Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 338 Sealed Past (Part 2)
Yan Ciwan was taken aback; this result was beyond her expectations.

Nie Xiayun continued, "Although my husband and Ning Juexia were locked in the same courtyard, the doors and windows of Ning Juexia's room were always locked, and there were guards outside. He could only catch a glimpse of his mother through the crack in the door when someone brought him food. He longed to get close to his mother and talk to her face to face, so he accepted the task arranged by Yang Ziyuan, because this was his only chance to get close to his mother."

Yan Ciwan felt heartbroken upon hearing this.

"My husband finally saw my mother, but she refused to acknowledge him. Not only that, she also hated him intensely because, in her eyes, he looked exactly like Yang Ziyuan. She hated this father and son who had ruined her life. She cursed at my husband, and her mad appearance terrified him. In his panic, he revealed the truth that the clan chief's wife had already died. His words severed Ning Juexia's last shred of attachment to this world."

Yan Ciwan asked, "Did she also commit suicide?"

Nie Xiayun shook her head: "No, she cried at the time, but she quickly stopped crying. She asked her husband to tell Yang Ziyuan that she wanted to see him. Her husband did as she asked. He relayed Ning Juexia's words to Yang Ziyuan, but he did not mention that Ning Juexia already knew about the death of the clan chief's wife. Yang Ziyuan thought that his plan had succeeded and that Ning Juexia had finally given in. He went to the room where Ning Juexia was being held in person."

Yan Ciwan listened intently and couldn't help but ask a question.

"and then?"

"When Yang Ziyuan got close to Ning Juexia, she bit him hard on the face, and a large chunk of skin was torn off his face."

Yan Ciwan felt quite relieved, yet also worried: "What happened to my great-grandmother afterwards?"

"Yang Ziyuan was thoroughly enraged. He ordered his men to hang Ning Juexia up and beat her severely. However, Ning Juexia had already gone mad. No matter how others treated her, she would only laugh. No punishment could make her feel pain or fear anymore. As a result, Yang Ziyuan was helpless against her. He no longer had any leverage to threaten Ning Juexia. At this time, many changes occurred in the palace. The old emperor, having gone mad, became indiscriminate in his killing, killing indiscriminately. Many people died in both the court and the harem, plunging the Heng Dynasty into chaos."

Almost all the ministers in the court who dared to speak frankly and offer advice without fear of death had been killed by the old emperor. The remaining ministers were all in danger. Even though they knew the military situation was urgent, they dared not enter the palace to see the emperor, for fear that they would follow in the footsteps of their colleagues.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Yang Ziyuan attempted to use his status as the crown prince to mobilize troops to quell the rebellion.

The other four princes, who had been eyeing the position of crown prince, immediately seized the opportunity. They claimed that the crown prince had mobilized troops without the emperor's permission, which might be a sign of usurpation, and intended to remove Yang Ziyuan from the position of crown prince.

Beset by internal and external troubles, the Heng Dynasty was utterly powerless against the unstoppable advance of the rebel army.

When the rebel army stormed into Chang'an, Yang Ziyuan, seeing that the situation was hopeless, wanted to escape with the old emperor. However, the old emperor was a madman who had lost all reason. Not only did he not appreciate it, he also wanted to kill Yang Ziyuan.

Yang Ziyuan had no choice but to abandon the old emperor and flee Nanjing with his confidants. Before leaving, he ordered his men to kill Ning Juexia and her son, who were imprisoned in the mansion.

Fortunately, Ning Juexia and her son were rescued first.

Those few Ning family descendants who were lucky enough to survive back then have been searching for the clan chief's wife and Ning Juexia. They learned that Ning Juexia was imprisoned in the Crown Prince's residence, but the Crown Prince's residence was heavily guarded and they could not enter. They could only wait outside the residence and look for an opportunity in secret.

With the Southern Capital engulfed in war, the Crown Prince's residence was not spared either. Servants scattered and fled in search of wealth and to save their lives, while many bandits took advantage of the chaos to sneak into the Crown Prince's residence and steal money.

Taking advantage of the chaos, several members of the Ning clan infiltrated the Crown Prince's residence, found Ning Juexia and his mother who had been imprisoned for many years, and took them out of Nandu. The palace was breached, the old emperor was killed, the Heng Dynasty collapsed, and the Li ancestor ascended the supreme throne.

Not long after, Yang Ziyuan, who had fled with his troops, was also captured. He was shot and killed during a battle with the rebels, and his head was cut off and sent back to Nanjing, where it was displayed as a trophy on the rebels' victory platform.

It wasn't until three months later that Ning Juexia heard about this. She was already on the verge of death, with all the bones in her limbs broken and countless wounds all over her body. The Ning clan asked doctors to treat her, and the doctors tried everything they could, but they could only barely keep her alive.

Upon learning that her enemy was dead, Ning Juexia's last remaining thought suddenly snapped, and her last obsession with this world was gone.

That very night she passed away. Several relatives helped with her funeral arrangements, and her ashes were sent back to the Ning clan's ancestral home to be buried alongside those who had died tragically. In this way, she was able to return to her roots.

After that, the old and new dynasties changed hands, and the new dynasty established its name as "Ye". Five years after ascending the throne, the new emperor issued an edict to move the capital to Chang'an.

Those members of the Ning clan lived in seclusion in a remote town, each starting their own families. Together, they raised Ning Juexia's son. The son took his mother's surname, Ning, and was named Ning Wangchen, in the hope that he could forget past grievances and live a peaceful life.

Ning Wangchen was well taken care of by his relatives. He was intelligent and studious and was highly appreciated by his teacher. At the age of fourteen, he passed the local provincial examination.

At the beginning of the new dynasty, there was a great shortage of talent. The emperor attached great importance to the imperial examinations, and many young scholars went to Chang'an to participate in the imperial examinations. Ning Wangchen also decided to give it a try.

He bid farewell to his teacher and relatives, and traveled to Chang'an with two classmates to take the exam, but an accident occurred on the way.

A group of people suddenly approached Ning Wangchen.

The leader was a middle-aged man in his thirties named He Yinuo. He claimed to be a confidant of the Crown Prince of Heng Dynasty. He had followed the Crown Prince in fleeing Nandu. After the Crown Prince was unfortunately killed, He Yinuo led the remaining members of the Crown Prince's old followers to hide.

Back then, the Heng Dynasty royal family was wiped out, and now only Ning Wangchen remains as a member of the royal bloodline. He Yinuo wants to take him away.

Ning Wangchen refused. He had no goodwill towards the Heng Dynasty royal family. The downfall of the Heng Dynasty was a cause for celebration. He had no desire to work with these remnants of the former dynasty on any grand plan to revive the old dynasty.

He pretended to comply, then secretly slipped away when He Yinuo wasn't paying attention.

He originally planned to take the imperial examination and enter officialdom to realize his ambitions, but with He Yinuo as a potential threat, he dared not go to Chang'an or go back to his relatives. These remnants of the previous dynasty did not seem to be kind-hearted people, and he did not want to bring danger to his relatives.

So he embarked on a journey of escape alone. During the journey, he used up all his money and was about to become a beggar when he met Nie Xiayun.

The butcher's wife was dressed in the most ordinary coarse cloth dress, with an apron stained with oil around her body. Her fair and round face had a pair of big, bright eyes.

Seeing Ning Wangchen collapse from hunger by the roadside, she picked him up and carried him home.