bookrandom Chapter 309 I can't believe what I'm seeing
Chapter 309 I can't believe what I'm seeing
“Ling Jiawei just mentioned something about her, and it’s exactly the same as when our daughter went missing, including the clothes she was wearing and her personal belongings. Oh, and he’s gone out of the palace to retrieve them now. He also said that Lan Zhi has a birthmark…”
At this point, she exclaimed in surprise.
"I'll go check it out now and confirm."
Lin Xingliang quickly grabbed her.
"Madam, she is now the Empress. Before we confirm that she is indeed our daughter, do you dare to rashly try to strip her clothes off?"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Feng froze on the spot.
Yes, she is now the Empress, of noble status. How could she possibly take off her clothes to show her?
Just when she was at a loss, Lin Xingliang had an idea.
"How about this, you find an excuse to go and check on her while she's taking a bath. If you're sure she has a birthmark, then she's definitely our daughter. If not, then we won't be considered to have offended her."
Aunt Feng nodded as if she understood.
"Okay, I'll find a chance to confirm it later. You can go back now!"
Her voice, which had been warm before, suddenly turned cold, which surprised Lin Xingliang.
"Madam, we've been apart for five years, haven't you missed me at all?"
Aunt Feng gave a soft snort, turned her head to the side, and raised her hand, saying:
"The more ruthless you were to me back then, the more I hate you now. Get out of here!"
"lady……"
As he uttered those two words, he stepped forward and hugged her.
“Madam, I was wrong. Do you know how I’ve been these past five years? I can’t sleep at night, and your image is always in my mind during the day. When I walk down the street, I fantasize about seeing you. I think about you all the time. Come back with me! If you’re not satisfied, you can punish me however you want.”
She had been away for five years and didn't miss him, but going back was impossible, especially now that she had just received some news about her daughter. She had to find out the truth.
She broke free from Lin Xingliang's embrace and coldly reminded him,
"This is the Eastern Palace, don't be too presumptuous."
Only then did Lin Xingliang remember his identity. He quickly raised his hand to cover his mouth and coughed lightly, saying softly:
"Madam, I know I was wrong. Please come back with me."
At this point, he lowered his voice and whispered in her ear:
"When you get home, you can do whatever you want with me. You can make me kneel before you for three days and three nights, just go home!"
Aunt Feng still cherished her marital bond with him, and after much deliberation, she said in a deep voice:
"I'll consider this, but I won't go back with you now. I need to know whether Lan Zhi is truly my daughter."
Seeing that she had finally relented, Lin Xingliang was overjoyed.
"Okay, okay, I'll wait for you. I'll go back and repaint our room properly, and then I'll wait for you to come back."
"You go back first, I'm going to play with the Crown Prince, he's very attached to me."
The mention of the Crown Prince immediately piqued Lin Xingliang's interest.
“If Lan Zhi were our daughter, wouldn’t he be our grandson? Come on, take me to see him, I want to play with him for a while.”
Seeing his fawning manner, Aunt Feng rolled her eyes at him helplessly, then got up and walked into the yard.
……
imperial study room
Lan Zhi approached Wei Jianning and curtsied.
"emperor……"
Wei Jianning looked up, his brows furrowing in displeasure.
"You don't even call me 'husband' anymore?"
Lan Zhi gave a helpless sneer.
"You are now the emperor, so you cannot be negligent in your etiquette."
Wei Jianning put down the memorial in his hand, stood up and came to her, took her hands in his, and said softly:
"No matter who I am now, I am still your husband. From now on, you are not allowed to call me Emperor. It's too formal. Just call me husband as before."
Lan Zhi looked up at him and gently shook her head.
"In private I will call you my husband, but in public you should still call me Your Majesty, so as not to give rise to gossip and say that I do not know etiquette."
He reached out and pulled her into his arms, nodding as he said:
"Alright, whatever you say. By the way, I was planning to come looking for you even though you weren't coming. I've summoned Lord Han's entire family; they're all old acquaintances. You should meet them too!"
Lan Zhi came today intending to discuss Ling Lan Hua's matter with him, but after hearing Nie Yuan's report from outside that Lord Han's family had already arrived, she decided to postpone the matter until later.
A short while later, Lord Han and his entire family appeared in the Imperial Study with their heads bowed. They had no idea that Manager Ning, who ran a pharmacy in Quan City, was now the Emperor. They also did not know why the Emperor had specifically summoned the three of them to the palace. All they knew was that the new Emperor had ascended the throne and exempted everyone from punishment. For this, they were deeply grateful to the Emperor and thought that when they saw him, they would definitely kowtow to him a few times to express their gratitude.
From the moment they entered the palace, the three of them never dared to raise their heads. They had no idea what the palace looked like, and simply followed the palace servants all the way to the Imperial Study.
Only after entering the Imperial Study did he kneel down first, followed by his wife and daughter.
"May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace! This humble subject, Han Shichen, thanks Your Majesty for sparing my life and for rescuing the people from suffering. This humble subject, Han Shichen..."
"Lord Han..."
Before he could finish speaking, Wei Jianning interrupted him.
"We're old acquaintances, no need for such formalities."
Upon hearing this, Han Shichen blinked hard a few times, but still didn't dare to look up.
"Your Majesty, Han Shichen is merely a commoner. How could I possibly have the opportunity to know Your Majesty? If I have committed any wrongdoing, please punish me..."
"Keep your head up."
His voice turned serious. Han Shichen hesitated for a moment, then cautiously raised his head. When he saw Wei Jianning's face and Lan Zhi sitting beside him, he almost cried out in surprise.
"Manager Ning... Manager Ning?"
At this moment, Madam Han also looked up. Her surprise was no less than Han Shichen's, and perhaps even more exaggerated.
"Doctor Lin? What's wrong? What's going on?"
Lan Zhi nodded with a slight smile.
"Lord Han, Madam Han, you're not mistaken, we are Manager Ning and Physician Lin. Does that mean we're old acquaintances?"
At this moment, Han Shichen finally realized what was happening, and he nodded hastily.
"No wonder...no wonder you told me someone would come to rescue me the day I was taken to the capital, no wonder...no wonder the already dead Wei...oh, no..."
Lord Han was clearly rambling incoherently, and Madam Han quickly reminded him.
"One must not be rude in front of the Emperor and Empress; if you cannot speak clearly, then do not speak at all."
"Hehehe!"
Wei Jianning and Lan Zhi laughed out loud together, then raised their hands and said:
"Alright, we've been together for five years and we know each other well. You don't need to kneel anymore, get up now!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty for your grace."
Han Shichen stood up with his wife and child, and Wei Jianning got straight to the point:
“I have been in Quancheng for five years. If it weren’t for Wei Jianxun’s coercion, I would have stayed. But now I can’t. I have a heavy responsibility and cannot return to Quancheng. In these five years in Quancheng, I have seen that you are a good official. As the emperor, I hereby issue an edict to promote you to the rank of fourth-grade prefect, in charge of all officials in Quancheng and its surrounding areas. Go back and teach them how to be good officials.”
His words clearly surprised Han Shichen, leaving him momentarily speechless. Madam Han quickly pulled him away.
"His Majesty has granted you a promotion of three ranks. Quickly, kowtow to His Majesty to express your gratitude!"
Only then did Han Shichen realize what was happening, and he quickly knelt down again.
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace. I will do my best to benefit the people and share Your Majesty's burdens."
Wei Jianning smiled and nodded, saying:
"Get up. I am going to clean up the bureaucracy and local officials. I will entrust the investigation of the Quancheng generation to you. If any official is only concerned with enriching himself and not thinking about the people, remove him from office immediately. There are plenty of virtuous and capable people in the Northern Wei Kingdom."
"I understand, I will go back and take care of it."
"Yes, go to the Ministry of Personnel to complete the formalities and take office immediately!"
Han Shichen was still in a daze. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, but it was all really happening.
Even after leaving the imperial study, he remained skeptical.
"Madam, am I dreaming? I've seen the Emperor?"
Mrs. Han was also very excited.
"Yes, we not only met the Emperor, but we also became old acquaintances with him. If word gets out, it will bring us great honor."
"Excellent! With an emperor like Manager Ning ruling the Northern Wei Dynasty, it would be difficult for it not to prosper!"
This family of three, who had been so timid and submissive when they arrived, now walked out of the palace with their heads held high and chests puffed out...