Chapter 282

Grand Finale: Five

Nie Jinxuan was now over eight months pregnant, nearing nine. Originally, she had been watched like the apple of his eye by Yin Fengzhan, and now that she was about to give birth, Yin Fengzhan watched her even more closely. Apart from attending the morning court and discussing major state affairs with the ministers, he spent all his remaining time in the Yongle Palace.

Yin Fengzhan's intentions were painstaking, but unfortunately, there were always people in this world who made one unhappy, and the person who made Yin Fengzhan unhappy was Pei Yaoguang.

Pei Yaoguang was the Governor of the Capital. Although Eastern Ling was currently at war with Western Di, the capital remained peaceful and prosperous. However, no matter how peaceful a place was, there would always be incidents... So, whenever something happened, Pei Yaoguang would look for Nie Jinxuan!

In this era, women who were pregnant and giving birth were treated like treasures! This was true even for common households, let alone someone of Nie Jinxuan's noble status. But Nie Jinxuan did not think so. Although she had never given birth in her previous life, and hadn't even had a boyfriend, she was at least a forensic doctor and naturally knew some common sense. In her view, precisely because she was a pregnant woman now, she needed appropriate exercise; otherwise, labor would be very difficult!

After all, there were no cesarean sections in this era! If she supplemented too much nutrition and the fetus grew too large without enough exercise, it could cost her her life during childbirth!

Therefore, whenever Pei Yaoguang had a case for her, Nie Jinxuan would agree. But while Nie Jinxuan agreed, Yin Fengzhan became angry!

Yin Fengzhan was stifled with anger but couldn't vent it on Nie Jinxuan. If he stopped her openly, Nie Jinxuan would lecture him with a pile of reasons; if he acted in secret, he feared she would be unhappy if she found out later! So, every time he heard that bastard Pei Yaoguang had come to find her again, Yin Fengzhan wished he could kick him to death!

Thus, this morning, Yin Fengzhan, who had been in a good mood, saw the message from outside that Nie Jinxuan was going out again, and his face immediately darkened.

"You're about to give birth, why do you keep going out?"

Feeling angry, Yin Fengzhan naturally had a harsh tone. Seeing this, the surrounding palace servants immediately lowered their heads and kept their mouths shut, fearing that a single wrong look would cause them to step on a landmine!

At this moment, Nie Jinxuan was behind a screen, letting Shui Yun help her change clothes. Upon hearing this, she retorted without thinking:

"Isn't there still over a month left? It's good to walk around more."

"What's good about it? What if something happens? Do you intend to give birth in the morgue?"

Yin Fengzhan was furious. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan, who had just finished changing, frowned and walked out from behind the screen.

"Can you say something positive for once?"

"..."

Stifled by Nie Jinxuan's retort, Yin Fengzhan fell silent. Seeing him behave, Nie Jinxuan rolled her eyes at him.

"Don't I know my own body? Besides, I travel by sedan chair, and even when I arrive at the scene, I only direct the people below to do the work; I don't even have to bend my waist... What? Do you only feel at ease if I lie on the bed every day just because I'm pregnant?! Hmph!"

Nie Jinxuan had always been in good health and was never one to be delicate. Although she understood Yin Fengzhan's concern for her, the thought of him raising her like a brood sow made her angry. Plus, a pregnant woman's mood was already unstable, and having been nagged by Yin Fengzhan many times before, Nie Jinxuan wouldn't give him a pleasant look!

Hearing Nie Jinxuan actually 'hmph', Yin Fengzhan fell even more silent. He looked at her round, bulging belly with his eyes, then turned his neck away to sulk!

It was estimated that in front of Nie Jinxuan, this was the extent of Yin Fengzhan's capability. Seeing this, the palace servants, who had been keeping their heads down for fear of stepping on a landmine, tightened their faces, terrified they might accidentally laugh out loud!

Come to think of it, one thing really does subdue another. One had to know that given Yin Fengzhan's temperament, although he was usually steady and cold, if he really got angry, no one could stop him! Even when his father, Emperor Shuncheng, was alive, he couldn't do anything about him, yet now he was completely stifled by Nie Jinxuan!

Nie Jinxuan packed her things to leave. Yin Fengzhan sat to the side without a word, but even while turning his head, his eyes kept darting toward Nie Jinxuan. In his heart, he cursed Pei Yaoguang's ancestors for eighteen generations, thinking about what excuse he could use to kick him to some remote mountain ditch to stop him from being a nuisance in the capital!

Yin Fengzhan was calculating in his heart, but just then, before Nie Jinxuan could walk out the door, Lian Feng walked in quickly from outside.

"Your Majesty, there is a secret report."

As he spoke, Lian Feng reached into his bosom, took out an envelope, and presented it to Yin Fengzhan with both hands. Yin Fengzhan took it and looked; his previously expressionless face couldn't help but flicker slightly.

At this moment, Nie Jinxuan, who was about to head out, saw Yin Fengzhan, paused, and turned back to his side.

"What is it?"

"Empress Dowager Duan has been found."

Yin Fengzhan said in a low voice, then handed the letter in his hand to Nie Jinxuan...

It turned out that when Nie Wenhao left Western Di and secretly followed Ba Hejie to Eastern Ling, to be safe, he had first hidden Empress Dowager Duan away in secret. This way, if something happened to Nie Wenhao in the future, Empress Dowager Duan would have a way out, and it would also prevent anyone in Western Di from harming her!

After all, Nie Wenhao knew Empress Dowager Duan's temperament well: she had small wits but no great wisdom, and she couldn't handle being provoked. If someone stirred up trouble, she would be unable to restrain herself and cause a scene. Since they were in Western Di and he didn't have many men around, if she offended someone while he was away, she would surely suffer. Weighing all these factors, he had made such arrangements!

Nie Wenhao was calculating and truly had Empress Dowager Duan's best interests at heart. After arranging for her, Nie Wenhao went to Eastern Ling with Ba Hejie. Only, Nie Wenhao hadn't expected that while he intended to scheme against Yin Fengzhan, he would end up falling into Yin Fengzhan's hands instead!

Meanwhile, Ba Hejie, who had returned in defeat from the state banquet, rushed back to Western Di and told Xiao Zhe everything that had happened in Eastern Ling exactly as it was.

Ba Hejie did not add oil or vinegar; he spoke very objectively. He even described Princess Lanshu's actions in Eastern Ling clearly. But regardless, Princess Lanshu was Xiao Zhe's own younger sister, so upon hearing that she had died so miserably—even being executed by slow slicing in public—he was immediately enraged!

Xiao Zhe was impulsive by nature. In the heat of his anger, he wanted to fight Eastern Ling to the death! But while Xiao Zhe was impulsive, Ba Hejie was a deep-thinking and rational person. Seeing that Xiao Zhe was about to disregard all consequences and march his troops south, he immediately stepped forward to stop him and explained Nie Wenhao's little schemes.

Ba Hejie was a smart man. He couldn't guess Nie Wenhao's thoughts entirely, but he hit the mark by sixty or seventy percent. Furthermore, to divert Xiao Zhe's anger, Ba Hejie did his utmost to push all the blame onto Nie Wenhao!

Ba Hejie was eloquent and had thought things through thoroughly on the journey back. After all, given Western Di's current situation, fighting Eastern Ling to the death would certainly yield no benefits. Moreover, at the state banquet, Ba Hejie had seen that Eastern Ling was on good terms with Tiancheng. If Western Di dispatched troops and Eastern Ling united with Tiancheng, Western Di would undoubtedly be defeated! Therefore, he had already prepared his rhetoric beforehand and clarified the stakes to Xiao Zhe!

After much persuasion, Xiao Zhe was finally held back by Ba Hejie. But thinking of his dead sister, Xiao Zhe still felt anger rising from his heart. While hating Yin Fengzhan, he hated Nie Wenhao to the bone. So, he immediately ordered people to surround Nie Wenhao's residence in Western Di, slaughter everyone inside, and whip the corpses as a public warning!

Originally, the matter could have ended there. But the commander in charge of handling this had previously seen Empress Dowager Duan, who was with Nie Wenhao, and had suffered a loss because of her arrogant personality. At the time, Nie Wenhao was a favorite of Xiao Zhe, so the commander hadn't spoken up. Now that the opportunity had come, he naturally wouldn't let Empress Dowager Duan off easily, but he discovered that she had gone missing! Thus, it was conceivable that when the commander reported back to Xiao Zhe, he mentioned this, adding that Empress Dowager Duan had a close relationship with Nie Wenhao. Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhe ordered her arrest without a second thought, dead or alive!

Xiao Zhe was determined to vent his anger for his sister, and Empress Dowager Duan was someone with no patience. She had been hidden well by Nie Wenhao, but as the days passed, she couldn't sit still. She sent her confidante Xiang Yi out to take a look. This look gave Xiang Yi a fright, and she hurried back to tell Empress Dowager Duan. Upon hearing that the government was hunting her and had posted notices everywhere, Empress Dowager Duan was immediately terrified. Thinking that Nie Wenhao hadn't returned for so long, she knew something had happened. Since she couldn't stay in Western Di, after much deliberation, she took Xiang Yi and secretly fled back to Eastern Ling, thinking to find Nie Wenhao!

Empress Dowager Duan thought she was clever. She didn't expect that Nie Wenhao had long since been killed by Ling Yidao, nor did she expect that even after she had fled Eastern Ling for so long, Yin Fengzhan had kept a close watch on her. So, as soon as she and Xiang Yi entered the borders of Eastern Ling, they were spotted by the secret guards sent by Yin Fengzhan and were subsequently captured and brought back to the capital.

The letter was written very clearly. Having read it, Nie Jinxuan sighed and looked up at Yin Fengzhan.

"Have you decided how to deal with her?"

"Not yet."

He replied to Nie Jinxuan without thinking. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan just nodded and turned to walk out.

Nie Jinxuan went out. Watching her leave, Yin Fengzhan finally turned his gaze back to Lian Feng... But just then, before Yin Fengzhan could speak, a young eunuch walked in quickly from outside.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Dowager Consort has arrived."