he probably would have been too exhausted to get out of bed by now.

"If you don't have children, you can't be a grandmother, and not only can you not be a grandmother, you can't be a mother either!"

Ning Yan, holding the child, gave the Third Prince a meaningful look.

The Third Prince felt a tightening in his lower abdomen: Oh no, tonight is going to be tough again.

(over)

(End of this chapter)