Chapter 56: Chapter 56: What if She Was Abandoned?
Chen Shaobei sat inside the carriage, his eyes closed, so drowsy he was about to fall asleep.
Mo Lingwei, however, was wide awake.
His Vermilion Python Robe only served to accentuate his sharp, sword-like brows and his piercing, ink-dark eyes.
Several times, Mo Lingwei lifted the curtain to gaze at the vast mountains bathed in the morning light.
’She hasn’t forgotten again, has she?’
Chen Shaobei couldn’t help but open his eyes to remind him, "Your Highness, it’s not even dawn yet. Even if Miss Shen hasn’t forgotten, she wouldn’t be up this early."
Mo Lingwei dropped the curtain and shot him an icy glare.
Chen Shaobei clamped his mouth shut.
’I just have a bad habit of speaking the blunt truth,’ he thought.
In truth, Mo Lingwei hadn’t planned to come this early either.
But after returning to the palace last night, he’d remembered that he hadn’t set a specific time with Shen Ningning.
’If I’d arrived late, would this little one have obediently stayed put and waited for me? She’d probably have wandered off somewhere else, and who knows how many days I’d have to spend chasing after her!’
So, he had dragged Chen Shaobei here before the sun was even up.
Now, it wasn’t just them waiting. The two squads of the Crown Prince’s personal guards that Mo Lingwei had brought along were also on horseback, standing silently in the morning light.
In Xiangyun Village, some early-rising villagers were up, tilling the soil and watering the loquat seeds.
With a single glance, they spotted the squads of guards at the foot of Wolf Mountain.
Sister-in-law Liu came out holding a basin of clothes. "They’re here for Ningning again, aren’t they? If they’re really the Crown Prince’s men, then our Ningning’s future won’t just be one of wealth and honor. She might even become an Imperial Concubine!"
The woman washing clothes with her was Deng Fugui’s mother.
She glanced unhappily toward the edge of the village.
"You’re just spouting nonsense," Fu Gui’s mother said. "What kind of status does the Crown Prince have? No matter how capable Ningning is, the two of them are worlds apart!"
’Shen Ningning is only suited to marry a boy like her Deng Fugui!’
Sister-in-law Liu shot her a look. "What are you getting so worked up about? If Ningning really marries into a prestigious family, wouldn’t that be a good thing for our village? That’s a phoenix rising from these very mountains!"
’Good thing, my ass! Keep dreaming!’
’In her eyes, even marrying her Deng Fugui would be considered marrying up for Shen Ningning. How could she possibly marry the Crown Prince?’
Deng Fugui’s mother’s face was cold as she remained silent.
After another hour of waiting, Shen Ningning’s small figure appeared in the woods.
Mo Lingwei happened to be lifting the curtain and saw her, and he immediately stepped out of the carriage.
Startled awake, Chen Shaobei quickly followed him out.
Today, Shen Ningning was wearing a sapphire-blue dress with a matching silk flower in her hair.
It made her dark hair and fair skin stand out, accentuating her small, round face and her lively, glistening eyes.
Behind her, the Black Wolf King trotted along with a food box in its mouth.
"Brother!" The little girl ran up to Mo Lingwei. "You’re so early!"
She had thought she was quite early herself. Grandma Qin, worried she might forget, had come specifically to wake her up this morning.
But unexpectedly, when the little one came down the mountain, she found Mo Lingwei already waiting.
"I’ve only been waiting for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn. It wasn’t long," he said.
Beside them, Chen Shaobei glanced sideways at Mo Lingwei.
’How have I never noticed before how stubborn the Crown Prince is?’
Shen Ningning took the food box from the Black Wolf King. "Grandma knew we were going out today, so she specially prepared some snacks for our journey!"
Mo Lingwei nodded, helping her lift it into the carriage.
Chen Shaobei then clasped his hands in a salute and said to Shen Ningning, "Greetings, Miss Shen. I am Chen Shaobei, son of General Zhen Nan."
"The last time you visited my home, a servant was unaware of the situation and offended you. The Crown Prince has already punished him severely. I hope Miss Shen can forgive us."
Shen Ningning’s round eyes sparkled. "It’s okay! It was my fault too for losing the jade Brother gave me. You don’t have to worry about it, Brother Bei. I’ve already forgotten all about it!"
The expression on Mo Lingwei’s face froze.
’Brother Bei?!’
He looked at Chen Shaobei, who, despite feeling a little awkward, accepted the form of address with composure.
The three of them, with the guards clearing the way, set off for Yu’an County in the carriage.
Along the way, Chen Shaobei kept studying Shen Ningning out of the corner of his eye.
Fair-skinned and petite, with lively, spirited eyes, she was exquisitely beautiful.
It was no wonder the Crown Prince had made that mistake with the white porcelain fishbowl that day.
In such a disastrous year, for an ordinary family to have raised her to be so fair-skinned and well-fed was remarkably rare.
Just as Chen Shaobei was looking, he suddenly felt a pair of icy eyes on him.
He turned his head slightly and met Mo Lingwei’s gaze.
Chen Shaobei cleared his throat and averted his gaze.
’The Crown Prince is so petty. Is he going to get on my case just for looking at her a couple of times?’
After that, Mo Lingwei kept his attention fixed on Shen Ningning.
He noticed that the little girl had grown somewhat quiet.
She was staring at the passing scenery outside the window, her small hands clutching her knees tightly.
Although her small, round face showed no obvious signs of tension, Mo Lingwei could see her anxiety.
He took the initiative to speak, offering gentle reassurance. "We’re just going to ask. This midwife isn’t necessarily the one who delivered you."
Mo Lingwei had his reasons for saying this.
He wasn’t afraid that the midwife wasn’t the one they were looking for; he was afraid that Shen Ningning had been intentionally abandoned.
Otherwise, how could a family that had truly lost their daughter not report it to the authorities, leaving not a single trace?
If she had been abandoned, then things would be much more complicated.
So he was preparing her for that possibility.
Shen Ningning, however, snapped out of her thoughts, a smile appearing on her porcelain-white face.
"I’m just a little nervous," she said, rubbing her small hands together. "This is the first time I’ve ever gotten a clue about my own birth."
She felt this was the closest she had ever been to her father and mother.
Chen Shaobei felt a pang of sympathy for her and couldn’t help but say, "I’m sure your wish will come true, and you’ll find your parents soon."
Shen Ningning gave him a decisive, sweet smile, her dimples showing faintly. "Thank you, Brother Bei!"
Mo Lingwei’s face darkened.
’Brother Bei again?’
The carriage headed straight for Qianhua Street in Yu’an County.
It stopped in front of a private residence, where two guards went up to knock on the door and state their purpose.
The one who opened the door was a middle-aged man. After hearing the situation, he said hurriedly, "Please, come in. The Lord County Magistrate already sent someone to inform me."
Shen Ningning stood at the doorway, a little nervous.
Mo Lingwei walked to her side and held out his hand. "Take my hand. Don’t be afraid."
The little girl looked up at him, then decisively grabbed his fingertips.
Seeing the two of them go in together, Chen Shaobei felt a bit like a third wheel.
But after a moment’s thought, he followed them into the courtyard anyway.
Shen Ningning had expected to meet the midwife in person.
But instead, all she saw was a memorial tablet.
The middle-aged man held the tablet and sighed. "When you first sought me out, I didn’t get a chance to explain. My mother suffered from heatstroke half a year ago and passed away."
Shen Ningning’s round eyes widened slightly, the lively sparkle in them vanishing in an instant.
"Then..."
Mo Lingwei turned his hand to clasp Shen Ningning’s small one, signaling for her not to panic.
He said in a deep voice, "Tell us what you know."
The man quickly said, "Four years ago, in Feihua Lane in the Capital City, my mother delivered a baby for a noblewoman. It was a baby girl."
"At the time, the husband and wife seemed very happy, but my mother later came back and said that the noblewoman who gave birth... was likely a mistress."
Shen Ningning was confused. "What’s a mistress?"
Mo Lingwei pressed his lips together and glanced down at her.
After a moment of thought, he said, "A wife without official status."
The man sighed. "It’s because the house was newly purchased, and besides two or three servants, there was no one else there."
"Later, when she went to collect her silver payment, she heard from the servants in the residence that the baby girl had been sent away."
"My mother never saw the couple again and doesn’t know what happened in the end."
Shen Ningning’s round eyes widened in shock, and a faint shimmer of tears soon appeared in them.
In other words, she had probably been abandoned.
’Father and Mother... after they brought me into the world, what could have happened that made them not want me?’
Just as Shen Ningning was feeling heartbroken,
The man said, "The reason I remember it so clearly is because on the night my mother went to deliver that noblewoman’s baby, there was a huge storm!"
Mo Lingwei and Chen Shaobei both froze.
It was that night?
