Chapter 26 An Unexpected Encounter: "Are you walking right into a trap?"
The more anxious Ruan Zhuoyin became, the more confused she became. After hearing Ruan Yang's words, she gradually loosened her grip on Ruan Yang's arm.
Ruan Yang felt his blood rushing back to his head, so he immediately straightened up, raised the Ruyi in his hand, and smashed it towards Ruan Zhuoyin's neck.
With a muffled thud, the jade ruyi fell to the ground, and Ruan Zhuoyin's vision went black as she collapsed into Ruan Yang's arms.
The tent was eerily quiet, except for the man's faint breathing and the constant, loud thumping of Ruan Yang's heart.
Ruan Yang looked at the person in her arms and her whole body went limp.
Facing imminent disaster, she was somewhat at a loss. If outsiders discovered that she had knocked out the Empress and mistakenly believed that she had used the aphrodisiac to bewitch the monarch, it would certainly be a capital offense.
At that moment, a dark shadow suddenly appeared outside the window. Ruan Yang looked up and saw that the shadow was hesitant and seemed to be looking for an opportunity to come in.
Ruan Yang wanted to peek out the window to see what the person outside looked like, but she didn't know if it was because she was so scared or because she had caught a cold from the long journey. Suddenly, her head swelled up and a strange dizziness came over her.
This dizziness felt familiar; the symptoms were almost identical to those I experienced at the Ji family's house.
Ruan Yang: "......."
It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. Ruan Yang thought of the cup of tea that Zisu had given her, and she almost felt completely lost again.
It's like when it rains, it pours; she'll never eat anything indiscriminately again!
"Squeak—"
At this moment, the vermilion door made a soft sound and was then quietly closed. Zisu tiptoed in and found it strange that the room was unusually quiet. She looked around and noticed that the curtains in front of her were swaying slightly.
She paused, then lifted her skirt and quickened her pace.
Zisu grabbed the gauze curtain and carefully lifted it, but the scene before her shocked her. Things did not develop as she had expected at all!
On the couch, the Empress lay neatly dressed beside the Emperor, seemingly fast asleep, while Ruan Yang, who should have been there, was nowhere to be found.
The Empress had instructed her beforehand that if Miss Ruan cried or made a fuss, she should secretly light something in her hand outside the curtain. But now that no one was around, what was she supposed to do?
...
In the dead of night, apart from the occasional palace servants on night patrol, Ruan Yang was accompanied only by the cold moonlight and the evening breeze.
Before Zisu pushed open the door, she stepped onto the windowsill behind her and jumped down. Although no one noticed her jump, the moss and bushes at the corner of the wall pricked her quite badly.
Even my groggy head felt much clearer.
Seeing that the main gate was blocked, Ruan Yang had no choice but to take a different path. She saw a sliver of light squeezing in from the corner of the wall. She parted the grass and discovered that it was a narrow dog hole.
The once silent Phoenix Palace has been illuminated by many lights, and if you listen carefully, you can hear rustling footsteps coming this way.
Ruan Yang bit her lip and, without further hesitation, lay down and crawled out through the muddy dog hole.
Running around the palace in the middle of the night is obviously not a wise move, but if Zisu and the others catch them red-handed, they can turn white into black.
Ruan Yang felt that the destruction of her useless reputation was not a big deal to her. At worst, no one would dare to marry her. But she understood that she was just a pawn that the Ruan family had been supporting. The only consequence of a pawn not obeying was to be eliminated!
But she hadn't lived enough and didn't want to die.
Despite the injuries on her legs, Ruan Yang ran as fast as she could along the path. She knew that if she wanted to survive and regain her memories, she could never stay in Fengqi Palace again.
But in this vast world, where could she possibly find refuge?
The poison in the tea left Ruan Yang exhausted after running for only a short while. She leaned against the wall, breathing heavily until her stomach churned and the world around her spun around her, as if she would collapse and never wake up again at any moment.
During this escape, they encountered many Imperial Guards on night patrol. It was easy to escape once, but it was impossible to escape every time. Those well-trained Imperial Guards were not blind.
Sure enough, the next second, a shout came from behind.
"Who's there? Who's hiding inside!"
The head of the Imperial Guard stood on the white marble steps. When he saw the awning boat on the lake sway slightly, he immediately led his men over.
The bridge was deserted, and the hazy moonlight shone on the shimmering lake surface, like a piece of silver-white silk disturbed by the night breeze.
The lone awning boat swayed again, then drifted further and further away.
Hearing the sounds outside, Ruan Yang's heart pounded like a drum. She lay straight inside, barely daring to breathe.
Waaah, this looks like things are definitely going to end badly. This time, the odds are against us.
Ruan Yang stared at the roof with wet eyes. Starlight and moonlight streamed down through the gaps in the bamboo-woven roof. Although there was light, it was not very useful, and it was still pitch black inside the boat.
Beneath her was a dark, damp deck that occasionally emitted a musty smell, but in this harsh and chaotic environment, Ruan Yang vaguely sensed something warm and close to her bare ankles.
Is it a snake?
Ruan Yang wiped away her tears, then thought again that a snake's body should feel cool, so it was probably a stray cat that no one wanted that lived here.
After all, she couldn't think of any other living creature besides animals that would stay here.
A dizzy feeling washed over her, and Ruan Yang's consciousness began to blur. The buzzing in her ears made her feel pain all over her body.
Until she couldn't help but let out a soft moan of pain.
"Who goes there? Show yourself or we'll kill you!" The Imperial Guards drew their swords as soon as the words were spoken.
Just as Ruan Yang was at a loss for what to do, the little beast under her feet suddenly moved and pounced into her arms in an instant!
When the little beast saw that she had stopped moving, it bared its sharp teeth again and bit her shoulder hard.
Ruan Yang cried out in pain again.
"A beast is a beast! It can bite so hard even through clothes!" Ruan Yang nodded, but belatedly realized that the little beast at her feet had suddenly spoken human language!
"Keep yelling."
Ruan Yang's eyes widened immediately as she stared at the man in front of her, asking, "Wh-what? Who are you?"
The boat was pitch black, and with the poison in hand, not only could the man's face not be clearly seen, but he was even indistinguishable from a human!
Ning Xian didn't want to explain too much. Ever since the emperor ordered him to be exiled to the border, he had been spending his days alone on Yaojin Lake.
One person, one boat, one pot of wine, and sometimes a beautiful woman in his arms.
Since the Duke of Dingguo was defeated, the Ji family members were either killed or exiled. People in the palace knew that the power of the Crown Prince was no longer there, and they tacitly accepted that Ning Xian's dethronement was only a matter of time. They were currently in a state of despair.
Ning Xian pressed his hands against the girl's wrists, frowned, and said, "If you want to live, do as I say."
Seeing the bewildered girl on the deck, Ning Xian was extremely annoyed.
He simply gagged Ruan Yang and knocked him unconscious. Then he flung open the bamboo curtain, curled his lips at the group of people outside, and lazily said, "It's me."
The man in the awning boat was reclining on the side of the awning. Today, he was no longer wearing a black robe, but a white robe as clean as the first snow.
At first glance, it seems to have diminished the fierceness that the man used to carry with him.
A girl in green was nestled quietly against his chest, her back to everyone, revealing only her long, fair neck and slightly disheveled hair, giving her a beauty that was half-hidden behind a pipa.
The Imperial Guards were used to this scene; everyone knew that the once arrogant and domineering Crown Prince was now a drowning dog, so decadent that he spent his days drunk and indulging in pleasure with various palace women.
Although Ning Xian's power had waned, he still held the title of Crown Prince, so they dared not openly oppose him.
The leader and his subordinates exchanged glances and said, "We were blind and did not know you were His Highness. We will take our leave now."
Ning Xian snorted, gave the departing person a sharp look with her phoenix eyes, then released Ruan Yang and lay down in the boat awning with her arms outstretched.
He stared at the starry sky, listening to the splashing water against the boat. An indescribable tingling sensation spread through his chest. After a while, he wrapped his arms around the girl again and gently patted her thin, bony back.
He couldn't understand why, despite giving all his tenderness and patience to this woman with whom he had no blood relation, he was betrayed in return.
She almost killed him, and nearly turned him into a worthless person despised by everyone.
Ning Xian raised her hand, her fingertips gently caressing Ruan Yang's eyebrows, lips, and cheeks.
Her face is so soft, she's really cute.
How could he be willing to never see her again in this lifetime, letting her bear children for another man in a place where he couldn't see her?
He had just gone to the border and was wondering what to do with Ruan Yang. How could he have so coincidentally walked right into the trap?
Ning Xian got up, picked her up, and carried her ashore, taking Ruan Yang back to Qingyu Palace.
The moon was high in the sky, and the evening breeze stirred up the fallen paulownia leaves in the courtyard. Qingyu Palace had abandoned more than half of its maids and guards, and now it looked extremely desolate to outsiders.
In particular, Ning Xian's personal maids and confidantes, except for Lan Rong, who had served the late Empress, were all replaced by newcomers who had just entered the palace.
Lan Rong had just finished scolding the disobedient maid and was about to go back to her room to rest when she saw Ning Xian return, carrying a girl in her arms.
She was taken aback, not expecting Ning Xian to bring the person back to the palace.
Lan Rong stepped forward: "Your Highness, who is this...?"
Ning Xian ignored him and placed him on the bed.
Although Lan Rong couldn't see the girl's face clearly, she had an answer in her heart. She tentatively asked, "Your Highness, on my way back, I saw that Fengqi Palace was brightly lit. When I went to inquire, I learned that their second young lady, Ruan, had gone missing. Fengqi Palace is currently searching frantically for her."
"What you brought back, could it be...?"
Ning Xian did not deny it; he simply continued Lan Rong's words, "Where is the medicine I asked you to prepare?"
Lan Rong was taken aback and said, "It's in His Highness's study, but the doctor said that although swallowing this pill will cause people to lose their memory for a long time, if they take it continuously, it will shorten their lifespan."
Ning Xian was somewhat displeased, even overly sensitive, and said, "What are you trying to say? Are you also going to choose to stand by their side and betray me?"
Lan Rong knelt down and said, "This servant dares not."
Upon hearing this, Ning Xian suddenly started nitpicking the words. He said, both angry and aggrieved, "It's 'I dare not,' not 'I can't,' right?"
Lan Rong shook her head: "No, Your Highness, how could you think that? I watched you grow up since I was a child, and the late Empress saved my life. I would never have any disloyal intentions."
"Lan Rong, I gave her a chance, but you only feel happy when she fully remembers everything and completely abandons me?"
"Go and get it for me."
"yes....."
Lan Rong turned and went to the study, where she picked up the medicine bottle that was placed on the shelf.
Ning Xian said, "The eunuch who will deliver the imperial decree is coming tomorrow, right?"
"yes."
"Find a way to get the Empress and the others here, the more the better, do you hear me?"
Ning Xian said, "I'm a little sleepy. In that case, don't wake me and Yangyang tomorrow, so as not to disturb our sweet dreams."
After listening, Lan Rong glanced at the people on the bed, then stopped disturbing them. She closed the doors and windows and left with the newly arrived night watchmen.
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Author's Note: The male protagonist didn't actually have any romantic encounters with the various palace women [shy emoji]
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