On the other side.
Lin Zhenfan, still recuperating in bed, didn't know who had been invited or what methods were used to treat his wounds. The bullet fragments and shrapnel in his arm and calf had been removed, but some small bullet fragments remained inside him, unable to be extracted.
For the past two days, Lin Zhenfan had been tormented by his wounds since being hit by Leng Ruoli's hidden weapons. He had lost a significant amount of weight, his eyes were vacant, and his complexion was pale.
When he learned about Consort Jing from a guard, he almost fainted and shed two tears of sorrow.
He recalled that just two days prior, he and Consort Jing had been in the secret chamber of Jinghua Palace, enjoying each other's company. At that time, he had envisioned making Consort Jing his Empress if his schemes succeeded and he ascended the throne of Tianwu Kingdom.
Unexpectedly, after such a short time, Consort Jing had met a tragic end, which truly pained him.
Consort Jing, Ming Yulan, was the woman he cared about most among all the women he had ever known, and the one he had truly loved, even more than Wen Lingyin (Wen Yuerou's mother) of Nanzhao Kingdom. Her tragic death had been a great shock to him.
"Did Prince Ning bring his mother back to his manor?" Lin Zhenfan asked his guard with reddened eyes.
"Yes, my lord. Prince Ning has arranged for people to set up a mourning hall in his manor. However, because Consort Jing was imprisoned by the Emperor, the officials and nobles in the capital dare not go to pay their respects to her," the guard replied in a low voice.
"Hmph! The high officials in the capital are all old foxes, and even more so, they are opportunists. Seeing that Prince Ning's mother has fallen and lost Consort Jing's protection, they dare not associate with him for fear of bringing trouble upon themselves. Therefore, they dare not pay their respects to Consort Jing," Lin Zhenfan sneered upon hearing this.
"If they won't go, we brothers will!"
At this moment, Lin Zhenfei's voice came from Lin Zhenfan's room. Lin Zhenfan looked up towards the doorway and saw his elder brother walking in.
"Brother, are you really willing to go to Prince Ning's manor to pay respects to Consort Jing?" Lin Zhenfan asked again, disbelief in his voice.
"Actually, Elder Sister and I both know about your clandestine relationship with Consort Jing. So, I will go to Prince Ning's manor to pay respects to Consort Jing this time, partly out of respect for you. Also, our two nephews are unreliable. One is sickly, and the other is crippled, so we must..." Lin Zhenfei reached out and patted Lin Zhenfan, leaving the rest of his words unsaid.
"Alright, I understand. I thank you in advance, younger brother," Lin Zhenfan said, cupping his hands towards Lin Zhenfei with a weak body.
"Well then, I'll return to my own courtyard to change into plain clothes, and then we'll meet at the manor gate," Lin Zhenfei said to his younger brother, Lin Zhenfan.
With that, he hurried out of Lin Zhenfan's room.
About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Lin Zhenfan was carried out of the manor gate by two guards. Lin Zhenfei was already waiting at the gate of the Duke Lin's manor.
Subsequently, the two brothers traveled by carriage to Prince Ning's manor.
At this moment, white cloths were hung from the eaves, beams, and rafters of Prince Ning's manor, and a mournful atmosphere permeated everywhere.
Prince Ning had also changed into mourning attire and, with the servants of the manor, knelt before Consort Jing's coffin, burning paper money.
Consort Jing, lying in the coffin, had already been dressed in a burial shroud by Prince Ning's order. The bloodstains on her hair and body had been cleaned by the maids, and makeup had been applied to her face. Even her once hollow eye sockets had been covered with a white cloth by Prince Ning, awaiting the funeral procession and interment.
After burning the paper money, Prince Ning slowly stood up, his eyes red and swollen. He walked to Consort Jing's coffin and reached out to caress her cold face.
"Mother Consort, rest assured, your son will avenge you. Your son will make those who harmed you pay a heavy price."
As Prince Ning spoke these words, a chill emanated from his entire body. His handsome face was so cold it seemed as if ice shards could fall from it, and his gaze was as sharp as two swords, yet his eyes lacked focus.
Just then, a slender, travel-worn figure rushed in from outside.
"Mother Consort, Mother Consort, why did you leave so suddenly?"
A girl of sixteen or seventeen rushed in and collapsed onto Consort Jing's coffin, weeping.
"Wuwuwu..."
The girl cried increasingly heartbrokenly, eventually becoming too choked up to speak clearly.
"Mo-Mother Consort, Yan'an... has come to see you. Can you, can you open your eyes and look at your daughter? Wuwu..."
This girl was Princess Anle, Jun Yan'an, Consort Jing's biological daughter, who had been sent away by Consort Jing to study since childhood.
Prince Ning, standing beside her, watched his sister cry so sadly but offered no comfort, as his own feelings were the same, and he didn't know how to console her.
It wasn't until the Lin brothers arrived at Prince Ning's manor that they were courteously led inside by Prince Ning's guards.
"Your subordinate pays his respects to Your Highness Prince Ning!"
The Lin brothers bowed respectfully to Prince Ning.
"Duke Lin, General Zhennan, there is no need for such formalities today," Prince Ning said, waving his hand feebly as he looked at the two of them.
"Your Highness Prince Ning, my brother and I are here today to pay our respects to Consort Jing," Duke Lin stated directly.
Upon hearing this, Prince Ning glanced at the two of them. They were the only high officials who had personally come to Prince Ning's manor to pay their respects to his mother since her death. A sense of gratitude immediately arose in his heart, and he instructed the steward beside him, "Prepare a stick of incense each for Duke Lin and General Zhennan."
The steward quickly responded and then went to light and hand a stick of incense to each of the Lin brothers.
Subsequently, Duke Lin and General Zhennan respectfully performed three kowtows to Consort Jing.
After completing his kowtows, Lin Zhenfan walked to Consort Jing's coffin and gazed at her affectionately.
He had heard from his guard that Consort Jing had not only been castrated by the Emperor but also blinded, and her eyeballs had been gouged out during the execution. Her appearance was described as very dreadful.
However, Prince Ning was truly thoughtful; he had even taken the initiative to cover his mother's eye sockets with a white cloth, preserving the most beautiful image of her.
As he pondered this, Lin Zhenfan suddenly reached out to touch Consort Jing's cold face.
At that moment, Princess Anle, Jun Yan'an, who was also standing by Consort Jing's coffin, saw someone disrespecting her mother's corpse and immediately pointed at Lin Zhenfan, shouting angrily.
"Why are you touching my mother consort's face?" Jun Yan'an looked up at Lin Zhenfan and accused him.
Lin Zhenfan was slightly startled by Jun Yan'an's words.
"You address Yulan as Mother Consort, so you must be... Princess Anle, right?" Lin Zhenfan asked, looking Jun Yan'an up and down.
"So what if I am?" Jun Yan'an glanced at Lin Zhenfan dismissively.
"You look very much like your mother did when she was young, especially your nose and your eyes. After not seeing you for a few years, I didn't expect you to have grown so much."
Lin Zhenfan felt an instant fondness for the slender, tall, finely featured girl before him, with her bright eyes and a gaze as clear as autumn water, bearing seven or eight parts resemblance to Consort Jing.