latelenovela Chapter 174 Ning Zhanyan has disappeared
Chapter 174 Ning Zhanyan has disappeared
Chapter 174 Ning Zhanyan has disappeared
The candlelight inside the artificial cave flickered. Chen Jinhuan felt a sweet taste in her mouth. Suddenly, she squinted and saw Ning Zhanyan's pale face. Heartbroken, she touched the man's handsome face and mumbled, "Sixth Prince, you're finally back. I was poisoned just now and almost fell victim to that dog emperor... Luckily, I used a sleeping potion in the room beforehand and had my maid Ningxiang serve me in bed."
"I'm sorry! I almost forgot I was supposed to detoxify you tonight because I was tracking the palace assassins," Ning Zhanyan said weakly. Chen Jinhuan gently shook her head, then took the initiative to hug Ning Zhanyan and turn over. Ning Zhanyan had a wound on his chest, and the impact aggravated it, causing him to wince in pain and his face to tighten.
"Liu Lang, why do you look so pale? Are you injured?" Chen Jinhuan asked with concern.
"It's just a minor injury, nothing serious! Let's continue. You need to get back to your bedchamber by dawn, otherwise that damned emperor will find out you switched places." Ning Zhanyan had barely finished speaking when he turned the tables...
As dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight appeared, Emperor Huizong turned over on his large bed and pulled the soft, fragrant body beside him into his arms. Chen Jinhuan quickly removed the emperor's large hand, tiptoed off the bed, and put on her outer robe with her back to Emperor Huizong.
"My beloved concubine, why are you up so early?" Emperor Huizong said, reaching out to pull Consort Luo, Chen Jinhuan, back onto the bed. Seeing the emperor's burning gaze, Consort Luo quickly advised him, "Your Majesty, it's almost time for the morning court session!"
"My beloved concubine, last night I finally fulfilled my wish of bringing you down from the Wushan Mountain, a goddess like you. I am very happy. How about I promote you in rank today? From now on, you will be my Consort Luo." Emperor Huizong said sweetly to Consort Luo while holding her hand.
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty! However, the match against the Jin women's Cuju team is in a few days. I wish to rest and recuperate. I wonder if Your Majesty would be able to..." Luo Pin hesitated halfway through her sentence. How could Emperor Huizong not understand that this woman was advising him not to visit her these next few days, as she wanted to focus on training for Cuju?
"My beloved consort, I think what you say makes sense. In the next few days, I will have Lin Chong and Du Shiniang come to the Imperial Cuju Field during the day to help you prepare for the competition." Emperor Huizong of Song granted Consort Luo's request and ordered Liu Guangfu to draft an imperial edict promoting Consort Luo to the rank of Imperial Consort. He also bestowed upon Consort Luo a large amount of gold and silver jewelry.
The palace maids and eunuchs in Qixia Palace all wore expressions of joy. Their mistress had been promoted, bringing them not only pride but also numerous rewards from Consort Luo. Busy cleaning the palace and replacing the imperial gifts, they failed to notice Ning Zhanyan emerging from behind the artificial hill in the courtyard. Ning Zhanyan was pale and unsteady on his feet. Last night's beating and subsequent efforts to detoxify Chen Jinhuan had exhausted him, leaving him nearly unable to stand. Fortunately, he had sent a message in the early morning, ordering his trusted confidant Jiang Rufei to meet him outside Qixia Palace.
Jiang Rufei was startled when he saw Ning Zhanyan. He wondered what his master had done last night. His face was as white as a dead man, and there were several purplish-red claw marks on his neck, as well as bloodstains on his inner clothes.
Seeing Jiang Rufei standing there staring at him, Ning Zhanyan quickly urged him to take the pill. It was a pill Ning Weizhi had given him to regulate his qi; he was reluctant to take it, wanting to save it for when necessary. Jiang Rufei helped Ning Zhanyan to a shady stone bench and asked in a low voice, "My lord, why did you give the improved Nether Sphere blueprints to the Wolf King yesterday?"
"I had no choice but to threaten me with Consort Luo's life," Ning Zhanyan replied coldly, as if what he handed over to the Wolf King was not his own hard work, but just an ordinary antique jade artifact.
"My lord, how can we give the blueprints for the improved Nether Sphere to an enemy country?" Jiang Rufei looked at Ning Zhanyan with a worried expression. "Also, I see that you are quite badly injured. Should we ask Lord Ning Weizhi to come to the palace to take a look at you?"
“No need! Rufei, we can’t be threatened by the Wolf King anymore. This time, we must cooperate properly with Lord Shen and the others. Cough! Cough!” Ning Zhanyan suddenly stopped and coughed twice, then beckoned Jiang Rufei closer to him and whispered the next steps of the plan in his ear.
Having received the Emperor's permission, Du Shiniang, Lin Chong, and the others began training in Cuju (ancient Chinese football) with Consort Luo every day at the palace. The Cuju field was right in the palace, so who would pass up the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the ground beforehand? Knowing that training time was tight, Du Rushuang, Zou Xiaoyan, Chai Nianci, and the other team members all cleared their minds of distractions and focused solely on Cuju.
However, on the night before the match, Consort Luo received a letter from the Wolf King, delivered by one of his palace spies. The letter stated that Ning Zhanyan had given him a fake blueprint for the Ghost Ball, and in a fit of rage, the Wolf King had him arrested and imprisoned. The Wolf King also threatened Chen Jinhuan, saying that if she dared to win the football match between the two countries the next day, he would kill Ning Zhanyan.
Chen Jinhuan knew that the Wolf King never treated Ning Zhanyan as a nephew, but rather as a tool for killing and seizing power. Therefore, she believed the Wolf King's threat that she absolutely could not use her true strength in the match against the Jin Kingdom's women's football team tomorrow, fearing that the Wolf King would really kill Ning Zhanyan. However, Chen Jinhuan still wanted to verify the authenticity of the letter, so she sent Ningxiang to find Jiang Rufei.
Unexpectedly, Ningxiang rushed back to Qixia Palace and said to Chen Jinhuan, "Your Majesty, Lord Jiang said that Commander Chen has been missing for three days, and he is handling all the affairs of the Imperial Guards in the palace by himself."
"What? Missing for three days? That means he disappeared after he cured me of the poison. Could it be that Liu Lang's body..." Chen Jinhuan murmured in confusion.
Chen Jinhuan wanted to tell Du Shiniang and Lin Chong about Ning Zhanyan's disappearance, believing that Lin Chong would definitely have a way to rescue Ning Zhanyan. However, when Ningxiang tried to leave the palace to deliver the message, she was tied up outside the palace gate by Gao Can's confidant, Lu Minggu. Gao Can personally led Ningxiang to the gate of Qixia Palace.
Chen Jinhuan hurriedly went to the palace gate to meet Gao Can. Gao Can glanced at Chen Jinhuan, but surprisingly did not perform the court etiquette. Instead, he said loudly to her, "Your Highness, this palace maid of yours tried to steal palace treasures to sell outside the palace, but was discovered and caught by my men. Do you think it is better to behead her in front of you, or to take her back to the Ministry of Justice for further interrogation?"
“Ningxiang is from Qixia Palace, and I will handle it myself. There’s no need for you to trouble yourself, Lord Gao,” Chen Jinhuan said to Gao Can with a frown.
The high-ranking official glanced at Ningxiang, who was kneeling on the ground, then at Chen Jinhuan, and chuckled coldly. He tore the letter he had found on Ningxiang to shreds from his robes, and said to Chen Jinhuan in a threatening tone, "Your Majesty, tomorrow is the Cuju match between our two countries. I advise you to rest early and not contact the sisters of Zixiang Pavilion anymore. I will send people to keep a close watch on you and your sisters."
Chen Jinhuan knew that Gao Can wouldn't be so kind as to send people to protect her and the sisters of Zixiang Pavilion. His words just now were clearly a warning not to tell Du Shiniang and Lin Chong about Ning Zhanyan's disappearance. Fine, if he wouldn't send a message, so be it; she'd see what happened tomorrow. Chen Jinhuan was a worldly woman; she knew that Gao Can and the Wolf King had long been secretly colluding, and tomorrow's football match was probably a conspiracy by the Jin people.
However, for Ning Zhanyan's safety, she had no choice but to endure it. So Chen Jinhuan politely said to Gao Can, "Thank you, Lord Gao! I will take Ningxiang back to her room and scold her slowly."
The night before the match, Zixiang Pavilion was bustling with activity, filled with laughter and music amidst the bright lights and revelry. However, Du Shiniang ordered that no one was allowed to enter or leave the courtyards of the sisters in Zixiang Pavilion, so that they could rest early and prepare for the Cuju match the next day.
Lin Chong, however, stubbornly insisted on staying overnight in Du Shiniang's room. He wasn't going to play Cuju himself tomorrow; he'd only be instructing the female Cuju players from the sidelines. Why should he get some rest early? While Du Shiniang was making the bed, Lin Chong glanced at the map in his hand under the oil lamp. It was a map of the palace's defenses, given to him by Ning Zhanyan before his disappearance. Ning Zhanyan had instructed him that on the day of the Cuju match between the two countries, in case of any unforeseen circumstances, he could use the map and his Imperial Guard Commander's token to lead Du Shiniang and the others out of the palace.