An Le Princess refused to give Lin Zhenfan any face, despite his attempt to get close to her.
"Does this have anything to do with you? I don't even know you."
An Le Princess, her eyes red and swollen, looked at Lin Zhenfan with a chilling gaze. Her voice was tinged with tears as she spoke.
Lin Zhenfan felt extremely awkward and angry upon hearing An Le Princess's words.
He couldn't believe this young girl was so ill-mannered. Despite his severe injuries, he had still managed to get up and pay respects to her mother, yet she dared to speak to him in such a tone.
"An Le, don't be rude!"
Prince Ning glanced at Lin Zhenfan's expression and quietly reprimanded Jun Ya Nan. Although he disliked the cunning old fox that was Lin Zhenfan, with his mother now dead, he had to form alliances with his enemies' enemies. In his current situation, it was best to align himself with the Lin brothers.
"Imperial Brother, you..."
Seeing her imperial brother scold her, An Le Princess became even more enraged and burst into tears again.
"Wuwu, Mother, you've only just passed away, and Imperial Brother is already siding with outsiders to scold me. Wuwu..." An Le Princess sobbed.
"Ya Nan, this is Mother's mourning hall. Do not cause a scene."
Prince Ning once again chided An Le Princess in a low voice. This made An Le Princess cry even harder, causing the Lin brothers to feel extremely embarrassed.
At this moment, Lin Zhenfei spoke up.
"Your Highness Prince Ning, I understand Princess An Le's profound grief at the sudden loss of her mother. My younger brother was presumptuous just now. We shall take our leave to avoid disturbing the harmony between the Princess and Your Highness."
With that, Lin Zhenfei instructed his guards to carry Lin Zhenfan away. The Lin brothers then departed in haste.
After the Lin brothers left, Prince Ning immediately pulled An Le Princess into his study and reprimanded his sister with a dark expression.
"Ya Nan, you were a bit excessive just now."
"Brother, Lin Zhenfan was desecrating Mother's remains. Didn't you see?" An Le Princess retorted.
"Alas, Lin Zhenfan and our mother were old acquaintances in life. It's not too much for him to touch Mother's face," Prince Ning explained casually.
"Brother, I just dislike that Lin Zhenfan. I've disliked him since I was little," An Le Princess said stubbornly, looking at Prince Ning.
With that, she opened the door to Prince Ning's study and ran out, leaving a dejected Prince Ning behind.
In truth, he also disliked the Lin brothers. However, his mother had just passed away, and the officials who had previously flattered him were now showing their true colors and distancing themselves.
By now, everyone in the capital should know about his mother's suicide in the imperial prison. Yet, despite the extensive preparations for his mother's mourning hall, only the Lin brothers were willing to personally visit and pay their respects. No other official had bothered to come.
This made him see the true nature of people and realize the importance of building his own political influence. He intended to start with the Lin brothers, bringing them under his wing to serve his purposes and thus expand his power.
As Prince Ning mused, his expression grew even more somber.
Meanwhile, after the Lin brothers left Prince Ning and got into their carriage, Lin Zhenfei's face also darkened.
"This Princess An Le is simply too ungrateful. What's wrong with you touching Consort Jing? She's a concubine who died in the imperial prison, unable to be buried in the imperial mausoleum or her family's ancestral grave. We are willing to pay our respects to Consort Jing, which is giving them, brother and sister, plenty of face."
Lin Zhenfei's voice was low and devoid of emotion, yet it carried an icy chill.
"Eldest Brother, there's no need to dwell on such matters with a young girl. It was my fault for overstepping earlier," Lin Zhenfan said indifferently.
His words surprised Lin Zhenfei slightly, but seeing that his younger brother didn't mind, he said no more.
...
In a mountain outside the capital, a handsome man dressed in a vibrant crimson robe, with a large red rose tucked into his hair and a blade of grass dangling from his lips, lay comfortably on a thick peach branch, his eyes half-closed. He was none other than Ming Jiuxiao, who had been missing for days.
As he was drowsily drifting off, Lin Feng rushed back from outside.
"Master, your subordinate has just received news from the capital."
"What news? Has something happened to that girl, Li'er?"
Upon hearing Lin Feng's words, Ming Jiuxiao's eyes snapped open, and he jumped down from the peach branch, asking anxiously.
"Master, it's not about the Cold King's Consort," Lin Feng replied with a hint of helplessness.
It seemed his master had no interest in anything other than matters concerning Leng Ruo Li.
"Then why are you rushing about?"
When Ming Jiuxiao heard that it wasn't about Leng Ruo Li, his expression changed immediately, and he chastised Lin Feng.
"Master, Consort Jing is dead. She met a tragic end in the imperial prison in the capital," Lin Feng said quickly.
Hearing this, Ming Jiuxiao's expression immediately turned serious.
Consort Jing was the full sister of his father. His father had been severely harmed by this woman when he was young, leading to his premature death. His mother had also died while trying to save his father.
Now that this woman was dead, Ming Jiuxiao couldn't help but feel a complex mixture of emotions.
"Let's go. We'll return to the capital to see."
Subsequently, Ming Jiuxiao, forgoing his usual attire for a simple colored robe, boarded a large black eagle with Lin Feng and flew towards the capital.
In the evening, the large black eagle carrying Ming Jiuxiao landed smoothly at the entrance of Prince Ning's manor. The guards at Prince Ning's manor were startled to see a black eagle capable of carrying a person. After a moment, they regained their composure and raised their vigilance towards the two people and one eagle at the gate.
"We are here to pay respects to Consort Jing. Please clear a path, or my eagle will send you to the heavens for a tour."
Seeing the guards of Prince Ning's manor looking nervous, Ming Jiuxiao teased them.
Upon hearing Ming Jiuxiao's words and glancing at the large black eagle behind them, which was almost as tall as a person, the guards trembled. They immediately cleared a path and instructed one of them to lead the visitors into the manor.
At this moment, before Consort Jing's catafalque, Prince Ning and An Le Princess, both clad in mourning attire, knelt on prayer mats, burning paper for their mother. Their eyes were red and swollen from crying.
As Ming Jiuxiao stepped inside, he witnessed the desolate scene before him. However, he felt no sympathy for them. He had endured far worse as a child, losing both his parents in succession and becoming the Master of the Crescent Moon Tower at a tender age.
The ambitious individuals within the Crescent Moon Tower, seeing his youth and lack of parental protection, had resorted to all sorts of ways to bully, mock, and harm him.