Chapter 1: The Wedding Procession – “Killing the Wife and Burying the Body!”
Spring is still chilly, and the weather is unpredictable. In February, it rains almost every day in Sichuan and Chongqing. In recent days, frost has even formed on the eaves of every household.
The sky was still barely light, a time when all should be quiet, but the governor's mansion was unusually busy, with red silk fluttering under the plaque and the character for "happiness" everywhere.
A maid from the First Madam's quarters carried a bamboo basket decorated with a large red "double happiness" character to the Second Miss's room.
She knocked on the door: "Second Miss, are you awake? Today is our eldest Miss's wedding day. Don't let your Jiangyun Pavilion delay the auspicious time. After you've eaten the wedding fruit, go to the First Madam's pavilion immediately to pay your respects."
The voice faded into the distance with the heavy thud of the bamboo basket hitting the ground. Yuhe helped the girl in front of the mirror put on the last gold hairpin, then snorted, "What does her daughter's marriage have to do with our Jiangyun Pavilion? The First Madam isn't usually that close to you, but now that she wants someone to escort her, she thinks of us?"
Ruan Yang pursed her lips, seemingly unconcerned, and said, "I lost my mother at a young age, and only my sister treats me like family. As her younger sister, it's not difficult for me to send her off to get married."
“But the capital is so far away, and the journey is bumpy and snowy. She’s showing off that she’s going to marry into the Crown Prince’s palace and become a concubine, but we’re just making a wasted trip, going through all that trouble for nothing.”
Upon hearing this, the girl in front of the dressing table frowned slightly and stopped the outspoken Yuhe: "Sister is able to marry His Highness the Crown Prince, and she will surely be rich and noble in the future, bringing glory to the Ruan family. We should be happy for her."
A few months ago, Ruan Xi, the eldest daughter of the military governor of Shu Prefecture, fell in love at first sight with the crown prince Ning Xian at her aunt's birthday banquet. After spending time together, the two confirmed their feelings for each other, and the emperor granted their marriage.
The Crown Prince attached great importance to this wedding ceremony and gave Shu Prefecture a generous dowry. This marriage was the envy of all the noble ladies in the capital.
Ruan Yang pulled her snow-white fox fur coat tighter around her, picked up the Pisces jade pendant hidden in her makeup box and pinned it to her chest, and said with a smile, "Alright, go and send a letter to Brother Lu, saying that I'm going on a long trip for a while and I'm afraid I won't be able to see him."
"It's getting late, let's go to my elder sister's room to pay our respects."
Passing by the lush evergreen trees and stepping on the thin layer of snow on the stone path, Ruan Yang arrived at her elder sister's boudoir. The young girl's boudoir was now a sea of crimson, extremely festive.
The maid led her into her boudoir. Before she could even pay her respects to her stepmother, she heard the mother and daughter reluctantly parting behind the screen.
The First Madam sighed, “When we women get married, we must prioritize our husband’s family in everything, especially in the palace. We must not be as willful as we are at home. Although His Highness the Crown Prince is gentle and treats you very well, you must not take advantage of his favor to become arrogant.”
"As you know, His Majesty is in a coma and the Crown Prince is in charge of the government. In just half a year, he has joined forces with his maternal clan, the Ji family, to bring the remaining forces of various prefectures and counties under his control. Do you remember the Pei family girl who grew up with you? The family of the prefect of Li County was exterminated by the Crown Prince."
The woman stroked her daughter's beautiful face with some relief: "Although the Ruan family was once powerful, things are different now. The battle in Shuobei has severely weakened them. Your father is not willing to wage a major war now. Of the two of you sisters, my Axi is the most charming. If you can make His Highness submit to you, it will be a temporary solution to protect the Ruan family."
Ruan Yang clutched the hand warmer tightly. She had never met the Crown Prince, whom the doctor had mentioned. She had only heard her father talk about him occasionally, and he seemed to be a difficult person to talk to.
It is truly remarkable that he was able to resolve the conflict between the two families through his elder sister.
...
The wedding procession had traveled across multiple states and counties, and had been going on for almost three days.
This year, the Sichuan and Chongqing region is unusually cold and gloomy, with rain falling continuously. At this moment, a few snowflakes have even fallen from the sky. The group has reached the winding cliff edge and originally intended to reach an inn ahead to rest before dark. Unfortunately, the road is slippery and the fog is so thick that the drivers and horses cannot see the road ahead. Therefore, they had no choice but to find a sheltered spot to rest.
Ruan Yang felt uneasy. She put on her hood and got off the carriage. As she walked around, she noticed a few deliberately concealed footprints on the edge of the road.
She crouched down and wiped away the snow. She could see that the footprints were light and large, belonging to men, and there were more than one person. Ordinary passersby would not choose such a dangerous area. Ruan Yang gripped her furry fox fur coat tightly, her slender fingers gripping the rocks beside her, and leaned down slightly.
Several round holes were arranged in a row in the cracks of the rock. The silvery light emanating from the dark holes startled Ruan Yang so much that he sat down on the ground.
Are these carefully arranged hidden weapons meant to deal with them?
She turned her head and glanced at the wedding procession. Although the escorting guards were numerous and imposing, she didn't know how they would fare in a fight.
"Yangyang, what's wrong?"
Ruan Xi's shout startled the horse by the roadside, causing it to neigh softly. Ruan Yang's heart sank, and before he could turn around, he heard the sound of wind and snow cutting through the air.
"Whoosh—whoosh—"
Ruan Yang immediately collapsed to shield Ruan Xi with his body, but unfortunately, the maids who had been standing there had already died from having their throats pierced.
Ruan Yang wiped away the blood splattered on her lips and shielded the bride under her shawl. Although guards surrounded the two of them tightly, they could not stop several masked men who suddenly emerged from below the cliff.
They wore similar clothes, were very agile, and were skilled in using concealed weapons; they must have been a group of well-trained bodyguards.
If it weren't for bandits and outlaws, who else would dare to intercept the wedding sedan chair that led the bride to the royal family?
Seeing the dire situation ahead, with blood and gore everywhere, it seemed unlikely they could hold out for long, and that the group of guards' ultimate target was Ruan Xi.
Seeing the corpses strewn everywhere before her, Ruan Xi sobbed, "What are we going to do, Yangyang? Are we going to die here?"
The two sisters had been raised in seclusion since childhood and had never been skilled in martial arts or seen such a bloody and cruel scene. Ruan Yang held back the tears of fear in her eyes and said calmly, "Good sister, let's not cry. It's not a solution to sit and wait for death. We have to escape on our own."
She gripped Ruanxi's hand tightly, glanced back at the way they had come, and said, "Take off your outer robe and come with me!"
Ruan Yang let the empty sedan chair continue forward, while under the cover of several guards, she led Ruan Xi back the way they came via a shortcut. She remembered that there was a hidden cave along the way, overgrown with weeds and not easy to find, and those secret guards probably wouldn't think so quickly that they would turn back.
Yuhe hesitated for a moment: "You all go, I'll change into Miss's clothes and distract them."
Seeing that the sedan chair had not gone far, Yuhe picked up the clothes on the ground and ran outside.
Ruan Yang didn't have time to call her back. Seeing that the person had already gone far away, her nose stung with tears, but it was no use.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of a blade slicing through bone behind her. She turned around and saw the person fall to the ground after missing their target. She then took the opportunity to pick up the knife that had been left on the ground, closed her eyes, and slashed hard at the person's neck.
In an instant, blood and foam flew everywhere, and the head fell to the ground.
Ruan Xi couldn't help but gasp softly, shocked that her weak and timid little sister dared to kill someone. She trembled and shrank behind Ruan Yang: "Quick, let's go."
The cave was cold and damp, and Ruan Yang dared not light a fire for fear of attracting attention. He could only light the tinderbox in his hand to slightly illuminate the cave.
As the night passed and the sky began to lighten the next day, Ruan Yang saw the girl huddled in a corner, shivering from the cold. Her face was as pale as paper and she was extremely weak. They had barely eaten or drunk anything the day before, and if this continued, no one could withstand it, especially since her sister's body was already frail.
She sighed, "I'll go get some food from nearby. You two take good care of your sister."
...
The rain falling from the gray sky was continuous and dense, so cold it felt like it was mixed with ice shards. In front of the dark cliffs, the leading man in black sat upright on his horse, rainwater rolling down from his raincoat onto the back of his hand with slightly bulging veins.
"Your Highness, Miss Ruan is dead."
As soon as he finished speaking, a muffled thud was heard as the body fell to the ground, and the guard threw the corpse he was carrying on his shoulder in front of the man.
The woman's fiery red wedding robe fell onto the pure white snow. The man on horseback drew his long sword from his waist and pulled the red cloth aside. The woman's face was stiff and lifeless.
The man deftly sheathed the sword, scoffing, "Are you all blind? How dare you try to fool me with a fake?"
The subordinate's expression changed slightly. Upon closer inspection, he realized the person they had brought back was not Ruan Xi at all: "Your Highness, please forgive me, Lady Ruan is cunning, that's why..."
The man gripped the reins tightly, looked eastward, pondered for a moment, then slowly curled his thin lips into a smile, spurred the horse's flanks, and called out, "Turn back the way we came!"
After he finished speaking, the horse neighed and turned to gallop wildly through the wind and snow.
The cold wind howled. Ruan Yang picked some wild fruits nearby and returned. She was so cold that she had no feeling in her hands and feet. She had to lean on the tree trunk and move forward slowly. Before she returned to the cave, she smelled a strong smell of blood.
"Dig up the soil and bury it here."
A noise came from not far away, and Ruan Yang became alert. She stopped and hid behind a tree trunk.
The group of people ahead were the masked men who had been chasing them. After a while, the pit was dug, and one of them carried a blood-soaked female corpse and casually threw it into the pit.
Ruan Yang's pupils dilated as she recognized the fox fur coat on the female corpse—it was the one she had given to her sister!
Ruanxi had a deep, bone-revealing cut on her back, and blood was flowing continuously from her spine.
Ruan Yang dared not breathe, clutching the fruit in her arms tightly, afraid of dropping it and attracting their attention. She slowly turned around and met the eyes of a man who appeared out of nowhere!
In the blink of an eye, an arrow struck the tree trunk behind her ear with a "thud," the force of which shook several trembling branches off.
Ruan Yang didn't have time to think too much, so he changed direction and ran at full speed.
Ning Xian's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked in the direction of the gray-white figure and said sternly, "Seize her! No remnants of the Ruan family will be spared."
Having stumbled and run for so long, Ruan Yang already tasted blood in his throat, but now he was on a precipice, at his wit's end, in a desperate situation.
Ruan Yang peered down and saw some lakes and tree branches, where he seemed to see a glimmer of hope.
"Run! Why have you stopped running?"
The leading man rode up to her at a leisurely pace. His dark clothes almost blended into the darkening sky, which made his face appear even whiter and cleaner. His phoenix eyes were slightly narrowed, and his rosy lips curved into a slight smile. His deep voice was cut through the wind.
Ruan Yang's heart stopped, and she almost burst into tears. She gritted her teeth and said, "You are heartless and insane. You actually killed your wife and buried her body?"
Ning Xian seemed not to hear, pressing the blade against her face. Beneath the snow-white fox fur was a pitiful face, the girl's eyes glistening with tears, her small red lips being bitten by her pearly white teeth, her gaze filled with fear and resentment.
He chuckled. The legendary beauties of Sichuan and Chongqing? They're nothing special.
It seems that Ruan Xishan has truly reached a dead end and is desperately trying to resolve the feud between the two families by using a few women. Does he really think Ning Xian is some kind of lecherous scoundrel?
Ruan Shi never imagined that his elaborate efforts to marry Ruan Xi were merely a way to toy with her.
The thought that soon the governor's mansion would be transformed from red silk to white banners, and the character for "joy" would be replaced with the character for "sacrifice," and that Ruan Xishan's aged face would be covered with tears every day, filled Ning Xian with immense joy.
Seeing that he was hesitant to make a move, Ruan Yang took the opportunity to slowly retreat. Just as the sword was about to slit her throat, she slipped and tumbled down.
The attendant glanced down and said, "Your Highness, that woman has probably been smashed to pieces and won't survive."
Ning Xian snapped out of his daze, glanced at the pine and cypress trees below, sheathed his sword that had been drawn in mid-air, and scoffed, "No, go down there to find her. I want to see her corpse with my own eyes."
A note from the author:
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【The Heartless Marquis/The Foolish Concubine (The Resilient Spy)】is a story about a mature man who falls for a young, innocent woman, then drives his wife away, only to end up in a tragic situation and forcibly take her away.
The accompanying text is attached: [Sprinkling flowers]
Yun Sui was a courtesan, with a beautiful face and fair skin, but unfortunately, she had hit her head and was somewhat dull-witted. The brothel madam thought that this was the best person to handle.
In late spring, the Marquis of Yiyang's mansion held a banquet. Yun Sui thought it was just a casual gathering, but she never expected to be pushed out to be a surrogate mother.
The red curtains were warm and the spring water rippled. After the medicine took effect, the man pinched her chin and sneered, "You're back? Perfect, you can give me a child as compensation."
She became the emperor's favorite, and outsiders said she was very lucky, but only she knew the hardships she had endured.
She was humiliated by the maid during the day and suffered torture from Wei Rong at night. She also had to kneel for two hours every day in the Wei clan ancestral hall. One day, she overheard Wei Rong plotting with an assassin.
"We will take action after Yun gives birth to the child."
Yun Sui knew it was just a fleeting affair, but when she learned that Wei Rong wanted her dead, she still couldn't help but cry.
It wasn't until she slipped and fell while hiking that her memory suddenly returned, and then a cold sweat broke out on her back.
She was originally a spy who plotted to assassinate Wei Rong. She successfully married into the Marquis's mansion by seducing him with her beauty, but the assassination failed, and she fled in panic.
Arriving at the Marquis's residence was part of Wei Rong's meticulously planned scheme. His gentleness was merely a ploy to seduce her so he could exact revenge; he would kill her after she gave birth to his child.
She cried all night, and the next day she drank the poisoned wine prepared by Wei Rong. As the poison took effect, she smiled at the terrified man and said, "As you wish, I owe you nothing now."
...
Wei Rong hates Yun Sui.
He hated her for plunging a dagger into his heart, hated her for toying with his true feelings, and hated her for causing hundreds of members of the Wei family to perish in the fire.
He vowed to take revenge.
A half-witted concubine is just a plaything; why bother treating her with sincerity?
After being favored exclusively, he neglected her, acted intimately with others in front of her, told her that he was going to get married, and would never come back.
He carried out a series of ruthless and heartless actions with ease, but the young girl could only look at him with red eyes, clumsily embroidering a wedding robe for him while heavily pregnant.
Wei Rong felt a throbbing pain in his chest. He thought, what if she had been in a difficult situation back then?
He suddenly didn't want to hate anymore and wanted to start over with her.
He refused the princess's marriage proposal and personally arranged Yun Sui's birthday banquet to apologize to her, but the next day he received news that Yun Sui had committed suicide.
He refused to believe it and rushed back to the Marquis's mansion that very night. When he saw the lifeless child, he vomited a mouthful of blood on the spot.
...
After getting rid of Wei Rong, Yun Sui lived a very comfortable life. The passage of time helped her forget the man who had wronged her, and with the help of the young general, she even opened a tavern.
One day, Wei Rong came here for a drink. When he saw the figure he had been longing for day and night, he hugged Yun Sui with tears in his eyes and kissed her passionately: "Sui Sui has been naughty. She actually smiled at a wild man."
"He is my husband."
In the blink of an eye, a younger and more handsome general emerged from the house.
Wei Rong recognized him; he was the adopted son he had just taken in.
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