Chapter 465
Chapter 465
After nearly ten days of recuperation, Consort Bian was able to sit up with some effort. Ning Yuanxian was personally feeding her chicken soup. He smiled and said.
“My dear consort, it seems this ordeal has been a blessing in disguise. Your complexion has improved so much, perhaps your health has even recovered.”
Consort Bian said.
“Your Majesty, please let me eat on my own, or have a maid do it. How can someone who should be busy with state affairs be tied down here, feeding me?”
“I have wronged you so much in the past. I’m merely trying to make amends now, however late it may be.”
Just then, a loud voice came from outside.
“Your Majesty, Aunt! I am here to expose Shen Lang’s conspiracy. A massive conspiracy!”
Bian Yan had rushed to the front of Consort Bian’s room and knelt. Blocked by the guards, he could not enter, so he shouted from where he was.
“Your Majesty, Aunt! This is definitely Shen Lang’s plot. I am your own nephew, how could my blood not be compatible with yours? How could it be such a coincidence? Does it make sense that as soon as Shen Lang returned to the capital, you suffered a miscarriage and massive blood loss? Shen Lang must have harmed you. This is all his conspiracy. I just went to find Shen Lang and exposed his plot, and he was so guilt-ridden he was struck dumb and couldn’t say a word.”
The King and Consort Bian exchanged glances, and he couldn’t help but sigh. For the past few days, the King had allowed the rumors to spread unchecked, and they had grown increasingly intense. He wanted to see who would pop out and spread them, because he, too, suspected that Consort Bian’s miscarriage was the result of foul play. Of course, he never suspected Shen Lang; he suspected someone else within the palace. So he let the rumors fly, waiting to see who would reveal themselves. But unexpectedly, the only one to jump out was that fool, Bian Yan.
Outside, Bian Yan shouted loudly.
“Your Majesty, send the Blackwater Terrace to arrest Shen Lang and torture him severely. The truth will be made clear. This is definitely his plot. My aunt’s miscarriage and massive blood loss were surely caused by him.”
The King’s face twitched.
‘You are her own nephew, yet you so brazenly speak of her miscarriage and blood loss with every other word? Can’t you show a little consideration?’
Ning Yuanxian said calmly.
“Lu Zhun, bring in the men from the Blackwater Terrace.”
The Grand Eunuch Lu Zhun replied.
“As you command.”
A moment later, warriors from the Blackwater Terrace arrived outside the door. Bian Yan said.
“Your Majesty is truly wise. Your Majesty, please order the Blackwater Terrace to arrest Shen Lang and torture him severely!”
King Ning Yuanxian said coldly.
“Blackwater Terrace, seize Bian Yan and interrogate him thoroughly. Find out who is behind this, instigating him to spread false rumors and stir up trouble. You may use torture if necessary.”
“Yes!”
Several warriors from the Blackwater Terrace immediately dragged Bian Yan away. Bian Yan cried out in surprise.
“Your Majesty, you’ve got the wrong person! The one you should be arresting is Shen Lang! I won’t go to the Blackwater Terrace. Aunt, save me! Your Majesty, spare me, spare me…!”
Bian Yan’s voice faded into the distance as he was dragged away by the Blackwater Terrace, soon becoming completely inaudible.
“They are too cunning. No one else will likely come forward.”
At that moment, Consort Bian spoke.
“Your Majesty, would you mind leaving the rest to me?”
The King looked at Consort Bian and said.
“My dear consort, have you decided to get involved in this matter?”
“It is good to pursue one’s own kindness, but sometimes I wonder if it is too selfish. Besides, perhaps this is fate. I can no longer have children, and while he has a mother, it is as if he has none. My body even carries his blood now. Perhaps this is our destiny.”
The King sighed and said.
“Do as you wish, my dear consort.”
***
That evening.
The Fifth Prince, Ning Zheng, was summoned from the prison of the Court of the Imperial Clan and brought to the palace.
“Greetings, Consort Bian!”
Ning Zheng performed the courtesy dutifully. Consort Bian looked at Ning Zheng with an unprecedented tenderness in her eyes. This was the first time she had truly looked at him. He was certainly not handsome, rather short and stout, with exceptionally dark skin, and the mole on his chin was very prominent. Ning Zheng had been considered an ill omen from birth, and from childhood to adulthood, he had never received a mother's love or any familial affection. He was a pitiful child. After a long moment, Consort Bian spoke gently.
“Zheng’er, will you call me Mother? From now on, I will be your mother. Will you be my adopted son?”
Ning Zheng was startled, looking at Consort Bian in disbelief.
In an instant, a storm raged in his heart, and he could not calm his turbulent emotions. Not only was his heart trembling, but his entire body shivered, and a wave of heat washed over him. This was likely a moment he had only dreamed of. From the moment he was born, apart from the eunuch who protected him as he grew, Ning Zheng had never received care or love from anyone. His father, the King, disliked him, and his mother, Consort Su, was out of the question. He had countless times imagined having a mother who cherished him. For a long time, his aunt, Su Peipei, had filled that role in his heart. If his aunt had not saved him, he would have been drowned at birth. But from childhood to adulthood, he had never met or spent time with Su Peipei, so he couldn't form a concrete image of her as a mother.
When Ning Zheng was a little older, around six or seven, the palace held a celebration. Being naive at the time, he attended, only to be met with unprecedented coldness. His royal father, the Queen Dowager, his birth mother Consort Su, and all his older brothers treated him as if he didn't exist. They hadn't even prepared a seat for him, and everyone looked at him with undisguised dislike. How could a child of six or seven endure such neglect? At that time, Ning Zheng was in absolute agony, feeling that the world was full of malice towards him, a cold place devoid of any warmth. It was then that Consort Bian had looked at him and beckoned.
“Child, come here.”
At her words, a eunuch had placed a seat for him next to Consort Bian. An immense warmth filled Ning Zheng’s heart, and for a moment, he felt his soul had been saved. At that time, Ning Zheng had wished Consort Bian could be his mother, a thought he held onto for a very, very long time. But after that day’s celebration, he never met Consort Bian again, and whenever the palace held its annual festivities, he never went back.
As Ning Zheng grew older, he came to understand that Consort Bian wasn't particularly fond of him; her kind heart simply couldn't bear to see a young child treated so coldly, which prompted her action. In fact, Consort Bian had likely all but forgotten the incident, but the image of her calling to him with a gentle voice was forever etched deep in Ning Zheng’s heart.
And now, his dream had finally come true. That gentle, virtuous woman was offering to be his mother. Ning Zheng felt enveloped in happiness, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst from his chest. He regretted his inability to answer immediately. Seeing Ning Zheng’s face flush with emotion, Consort Bian said softly.
“Child, why are you still just standing there?”
Her words were an invitation to come closer and call her Mother. Ning Zheng was still inwardly ecstatic, but his mind was gradually growing calm. He bowed, but did not call her Mother. Surprised, Consort Bian asked.
“Why, do you not wish for me to be your mother? Do you resent me for seeming indifferent when you asked me to save Shen Lang?”
Ning Zheng shook his head.
“N-No.”
He certainly didn't think that. In this world, if someone helps another without being indebted to them, it is out of friendship. Under normal circumstances, it was natural not to help. Consort Bian had said she was a consort and did not wish to interfere in political affairs. What was wrong with that? Besides, Shen Lang had done her no favors at the time, so what fault was there in her not stepping in?
“Then why are you unwilling?”
Ning Zheng was suddenly overcome with nervousness.
“I… I… I…”
He started to stutter whenever he got nervous. Consort Bian said gently.
“There’s no rush. Speak slowly.”
Ning Zheng took a deep breath, took a small stone from his pocket, and placed it in his mouth. He tried to calm himself, then spoke slowly and clearly.
“Consort Bian, if it were in the past, I would have wished for a mother like you even in my dreams.”
“Then why not now?”
“Because… I now intend to contend for the throne.”
Hearing this, Consort Bian was taken aback. The King had never told her that Ning Zheng intended to join the struggle for the throne, so she truly knew nothing of it. And how could Ning Yuanxian have said anything? In the King’s eyes, Ning Zheng ascending the throne was as ludicrous as something said in a dream; why would he bring it up and make a fool of himself? Besides, before he had a chance, Consort Bian’s incident occurred, so it was natural she didn't know. Consort Bian looked at Ning Zheng in disbelief.
‘This child has such great ambitions? I had no idea. And in his current state, how does he plan to contend for the throne? His Majesty doesn’t favor him at all, he makes a poor impression, and most importantly, he stutters and has no power base behind him. How can he fight for the throne? The succession is not a child’s game.’
Consort Bian’s expression turned serious as she asked.
“Ning Zheng, can you tell me why you wish to contend for the throne?”
Ning Zheng thought for a long time before answering slowly.
“To protect the people I want to protect. If I do not ascend the throne, and either my eldest or third brother does, they will not spare Shen Lang and the Jin Clan.”
Hearing this, Consort Bian’s heart warmed instantly.
‘He really is a good child. But it seems he thinks of the struggle for the throne as a child’s game.’
Consort Bian asked in a soft voice.
“Did Shen Lang, by any chance, tell you to join the struggle for the throne, and that’s why you decided to?”
Ning Zheng thought for a moment before replying.
“Yes and no.”
“Speak slowly.”
With the stone in his mouth, each word was a great effort, but paradoxically, it helped him to stutter less.
“I had never thought of contending for the throne before. I never even wished for it in my dreams. But after speaking with Shen Lang, I thought I should give it a try.”
Consort Bian still found his answer utterly absurd and asked him again.
“Since you have decided to contend for the throne, don’t you need support even more? Why, then, did you refuse to accept me as your mother?”
“When I was not contending for the throne, accepting Consort Bian as my mother would have been a private matter. But now that I am, acknowledging you as my mother becomes a matter of state. I cannot let my private affairs ruin something so important.”
“Do you not wish to gain my support?”
“I do, but if I were to gain your support now without having shown any talent of my own, merely because I gave you my blood, it would be taking an unfair advantage. I long for the support of the Bian Clan, but I hope to earn it after the Bian Clan recognizes my abilities and potential, and judges me to be a suitable heir. If I were to gain you as my mother simply because I gave a blood transfusion, it would be no different from forcibly tying the Bian Clan to my cause and making them shoulder a responsibility they shouldn't have to bear. That would be wrong.”
At that moment, Consort Bian was dumbfounded.