Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Almost Ran Into the Prime Minister’s Carriage
Mo Lingwei sat on a lounge chair, clad in vermilion robes that made the Golden Dragon Crown holding up his hair appear all the more brilliant.
That’s why Shen Ningning spotted him at a glance.
He was surrounded by guards.
Across from him, two eunuchs were viciously forcing a man’s head underwater.
They would pause for a moment before pulling him out, repeating the process over and over.
Judging by his attire, the man being forced under the water appeared to be an official.
"Crown Prince... I beg for mercy! I beg for mercy!" the official sputtered, shouting wretchedly in the brief moment he was pulled from the water.
Mo Lingwei, however, merely looked down, his eyes cold and unmoved. "I don’t think you’re awake enough yet. Keep holding him down. Fill him up."
The eunuchs mercilessly forced the official back under the water.
This time, they held him under for a long while. He struggled desperately, his hands flailing.
Soon, Shen Ningning saw his flailing hands move less and less, until they nearly went still.
Only then did Mo Lingwei seem to take an interest, saying languidly, "Pull him out."
Like a drowned dog, the official was unceremoniously thrown onto the ground by the eunuchs.
He coughed up large amounts of water and used all his remaining strength to crawl before Mo Lingwei.
"Crown Prince... I’ll never dare to do it again. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have impeached you. I shouldn’t have said you kill indiscriminately."
By the end of his plea, the official was weeping in terror, his body shaking, consumed by the fear of death.
As for Mo Lingwei, he merely furrowed his handsome, cold brows.
He noticed his black boots had been soiled by the official’s soaking-wet hands.
He scoffed, then lifted his boot and kicked the official away.
"I’ll let you go this time. But if I ever hear you spouting nonsense again, I’ll make sure your corpse ends up at the bottom of this pond."
With that, Mo Lingwei stood up to leave.
Suddenly, he seemed to sense something. His chilling gaze shot toward the rooftop where Shen Ningning was hidden.
The little girl was so stunned by the scene that she didn’t react at all. The guard, quick-witted, grabbed her and slipped away without a sound.
Mo Lingwei dismissed it, figuring he had been mistaken.
With a cold expression, he led his men away.
Meanwhile, Shen Ningning was brought back before the Sixth Prince.
Mo Changgong observed the little girl’s delicate, picturesque face, which was filled with the shock and bewilderment of someone who had just been terrified.
"Shen Ningning?" he called.
But she didn’t respond, just stared blankly ahead.
Mo Changgong pressed his lips together in satisfaction.
"You saw all of that, didn’t you? That is Mo Lingwei’s true face."
"All his interactions with you are cloaked in a false guise. He just finds you amusing for the time being."
"But did you know? Mo Lingwei is a monster who could lose control at any moment."
"He once killed his own maternal uncle with his own hands and flayed him."
At the mention of flaying, Shen Ningning’s little body trembled, and her soft, tender face suddenly went deathly pale.
Mo Changgong slowly extended his hand. "Even I, his own brother, had the tendons in my arms and legs severed by him."
"Legend has it that the late Empress, in order to get pregnant and vie for favor, used folk witchcraft to pray for a child, and ended up giving birth to an Evil God."
"On the day he was born, our Father Emperor dreamed that the fires of the Eighteen Layers of Hell erupted from the earth, burned down the Imperial Palace, and put the whole world to the torch!"
"Shen Ningning, after hearing all this, do you still want to be around him? Aren’t you afraid that one day, he’ll kill you too?"
After Mo Changgong finished speaking, his eyes were dark and sinister.
He had an agenda.
Someone like Mo Lingwei should be feared and avoided by everyone.
What right did he have to even dream of having friends?
Mo Changgong wanted him to lose everything he cared about, everything he had obtained.
"Whew..." Shen Ningning let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
Mo Changgong chuckled. "You understand now?"
But the little girl just patted her chest, looking thoroughly frightened. "We were flying so high just now. I thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest..."
Mo Changgong’s face instantly turned ashen!
He frowned. "What did you say?"
’So the fear she just showed was because the guard carried her up too high?!’
Still puffing her cheeks in anger, Shen Ningning turned and saw the guard who had been flying around with her.
She clenched her tiny fists, marched forward angrily, and stomped her little foot down hard on the guard’s boot.
The guard yelped in pain.
"You... you!"
"That’s your punishment!" the little girl declared, trying to sound fierce. "If I were bigger, I’d jump up and punch you in the chin!"
Her crystalline, dark eyes then turned to the astonished Mo Changgong.
"You deliberately let me see my brother’s bad side. You’re the real bad guy."
"When I first met my brother, he was covered in injuries. It’s obvious he was being bullied by you people!"
"If he really did something cruel, it must be because you all pushed him to the brink."
Mo Changgong gritted his teeth. "You’re impossible!"
Blinking her long lashes, Shen Ningning replied fearlessly, "You’re the one with a wicked heart!"
"And I won’t let you call my brother a monster! He’s a good person."
Mo Changgong couldn’t stand hearing others praise Mo Lingwei.
He was overcome with rage. "Kill her!"
But none of the guards dared to move.
"Your Highness..." one of the guards urged in a low voice, "this Shen Ningning is in the Crown Prince’s favor right now. Lady Li Fei told you not to clash with the Crown Prince for the time being."
Consort Li was afraid Mo Lingwei, with his mad-dog temperament, would simply kill her son.
The memory of Mo Lingwei’s cold-blooded gaze as he severed his tendons made Mo Changgong’s face drain of color.
Finally, he ordered through gritted teeth, full of resentment, "Throw her out of the palace!"
A guard came forward and grabbed Shen Ningning’s arm.
The little girl struggled with all her might.
"Let go! I can walk by myself!"
However, the guard paid her no mind.
He walked to the palace gate and threw Shen Ningning out without a shred of mercy.
The Imperial Guard on duty exchanged confused glances.
The guard said coldly, "This little girl angered the Sixth Prince. None of you need to bother with her."
Shen Ningning scrambled up from the ground, rubbing her aching arm.
Tears welled up in her eyes from the pain.
Her little mouth yelled defiantly, "Mo Changchong, you bad guy!"
The guard’s expression darkened, and he turned as if to discipline her.
However, a carriage approached from the distance. The guard saw it and, no longer caring about Shen Ningning, hurried away.
Rubbing her little hands, Shen Ningning turned around, nearly getting hit by the fast-approaching carriage.
Luckily the driver pulled the reins tight in time!
The horses came to an abrupt halt.
Thankfully, they hadn’t hit Shen Ningning.
A clear, cold, and authoritative voice called from within the carriage, "What’s going on?"
The driver wiped the sweat from his brow. "Prime Minister, a little girl suddenly ran out. Fortunately, we didn’t hit her."
"Go and check, make sure she’s alright."
"Yes."
The driver dismounted and saw Shen Ningning, still shaken and staring up at the tall horses.
"Little girl, are you alright?" the driver asked.
Shen Ningning snapped out of her daze and shook her head gently. "I’m okay."
Her voice was soft and sweet, with an adorable lilt.
From the carriage, a slender hand lifted the curtain, and a pair of deep, serene eyes looked outside.
The Prime Minister only saw the hem of Shen Ningning’s little dress, but not her face.
’She must be very young.’
Something came to his mind, and a look of bleak sorrow flickered in his eyes.
The Prime Minister composed himself, then raised his voice to instruct the driver, "Bring her here."
