That evening, a banquet was held at the residence of Marquis Nanping, hosting Su Rong and Fen Ling.
During the banquet, Marquis Nanping announced that he will present a memorial to the emperor the next day, passing on his nobility to his heir, Ning Chi.
Ning Chi paused for a moment, glanced at the Marchioness, Ning Yao, and Ning Ze. The children were indeed the flesh and blood of the Marchioness. Those who were originally too sick to get up, now that their children had returned safely, their illness suddenly improved significantly.
After Marquis Nanping finished speaking, and seeing no objections from the Marchioness and the others, as if they had discussed it in advance, he said quietly, "I had never thought about inheriting my father’s title so soon. There’s no need for such haste."
Marquis Nanping shook his head, "In the case involving the Crown Prince, the benevolence of the Crown Prince left our residence out. But would the Second Prince agree to our submission to the Eastern Palace? Moreover, there’s Yan Li, who was brought into the residence by the Second Prince and would love to kill Yao’er. Rather than waiting for the Crown Prince to make trouble, it’s better for me to present a memorial to the emperor first, admitting to my wrongdoing. I will plead to the emperor for leniency and also tell the truth, highlighting your achievements, so that my title will fall on you, avoiding the calculations of the Second Prince."
Upon hearing this, Ning Chi paused for a moment, "If father puts it this way, it makes sense. Let’s proceed in this way then!"
He never thought that his father would willingly give up his title. After all, once this act is carried out, he will truly become the head of the family.
Su Rong was also astonished. She carefully observed Marquis Nanping. Seeing his sincerity, she turned her gaze to the Marchioness and her children. Although all three had red rims around their eyes from crying, they were all calm and had no objections to this matter. She thought to herself, Marquis Nanping is indeed a great personality, able to let go.
Eventually, the title would be passed on to Ning Chi. At this point, it wasn’t up to him to renounce his status as heir. Additionally, latent threats were not yet fully cleared, and Yan Lin and Yan Li were glaring menacingly. The residence of Marquis Nanping wasn’t in complete peace and tranquility. He saw this point and generously proposed this matter in front of her in order to gain her trust.
If her guess was correct, he would plead for Ning Ze next.
After all, Ning Ze, the fool, had reportedly done a lot of things over the years, which made Ning Chi’s life difficult.
As expected, Marquis Nanping began to speak, "Lady Su Qi and Master Feng personally escorted your brother and sister back. They’re not strangers. There’s something else, so let me discuss it with you here."
Marquis Nanping sighed, "Over the years, I haven’t been fair to you. Your brother is foolish and has caused you a lot of trouble, both openly and secretly. But it’s precisely because he’s foolish that he’s done things without understanding the consequences. Now that he’s safely back, we’re grateful to the Crown Prince for his leniency, and we appreciate Lady Su Qi and Master Feng for their protective presence along the way. Your brother and sister told me that during the journey, they were constantly pursued by assassins. There were three waves targeting them, but all were blocked by Lady Su Qi and Master Feng with their people. He also recognizes his mistakes. He’s your brother. Teach him more in future. He has also assured me that he will listen to you. He suffered by having three fingers severed. He will behave and not make trouble in future. Please don’t make things difficult for him, will you?"
Ning Chi responded with a faint smile, "Since father has said so, I certainly won’t make things difficult for my second brother."
Taking advantage of the situation, Ning Ze swore, "Big brother, I promise, I’ll be your good little brother obediently. If I ever have bad intentions again, let me, let me ... let me lose my hand."
After uttering his oath, he covered his hand in distress, never forgetting the moment when his fingers were chopped off.
Ning Chi nodded, "Okay."
Marquis Nanping continued, "Yao’er said that she doesn’t intend to keep the child, to avoid future troubles. What do you think?"
Ning Chi had no objection, "Well, then don’t keep it. From the Capital City all the way back to Nanping, there were continuous assassins, a thousand miles of weary journey. It’s normal if she can’t save it."
Marquis Nanping nodded, "So it’s settled."
The banquet was highly enjoyable for all.
Marchioness Nanping didn’t say much during the meal, she did not try to cozy up to Su Rong, nor did she act overly respectful towards Ning Chi.
After the meal, Su Rong and Fen Ling returned to their quarters. Fen Ling murmured, "Sister, Marquis Nanping is quite a figure."
"Naturally." Su Rong said, "At his age, being in his prime, there are not many who are able to let go. I underestimated Marquis Nanping before. However, considering his love for his wife and their children over the years, and despite his favoritism he did not strip Ning Chi off his position prematurely, it shows that Marquis Nanping has always known that only Ning Chi can inherit his title."
"That is true." Fen Ling nodded.
Zhou Gu’s place, the Eighteen Villages, was fifty miles away from the residence of Marquis Nanping. That night, Ning Chi’s letter was delivered to Zhou Gu.
Zhou Gu read the letter, and upon learning that Su Rong had come to Nanping and was currently staying at the residence of Marquis Nanping, he could hardly sit still. He was eager to immediately rush to Marquis Nanping’s residence to see Su Rong. But considering the difficult matters at hand, if he leaves, even for a night, there might be trouble. So he had to suppress his urge.
He bit on his teeth bed, and wrote a reply to Ning Ze, asking Ning Chi to keep Su Rong for a couple more days if possible.
Two days. By then he should be able to take care of the tricky issue, without causing any delay to Su Rong. After all, she had been pursued by assassins all the way from the Capital City to Nanping, and had to protect two troublesome charges. She must be weary.
He really didn’t expect her to come to Nanping. She didn’t mention it before he left.
That same night, he didn’t rest. He said to Ziye, "Let’s go to Thirteen Villages again. I don’t believe that Chen Qi, that old fellow, won’t consider the lives of his wife, children and grandchildren. If he still refuses to agree, I will kill him tonight."
Ziye sighed, "Master, you can’t be hasty. Chen Qi, that old fellow, can’t be killed. He holds a lot of prestige in the Eighteen Villages. If he’s killed, the Eighteen Villages won’t accept our reconciliation. If Thirteen Villages refuses, then no village would agree."
Zhou Gu understood that the reason the Eighteen Villages were able to stand tall as righteous bandits was because they were unified as one. No one could divide them, nor could anyone tear them apart.
As he walked, he said uneasily, "There must be a way. The day I arrived, Chen Qi didn’t agree, but he didn’t strongly reject me either. Now, it’s only been three days, how come he suddenly refuses to agree under any circumstances? Has anyone else been up to Eighteen Villages recently?"
Ziye shook his head, "Except for us, no."
"That’s not right," Zhou Gu shook his head, "Someone must have come, or some kind of letter must have arrived, that changed Chen Qi’s attitude."
Ziye was also puzzled, "After we arrived, we sent troops to seal all the mountain entrances. In theory, not even a fly could get out."
Zhou Gu frowned, hurriedly walked out, his footsteps, hitting the ground, emitting a loud friction sound, revealing his unpleased mood. After walking a few dozen steps, he suddenly stopped, "Are there any secret tunnels in Eighteen Villages?"
Ziye startled, "It’s possible!"
Zhou Gu immediately said, "Let’s go, downhill."
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