Chapter 21 The Secret Chamber "You are...Grandpa Rat?"
"What did you do? How did you manage to provoke that vengeful ghost?" the Empress sighed.
Behind the screen, wails continued, and the entire room was filled with a nauseating stench of blood. One maid after another hurriedly carried bloody water in and out.
Ruan Yang followed the Empress inside. The bed was surrounded by imperial physicians. Through those heads, she saw the Third Prince writhing in pain on the bed, large beads of sweat almost soaking the soft pillow, his face as pale as paper.
The man, panting weakly, said, "How was I supposed to know? It was just a game of chess, how did that offend him? That luminous pearl was clearly something he was going to compensate me for, not something I tried to steal. Anyone who didn't know better would think I stole his woman!"
Ruan Zhuoyin sighed: "Imperial Physician, is there any chance that his hand can be saved?"
The old physician wiped the sweat from his brow: "Forgive my incompetence... His Highness's limbs have been almost completely eaten away by the tiger, and there's no way to reattach them..."
After the man realized he would be a one-armed cripple for the rest of his life, tears streamed down his face like a burst dam. He kicked away the maid and tried to get out of bed: "Let me go, let me go! I'm going to reason with my father!"
"Who are you looking for? Stop right there!"
Upon hearing this, Ruan Zhuoyin's expression changed drastically. Fearing that this person would actually rush out to find the emperor, she whispered to the nanny who had come with her, "Grab him. His Majesty is still ill; no one is allowed to disturb him."
...
It was getting late when I returned from the Third Prince's place.
Palace servants carrying octagonal lanterns hurried along the corner of the wall. The shadows of the high walls were cast onto the white marble steps by the moonlight, and a gust of evening wind suddenly rushed into the sedan chair through the passageway.
The gossamer-thin gauze curtains were blown about, and a few pieces occasionally brushed against the back of Ruan Yang's hand, making her shiver.
The bloody, mangled cross-section seemed to appear right before her eyes. Just moments before, she had been full of life, but now she lay in bed, mutilated and incomplete. Ruan Yang couldn't help but feel lingering fear.
Having only been in the palace for less than a day, she encountered several unfortunate events, leading Ruan Yang to feel that this place was incompatible with her birth chart and was bringing her bad luck.
She was lucky to escape unharmed thanks to His Highness the Crown Prince. If Eunuch Liang hadn't come, she doesn't know how much worse things would have been.
The prince helped him get rid of the villains, but that doesn't mean he's a kind-hearted saint.
It's just a matter of losing a luminous pearl, yet they want to exchange it for someone's arm. This prince is so petty and vindictive; he's truly not someone to be trifled with.
Her brutality is comparable to that of her ex-husband.
Ruan Yang rubbed her tired eyelids. From a village woman picked up by Ning Xian to a rich young lady now, everything had changed too quickly. She couldn't even tell if it was real or a dream.
Lu Wenjin, who saved her, was sent away; her mother summoned her to a banquet; and the Empress went to great lengths to keep her there. What were they all plotting against her...?
When they returned to Fengqi Palace, it was not yet time for the Empress to retire for the night. She invited Xu to have tea in the front hall. The maid lit the candles, and the two of them took the opportunity to do needlework in the warm candlelight.
Ruan Yang knelt obediently and quietly beside Xu Shi, helping the two of them twist the thread.
She hesitated for a long time before boldly asking, "Your Majesty, today is the Thousand Autumns Banquet, and it seems that all the palace servants have come, but where is His Majesty?"
Xu and Ruan Zhuoyin exchanged a glance, and a silence fell over the air as they pondered how to inform Ruan Yang about the Ruan family's situation in the court.
Ruan Yang asked, "Is there something you're having trouble saying?"
Upon hearing this, Ruan Zhuoyin covered her face with her sleeve and laughed, "How could that be? We are family, and there is no such thing as deceiving each other among relatives."
Ruan Zhuoyin sighed, "This matter dates back to the autumn hunt half a year ago. At first, everything was normal. His Majesty and the princes returned with a full load. However, during the victory banquet, His Majesty drank the wine handed to him by Consort Zheng. Within a quarter of an hour, he vomited blood on the spot."
Ruan Yang was taken aback: "Did Consort Zheng poison him?"
Zhuoyin shook her head and dismissed all the palace servants. Her eyes flickered, and she covered her lips with a round fan, whispering, "This is actually a secret of the palace, but we are family, so I will tell you today."
"Although the palace tells the outside world that it was Consort Zheng who assassinated the man, I think Consort Zheng is just a scapegoat, and the real murderer is someone else."
Ruan Yang frowned: "Who could it be?"
Ruan Yang's fate is now intertwined with theirs, and Ruan Zhuoyin bluntly whispered to him, "Look, if His Majesty doesn't pull through this time, who will be the biggest beneficiary?"
"It is... the crown prince who will soon succeed to the throne."
"Yes, His Majesty has been in a coma and bedridden for a long time. The Crown Prince and the Duke of Dingguo are in control of the court. Now we are just waiting for His Majesty to breathe his last so that the Crown Prince can ascend the throne in a proper manner."
Ruan Yang pondered in his heart, and knowingly asked the Empress, "But if you know the truth, why don't you make it public?"
"The Crown Prince's maternal clan, the Ji family, is at the height of its power. Who would dare to speak recklessly and walk into the line of fire?"
After saying this, Ruan Zhuoyin began to look dejected. She said with great concern, "You have lost your memory, and you probably don't know the past. The Ruan family and the Ji family have always been at odds. When His Majesty was healthy, in order to eliminate the threat of the maternal relatives, he intended to support the Ruan family to counter them."
"But fate is unfair. The Ruan family lost. Ning Xian and the others have long regarded us as a thorn in their side, a thorn in their flesh, and wish they could get rid of us as soon as possible."
"If His Majesty cannot overcome this challenge, our Ruan family will be next."
Ruan Yang said, "But... even so, we can't be sure it was the Crown Prince who did it. His Majesty is, after all, his biological father."
Ruan Zhuoyin said, "I naturally sent people to investigate in secret. That Zheng Meiren is not the biological daughter of Zheng Taifu, but a courtesan that Ning Xian met when he was searching for Danzhou."
"And then the Crown Prince redeemed Consort Zheng?" Ruan Yang asked disdainfully.
Ruan Zhuoyin nodded and guessed, "A man and a woman under the flowers and moon, with red candles and warm curtains, must have been in love for a while. Otherwise, Zheng Meiren would not have fallen so deeply in love, willingly becoming Ning Xian's spy, and even giving her life for him."
Ruan Yang said indignantly after hearing this: "I heard that the Crown Prince is engaged to his cousin from the Ji family, and is also having an affair with his own spy. So much time has passed, I wonder which poor young lady he has harmed now."
"Is this prince a dandelion spirit? How can he be so promiscuous?"
When Ruan Zhuoyin saw that Ruan Yang's face was red with anger, she found the girl quite adorable and couldn't help but pinch her cheek, instantly dispelling the tense atmosphere.
She smiled and said, "Let's not talk about that. Let's talk about something happier. Today, Zisu, could you try the peach blossom wine I brewed myself?"
Ruan Yang shook his head.
Ruan Zhuoyin glared at Zisu and laughed, "That girl is really muddle-headed. She hasn't done a single thing I asked her to do. Come here, Yangyang, come with your aunt. Your aunt will take you to open the altar herself."
...
Upon arriving at the back kitchen, Ruan Zhuoyin didn't immediately lead her to the wine cellar. Instead, she stopped in front of the door, affectionately taking Ruan Yang's small hand. She stroked the girl's smooth, baby-like skin and asked, "How old is Yangyang this year?"
Ruan Yang felt strange about the sudden intimacy and couldn't help but shrink back: "My seventeenth birthday is coming up next month."
Ruan Zhuoyin smiled and said, "Being young and beautiful, she must be very attractive to men."
"What is Aunt saying..." Ruan Yang was completely confused.
"It's nothing, come with me."
The Empress was fond of brewing and storing wine, and even set up a special wine cellar where she could find all kinds of wine, whether from the Central Plains or the Western Regions.
As the guards opened the door and he stepped into the wine cellar, the little white cat, which had been curled up in the corner, was startled by the door being pressed down. It darted around under everyone's skirts and then darted out.
"Are you alright...?"
When Ruan Yang saw that the Empress had injured her ankle while dodging the white cat, she squatted down and slightly lifted the other woman's skirt.
"Yangyang, I twisted my ankle and I'm afraid I can't walk. The peach blossom wine is at the very back. Can you and Zisu go and get it for me?"
Ruan Yang glanced at the Empress's increasingly swollen ankle; it must be in real pain and she couldn't walk.
"Okay, I'll go with Sister Zisu right now."
The shelves holding the wine jars were densely packed and tall. Zisu was half a head shorter than Ruan Yang, and the wooden ladder wasn't within reach, so she let Ruan Yang walk in front of her to reach the jar of peach blossom wine.
The candlelight was dim in the corner, and Ruan Yang felt a vague unease. He immediately tiptoed and took the wine jar down. At that moment, with a clatter, the shelf holding the wine jar suddenly moved away.
There was a hidden door behind it.
Ruan Yang's heart sank. Just as she turned to leave, a strong hand suddenly pressed down on her back and pushed her into the dark hole before she could cry for help.
Caught off guard by this sudden ambush, Ruan Yang didn't have time to step onto the lower steps and could only slink down in disgrace.
There was a faint light all around and a pleasant scent of ambergris, so it didn't seem to be a long-abandoned, dark, damp, and dilapidated place.
Ruan Yang mustered her courage and walked forward. As she turned the corner, the view gradually opened up, and the candlelight could completely illuminate the dark room.
Who's outside?
A deep, powerful voice rang out in the dark room; it was clearly a man's voice.
Ruan Yang approached the cold stone wall. The shadow left on her by the Third Prince during the day still lingered in her mind. She remained silent until the man spoke again.
“Come up to me.”
To cover up her panic, Ruan Yang said in a fierce tone, "Is...is a person speaking?"
Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest, and she blurted out, "...Is it the Earth God, or a spirit that grew out of the ground? I think it's a dirt rat!"
The man chuckled, watching the girl's shadow on the ground, and couldn't help but joke with the hedgehog-like girl, saying, "Well, I'm Grandpa Rat."
"....."
Ruan Yang, clutching her skirt, slowly walked up to the man.
The man sat alone at his desk, the candlelight illuminating his profile, making him appear exceptionally stern. He was not young, but not very old either.
The man had deep eyes and a calm demeanor. His power seemed innate, making people afraid to approach him, yet unable to help but look up at him.
Ruan Yang clutched her chest: "Who are you? How dare you hide in the Empress's palace?"
She asked this question almost as if she had an answer in mind. It was impossible for her to say that it was a male concubine secretly kept by her aunt, since in her impression, male concubines were all young men in their early twenties.
But if this person is His Majesty, then who is lying in Chonghua Palace?
Is she a stand-in to bewitch the crown prince?
Ruan Yang was startled by her own guess. If it was true, then she had learned a shocking secret.
"As I just said, I am Grandpa Rat, who grew up here, and now I have transformed into human form."
Seeing that the other party was not serious and seemed to have no improper thoughts about her, Ruan Yang said, "Then please tell me, Grandpa Rat, how can we get out of here?"
"Come here, and I'll tell you."
Ruan Yang hesitated for a moment, then stood there blankly, timidly saying, "Come on, come over..."
In the candlelight, the man saw a gleaming jade bracelet on the girl's fair wrist. He frowned, recognizing it as...
The late empress's belongings.
The Crown Prince keeps her like a treasure by his pillow, not letting anyone touch her. How come she's with Miss Ruan now?
"Lower your body."
Ruan Yang slowly complied: "Can you tell me now...?"
The man chuckled inwardly, then suddenly grabbed her wrist forcefully. Ruan Yang was startled and instinctively began to struggle. After several collisions, the bracelet slammed onto the table with a "thud".
It broke.
Ruan Yang tried to pick up the broken jade bracelet, but the man beat her to it.
She said pitifully, "Please give it to me? This is very important to me; it was given to me by a very good... friend."
The man stared at the bracelet and chuckled, "Friend? More like a young girl in love, isn't he? But I'm surprised he actually gave you this bracelet."
Ruan Yang's thoughts were guessed, and her heart warmed. She gritted her teeth and said angrily, "It's not some girlish infatuation. I'm telling you, I don't like him anymore!"
She recalled that Ning Xian used to either kiss her or be bitten by her, and even shamelessly groped her breasts, so she angrily said, "He's just a clueless little beast who only knows how to be in heat!"
"He's the person I hate the most!"
The man said unhurriedly, "Oh, it seems you were badly fooled by that young punk."
He continued, "I'm sorry, young lady, it's my fault for breaking your bracelet. But it will be repaired in three days. Remember to come and pick it up in person later."
Ruan Yang looked up, as if to ask if she would return to this secret room in three days.
Three days later...
Ruan Yang gripped the hem of her skirt, guessing that there must be some special meaning behind it.
She said, "Okay, then I'll come back in three days. You can't lie to me again."
"Don't worry, it won't happen. Just walk back and twist that sapphire blue sweet white glaze bottle to get out."
...
Qingyu Palace.
"Your Highness, the Ruan family may have other motives for sending the Second Miss into the palace this time."
Ning Xian stared at the empty wooden frame for a long while before saying, "Then I'll intercept them before the Ruan family achieves their goal."
"Your Highness... has really decided to marry the second young lady of the Ruan family?"
Ning Xian turned around and said, "Since the General Protector of the Nation returned to the capital, Chonghua Palace is no longer ours."
"how so..."
"There's no need to alert them. I want to see what tricks they're up to."
"But Miss Ruan is stubborn. Knowing that you and Ji Jiu are the same person, she would never agree to become a concubine. Besides, her beloved is the young master of the Lu family, and they are already engaged, not you..."
Ning Xian coldly replied, "What kind of sweetheart is Lu Wenjin? Does he even deserve to compete with me for her?"
Ning Xian clenched his fists. He would never allow the woman he had ever touched to spend her life with another man. He said, "Ruan has always wanted a title. Now that she can be my concubine, what could she possibly be dissatisfied with?"
"Send the order to prepare the betrothal gifts and do everything according to the standards for the Crown Princess."
...
The Ruan family received news of the Crown Prince's arrival three days later.
After Xinshi finished reading the contents of the letter, Ruan Xishan staggered up from the couch: "What did Ning Xian say? He wants to marry Yangyang?"
"yes..."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Xishan was furious: "What is he up to now? Wasn't it enough that he killed Axi? Now he's setting his sights on Yangyang? Is he determined to wipe out the Ruan family line?"
"My Ruan family will never push our daughter into a fire pit. I will immediately write back to Ning Xian and tell him that I, as her father, will absolutely not agree to this!"
He scoffed, "No matter how arrogant he is, when he sees his father, he still has to obediently bow down and submit."
"Go tell Zhuoyin to hurry up! If Yangyang doesn't want to, then force the issue. I don't believe Ningxian will dare to steal his woman from his father!"
-----------------------
Author's Note: The domineering dog looks left and right, up and down: Who's talking bad about me? (Sneezes, may the heavens judge right and wrong...)
A note from the author:
How will the swordsman manage to marry his beloved before the emperor? And after marrying her, will he cherish her...?
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