Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 425 Succession
Li Xuanhe was posthumously honored as Renxian, and his wife, Crown Princess Wan Chuying, was buried with him in the Crown Prince's Mausoleum.

Zhou Nanxu, Xu Hanshi, Du Yunzhao, and others were posthumously honored for their meritorious service in protecting Crown Prince Renxian. Only Xie Tanyu was imprisoned and awaiting punishment. Consort Xie was given a death sentence, Li Mingguang committed suicide in prison out of fear of punishment, and Xie Chen and Xie Fu were both executed. The once-powerful Xie family completely collapsed.

Imperial power was finally fully concentrated in Li Jing's hands, but Li Jing could not bear the huge blow of losing his eldest son. He suffered a stroke due to the stress and became paralyzed and bedridden. He could only handle daily government affairs, while the two prime ministers would consult Li Jing on particularly important matters.

Li Jing was always troubled by the death of his eldest son, and he asked Xiao Wenyi to find out who killed Li Xuanhe.
Everyone connected to the Crown Prince was questioned, including Chao Yuanzhi.

Chao Yuanzhi was terrified. He was the one who had advised Li Mingguang to frame the Crown Prince. If he were exposed now, he would surely die.

He secretly approached Li Baizhou and asked him why things were not as planned.
Li Baizhou said he acted according to plan and he didn't understand why things turned out this way.

He noticed the unease in Chao Yuanzhi's heart and reminded him, "We must keep the matter of witchcraft a secret. Although we devised this plan to save the Crown Prince from his predicament, it is only our side of the story. If the matter is exposed, we will both be in danger."

What Li Baizhou said was exactly what Chao Yuanzhi was most worried about. Chao Yuanzhi nodded without hesitation and agreed: "I swear I will keep my mouth shut."

When Xiao Wenyi found Chao Yuanzhi, Chao Yuanzhi claimed that he had joined Li Mingguang's side to infiltrate Li Mingguang's circle and help the Crown Prince find evidence to exonerate him, and that he had always been loyal to the Crown Prince. In order to shift the blame, Chao Yuanzhi deliberately mentioned Xie Tanyu.

“Xie Tanyu is different from me. He is a member of the Xie family and is definitely loyal to Prince Wu Cheng. He has even publicly impeached the Crown Prince, clearly intending to kill him. In my opinion, the plot to murder the Crown Prince was likely his idea, and the Crown Prince's death is definitely related to him!”

Xiao Wenyi knew that Xie Tanyu could not possibly have murdered the Crown Prince, so he reminded him, "This matter is of great importance. Do not draw any conclusions without solid evidence."

Seeing that the other party had not been distracted by his words, Chao Yuanzhi knew that there was no point in saying more, so he nodded sensibly and replied, "I was too talkative. Thank you for the reminder, Master Xiao."

Xiao Wenyi informed Li Jing of the results of her investigation. Based on the evidence currently available, the only people who could have plotted to kill the Crown Prince were Li Mingguang and Xie Chen.

Li Jing was very dissatisfied with the result, but the lack of evidence was also a fact, so he could only accept this reality for the time being.

A country cannot be without a ruler for a single day, so the selection of a successor is of utmost urgency.

Of Li Jing's three sons, the eldest, Li Xuanhe, had been murdered without leaving any children, the second, Li Mingguang, committed suicide out of fear of punishment, and only the fifth prince, Li Baizhou, remained safe and sound.

Li Jing had no choice but to select Li Baizhou as his successor.

Li Baizhou seized this long-awaited opportunity. He followed veteran officials such as Xiao Wenyi to learn how to handle government affairs, showing both humility and diligence. He also took time to visit his father's sickbed to fulfill his filial duty.

At first, Li Jing was unwilling, but as time went on, he gradually accepted reality.

The war in Xizhou ended, the Turkic army was defeated, and they submitted a letter of surrender.

Yan Hengyu distinguished himself in battle and successfully inherited the throne, becoming the new King of Xizhou.

On the night before his death, Li Jing summoned Xiao Wenyi alone. Li Jing dictated the will, and Xiao Wenyi drafted it. Then, the chief eunuch brought the imperial seal and, in front of Li Jing and Xiao Wenyi, slowly pressed the imperial seal onto the will.

After Li Jing's death, Xiao Wenyi publicly read out the imperial edict, announcing that Li Baizhou would succeed to the throne.

After Li Baizhou became emperor, his wife Qiao Lingyi became empress, and Pei Yan was promoted to general of the Left Jinwu Guard, in charge of the entire Left Jinwu Guard.

Not long after, Yan Hengyu arrived in Chang'an from Xizhou. His purpose was to fulfill his marriage contract and formally marry Ning Qingyang.

The wedding was a grand affair, with even the emperor sending congratulatory gifts. The day after the wedding, the couple went to the palace to express their gratitude to the emperor and bid him farewell.

The emperor hosted a banquet for the two, during which dancers performed, with Ji Songluo leading the dance.

At this time, Ji Songluo was only fifteen years old, extremely young. She danced gracefully on the stage, her water-red skirt blooming like a flower.

Coincidentally, Ning Qingyang was also wearing a water-red dress today.

Li Baizhou said half-jokingly, "I think this dancer bears a resemblance to the Princess Consort of Xizhou."

Ning Qingyang pretended not to hear and remained silent, while Yan Hengyu replied earnestly, "This humble subject feels that apart from the similar colors of their dresses, they have little in common."

“That’s because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The Princess of Xizhou looks exceptionally different to you.” Li Baizhou raised his hand, signaling the palace maids to come forward and pour wine. “This wine is specially for celebrating your wedding. Please don’t be shy.”

When the emperor offers a drink, who dares to refuse?
Yan Hengyu and Ning Qingyang could only drink one cup after another, and eventually both of them got quite drunk.

The emperor allowed them to stay overnight in the palace, and the two were settled in the Penglai Palace.

Unable to bear the strong smell of alcohol on her, Ning Qingyang went to the hot spring to bathe, accompanied by her maids, while Yan Hengyu went to his bedroom to change and rest first.

When Ning Qingyang arrived at the hot spring and just as she immersed herself in the hot water, she heard footsteps behind her. Thinking it was a palace maid, she said without turning around, "I don't need you to serve me here. You may all leave."

However, the footsteps did not leave; instead, they grew closer.

Ning Qingyang turned around and saw that the person who came in was actually Li Baizhou!
She was so frightened that her face turned pale. She crossed her arms and squatted down. Just as she was about to scream, she heard Li Baizhou say something.

"You'd better put your clothes on before you call for help."

Because he had drunk a lot of alcohol, Li Baizhou's voice was a little hoarse, and his emotions were more outgoing than usual.

Ning Qingyang immediately fell silent. The clothes rack was placed behind Li Baizhou, and if she wanted to get the clothes, she would have to pass in front of Li Baizhou. She said angrily, "Get out!"

Li Baizhou casually picked up a dress hanging on the rack and said slowly, "You don't need to be so afraid, I won't harm you."

He walked to the hot spring and handed over the dress.

Ning Qingyang grabbed the dress and wrapped it around herself. Although it would get the clothes wet, at least she would have something to cover herself.

She was both ashamed and angry, her face flushed red: "What exactly do you want?"

"Over the years, I have never let go of you. I have kept all the things you returned to me that day in good condition."

Li Baizhou looked at her with exceptional tenderness.

But Ning Qingyang remained unmoved. She coldly said, "Now that I am married and Your Majesty also has a family, there is no possibility between us. I urge Your Majesty to have some self-respect!"

“I am no longer the penniless fifth prince I once was. Now I rule the country, and the whole world belongs to me. As long as you nod, I can snatch you away from Yan Hengyu.”