Liu Ruyan swore that Ruan Tian was the stupidest woman she had ever met in her life.
Mingming was a disciple of the renowned physician Gu Zhe Laoren, and his medical skills were superb. After leaving the mountain, he could easily open a clinic in the capital and make a fortune.
But this foolish girl, because of a moment of weakness, actually went to a brothel to treat the girls who sang and laughed for money, ruining her reputation for no reason.
What's even more speechless is that there are actually two people in the world who are this stupid!
At that time, Zhan Yue was not yet a General of the Cavalry, but just a captain who had just made a name for himself. However, very few people in the building respectfully called him Captain Zhan. In private, everyone usually called him "Second Fool".
Whenever Ershazi had free time after training, he would run to Chu Guan to bring Ruan Tian gifts and show concern for her well-being. Sometimes it was pastries, sometimes exquisite jewelry, and sometimes beautiful and expensive fabrics.
His extravagant spending led many to suspect that he had used all his salary to curry favor with this female doctor, Ruan.
Regardless, the feeling of being cherished and valued wholeheartedly is quite enviable, especially in brothels and other filthy and chaotic places, where true affection is all the more precious.
However, this has nothing to do with Liu Ruyan.
Oh, there is some connection.
For example, Ruan Tian would generously share the extra gifts that Er Shazi brought with the other girls in the building.
It's supposed to be a distribution, but there are far more monks than porridge, so everything has to be fought for.
Liu Ruyan is vain and ambitious by nature. She is competitive and eager to win. Her greatest wish in life is to climb higher and see further, and to trample all those who look down on her underfoot. Naturally, she will not let go of such small advantages.
But she was beautiful, and she threatened to kill herself so that she would only sing songs and not take customers, so she was not liked by the other girls in the building.
In such matters, they often couldn't compete with the strong and burly maids serving the popular girls in the brothel. They would often disregard their dignity and force their way in, only to be beaten and covered in bruises.
Even so, when Liu Ruyan was lucky enough to occasionally snatch half a piece of pastry, she would still laugh with joy.
Like a victorious general, she triumphantly tossed the crumbly pastry into her mouth in front of everyone, dusted off the crumbs, snorted, and walked away with a flourish.
She knew in her heart that everyone only saw her as a clown, but she still didn't care.
Liu Ruyan firmly believed that whether or not one could win a fight was one thing, and whether or not one actually tried to fight for it was another. She never gave up any opportunity to climb up the social ladder or gain benefits because of her own weakness.
Because she was constantly afraid that it might be the last chance in her life.
But from birth, she was not a lucky person.
Then one day, the idiot brought several more beautiful hairpins. Ruan Tian didn't like these material possessions, so she gave them all away.
As usual, Liu Ruyan tried to snatch it, but this time she didn't even manage to touch the hairpin. Instead, her hair was maliciously torn, her cheek was scratched with fingernails, and her newly made dress was ripped apart by someone stepping on her.
Watching the other girls happily showing off their spoils, Liu Ruyan forced a painful smile and left.
That day, she squatted alone by the river and cried bitterly. Her tears fell on the untreated wound on her cheek, causing a sharp, stabbing pain. For a moment, she even thought about jumping in and ending it all.
Until someone squatted down next to her.
She looked up and saw it was that silly guy who often came to spend money.
He had a rather stern appearance and wasn't actually the kind of gentle, refined young nobleman that Liu Ruyan liked. Yet, this tall and imposing man was now huddled up next to her, looking quite aggrieved.
His eyes shone like a handful of scattered stars, and when he looked at her, there was no contempt, no mockery, and no disdain or disgust.
It was so clean that she felt a little dazed.
Why are you crying?
This was the first time in her life that someone had asked her why she was crying.
Liu Ruyan was stunned for a moment, then lowered her eyes to look at the river, and raised her finger to tuck the strands of hair that had been pulled out of place behind her ear.
Although the reason made her a little embarrassed, she was least afraid of losing face in her life, especially in front of a stranger.
After hearing her words, the idiot slapped his forehead.
"If you like it, I'll bring you one separately next time, so you don't have to fight with them for it."
Liu Ruyan was stunned again.
This time, she even forgot to cry. Speechless, she looked up at him in disbelief, unable to believe what she had just heard.
It's a very subtle feeling.
She prided herself on being shrewd and mercenary, and for over a decade she had been foolishly and ridiculously competing with others, only to suddenly have someone come up to her and say, "You don't need to compete with others; I will bring you the one that is exclusively yours."
Of course, she wasn't so love-struck as to fall in love right away.
After all, she knew very well in her heart that this fool liked Ruan Tian.
Ruan Tian...
That silly girl was as pure as a cloud, always exuding a pleasant herbal scent, and as kind as a female bodhisattva descending to earth to save all living beings, untouched by worldly dust, and always speaking softly to everyone.
And I am nothing more than a piece of red silk crushed into the mud.
Even so, perhaps because the sunset that evening was too tender and the afterglow too dazzling, Liu Ruyan still cried bitterly and inexplicably told this complete idiot a lot of things she had never told anyone else before.
For example, a father who gambled, a mother who worked as a prostitute, a family that defied all reason, and her being sold into prostitution...
"When I was seven years old, I played house with the other kids in the neighborhood. I really liked an older boy who lived at the end of the alley. I tried a lot of tricks to get the chance to play his wife, but he refused without even thinking about it. Can you guess why?"
When talking about these trivial matters, she wiped away her tears haphazardly and laughed heartily.
Her arched eyebrows and upturned red lips sometimes accentuated the scratches on her face caused by fingernails, making her look vibrant and bright, yet it evoked a bittersweet feeling in people's hearts—at least Zhan Yue felt very uncomfortable.
She spoke very quickly, as if she wanted to say everything hidden in her heart.
It was as if no one had ever been willing to talk to her like this before.
So Zhan Yue lowered his voice even further.
Why?
"Hahahaha, because I'm too beautiful, he said I'm only suitable to be someone's concubine, not the first wife, hahaha!!"
The girl in the red dress was still smiling happily, her beautiful, slender almond-shaped eyes reflecting the shimmering sunset glow on the river, like shimmering gold.
She is very confident.
Because in the past, whenever she told others about this story, they would always laugh uproariously. In order to gain everyone's approval, she never hesitated to tell others about her pain so that they could laugh at her.
This time, the man squatting next to her managed a forced smile, but he couldn't manage to laugh.
He lowered his eyes, his gaze towards her becoming more tender and cautious, yet tinged with something that made her feel flustered and helpless, as if he were treating her like some fragile porcelain.
But it shouldn't be like this...
She is a stubborn rock that can be thrown around at will, a worthless brick on the roadside, and mud that anyone can step on.
Being stared at like that, she had no idea how to react.
Because it has never happened before, never.
Liu Ruyan's smile gradually froze, and finally she silently lowered her head to look at the river, no longer speaking.
After a long while, she secretly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
"You can leave now."
"Then promise me you won't jump into the river."
It turned out that he came over because he was worried that she might commit suicide.
"Are you crazy? Who would jump into the river for something like this!"
Caught off guard by his childish idea, Liu Ruyan glared at him guiltily and punched him lightly. Unexpectedly, this gentle push sent the unsuspecting Zhan Yue tumbling into the river.
A loud thud.
Seeing the splashing water, Liu Ruyan panicked and stood up in alarm, waving her hands and shouting for help. But no matter how loudly she screamed, no one stopped.
No one wants to be associated with a courtesan from a brothel.
Gritting her teeth, she simply jumped down after him.
With her poor swimming skills, she groped around for a long time before finally finding someone in the water. She grabbed the person's waist and floated to the surface, only to find that it was not Zhan Yue, but a handsome stranger dressed in fine clothes and jade belt.
Liu Ruyan was stunned. Who the hell is this?
While she was still in a daze, another white figure jumped down from the shore.
Ruan Tian?
Liu Ruyan decisively pushed the man she was holding toward Ruan Tian, and continued searching for the idiot whose fate was unknown without looking back.
However, she swam until she was exhausted but still couldn't find him, and almost drowned. If it weren't for the silly boy who had already swum ashore and then turned back to save her, she probably would have really gone to the underworld.
The sunset was as brilliant as a wildfire burning to its fullest extent, dyeing the sky a dazzling red. The two of them lay on the grassy bank of the river, soaking wet, looked at each other, and burst into laughter for no apparent reason.
He asked.
"May I have your name."
Liu Ruyan stared down at the tips of her embroidered shoes, biting her lower lip, her voice soft and tinged with frustration and self-doubt.
"...Liu Ruyan".
Actually, she wasn't originally called Liu Ruyan. It was only as she grew older that her face became more and more beautiful and alluring, and guests who came to listen to her music would jokingly call her Ruyan.
At that time, the name was quite famous. For example, someone's new ninth wife was named Liu Ruyan, and a famous courtesan in Jiangnan was also named Liu Ruyan. In short, "Liu Ruyan" seemed to be a synonym for prostitution and seduction.
She was well aware that those people were mocking and belittling her.
But it didn't matter to her anymore.
Anyway, she didn't even know her own name. After all, her mother died young from a sexually transmitted disease, and shortly after she was sold into a brothel, her gambling scumbag father also died suddenly from alcoholism.
She thought this name was much better than names like "Little Flower" or "Second Girl".
"Liu Ruyan".
Zhan Yue repeated it carefully, then subconsciously looked at the few willows swaying in the wind on the riverbank under the setting sun.
In his hometown, there was also a graceful willow tree in front of his house, where he would often sit with his parents to enjoy the shade when he was a child…
His gaze softened involuntarily.
"What kind of hairpin do you like? I'll bring it for you next time."
The mere mention of this made Liu Ruyan perk up, completely shaking off her previous listlessness. She raised the corners of her mouth high, her tone haughty and unrestrained.
"A butterfly hairpin, I saw Yan Yan had one before, it was so pretty, she bragged about it to us for ages. I want an even prettier one, so I can wear it to her and make her jealous!"
She's still just a young girl, her mind is naive and innocent.
"good."
Zhan Yue smiled and agreed.
He turned to leave, but Liu Ruyan suddenly took a few steps forward and grabbed his sleeve.
When he turned around, she looked away uncomfortably.
On the riverbank, the evening breeze gently stirred a few strands of her damp hair. She, who was usually fierce and argumentative, looked more like a helpless little girl now. She had shed her former arrogant and domineering self-protective facade and gained a touch of vulnerability that made people feel sorry for her.
"Aren't you afraid I'll blackmail you, saying that we weren't physically intimate when you saved me, and then force you to marry me?"
Her eyes were wet and glistening as she stared at him stubbornly.
Zhan Yue was stunned, wondering why she would say that, since in his heart it wasn't a bad thing.
He thought for a moment and left a strange answer.
"That works too."
Is that okay? What do you mean by "is that okay"?
Liu Ruyan was troubled by these three words for more than half a month. On one hand, she cursed him in her heart as a fickle and scumbag, and on the other hand, she couldn't help but feel an indescribable despicable joy and guilt towards Ruan Tian.
She thought that even if she had the name "Liu Ruyan," she shouldn't be stereotyped as always fighting over men.
Next time he comes, she must pretend she doesn't know him.
But he never came back after that.
Zhan Yue was sent to Canghan Town to suppress the rebels in Nanjun.
Half a month later, Liu Ruyan unexpectedly learned from Ruan Tian that the other man she had pulled from the river that day was actually a young king who had accidentally fallen into the river. As the emperor's savior, she no longer had to continue to smile and sing in the brothel.
She finally got the chance to rise to the top. Those who had bullied her in the building were now trembling with fear, and envious or jealous glances fell on her.
This is exactly what she wanted most in the past.
But strangely, she no longer seems to be happy about such things.
In any case, she eventually went to the palace with Ruan Tian.
Since she had nothing better to do, she might as well broaden her horizons. It was during this boring time of fooling around in the palace that Liu Ruyan learned more about things she didn't know before from Ruan Tian.
For example, the young emperor who liked to travel incognito was actually saved by Ruan Tian several years ago when he was assassinated during an autumn hunt. The two had already developed feelings for each other, but their differences in status delayed their relationship for so many years.
For example, Zhan Yue is the son of a hunter in the mountains. His parents died early and he has no relatives. Ruan Tian and her master lived in that desolate mountain for many years. The two families usually looked after each other and could be considered childhood sweethearts.
Childhood sweethearts...
Liu Ruyan felt a pang of sadness, but she quickly brushed it away.
Frustrated, she thought to herself that she might be able to become a concubine, so why was she still thinking about that butterfly hairpin that she didn't know when she would get her wish?
In fact, even though the emperor and Ruan Tian wouldn't mind giving her the title of concubine so she could stay in the palace to live out her days, Liu Ruyan never agreed, not even in name.
What made her even more uneasy was that Zhan Yue had not been heard from since that expedition.
January, March, half a year, a year.
Even after Liu Ruyan had finished attending Ruan Tian's coronation ceremony, that fool still hadn't returned. Soldiers who had narrowly escaped death in Canghan City rushed back to the capital with urgent news, weeping as they said the army had been ambushed in Nanjun, and General Zhan, in order to help the main force break through, had led the remaining troops to draw away the enemy.
When reinforcements arrived, they found only the bodies of the soldiers and General Zhan's sword on the edge of the cliff.
Everyone says he died outside, perhaps buried at the bottom of the valley, his remains never found.
But Liu Ruyan never believed it.
The following year, she suddenly fell ill and could not be cured by any medicine.
Perhaps this opulent palace, divided into square sections by high walls, is not actually suitable for the survival of a willow tree.
Ruan Tian tenderly touched the head of the woman in the red dress lying on the sickbed.
"Let me take you out of the palace."
The Empress has run away with Miss Liu—
This was the biggest mishap ever that had ever happened in the palace, and somehow it was eventually spread as a bizarre and outrageous version of events, such as "Miss Liu betrayed the Empress and then fled to escape punishment"...
However, not long after, Ruan Tian was summoned back by the emperor.
Liu Ruyan did not return to the Chu Pavilion, but instead found a job selling wine at the riverside dock.
People often say that fine wine from Chengdu is enough to keep one healthy in old age, and the wine seller is still Zhuo Wenjun.
Although she could not become Zhuo Wenjun, if an old friend returned from afar, at least she, who was guarding the dock, could receive the news immediately.
In the third year, Liu Ruyan suddenly received an unsigned letter.
The messenger scratched his head in confusion, saying that the envelope was addressed to a little girl in the capital who loved to wear red. He held the letter, which he didn't know where it came from, blankly, and looked at it closely at the dock after disembarking—!
The wine seller in the red dress was chatting and laughing as she inquired about Cang Han's whereabouts from passing boats.
Wow, there's one right in front of me!
And so, the letter came into her hands.
The letter writer seemed to have suffered some setback and blow, and was deeply affected. He vaguely expressed in the letter that due to his wrong decision, he had inadvertently caused the death of many close friends who had risked their lives for him. He was ashamed to go home and was enduring unbearable inner torment every day he lived.
After thinking for a moment, Liu Ruyan decided that no matter who sent the letter, she would still make an appointment with them to go see the pear blossoms next March.
She thought that as long as a person is alive, everything will pass, and hoped that the writer would be happy to receive a reply.
This made things even more difficult for the messenger.
"I found this letter on the road. Even if you wrote a reply, where would you send it?"
Liu Ruyan smiled gently.
"Then let it be."
Over time, the letter yellowed and the writing became faded, eventually returning to its owner by a twist of fate.
After falling off a cliff and living in hiding in a deserted village for more than three years, Zhan Yue clutched the letter tightly, suddenly looked up, and stared blankly at the direction of the capital across thousands of mountains and rivers.
A passing woodcutter asked, "What are you looking at?"
Zhan Yue carefully smoothed out the creases on the letter, folded it neatly, and tucked it into his sleeve.
It was March again, and he thought that the capital must be shrouded in mist and rain, with willow catkins flying everywhere.
Clutching the butterfly hairpin he hadn't been able to give away, he turned and went back into the house to pack his things, smiling loudly as he spoke.
"Looking towards the spring mist."
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