Chapter 26

◎Escape.◎

The sky was dark, and even with the windows open, not much light came in. The candlelight not far away cast faint shadows of two people. Ci Ying's hand moved away from the lacquer box, followed by a pair of eyes hidden in the dim skylight.

The lacquer box was pressed vertically by the girl's slender white hand. Ci Ying turned around and walked over to the young man in a snow-white coat. She asked softly, "I came to the study to look for you, but there was no one there. The teacup was still warm, so I thought you would come back."

Xie Huaijin handed a book to Ciying. "I remembered a book I read as a child and thought you might like it, so I went looking for it. Why are you suddenly in the study?"

Ci Ying's hand gently stroked the young man's sleeve. The soft, cool touch passed through her fingertips and into her heart. She felt like a fish swimming into an icy sea. She shivered and said, "I don't want Ru Zhen to get married."

Xie Huaijin paused for a moment, and Ci Ying spoke over and over again in his arms.

"Xie Huaijin, I don't want Ru Zhen to marry Yu Wenfu."

"Xie Huaijin, please help me. I agreed with her in the letter that I will pick her up after some time." Ci Ying moistened Xie Huaijin's eyes with a sad look. She tried to walk into the ice and snow that was as cold as the snow coat that the young man wore all year round.

She held Xie Huaijin's hand, and warm tears flowed along the young man's beating pulse.

Like a crying bird, it sends its fragile throat into the unknown fear.

She leaned forward like a devout believer before Buddha, and she even began to call him by that unexpectedly compromising name.

Amidst the flickering candlelight, Ci Ying's voice trembled as she looked toward the young man in front of her with hope: "Husband, you can do it, can't you?"

Xie Huaijin looked at her tenderly, his hand gently stroking Ci Ying's long hair. At the moment when the girl tiptoed to kiss him, he whispered "I'm sorry".

He held Ciying in his arms, like a falling swallow. Ciying's body was trembling, and she asked again and again: "Is it really not possible?"

Xie Huaijin: "Ruzhen has made her decision. Ciying, you must accept the life that Ruzhen has chosen."

"Ruzhen doesn't want this kind of life. Ruzhen doesn't want it. You know what Yuwenfu did to Ruzhen. You know why my Ruzhen has to have this kind of life?"

Ci Ying held Xie Huaijin's wrist. With red eyes, she looked at him with pity on her face, panicking and at a loss: "Xie Huaijin, please help me, for the last time..."

But only a sigh echoed from the room. Ciying was embraced, and the scent of cedar filled her nostrils again. Ciying leaned over and vomited, but she couldn't. Her heart was stuck in her chest, and she couldn't vomit it out.

She lowered her eyes and tears fell from them.

When she opened her eyes again, she helped Xie Huaijin up from the ground. She could no longer hear Xie Huaijin's voice. She thought, she had never felt so disgusted with anything before, and she would never feel such strong emotions again.

She prides herself on being sober, caught between gratitude and guilt, trapped by her own heartbeats, and hesitating and testing every step of the way.

She allowed herself to fall into the lingering heartbeat and the all-powerful power. She allowed herself to cover her ears and close her eyes, allowing her heart to continue beating inappropriately for the person in front of her.

She didn't go to Jiangnan, but she became a swallow in Jiangnan.

Ci Ying thought, there will be no next time.

She took out a pearl earring from her dressing box, lowered her head, and her eyelashes couldn't help trembling.

If Xie Huaijin cared about her at all, why didn't he help her rescue Ru Zhen?

If not, why would the earrings she lost at the post station that day appear in Xie Huaijin's study...

Ci Ying couldn't describe the palpitations she felt at that moment. Something was struggling to come out of her throat, just like the heartbeat she had in the snow.

She covered herself with a white robe, turned around as if she knew nothing, and begged.

She didn't know why Xie Huaijin wanted to keep her by his side, but if this was what Xie Huaijin wanted, if she still had something that Xie Huaijin wanted, Ci Ying was willing to exchange with him.

She traded herself for Ruzhen's freedom.

But in response to her pleading eyes, all she got was the young man's still gentle sigh.

The boy she once loved had a mean heart.

He manipulates the fate of everyone like a puppet. He is high above, and the corners of his snow-white clothes are not stained with a trace of dust. In his eyes, the cries of all living beings are like the mechanical sound of a puppet wheel turning, click, click. He watches some of them gently, and if someone begs, he can only sigh softly.

Ci Ying even wanted to laugh at that moment. She looked into Xie Huaijin's eyes. It was not the first time that she noticed the indifference in the young man's eyes, but it was the first time that she felt the smile covering them made her feel sick.

He was too smart, and his schemes against her might not even be deliberate.

Maybe he just mentioned it casually in front of Yuwen Fu, and Xiu's bony fingers pulled the puppet strings boringly, and Yuwen Fu perfectly replicated the trajectory he expected.

Ru Zhen was taken away by Yuwen Fu, and she returned to the mansion as he wished.

The study was blocked and the maid brought books. Was Xie Huaijin really angry at that time?

Ci Ying realized it later. Her mood changed along with the young man's anger. Her heart was worn by guilt and embarrassment, bit by bit... She became a crying oriole in his hands.

Ci Ying felt angry, but more than anger, she felt fear.

Facing Yuwen Fu, she was still able to stand up and block Ru Zhen. Even though Yuwen Fu possessed power a million times greater than hers, she was still able to block Ru Zhen with anger.

She still wanted to stand in front of Ru Zhen, but instead of anger, she felt more powerless.

She finally understood what Ru Zhen said that day.

Not running.

It's escape.

Like a gecko cutting off its tail, she could not bear to let go of Ru Zhen, and both she and Ru Zhen would be eaten by these people.

Ci Ying was reluctant to let go, but Ru Zhen cut herself off. She put the silver bracelet on her hand stiffly, and her fingers trembled as she told her.

escape.

Ci Ying clenched her fists, the white silver bracelet hung quietly on the girl's hand. The February wind melted the snow, and the tender yellow new leaves were withering and dying.

But where is the future?

No one gave Ciying an answer.

*

In March, Ciying stopped talking to Xie Huaijin about Ruzhen, and she became more and more taciturn.

Ru Zhen gave Ci Ying many invitations, but Ci Ying had never been to the Prince's Mansion. The last invitation Ru Zhen gave Ci Ying was a wedding invitation. Ci Ying recognized Ru Zhen's beautiful handwriting at once.

Xie Huaijin seemed to notice that she was in a bad mood recently, and said softly: "Only this letter of yours was written by Ru Zhen herself."

Ci Ying lowered her eyes: "I'm not going."

"Not going?" Xie Huaijin neither agreed nor tried to persuade him.

Ci Ying had a cold face. In fact, she rarely had a cold face in front of Xie Huaijin, but she had done so a lot recently. Xie Huaijin didn't seem angry at all.

On the contrary, when she had a cold face, Xie Huaijin would be very patient and gentle.

When her head was gently touched, Ci Ying thought, well, when a kitten stretches out its paws and breathes out, its owner will probably just find it cute.

She thought that she and Xie Huaijin were probably similar.

The next time I heard the name Su Xueruo was half a month before Ru Zhen's wedding. Chang'an was in turmoil because Su Xueruo unexpectedly married into the palace.

Ci Ying hadn't heard Su Xueruo's name for a long time. When she heard it again, her heart was filled with waves, like the rain in Chang'an that kept falling.

After she married Xie Huaijin and Xiaowan's accident, Su Xueruo had come to look for her once, probably to talk about Xie Huaijin. But she didn't listen at the time and lowered the car curtain to block Su Xueruo's face.

She didn't know what Su Xueruo wanted to say to her that day, and she might never know in this life, but it was probably related to Xie Huaijin.

Of course, even if she listened to what Su Xueruo said at that time, she might not change anything.

But what if?

What if Miss Su is really kind?

What if she could really see in advance the cruelty behind Xie Huaijin's seemingly compassionate appearance.

These days, she couldn't help but reflect on herself. Did everyone remind her of this? The young lady's hesitant look, the lady's repeated warnings, the messages flying all over Chang'an...

But it doesn’t matter anymore, Ru Zhen and Yu Wen Fu are about to get married.

......

Prince's Mansion.

Ru Zhen was embroidering her own wedding dress. Just like Ci Ying did before, she only needed to embroider a few stitches.

Yuwen Fu held Ruzhen's hand from the side, his peach blossom eyes full of smiles: "Embroider here on the heart."

Ru Zhen didn't listen and casually embroidered two stitches on the cuffs of her clothes. Then she left the wedding dress and Yuwen Fu there. Yuwen Fu held the wedding dress without getting angry. She lowered her head, picked up the needle and embroidered on her heart.

The golden thread was illuminated by the candlelight, but compared to the pearls and jades all over the wedding dress, the light it emitted was very faint.

Ru Zhen looked at Yu Wenfu, lowered her eyes and said, "Yu Wenfu, you promise me."

Yuwen Fu put down her wedding gown, the pearls and gems jingling, and the gorgeous, soft mass spread out on the bed. He stood up and propped up Ru Zhen's face with both hands, his peach blossom eyes gleaming with seriousness: "Well, I promise you."

"You swear." Ru Zhen said again.

Yuwen Fu swore again, his eyes drooping: "If I break my promise, my sister and mother will never rest in peace in the afterlife."

Ru Zhen kept looking at Yu Wenfu with her eyes open for a long time before closing her eyes.

"I will do what I promised you, Yuwen Fu. If you can't, I will kill you." Ru Zhen's voice was very soft. She had never said such cruel words in her life.

"What if the maid doesn't want to leave?" Yu Wenfu rubbed the area between his index finger.

Ru Zhen raised her eyes and said, "Her name is Ci Ying. Even when she was a maid, she had a name. Yu Wenfu, if you love me, you must respect Ci Ying. She is the most important person in the world to me. She was, is, and will never change."

"You have to respect her." The girl said, her eyes always looking at Yu Wenfu.

Yuwen Fu didn't speak for a long time. He kept looking at Ru Zhen. Ru Zhen avoided his gaze. Yuwen Fu's helpless voice came to her ears: "Okay, who told me to be obedient?"

Even as he said "be obedient", Yu Wenfu's eyes lit up with a smile, and he said with an ambiguous meaning, "But have you ever thought about what if Ciying doesn't want to leave?"

This is actually the thing that Ru Zhen is least worried about. She always has a smile on her face when she talks about Ci Ying.

Yuwen Fu heard Ru Zhen say, "You really don't understand Ciying."

Ru Zhen looked out the window, her youth like a faded painting: "If you knew Ciying, you would know that she is very smart."

Yuwen Fu pinched Ru Zhen's face and said something rare: "If she was smart, she shouldn't have returned to Chang'an."

Ru Zhen turned around, still resentful of the man in front of her, and she didn't even want to hold back this resentment. She said seriously, "That's because of me, Yuwen Fu. Ci Ying was just soft-hearted, so I helped her get rid of this burden of mine."

Yuwen Fu looked into Ru Zhen's eyes seriously. He stroked a spot on Ru Zhen's wrist where the scar had healed. He said, "No, Ru Zhen, you are not a burden."

But Ru Zhen couldn't hear his voice at all. She looked out the window, watching the rain just like when she was young.

*

Ru Zhen's wedding invitation was delivered to Xie Mansion again, and this time it was given to Ci Ying by Xie Huaijin.

At that time, Ci Ying was dealing with the accounts in the mansion. When a hand as slender and bony as white jade placed the wedding invitation in front of her, Ci Ying raised her eyes and saw Xie Huaijin as expected.

After not seeing each other for two days, Ci Ying gave Xie Huaijin a hug as usual, and then turned her eyes to the wedding invitation.

Ci Ying said, "I'm not going."

Xie Huaijin nodded slightly to show that he understood. When he was about to take the wedding invitation back, a hand pressed down on his arm. Ci Ying's hand stopped on the wedding invitation, and she lowered her eyes without saying a word.

The young man readily followed suit and left a blood-red letter on the desk.

"I haven't seen your maid for a long time." Xie Huaijin opened the wedding invitation and looked at Ci Ying.

Ci Ying lowered her eyes. "Ling Yue and I argued for a long time about Ling Shuang. After some thought, I decided to let her go and accompany Ling Shuang. Xiao Wan... Xiao Wan fell in love with a guard, but I didn't like that guard. She insisted on being with him, and I couldn't stop her, so I had to release Nu Qi."

Xie Huaijin said gently: "Our Ciying is just too soft-hearted."

"......Yeah?"

Ci Ying responded in a low voice.

After Xie Huaijin left, Ci Ying stared at the closed door for a long time before opening the invitation.

She was like a candle that had burned out, with no crackling of the wick left. Only the last faint flicker of light remained, and she whispered.

"Ruzhen, happy wedding."

......

The sixth day of April was the wedding day of Ru Zhen and Yuwen Fu.

As soon as the sky brightened, Ci Ying took a carriage to the prince's mansion. According to the wedding customs in Chang'an, someone close to the bride was required to comb her hair for good luck.

The prince's mansion was decorated with big red lanterns and wedding silks. On the door hung a plaque with the words "A Perfect Match" that Yuwen Fu had asked for in the main hall a few days ago. The maids in the mansion were all in high spirits, and as they greeted guests, they were scattering wedding cakes and candies.

I heard that there will be 3,000 tables for the banquet in Chang'an, and anyone who recites the blessing will be rewarded with ten taels of silver.

It was very lively, and Chang'an Street was crowded with people who came to chant blessings. When the carriage entered the Prince's Mansion through the side door, Ci Ying lowered her eyes.

She got off the carriage and was surrounded by maids and squeezed into Ru Zhen's room. A hand stretched out from inside and pulled Ci Ying in front of the bronze mirror. Amid the maids' laughter, Ru Zhen anxiously took off Ci Ying's clothes and changed them for her.

Yu Wenfu appeared at the side and said, "It can only be concealed from the outside for a quarter of an hour."

Ci Ying glanced at Yu Wenfu, then stood up and changed her clothes. Lady Ji beside her shouted, "Comb it all the way..."

Ru Zhen hugged Ci Ying with tears in her eyes, took tens of thousands of taels of silver notes from the side and stuffed them all into Ci Ying's clothes. Yu Wenfu lowered his eyes and sighed softly, "Silver change."

Ru Zhen hurriedly took some more from the side: "I forgot, Ciying, don't touch the money in the Madam's bank for now, use these."

"The second time I comb my white hair, it's even..."

Yuwen Fu added, "Although Yuwen Shu is also a jerk, Mobei is currently out of Yuwen Fu's reach. Someone will pick you up after you leave Chang'an by boat and reach Mobei. Once you're there, go find Granny Zhang in the deepest back alley of West Second Street. She'll arrange your new household registration."

Grandma Ji said the last sentence loudly: "Three combs will bring you many descendants..."

All the maids laughed, and congratulations broke through the roof. Those who were watching the fun and rejoicing outside also received a bag of silver. Someone hurriedly opened it, took it out and took a bite. The white silver lit up the eyes of the people around them, and the noise became louder and louder.

Ci Ying shed tears as she rode in a simple carriage heading north.

When she was about to board the ship to Mobei, Ci Ying picked up a scroll beside her and knocked the person in front of her unconscious. She didn't have time to say "sorry" and took advantage of the crowded crowd to hide in a large ship heading to Jiangnan.

She believed in Ruzhen.

But she didn't believe Yuwen Fu.

It was impossible for her to follow Yuwen Fu's men to Mobei without any precautions.

What's more, she disappeared in the Prince's Mansion. Xie Huaijin must have guessed that it was related to Yuwen Fu. Mobei is definitely not a safe place.

Even if Yuwen Fu really didn't lie to her, she couldn't gamble. Yuwen Fu didn't know, but Ci Ying knew that Xie Huaijin had been planning things in Mobei a long time ago. If Mobei was really like Yuwen Fu said, where Xie Huaijin's influence could not be detected, could she hide completely?

Ciying thought it was impossible.

After much thought, she felt that the safest place was Jiangnan.

But Ciying seemed to have chosen a bad ship.

She originally thought that the boat was about to leave since it was docked so close, so she followed the crowd and hid in. However, the boat did not leave for a long time. Ci Ying became more and more anxious. She could not waste the opportunity to escape that Ru Zhen had created for her at such a great cost, but she could not run away again.

It has been two hours, and Xie Huaijin must have received the news. If she runs away, it will be like walking into a trap.

Ci Ying's eyes trembled. The footsteps on the ship suddenly became frantic. The sounds of officers and soldiers searching echoed overhead, and Ci Ying's body froze. She hid behind a cargo box, pulling a black cloth over her head. Despite the clamor outside, she could sense the footsteps approaching.

There seemed to be the sound of rain, and the sound of hurried footsteps almost stepped on Ciying's heart. She clenched her fists, unwilling to even leave Chang'an. As Ciying's body trembled, a loud voice suddenly rang out above her head: "It's the official! Why are you suddenly patrolling the boats?"

The officer who walked to the cabin door rubbed his fingers. The captain, a chubby middle-aged man, laughed and said, "Oh, I forgot, Li Fu, how to do things!"

A young sailor was busy taking out some silver from his purse. The captain made a "tsk" sound and snatched the purse from Li Fu's hand and stuffed it all into the officer's hand. "Please forgive me, sir. This guy just arrived and doesn't know how to do things."

The officer weighed the silver, patted the captain's shoulder with satisfaction, and waved his hand generously: "Open."

The captain groaned, "Thank you, sir."

Half a minute later, the boat started to move, and Ciying's heart finally settled down a little. When she sat down, she heard a cry of "ouch".

Ci Ying was so scared that she screamed "Ah" but quickly covered her mouth. She looked down and saw that after all the goods fell down, a head pushed her up. She widened her eyes and her heart almost stopped beating. She stepped on the man and fell to the side without knowing it.

A kick went over, and a frail scholar-like man cried out, "Ouch!" "Girl, please be gentle with your steps."

Ci Ying clutched her chest and looked warily at the person who emerged from under the pile of goods. It was a thin young man holding a broken fan in his hand. He leaned forward, covering his head with his hands. "I'm sorry, I scared you."

Ci Ying said nothing and clenched the dagger in her sleeve.

The young man coughed and was about to say something when he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Ci Ying frowned, but still did not let her guard down.

The young man slumped against the wall. "Don't be afraid, young lady... Although I don't know why you've fallen into this state, I didn't mean to scare you. My house caught fire, and I came to Chang'an originally to look for my relatives. But the people in Chang'an are so cunning, and I was cheated out of all my money before I even found my relatives. I also messed with people I shouldn't have messed with. I had no choice but to hide under this cabin. I heard that the area south of the Yangtze River is rich, and I wanted to go there to make a living."

Ci Ying gripped the blade tightly, but felt a little relaxed in her heart.

If for no other reason, she spat out three mouthfuls of blood just because of what this man said. Her eyes were complicated, and she felt that this man might have died before he even reached Jiangnan.

She sat farther away from him and listened to the scholar coughing all the time.

Ci Ying covered her ears, feeling really upset.

After a while.

The scholar smiled and said, "Ahem...Thank you for the medicine, young lady."

Ci Ying said nothing, covering her ears and thinking about Jiangnan. She couldn't go looking for Lingyue and Lingshuang for the time being, but she had to find a shelter. She couldn't show up in public for the time being, but she had to be able to find out what was happening outside, and it had to be a place that Xie Huaijin couldn't reach easily.

Ci Ying was thinking and noticed that the man in the cabin hadn't coughed for a while. She looked at him with a little worry.

She had just kicked that person, and that person was so weak...

Ci Ying finally walked forward and sniffed the scholar's breath. The scholar held the worn fan tightly in his arms. Ci Ying took out some copper coins from her sleeve and gently stuffed them into the goods under the scholar.

She understands that wealth should not be shown to the public.

So she gave him some copper coins.

It’s the wedding money for Ruzhen’s wedding today.

As the maids smiled and scattered money, Ru Zhen cried and put some into her sleeves. When the carriage was moving, the copper coins in her sleeves made a jingling sound.

After Ciying returned to the darkness, the scholar opened his eyes and sighed.

What a soft-hearted lady.

......

After the wedding sedan went around Chang'an, it was already noon when it returned to the Prince's Mansion. Silver was still being distributed outside, and amid the joyful cheers of the crowd, the silver flowed like water.

There was dead silence in the mansion.

Xie Huaijin was wearing a snow-white coat and sitting on the high floor. Ru Zhen was carried up there by someone.

The young man's eyes were still gentle, and he showed no other emotions when he looked at Ru Zhen. Yu Wenfu, who had rushed over after hearing the news, stood in front of Ru Zhen and said, "Xie Huaijin, if you have anything to say, come to me."

The wedding candles in the lobby illuminated the young man's eyes, which were covered with a faint smile.

His slender white fingers slid across the teacup, and he picked up the tea and sipped it carefully. After a long moment, the young man raised his eyes and chuckled softly: "Yuwen Fu, do you think I can't touch you?"

Yu Wenfu looked at Xie Huaijin with a cold face and said, "I did it. If you have anything to say, come to me. Don't scare Ru Zhen."

"A hero saves a beautiful woman..." Xie Huaijin looked at Ru Zhen behind Yu Wenfu and said softly, "Do you know why Yu Wenfu agreed to this?"

Ru Zhen gritted her teeth and said nothing. She looked at Xie Huaijin and was even angrier than Yu Wenfu.

Xie Huaijin immediately revealed Yuwen Fu's purpose: "Well... after Ciying left Chang'an, Ruzhen, you no longer have anyone to rely on in this world."

"Do you want me to continue?" The young man stroked the white jade ring on his hand and looked at the foggy sky outside in a gentle voice.

Ru Zhen pushed Yuwen Fu away. "Yes, I know. So what, Xie Huaijin, so what? Do you think Ciying would return to Chang'an without me? You're dreaming. You know it too, don't you? You asked Ciying to write that letter and asked Yuwen Fu to give it to me, so that I could control Ciying. Do you think I can't see that wasn't Ciying's tone? Xie Huaijin, you're dreaming. Ciying will never come back."

Young and smiling all his life, Yuwen Fu frowned and protected Ru Zhen behind him, his hand under his sleeve making secret gestures.

A dart flew towards Yuwen Fu's shoulder. Zhu San appeared behind Yuwen Fu, with the silk blade against Yuwen Fu's neck: "Don't waste your energy, let them retreat."

Yuwen Fu struggled, and the blade slid directly into Yuwen Fu's neck. The girl's face turned completely cold: "I said, don't waste your energy."

Ru Zhen opened her eyes wide, and blood flowed down Yu Wenfu's neck, forming a large pool.

Zhu San's eyes turned, and the blade in his hand was against Ru Zhen's neck. Yu Wenfu, who had been calm just now, immediately became excited: "Let her go."

Xie Huaijin glanced at Zhu San indifferently. Yuwen Fu rushed to Xie Huaijin. He knew too well what kind of person the young man in front of him was. Yuwen Fu fully believed that he could do something like killing Ru Zhen.

Yuwen Fu confessed quickly: "Ciying boarded the ship to Mobei."

Ru Zhen struggled behind him, shouting, "Yuwen Fu, Yuwen Fu! Don't say that!"

Yuwen Fu wanted to go forward but was stopped by Mo Yu. Yuwen Fu's eyes were red with anger: "I'm telling you, if you let someone release Ru Zhen, I will give you everything you want as long as it's in my hands."

Ru Zhen could no longer hear and cried out, "Yuwen Fu, don't tell me, you promised me! You promised me... I will kill you, I will kill you all..."

Xie Huaijin glanced at the angry Yu Wenfu calmly, chuckled and said, "Idiot."

His eyes flashed with admiration. "She wouldn't do that. There's no way she would follow your men to Mobei. She'd probably knock them out along the way and take advantage of the chaos to escape. Then, my men would be held back by you, and yours would be knocked out by her. You wouldn't think of sending anyone else to monitor us, so her whereabouts would disappear from this world."

As he spoke, Xie Huaijin's voice turned cold: "Do you know that it's very chaotic outside right now? If she encounters danger on the road alone, she could die at any time?"

Yu Wenfu's eyes widened. The young man's voice dropped, and his eyelids lifted slightly: "You thought of it, but you only wanted to fool the people behind you."

Yuwen Fu indeed thought so. He agreed to Ru Zhen because he wanted Ru Zhen to survive, and secondly, he understood that as long as Ci Ying left Chang'an with his help, Ru Zhen would be inseparable from him for the rest of her life.

Compared to those vows, Yuwen Fu believed in something else more.

Such as the fate of being bound.

Yuwen Fu didn't dare to look at Ru Zhen behind him, and was pushed away by Ru Zhen. The girl in the wedding dress had Sheng Tian's rage in her eyes, as if she wanted to burn everything around her to ashes.

Ru Zhen said sarcastically, "Do you know that Ciying would rather die outside than stay with you? Xie Huaijin, do you think Ciying can't think of this? Of course she can."

"But Ciying knew she was going to die, so she ran. She would run and keep running. Xie Huaijin, you will never catch Ciying."

Tears fell along with the roar. Ru Zhen didn't even look at Yu Wenfu. She raised her neck and was about to hit Zhu San's dagger. There was even a sense of relief on her face. Zhu San knocked her unconscious. Yu Wenfu knelt down: "Ru Zhen..."

Xie Huaijin looked at the chaos below calmly, and finally laughed lightly.

He looked at Yuwen Fu with cold eyes and said softly, "If anything happens to Ciying, Yuwen Fu, you will understand better than me what it means to be at fault."

After saying this, the young man stood up, without even glancing at Ru Zhen and Yu Wen Fu, and turned to leave the Prince's Mansion.

There were still a lot of people outside the Prince's Mansion. After getting some benefits from the dude, everyone started to praise him. When talking about the dude's past, people waved their hands. After all, it didn't happen to them. This pile of silver would not deceive people.

The music was still playing, the sound of suona penetrated the long street where the banquet was held, and the carriage of the Xie family slowly passed by.

It was a rainy day, and the young man's snow-white clothes were inevitably stained with moisture. The maid bowed to greet him and opened the door of the study from the inside. The young man walked all the way to the inner room, thought for a while, and then walked to the bookshelf.

He imitated the girl's actions that day, standing tall and graceful in front of the bookshelf, his snow-white clothes hanging down gently, and his slender fingers with distinct joints rested on the lacquer box. With a little force, the dark red lacquer box was gently opened, revealing a neatly folded white handkerchief.

The candlelight flickered faintly. The young man smiled gently and took out the pearl earrings wrapped in a handkerchief. They fell before his eyes. The round pearls shone lightly. Under the dim light of the rainy day, Xie Huaijin met the girl's eyes. After a long moment, he sighed softly. So, this was where the mistake had gone wrong.

【Author’s words】

[Cat's Paw]