Chapter 93 Only Marrying Hua'er
Several boxes of stolen silver were placed in full view of the public at the entrance of the Dali Temple, attracting widespread attention and causing a public uproar that was difficult to quell. It soon alarmed the emperor.
Upon learning the whole story, the emperor was furious. He immediately ordered the removal of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and other relevant officials from their posts for dereliction of duty. At the same time, he formally handed the corruption case over to the Ministry of Justice for a thorough investigation, decreeing that no criminal should be overlooked and no innocent person should be wronged.
Five days later, the cause and effect of the case were fully investigated and clarified. Under the emperor's authority, the efficiency of handling the case increased several times over.
Bai Shu'an was acquitted and released, allowing him to leave the former Grand Tutor's old residence with freedom of movement.
On that day, Bai Hua, along with her sister-in-law Zhu Xijun and her niece Bai Ningyi, went to the former Grand Tutor's residence to welcome her brother home. Ning Jue accompanied them to protect them.
Family reunion inevitably brings tears. As the sole pillar of the Bai family, Bai Shu'an cannot easily shed tears. Before his eyes became wet, he coughed lightly to calm his emotions, and then took charge of the situation, saying, "Don't cry anymore. Now that the wrongful conviction has been overturned and I have been proven innocent and released from prison safely, our family will only live a peaceful and happy life from now on."
Zhu Xijun handed her daughter to her husband to hold, sobbing softly, "Xiaoyi misses Daddy, quickly call Daddy for a hug. Husband... I'm so glad you're alright, I was just thinking..."
Before she could finish speaking, Madam Zhu lowered her eyes, a sense of lingering fear rising in her heart. She sadly raised her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.
Seeing this, Bai Hua patted her sister-in-law's shoulder reassuringly, suppressing her own urge to cry, and comforted her, "Sister-in-law, don't be afraid. It's all over now. He Chong is in prison now, and he will suffer the same pain he endured for wronging his brother. That will be enough to vent his anger."
Zhu listened to these words, and a rare hint of relief appeared in her gentle eyes. She then took Bai Hua's hand, sighed, and said, "I am useless and cannot help your brother. This difficult case overturning was entirely due to the hard work of my younger sister and Young Master Ning. I thank you both."
Ning Jue heard these words, but he just stood at a distance without responding. He didn't want to disturb their family reunion. As for Zhu's gratitude, he told Bai Hua to listen to it for him.
Bai Hua quickly replied, "He is my own brother, there is no need for your thanks, sister-in-law. We are family, we don't stand on ceremony, we support each other."
Zhu agreed.
Bai Shu'an held his daughter in his left arm and stretched out his right arm to hug his wife tightly, saying, "My wife, don't worry about me. Take care of your health."
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhu blushed, as if embarrassed.
Bai Hua's eyes darted around, and she quickly realized something. Hesitantly, she asked with surprise, "Could it be that my sister-in-law is pregnant again?"
Zhu blushed even more at the stare, nodded with a smile, and replied truthfully: "I found out by accident not long after your brother went to prison. At that time, I felt like the sky was falling and I was afraid that my widow and her child would not be able to make a living... Three months have passed in a flash. I gritted my teeth and persevered through everything. Now I hope that your brother will be released without charge. The child in my womb should be formed by now."
My sister-in-law is really tight-lipped!
Bai Huaxian suddenly understood many things after thinking about them again.
No wonder when she visited her sister-in-law a few days ago, she felt that her sister-in-law had become increasingly plump since they last met. Her once delicate face with a distinct jawline had become fuller, and her movements were no longer as graceful as before. She was so oblivious that she thought it was just because her sister-in-law had gained weight and did not consider the possibility that she was pregnant.
Two happy events occurred in one day.
First, her brother is out of prison and free; second, she will have another niece or nephew.
Bai Hua's lips twitched into a smile, her eyes sparkling with life: "This is wonderful! Double happiness! How about we go to a private room at Fanlou today and enjoy some delicious food!"
Zhu Xijun agreed and then suggested, "Then let's go to Fanlou and buy some ready-made dishes. We can take them home for a reunion dinner. I'll warm up some wine for you two siblings. Although I can't drink, you can drink a few more cups for me."
The three of them burst into laughter. Xiao Yi, not knowing why everyone was laughing like this, blinked her eyes and joined in the laughter, not wanting to be outdone.
In the distance, Ning Jue stood in front of his horse, arms crossed and sword in hand, his gaze fixed on Bai Hua. He didn't disturb her, but simply watched the genuine and relaxed smile that naturally emanated from her eyes. Involuntarily, he also smiled.
Her happiness was his joy.
As if by telepathy, Ning Jue did not look away, and Bai Hua also happened to look at him. The two coincidentally locked eyes and neither looked away.
Bai Hua's lips curved into a deeper smile as she nodded at him, as if to express her gratitude. Ning Jue didn't respond, inwardly muttering to himself: Why is she being so polite? Aren't we all family? Her brother is naturally his brother too.
After thinking about it, I felt a little discouraged.
The two have not yet held a formal wedding ceremony witnessed by others, so their marriage is not yet legally recognized or proper, and he is not yet qualified to stand openly by her side.
The wind was biting and the frost was freezing; Xiaoyi shivered and sneezed.
Seeing this, Bai Hua and her brother and sister-in-law quickly stopped talking and got into the carriage to go home.
When they arrived, Ning Jue arranged two carriages. He arranged for Bai Shu'an and his family of three to ride in one carriage in front, while Bai Hua rode in a separate carriage at the back.
Ning Jue rode his horse outside, deliberately slowing down to follow Bai Hua's carriage.
The snow in the roadside woods had not yet melted, and many branches were hanging with icicles. Often, the coldest time in winter is not when the snow falls, but when it melts.
Ning Jue kept his eyes fixed ahead, his expression unchanged, but the fingers gripping the reins suddenly tightened.
No one present would notice that, in the woods outside the main road, a lone rider and a lone rider were secretly spying on him.
As for who the visitor was, Ning Jue knew in his heart, and a mocking expression appeared on his face.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, he spoke into the carriage: "Hua'er, the wind is blowing hard outside, and I accidentally got some in my eyes, which is making it hard to see. Would you mind getting me a handkerchief to wipe them?"
Upon hearing the sound, Bai Hua immediately lifted the carriage curtain, revealing a smooth and bright face. Perhaps because she had been standing outside for quite some time, her face was slightly flushed by the wind, making her look even more rosy and charming.
She parted her lips slightly, her tone inquiring: "Are you alright?"
Ning Jue blinked, feigning discomfort: "I don't know what kind of dirt blew in..."
Bai Hua, unsuspecting, quickly took out a clean, plain handkerchief from her bosom and gestured for Ning Jue to come closer.
Ning Jue sat high on his horse, controlling the speed of the horse's hooves, and slowly bent down towards Bai Hua.
Bai Hua also moved forward, almost half of her body was outside the car window.
Fearing she might lose her balance, she clung to Ning Jue, leaning against his arm for support, and then carefully held up a handkerchief to wipe the corners of his eyes. The two were very close, their breaths mingling, as if whispering sweet nothings to each other.
Bai Hua felt a little hot, but she had no other choice; this was the only way for the two of them to reach each other.
Besides, it's such a trivial matter as getting something in one's eye that it's not worth stopping the carriage. It would be most convenient for her to help, and both of them thought so. It was only right to go through the trouble.
However, if someone who doesn't know the situation sees this, they might misunderstand; from a distance, it looks more like they're flirting.
Bai Hua breathed a sigh of relief, trying to return to normal. While busy, she asked, "How are you feeling? Are you feeling better?"
Ning Jue shook his head and replied without thinking, "Not yet."
What on earth blew into my eyes? It's so annoying...
Bai Hua couldn't help but mutter to herself, thinking that it wasn't summer, so there shouldn't be any annoying flying insects outside.
She continued to help diligently, but because the posture was too demanding on the flexibility of her waist, she soon felt soreness in her back and could barely lift her arms.
Just as he was about to switch hands, Ning Jue suddenly straightened up and said, "That's enough."
"..."
That was so sudden.
Bai Hua awkwardly withdrew her hand.
Ning Jue looked at her, and inexplicably curved the corners of his lips into a smile, which seemed to have a profound meaning that was hard to fathom.
Bai Hua was somewhat stunned. Hesitantly, she let go of the carriage curtain, sat up straight again, and decided to stop thinking about it if she couldn't figure it out.
Ning Jue rode his horse with one hand, looking up at the sky, his spirits high. He glanced casually at the direction of the jungle, where the dark figure had long since disappeared.
Before Hua'er's carriage curtain was even lowered, Rong Linyan, unable to bear it any longer, stormed off in a huff. In the ensuing standoff, the other side suffered a crushing defeat.
Of course, Hua'er was completely unaware of everything that had just happened.
...
He Chong was imprisoned for embezzling disaster relief funds, and it seemed that the emperor was going to make an example of him to warn the imperial family.
Prince Rui could not sit still and pleaded repeatedly, but the Emperor remained unmoved, his determination to enforce the law strictly was unwavering.
Therefore, Prince Rui harbored resentment towards the Grand General, believing that the Grand General had instructed his subordinates to act in this way. Otherwise, how could a mere guard dare to act on his own initiative and disrupt the court affairs in this way?
General Wang was truly wronged in this matter, but he was too lazy to waste words explaining. The two brothers had never gotten along and neither could stand the other, so it was absolutely impossible for one of them to back down first.
The two princes never interacted and blushed whenever they met. Prince Rui was even more unwilling to swallow this humiliation, so he kept causing trouble and even accused the Grand General of deceiving the emperor and breaking the law, taking the daughter of a criminal as a concubine, and indulging in extravagance and debauchery!
In fact, for royalty and nobility, keeping maids and taking concubines was a minor matter. Even if the woman taken was the daughter of a disgraced official, it wouldn't cause a scene in the court. Everyone knew the truth and turned a blind eye.
Prince Rui deliberately targeted the matter, refusing to maintain a facade of harmony. Instead, he directly exposed this disgraceful affair to the Emperor in front of all the court officials. Thus, even though it was a minor matter, it had to be handled impartially.
The Great General was furious that his beloved beauty, who was pregnant, was forced to leave the capital and go to a temple to rest and prepare for childbirth.
However, given the public opinion and the fact that the imperial decree had already been issued, he had no choice but to swallow his anger.
This matter caused quite a stir, and almost everyone in the capital knew about it, so it naturally reached Ning Jue and Bai Hua's ears as well.
Bai Hua felt very guilty about this: "Madam Wang was implicated because of us. I feel really bad about it. The temple is deserted and cold. I imagine life inside must be difficult."
Ning Jue: "It is indeed an undeserved disaster. I will go and find General Wang to discuss this with him."
Bai Hua worried again: "Will the Great General King take his anger out on you..."
Ning Jue said with a relaxed expression, "Don't worry, the Great General King's mind is much broader than that of Prince Rui."
As Ning Jue said, General Wang was indeed magnanimous and did not blame his subordinates because of momentary emotions. However, he was not stupid and was not willing to suffer this loss for nothing. He wanted to get an explanation from Ning Jue.
Ning Jue understood and asked, "What does Your Highness want me to do?"
The Grand General smiled enigmatically and said, "I need you to do three things for me, how about it?"
Ning Jue raised an eyebrow: "Tell me, which three things?"
The Grand General didn't mind his casual tone: "I haven't decided on the other two yet, so I'll leave them for now. As for the first one..."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "I have no sons, only a few daughters."
Ning Jue wouldn't listen: "My mind is made up. I will only marry Hua'er in this life, and I will never have any other thoughts."
The Great General's face darkened: "Don't be so conceited! My eldest daughter is not even seven years old yet. What are you thinking! I want to ask you if you would like to consider becoming my adopted son?"
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