Chapter 50

The carriage rumbled away from the imperial palace.

After she left, Mo Lingwei's expression turned cold again, and he headed towards the Emperor's palace.

Shen Ningning sat in the packed carriage, overwhelmed by the array of gifts bestowed upon her.

Brother gave her too many things!

She stretched out her small hand and randomly picked up a coral necklace.

Inside the open large box, there were pearls and gemstone jewelry of all kinds, tightly packed.

Besides these, there was also the calming medicine prescribed by the imperial physician given by Mo Lingwei, ten doses in total, neatly arranged in the corner.

Not only that, but twenty rolls of brocade with different patterns were stacked up, reaching the roof of the carriage.

Shen Ningning scratched her cheek with her little hand.

If she had known Brother was giving her so many things, she would have thanked him properly just now.

By the time the carriage reached the foot of Wolf Mountain, the sky was already half dark.

A multitude of glowing wolf eyes shone in the night of the forest.

They had been waiting for a long time.

Usually, Shen Ningning would be home by dusk.

But this time, she hadn't returned even when the moon had risen.

Finally, they saw Shen Ningning's small figure jumping down from the carriage.

The Black Wolf King immediately let out a low, cold howl, leading the pack towards her.

"Wolfie!" Shen Ningning hugged the Black Wolf King's large head, "Sorry, I made you worry. I was delayed today!"

The imperial guards of the Crown Prince were already aware of Wolf Mountain.

But seeing so many wolves appear all at once, they still furrowed their brows slightly in fear.

"Miss Shen, all these things in the carriage..." the guard inquired.

Their concern was whether they should help her take the items home.

But considering Shen Ningning's relationship with the wolves and the Crown Prince's instructions, it seemed they would need to venture deep into the wolf den to deliver the items.

Fortunately, Shen Ningning turned to them, smiling, "Just take them to the village, please. I have a house there where the items can be stored!"

"Yes," the guard immediately directed the carriage towards Xiangyun Village.

Shen Ningning led the way with the pack of wolves.

The impressive procession entering the village drew the villagers' attention and astonishment.

"Who's this wealthy merchant or noble visiting our village?"

"You're mistaken. In Cangyun Kingdom, merchants and commoners can ride in a carriage pulled by one horse, but only princes and high-ranking officials can have carriages with two horses. The Emperor's carriage is drawn by four horses!"

"This carriage looks familiar to me. Where have I seen it before?"

As they were curiously watching, they recognized a familiar figure.

The villagers exclaimed, "Hey! Isn't that Ningning?"

The young girl waved her hand, directing the Crown Prince's guards to pull the carriage right up to her village house.

Subsequently, piles of silk fabrics and treasures were carried out by the guards and brought into her house.

The wolves patrolled the yard, while the guards on watch stood at the door with long swords, waiting for the unloading to be completed.

Seeing this scene, the villagers dared not come too close.

Once everything was moved in, the guard bowed, "We shall take our leave then."

Shen Ningning's voice was sweet, "Thank you so much, big brothers!"

The carriage then departed.

Only then did the villagers dare to approach.

"Ningning, which noble have you befriended to receive so many gifts?" Liu Dasi curiously asked.

Shen Ningning hummed, "From my brother."

"Brother?" The villagers looked at each other in confusion, "We didn't know you had a brother."

Could it be Aunt Qin's son who joined the army in another place?

Unexpectedly, Shen Ningning said, "The Crown Prince, my brother."

The villagers were astonished.

The young girl calmly explained, "My brother gave me these things to thank me for saving him."

Saying this and seeing that it was getting late, she decided to head home quickly so as not to worry her grandmother.

Then Shen Ningning locked the door of her village house and waved goodbye to the villagers.

As night fell deeply,

The government office of Guangyang County was shrouded in a cloud of misery.

The officials on duty that day were all dismissed and executed.

Even the Chief Clerk Lan, who had given the orders, was executed on the spot for framing and dereliction of duty.

Along with her father, Lan Qian also did not escape punishment.

When Lan Qian was captured, she kept shouting, "Qin Fangmei deceived me!"

"She told me Shen Ningning was just an orphan, and I believed her. If I had known Shen Ningning was associated with the Crown Prince, I would never have bullied her!"

However, the Crown Prince's guards responsible for executing the orders turned a deaf ear.

Following Mo Lingwei's instructions, they ruthlessly executed both father and daughter.

Aunt Qin, who had been driven to insanity, was temporarily detained in the Guangyang County government office.

She lay dying, bound to an iron rack, both hands chopped off.

Her mouth stuffed with crushed eggshells, her body covered in scars from whipping.

The Crown Prince had ordered that she should not be allowed to die easily.

After only a few rounds of punishment, Aunt Qin couldn't bear it and fainted.

Taking advantage of the moment when the Crown Prince's guards were escorting the Lan family back to the capital, Du Yuanwai, with two attendants, bribed the guards and entered the government office silently.

Aunt Qin, sensing someone, weakly opened her eyes to find Du Yuanwai standing ominously before her.

"Brother-in-law..." she croaked hoarsely, crying, "Shen Ningning is definitely a demon, she just disappeared..."

Du Yuanwai thought she was spouting sheer madness!

"You fool! I went to great lengths to bribe Chief Clerk Lan to give you the chance to kill Shen Ningning, and you killed the wrong person!"

"Have you really gone mad in confinement? She was rescued by the Crown Prince, and now with his protection, we can no longer touch her life!"

On hearing this, Aunt Qin’s clouded eyes seemed to regain some clarity.

"Protected by the Crown Prince? Impossible! An orphan like her, how could she possibly know the Crown Prince!"

"Brother-in-law, get me out, I still have ways!" she struggled, her expression ferocious, the iron chains clanging.

However, Du Yuanwai looked at her with a venomous gaze.

"Get you out? Guihong, that's impossible for the rest of your life."

Aunt Qin's lips trembled, "What do you mean by that?"

Du Yuanwai's tone was chilling, "Shen Ningning saw me embezzling disaster relief grain, and you know about it too."

"The Crown Prince is already onto you. He has ordered not to execute you immediately, to avenge Shen Ningning slowly, by torturing you."

"You’re out of your senses, and if you blurt out anything inappropriate during the torture, it’ll be trouble. So, I can only send you to your death."

As soon as he finished speaking, the guard hidden behind Aunt Qin suddenly lunged forward, strangling her neck with his arm.

"Cough..." She struggled violently, "Brother-in-law, you can’t do this to me! I bore you two children!"

Du Yuanwai’s eyes remained emotionless, "Zhi is safe outside, don’t worry about implicating him, and I will take good care of Fangmei."

"For their sake, you must die today. Besides, even if I spare you, the superior above me will never allow you to live."

Saying this, he watched as Aunt Qin’s face turned increasingly purple, urging the guard to hasten the deed.

Aunt Qin’s legs kicked frantically.

Her voice for help weakly floated out, "Save... save me..."

The guard exerted more force.

Finally, Aunt Qin lay motionless, her eyes wide with disbelief, staring fixedly in Du Yuanwai's direction.

"Burn this place down, make it look like an accidental fire," Du Yuanwai ordered.

The guard immediately produced the prepared matches.

Before the Crown Prince's guards could return, they watched the fire ignite and then quietly left.

It was this action

That made Mo Lingwei suspicious when he learned about it the next day.

He propped his head with one hand, holding a secret letter in the other.

"You’re saying, the cell flooded and Wang Guihong died in the fire?" Mo Lingwei asked the kneeling guard before him, his voice cold.

The guard bowed his head, "Yes, Your Highness. The guards discovered the fire too late to extinguish it in time. The cell was charred, and Wang Guihong perished in it."

"We investigated the origin of the fire, it started from a pile of dry grass in the corner."

A cold smile flickered in Mo Lingwei’s deep, dark eyes.

"Just yesterday, there was a heavy rain, and how convenient, it supposedly flooded, causing her death in the cell."

"I initially thought Wang Guihong was just a cowardly troublemaker, but now it seems she harbors other secrets."

Some people hope Wang Guihong never speaks.

"A cold frost suddenly appeared in Mo Lingwei's eyes."