Chapter 3 Deception
Seeing that she was trembling like a leaf, Rong Si didn't reply. Instead, he asked, "What caused your misfortune?"
“There was chaos tonight, and it was really noisy outside,” Yu Wanyin said vaguely, omitting the beginning and end of the story. “I was just resting peacefully at home when thieves came to rob me and break down the door. I had no choice but to climb out of the window and swim to get here.”
His expression was indifferent, and his tone was far from friendly. "I know the surrounding area of Jiangling well. As far as I know, the main force of the troops is surrounding the imperial palace tonight. Your family lives in the imperial palace, so you are a distinguished guest from the imperial palace?"
“I don’t understand what you mean, sir,” Yu Wanyin explained in a muffled voice. “What soldiers and armor, what palace, how would I know? I thought it was just some local thugs causing trouble at my house again.”
The man looked at her with dark eyes. "Where are your family members now?" "My mother died long ago."
"Father?"
Yu Wanyin said, "My father is newly deceased."
There was a moment of silence.
Rong Si spoke, pondering slowly, "You're the only one left in the house."
Yu Wanyin feigned calmness, "To be honest, my dear husband, living alone as an orphan is always a troublesome affair. I have moved many times and am not a native of Jiangling. I had only been settled for two days when trouble arose again."
Then he slowly asked, "So let me protect you. In due time, where will you go?"
Yu Wanyin just wanted to muddle through for now, "Once the chaos subsides, you can put me anywhere, my lord."
"Think carefully before you make up a lie," Rong Si said, slamming his hand on the table next to him with a "smack."
Yu Wanyin held her breath slightly.
The man stood up. "I'll give you one more night to think it over. Will you tell the truth, or will you continue to lie to me?"
Yu Wanyin couldn't figure out what flaws were in her story. She woke up from a nightmare today, not even wearing any jewelry. "How could I dare to deceive my husband?"
Rong Si ignored her, and when he came back, he carried the stove into the inner room.
Then he strode to the side, pulled out a cloth bag and threw it into the box where Yu Wanyin was hiding. "There are no women's clothes here. These few are clean. Make do with them for now. Change into them after your clothes are dried."
"I'll sleep outside." Rong Si went straight to the outer room.
Yu Wanyin watched his actions and realized that he was serious.
Are we just going to let her go like that?
After pondering for a moment and seeing that the man really had no other intentions, Yu Wanyin reluctantly came out of the box.
She stood there for a while, clutching the collar of her dress without moving, her eyes carefully observing her surroundings.
This was, after all, a bandit camp.
The tent was filled with men, and Yu Wanyin, a young lady who had lived in a grand mansion since childhood, felt very awkward and uneasy changing clothes in such a place.
Every male voice coming from outside the tent made her stop what she was doing, her nerves on edge.
After some hesitation, she took off her wet clothes and hastily changed into a man's robe.
The scent of sun-dried grass and trees enveloped her completely.
His clothes were too big, and Yu Wanyin had some trouble putting them on; her everyday clothes looked like a cape.
She couldn't get dressed properly, but there was no one here to help her.
Yu Wanyin could only quickly prop up her clothes and place them by the stove to dry before changing back into them.
She sat by the man's bed for a while. The bedding was very clean, and the furnishings and bedding were in the original brown wood and gray-black tones, exuding an oppressive and invasive atmosphere that gradually swallowed up everything around her.
In this room, the pure white she hung up stood out particularly.
It quickly became the focus of all darkness and obscurity that it sought to taint.
Yu Wanyin was exhausted and sat on the bed, hugging her knees. She fell asleep without realizing it.
Rong Si called her several times from outside, but she didn't wake up.
Seeing no movement, the man didn't pay any attention and went straight in to get his things.
Upon entering the room, one could see the young woman curled up inside her robes. Even through the clothes, her slender figure was evident. She had even tucked her hands inside her clothes to keep warm, leaving only her empty sleeves hanging by the bedside.
Her fair skin was covered with a thin layer of misty powder, as if you could squeeze water out of it; she was elegant, beautiful, and exuded an air of nobility.
Rong Si's pupils darkened, and he looked away.
She was very clever; her story was indeed flawless, the only flaw being herself.
She was nothing like an ordinary young lady.
Such a vibrant and elegant flower cannot grow in the mountains and fields.
*
Within Jiangling City, the raging war situation reversed in the latter half of the night.
Inside the underground palace, where the fighting had taken hold, news of successes kept arriving. Left Prime Minister Chu Yu had planned an ambush in advance, catching the rebels off guard.
Especially when Qi Zhong ran out of gunpowder in the latter half of the night, it accelerated his defeat.
Before launching his attack, Chu Yu immediately informed his father-in-law so that he could take his wife and daughters and hide in the underground palace he had prepared.
The most important thing is to protect his betrothed wife.
Meanwhile, the family of three were thankful that they had received the news in advance, but Yu Wanyin was not among those who escaped.
Yu Heyue was still in shock and nestled in her mother's arms, sobbing uncomfortably.
Yu Sheng slapped his thigh, "Oh no, I forgot Yao Yao at the palace."
"Yaoyao?" Madam Nie asked knowingly, "Didn't Yaoyao come along?"
“I forgot,” Yu Sheng said regretfully. “Why didn’t any of you remind me? Yao Yao isn’t here.”
"In such an emergency, we were barely able to take care of ourselves, how could we know who was there and who wasn't?" Madam Nie patted her daughter, "Don't worry, good people are always protected by heaven, everything will be alright."
"Is there any certainty about relying on fate?" Yu Sheng paced back and forth. "Other things aside, Yao Yao just got engaged to the Prime Minister."
“The Prime Minister and Yao Yao have only met a few times, what feelings could they possibly have?” Nie Shi chimed in. They all assumed that this marriage was a political alliance within the court and had nothing to do with feelings. “If you’re worried about how to explain it to the Prime Minister, isn’t there A Yue? A Yue can marry in place of her elder sister, and that would also make us related by marriage. It won’t affect your career.”
Yu Heyue stopped crying and looked at her father and mother.
Nie patted her, signaling her to relax.
No one knew that just before escaping from the palace, Lady Nie had a nightmare.
She dreamt that not long after Yu Wanyin married into the family, Yingzhou was completely overthrown and became a place divided up by war.
The new king was too flamboyant and an incompetent fool. The Northern Chi saw an opportunity and joined forces to stir up trouble on the border of Yingzhou. Before long, they invaded.
The new king hastily moved the capital.
That was just the beginning of their family's nightmare. On their way to relocate the capital, they were intercepted by the Northern Chi army.
Her daughter, Yu Heyue, became a concubine of several generals of the Northern Chi tribe and never saw the light of day again.
Later, she heard that Chu Yu was in charge of the army and wielded immense power.
What's hateful is that Yu Wanyin must not have helped them, which is why they ended up in such a state.
Nie can still vividly recall the regret and resentment she felt in that dream.
If it were her daughter who had married into the family, they wouldn't be in this situation.
What gives Yu Wanyin the right to do this?
Nie also comforted herself that it was just a dream.
But everything that's happening now confirms the reality of the dream.
I opened my eyes to news of a palace coup.
What a coincidence!
During their escape today, Nie deliberately distracted Yu Sheng, causing Yu Wanyin to fall behind.
If Yu Wanyin were to have an accident during the palace coup today, then her marriage to the Left Prime Minister would naturally fall to their own daughter.
Originally, when Yu Sheng planned to discuss marriage with the Left Prime Minister, such a good marriage should have been for her daughter.
Yu Wanyin, with her seductive face, attracted the attention of the Left Prime Minister, which ruined her daughter's marriage.
Nie had disliked her for a long time, and whether she died today or lost her innocence, it would all be fine.
After weighing the pros and cons, Yu Sheng calmed down and said, "If Yao Yao really encounters something bad, this is the only way."
Yu Heyue asked her mother softly, "Really? Can I?"
Madam Nie could tell that her daughter liked Chu Yu, that handsome young man, a powerful young official, the dream man of countless young women in Yingzhou. "You and your elder sister are both daughters of the Yu family, what's wrong with a marriage alliance for the sake of family prestige?"
“If your elder sister cannot get married, it is because she is not blessed. This blessing should belong to you.”
Yu Heyue felt a surge of joy, completely forgetting the fear and unease she had felt during her escape.
Nie calmed herself down, and soon another piece of good news arrived, just like in her dream: Qi Zhong's faction had been completely defeated and captured.
The elegant and handsome prime minister arrived at the entrance of the underground palace, dismounted hastily, and headed straight for them.
A gentle breeze stirred the hem of Chu Yu's robe as she curtsied to Yu Sheng, "Father-in-law, were you frightened?"
Yu Sheng quickly helped him up, "It's alright. Fortunately, my son-in-law informed us, which saved us from disaster."
After Chu Yu finished speaking, he looked up to search for the figure he had been longing for.
But there was no trace of Yu Wanyin in the entire underground palace.
Noticing Chu Yu's expression, Yu Sheng quickly changed the subject, "How's it going outside?"
Chu Yu didn't respond. "Where's Yao Yao?"
Yu Sheng's expression stiffened slightly as he pulled out the response he had prepared over the past few hours, and said with a pained expression, "We went to call Yao Yao as soon as we received the news, but she wasn't in her room. The servants at her door were knocked unconscious. We're afraid she's been kidnapped ahead of time..."
As Yu Sheng spoke, he looked up and met Chu Yu's dark eyes, which were shrouded in a layer of ink.
Yu Sheng felt a chill run down his spine from her gaze, and his palms became slightly sweaty. "Don't worry, my dear son-in-law, I've already sent someone to look for her..."
Chu Yu didn't say anything, turned around and left.
The swallowtail robe made a rustling sound as it passed by.
Yu Sheng suppressed the unease in his heart and hurriedly called out, "My dear son-in-law!"
He chased after it for a few steps, and the underground palace gate slammed shut with a creaking sound.
The officials hiding inside the underground palace stood up in confusion, asking, "Since the rebels have been arrested, why are we still being imprisoned?"
Chu Yu's attendant outside the underground palace said, "Jiangling is not yet at peace, please be patient."
Chu Yu watched the figures moving about in the underground palace, mounted his horse, and coldly ordered, "Go find them. Dig three feet into the ground throughout Jiangling. Find them alive or dead."
The soldiers then obeyed and dispersed.
Having navigated the treacherous waters of officialdom and witnessed countless schemes and plots, he was well aware of Yu Sheng's attempts to conceal his true intentions.
Excellent.
This gentle and refined official thought to himself.
If Yu Wanyin had not returned safely, all those people clinging to life in the underground palace could have died.
*
The mountain stream was desolate in the early morning, and Rong Si woke up very early.
He opened his eyes and looked at the top of the tent in front of him, the scent of damp lily of the valley still lingering in his nostrils.
He didn't sleep well that night, dreaming of mountains covered in lilies of the valley, which transformed into lily of the valley fairies and entwined around him as night fell.
The blanket he was using was taken from a box.
The box where the little girl hid.
Before it was even taken out, it was already soaked with moisture from her body.
The scent of lily of the valley permeated his blanket, lingering there.
The stove was with her, and he couldn't be bothered to fight her for it.
At first, I thought it wouldn't matter if I slept wet, but it seems that's not an option now.
Rong Si decided not to sleep anymore. He got up, tidied up, threw the blanket that had disturbed his sleep aside, and went out for some fresh air.
Just then, Zong Cheng returned from scouting and saw Rong Si come out of the tent. He dismounted and reported, "Master, we have to go back. Last night, Chu Yu completely annihilated old man Qi, and he has started patrolling the mountains."
Rong Si responded.
Funan Mountain was, after all, the territory of the imperial palace. They would come here occasionally to do business, but it was not their stronghold.
Right now, the old nest is safer, and no one dares to go there.
Zong Cheng said he was going into the tent to "help you pack your things."
Rong Si grabbed him by the back of the neck and dragged him outside, saying gruffly, "Wait outside."
Zong Cheng hesitated for a moment, then followed Rong Si into the tent, taking two steps after him. "Master..."
"Just you wait." Rong Si knew he was going to ask some useless questions as soon as he opened his mouth. "Be quiet and stop asking nonsense."
"We might have to bring one more back later."
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