Chapter 20 Beloved Pet "Tears of bitterness streamed down Ning Xian's face."...
As soon as the eunuch finished speaking, Ruan Zhuoyin's expression changed slightly.
Ning Xian never joins in such crowds, so why does he have the leisure to come to Fengqi Palace now? Could it be that he really likes Ji Changhuan and wants to marry her as the Crown Princess, and has come here with his future wife?
Meeting Xu's disapproving gaze, she took Ruan Yang's hand and smiled, "Yangyang, you've just recovered from a serious illness and shouldn't be exposed to heat. Shall I have Zisu take you back to your room to cool off? You can also go and see the peach blossom wine I brewed myself."
Ruan Yang originally wanted to see what the Crown Prince looked like, but seeing that the Empress seemed unwilling to let her stay there, she had no choice but to obediently follow Zisu along the corridor and turn around to leave.
...
The warm pavilion is shaded by green trees, and because little sunlight shines in, the moss in the corners of the walls is lush. There is also a pond in front of the door, and the south wind blows through here into the house, making it very cool.
The cicadas chirped softly. Ruan Yang knelt on the cushion, propping her chin up with one hand, while idly playing with the Empress's little white cat. The chamber she was in was located in a secluded corner of the Phoenix Palace, and she hadn't seen a single person for half a day.
Zisu went out to make her some chilled plum and glutinous rice ball soup, and now she was all alone. Ruan Yang rubbed her cold arms.
She put down the cat in her arms, lifted her skirt, and prepared to go to the back kitchen to find Zisu. Just as she stepped out the door, a figure came towards her at the end of the corridor.
Ruan Yang was taken aback. The man also noticed her presence, and his angry expression suddenly relaxed.
Although they were far apart, Ruan Yang did not recognize the well-dressed man, but when he saw her, he smiled and quickened his pace to walk towards her.
Ruan Yang was taken aback, and a chill ran down his spine.
Seeing that the man was getting closer and closer to her, Ruan Yang glanced at the empty surroundings and had no choice but to turn around and run back into the house.
"Little sister Yangyang, don't run away! I'm your brother Shan, don't you remember me?"
The man's voice echoed behind her. Ruan Yang finally managed to run back into the house and was about to turn around and close the door when the man, like a ghost, suddenly appeared in front of her.
Why are you avoiding me?
The man's hand slipped through the crack in the door. Ruan Yang used all her strength to hold the door shut, but she was no match for the man's strength. After a brief stalemate, the door opened with a loud bang, and the man was thrown inside.
When Ruan Yang saw the man get up like a demon, she panicked and kicked him in the head. He cried out in pain and immediately grabbed her ankle with his left hand to prevent her from running away.
The man, clutching his head in a disheveled state, said, "Yangyang, you're so heartless! You don't want me, fine, but don't you want to know who killed your own sister?"
Sister? She doesn't have any sister.
"I don't know what you're talking about, let me go...."
The man ignored her; in his eyes, Ruan Yang's struggles were no different from playing hard to get.
"Your Highness, Third Prince!"
A steady, powerful voice brought the man to an abrupt halt.
A palace attendant, around forty years old, appeared from outside the circular archway. He glanced at Ruan Yang, who was unharmed, and then bowed to the man.
Upon seeing that it was someone from the Eastern Palace, the Third Prince coldly snorted, then released Ruan Yang, climbed off the girl, knelt on the ground, brushed the dust off his clothes, and said impatiently, "Mr. Liang, is there something you need from me?"
"It's nothing serious. During the game of chess just now, His Highness the Crown Prince noticed that you were in a bad mood after losing, so he asked me to fetch a luminous pearl from the South China Sea from the storeroom and deliver it to your residence immediately."
The Third Prince glanced at the trembling Ruan Yang and sneered, "No need. Tell Your Highness that I can afford to lose. It's getting late, and I have an appointment with the Prince of Yongning for a hunt. Mr. Liang, I'll have to decline."
The smell of alcohol finally dissipated, and the man, supporting himself against the wall, shakily left the courtyard.
Ruan Yang straightened her disheveled hairpins and temples, and curtsied slightly to the eunuch: "Thank you for your help, sir."
Liang Ping returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Miss, there's no need for such formalities. Since there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."
Before Ruan Yang could even ask the eunuch's identity, the man turned and left.
At this moment, Zisu rushed over with a bowl of plum juice. Seeing the girl's disheveled clothes, she exclaimed in surprise, "Oh dear, what happened to you, young lady? I was only gone for half an hour, and... what is Mr. Liang doing here?"
Ruan Yang shook her head, puzzled, and asked, "Isn't that gentleman from the Empress's palace?"
Zisu was still shaken. She turned to look at the empty corner, but Ning Xian was nowhere to be seen. However, Liang, the eunuch, was from the Eastern Palace, and he would never have appeared here without Ning Xian's orders.
Why would His Highness the Crown Prince help Miss Ruan out of a predicament when they've never even met before...?
She asked, "Did you just see His Highness the Crown Prince?"
Ruan Yang shook his head: "It's the Third Prince, not the Crown Prince."
Zisu was stunned for a moment: "It's him? This... The Third Prince has always been like this, please don't take it to heart. This servant will go and tell Her Majesty the Empress right away, so that he won't bother you again."
"Why would His Highness the Third Prince appear at Phoenix Palace?" Ruan Yang asked curiously.
Zisu said, "Don't you remember? The Third Prince is the Empress's adopted son and often comes to Fengqi Palace to pay his respects to the Empress."
Does he recognize me?
Zisu nodded: "Of course I know you. Although the Second Miss doesn't come to Fengqi Palace often, the Third Prince fell in love with you at first sight and has admired you since childhood. He often brings you new and interesting things to make you happy. He even asked His Majesty to issue an edict to marry you as his princess."
"......."
"Do I have feelings for him?"
Zisu guessed, "It seems so, otherwise the Third Prince wouldn't have been so fond of you."
Forehead.
Ruan Yang fell silent for a moment. How many people did she owe before she lost her memory? Even God couldn't bear it anymore, so He sent that wicked man, Ning Xian, to her side as punishment.
Ruan Yang was still shaken; she never wanted to be alone here again.
She said, "Zisu, the banquet is almost over. Would you take me with you to see the Empress?"
“Then come with me, young lady.”
Zisu led Ruan Yang away, and the courtyard returned to its usual deathly silence. Only Ruan Zhuoyin's little white cat lay in the flowerbed, nibbling on the flower branches with its paws, amusing itself.
In the shadows, Ning Xian gazed at Ruan Yang's energetic back, her eyes brimming with tears, her back teeth practically shattering.
She lied to him, claiming she had fallen off a cliff and died, but in reality, she had secretly conspired with Lu Wenjin to scheme against him. She had him completely fooled, hoping to lower his guard and find an opportunity to return to her childhood sweetheart.
One minute it's Lu Wenjin, and now it's the Third Prince. Just how many men has this woman loved behind his back? How many times has she cheated on him? A tear, both bitter and sweet, slid down Ning Xian's cheek.
He can be angry and unhappy with Ruan Yang, but Ruan Yang can't treat him like this!
She was his pet, and it was only natural for a pet to obey its owner. Even if he grew tired of her one day, Ruan Yang's fate would only be to die at his hands, and she would never be allowed to live off someone else.
...
Before we knew it, it was evening. The sun was setting, and the air was filled with the fragrance of the south. The entire Phoenix Palace was enveloped in a sweet aroma.
The banquet had just ended, and the palace servants cleaned up the leftovers and then withdrew.
Ruan Yang's return at this time was unfortunate. She had just come out of the west room when she ran into Ji Changhuan. Not wanting to have any further conflict with her, she simply bowed slightly to her as if she were a stranger.
Ji Changhuan turned her body to the side, clearly not wanting her to leave. Her eyes narrowed slightly: "A noble lady like you is willing to lower yourself to be a concubine, a mistress who cannot be brought to the table."
Ji Changhuan smiled contemptuously, but said nothing more, leaving only this inexplicable remark before turning around and leaving.
Upon hearing this, the noble ladies standing behind her exchanged glances and whispered among themselves, covering their lips with their round fans.
Ruan Yang seemed not to hear and continued to have Zisu lead her to the front hall.
As soon as she stepped into the front hall, a maidservant with a panicked expression ran up behind her. She knelt down and trembled, saying, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"
Ruan Zhuoyin and Madam Xu were playing chess. She put down the chess piece and asked, "What happened?"
"The Third Prince went hunting this evening and shot many animals. He was in high spirits, so he rode his horse deep into the forest to catch some wild beasts. But for some reason, the tiger went mad and tore off his left arm."
Ruan Zhuoyin frowned: "Absurd! How could a tiger suddenly go berserk? Has the cause been found out?!"
"No, I only know that it was because the Third Prince relentlessly pursued that tiger that it went berserk..."
"Is it possible to connect?"
"The imperial physician came and said that if the severed limb could be removed from the tiger's mouth, it could be reattached, but that beast swallowed the arm whole when it saw blood..."
Upon hearing this, Xu felt a chill run down her spine: "Where are the hunters' guards? They must have neglected their duties! They should have shot the tiger down with arrows when it pounced!"
The maid shook her head: "If it were just an ordinary tiger, it wouldn't be so bad, but that tiger belongs to His Highness the Crown Prince and is kept in the hunting park. The guards dare not shoot it easily. It's usually kept in a cage, but today the tamer got drunk and the lock wasn't properly secured..."
Ruan Zhuoyin sighed, she had long lost patience with this good-for-nothing adopted son, and breaking his arm would be a good way to curb his temper.
But she didn't understand. These two had never interfered with each other before, so why had he provoked Ning Xian now?
"What did the Crown Prince say?"
No sooner had the words been spoken than a servant was sent from the Eastern Palace. The eunuch, holding a peach wood tray, knelt in the center of the hall and received permission.
He lifted the raised cloth, revealing a huge, lifeless tiger head to everyone.
Having grown up in the inner chambers, Xu had never seen such a bloody scene. Her abbess exclaimed in shock and turned her face away, no longer daring to look at the tiger's head.
The Empress scoffed, "Your Crown Prince actually dared to kill the tiger he raised from a cub? He really has a heart of stone."
The eunuch said, "Our prince said that this tiger is just a pet after all. When it is obedient, it will be fed and cared for. If it rebels against its master, it will naturally be killed."
Ruan Yang noticed that the tiger's head still had a talisman for praying for peace hanging on it, which must have been a favorite of the Crown Prince in the past.
This accidental turn of events resulted in her getting revenge, which was entirely the Third Prince's own fault.
The Empress then smiled at Ruan Yang and said, "Your mother has been frightened and is feeling unwell. Why don't you come with me to see the Third Prince?"
…
Ji Changhuan was in a bad mood after the Thousand Autumns Banquet, and he was dissatisfied with sitting in the carriage in several different directions.
The girl picked up the wooden carving next to her and began to play with it in her hands.
The maid sighed, "Miss, this wooden carving of His Highness's is different from the others on the shelf. Perhaps His Highness intended to give it away. Let's return it..."
She secretly sneaked into Ning Xian's bedroom and stole this thing from him.
This is a wooden kitten, slightly larger than the palm of her hand. The kitten is so lifelike, with its belly exposed and its tail raised. It is very cute to hold in the palm of your hand, but the more she looks at it, the more it seems to look like a human.
Ji Changhuan opened it and saw that there was a line of fine characters carved on the paw pads of the wooden kitten.
Happy birthday, little Yangyang.
Ji Changhuan instantly smashed the wooden carving into the corner: "I won't give it back!"
"If His Highness finds out the wooden carving is missing, he will surely blame the servants, and then..."
"Then I'll say you stole it?" Ji Changhuan said coldly.
The maid was taken aback and fell silent.
The wheels rumbled, and they were soon at the palace gate. The coachman handed the travel permit to the guards at the gate.
At that moment, faint sobs could be heard coming from the corner of the wall, sounding extremely sorrowful.
Ji Changhuan felt a headache coming on: "Who's crying outside? It's so annoying..."
The maid got out of the carriage to check the situation and returned, saying, "Miss, it's a girl who looks about fifteen or sixteen years old. I see that her clothes are dirty and old, so she must be an ordinary person."
"Brother, please have mercy and inform that noble person in the palace, wouldn't you?"
The girl knelt on the ground, her tears almost dried up.
"Do you think you can just see His Highness the Crown Prince whenever you want? You can kneel until your legs break, but it won't do you any good! Come on, come on!"
Ji Changhuan was taken aback upon hearing this, then lifted the carriage curtain and looked down at her, saying, "You're looking for Ning Xian? What do you want with him? Who are you to him?"
The girl rubbed her red eyes: "My name is Jinlian, and I am His Highness's..."
She didn't even know what her relationship was to Ning Xian.
Ji Changhuan raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "You like him?"
"That's unfortunate, it's a tragic love affair."
Jinlian, recalling Ruan Yang who had been discarded like trash by Ning Xian, asked in confusion, "Why do you say that, Miss..."
Seeing Jinlian's bewildered expression, Ji Changhuan's eyes lit up. She leaned on the carriage and laughed, "It's nothing, but I have a way to help you see him and stay by his side so you can see him every day."
Jinlian's eyes lit up: "Really?"
"Why would I lie to you? Come on up."
A note from the author:
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My next book for pre-order is "The Fake Playboy Meets the Real Romantic".
The story of a naive young nobleman who gets involved with a black mamba princess, thinking he has the upper hand, only to find himself the prey. Those interested can check out the column! [Sprinkling flowers]
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