Chapter 79 The Grand Finale (Part 1) "Both sides are severely injured..."
The Dark Prison of Luting Prefecture.
The chains binding the Third Prince's limbs were removed, revealing the festering wounds, with pus and blood slowly flowing down under the dim candlelight.
Ruan Yang took off his cloak and tossed him the wound medicine from his sleeve.
"Starting tonight, you will be free once you leave the palace. I have already found someone to replace you."
The third prince got up from the sticky ground and leaned against the earthen wall with difficulty, looking Ruan Yang up and down.
He scoffed, "I thought you'd changed your mind after not seeing me for so long, but it turns out you've been pregnant."
Ruan Yang glanced at him and said, "If what you say is true, you have no chance of leaving the palace alive."
The Third Prince said, "Since you've chosen to help me, what are your plans for dealing with Ning Xian's child in the future? You should have known when you helped me that I would not allow Ning Xian's child to live."
Beneath the wide sleeves of her robe lay a nearly full-term baby. Taking abortifacients could result in the death of both mother and child. What else could be done?
Ruan Yang's heart clenched: "Don't worry about me, I will handle it myself, even if it means dying together with Ning Xian."
"I just want him dead."
......
As soon as Laba Festival arrives, the festive atmosphere grows stronger, whether in the palace or in the alleys of the countryside. Festive red lanterns hang under the black and white eaves, and Ruan Yang pastes paper-cut window decorations on the last window.
"Take a break, stop working, come sit next to me and keep me company."
After hearing this, Ruan Yang put down the paper-cut window decoration in her hand. In the warm sunlight, she turned around and smiled at him, saying, "You've only just recovered from your illness, and you're already not covering yourself with a blanket? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold again? Besides, we have a long life ahead of us, so it won't make a difference if we wait a little longer."
The golden lion exhaled wisps of white smoke, masking the bitter smell of medicine in Chonghua Palace.
Ning Xian lay on her side on the couch, supporting her temples. Her inner garment was slightly open. Although she had just recovered from a serious illness, her face was only a little pale, but she did not look haggard.
After hearing this, he smiled to himself.
"How do you feel about handling government affairs for me these past few days and wielding the power of life and death?"
Ruan Yang sat down and fed him medicine with a spoon, saying, "It's pointless to wait too long. I just hope you get better so I can continue being a carefree concubine."
"I don't want to hear anyone call you a tyrant again; it sounds awful."
Ning Xian touched Ruan Yang's hair and said with a smile, "The first time you've hoped I'd be well, it must be like the sun rising in the west."
"I know that staying indoors for too long makes me feel stuffy, and I know that's true. Saying more would only make things worse."
Ruan Yang held his cold hands and warmed them up: "Then I won't say anything more. Rest for a few more days, and I'll accompany you for a walk in the Imperial Garden."
Ning Xian, however, found it uninteresting: "What's so interesting about visiting the palace? It's all the same old stuff."
Ruan Yang's eyes lit up, and she seized the opportunity to say, "Then... after the Spring Festival, I want to go to the Lantern Festival. Will you agree?"
"If you're afraid I'll run away, then come with me, and bring your guards and secret agents with you."
She took out a rope and put it around Ning Xian's wrist: "If you tie me to your wrist, I won't be able to fly even if I have wings. Besides, I'm pregnant now and can't run."
"Is that so? Judging from my current condition, I'm afraid I can't even catch up with you."
After speaking, Ning Xian coughed a few more times, and there were already bloodstains on the handkerchief.
Ruan Yang was taken aback, then raised her hand to pat his back, and there was a moment of silence in the air.
Ning Xian glanced at her lowered eyelashes and smiled casually, "Fine, considering how hard you've taken care of me, let's go to the market to see the lanterns on the Lantern Festival."
Ruan Yang looked up, stunned for a moment: "Really?"
Ning Xian touched her face: "I'm not lying to you, moving around more is also good for childbirth."
Upon hearing this, the woman in front of him, with whom he had been on and off for decades, couldn't help but bury her face in his chest, whether from excitement or something else.
Like a datura flower, clearly poisonous, yet he still couldn't resist getting closer.
But Ning Xian didn't know that Ruan Yang knew his heart meridian was damaged by toxins and that he wouldn't live much longer.
He could have simply waited a few years to receive news of his passing.
But, could she really not wait that long?
......
On the Lantern Festival, the jade pot shone brightly, and fish and dragons danced all night. The emperor and empress, disguised as an ordinary couple, rode together in a carriage to the capital's market.
The carriage stopped, and Ning Xian got off first. He reached out to help Ruan Yang and led her to browse through many shops. He bought everything that Ruan Yang liked.
Tired from walking, Ruan Yang sat down on the bridgehead, the twilight above her head illuminated by clusters of fireworks. She swung her legs, clasped her hands together, and made a wish to the sky.
Ning Xian turned to look at Ruan Yang's face and scoffed, "So serious, what wish did you make?"
"It's nothing, I just hope my husband and children are happy every day."
Ning Xian understood who Ruan Yang's true husband was in her heart. He pouted and asked, "What about me? Did you mention me, the mistress, when you made your wish just now?"
Seeing Ruan Yang's blank expression, he joked, "Are you wishing that I'll kick the bucket soon and go to the underworld?"
"......ah?"
Ruan Yang was taken aback. She had meant to coax him, but she hadn't expected Ning Xian to misunderstand that the husband and child she was referring to were Lu Wenjin and Xue'er.
She glared at Ning Xian: "Don't talk nonsense. I just said that I want you and the child to be happy every day and live to be a hundred years old."
Ning Xian didn't expose her, and nodded, saying, "Is that so? Then thank you."
Whether what she said was true or false, unfortunately, once the wish was spoken, it wouldn't come true.
He looked up at the colorful night sky and said, "The last time we went to the lantern festival was when you were pregnant with Xue'er, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, it's been almost three years. Time really flies."
Ning Xian said, "I still remember Xue'er when she was born, she was so small and wrinkled, she hadn't even opened her eyes yet, and now she can talk back to me."
"Why do you claim to the public that Xue'er is your biological child?"
Ning Xian thought that she was asking a question she already knew the answer to. Perhaps Ruan Yang still didn't believe in his love for her.
"She looks pitiful. When I found out you were pregnant with Lu Wenjin's child without telling me, I was so angry I almost fainted. I originally wanted to find a nanny to raise her and then bring her to the palace as a little servant when she could walk. But she's quite good at getting things done even though she's so young."
"Because she resembles you, I found that keeping her wasn't so bad. Xue'er likes me quite a bit, she'll start calling me 'Daddy,' and she wants me to hug her every day."
During the three years she missed Xue'er growing up, she missed her daughter every minute and every second. Later, when she learned that Xue'er was still alive, she worried that Ning Xian would treat her badly.
But now, seeing Xue'er being pampered by Ning Xian, looking fair and clean, with every aspect of her life being treated like a princess, she felt a pang of pity.
Fireworks burst into the sky three times, and silence returned. Ruan Yang clenched her fists, and the sound of gongs and drums from across the bridge made her heart pound wildly.
Ruan Yang lowered her sore eyes, stared at the river, and said absentmindedly, "Then, after it's born, will you still be good to Xue'er?"
Upon hearing this, Ning Xian gently embraced Ruan Yang's rounded waist and abdomen, looked down at her for a long time, and finally chose to place a kiss on her forehead.
It was light but solemn, like a final farewell.
"Xue'er holds a place in my heart second only to you and your son."
The fragrance of lotus flowers mingled with the scent of medicine, lingering around Ruan Yang. She did not resist Ning Xian, but leaned lazily against his chest, watching the lanterns on the river drift further and further away, slowly turning into a hazy golden light.
As the hour of Yin approached, Ruan Yang was tired from playing and said he wanted to go back to rest.
"What's wrong?" Ning Xian asked, noticing her slightly furrowed brows.
My stomach feels a little uncomfortable.
"I remember I still have a few months until I give birth, no way..."
Ning Xian panicked upon hearing this, and the thought that Ruan Yang was going into premature labor popped into his mind. He hurriedly tried to pick her up, but Ruan Yang stopped him: "I'm fine. You're still a patient. How can you carry me? Just help me into the carriage and rest for a while."
"good."
Ruan Yang lifted the curtain, looked around at the movements in various corners, and waved to Ning Xian: "Hey, wait a minute!"
"What's wrong?"
"I left the sachet you bought me by the river..."
Ning Xian frowned and said, "Let's not take it. I'll get you whatever you want after we get back to the palace. The most important thing right now is to get back to the palace."
Ruan Yang shook her head: "That's different. I need to go get it back. I'll be right there."
After saying that, she was about to get down.
"Alright!"
Ning Xian watched as she awkwardly tried to get off the carriage, supporting her belly, and stopped her by the carriage: "How about this, you stay here, I'll go and pick it up for you."
A moment later, Ning Xian jogged back.
"Here you go, be careful next time."
Ruan Yang smiled knowingly, and just as her fingertips were about to touch Ning Xian's palm, a cart piled high with fireworks and firecrackers suddenly rushed out of the alley.
The man pulling the cart seemed to have lost control and crashed straight into them.
The horses neighed in fright, and the surrounding crowd began to scream and shove, instantly separating Ruan Yang and Ning Xian.
Several guards who were originally standing nearby immediately rushed to protect the emperor, but they were temporarily blocked by the crowd.
"Ruan Yang! Hold me back!"
Ruan Yang was light on her feet and was quickly pushed into a corner by the crowd. She instinctively protected the child, but when she saw Ning Xian's hand so close to hers, she did not reach out to hold it.
She chose to ignore it.
At that moment, a hand wearing a coarse cloth glove precisely emerged from the shadows behind him and covered Ruan Yang's mouth and nose.
Ruan Yang's eyes widened suddenly as she inhaled the unknown dust into her lungs. A sharp pain shot through her chest, and the world spun before her eyes.
Those who tried to kidnap him from behind were too late. Wounded, they immediately released Ruan Yang and vanished without a trace, leaping across rooftops and walls.
If it weren't for the mess left behind as evidence, it would seem as if none of this had ever happened.
Ruan Yang's knees went weak, and just before she fainted, she saw the Third Prince hiding in the corner.
Seeing that more and more guards were arriving, the Third Prince announced that the Shadow Guards were lying in wait in the shadows, waiting for them to come to him. He sighed, "The plan has changed. Have everyone withdraw."
The subordinate stopped: "But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! That damned emperor is right before our eyes. If I go up there, I'm sure I can take him down..."
The hidden weapon passed between them, and the man in black, in disbelief, clutched his neck where a silver needle had pierced him, and died instantly.
......
All the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy gathered at Fengqi Palace. After taking the pulse of the pale-faced girl, they discussed the matter for a long time before the head physician finally dared to step forward and explain Ruan Yang's current condition to Ning Xian.
"Your Majesty, please forgive my incompetence, but Her Majesty the Empress has been poisoned by the 'Two Hearts Cotton,' a secret technique unique to Lingnan and the Northern Barbarians, for which there is no antidote for outsiders..."
"The only solution now is to induce labor, bring the imperial heir out early, and administer the medicine using the heart's blood of the beloved as a catalyst to temporarily alleviate the poisoning."
Ning Xian gripped Ruan Yang's hand tightly, her heart heavy: "Is there really no other way?"
The imperial physician shook his head: "The imperial heir is premature and weaker than ordinary infants. He may not be able to survive after leaving the mother's womb..."
"Now it depends on whether His Majesty will protect the Empress or the heir."
Ning Xian did not hesitate. His heart ached, and he gently touched Ruan Yang and his child: "Naturally, it should be the Empress. Make the arrangements as soon as possible."
"yes."
At night, after taking the labor-inducing drug, Ruan Yang began to experience labor in less than an hour. Fortunately, she was attended to by experienced midwives who had everything prepared, waiting for her to push through the labor.
Having learned from her experience of giving birth to Xue'er, Ruan Yang was no longer flustered. In addition, the baby was premature and small, and after a few long, dull pains, she saw the baby's hair.
The next morning, the baby's cries finally echoed throughout the palace.
After settling Ruan Yang in, the midwife presented the cleaned baby to Ning Xian.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! It's a prince! Mother and child are safe and sound!"
Ning Xian hugged the child she had been longing for, then handed her back to the wet nurse, turned around and walked to the bedside to wipe Ruan Yang's sweat.
"Yangyang, you've worked hard. Have you seen our child? He's a rascal."
Ruan Yang opened her heavy eyelids and weakly took Ning Xian's hand: "I see you, you look just like me, you don't look anything like me..."
"I'm so tired, I want to sleep for a while, I can't talk to you anymore..."
After speaking, before Ning Xian could reply, Ruan Yang wearily closed her eyes.
"Yangyang...where is the imperial physician?!"
The imperial physician stepped forward to take the Empress's pulse: "The poison has taken effect. We must immediately send someone to Lingnan to seek medicine, otherwise it will be too late once the poison has invaded her heart."
......
"I agree."
In a restaurant in Lingnan, Ning Xian, disguised, arrived before the Third Prince.
Ning Xian said, "As long as I see Ruan Yang recover completely after taking the antidote, I will issue an edict to abdicate the throne to you, allowing you to rightfully ascend the throne. What do you say?"
"I'll only give you half the medicine. If you dare to go back on your word, Ruan Yang will surely die." The Third Prince threw the medicine bottle into Ning Xian's hands.
Ning Xian accepted the medicine. If he were to hand over the throne to someone else, his son, who was only a few days old, would die a tragic death.
Ruan Yang, Ruan Yang, do you hate that child so much? You hurt him a thousand times, but you hurt yourself a hundred times. You hate him so much that you would rather hurt your own flesh and blood than help others plot to kill him.
Since he's destined to die young, then nobody should have an easy time.
The throne? He really wanted to say that it was something Ning San could never even dream of in his entire life.
If we insist on tearing each other apart, then we'll only end up losing both of us and perishing together!
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