Chapter 381 The First Wife Given Away by Her Husband (19)
Two years later, war broke out again on the border.
King Yue was ordered to lead his troops into battle. The battle was very difficult. The Tatar Kingdom gathered the strength of more than a dozen tribes to attack the Mo Kingdom with all their might, showing a spirit of fighting to the death.
The war dragged on for a year. In the dead of winter, some officials colluded with the Tartars, leading to a shortage of food supplies. The ministers were still arguing about who was responsible.
Ning Yan used a large portion of her dowry to buy food and winter clothing and hired people to send them to the front lines. She also took the initiative to get the Empress and the Crown Princess to raise funds, raising nearly three million taels of silver in total, which she then used to purchase supplies for the front lines.
When there was a shortage of medicine at the front, she produced the best external wound medicine and purchased medicinal materials to make pills. When there was a shortage of doctors at the front, she sent urgently trained surgeons to the front.
Two years later, the Tatar Kingdom was completely subdued, and the King of Yue led his troops back in triumph.
Ning Yan, dressed in the white dress that King Yue loved most, led their chubby son to greet them at the city gate.
A new, inch-long scar appeared on the King of Yue's face. When he saw Ning Yan, a crack appeared on his otherwise fierce face; he was afraid.
Ning Yan understood that he was afraid she would dislike him.
Ning Yan smiled sweetly at him.
The King of Yue visibly relaxed, his lips and eyes filled with smiles.
Ning Yan then turned to his back, where Mao Rui, dressed in a silver armor, looked imposing and full of power.
He had grown taller and stronger; the seventeen-year-old boy was now a fourth-rank military officer. As soon as he entered the city, several young ladies from prominent families threw purses at him.
Ning Yan thought that in less than a year, she might become a grandmother.
The army was stationed outside the city, and the generals were to enter the palace to meet the emperor and discuss the rewards.
Ning Yan didn't see the father and son return home until the evening.
"Father, Father, you're finally back."
Pang Xuan'er reminded from the side, "And there's your brother too."
She has been frequently returning to the Prince's Mansion lately, partly to await her father's triumphant return to the capital, and partly because the Marquis's Mansion is too chaotic, with Jin Shenglai's concubines constantly fighting over her, which she finds annoying, so she simply hides away.
Jin Shenglai has been unable to conceive lately and keeps complaining to her. She has already decided that if she angers him too much, she will give him another pill as well.
The little boy turned to look at the older brother he had never met before and respectfully greeted him, "Big Brother."
Mao Rui greeted Ning Yan and Pang Xuan'er, and then picked up his half-brother in a hug.
Have you received the gifts your brother gave you before?
The little dumpling stretched out its chubby little hand and touched its older brother's face. "I received it. I like it very much. Big brother is warm!"
The King of Yue was amused by his silly son and took him from Mao Rui's arms, saying, "What are you saying? We're all warm."
"No, my mother told me to touch my older brother before, and he wasn't hot."
Ning Yan: That's a portrait, of course it has no warmth.
Even Qiu Ge'er, the son of Xuan'er, was here tonight, and the whole family had their first-ever reunion dinner.
After dinner, everyone went back to their rooms to rest.
The King of Yue took a long time to bathe before coming out.
Ning Yan sat on the edge of the bed waiting for him.
Their eyes met, and he unconsciously touched his cheek again, wondering, "Have I become ugly?"
Ning Yan said calmly, "It's alright."
The King of Yue was furious. His queen had smiled at him when they were at the city gate; how could she now be showing him disdain?
As he walked towards the bed, he tore off his nightgown. "Does my wife think I'm ugly? But what can I do? You'll have to accept it, since you married me!"
Ning Yan saw more scars on his body.
When they got married, she knew that he had many wounds, but the wounds had long since scabbed over and become shallow marks.
Some of those wounds haven't fully healed and scabbed over yet, and some of the skin is still pink. That's the tender flesh exposed after the scabs fall off, and it will take at least two years for it to turn into the same color as the surrounding skin.
Ning Yan was observing how the injuries came about when she was pushed onto the bed, and a man's strong body pressed down on her.
He had been in the army for more than two years, and he missed her terribly. How could he bear the thought that she disliked him?
That night, the King of Yue was fierce and aggressive, constantly urging the Queen to say that she missed him, loved him, would not despise him, and would never leave him!
At first, Ning Yan did indeed obey him. She did miss him, had him in her heart, didn't despise him, and had no intention of leaving him. She was sincere in her words.
She got annoyed when she was asked to repeat herself so many times.
"Get out! Go sleep with your son, I'm not putting up with this anymore!"
After saying that, she kicked the man away.
The King of Yue was dumbfounded. His queen had actually scolded him and told him to get out?
He won't leave!
He rolled over and pressed down on top of me again. "You really do dislike me! What you said just now was just to appease me..."
Ning Yan pinched his thigh, and the King of Yue gasped in pain, unable to utter any more of his wicked words.
The world is peaceful...
...
At the end of the year, officials who have completed three years of their term are required to return to Beijing to report on their work.
Mao Renyi was temporarily transferred, so this was his first time returning to Beijing this year.
Upon receiving the news, Mao Rui prepared his residence well in advance to welcome his father and his family back to Beijing.
However, just when they thought the family would arrive in the capital in two days, bad news came: on their way back to the capital, Mao Renyi's family was killed by bandits hiding in Niu Mang Mountain in Qingzhou. The whole family was wiped out, and all their belongings were looted.
Mao Rui nearly fainted upon hearing the news. That very day, he went to the palace to request an imperial decree to go to Qingzhou to suppress bandits and avenge his father.
The Emperor granted his permission.
The bandit suppression took two months in total. More than 700 bandits had gathered in Niu Mang Mountain. They had been robbing passing merchants. The reason why they killed Mao Renyi's whole family was that when they were robbing them, Mao Renyi actually tried to exchange his concubine's daughter for their money and clung to his money.
The concubine's mother plunged a hairpin into her husband's heart. Mao Renyi never expected that a concubine would dare to kill her husband. He begged the bandits to save him, saying that he was the prefect of Nanzhou.
The bandits were dumbfounded. They just wanted to rob someone of their money; they never expected to kill an official of the imperial court.
Let's just go all the way and kill the whole family.
When Mao Rui went to suppress the bandits, he conducted a thorough investigation before taking action. All of the more than 700 bandits, except for those who resisted stubbornly, were captured and brought to the capital to await the emperor's punishment.
After leaving the palace, Mao Rui went straight to the Yue King's Mansion.
Ning Yan led him to the study.
“Mother, I personally went to suppress the bandits and brought them back. I killed them to silence them because I was afraid that someone would say that the prince looked down on my father.”
As for him, he embezzled over 30,000 taels of silver in three years in Nanzhou; he deserves to die!
During his years in the army, not to mention his mother, who always sent him money, clothes, and food, even his stepsister, the princess, who was not related to him by blood, sent him things.
His father seemed to have forgotten about him, his legitimate son, and hadn't even written him a letter.
Human hearts are made of flesh and blood. He was certainly saddened by his father's death, but the sadness only lasted for a short while.
After all, having a father like that makes little difference whether you have him or not.
“Mother knows.”
Your father has just passed away, so please postpone your marriage for a few more years. Observing three years of mourning is the most basic filial duty.
"My son will submit a memorial tomorrow to mourn his father's death."
Ning Yan looked at her son, who was a head taller than her, with eyes full of satisfaction. "Good."
...
That evening, Ning Yan originally wanted to sleep with her son.
However, some shameless old man forcibly dragged them back to their bedroom.
"My wife is too heartless. Can she really bear to abandon her husband?"
"Madam can't bear it! The brat is all grown up now, let him sleep by himself from now on."
Ning Yan: ...You even answered your own question? Where did that aloof prince go? Give him back to me right now!
My child is on holiday today, and I went to pick them up. I just got back, so I'm sorry. Only four chapters today.
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