Chapter 56 Desperate Situation: "Always Behind You".
"Stop! What are you doing?"
A shout was followed by the sound of a sword falling to the ground. The Empress Dowager arrived with her guards. Although she was a woman from the inner palace, she came from a military family. In her youth, she assisted the young emperor in ruling from behind the curtain. After the young emperor became more aware of human affairs, she retired to the inner palace and devoted herself to Buddhism, never again concerning herself with state affairs.
Even so, the court treated her with great respect because of her powerful maternal family.
Upon hearing this, Ruan Yang stared blankly at the Empress Dowager, her lifeline, and felt a weight lift from her heart. The sword was knocked away, and Lu Wenjin's neck was only slightly scraped.
After confirming that Lu Wenjin was safe, Ruan Yang, who was kneeling on the ground, released Ning Xian's sleeve and weakly collapsed towards the edge of the bed.
Dust billowed as the Imperial Guards quickly arrived, and the battle raged, with swords drawn and bows ready to strike inside the tents.
The Empress Dowager said, "Your Majesty, this is a farewell banquet for the Prince of the Northern Frontier. Seeing blood would be disrespectful to the Northern Frontier."
After speaking, she glanced at Ruan Yang, who was pale and disheveled, and snorted, "Besides, such a shameful thing as abducting a subject's wife should not be made known to everyone."
Ning Xian's gaze swept indifferently past the Empress Dowager and fell upon Lu Wenjin, who was being suppressed by the Imperial Guards behind her.
They really know how to call in reinforcements.
He wouldn't be afraid of a woman, but the Empress Dowager represented the entire Meng family and was his blood-bound grandmother, so he had to give her face.
As for dealing with Lu Wenjin, he wasn't in a hurry. He didn't want to deal with the thief who stole his treasure; a quick and painless death seemed like a reward for Lu Wenjin.
Ning Xian's lips curled slightly, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes. He said to Wang Zhong, "Did you hear that? Why aren't you letting go of General Lu?"
Freed from restraint, Lu Wenjin immediately rushed to Ruan Yang's side. The girl trembled slightly, and her faint sobs were particularly jarring in the silent tent.
He clenched his fists and, ignoring everyone's stares, carried Ruan Yang out of the tent.
After the guards left, Aunt Zhu Ruo and the others rushed back to call the imperial physician to treat Ruan Yang, leaving only the Empress Dowager and Ning Xian in the tent.
Seeing that the person was about to leave, Ning Xian picked up the long sword on the ground and played with it in his hand, saying, "Grandmother is getting old. You don't need to worry about these small things next time. I was confused this time because I was too eager to have children for the royal family."
The Empress Dowager said coldly, "Since the Crown Princess left, His Majesty has been depressed and has been staying in Chonghua Palace and Cuixuan Residence. He rarely sets foot in the residences of the other concubines. It is a good thing that he is willing to see the light now. It is just a pity that His Majesty is busy with state affairs and does not know that this beautiful young lady is already the wife of the Lu family. It is understandable that he almost made a mistake."
"But I forgot to tell Your Majesty that I am planning to adopt Miss Jing as my goddaughter. If you want to use her for coercion in the future, you will have to ask me for permission first."
Ning Xian wasn't angry at all. On the contrary, she thought that the little rabbit was quite clever. It knew how to coax the old lady and find a backer for herself.
The old lady has no problem with matters concerning the inner palace.
But Lu Wenjin was his subject, and how could a subject disobey the king's orders?
Ning Xian sneered, respectfully bid farewell to the Empress Dowager, then summoned Eunuch Liang to prepare pen and ink, and then picked up the pen to draft an imperial edict.
......
Funing Hall.
Lu Wenjin received the imperial decree from Ning Xian to quell the rebellion in Lizhou as dawn was approaching.
The bamboo groves on both sides of the path were shrouded in mist, and maids swept fallen leaves in front of the door, wiping every corner until it was spotless.
Knowing that Ruan Yang was pregnant, Zhu Ruo laid out soft bedding before Lu Wenjin entered the room, afraid that she might bump into something again.
Fortunately, Lu Wenjin and Ruan Yang were both healthy and did not bleed despite all the ordeal. The imperial physician prescribed some medicine to prevent miscarriage and instructed Aunt Zhu Ruo that it would be best for Ruan Yang to rest quietly and avoid any further stimulation before giving birth.
Ruan Yang was half-conscious, her small hands clutching Lu Wenjin's sleeve tightly, refusing to let go, and strongly resisting the medicine from entering her mouth.
Zhu Ruo used a cool handkerchief to wipe Ruan Yang's burning palms and sighed, "It's alright now, General Lu is alright too, everyone's fine."
After hearing this, Ruan Yang frowned and stared at the young man for a long time.
Ruan Yang tried to speak, but her throat was blocked by a wet cotton ball. She could only raise her hand and carefully touch Lu Wenjin's face, forcing a smile as she said, "You're back. That's good. Does it hurt...?"
The girl stretched out her arms, her light sleeves draped down to her shoulders, her slender white arms glowing in the candlelight.
Lu Wenjin tried to return a smile, but he couldn't manage it. He raised his lips, but tears streamed down his face. "It doesn't hurt. I defeated the Wolf King, so I came back to see you."
Ruan Yang's lips drooped involuntarily. She said aggrievedly, "But you still have to leave. I don't know when we'll meet again. I heard it all. Ning Xian is going to send you to the border."
She hated Ning Xian to the core, but couldn't help blaming Lu Wenjin outwardly. She buried her face in Lu Wenjin's chest and sobbed, "What kind of wife is pregnant and her husband isn't by her side? You should at least wait until I give birth before you leave."
Ruan Yang was actually terrified of the day she was about to give birth. All she wanted was for Lu Wenjin to be with her during those difficult hours, but Ning Xian wouldn't even grant her that request.
Lu Wenjin gently stroked Ruan Yang's swollen belly, feeling the occasional sliding sensation under his palm, and his heart softened instantly.
Lu Wenjin said, "I know what he's going to do. If he really wants to wipe us out, then..."
He couldn't easily reveal the matter of plotting a rebellion, but he secretly thought about how to plan it.
Now that he has left the capital, he will have the opportunity to mobilize tens of thousands of troops from Sichuan and Chongqing...
Since living a law-abiding life will inevitably lead to the extermination of the entire family, it's better to take the initiative and risk it all.
If he wins, Ruan Yang will be free; if he loses, he will die a horrible death.
As for Ruan Yang, as long as she behaves herself, Ning Xian can't bear to really hurt her.
Lu Wenjin was filled with reluctance. He hugged Ruan Yang, savoring the warmth of the girl's body, and said, "I'm sorry, I was too slow. It's been more than four months since I found out about it. If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have hesitated for so long before deciding to do it."
"Take good care of yourself. I will try my best to be by your side when you give birth."
Ruan Yang nodded, then held up her little finger, staring at her wet, murmuring, "We made a pinky promise, you can't go back on your word..."
Lu Wenjin nodded, cupped Ruan Yang's nape in his palm, and whispered in her ear, "Return to Bashu as soon as possible."
Ruan Yang was taken aback, then understood his unspoken meaning. She looked up and kissed him: "I know, no matter what you do, I will stand behind you and never betray you."
......
In late winter, the nights come earlier and earlier. These past few days, the sun has been nowhere to be seen, and the sky has been overcast, looking like it's about to drizzle.
The courtyards, large and small, of Funing Palace were all heated by underfloor heating. Although the wind was biting cold and the air was damp and chilly outside, the walls and tiles inside were warm and cozy from the heat.
"Madam, the medicine to prevent miscarriage has arrived. Drink it while it's hot to soothe your throat."
Zhu Ruo returned carrying a bowl of pitch-black medicine, and her fingers turned bright red from the cold in the short time she had gone to the kitchen.
Ruan Yang spent nearly two months leisurely in the Funing Palace. She was slender and not showing her pregnancy, but her belly was getting heavier and heavier. These past few nights, she had been restless in her sleep and kicked off the covers, which caused her to catch a cold.
Ruan Yang took the bitter medicine, but after only a few sips, she started coughing. Seeing that her eyes were blurry with tears, Zhu Ruo sighed, "Why don't you get some cough medicine instead?"
She was pregnant, and the pregnancy was unstable. The imperial physicians were afraid of complications and dared not prescribe any other medicine for Ruan Yang.
Ruan Yang is fiercely protective of her child; if anyone were to harm her child now, she would probably fight that person to the death.
But Ruan Yang also knew that her belly was getting bigger and bigger, and if she didn't leave the capital sooner or later, the fact that she was pregnant with Lu Wenjin's child would be exposed to Ning Xian.
She had just shaken her head when the maid guarding the door brought in a gust of cold wind.
Ruan Yang's heart skipped a beat, and the medicine in her hand spilled all over the table. Only after she realized that it was just a palace servant from Funing Palace did she feel relieved and hurriedly wipe her clothes.
Fortunately, it wasn't Ning Xian.
Seeing that Ruan Yang was frightened, Zhu Ruo scolded, "You're getting more and more unruly! What happened?"
The maid knelt down and said, "Reporting to Madam, it is Young Master Fu Ling, who serves His Majesty, who requests an audience."
Ruan Yang was startled, and the embarrassing incident that she had almost forgotten popped into her mind, causing her cheeks to burn instantly.
That night, acting impulsively, she seduced him into having sex, then promptly turned and left...
Zhu Ruo asked in surprise, "A person from His Majesty's side? What is he doing here? Does Madam wish to see him?"
Ruan Yang shook her head abruptly. Ning Xian had been behaving strangely these past few days, not even setting foot in the Funing Palace. She probably wanted Fu Ling to come and find out about her.
"Let him go back. Just tell him I'm taking a break."
The maidservant went out for a while, then returned and said, "Madam, I told him, but he won't leave. He's just standing there in the wind, freezing, saying he has something for you..."
Ruan Yang frowned, listening to the howling wind, but decided to harden her heart and ignore Fu Ling.
He is Ning Xian's man, and he does things for Ning Xian. He probably came to Fu Ning Palace at Ning Xian's behest. Ruan Yang tacitly agrees that anyone associated with Ning Xian is a bad person.
Half an hour later, Ruan Yang finished embroidering the child's tiger-head shoes and clothes, and then put down her needlework to rest.
She propped herself up and sat to the side, noticing the maid's hesitant expression. She asked疑惑地问道, "Is he still here?"
The maid nodded: "It's still here..."
Ruan Yang pursed her lips, slightly angry, thinking to herself, "That kid is just like his brother, a troublesome fellow."
She couldn't bear it, so she grabbed a large crane cloak to cover her pregnant belly and sighed, "Never mind, let him in."
The palace servants withdrew as ordered, leaving only Ruan Yang and the sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy gazing at each other in the warm pavilion.
Only by the light could Ruan Yang see clearly what the person she had made love with that night looked like.
The boy's skin was unbelievably fair, with a small mole at the corner of his eye. He was dressed unusually thinly, wearing only a black robe without any cotton lining, even though it was the twelfth lunar month.
Even boots are only worn in the summer.
These two half-brothers probably both resembled their mother. Upon closer inspection, Fu Ling's features bear a resemblance to Ning Xian's.
He's a handsome little boy.
Fu Ling was only a head taller than her, and judging by her age, she was probably still growing. Thinking of this, Ruan Yang felt even more guilty for no reason.
Good heavens, what terrible things did she do that night?
With a "whoosh," the sugar cube, about the size of a fingernail, rolled a few times on the clean handkerchief.
Ruan Yang stepped back and asked, "What is this?"
"Pear syrup, for cough relief."
No wonder there was no sign of him for a while when she was waiting for him at Funing Palace. She thought he had left, but she didn't expect that he had heard her cough and went back to get some pear candy to stop her cough.
For safety's sake, Ruan Yang naturally wouldn't eat it, but she still accepted it.
"Thank you, young master. May I ask what brings you here? I am very tired, so please speak freely."
Upon hearing this, Fu Ling took out a porcelain bottle from her sleeve. Her words were brief, but they almost made Ruan Yang want to crawl into a hole in the ground.
"The contraceptive pill, take responsibility."
"Um?"
Fu Ling doesn't talk much. She has lived a life of eating raw meat and drinking blood since she was a child, interacting with wolves. It was only this month that Ning Xian sent a teacher to teach Fu Ling to write characters from the Central Plains.
Fu Ling stammered as she explained, "They said that after doing that, we should..."
Ruan Yang frowned: "What are you talking about..?"
Ruan Yang didn't know where this kid had heard these things, but he didn't intend to explain. For the contraceptive pill to take effect, it had to be taken within three hours.
"Alright, I know, I'll eat it."
Then, she said earnestly, "But little brother, you must promise me that you will never forget what happened that day, okay?"
"That day, I was forced by your brother to do something so absurd to you. My position prevented me from taking responsibility for you. I'm sorry..."
The room was silent for a moment; you could hear a pin drop.
Seeing that Fu Ling was hanging his head and not saying a word, Ruan Yang was about to send the guest away when she noticed the scratch marks on the boy's arm.
"Are you injured?"
She asked casually, but in an instant she realized it was caused by the sharp claws of a wild wolf.
Ruan Yang realized that Fu Ling had probably helped Lu Wenjin take the wolf king's head that time.
Her nose tingled with emotion: "So it was you. Thank you for helping him."
Fu Ling shook her head and turned away.
Seeing that he had come and gone so inexplicably, Ruan Yang called out to Fu Ling's retreating figure, "Hey, it's terribly cold outside. Remember to ask your brother to make you some more clothes."
"Um."
"The wound also needs to be treated with medicine."
"good."
"Also, you're not allowed to mention that matter again."
"oh."
"Oh, right, this is my hot water bottle. It's still warm. Your hands have chilblains, so use it to warm them up."
Fu Ling looked up. The woman's slender fingers swayed in the air. Her eyes were clear and bright, and her slightly raised chin was like a beautiful jade carving. Her red lips opened and closed, and her voice was as gentle as water.
As for what was said, he had no idea; his mind was already far away...
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Author's Note: Fu Ling: Something's jumping around...
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