Chapter Ninety: The Lady on the South Bank

Nanan had intended to return to his own residence, but on the way out of the palace he suddenly encountered someone from the emperor.

“Third Prince, His Majesty has matters to discuss and asks that you come at once.”

An old eunuch from the inner court blocked Nanan’s path.

“I have no time. This general still has many things to deal with. If there is anything, have His Majesty send an imperial edict or a letter directly to my residence.”

Nanan went around the old eunuch and turned back to his own estate.

Though the emperor had never treated him badly all these years, and had even arranged for Xiao Yao to help him, in his heart he still could not face his father.

No one else knew what had happened back then, but he did.

In those days, his mother, as his father’s most favored concubine, had enjoyed incomparable glory. Yet all of it changed because of that empress’s jealousy.

Seizing a moment when the emperor was absent, the empress killed his mother, then used the power of her own clan to bring over more than half the court officials under her control. In such circumstances, the emperor was effectively stripped of authority.

As the Third Prince, he had survived only because he had left with his father and thus escaped the slaughter at the empress’s hands. But when he returned, he saw with his own eyes that his mother was already dead, and his younger sister had vanished without a trace. All these years, he had never stopped searching, yet there had been no clue at all.

Back then, he was no longer a child. Later, when they did such things, they never once considered whether he might one day seek vengeance.

And Nanan had never found a way to face his father. As for the emperor, it had been his weakness that had caused all this. It was his father who had, bit by bit, surrendered power to the empress’s family, saying that their clan was powerful and that if they were not properly placated, the consequences would be extremely serious.

So, again and again, he gave more authority to the empress’s family, until it finally became this tragedy. And when the tragedy came, the emperor had no other recourse.

Even though his most beloved consort had been Nanan’s mother, the emperor still never gave any expression of grief. After the empress committed that deed, she behaved as though nothing had happened, while the royal house of the Southern Sun Kingdom could only claim to the outside world that Nanan’s mother had contracted a grave illness and died suddenly.

The emperor was not at fault in everything, but as a father, he had been wrong. Nanan could understand that when one sat in the emperor’s place, nothing was easy. Compared with his mother, he loved that throne more, and that was not without reason.

But he was also a father.

And so, from that day on, he never again went to the palace to see his father. Though the emperor had invited him many times, he never went. Yet no matter what, that man was still his father; he had never mistreated him, and even though Nanan refused to meet him, the emperor still silently helped him every single time.

Thus, for all these years, though Nanan had refused to see the emperor, he had still been serving the royal house of the Southern Sun Kingdom. In truth, he had always been waiting for his father to apologize.

He had waited for so many years, only to wait until his patience grew worn thin. He no longer wished to continue. It no longer mattered whether that apology ever came or not.

Sitting in his courtyard, Nanan let out a helpless sigh. Just then, his wife came out and draped a cloak over his shoulders.

“Your Highness, the weather has turned cold. You still have a war to fight, so do not let yourself catch cold.”

Nanan reached out and placed his hand over his wife’s. “Ah Yan, tell me—am I really asking for something so difficult, just wanting an apology from Father? He clearly knows what I have been waiting for all these years. If he would only say he was sorry, I would forgive him at once. I would meet him at once. Then why is he unwilling? He is willing to give me all the best things in the world because I chose a wife as virtuous as you, yet the one thing he refuses to give me is an apology.”

Nanan was already in his thirties. Though he looked very young, he was in fact no longer young at all.

His wife heard his words and could only sigh helplessly in response. “Why must Your Highness be so fixated on this apology? In truth, Your Highness understands this as well. He is the emperor; it is impossible for him to apologize so casually.”

At his wife’s words, Nanan froze slightly.

Yes, he knew. He knew that his father was not only a father, but also an emperor, and so it was impossible for him to apologize personally.

Nanan shook his head. Though already in his thirties, he still seemed like a child—perhaps because he had spent so many years on the battlefield and had never been tempered by the intrigues of court.

He lightly patted his wife’s hand, then stood up. Taking off the cloak she had given him, he placed it over her shoulders instead. “Ah Yan, thank you. You’ve stayed by my side all these years; it has been hard on you. But rest assured, after this war is over, I will no longer continue fighting.

Father’s power has already been taken away almost completely. When the time comes, I will return all of it to him. Only then will he have enough strength to contend with the empress’s clan.

He will no longer have to endure the empress’s arrogance and tyranny. After that, the two of us will live happily and peacefully, no longer taking part in the struggles of the court. Would that be all right?”

Ruan Yan heard Nanan’s words and smiled as she nodded. “As long as I can stay by Your Highness’s side, it matters not where we go. I have never thought it burdensome to remain at Your Highness’s side.”

Nanan smiled and embraced Ruan Yan.

Ruan Yan was not from any great and powerful family, nor did she possess any great influence in the martial world. Yet she was a deeply considerate person. The emperor had chosen her to be Nanan’s wife precisely because she had no powerful family behind her.

At first, Nanan had thought the same. He had believed that his wife had no natal family to support her. But later, when he nearly met danger and was close to death, his wife suddenly rushed out and saved him. Only then did he learn that his wife knew martial arts, and that her skill was by no means low.

However, out of respect for his wife, he did not inquire further. Not long after, his wife took the initiative to tell Nanan about her background.

Only then did Nanan realize that it was not only his father who had been deceived by her; even he himself had been fooled by his little wife.

She was indeed not from some influential noble house, but in the martial world she held a position of great significance.

Ruan Yan had seen him once during one of Nanan’s military campaigns, and from that moment on she had secretly given him her heart. She had never imagined that she would truly be able to be with him.

The bond between the two had always been good. Even before learning about his wife’s family background, Nanan had never wronged her; and after learning it, he still did not treat her differently because of her origins.

The husband and wife had always been harmonious, their affection deep and steady.