Chapter 86 Epilogue

Not necessarily.

It would be best if she could live in anonymity, but if not, dying in this secret passage would be another kind of dignity for Ming Wei.

Ning Yuan and she had been in and out of touch for many years. She knew that Ming Wei cared most about honor and wealth in the first half of her life, and in the second half of her life, she cared most about her two children.

She would urge Ning Ze to learn martial arts and study, and would ask her father to let him go out to train. She would also try to remove Ning Li's obstacle for Ning Li's marriage, even at the risk of offending Shen Yan.

In a sense, she is indeed a good mother.

But her kindness has trampled on the blood of others.

So she should pay a price.

A price that will make her really painful.

The screams in the wellhead had not stopped yet. She looked at Shen Yan and said, "Let her out."

He looked at her calmly, without asking any more questions, and only said, "Don't you regret it?"

"No regrets." She shook her head and looked at Shen Yan, "But we have to bring one more person back to the capital."

Shen Yan agreed without thinking too much.

He knew her resentment towards Ming Wei.

If she really didn't want to look at her again, and wanted Ming Wei to disappear from this world silently, he would really fulfill her wish as he said before.

But he himself was far from being so kind.

She still had the reputation of being the wife of the Duke. If she died like this, the confession in Ning Yuan's hand would lose its effect.

The dead are the greatest, and Duke Ning would definitely choose to let bygones be bygones and give her a solemn and solemn funeral.

Mingwei will always be honorable and unrivaled.

He has always been a vengeful person, and the past cannot be just brushed aside.

It seems that his wife has changed a lot, becoming like him.

Unlike the leisurely journey when they came, the return journey became much more urgent.

When they arrived in the capital, they did not take Mingwei back to Ning Mansion, but took her directly back to Shen Mansion, imprisoned her in a very small room, strictly shielded from the light around her, and provided her with food and drink.

Until Mingwei's death came from Yangzhou.

The time has come.

On the day when Mingwei was taken away from the ancestral home in Yangzhou, after the fire was put out, Ning Yuan received the news of "Mingwei's" death.

At that time, she glanced at the woman who was tied up, and soon understood what she was trying to do.

She was "the golden cicada escaping from its shell", so why not take advantage of her?

The capital is a place where people usually flatter the powerful and bully the weak, and even the human traffickers who buy and sell servants are divided into different levels.

The girl that Ming Wei killed was the one she brought from the Ming Mansion.

If you want to know her parents, there are only two ways, one is to go to the Ming Mansion to get her indenture, and the other is to find the human trafficker who sold her.

The Ming Mansion's official rank is not high, so Shen Yan naturally doesn't know the human traffickers who deal with his family.

Ning Yuan thought of someone at the right time, Yang Zhiyi.

The official ranks of the Yang family and the Ming family are similar, and the mistresses of the two families often have exchanges. Yang Zhiyi is now a well-known businessman in the capital, and has just taken over the entire medicine business in the capital.

Who doesn't have three illnesses and nine pains?

Therefore, although she has moved out with her mother, the Yang family still treats her with a much better attitude.

Soon, Ning Yuan met the girl's parents with the help of Yang Zhiyi.

She told the whole story, but the drunken man waved his hand and said, "It's dead, it's sold to someone else. I know the rules of the government!"

He said pretentiously, "A slave cannot sue the master, and a wife cannot sue the husband!"

Ning Yuan frowned slightly.

Yes, how can a man who sells his daughter have a heart of love for his son?

She looked around and saw that the man was poor but always drinking, so she thought of starting with money.

"Do you know what family killed your daughter?"

"A house collapse in the capital can kill several officials, how would I know!"

"She is not with an ordinary family, but the wife of a high-ranking Duke's mansion."

Duke's mansion?

Then wouldn't he have asked for too little money at that time?

Damn human traffickers.

"Your daughter can't die in vain. Most families like this only want reputation and don't mind money. The more you make trouble, the more you can get."

The man's eyes rolled around, and he felt that what Ning Yuan said was very reasonable.

Early the next morning, a farce was staged in front of the Duke's mansion.

This book is exclusively compiled for you by LK team "Oh my God, please open your eyes. Are you going to allow the powerful to oppress the common people?"

There were many people rushing to the morning market, and he shouted miserably and loudly. Soon a circle of people gathered in front of the Ningguo Mansion, waiting to watch the excitement.

Ning Yuan and his men hid in the corner of the street and watched silently. Soon, they saw a servant in mourning clothes coming out of the Ning Mansion. He hurriedly said, "Where did you come from, you old liar, you are full of nonsense! How could the person who was burned to death be your daughter?"

"Our wife is a daughter of an official family. How can you, a country bumpkin, come here to seek relationship with her for no reason!"

He sat on the ground, kicking his legs and punching his fists, "It's unfair! It's unfair! I think you just want to resist!"

"What are we resisting? Look at the way I'm dressed. Is it possible that everyone in our mansion is in mourning for a mere maid?"

Ning Yuan turned around and winked at Ming Jue. He immediately understood and took the blindfolded Ming Wei out of the carriage. He took her to the place reserved by his people, untied her, and threw her in front of the mansion.

Mingwei has been imprisoned for these days and has no idea what day it is.

She always thought that Ning Yuan held her captive to avenge her and torture her for the rest of her life. She never thought that she would see the light of day again.

She stood there in a daze, and when she saw the tall and familiar yet strange mansion gate, she suddenly felt as if she was in another world.

"Ning, Ning Mansion? I'm back?"

The servant saw that she was also stunned, and tentatively called out as if he had seen a ghost: "Husband, Madam?"

He immediately ran into the mansion and closed the door tightly.

Mingwei reacted and hurried forward to knock on the door.

When the drunk saw that the servant was sure that she was the lady who killed his daughter, he quickly grabbed her sleeve and shouted shamelessly: "It's her! It's her! She burned my daughter to death!"

Mingwei was shocked and had no time to think about it. She quickly covered her face and tried to get away from him.

"What are you doing! You are molesting her!"

Seeing that she was guilty, the drunkard guessed that the money was a sure thing, so he said more arrogantly: "If the Ningguo Mansion doesn't give me an explanation today, I won't leave!"

He held Mingwei tightly and said: "Don't even think about leaving!"

Inside the mansion, the servant stumbled into the bedroom of the Ningguo Duke, gasping for breath: "Old, old man... Madam, Madam is alive!" This book is exclusively organized for you by the LK team. The Ningguo Duke was adjusting his black robe in front of the bronze mirror. He frowned when he heard it: "What do you mean by alive or not? What nonsense are you talking about so early in the morning."

"Husband, Madam has found a corpse and is now outside our mansion!"

"...What did you say?"

The Ningguo Duke could hardly believe his ears.

"Didn't she get into trouble in Yangzhou? How come she is outside the mansion?"

"I don't know!"

"Just go and take a look!"

Ning Yuan watched the mansion door open again, and the majestic Duke of Ning walked out.

Perhaps because of the pressure from the superior, the noisy and pointing crowd around her calmed down a little. She was a little nervous for a moment as she held the confession.

When he first saw Ming Wei, the Duke of Ning was surprised for a moment, and then his eyes fell on the drunkard and Ming Wei's folded arms, and he frowned impatiently.

Ning Yuan thought to himself, he really cares about face. At this moment, he didn't even think about how Ming Wei came back, but the first thing he thought of was that she was tugging and tugging with a drunkard in public.

"Please let them in." He said, waving his sleeves and turning around.

Ning Siru was just embarrassed.

But such a compromise undoubtedly made everyone think that the drunkard's words were more credible.

The two of them pulled each other into the main hall.

Ning Siru couldn't stand it anymore, and finally frowned and said to Mingwei: "What's going on? Didn't the ancestral house catch fire? I have received your complaint, why are you in the capital?"

Before Mingwei could answer, the drunkard shouted and recounted what Ning Yuan had told him before, and finally let her go and said: "I tell you! Don't think that we ordinary people are afraid of you officials!"

"Today when I walked in, the neighbors outside were watching! If I died! My wife will definitely not let it go!"

"Even if you have the ability to reach the sky and kill my whole family, can you still stop the people in the world from talking?"

Ning Guogong looked at him with anger.

"We are reasonable people, no one wants to kill you."

If he could save his lifelong reputation, he really wanted to kill him.

Ming Wei's matter can be discussed later. The most important thing now is to make this scoundrel shut up.

"Come on, what do you want?"

"Fifty... fifty taels of gold! If you give it to me, my wife and I will not come to make trouble again!" He

just wants money.

He sighed lightly and ordered the person beside him: "Go and give it to him." After

getting rid of this scoundrel with great difficulty, Ning Siru looked at Ming Wei with a stern face: "Even if the maid is wrong, can't you just beat and scold her? Why do you have to go to such lengths? If it gets out, everyone will think that Ning Mansion is a den of tigers and wolves!"

After being reminded by Duke Ning, she sneered and finally realized Ning Yuan's intention.

Ning Yuan just wants to make a big fuss about this matter, to the point where Duke Ning must interrogate her, leaving her with nothing to hide!

Her laughter gradually leaked out, and then became more and more shrill.

Ning Yuan finally waited until the drunkard left the house, and then calmly walked up the stone steps into the house.

On the way to the main hall, she suddenly heard a soft voice: "Sister."

It was Ning Li.

Ning Yuan turned around and stared at her silently.

Ning Li frowned slightly and said in confusion: "You have already married Lord Shen as you wished, why are you still so persistent?"

"You guessed quickly, you thought of me so quickly."

Ning Yuan just walked forward with his eyes fixed.

"Lord Shen just sent Xiaoze out of the capital yesterday, and today he staged this drama in front of our house. He is your husband, how could I not know about

it?" "We are all family, why bother?"

Ning Yuan smiled lightly: "Don't do shameful things, and don't be afraid of ghosts knocking on the door. If your mother hadn't dug her own grave, how could I add this handful of yellow earth."

In the main hall, Ning Siru looked at Ming Wei, who was like a mad woman, with great confusion and said: "I ask myself that I have never treated you unfairly. You have everything you want in the ancestral home. You set fire to the Buddhist temple, deliberately disguised that maid as you, took human life lightly, and then fled secretly. Who are you hiding from!"

"Hide from me, father."

A voice like spring rain rang out, and Ning Yuan walked into the hall calmly. "

Hiding from you?" Duke Ning looked at her in surprise.

It had only been a month since they last met, but for some reason, he always felt that Ning Yuan's temperament had changed a little, becoming much calmer than before.

"Didn't you go south with your husband for an outing?"

"You went to Yangzhou?" He asked three times in a row.

"Yes, not only did I go to Yangzhou, but I also met an old friend. I guess I talked with that old friend for too long, causing mother to suspect that I was going to do something to her." "

I actually didn't do anything to her."

"On the contrary, I saved her life and brought her back to the capital."

"Don't you think so, mother?" She smiled and looked at Mingwei.

Ming Wei sneered: "Save me? If you really want to save me, why don't you let me go!"

Duke Ning interrupted her and looked at Ning Yuan: "What old friend? What is she suspicious of? Why can't I understand a word you are saying?"

"If you don't understand, just watch."

Ning Yuan stepped forward, took out the confession from her sleeve, and handed it to the Duke of Ning with both hands.

Ming Wei's expression changed immediately when she saw the letter.

She glanced at the corner of the table and wanted to get up and rush over.

As long as she died, as long as she died!

All the previous things will be written off!

Ning Yuan said before her: "Ming Jue, hold her down."

"Stuff a piece of cloth in her mouth and don't let her commit suicide."

"Yes, Madam."

The Duke of Ning looked up at her: "It's terrible, you are so arrogant now, you are using violence in my house, do you think everyone in the house has to take your surname Ning?"

She smiled and said lightly: "Father, I also take your surname."

The Duke of Ning was choked by her, glared at the suppressed Ming Wei with disgust, and his eyes fell back on the dense confession.

This beautiful hairpin-shaped calligraphy should be from Ning Yuan's pen, but the more he read it, the more shocked he became.

The air pressure in the room became lower and lower, as if it had turned from early summer to winter in an instant.

Time passed by little by little, and Duke Ning finished reading the confession with a frown on his face. When he put it down with trembling hands, his eyes were already red. This book is exclusively compiled for you by the LK team. He took a deep breath and asked, "Is this all true?"

"Wuwuwuwuwu————"

Mingwei still had a cloth stuffed in her mouth, and she couldn't say a complete word, but she was still shaking her head desperately.

Ning Guogong said calmly: "It's useless to shake your head. If you didn't do anything wrong to me, how would you know that she wanted to escape from the golden cicada shell after seeing this man?"

"I'm not stupid!"

His voice suddenly rose, and he stood up in anger and threw the paper at Mingwei's face.

The paper was thin and brittle, and it was like a blade under the force of the push, leaving a clear blood mark on Mingwei's well-maintained face.

"Do you think I don't know what you have done over the years? It's just that I tolerated you because of the love between you and me..." He pointed at Mingwei, then rushed forward, squatted down and glared at her, "Even the beginning was fake, you designed it... Then tell me, what is real?"

Mingwei didn't dare to look at him directly. At this time, Ning Li rushed in, separated him and said, "Dad, Xiaoze and I are real, and it's also real that mother gave birth to children for you."

"Now that mother has finally come back, if we make a big fuss again, it will be a scandal in the mansion. Let's let the past go, okay?"

Duke Ning's anger eased a little.

Ning Yuan saw that something was wrong and quickly said, "Okay."

"Let the bygones be bygones. This morning's incident caused such a big fuss. Everyone knows that the wife of the Duke of Ning was a murderer who burned a maid alive, and dad knew about it and protected her. They really have a deep love for each other. I just don't know how much dad has worked hard for decades to maintain his reputation..."

Hearing the official voice, the Duke of Ning's eyes looked at Mingwei with fire again.

"Ning Yuan, that's enough! Do you want Dad to divorce me? Mom has an imperial decree, and the divorce must be reported to the emperor!" Ning Li rarely called her name, "Don't you think our family is embarrassed enough?"

Seeing that Duke Ning was loosening up again, Ning Yuan said firmly: "Dad, have you forgotten that my husband was once the emperor's companion!"

"You...what do you mean by this?"

"You still have the nerve to ask me what I mean?" She sneered.

"The confession clearly stated how my mother died. Although my mother's family is full of loyal souls, her best friend is now my mother-in-law. Do you think she will let it go after knowing it?"

"I advise you to write a divorce letter and present it to the emperor." She said firmly.

"So as to avoid embarrassment to the Ning and Shen families."

Duke Ning took a deep breath and spoke softly: "Yuanyuan, Dad knows you are angry. Dad has been kept in the dark for so many years, so how can he not be angry? Divorcing your wife is too much trouble. Don't worry, Dad will definitely give you a satisfactory treatment."

"Even if I kill her." He said in a cold tone.

Ning Yuan looked at him in surprise.

Selfishness, hypocrisy, coldness, and lack of loyalty were immediately shown in this man.

"Dad! You must not..." Ning Li said, "Instead of this, you might as well divorce your mother!"

Mingwei shook her head.

"Mother, I know what you want to say. It's okay. My daughter won't marry. As long as you are alive, it's fine..."

"I have a way." Ning Yuan spoke again, "Dad, you divorce her and pass her and Xiaoze under my mother's name. They will be your first wife's legitimate daughters in the future."

"My mother's mother's family...even if there are only collateral branches left, it is better than my mother's useless family. With my mother-in-law around, it is not a problem to find a better marriage for Ning Li...Ning Li, what do you think?"

Ning Li's eyes were moved for a moment.

This was the best way for her. It

would not affect her marriage proposal and save her mother's life.

But when she glanced at her mother, she was still shaking her head.

She held her hand distressedly: "Mother, living is important."

Ning Yuan looked at the Duke of Ning again: "Dad, divorce your wife."

Seeing that Ning Li had changed sides, he was a little jumpy: "Are you teaching me how to do things?"

Ning Yuan just said "hmm" lightly.

He was furious: "How can there be such a selfish daughter like you? Do you think you can point fingers at me just because you married into the Shen family! You are simply taking advantage of others' power now!"

"No, father-in-law, I took advantage of her power."

The indifferent and cold voice came, which was somewhat out of tune with the bustling atmosphere in the main hall.

Shen Yan walked into the room and hugged Ning Yuan.

He clearly felt that her tense figure relaxed a little.

She looked at him, and her clear eyes suddenly became a little misty.

He whispered in her ear: "Don't be so stubborn."

"My parents said that I have to please her before I can enter the Shen family."

"Don't make it difficult for me. I can only do my best to do what she wants."

"Look, why don't you write a few more love letters when you write the divorce letter? If you don't want to show up, I will give it to His Majesty on your behalf?"

"The carriages are ready outside."

"If you really don't want to, I have nothing to do now, so I have to go and talk to them about the excitement at home today."

Duke Ning straightened his lips, hearing his hidden meaning.

Everyone was silent for a long time, and he finally said with a sullen face: "Don't bother the wise son-in-law, I will go to the palace by myself later."

"Okay, then Yuanyuan and I won't bother you any more."

He put his arm around her shoulders, stepped sideways past everyone, and walked away with her.

The sun shone on Ning Yuan, and she finally felt a hint of warmth.

She raised her eyes and looked at his handsome profile, her voice trembling: "Why are you here?"

"Actually, if you didn't come, he would have given up."

"I know." He was silent.

"I haven't seen you for a long time, I miss you." His voice was deep, "I don't want to keep you late."

"I've only been out for an hour."

"But I want to be your running dog." He said lightly and teased.

The hand that was holding her shoulder slid down, holding her softness, and then intertwined his fingers with hers.

"...How can I say I'm a dog."

"I also said that in the house."

After he reminded her, she remembered the phrase "dogs rely on the power of people."

He really was like a big dog a lot of the time, loyal to her, accompanying her, and guarding her side.

"But dogs are silly and cute, you are much more cunning than him."

"Just act like a big fox, foxes are also dogs." She said softly.

"You taught me to lock people up in a place where there is no distinction between day and night. When they are first released, they will have some slow reactions."

"You also told me that we can throw out some benefits to disintegrate their alliance."

"I learned bad things from you, so I am also a fox."

"You are not." He said firmly.

"Then what am I..."

He thought of the plush pajamas he saw in the cabinet before, and looked at her dark blue skin from not sleeping well in recent days. He stroked it with his fingertips and said softly: "I won't tell you yet."

*

The first heavy rain fell in the capital, as if to wash away all the dust and mud.

After the rain, the sky cleared up and the air was clear.

This day, Yang Zhiyi followed the custom to give her dividends and talked about the new and strange things in the market.

"By the way, do you still remember the unidentified girl who helped me run the pharmacy?"

"We have become more familiar with each other these days. She told me that she was an illegitimate daughter and was locked up in a square yard and not allowed to go out. Fortunately, her family collapsed and she was free to fight for herself."

Ning Yuan couldn't help but think of the room she stayed in with Shen Yan.

She sighed, "That's great."

"Also, a crazy woman came to the market these days. She was dirty and looked terrible. Even her face couldn't be seen clearly. She always said crazy things."

Ning Yuan looked over in confusion.

"What crazy talk?"

"What are you talking about? I'm just pretending to love you... No one will truly love someone like you, and what else... Her child is hers, and no one can take it away."

"Anyway, she has no family, no one cares about her, and she cries and laughs all day long."

"But your sister is kind-hearted. Every time she passed by the market, she would ask the maids at home to give some clothes and food to that lunatic and the beggars nearby."

Ning Yuan understood.

That should be Ming Wei.

What she feared most was never death.

But everything she worked hard for, in the end, became a waste of time.

She has no status, no wealth, no husband, and no children.

She seems to have gotten everything, but also lost everything.

"Take me to see?" She raised her eyes and looked at Yang Zhiyi.

"No problem!"

Yang Zhiyi is now more cheerful and full of energy, which is very different from the timid girl she rescued from the lake.

Ning Yuan kept looking out the window all the way, and happened to catch a glimpse of Ning Li's carriage. She saw Ning Li let the maid take the things down, and suddenly there was a young man with extraordinary bearing beside the carriage.

"Miss, I have been paying attention to you for a long time, and I always see you doing charity in this street market."

"Can I ask why you are giving them gifts?" The man said loudly.

Ning Li's expression froze.

Ning Yuan looked over with interest, somewhat expecting her answer.

Ning Li's voice came over: "... I just felt sorry for them and wanted to help them."

The man's voice jumped up: "You are really the kindest girl I have ever seen!"

Ning Yuan lowered the car curtain, smiled and sighed.

She knew that Ning Li's kindness was mostly out of "packaging herself".

At home, she often played the role of peacemaker to show her understanding and obedience.

At the beginning, she tried her best to save Ming Wei's life, not because she really cared about her mother, but because she was afraid that she would be labeled as unfilial for "not saving her when she could".

Now, she came to bring her clothes and food, but she didn't have the courage to run away with her mother like Yang Zhiyi did, nor did she dare to admit that the madman was her biological mother. She just continued to maintain her so-called "filial piety" in her heart, and was reluctant to give up everything she could enjoy in the Duke's Mansion, but was afraid that others would point fingers at her.

She put down the curtain and said, "It's meaningless, let's go to your shop and take a look."

When she passed by a certain place, she heard a familiar voice coming from outside: "Daughter, hehe...daughter, hehe..."

It was night when she returned home. Ning Yuan walked through the corridor with warm yellow candlelight and saw a man standing under the crabapple tree in front of the courtyard.

The crabapple had withered a lot, and the petals fell on him, and with the bright moonlight, it seemed like he was covered with cold snow.

The two of them looked at each other, and she curled her lips.

The man walked towards her with big strides, and wrapped his big hand around her wrist.

"Why did you come out?" she asked softly.

"I wanted to see you earlier."

She blushed and said, "You are really good at making people happy now."

"It's okay." His voice was light, but he couldn't hide his complacency.

His wife was right. Actions are important, but sweet words can also warm up feelings.

"Seeing that you have performed well these days, I, I plan to give you a gift." She whispered.

While talking, the two walked into the house side by side.

"What is it?" Shen Yan asked curiously.

"...You will know later."

She hesitated and was inexplicably shy.

Shen Yan's curiosity was even greater.

He looked around, but found that the surroundings were no different from usual.

She took out a handkerchief and handed it to him, saying

shyly, "Blindfold your eyes first." He looked at her suspiciously, "You are not lying to me, are you?"

"How could that be? You will see it later."

Shen Yan had no choice but to do as he was told, half believing it.

Darkness fell in front of him, and he felt as if time had been infinitely stretched. He could only hear the rustling of fabrics rubbing against each other, and the sound of some crisp bells.

After a long time, he heard the girl say, "Okay...Okay."

He pulled off the handkerchief covering his eyes, but saw that the layers of gauze on her body had all been removed, revealing a large area of ​​snow-white.

Only the full and round breasts in front of her body were covered with a fluffy bodice, and the skirt was a thin gauze, revealing a pair of slender legs. On her long black hair, there was a pair of white and pink cat ears.

Her face flushed, and she turned around a little embarrassedly and shook her big tail with bells.

When he was not around, she secretly tried it on herself and thought it was very beautiful and would definitely make him crazy.

But why is he standing there motionless now?

It is such a cute little cat!

She wanted to ask him if he liked it, but she subconsciously said: "Meow..."

The next moment, she was pressed down by him on the desk beside him.

The crabapple on his shoulder gently fell and floated on her pink cherry.

(End of text)