funbook-pk Chapter 300, 5 years later...
Chapter 300, 5 years later...
Five years later
The emperor has passed away, and the whole country is in mourning...
Meanwhile, to celebrate the new emperor's ascension to the throne, the entire country rejoiced, and taxes on all shops and grain in the Northern Wei Kingdom increased by 30%, causing widespread resentment among the people, who dared not speak out against it.
Dressed impeccably, Wei Jianning sat in the main hall of the Ning residence with a deep gaze, his face gloomy and his eyes devoid of any expression.
Five years later, he appears more mature and composed, and his eyes reveal a depth that is difficult for others to comprehend.
As Lan Zhi tidied Zhuangzhuang's hair, she carefully comforted him:
"My lord, if you are worried about him, go back and see him off on his final journey."
Wei Jianning gave a light snort and shook his head, saying:
“Wei Jianning is dead. Ning Jianwei is the one who is alive now. What status would I have to go back? Besides, it will take at least three months for this news to reach us. Even if I go back, I'm afraid I can only go to the imperial mausoleum to pay my respects.”
"But you don't seem to be in a good mood. Are you worried about your mother?"
Wei Jianning turned his head to look at him and chuckled softly.
"I'm a little concerned, but not much. I'm not really saddened by the Emperor's death; I'm worried about the future of the Northern Wei Kingdom. Also, we haven't avenged our deaths, yet her son has rightfully ascended the throne, while we have to hide here in anonymity, afraid to show our true identities. I'm resentful."
"After hiding your talents for five years, you finally want to show yourself?"
Lan Zhi looked at him with a surprised expression.
“My husband, we have lived a good life in Quancheng for the past five years. We not only have our own courtyard and shop, but our business is also thriving. We are now well-fed and clothed and live a prosperous life. I think we should forget our past grievances and continue to live our peaceful life.”
Wei Jianning let out a long sigh of relief and nodded thoughtfully.
"If the people of Northern Wei could live a prosperous life, that would be fine. But I heard that when the new emperor ascended the throne, he not only did not grant a general amnesty, but also increased taxes by 30%. The people are already struggling to survive. To increase taxes further is simply not going to let them live."
“But you are Ning Jianwei now, just an ordinary citizen. You can’t and shouldn’t interfere with these things.”
Lan Zhi's words gave Wei Jianning an instant sense of enlightenment, and he immediately nodded.
“You’re right. I am Ning Jianwei, the manager of Ning’s Medical Clinic and the master of the Ning family. These matters of state should not be concerned with me, a commoner.”
At this point, he laughed self-deprecatingly, a laugh tinged with helplessness and heartache.
Lan Zhi knew his thoughts and understood his feelings, but they were doing well now, living a peaceful and prosperous life. Aside from her occasional thoughts of Mao Mao and Wei Ming, there was really no one else in the capital that she could think about.
"Zhuangzhuang, look what Grandma brought you!"
Although Aunt Feng doesn't know that Lan Zhi is her daughter, and Lan Zhi doesn't know that Aunt Feng is her biological mother, Zhuang Zhuang is a child that Aunt Feng raised from a young age, so it's not unreasonable for Lan Zhi to let him call Aunt Feng "Grandma".
"Mom, I'm going to play with Grandma."
His childish voice reached Lan Zhi's ears, and Lan Zhi immediately nodded with a smile.
"Go on, but don't let Grandma hold you, understand?"
"Zhuangzhuang knows. Goodbye, Dad and Mom."
Wei Jianning waved to him gently, and Zhuangzhuang ran out with his short legs and jumped straight into Aunt Feng's arms.
Over the past five years, although Aunt Feng has grown older, her face has not aged; in fact, she looks much younger than before.
Looking at the figures of the old woman and the child in the background, Lan Zhi smiled helplessly.
"I wonder if Lord Lin has ever looked for Aunt Feng over the years."
"We can't find him anywhere. We've hidden ourselves so well, no one can find us. By the way, any news about your older brother?"
Lan Zhi shook her head.
“I sent people to Yangliushu and Kangzhuang Village to look for him, and they all said that he has not returned in recent years. There is no news from Beijing and Xingcheng either. We don’t know where he went or why we haven’t seen him for so many years.”
"Could something have happened to him?"
Wei Jianning looked at Lan Zhi with some concern.
"He didn't know about our departure from the capital back then. Now that he's returned to the Crown Prince's residence, will anyone make things difficult for him?"
"Probably not. Tomorrow, Mao Mao and I will be at the Crown Prince's residence. They won't make things difficult for him."
"Then why haven't we seen him for five years?"
Lan Zhi shook her head in confusion.
"I will continue to send people to look for him. I hope nothing bad has happened to him!"
Just then, Yuan Tianxiong strode in, glanced at Wei Jianning and Lan Zhi with a serious expression, and stammered, "..."
"Young master, I just received a message from my brother in the capital. He said that... Mao Mao and Ming'er spoke disrespectfully to the new emperor and have been imprisoned by him. It is said that they will be... executed at a later date."
'What'
Wei Jianning jumped up from his chair, and Lan Zhi looked at Yuan Tianxiong with disbelief.
"How could this be?"
Yuan Tianxiong quickly pressed his hands down to comfort him:
"Don't worry, the letter says that Lord Zhu, Lord Lin, and several important officials in the court all oppose this. Although they were still imprisoned in the imperial prison before the letter arrived, their lives are fortunately not in danger."
Hearing this, Lan Zhihe and Wei Jianning finally felt a little relieved.
Yuan Tianxiong continued:
"Also, Brother Ling... has gone mad."
"What?"
Lan Zhi's eyes widened in horror, as if a thunderbolt had struck her mind.
She stared blankly at Boss Yuan, asking incredulously,
"You just said... what happened to my older brother?"
Although Yuan Tianxiong was reluctant to speak, he still sighed and replied:
“My brother in the capital only found Brother Yuan a few days ago, but he’s gone mad and is begging on the streets of the capital. But don’t worry, my brother has already taken care of him and he won’t lack food or drink. It’s just that… from what he said in fits and starts, my brother thinks he’s been imprisoned in the imperial prison and someone isn’t allowing him to leave the capital… Anyway, my brother hasn’t quite figured out what’s going on.”
Yuan Tianxiong's words made Lan Zhi's heart, which had just calmed down, jump into her throat again.
She can ignore others, but she has to take care of her older brother.
She immediately looked at Wei Jianning.
"My husband, I want to go back to the capital. I want to bring my elder brother back with me."
Yuan Tianxiong quickly spoke up to stop him.
“Miss, we can’t go back to the capital now. It’s said that since the new emperor ascended the throne, he has been scrutinizing people entering and leaving the capital very carefully. If you expose your identity at this time, he will definitely kill us all.”
"But...but I can't watch my elder brother suffer in the capital!"
“My brother will take care of him. Right now, we should think things through more carefully.”
Wei Jianning took a heavy breath and nodded, saying:
“What Boss Yuan said makes sense. Let’s wait and see what kind of trouble Wei Jianye and his mother can cause.”
At this point, he looked at Yuan Tianxiong.
"How is my mother...?"
Yuan Tianxiong hesitated for a moment before stammering, "Liang Fei, she...she..."
From his hesitant words, Wei Jianning had a bad feeling, and he quickly pressed for more information.
"What's wrong with her? Has something happened to her?"