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T/N: Thank you patrons for sponsoring this chapter.
Title: The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir
Chapter 416 - Didn't you make a mistake? (1)
The distant howls of death seem to gradually approach the palace. The imperial guards didn't have time to care about anything else. They lifted up the wheelchair and headed towards Chenhui gate to leave the palace.
Zhao Li roared the entire way, but it was useless. His legs were crippled. He had no way to resist.
---
The fighting in the capital's streets didn't last for long. It was because Ning Yuxuan led the civil and military officials over to respectfully welcome the first prince into the palace, so the efforts at resisting Zhangjun's army slowly dispersed.
A messenger that had traveled a distance reported another victory. Nie Qingyun had scored a major victory against Marquis Yong'an outside of autumn waters. The remaining people that were loyal to the emperor fled.
By the time the sunset clouds were sprinkled over the sky, the capital had slowly calmed down, and Ji Man and Zhao Zhe finally entered the capital. The horses stepped on a ground filled with bloody corpses as they slowly headed towards the palace.
As soon as they arrived at the palace's gate, Ning Yuxuan and the group of civil and military officials behind him silently saluted Zhao Zhe, then the officials parted to either side to make way.
Zhao Zhe immediately smiled and asked Ning Mingjie, "Has that person been caught?"
Ning Mingjie naturally knew that he was asking about Zhao Li. Lowering his head, he said, "This subject had ordered people to guard all of the palace's gates in advance. The emperor has to be in the palace. There's no way he could have left."
"Very good." Zhao Zhe smiled and turned his head to look at Ji Man as he said, "You fulfilled your promise to this prince, so this prince definitely wouldn't skip out on handing your reward to you. You can go do the thing that you most want to do now."
Ji Man took a deep breath. Dismounting from the horse, she saluted, "Your Majesty, thank you for your support."
Ning Yuxuan slightly furrowed his brow. Seeing Ji Man heading towards the palace, he silently grabbed her arm to stop her.
Ji Man turned her head. "Marquis, do you have an order for me?"
"..." Ning Yuxuan looked at Zhao Zhe, then faintly smiled and said, "I'll come with you."
Zhao Zhe was in a hurry to sit on the throne, so he naturally didn't have the excess energy to care about them. At once, he urged his horse forward and into the palace. He brought along a group of trusted aides as he made a beeline towards Zichen Hall.
Ji Man's wrist felt a bit hot with Ning Yuxuan pulling her. "Are you going to take me to where Zhao Li is?"
Ning Yuxuan nodded. He pulled her along as they past through the palace's gate and continued further into the palace. "Sangyu, do you want to kill him?"
Wasn't that obvious? Ji Man sneered. “I'm not in a hurry. I'll wait until my older brother arrives to make my move. But, no matter what, I won't let Zhao Li off. Nie Clan has so many ghosts that are crying out for their unjust deaths. He has to pay back for everything that he did."
Ning Yuxuan suddenly softly asked her, "Aren't you Ji Man?"
Ji Man was taken aback. "Why are you asking this?"
"You said that you're Ji Man, not Nie Sangyu." Ning Yuxuan furrowed his brow and said, "What business do you have with the deaths of Nie Clan's members then?"
It felt as if her heart had stopped, and even her breath slowed down. Ji Man blankly looked at the person walking in front of her.
It was true that she had always considered herself as only a spectator, She and Nie Sangyu were two different people. She wouldn't confuse one thing for another. Nie Sangyu's feelings belonged to Nie Sangyu, and her own feelings belonged to herself.
But… Why would Nie Sangyu's feelings affect her then? Nie Sangyu's family members had treated her well, so she naturally regarded them as her own family members. The people that Nie Sangyu disliked, she had been influenced by Nie Sangyu to slightly dislike them too. The person that Nie Sangyu liked, she had also been influenced to... slightly like him too.
Wryly laughing, Ji Man closed her eyes and said, "Because we're the same person."
Since she had started living in this body, she and Nie Sangyu had become the same person. Nie Sangyu's heartache was her heartache. Her happiness was her happiness too. It seemed... there was no way to carefully differentiate between them.
Ning Yuxuan was stunned. He turned his head to glance at her. "If you're the same person, then just like her, you..."
"Huh?" Ji Man curiously looked at him.
"Never mind." Marquis Moyu turned his head back. "I want to give you a suggestion. Zhao Li… you shouldn't lay your hands on him."
"What?" Ji Man sneered. "It can't be that you want me to kill him by scolding him to death, right? He's an unscrupulous lunatic. Would he even care if I curse at him? I want him to be hacked into mincemeat!"
Ning Yuxuan sighed. "I know that you hate him. After all, he had you witness Nie Clan's members being beheaded. But, he's still Zhangjun Prince's biological brother."
"Do you know why I choose to join Zhangjun Prince's side?" Ji Man laughed. "It was because he promised me that if Zhao Li is ever taken down, he would give me the chance to lay my hands on my mortal enemy."
She was a woman whose family had been ruined. Other than having a mind that was slightly different from other people, she had nothing else. How could it be easy to kill the emperor? By helping Zhao Zhe, she would be able to achieve her wish. Zhao Zhe had even recently said that she had fulfilled her promise to him, so she could go do what she wanted now.
The thing that she wanted the most was for Zhao Li to die a wretched death.
Ning Yuxuan pursed his lips. He wanted to say more, but there was someone in front that was coming over.
The person stumbling towards them was the woman formerly titled, Kangyuan Junzhu, and the current virtuous consort. Several imperial guards were chasing after her, but she heedlessly ran towards this side. When she saw Marquis Moyu, it was if she had seen her savior, "Marquis, save me!"
Who was she again?
Ji Man stopped walking. She slightly furrowed her brow as she watched that woman frantically run towards them.