After Ma Steward was also dragged away by two servants, Jiang Ning looked at Nangong Ya, whose face had turned ashen, with mixed emotions.
She had come for revenge, but her father was more decisive than she had imagined. Without her having to lift a finger, he had already dealt with two accomplices, which was unexpected for her.
But upon reflection, Jiang Ning thought that if Nangong Ling's spirit was watching from heaven, she would probably prefer to see her father avenging her.
However, these two were merely small fry. The real culprits were Nangong Muyan and the Prince of Rui. One was his own daughter, the other a prince of the current dynasty. Nangong Ya would surely be unable to deal with them, so she would take care of those two herself!
"Jin Yao, send people to find the Third Young Miss, and dispatch all available manpower," Nangong Ya pressed his temples, his brows tightly furrowed as he instructed Jin Yao: "Bring her back alive if possible, but dead if necessary!"
"Yes, sir!"
Understanding the gravity of the situation, Jin Yao immediately left the room to dispatch personnel.
At this point, Jiang Ning also followed behind Jin Yao and left. As the door closed, she seemed to hear a sigh from inside the room: "How did it come to this..."
Following the path back to the side entrance of the Prime Minister's Mansion, it was now late at night with the moon high in the sky. After climbing over the wall and leaving, Jiang Ning entered the space again and headed towards Late Winter Road.
Arriving outside her home, the main gate was closed but not locked. Jiang Ning knew this was Liu Ming'an's way of leaving the door open for her. She pushed open the door and went in, scanning the interior, which was pitch black with no lights on.
Just as Jiang Ning thought Liu Ming'an had already gone to bed, a person suddenly stood up from a stone bench in the courtyard and called out to her with joy, "Ah Ning!"
Jiang Ning was startled. Seeing Liu Ming'an walk over, she quickly took two steps back while raising her sleeve to cover her face.
In her current ghostly appearance, she was truly afraid of scaring Liu Ming'an.
"Ah Ning, what are you doing?" Liu Ming'an looked at Jiang Ning's actions with confusion, then noticed her attire and became even more surprised. "Why are you dressed like this?"
"Let's talk inside, it's too cold out here," Jiang Ning said.
Once they were inside and Liu Ming'an had lit the lamps, he discovered that not only was Jiang Ning wearing a tattered mourning outfit, but there were also spots of blood on her clothes.
"Ah Ning, are you hurt?"
Liu Ming'an's heart raced with worry. His eyes filled with concern as he stepped forward and grabbed Jiang Ning's hand, only to see her horrifying face in the next instant.
"Ah!"
When people are startled or shocked, screaming is an instinct, and Liu Ming'an was no exception.
Knowing how terrifying her face looked, Jiang Ning quickly raised her sleeve to cover her entire face. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, it's fake, it's all fake."
Liu Ming'an calmed down a bit, and looking at her blood-stained clothes again, he thought of the dead chicken in the kitchen and seemed to understand something.
"Ah Ning, did you go out dressed as a ghost?"
"Yes, I was freezing to death," Jiang Ning didn't intend to hide it from him.
Liu Ming'an suddenly found the person in front of him unbearably adorable. He reached out and pulled down Jiang Ning's hand that was covering her face, leaning in to examine that horrifying face closely.
"You've done quite a good job with the makeup," Liu Ming'an commented with a smile after a moment.
Jiang Ning admired Liu Ming'an's adaptability. Ma Steward had seen this face five times and was scared half to death each time, but Liu Ming'an was able to chat and laugh casually after just a short while.
"I'll go boil some water. You should take a nice hot bath to warm up," Liu Ming'an stroked Jiang Ning's hair and turned to walk towards the kitchen.
After washing up and getting into bed, Jiang Ning remembered the scene she saw when entering earlier and asked curiously, "Why didn't you wait for me inside instead of outside in the cold?"
Liu Ming'an didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached out to touch Jiang Ning's face and leaned down to kiss her forehead.
"Ah Ning, actually, I had just returned not long ago," Liu Ming'an said after a moment.
"Were you fishing with Brother Zhou until so late?" Jiang Ning found it hard to believe.
"No, I came back from the Grand Preceptor's Mansion."
"The Grand Preceptor's Mansion?"
Liu Ming'an made an affirmative sound and then recounted his chance encounter with Old Madam Lou, escorting her home, and subsequently discovering his father's true identity.
Jiang Ning was speechless after hearing this, but Liu Ming'an held her tighter, his voice somewhat muffled: "Ah Ning, I had no idea my father had endured so much hardship. He severed all family ties, left home alone, came to Lotus Flower Village, and died in his prime... None of this was his fault, yet he had to bear the brunt of this capricious fate."
Liu Ming'an paused, then continued: "I feel sorry for him. I don't know how to face the Lou family, and I'm not sure if the decision I made was right..."
Jiang Ning had always wondered how Liu Ming'an, a country villager, could possess such talent. After hearing his story, she finally understood. He had inherited it from his father – like father, like son.
Jiang Ning hugged Liu Ming'an back, comforting him: "It wasn't your father's fault. It was all because your aunt was too willful, your grandmother was too biased, your father's good friend couldn't distinguish right from wrong, and the indifference and indulgence of the other Lou family members. Your father leaving home and changing his surname – they all bear responsibility for that. Your approach is correct, you needn't worry."
Jiang Ning's voice was very soft, and to Liu Ming'an, every word had a soothing effect on his heart.
"Actually, I don't understand how someone could fall in love with their own brother," Liu Ming'an said after a while.
As a modern person, Jiang Ning had heard of all sorts of strange things, so this didn't surprise her. She simply said, "In this vast world, nothing is impossible. With so many people on earth, there are bound to be a few exceptions."
"Then why did she agree to that marriage if she didn't like my father's friend? And after agreeing, why did she commit suicide before the wedding, harming both herself and others?" Liu Ming'an's voice trembled slightly. If there was a culprit in this whole story, it had to be his aunt whom he had never met.
Lou Lvrou.
Just thinking about this name made Liu Ming'an's heart cold. His father's sister had changed his father's entire life at the cost of her own death.
"I guess she probably wanted to wear a wedding dress once," Jiang Ning analyzed Lou Lvrou's psychology and speculated, "She knew her feelings were unacceptable to the world, but she also didn't want to marry someone else against her will. The phoenix crown and vermilion dress she wore before she died were worn for your father. Perhaps she felt that this was a kind of fulfillment."
Liu Ming'an was too shocked to speak, but upon careful consideration, this speculation seemed incredibly reasonable.
"She was too selfish. Just for her own whim, she hurt two families at once," Liu Ming'an's heart felt heavy. He didn't want to say anything harsh about the deceased, but this aunt was truly absurd.
"Moreover, the Lou family will certainly come looking for you again. In the capital, with the Lou family's status, it's impossible for you to completely sever ties with them," Jiang Ning gave Liu Ming'an a warning.
Even if Liu Ming'an had no intention of acknowledging his ancestry, the powerful and influential in the capital would be well aware of his identity.
Jiang Ning suddenly felt that fate was playing tricks on them. She was the illegitimate daughter of a prime minister, and he was the grandson of a grand preceptor, yet they had met by chance in Lotus Flower Village, thousands of miles from the capital, and after twists and turns, they had returned to the capital.
Perhaps, she thought, her original plan needed to be changed.