Impératrice douairière Xiaoxuan

Chapitre 207

Mo Yan frowned as she listened: "You think you can just spit out blood so easily? You spit out blood and show me."

"Then just spit out the medicine, or knock over the medicine bowl or something."

"so?"

Mo Yan pretended to be dead.

“Alright!” Ning Jin decided, then said, “When the maid sees this, she will definitely report to me. I will come over immediately. You just need to continue pretending to be dead. You don’t need to worry about anything else.”

"Remember this clearly: I can only hold my breath for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. You can't let anyone stay next to me for more than that, or you'll give yourself away."

Ning Jin nodded: "I understand that, of course."

"Xiao Qi! You've worked so hard." Zhao Yu said sincerely to Mo Yan.

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing…” Mo Yan looked at Zhao Yu for a while, then muttered to herself, “So this is what I look like. It’s not so bad.”

Everyone took their places, while Zhao Yu went to Mo Yan's tent to continue waiting for the grand performance to begin the next day.

That night, Ning Jin barely slept, repeatedly thinking about all the possible situations that might occur the next day. Although he had thought about it over and over again in the previous few days, as the event approached, although he did not show it on his face, he was indeed somewhat worried in his heart.

If anything goes wrong, it could be a catastrophe. He took a deep breath. No matter what, since he was going all in, he could only succeed and not fail.

As he tossed and turned, dawn broke, but he didn't get up, lying quietly on the couch waiting.

Finally, hurried footsteps could be heard rushing towards them, and a maid's voice rang out from outside the tent: "Your Highness! Your Highness! Something terrible has happened, the princess..."

Ning Jin stood up, took a deep breath, put on his outer robe, and quickly left the tent as if he had just gotten up...

Volume 3, Chapter 43

The first half of things went relatively smoothly.

After Ning Jin publicly confirmed that Zhao Yu had indeed ascended to the immortal realm, in his grief, he ordered people to cover the body with a screen so that Mo Yan could catch her breath. Then he ordered people to send fast horses to Yelü Hongji and Yelü Zongzhen to report the death.

After making the arrangements, Ning Jin returned to his tent, changed into a plain white robe, and took a breath. The messenger had left a while ago, and he believed someone would arrive soon. He wasn't too worried about the others, but he was most concerned about Yelü Hongji, because Yelü Hongji was likely to stay by Zhao Yu's body the longest. If it lasted for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, it would be fine, but if it exceeded that, things would get complicated.

"Zichu!" he called softly.

Wu Zichu stepped forward, knowing his intentions, and replied, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will wait outside. If more than an incense stick's time has passed, I will stir up some trouble to lure Yelü Hongji out."

Ning Jin nodded: "Yelü Hongji will definitely bring his guards when the time comes. Those guards will be waiting outside. You must be careful in front of them and make sure you don't leave a trace."

“Zichu understands.”

Ning Jin nodded, then sighed, "That girl is pretending to be dead, and she does it quite convincingly... It's really unsettling to watch."

Wu Zichu smiled and comforted him, saying, "It's just acting; you have to make it convincing."

Ning Jin smiled faintly, but before the smile faded, he heard a rapid sound of horses' hooves outside the tent, as if many people were hurrying towards him.

"They're here," he said in a deep voice. "Let's go!"

When Ning Jin stepped out of the tent, his face was filled with sorrow, and his steps were slow and extremely heavy.

Outside, a cold wind howled, and sand and dust swirled. He looked up from under the tent and saw that the sound of horses' hooves he had heard earlier in the tent had entered the camp. The person leading them was none other than Yelü Hongji.

Ning Jin walked to Zhao Yu's tent but did not go forward. He just stood there motionless. Yelü Hongji, on the other hand, dismounted and walked quickly toward him, his face full of disbelief.

“Princess… how could she…” Yelü Hongji’s voice trembled slightly. Although he knew Zhao Yu was seriously ill, he always thought that she would get better with proper care, but he never expected that she would not make it through.

Ning Jin lowered his head slightly and shook his head in grief: "Yesterday she talked to me for a while and I thought she was in better spirits. I thought her illness was improving. Who would have thought that it was... a final burst of energy before death?"

Seeing Ning Jin's grief, and looking around at the camp filled with mournful cries, Yelü Hongji's initial sorrow was replaced by unease. He instinctively thought of Zhao Yu's death in Liao, wondering if the Song emperor would be angry. Although it might not lead to a major war, it would be difficult to handle if the emperor started causing trouble regarding the annual tribute.

"It's all my fault. I should have been with her every day. I couldn't even see her one last time." Yelü Hongji said, feigning grief. "Our wedding was just around the corner, and I had been looking forward to it for so long, but I never expected that we would be separated by death forever..."

Ning Jin choked up as she comforted him, saying, "It's because Xiao Yu'er was unlucky. Your Highness, please accept my condolences."

"Can I go in and see her?"

"Your Highness, please come in."

Ning Jin estimated that Mo Yan should be ready after talking with Yelü Hongji outside for so long, so he led her inside.

After entering the tent and walking around the screen, Yelü Hongji finally saw Zhao Yu lying on the couch, lifeless and pale as paper, no longer the smiling and cheerful person he used to be. He was truly heartbroken...

“Xiao Yu’er told me everything,” Ning Jin stepped forward and stood beside him. She quickly glanced at Mo Yan and, seeing no flaws, continued, “…She said that His Highness had promised her that he would never wage war against the Song Dynasty while in power. I greatly admire His Highness’s magnanimity! I will definitely tell His Majesty when I return, and I believe His Majesty will be very moved.”

He cleverly changed Yelü Hongji's statement "will definitely not raise troops in the Central Plains" to "will never engage in warfare with the Song Dynasty." They sounded similar at first glance, but the meaning was much more conciliatory.

Yelü Hongji was taken aback for a moment, then realized what was going on and nodded without taking it to heart, saying, "This is only natural. Our two countries should be allies for generations to come."

“Your Highness is right.” Ning Jin looked sadly at the bed. “If Xiao Yu’er were still alive, how wonderful it would be if she could stay by Your Highness’s side. This has always been her wish.”

Yelü Hongji looked deeply at Zhao Yu on the bed and said emotionally, "I know she is extremely good to me." Zhao Yu found the Five-Colored Divine Turtle for him but did not take credit for it. Now he has presented the Five-Colored Divine Turtle to his father. His father was overjoyed and rewarded him with many things. More importantly, it greatly increased his father's trust in him.

He was truly grateful to Zhao Yu for this, and had planned to thank her properly after the marriage, but unexpectedly, he no longer had the chance.

He stood quietly by the bed, looking at the woman, his emotions surging... Ning Jin, who was beside him, looked sorrowful, but in reality, he was burning with anxiety. Half an incense stick had passed, and Yelü Hongji still showed no sign of leaving.

"Your Highness, please accept my condolences. Why don't you come to the tent hall and have some tea?" Ning Jin said softly.

Unexpectedly, Yelü Hongji shook his head and said, "I want to stay with her a little longer." On one hand, he felt guilty towards Zhao Yu, and on the other hand, he wanted to show Ning Jin how much he loved Zhao Yu.

Unexpectedly, Ning Jin didn't want to listen to his act at all and was eager for him to leave. But since Yelü Hongji said that, he couldn't just drag him away, so he could only persuade him again: "If Xiao Yu'er has a spirit in heaven, she will surely bless Your Highness with good health and longevity. Although Your Highness is sad, you must take good care of yourself."

"I'm fine."