Chapter 49 Encountering Danger: "So it turns out he was keeping a mistress."
The air in Cuixuan Residence was filled with the cool scent of camphor. Behind a blue gauze curtain, a woman lay resting on a silk mat. Her cloud-like black hair covered her exposed snow-white skin. Even though there were many maids serving her around, the woman still looked worried.
Jinlian placed her slender fingers on her swollen belly, then lazily beckoned, and her maidservant brought her the cooled prenatal medicine.
She lowered her eyes, took a sip, and said with slight anger, "I've already said that I don't want to drink such bitter medicine. Didn't I tell the Imperial Hospital last time that I wanted to change the prescription?"
"Even you lowly servants dare to look down on me?" Jinlian raised her hand and slapped the girl hard on the head: "Next time you ignore what I say, I'll cut off your ears and throw them to the dogs!"
As her due date approached, Jinlian experienced numerous discomforts, coupled with her depressed mood. Recently, she had become increasingly irritable and unpredictable, inexplicably erupting in anger, followed by the slow, pent-up tears of frustration.
I worked hard all day, but ended up getting nothing.
Even the child she painstakingly gave birth to cannot belong to her.
Although Ning Xian visited her every day, his body was in Cui Xuan Residence, but his heart had long since wandered elsewhere. If she was in the West Courtyard, Ning Xian would go to the East Courtyard. For several months, they hardly saw each other at all.
"Your Majesty, please don't be angry. This servant would never dare to overstep your bounds..." The maid glanced back at the waiting imperial physician: "Why aren't you going to change it?"
The imperial physician replied, "Yes, but I would never forget such an important matter. I'm afraid the maid who served the medicine made a mistake."
"A mistake?" Jinlian scoffed. "Besides me, is there anyone else in this palace who is pregnant? I think you're getting senile."
After saying that, Jinlian suddenly choked up. Yes, there were so many women in the palace, how could she be sure that Ning Xian hadn't favored anyone else?
She sneered, "Where was this medicine originally supposed to be sent?"
The group exchanged bewildered glances; they had indeed not heard of any concubines or palace maids being pregnant.
A quick-witted girl said, "Your Highness, don't worry, I'll go ask the people in the kitchen."
A sense of crisis surged through Jinlian like a flood. She knew that she was already disliked by Ning Xian. If someone else were to become pregnant with the emperor's child at this critical juncture, where would she find her place?
What makes her any different from these lowly maids?
Soon, the girl who went to check the kitchen returned and truthfully told them where the bowl of pregnancy-preserving medicine was originally intended for.
Jinlian laughed in exasperation: "Funing Palace?"
The Empress Dowager was over fifty years old; how could she possibly drink such a thing? There was only one possibility she could think of: Ning Xian was keeping a mistress in a golden house.
“It’s absolutely true. I wouldn’t dare to make it up. That noble lady doesn’t interact with outsiders, so naturally we servants can’t find out her identity.”
Jinlian chuckled and said, "Is that so? Then I'll have to make time to visit that lady another day."
...
Before long, the dog days of summer arrived. Skilled craftsmen were dispatched to carve ice mountains into the Fu Ning Palace and place them inside. This served both to cool the room and for aesthetic purposes. All the curtains in the room were drawn by the maids to completely block out the scorching sun outside.
Everyone in the palace changed into light shirts, and Ruan Yang also wore a new skirt made by the Imperial Wardrobe at the behest of the Empress Dowager.
For more than half a month, Ruan Yang had been staying in the Funing Palace without ever leaving the palace. Even when she had to leave the Funing Palace, she stayed by the Empress Dowager's side and never left her side, never giving Ning Xian any chance to get close to her.
Waking from her afternoon nap, Ruan Yang lazily rolled over on the jade mat. The cooling beads jingled on the girl's wrist, while she quickly finished off the iced dumplings and lychee syrup on the table.
After that period, Ruan Yang's appetite improved, but unfortunately, she started craving food again.
Since learning she was pregnant, Ruan Yang would often read medical books in her spare time. She found that pregnant women should not overeat to avoid difficulties in childbirth, so she deliberately controlled her diet. Unfortunately, her once slender waist inevitably became rounder day by day.
She lay flat on her back, placing her palms on her lower abdomen, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Fortunately, her dress was loose and her abdomen was flat. As long as Madam Wang and the Empress Dowager did not tell others, no one could tell that she was nearly three months pregnant.
But staying here indefinitely isn't a solution. Once the pregnancy progresses further, it will be impossible to hide it from Ning Xian.
But what should she do? Ning Xian deliberately detained her family; she certainly didn't come here to have her baby.
As Ruan Yang thought about it, her eyes gradually welled up with tears. She didn't want to lose her child, didn't want to leave Lu Wenjin, and didn't want to become Lu Wenjin's weakness.
"Madam, the Empress Dowager sent me to deliver a message that it is much hotter than usual this year, and she is planning to go to the summer palace to escape the heat in a few days. She asked me to ask you if you would be willing to go with her?"
Ruan Yang snapped out of her daze, quickly rubbing her tear-filled eyes, and asked, "Which distinguished guests will be going? Is His Majesty among them?"
The maid thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps not. The imperial physician said that Lady Jinlian's due date is at the end of this month. His Majesty is currently taking care of Lady Jinlian every day, and he will probably stay in the palace to accompany her during childbirth."
"Very well, Your Majesty should stay by your side."
Ruan Yang breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Why don't you help me pack the clothes for the trip to the palace? I'll go and give you an answer later."
"Yes, this servant will come right away."
Ruan Yang folded and put away several simple dresses and undergarments, and only wore a pair of pearl earrings and a pair of jade bracelets given to her by Lu's mother.
She had lived in the Funing Palace for so long and had sent letters to the Lu family during that time, but Ruan Yang did not truthfully tell Lu Wenjin that she was in danger, nor did she tell him that he was going to be a father.
She desperately wanted to know if Lu Wenjin was eating properly while she wasn't around, whether he would still lift the blanket at night, and whether he was diligently applying the medicine for his leg injury every day.
He single-handedly supported the entire Lu family, but in private he was still very childish, sometimes even less capable of taking care of himself than Ning Xian.
The leg injury was so severe that it would become so painful that he couldn't move whenever it rained.
Ruan Yang's eyes stung with tears. She sniffed, her nose was moist, and when she looked up, several long, slanted figures completely enveloped her.
The visitors were several young maids.
"...Who are you?"
As Ruan Yang was puzzled, a woman dressed in very elegant clothes appeared from the side of the screen.
It was Jinlian, whom I hadn't seen for many years.
She wore heavy makeup, trying to cover up the freckles on her face.
Seeing that Ruan Yang remained unmoved, the maidservant arrogantly reminded her, "Why don't you kneel down and pay your respects to Her Highness?"
As the wife of a subject, Ruan Yang was obliged to kneel and pay homage to the emperor's concubines. She hesitated for a moment, then slightly bent her knees and said, "May Your Majesty be blessed with long life and good health."
Jinlian looked her up and down. The girl had a bright and beautiful face but no makeup. Her eyes were sparkling, her lips were as pink as pomegranate blossoms, and her skin was so delicate that it looked like you could squeeze water out of it.
Jealousy burned within her, for her waist had always been just as slender.
She clenched her fists for a long time, but finally suppressed her anger. Fortunately, the person Ningxia was keeping as a mistress was not Ruan Yang.
Jinlian smiled and said, "So that's why His Majesty has been frequently visiting the Funing Palace lately. Come and see, this girl is so beautiful."
Ruan Yang turned her face away, dodging the other's fingers that were about to touch her: "Your Majesty misunderstands. This humble woman, Jing, is General Lu's wife and has never spoken more than a few words to His Majesty."
"Yeah?"
Whether these words are true or false doesn't matter. Jinlian knows that Ning Xian is capable of doing something as outrageous as taking a minister's wife.
Jinlian still had a smile on her face, then winked at the nanny beside her.
Seeing the people approaching step by step, Ruan Yang couldn't help but slump onto the edge of the couch: "What are you going to do to me?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the old woman grabbed her wrist and pressed on her pulse.
Ruan Yang forcefully pushed the old nanny away and angrily said, "Let go! I am the wife of a general, how dare you, a mere maid, touch me like that?"
Jinlian lazily opened her eyes and glanced at her: "I'm tired and want to go back to rest. Let's go."
After Ruan Yang and the others left, they immediately closed the door. The warm, slanting sunlight shone through the carved window lattice onto the back of her neck, but Ruan Yang felt a chill all over her body.
She slowly squatted down. Judging from her pulse, the date she entered the palace and her current month of pregnancy could barely be matched. Jinlian must have misunderstood that she was carrying Ningxian's child, which was why she was so furious.
But once this rumor spreads, what will happen?
Putting aside the cruel methods Ning Xian would use to deal with her child if she found out, just consider how the Lu family would view her as a new bride.
After leaving the Funing Palace, Jinlian was helped into a sedan chair by her maid.
“That lady is more than two months pregnant, which matches the date she entered the palace,” the nanny said.
With tears in her eyes, Jinlian said, "He really kept it a secret. He gave me unparalleled favor, but he was just a shield for others."
"Your Majesty, please don't overthink it..."
Jinlian sighed, "Actually, I feel that she looks very familiar. Although she looks completely different, she resembles an old friend of mine."
"Alright, I'd rather kill the innocent than let anyone go. Remember to do what I told you earlier."
"yes...."
Since Ning Xian wouldn't let her have an easy time, then she would destroy what he cherished. Even if she really died one day, at least she could rest in peace.
...
The procession heading to the summer palace was grand and impressive. This time, not only the concubines from the palace were going, but also some prominent noble ladies were among them.
Ruan Yang was merely a court lady accompanying the Empress Dowager, so her carriage was naturally placed at the end.
As noon approached, everyone grew tired and suggested taking a short rest. Laughter continued outside the carriage. Ruan Yang quietly lifted the curtain and saw that the people standing outside were all dressed in finery and had smiling faces. They seemed to know each other very well. She felt a little embarrassed to go out now.
So, Ruan Yang dejectedly lowered the carriage curtain.
Cicadas chirped noisily on the branches. Ruan Yang stroked the jade bracelet on her wrist. She longed to go home, to have Lu Yan take her out to see the vast world, and she missed the meals Wen Jin cooked for her.
The girl was alone in a small space, silently shedding tears. Perhaps she cried herself to sleep, and before she knew it...
"Madam, wake up."
Ruan Yang took a short nap when she suddenly heard a muffled sound from the sky. She mumbled sleepily, "...How long have I been asleep? Why didn't you wake me up?"
"It's only been half an incense stick's time, and now it's getting dark. It looks like it's going to rain. Let's hurry on our way."
Birds flew low outside, and the air carried a slightly earthy smell.
Ruan Yang's heart sank. She grabbed the maid's arm: "Hey, wait, where are the others? Why did they suddenly disappear?"
The maid lowered her eyes and reassured her, "Don't worry, Madam, the rest of the people are just ahead. We'll catch up in a little while."
Even though Ruan Yang was unhappy with this unauthorized decision, she couldn't openly blame the person. She sighed and said, "Then hurry up."
The carriage slowly made its way through the mountains, with occasional streaks of silver flashing across the dark, cloud-covered sky, followed by a deafening roar of thunder.
A fierce wind swept up dust, and in an instant, a torrential downpour began.
Why did you stop?
Ruan Yang grabbed the carriage window and noticed that the carriage was falling. She had no choice but to brave the heavy rain and lean out to check her surroundings.
The maid, wringing out her soaked raincoat, replied with difficulty, "Madam, the carriage is stuck in a crevice in the rocks and we're afraid it won't be able to move for the time being."
The slanting wind and rain quickly soaked Ruan Yang's shoes, socks, and stray hairs. She had no trusted confidants by her side, and the servants outside the carriage stared at her with their heads tilted back, like ghosts trying to drag her down to hell.
She was surrounded by wolves, and she was a helpless lamb.
The docile horse suddenly neighed in the rainy night, then took off galloping wildly. The carriage, which was already on the verge of falling apart, could not withstand such shaking. Before long, the wheels came off one by one.
Ruan Yang grabbed the window sill in vain. Ignoring the pain in her limbs from the bumps, she was only thinking about her child. So she tightly protected her lower abdomen to prevent the random objects flying around in the car from hitting her.
Who exactly wants to kill her?
Does Ning Xian already know her secret and is about to harm her and her unborn child so soon?
Before Ruan Yang could think, the carriage struck a tree trunk as it turned a corner, and with a loud bang, it shattered into pieces from the violent impact.
The people inside the vehicle were also sent flying down the unknown slope below, along with the shattered pieces of wood.
...
The Baohua Hall was shrouded in the eerie silence of the white candles. The table was covered with a dense forest of memorial tablets, and a fresh finger lay beside it, its owner unknown.
Ning Xian knelt on the prayer mat, gazing with sorrow at the souls who had died because of him. His bloodless fingers picked up the round paper money, and the firelight reflected in his moist eyes.
It seems he is genuinely repenting.
Slowly, the man chuckled. He admitted that he had committed many evils and had been cursed by countless people, but now it seemed that he had not received any retribution and was still living a good life.
On the contrary, those poor wretches who cursed him to a terrible death not only didn't even get a complete corpse, but also dragged their families down with them.
"His Majesty....."
Eunuch Liang rushed over, his clothes already soaked by the rain.
Ning Xian frowned: "What is it?"
"Something terrible has happened! Madam Lu's carriage on its way to the imperial palace has been spooked and has fallen down a hillside. We've searched for most of the night, but all we found was a large pool of blood at the foot of the hill, and... the remains of animals that had been eaten by wild beasts."
Ning Xian's heart skipped a beat. He turned around and saw the bloodstained embroidered shoe in Eunuch Liang's hand.
The silk thread at the man's fingertips suddenly snapped, and the Buddhist prayer beads in his hand clattered to the ground.
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Author's Note: I feel like I should leave a comment, but why are you all just reading and not saying anything? [crying emoji] The author is so lonely.
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