CHAPTER 565: CHAPTER 544: SECOND UPDATE

Zheng Nianru sat in her chair, her gaze fixed motionlessly on the shadow behind the bed curtain, while Nanny Yun, Fu Dong, and others stood by with anxious faces, waiting for a figure to appear from behind the curtain.

The moment a person emerged, Zheng Nianru immediately stood up from her chair to look at the newcomer.

Elder Su was not meeting Zheng Nianru for the first time. On his first visit to Zheng Capital, he had already learned of the name Zheng Nianru from Elder Can and had seen Prince Duan.

Elder Su did not know whether all of this was good or bad for the young lady, but now that things had come to this point, they could only take one step at a time and see what would happen.

"Her Royal Highness the Princess, he is out of danger now. As long as he recovers slowly, our Young Master can use the vital energy of Ghost Shadow to suppress the toxin each month, and his life will not be in danger," Elder Su said very clearly. He was aware of Elder Can’s intentions and, in an instant, their Young Master had already reached an agreement with Lord Ju.

Therefore, taking advantage of the moment just now, he had quietly administered the poison, a poison that does not harm the foundation and cannot be detected. As long as the Young Master makes a move to suppress it, it could stay in the body for a lifetime.

Zheng Nianru glanced at the elder, understanding his meaning — Yin He had to take action every month. Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, things had come to this point, and she was not a fool; naturally, she understood the purpose.

"If the Princess has no other business, then this old man will take his leave first," Elder Su said with great respect towards Zheng Nianru. The temperament of their Young Master was unpredictable, and he was extremely aggressive towards things he cared about. Even now, if this young lady beckoned, their Young Master would immediately scurry over, and killing them would be done without a second thought.

Therefore, even if it meant offending the Young Master, they could not afford to offend the young lady before them.

Zheng Nianru nodded her head, and once Elder Su had left, she walked straight to the bedside, lifted the bed curtain, and found Zheng Congyuan lying there with steady breaths. Only then did Zheng Nianru breathe a sigh of relief. Her gaze still couldn’t bear to leave him — it was good that he was alive.

The commotion outside gradually subsided. The guards tasked with clearing the bodies went back and forth, and the blood being cleaned away flowed into the moat through the channels, turning the entire moat pink.

After a bout of calmness, everything slowly started to be put in order.

Ju Nanyi immediately summoned all the surviving civil and military officials in the wake of the rebellion. The losses of Nanzheng State went beyond widespread devastation and chaos — an imperial court that had taken generations to build was half destroyed, with many of its capable officials dead, almost paralyzing the entire court.

Ju Nanyi quickly displayed his extraordinary talents, and within a day he had already secured several key positions in the imperial court and everything began to operate anew.

In Chenyuan Hall, the palace maids and eunuchs served with extreme care, all unfamiliar faces but still people from inside the palace. All the concubines had returned to their respective palaces, with many dead and the rest not daring to cause trouble, hoping to live peacefully within the palace.

Empress Dowager Yan Ping and Empress Xiao returned to their own quarters. Empress Xiao came to visit Zheng Congyuan several times a day, but with Zheng Nianru present, even if Empress Xiao wanted to say something, she was powerless to do so.

Now that things had reached this point, even Zheng Nianru in front of them was like a puppet in someone else’s hands, not to mention anyone else. Thus, there was an uneasy peace.

The Imperial Forest Guard was different. All the leaders of the Imperial Forest Guard were replaced with people from Ghoul Ravine, almost putting the entire Imperial Palace under surveillance.

It was not until the third day that Ju Nanyi returned to Chenyuan Hall. Even though it was the dead of winter, Emperor Jingzhi’s palisade coffin couldn’t be left in Chenyuan Hall indefinitely.

That familiar figure in Chenyuan Hall was tinged with traces of exhaustion. Yet, the owner of the figure seemed completely unaware of it, attending to every matter personally, serving tea, and fetching water.

Zheng Congyuan was the first one in the bed to see Ju Nanyi.

Zheng Nianru wasn’t very clear in what she said. Empress Xiao, filled with anger and having focused only on her cultivation for a long time, had already let go of the matters of the imperial court. Now, the one who understood most was only Ju Nanyi.

Raising his hand was somewhat strenuous for Zheng Congyuan, his body felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, making even getting up difficult.

"Her Royal Highness the Princess, Prince Duan is outside the hall." As Ju Nanyi started to speak, his eyes fell upon the silk handkerchief in the woman’s hand. The dense embroidery on the handkerchief was something he had seen before on the Crown Prince’s handkerchief. The one in Zheng Nianru’s hands was obviously more feminine, embroidered with blossoming begonia red flowers.

Fu Dong immediately took over the bowl. Remembering that Prince Duan had come, and seeing Zheng Congyuan still in the same old state, Elder Su seemed to be a very diligent person, visiting three times a day to enquire about his health, and seemed genuinely upset about Zheng Congyuan’s illness, leaving no fault to be found.

Zheng Congyuan watched Ju Nanyi, who was waiting, and as soon as Zheng Nianru left, his voice turned cold.

"You certainly have a lot of nerve—" Zheng Congyuan’s voice was laced with frost. If not for his complete lack of strength, he would have personally pressed a sword to Ju Nanyi’s neck to quell the rage in his heart.

"The Emperor, please calm your anger. The situation was urgent at the time, and Her Royal Highness the Princess only wanted to go with you. My actions were only for Nanzheng, for all the people of Nanzheng." Ju Nanyi didn’t kneel, but his expression remained respectful.

Zheng Congyuan took a deep breath and tried to speak, but he couldn’t catch his breath. This sense of powerlessness left him feeling utterly defeated.

Ju Nanyi told Empress Xiao every detail about the negotiation conditions, and by now, Zheng Congyuan must have known them. Ju Nanyi even really wanted to know what Zheng Congyuan was thinking at this moment, knowing such an outcome, what he would think.

"Do you have a way to take her out?" Zheng Congyuan closed his eyes and, after a long time, finally spoke.

"No, the Imperial Palace is under his surveillance now." Ju Nanyi replied truthfully. Moreover, leaving wouldn’t solve the problem. A life on the run? She wouldn’t be able to bear such a life. Accustomed to luxury, even during rebellions, it was the same.

"I’d rather die than accept such a..." Zheng Congyuan couldn’t continue; he wouldn’t give in easily.

Ju Nanyi glanced at Zheng Congyuan on the bed, not quite understanding how things ended up like this in his past life. But then again, what difference was there between this life and the last? It was all the same in the end.

"Emperor, I believe as long as one is alive, there is hope. The Princess hopes the Emperor will live, just as the Emperor would spare no effort to save the Princess."

Zheng Congyuan closed his eyes, feeling defeated for the first time, frustrated by all the injustice he was facing now.

"Emperor, the coronation ceremony is set for three days from now. Along with it, the State Preceptor’s crowning ceremony will also take place, and afterwards, the Former King’s palisade coffin will be delivered to the Imperial Tomb. The Empress’s enthronement ceremony is scheduled for the fifteenth. If there’s nothing improper, I will get on with the arrangements immediately."

After Ju Nanyi finished speaking, a prolonged silence followed. After a long wait, Zheng Congyuan on the bed slowly nodded, closed his eyes, and the dark shadows of his thick eyelashes cast over his pale face, hiding all expressions.

If there were a choice...

But does he have a choice?