In the days that followed, Jiang Ning gradually learned some of the details of the past from Lan Xu.
Lan Xu's family ran a small business in the Capital City selling cosmetics and perfumes, with a few shops that did quite well. At the age of fifteen, Lan Xu was deceived by Cheng Qiwen into the Prime Minister's Mansion under the pretext that the Prime Minister's wife wanted to buy cosmetics. After losing her chastity, Lan Xu was overwhelmed with pain and shame, unable to face her family. She attempted suicide several times but lacked the courage to carry it out. Eventually, she fled to a nunnery on the outskirts of the Capital City, where she shaved her head and became a nun, planning to spend the rest of her life in solitude with the ancient lamps and Buddha.
However, fate had other plans. Two months later, she discovered she was pregnant.
"Ning'er, I wanted to take an abortion potion at that time," Lan Xu said, looking at Jiang Ning with a bitter smile. Even now, recalling those past events brought her nothing but endless pain.
"But when I had the potion ready and was about to drink it, I smelled the bitterness and suddenly felt nauseous, as if my stomach was churning. I used to take medicine without batting an eye..."
"In the end, I forced myself to drink half a bowl, but I couldn't take it anymore and vomited everything out..."
"I smashed the bowl and wailed. At that moment, I thought, it must be this child, it wants to come into the world, it wants me to be its mother..."
And so, Lan Xu decided to give birth to the child, a child that would be hers alone.
The nunnery was not particularly affluent, but the nuns were kind-hearted. Upon learning of Lan Xu's decision, they supported her, helping her buy herbs for a safe pregnancy and taking good care of her. They even worried that she wasn't getting enough nutrition and bought meat to make soup for her.
"Ning'er, the abbesses were living bodhisattvas. Without them, I might have died long ago. That's why I named you Lan Ling, because the nunnery was called Fuling Temple. Every time I see you, I remember their great kindness!"
When Lan Ling was born, the entire nunnery was overjoyed. This new life brought a sense of hope to the otherwise desolate place.
Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. When Lan Ling was five months old, she contracted a strange illness, running high fevers and vomiting everything she ate. The nuns of Fuling Temple pooled their money to hire a doctor, who prescribed medicine that improved Lan Ling's condition. However, the doctor said the illness required two months of continuous medication to be cured.
The medicine was too expensive, and they couldn't afford it.
"I held you and cried all night, feeling like my eyes would go blind. You were so small, how could you suffer so much in such a short time in the world? I wished I could trade my life for your health and safety..."
Jiang Ning sighed softly, gently wiping away Lan Xu's tears with her sleeve: "Mother, it's not your fault. You've done everything you could, more than enough."
The rest of the story unfolded as Yuwen Yan had written in his letter. Lan Xu knelt for a long time at the Prime Minister's Mansion with her child, and Lan Ling eventually became Nangong Ling.
When Nangong Ya learned he had another daughter, he was stunned beyond words. He had originally planned to have Lan Xu take the child and leave after she was cured, but his father, Nangong Ling's grandfather, intervened.
"How can the bloodline of the Nangong family be left to wander? This child will henceforth be called Nangong Ling, the third young lady of the Prime Minister's Mansion. I'd like to see who dares to object!"
"Did they force you to leave the Capital City?" Jiang Ning asked quietly, a flash of coldness in her eyes.
"No, I left on my own!" Lan Xu quickly replied, fearing Jiang Ning might misunderstand. "I knew your situation in the Prime Minister's Mansion would be awkward. The Prime Minister's wife has her own children, and I was afraid they wouldn't treat you well. So I went to beg the wife, and I made a vow that I would never set foot in the Capital City again, asking her not to mistreat you."
Seeing Jiang Ning's silence, Lan Xu continued, "The Prime Minister's wife is a good person, really! She admitted to me that she doesn't have the heart to treat you as her own, but she wouldn't take it out on a child. From now on, she is the Prime Minister's wife, and you are the third young lady of the Prime Minister's Mansion. You have no connection to each other."
"When I was leaving the Capital City, the Prime Minister's wife knew I had no money and gave me one hundred taels of silver for my journey. I returned to Fuling Temple and left half the money with the abbesses. With the rest, I wandered to Qushui City, bought a house, and settled down..."
Lan Xu's eyes filled with gratitude as she spoke. "The Prime Minister's wife has been more than kind to me. I cannot break my vow. So... Ning'er, I cannot return to the Capital City with you!"
"Mother! Don't be so stubborn," Jiang Ning pleaded, feeling a headache coming on.
It had been over ten days since they had recognized each other as mother and daughter. Jiang Ning had been urging Lan Xu to leave with her, promising to take care of her with Liu Ming'an, but Lan Xu repeatedly refused. Today, after recounting these past events, she once again firmly declined.
"Ning'er, I have no other desires in life, only to wish for your happiness and safety. Now that I see you growing up beautiful, sensible, and well-behaved, and having found a good man to spend your life with, I have no regrets."
Jiang Ning sighed again. Alright, she decided not to press the matter for now. She would stay with her for a while longer. If necessary, she could always knock her out and take her away. After all, on her wedding day, Lan Xu must be seated at the high table.
Earlier, Jiang Ning had returned to the inn to pack up and check out. She encountered the three guards from the Prime Minister's Mansion again and managed to shake them off. Since then, Jiang Ning had been staying at Lan Xu's house.
Lan Xu seemed to want to make up for the lost years, preparing delicious meals for Jiang Ning every day and not letting her do any housework. Even when Jiang Ning felt bored and wanted to sweep the courtyard, Lan Xu would snatch the broom away.
"Ning'er, rest. I'll do it. Go play by yourself."
Jiang Ning was being pampered into a delicate young lady who didn't lift a finger.
Jiang Ning walked to the edge of the courtyard, where a small plot of land had been set aside for growing flowers.
Snow-white, fingernail-sized flowers hung on slender stems, resembling a string of tiny lanterns.
They were lily of the valley.
Jiang Ning recognized these flowers. In her previous life, Nangong Muyan loved tending to plants and small animals, though she had a knack for killing anything she tried to nurture.
"Alas, maybe I've killed too many people, and the killing aura is too strong. That's why nothing I raise survives," Nangong Muyan had once said, looking at a dead cactus. She was only ten or so at the time, and Jiang Ning was still very afraid of her.
The young Jiang Ning, feeling uneasy, wondered if she should comfort the frowning assassin over her dead plants. But Nangong Muyan soon smiled and said, "Oh well, dead is dead. As long as you grow up, that's all that matters."
A gentle breeze passed by, causing the lily of the valley to sway gently, like a silent wind chime. Yet, the air was filled with the sweet scent of osmanthus.
Days passed by in this simple and warm manner. Jiang Ning ate and slept at Lan Xu's house, feeling bored and idle most of the time, often thinking of Liu Ming'an.
Then, on a day in March, the government suddenly posted an announcement: The heir to the throne of Great Liang had been appointed, and it was none other than Prince of Xiang, Yuwen Yan.
What was going on? Jiang Ning was puzzled. Nangong Ya had said the Emperor wanted to maintain a balance among Prince of Xiang, Prince of Rui, and Prince of Lin. Why would he appoint a crown prince at this time?
While accompanying Lan Xu to sell osmanthus cakes, Jiang Ning used the excuse of needing a drink to sit in a bustling tavern for a while.
In such places, men often drank and talked loudly about current events, mixing various news, much like gossiping village women.
The appointment of a crown prince was a major event. The tavern was abuzz with discussions about it. Jiang Ning ordered a pot of wine, a plate of braised beef, and a dish of peanuts, finding a discreet corner to sit in. Soon enough, she heard what she wanted.
"Mao San, you just came back from the Capital City. Do you know why Prince of Xiang was appointed as the crown prince?" someone asked in a hushed voice.
Discussing state affairs was a capital offense, but curiosity often got the better of people.
As soon as this was said, the attention of the tavern shifted to the old man called "Mao San."
Alcohol gave people courage, and being the center of attention was another kind of strength. Mao San took a sip of wine, glanced around, and his face showed a hint of pride.
"The Crown Prince was appointed by the Emperor. How could I, a mere businessman, guess what the Emperor is thinking?" Mao San said, pretending to respond to the person who asked, but his voice was loud enough for everyone in the shop to hear. "But there's another matter I know about, and I wonder if there's any connection. It's been the talk of the Capital City..."
Mao San smacked his lips, sighing and lamenting, then slowly took a few sips of wine, leaving the eager listeners on the edge of their seats.
"What is it? Spit it out already!"
"Stop beating around the bush! Just tell us!"
"Brother Mao, please, just say it!"
Having teased the crowd enough, Mao San finally spoke in a mysterious tone, "The Prince of Rui is dead! He died a horrible death! He was sliced hundreds of times, like a fish fillet, and when his body was found, his mouth was stuffed with his own flesh!"
"Ooh..." A collective gasp echoed through the room, and everyone fell silent.
Jiang Ning's chopsticks paused mid-air as she picked up peanuts, her expression grave.
There was no need to guess who was behind this method of death.
Nangong Muyan!
But wasn't the Prince of Rui betrothed to her?
Even if she didn't want to marry, a single stab would have sufficed. There was no need to torture him like this.
What on earth has happened in the Capital City?