Rebirth of a Lost Nation: Princess, Please Respect Yourself

Chapter 218 The whole story

Ning Yunxiao paused, then nodded, "Yes, today our people found one of their hideouts. We just found out from the interrogation that they are all from Nanchu's South City, and they fled here because of the chaos in South City."

Jiang Lige's eyes flushed slightly. "It's only been about three months since we left Nancheng. Why did such a big change happen? Moreover, how come we didn't know anything about such a big commotion? The news didn't reach the capital until Bo Xuan was escorted there? Unless..."

"Unless someone is worried about Sheng Ling's interference and is deliberately hiding the news." Ning Yunxiao took over Jiang Lige's words and patted her shoulder soothingly. "I've sent someone to investigate. I'll let you know as soon as I have any news."

Jiang Lige nodded numbly, and when he looked into Ning Yunxiao's gentle eyes, the sadness that had been imprisoned in his heart could no longer hide.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I've ultimately implicated you in today's incident."

Tears welled up in Jiang Lige's eyes and she turned her head away in a panic, but Ning Yunxiao hugged her in his arms.

"What do you mean by 'involved'? Ah Li, when I had nothing, it was you who stood before me time and time again, protecting me, accompanying me, letting me see the first ray of light in the darkness. It was also you who made me understand that power is not only about protecting the people of the world from the lashings of the foolish, but also about protecting those around us, freeing them from suffering and ensuring their safety and happiness. Ah Li, you are my original intention and my destination. If you say that again, I will be angry."

"I...I understand." Nestled in Ning Yunxiao's warm embrace, Jiang Lige finally uttered the seemingly ridiculous explanation, "Your Highness, my mother and the Xu family are not what they say. This must be a misunderstanding."

"Yes, I believe it. And I think that the person who can raise a kind girl like Ah Li must be the best person in the world."

This one sentence was extremely gentle, but it brought Jiang Lige great comfort.

"I..." Just one character, and it was broken into pieces. Jiang Lige simply suppressed his thoughts and buried himself deeply in Ning Yunxiao's arms.

Enjoying the only warmth in this world of ice and snow.

The carriage sped all the way and finally drove into the deep palace.

According to convention, hostages from other countries who come to the capital should first pay a visit to Emperor Shengwu, but Jiang Boxuan is still ill, let alone seeing the emperor, he is not even conscious.

Seeing this, Ning Yunxiao simply sent Jiang Lige and his sister back to Qingge Cottage first, and asked someone to invite the imperial physician to come and see Jiang Boxuan.

As for Emperor Shengwu, Ning Yunxiao will go and explain himself.

All matters were handled properly, saving Jiang Lige a lot of trouble.

In order to make it easier to take care of him, Jiang Lige arranged Jiang Boxuan in the side hall of Qingge Cottage.

The imperial physician went to see the patient and said that there was nothing serious wrong with his body for the time being. He was just tired from the long journey and had not had enough food and clothing, so he had lost some energy and blood. He just needed to rest well for some time.

Jiang Boxuan was born as the unrivaled Crown Prince of Nanchu. When had he ever suffered such hardship?

No matter what, Jiang Boxuan is still the blood of the emperor, and now he has fallen to this point, what about the situation of the mother and the Xu family...

Just this little realization made Jiang Lige feel heartbroken.

Jiang Lige was worried about Jiang Boxuan, so he simply took care of him in the side hall. He was busy all the time until night fell.

The warm charcoal fire dispelled the cold, bringing more vitality to Jiang Boxuan's body, and also relieved Jiang Lige's fatigue after a busy day.

She leaned against the edge of the bed, supporting her head with one hand. Just as she closed her eyes for a nap, she felt her shoulders sink.

When she looked up, she saw Ning Yunxiao coming, with his warm cloak draped over her shoulders.

"Your Highness?"

There was still a hint of sleep in his voice, which made Ning Yunxiao's heart soften. He whispered, "Did I wake you?"

"No." Jiang Lige explained: "I just closed my eyes and rested for a while, I didn't fall asleep."

Ning Yunxiao nodded and explained his purpose: "I just came out from the emperor's place and got some news to share with you."

"Okay." Jiang Lige was in high spirits. He stood up and left the inner room with Ning Yunxiao. He then poured a cup of hot water for Ning Yunxiao. "It's getting late. Drinking tea might make it hard to fall asleep. Your Highness, please just drink some hot water."

"Thank you." Ning Yunxiao took the cup and concluded succinctly, "Based on the current information, the riot in South City is indeed closely related to the Xu family."

Jiang Lige wasn't particularly surprised. He simply asked the question that concerned him most: "Is my mother okay? What's going on with the Xu family now?"

"Empress Xu was first banished to the cold palace for poisoning the heir to the throne. Later, when the Nancheng Incident occurred, Empress Xu was sent to the Huguo Temple by the Southern Chu Emperor to atone for the Xu family's sins."

After Ning Yunxiao said this, he looked up at Jiang Lige, and seeing that there was nothing wrong with her expression, he continued.

"As for the Xu family, they were all burned to death in the chaos in South City."

"..."

Jiang Lige's heart sank and he didn't respond for a long time.

She clenched her fists, her fingertips once again digging into the wounds that had not yet healed, in an effort to maintain her pathetic sanity amidst her grief and anger.

Ning Yunxiao seemed to have noticed her movements, threw away the cup, and took her hand.

He lowered his head, pried open her fingers one by one, then held her hand and spoke seriously word by word.

"The dead are gone. They certainly wouldn't want to see you hurting yourself like this. Ah Li, take care of yourself. I promise I will protect your mother and brother for you."

The warm breath from the fingertips spread through his limbs and bones, filling the missing part in Jiang Lige's chest.

With tears in her eyes, she clutched his sleeves tightly, so hard that her fingers almost trembled.

He was the driftwood she grasped in the vast ocean, and also her only life-saving straw before she fell into darkness.

"Xu family, what exactly happened?" she asked.

Ning Yunxiao held her hand and told her the truth.

"After we left South City, the Xu family arranged a marriage for Xu Weiming with the daughter of Prefect Kang in order to help him settle down. However, even after the two families got engaged, Xu Weiming continued to have affairs outside. When Miss Kang found out, she went to the mistress's house. As a result, Xu Weiming accidentally pushed Miss Kang from the second floor, killing her. Prefect Kang only had one precious daughter, so naturally, he and the Xu family fell out. Both families' actions were significant, and the quarrel between the gods affected innocent people. The people suffered, so naturally, the only option left was to rise up in rebellion."

"Xu Weiming." Jiang Lige said the name and smiled bitterly. "The Xu family was ultimately defeated by him."

Compared to Jiang Lige, Ning Yunxiao's thinking was clearer. "Xu Weiming was merely a trigger for the Xu family's downfall. Ultimately, it was because the Xu family was too powerful, and the emperor simply couldn't tolerate their continued growth. Many years ago, when the Xu family was publicly promoted but secretly demoted and exiled to Nancheng, perhaps this fate was doomed."