Chapter 54 King Murder "She gripped the gold hairpin in her hand tightly."
The royal hunting grounds are located at the foot of Mount Yi, where the mountains rise one after another. The area is meticulously maintained by artisans, with tall, lush trees and abundant foliage. From the viewing platform where flags flutter, one can see a vast expanse of grassland.
The setting sun, like blood, dyed half the sky a brilliant crimson, and the afterglow, carried by a gentle autumn breeze, wafted into the sleeves of the guests seated at the banquet.
The sedan chair was quite high, and Ruan Yang was about to climb down slowly by holding onto the handrail when Lu Wenjin swiftly lifted her down.
The scenery of Yishan Mountain is beautiful, with all kinds of colors vying for attention. On the grassland, there are nobles in casual clothes playing polo with polo sticks. When a goal is scored, the cheers in the entire hunting ground are deafening.
Ruan Yang finally withdrew her lingering gaze, and her hand, hidden in her cloak, couldn't help but stroke her gradually swelling belly.
That nearly month-long period of darkness was lonely and depressing; if it weren't for the baby in her belly, she probably would have gone mad.
Fortunately, the child was much stronger than she had imagined. Despite being roughly thrown and bumped several times by Ning Xian, she was not seriously injured.
But Ruan Yang felt very guilty.
It's been over four months, and she hasn't had a chance to take any of the supplements she should be taking. She's been very worried that her baby's constitution will be much weaker than other babies after birth.
Ruan Yang tiptoed and helped Lu Wenjin tidy up her long hair behind her headdress, then sighed, "I wonder what Ning Xian will do. We'll just have to improvise."
Lu Wenjin nodded: "Mm."
As they spoke, they no longer cared about the gazes of others. Holding hands, they walked up to Ning Xian and bowed slightly to her.
Helian Jia, standing to the side, smiled and said, "General Lu and his wife are so loving, it's truly enviable."
Ruan Yang smiled politely and said, "Your Highness is too kind."
Helian Jia ignored Ruan Yang and continued to drink and chat with the ministers. After a few songs and dances, he stood up drunkenly, looked at Lu Wenjin and said with a smile: "I have heard that there are many brave and skilled generals in Daye. General Lu once won a battle at Yulin Pass with fewer troops and defeated the enemy army. As a result, the people of Donglin have not dared to invade for many years."
"General, you are still young, yet you possess such strategic acumen and courage. It is a rare opportunity for us to meet today, and I would like to witness it firsthand."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes were focused on Lu Wenjin.
"General Lu."
Ning Xian spoke first, her voice low and hesitant: "Would you be willing to step forward?"
In such a grand occasion, whether or not Lu Wenjin was willing to participate was not up to him. Seeing the two of them in cahoots, Ruan Yang couldn't help but tighten her grip on Lu Wenjin's hand.
Lu Wenjin pressed Ruan Yang's palm to comfort her, then smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I am naturally willing, but such a joyous day is really not suitable for fighting and killing. I wonder how Your Highness would like to witness this?"
Helian Jia originally wanted to use a martial arts contest as an excuse, but he suddenly rejected it, and she couldn't think of any other way for a while.
After a moment of silence, Ning Xian interjected, "How about this, since it's getting late, I think we should have a night hunt."
"The rule is to venture into the forest alone, carrying only a tinderbox and a short dagger, and capture the beast alive."
Night hunting is uncommon, and visibility is extremely poor in the dark. Although jackals, tigers, and leopards are often seen, this is precisely the most dangerous time.
Capturing a wild animal alive on your own in a short period of time and escaping unscathed is no easy feat.
Ning Xian turned her gaze to Lu Wenjin: "General Lu, would you be willing to let these foreign envoys see the demeanor of our dynasty's generals?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Wenjin pressed Ruan Yang down and said, "I am willing to give it a try."
As the last rays of the setting sun faded on the horizon, night fell.
Ruan Yang went to the back to help Lu Wenjin change into a set of black civilian clothes. After leaving the tent, another eunuch searched him thoroughly to ensure that he was not carrying any sharp weapons other than a dagger.
The campfire below was blazing, and the guards were strict. Ning Xian stood on the high platform, looking at the loving couple in front of her, and couldn't help but stare intently.
Ruan Yang straightened Lu Wenjin's hair ornament, then stood on tiptoe and kissed his forehead, whispering, "Don't be stubborn, staying alive is the most important thing."
"Um."
Lu Wenjin mounted his horse and galloped into the forest, leaving the others behind.
......
An hour was about to pass, and there was still no news of Lu Wenjin. The atmosphere at the banquet became tense. An old minister sighed and said, "Your Majesty, General Lu has not returned for a long time. Should we send someone to look for him?"
Ning Xian remained silent for a long time before looking at Ruan Yang again.
The girl knelt no more than three feet away from him. Her eyelashes were lowered, her jade neck was slightly bent, and her slender fingers were still peeling a pomegranate. Her movements were slow, but many pomegranate seeds were still scattered on her skirt, and her slender fingertips were already stained red with the sweet and sour juice.
It makes me want to kneel down beside her right now and lick her clean.
Ning Xian swallowed hard, her throat dry, and gave a soft hum.
She tried to appear calm, but inside she was probably on the verge of tears.
He propped his temples up and said drunkenly, "What is Mrs. Lu doing?"
Ruan Yang continued what she was doing, and coldly replied, "Wait for my husband to come back so he can eat the pomegranate I peeled."
"Huh, you're so thoughtful."
Ning Xian finished speaking in a fit of jealousy, and unreasonably snatched the bowl of peeled pomegranates in front of Ruan Yang, grabbing them and eating them clean in no time: "What are you waiting for? Your husband is right in front of you."
Ruan Yang was speechless, and seeing Ning Xian's slightly puffed cheeks, she said, "I've only ever seen domestic dogs fight over food so eagerly. This is the first time I've seen a human like this."
Ha, he's being scolded again.
Ning Xian flicked his sleeve, weighed the pomegranate in the fruit plate, tossed it into the old minister's hand, and sneered: "No rush, we can wait for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. My dear minister, have a pomegranate first."
As for General Lu...
Ning Xian glanced at Ruan Yang and said with a smile, "I suddenly remembered that Prince Su raised a pack of wolves here. Each one is very fierce and strong. Since we are at the foot of Yishan Mountain, this is a good occasion to take them out for a spin. It won't have been a waste of feeding them these past few months."
Helian Jia asked curiously, "What does Your Majesty mean by this?"
Ning Xian glanced at Ruan Yang and smiled, "If General Lu can escape from the wolf's jaws this time and obtain the wolf king's head, wouldn't that further demonstrate the prestige of our Great Ye General? What does the Third Prince think?"
Hand-to-hand combat with a pack of wolves?
The room erupted in uproar as the officials exchanged bewildered glances and whispered amongst themselves.
To fight a pack of wolves in the dark with only a short dagger is tantamount to driving a sheep into the jaws of a tiger!
All the nobles and generals present knew that the new emperor was by no means muddle-headed in handling state affairs, but he was extremely tyrannical and ruthless. When Ning Xian was still the crown prince, the ministers and nobles who had impeached him were either exiled or had their homes confiscated, and none of them met a good end.
His Majesty's deliberate actions this time are perhaps a mystery; I wonder what General Lu did to offend him.
The old minister, unable to bear it any longer, said, "Your Majesty, you must not! This is no game. It would be a terrible loss to harm the pillars of our Great Ye."
“Why do you utter such ominous words, my dear minister? General Lu is exceptionally courageous; what can a mere beast do to him?” Ning Xian scoffed, “Is that so, Madam Lu?”
The remaining half of the pomegranate slipped and rolled away, causing Ruan Yang's heart to skip a beat, and the blood in her limbs to seem to freeze instantly.
How can she save Lu Wenjin?
Seeing that Ruan Yang did not respond, the atmosphere became somewhat cold. So, Consort Shen arranged for dancers to come and entertain the guests. She gently took Ning Xian's cold hand and spoke in a tender voice.
"The night is cold and the dew is heavy. Would you please have me fetch you a shawl?"
Seeing that Ruan Yang still ignored him, Ning Xian finally reluctantly let go and said, "Go ahead."
The sounds of string and wind instruments intertwined with the graceful figures of the dancers, captivating everyone with the song and dance. After Consort Chen left, Ruan Yang abruptly departed from his seat.
Ning Xian was taken aback, then immediately grabbed her wrist and said in a deep voice, "Where are you going?"
In the shadows, two intertwined hands were secretly struggling beneath the sleeves. The girl didn't speak, but her long, slender fingers had already drawn blood from Ning Xian's wrist.
Ning Xian winced in pain and snorted, "If you keep picking at me, don't blame me for kissing you."
After saying that, Ruan Yang indeed released her claws, turned her face to the side with tears glistening in her eyes, and glared at him, saying, "He's dead, so don't get away with this. Get out!"
Ning Xian narrowed his eyes, increasing the pressure in his hand considerably. He smiled slightly: "Want to fight to the death? Fine, I'll be waiting!"
"However, if you want Lu Wenjin to live, kneel down now and apologize to me, then cry and beg to marry me."
"Don't even think about it!"
Without hesitation, Ruan Yang blurted out the answer. Her chest heaved violently, but with others present, she couldn't do anything rash.
She found it amusing. Did he really think that if she actually humbled herself and apologized, he would suddenly have mercy and let Lu Wenjin go?
Ruan Yang said sarcastically, "Get away from me. I feel utterly disgusted just being near you!"
...
An hour had passed quietly, and there was still no news from Lu Wenjin. Ning Xian wanted to say something, but when she saw Consort Chen returning with a shawl, she let go of Ruan Yang's hand.
Consort Shen ascended the steps and noticed a slight displeasure in Ning Xian's expression. Under the candlelight, his wrist reflected a silvery-white light, but upon closer inspection, it was found to be covered in bright red blood.
The muscles are exposed, and the superficial tendons are mostly torn.
"My God, who did this?!"
Consort Shen was shocked and was about to shout for an assassin when she saw Madam Lu, whose fingers were also covered in blood.
It's absurd. Ning Xian is always vigilant and even keeps a dagger by his pillow at night for self-defense. Yet now he just sits there and does nothing, letting the person who hurt him sit right next to him.
Ning Xian gazed intently and comforted Consort Chen, saying, "It's nothing, don't make a fuss. It's just a cat scratch. Come back with me for a quick check-up."
"yes....."
Consort Shen noticed the subtle relationship between them, but said nothing more. After helping Ning Xian up, she asked a maid to call the imperial physician.
After the singing and dancing ended, Consort Shen dismissed the guests, citing Ning Xian's sudden headache, and prepared to return to her tent to take care of Ning Xian. At this time, the moon was high in the sky, and the courtyard returned to silence.
She saw a person sitting blankly under the tung tree, completely unaware of the maids calling her to leave.
"Without news for so long, I'm afraid things are probably bad."
A few people were still chatting idly in the courtyard, and as they left, many shook their heads and sighed.
"I heard that His Majesty just sent guards to look for someone, but it seems they haven't found them yet."
"That can't be right. How could such a handsome man just die for no reason? It's absurd."
"If he could come back, he would have come back long ago. There's no movement now, so he's probably either dead or crippled. Even if he manages to escape, what can he do? He offended His Majesty. He may live today, but who knows what will happen to him tomorrow."
After what had just happened, Consort Shen had a general idea of what was going on. She sighed softly, "Madam, General Lu is a lucky man and will surely be alright. You should go back and rest."
The well-intentioned words of comfort sounded to Ruan Yang like a message telling her not to waste her energy.
He gradually drove the originally mild-mannered person to extremes and madness.
Ning Xian wants her to go back? Why should she?!
Ruan Yang struggled with her numb legs, clutching the gold hairpin in her sleeve. Tears welled in her eyes as she forced a smile, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm the one who wronged him. I want to apologize to His Majesty. Where is he? Please take me to see him..."
........
On an autumn night, the moonlight was like a ribbon, and fireflies danced in the air.
The maidservants carried away several basins of bloody water, leaving Ning Xian alone in the tent. He sat alone by the bed, staring blankly at the "white with a hint of red" bandages, when the evening breeze took the opportunity to sneak in and wake him up.
It's very cold.
Seeing someone enter, Ning Xian asked about Ruan Yang's situation: "Is that person still sitting there like a piece of wood?"
The maid shivered from the cold: "Yes, we've tried to persuade her for a long time, but Madam Lu insists on waiting for General Lu to return. Her lips are frozen purple, but she won't budge an inch..."
Ning Xian lay down wearily after hearing this, staring unfocusedly at the tent ceiling until his vision blurred. He stammered, "Childhood sweethearts, inseparable since childhood... so they've always been so loving. I never knew. What am I then? Why did they lie to me and say I was the one who loved me the most..."
What on earth is he doing? After all that time, is he just trying to prove that Ruan Yang never loved him? To prove that her love for Lu Wenjin is stronger than ever?
The maid didn't know what was wrong with Ning Xian. The usually serious and dignified king was now silently shedding tears, muttering incoherent words that she couldn't understand.
Just as they were wondering what to do, Eunuch Liang came in and said to Ning Xian, "Your Majesty, Madam Lu requests an audience."
Ning Xian raised her red eyes and said, "I won't see her. Tell her to get lost."
Eunuch Liang glanced at the woman who had stopped in front of the tent. The wind lifted her skirt, her neatly tied black hair became slightly disheveled, and her arms hung limply at her sides. Her beautiful face looked pitiful in the dim moonlight.
"Yes, then this servant advised her not to cry. His Majesty is in a bad mood, and an apology will not help."
Upon hearing this, Ning Xian's eyes lit up instantly. He suppressed his excitement and said in a deep voice, "Let her in."
"yes."
Upon hearing the agreement, Ruan Yang's heart began to clench with pain. She took a deep breath, gripped the sharp butterfly hairpin in her hand, and walked in stiffly.
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