Chapter 15 Argument "Get out, do you hear me?"...
In midsummer, after several days of maneuvering, Ning Xian led the Imperial Guards straight to Bashu, catching the Shu army off guard. In order to save his life, Ruan Xishan had no choice but to order Lu Wenjin to surrender to the court and hand over his military power as a sign of sincerity.
Today, Ning Xian returned home fully prepared. He changed into his military uniform and put on his usual black robe with wide sleeves. His black hair fell naturally from his silver crown. He stroked the horse's mane while carefully feeding it grass.
If they rode at full speed without stopping, it would take more than seven days to see Ruan Yang. Ning Xian felt a lump in her throat.
Since their unpleasant parting last time, that heartless little brat hasn't sent a single letter. In fact, Cui Nong told him that Ruan Yang didn't shed a single tear after learning about his faked death.
He threw the fresh grass in his hand to the ground in frustration and said, "Has there been any news from Danzhou these past few days?"
The soldier counting the number of men replied, "Your Highness, there has been no news."
Upon hearing this, Ning Xian crossed his arms and leaned lazily against a pillar. He glanced at the mandarin duck pendant hanging on the soldier's chest and snorted coldly, "Come here."
"What are your orders, Your Highness?"
Ning Xian snatched his treasured pendant and said, "Let me ask you, if one day your wife suddenly stops talking to you, why do you think that would be?"
"...Huh? I guess I did something bad and made her angry."
Ning Xian reflected on herself for a moment, then frowned and asked, "Isn't there any other reason?"
The soldier casually remarked, "Or maybe she's having an affair? Sigh, women have so many thoughts, they're really hard to fathom."
Ning Xian didn't want to suspect that Ruan Yang had fallen in love with someone else, but with that wicked Lu Wenjin around, the two were truly in love and had reached the point of discussing marriage. He himself was a latecomer, and if he were to compete with Lu Wenjin for that little pet, he was afraid he would have to put in a lot of effort.
If it weren't for the need to reduce the war between the two regions and prevent widespread bloodshed, he would have already led his troops to conquer Bashu and capture Lu Wenjin alive.
"Your Highness, why are you suddenly asking this?"
Ning Xian snapped out of her daze, glanced at the other person, said nothing, and returned to her tent alone.
...
In the early morning, there was only a bowl of plain porridge and a small dish of osmanthus honey on the table. Although the food was not as plentiful as it had been recently, it was still edible.
Ruan Yang put a spoonful of porridge into her mouth, and the sweet and warm taste quickly spread to her heart. This was one of the few times in the past two months that she was willing to eat properly.
Today is a beautiful day, with not a cloud in the sky. If she packs her things now and leaves quietly, she will suffer much less on her journey.
Ruan Yang packed up the necessary clothes and went to the drawer in front of the dressing table to get some jewelry in exchange for money to survive.
After all, she had served Ning Xian for so long, and even if she hadn't done anything particularly meritorious, she had still put in a lot of effort. Taking a little money from him would help her take better care of her health when she had a baby in the future.
She wrapped all her expensive jewelry, including bracelets, hairpins, and earrings, into a tattered cloth, then rummaged through the small box, only to find that her jade pendant with two fish was missing.
Ruan Yang recalled carefully that the only thing that could identify her had been accidentally placed in the meditation room next door last time.
......
"Is it convenient for your wife?"
After much deliberation, Ruan Yang had no choice but to knock on Jinlian's door.
The one who opened the door was her former servant, Cui Nong.
Upon seeing that it was Ruan Yang, Cui Nong feared that this woman had come to cause trouble, and her fingertips involuntarily tightened around the door frame: "...It's you? What business do you have with Madam Jinlian?"
Ruan Yang found this form of address ironic, and within just a few days he had changed his address to "Madam".
Ning Xian really spoils her.
A sharp glint, never before seen in her eyes, flashed in her eyes as she smiled and said, "I'm here to retrieve my own things, not to see your wife."
Cui Nong shuddered.
"Who's outside? Let them in quickly."
Cui Nong lowered her eyes and turned to the side, hesitating slightly, but Ruan Yang did not wait for her reaction and walked straight in.
Inside the meditation room, Jinlian was kneeling in front of a small table in the center of the room. Ningxian's cloak was draped over the girl's shoulders. Her dress was the same style as Ningxian's robe, and the black satin fabric made her skin look even whiter than snow.
She held the needle and thread and the satin with its cloud-patterned design between her fingertips, as if she were making new shoes for Ning Xian.
Ruan Yang trembled slightly. Even though she had mentally prepared herself, as soon as she closed her eyes, all she could see in her mind was Ning Xian and Jin Lian naked, entwined on the bed, embracing each other and whispering sweet nothings.
Jinlian put down what she was holding and did not intend to get up: "Sister, I have caught a cold and am not feeling well. Please forgive me for not being able to bow to you."
Ruan Yang was eager to take his things and leave as soon as possible, and did not want to cause any trouble with anyone, so he got straight to the point and explained his purpose.
Seeing Ruan Yang's somewhat haggard appearance, Jinlian became even more certain of what the maids had told her. For example, she had displeased Ning Xian and had long since lost favor. Now, she was just shamelessly clinging to Ning Xian's side and refusing to leave.
In Jinlian's mind, Ruan Yang was already a jealous woman who couldn't do anything to her and would even come looking for trouble.
She tossed the jade pendant in her hand and said, "I've never seen any jade pendant before. There aren't any here. You should go somewhere else."
The room was filled with tension, and Cui Nong and the others were all waiting to see Ruan Yang make a fool of himself.
She's usually so gentle and weak; what can she do besides cry when something happens?
Ruan Yang was too lazy to waste words with her. Since she was leaving anyway, what difference would it make if she completely broke ties with Ning Xian? She disdained it and saw no need to use any scheming tactics with the people here.
Jinlian felt somewhat pressured as she saw her sister pressing closer: "Sister, are you going to search me?"
"...I'm injured, aren't you afraid he'll come back and blame you?"
Ruan Yang stood in front of her, not bothering with any words. He grabbed her collar, threw the girl's body onto the table, and then expressionlessly pried open her fingers to retrieve the jade pendant.
Jinlian winced in pain and couldn't help but let out a soft cry, her eyes brimming with tears as she sucked on her broken finger.
Afterwards, Ruan Yang didn't know where she got the confidence from. Perhaps it was the awakening of her innate tenacity that made her feel that no matter how much she loved someone, she couldn't lose her dignity.
Cui Nong helped Jin Lian up: "You, how could you hurt someone so easily? How will you explain this when the young master returns?"
Ruan Yang ignored him, held the jade pendant firmly in his hand, and got up to open the door.
"Squeak—"
Ruan Yang had just stepped out of the door when she was suddenly hit on the head by a figure that appeared out of nowhere. She was startled and staggered backward, but in an instant, she was caught by a strong arm around her waist.
Before she could react, the dark figure lifted her legs from below, and then, accompanied by the long-lost fragrance of lotus blossoms, her body was suddenly suspended in mid-air, and the surrounding scenery began to spin around her.
As soon as Ning Xian dismounted, he rushed towards Ruan Yang's residence, intending to give her a surprise, but unexpectedly, he ran into her at the door.
Ignoring the gazes of the monks and maids around him, he wanted to kiss Ruan Yang so much that he fainted upon first sight.
He carried Ruan Yang around several times, and when he got tired, he pressed her against the door and window, leaning over to gently rub her face and mouth against the girl's.
After being affectionate for a while, he sensed the other person's indifference and asked, "Hey, do you miss me?"
The long-awaited intimacy made Ruan Yang's legs go weak, and her heart throbbed with pain. She closed her eyes and desperately held back her tears, remaining silent.
"Leaving? Are you still angry?"
Ning Xian looked down and saw a red thread wrapped around the girl's hand, and the jade pendant with two fish in her palm.
He frowned; it was the token of love between her and Lu Wenjin.
Who are you going to see?
His already fragile sense of security collapsed completely in that instant. He said coldly and menacingly, "While I was away, you went to see your old flame behind my back?"
Ruan Yang opened her eyes, and two lines of tears involuntarily slid down her cheeks. He broke his promise first, and now he even doubts her.
There was no time to dodge, and Ning Xian didn't care whether she was in pain or not. He just kept gripping her wrist tightly and pulling the jade pendant out of her hand.
What are you going to do?
No sooner had he finished speaking than, with a "crack," the jade pendant shattered into pieces on the ground.
Ruan Yang's eyes widened in disbelief. The only thing that could prove her identity had been destroyed, and she was filled with indignation.
Ning Xian's chest heaved slightly as she sighed, "Alright, stop arguing with me. It'll make me unhappy. Let's go back and rest."
The words were full of apologies, but there was not a trace of repentance; instead, they sounded like commands and warnings.
Ruan Yang gritted her teeth, but tears fell helplessly. During this time, she had given her heart to Ning Xian, regarding him as her one and only, and was even willing to bear children for him.
But she was unlucky in love, and what she received was Ning Xian's betrayal and the fact that he treated her like a plaything.
Ruan Yang raised her hand and slapped Ning Xian's cheek in front of everyone.
The skin and flesh pressed together, making a very crisp sound.
The courtyard fell silent. Everyone was startled. How dare this barbaric village woman slap the crown prince in public?
Ning Xian was somewhat stunned, and her voice weakened: "You... hit me?"
His eyes were slightly red, and he choked out as if he were going crazy, "You actually hit me! You actually had the heart to hit me?!"
A rumble of thunder echoed across the sky, and the dark clouds were piled up in layers by the evening breeze. The moon had disappeared without anyone noticing.
Jinlian rubbed her arm and saw that Ningxian's cheek was bruised and had obvious five-finger marks, so she knew that he must be in great pain.
She ran to Ning Xian's side and carefully wiped away the bloodstains with her handkerchief: "Young Master, are you alright?"
Ning Xian dodged aside, looking down at Ruan Yang as she knelt on the ground, picking up the jade pieces that had shattered into small fragments, not caring even if her palms were cut by the sharp shards.
Seeing the girl bent over in a disheveled state, tears falling to the ground one by one, Ning Xian closed his eyes helplessly and resentfully. He was dead, and this woman didn't cry for him. She was so sad because her token of love with Lu Wenjin was gone.
"go out."
The sound wasn't loud, but it was powerful enough to intimidate.
All eyes were on Ruan Yang.
Seeing the girl still picking up broken stones, he gritted his teeth and said, "Get lost, do you hear me?"
Ruan Yang's back stiffened, and she stood up and smiled at Ning Xian, "Really?"
Seeing that she still had the leisure to laugh, Ning Xian became even angrier: "Go as far away as possible, I never want to see you again in my life."
"Why?" Ruan Yang looked up.
Ning Xian was stunned. He hadn't expected the girl to give him no way out and not even try to coax him!
He casually grabbed the nearest person: "Because I have Lian'er here, I don't need you. Jinlian, come here!"
Jinlian's face was flushed. She shyly took Ningxian's hand and leaned against the man like a little bird.
Ruan Yang gave a self-deprecating laugh, nodded blankly, and stood there crying silently. Her tears had unknowingly overflowed, and because she was deliberately suppressing them, her face became somewhat distorted until she could no longer utter a single word.
After a long pause, she said in a tearful voice, "She is your darling, while I am just a lowly concubine who can be thrown away like trash. It is my shamelessness that has ruined the relationship between you."
Ning Xian gritted her teeth: "...Yes."
Seeing Ruan Yang, who was pregnant, crying her heart out, while Ning Xian remained unmoved, the maidservant felt truly sorry for her.
The rain soaked her dress, and the girl, full of anticipation, gave her heart away for the first time, only to unfortunately end in failure.
Ruan Yang paused, her steps went numb, and she felt as if she had been electrocuted. She stiffly turned and walked towards the door.
One of them mustered his courage and said, "Madam, please admit your mistake. It's so late, it's not safe for you to be alone..."
Knowing that her words carried little weight and were of no use, the maid quietly turned and ran to the Duke of Dingguo's residence to bring Lan Rong back from her errands.
Ning Xian pushed away the inexplicably appearing golden lotus and guessed what had happened while he was away: "Where is Wang Zhong? Call him here."
The attendant asked, "Should we persuade Miss Ruan to come back?"
Ning Xian's fingertips turned white as she hardened her heart and said, "Let her make a fuss, she's just throwing a tantrum. There's no need to pay attention to her. She'll be back on her own in a few days."
Seeing the attendants leave, Ning Xian said, "Wait, the road is slippery and the rain is heavy. Send someone to follow her secretly, so that nothing really happens to her."
"yes."
Half an hour later, Lan Rong arrived late. Upon seeing the jade fragments on the ground, she immediately sensed something was wrong.
After learning the reason, she hurriedly threw down her wet umbrella, knelt down beside Ning Xian, and sighed anxiously, "Your Highness, how could you say such hurtful things? It's so late and it's raining. Don't you know that Miss Ruan is carrying your child? How could you be so angry with a pregnant woman?"
With a loud rumble, the rain intensified.
A thunderous roar erupted in Ning Xian's mind. He was stunned: "What...what did you say? Ruan Yang, she..."
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