Chapter 53
A few days ago, at the Miao family's home.
The moment Cui Wuyang received the invitation, bloodshot veins appeared in his eyes, and veins on his forehead bulged and throbbed as if they were about to burst.
Uncle Zhou noticed the young master's unusual behavior and shifted his gaze from his face to the red note. He saw that there were several lines of text written on the back, inviting guests to Qingyuan Village for the wedding banquet.
Qingyuan Village?
The place where Luo Yan and Bujian Chun lived.
Cui Wuyang had a vague idea. He slowly turned his head and said in a tense voice, "Uncle Zhou, do you think it's possible—"
Jinzhan, unaware that the person she was referring to was not Zhu Yun, continued:
"But after all, there's a significant difference in status between you and the prince. It's understandable if you can't get married. You shouldn't have too high hopes."
She wanted to retort that he wasn't the one she was counting on, but after thinking about it, she swallowed her words.
If the prince were to step in and arrange for her to marry Qin Sizhao, even with a dowry, what would be the point of such a marriage?
Luo Yan remained silent, and Jinzhan, thinking she was unhappy again, offered words of comfort:
"Young lady, don't worry, I'll go check on the situation for you."
A little while later, Jinzhan returned and opened the door with a click.
"The prince said he had important business to attend to and has already left the palace."
Luo Yan breathed a sigh of relief and gave a faint smile. He was finally gone.
Jinzhan has been experiencing a lot of negative emotions lately.
She overheard at the door that the current emperor was seriously ill, and presumably the prince would be the next to ascend the throne.
But once the prince ascended the throne, she had to become the head palace maid. Her salary didn't increase much, but she had more to do and the rules became much stricter.
Although there are more troublesome things in the Prince's mansion, there are not many rules that are deliberately torturous. She can take a break and go home, but if she goes to the palace, not only will she have to kneel and bow to this person and that person, but she will also be unable to leave the palace. She will definitely die inside.
She vaguely considered quitting her job and going home. She had saved enough money to open a small shop and raise a round-faced little cat. In the future, she could pet the cat and bask in the sun every day. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
However, she should resign only after Luo Yan has settled down, since she knows too many private matters. If the Marquis of Yun spreads rumors, the prince will suspect that she is spreading them everywhere.
If he were to remain a carefree prince for the rest of his life, fooling around with Luo Yan for a few years would be fine, and marrying her wouldn't be a big deal.
But if he were to become emperor... he would probably find his imperial power too great and the harem too peaceful, needing a female demon to bring him in before daring to put Luo Yan in.
She rolled her eyes and started coming up with bad ideas.
"Given the bright future ahead of the prince, I'm afraid he won't be able to grant you a title. You should think more about your own future."
Jinzhan was too lazy to figure out the prince's feelings for Luo Yan. Heaven knows if he really wanted Luo Yan to get married. All she knew was that once Luo Yan got married, she could retire and go home in peace.
She deliberately made her words airtight, so that even if she went and had an affair after hearing these words, it couldn't be said that Jinzhan had instigated it.
"I have some urgent matters at home these days. My third great-uncle passed away, and I have to go back to see him. Please bear with me, young lady."
Luo Yan covered her face with her sleeve and chuckled. Jinzhan's third great-uncle had died three times already, and she just turned a blind eye to it. But holidays are a necessity for people, and who can keep working hard?
Not long after Jinzhan left, Luo Yan changed into a simple and plain outfit and washed her face.
She naturally has light eyebrows and sharp eyes. If she doesn't draw her eyebrows, she can't suppress the fierceness in her eyes and looks ghostly. She only drew her eyebrows, which made her look more obedient.
For some reason, she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips. She simply wore a veil to cover her face and hurriedly went to Qin Sizhao's residence.
It seemed there were guests at Qin Sizhao's residence. The servant hesitated for a moment, but still called Luo Yan in.
She sipped her tea, her heart pounding with anxiety. She didn't know if she could truly tell him everything.
Faintly, she could hear a woman crying.
“My father is forcing me to marry Zhu Yun… He actually said he regrets raising me to be this way, saying I can’t hold a man’s heart… But am I living just to please men? How could he treat me like this?”
That was Yang Ruoyun's voice; she continued crying.
"Now the grain supplies are in Zhu Yun's hands. He is afraid of being controlled by others in terms of grain supplies, so he is forcing me to marry into the Prince's mansion... He hopes that I will be like a fox and seduce the Prince so that he can reap the benefits."
"But why did my marriage turn out like this? It turns out I was just a pawn in his game, not his daughter."
"All the horseback archery I learned was just a trick my father used to show off..."
Luo Yan grew angrier as she listened, and clenched her fist, slamming it on the table.
"How could a father treat his daughter like this? He's so cruel!"
She got emotional and used a bit too much force, which Yang Ruoyun heard.
Yang Ruoyun wiped away her tears and walked in confidently. When she met Luo Yan's gaze, she couldn't help but feel a little awkward.
"I didn't... I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation... My name is Luo Yan, and I'm the prince's sworn sister. I'm just here for a visit."
Luo Yan didn't dress up, only touched up her eyebrows, and certainly didn't look like she was there to steal someone.
She knew that some things would only get worse if she explained them, so it was better to downplay them than to feel guilty and nervous.
"Please ask Miss Luo Yan to pass on a message for me, telling the Prince not to agree."
Luo Yan nodded sincerely. She hadn't expected the general to be so heartless. It turned out that his love for his daughter was just a narcissistic act.
After agreeing, Luo Yan felt a vague unease. Her heart was pounding. Would Qin Sizhao agree to marry Yang Ruoyun just because she was in trouble...?
She put on a stern face and pursed her lips, saying:
"Let me make this clear first: I can only advise the prince not to marry you; I have no other say in the matter."
If Yang Ruoyun were forced by her family to marry into the royal family, that would be too pitiful. Zhu Yun is no good either, and she would find a way to ruin the marriage.
But she wouldn't give Qin Sizhao to her just because of that...
This thought suddenly popped into her mind, but she also felt a bit disgusted by it. Qin Sizhao wasn't a good person; he couldn't just take her away or give her away. It was his freedom to be with whomever he liked.
Yang Ruoyun wiped her face, her sorrow turning to joy.
"Thank you, Miss Luo Yan. I'll teach you how to ride a horse later."
Luo Yan shrank back and waved her hands repeatedly.
"Never mind, I'm scared of hot stuff, ouch..."
Firstly, Luo Yan was genuinely afraid of tall horses; secondly, she truly didn't want to have any excessive contact with Yang Ruoyun, as she didn't want to develop any unnecessary feelings for her.
Seeing Luo Yan waving her hands repeatedly, Yang Ruoyun couldn't help but smile, then turned and went back to her residence.
Luo Yan suddenly became very uneasy and anxiously looked for Qin Sizhao with her eyes.
"If you like someone, you can be with them; that's your freedom..."
Although she said that, she actually hoped that Qin Sizhao would like her the most.
Qin Sizhao looked at her and smiled.
"Didn't I say that the only wife I want to marry is Miss Luo Yan?"
"But I have a very bad secret, and you'll regret it if you find out."
He stared out the window, lost in thought, when suddenly his eyes darkened, his face fell, and he became somewhat gloomy.
"Miss Luo Yan's secret can't possibly be any worse than mine. I hope you won't regret getting close to me."
He did indeed do the cruelest thing a person in the world could do.
Luo Yan suddenly became curious and began to use her imagination.
"What, are you a playboy behind your respectable facade? Have you toyed with the hearts of many girls?"
He was somewhat annoyed by this speculation, his lips turned down, and he looked down at her, saying...
"I have never done such a thing. I have always been a person of integrity."
"You've never even held a girl's hand?"
She looked at him in surprise, then smiled expectantly.
"certainly."
Before he could finish speaking, Luo Yan grabbed his hand eagerly, revealing a sly expression of triumph.
"Now you can hold my hand."
Luo Yan's voice carried a cautious joy.
He gripped her hand tightly, so hard that it hurt her a little.
"Luo Yan, promise me you'll never try to kill yourself, okay?"
He looked directly into her eyes, which were filled with emotions that Luo Yan couldn't decipher.
Why was he so sensitive to her self-destructive tendencies? What was he seeing through her?
Her thumb gently stroked the back of his hand as she silently watched him.
"Promise me."
He tightened his grip, his tone leaving no room for refusal.
He was pressuring her to make a commitment.
Qin Sizhao tried every means possible, even resorting to unscrupulous methods, to force her to live.
Why should I agree to something like this?
Luo Yan tried to pull her hand back, but although he looked slender, his strength was astonishing, and he showed no intention of giving in to her.
She felt a sense of dread, as if she had been seen through.
"I will not allow you to commit suicide."
He suddenly hugged her tightly, startling Luo Yan.
"Let me go... I'm scared..."
He released her shoulders, took her hand, and said:
"Luo Yan, only those who still yearn for life feel fear. You must remember this feeling of fear; it proves that you still want to live."
The heat from Qin Sizhao's hands almost burned her; her heart raced with anxiety, and her ears turned bright red.
"Luo Yan, the sins I bear are far greater than yours. You cannot die, and neither can I. We must live together."
"Alright, I promise you. Let's be sinners together, clinging to life in this world."
Looking into his reddened eyes, she suddenly realized that he was the same kind of person as her; he too had had suicidal thoughts.
Luo Yan began to feel confused.
What sins could he have committed? He is so innocent and clean, what secrets is he hiding that could give him such a heavy self-destructive complex?
"What I promised you was not that I would live, but that we would both live."
She took his hand, lowered her head, and didn't look into his eyes.
"Can you say yes?"
He gave a wry smile, turning his head halfway away so as not to look at her.
"Luo Yan, you are a smart girl."
She adopted a sarcastic expression, looking at him with a cold laugh and saying:
"What? You were just forcing me to make a promise, and now you're scared? Are you afraid to make a promise to me? You dare to force me to do something you can't even do yourself. You have such a thick skin."
After making those harsh remarks, Luo Yan left.
Tears streamed down her face.
Luo Yan and Qin Sizhao had only met a few times, so she couldn't possibly love Qin Sizhao much, but his life and death were truly on her mind.
What kind of feeling is it when a person entrusts all their dark and heavy secrets, as well as their hope for life, to someone who is almost a stranger?
They were strangers to each other, knew nothing about each other, yet strangely, they became inseparable in life and death.
After returning to the Prince's residence, Luo Yan began to worry about Yang Ruoyun.
Zhu Yun has been away for the past few days without any news, leaving her feeling uncertain and anxious.
As soon as Jinzhan returned, Luo Yan immediately asked her.
"Jinzhan, how is Miss Ruoyun from the General's Mansion doing now?"
She knew that Jinzhan, who appeared to be honest and taciturn, was actually the most well-informed.
"girl……"
She hesitated, as if she was unwilling to speak.
"Let's wait for the prince to return and tell you in person. It's not appropriate for me to speak up because of my status... Besides, there's still a chance things might turn out differently."
Jinzhan thought to herself, if Luo Yan got angry after hearing this and ruined the prince's marriage, she would have to take the blame in the end.
"I didn't ask about the prince; I asked about Miss Ruoyun."
"Miss Ruoyun... No matter how fierce Miss Ruoyun is, she is still an eighteen-year-old girl. What can she do... She's just been confined to her quarters by the General."
Luo Yan felt a surge of anxiety. Ruoyun was bound to be heartbroken by her own father's cold-blooded treatment.
He doted on Yunhou like a precious jewel, then used her and discarded her without a second thought. How could a father treat his daughter like that?
"Where is Zhu Yun? I need to find him..."
Jinzhan, seeing that things were going badly and that Luo Yan was determined to ruin everything, quickly tried to dissuade her.
“Miss… Miss Ruoyun is a noble lady from a general’s family. The prince attaches great importance to this marriage… Besides, I’ve heard that Miss Ruoyun is of good character. She might not be unable to accept you. Why are you doing this to yourself?”
"Pah! What kind of talk is that! What do you mean by 'can tolerate me or not'? Zhu Yun has already ruined one of my lives, does he have to ruin another one? I'm not some accomplice who drags others down with him! Let me tell you, Yang Ruoyun is not willing!"
Luo Yan unleashed a torrent of anger on Jinzhan, who gritted her teeth and endured it, but refused to back down.
She launched into a tirade, but Jinzhan paid no heed. All she knew was that if Luo Yan ruined the prince's marriage, the prince might forgive Luo Yan, but he would never forgive her.
A poor servant like her will only be the chicken used as a warning to others.
"Luo Yan, why are you getting angry with Jinzhan?"
Zhu Yun happened to return and saw Luo Yan throwing a tantrum at Jin Zhan, which puzzled him.
This Jinzhan is usually as stubborn as a mule, and Luo Yan can't do anything about her. Why is she so angry today?
She stormed up to him and grabbed his collar.
"Zhu Yun, I will not allow you to marry Yang Ruoyun!"
You don't even put on an act in front of her?
Fortunately, his status made him magnanimous, and he easily switched his expression, adopting a welcoming attitude: "Qingcao seems to have something to say. You go see her first, and I'll go keep our cousin Cui company."
Luo Yan turned around and saw that Qingcao had indeed returned, holding a square wooden box in her hands.
She hurried over to greet her, and upon getting closer, noticed that Qingcao's expression was unusual. She asked with concern, "Did something happen at home?"
Qingcao's cheeks flushed, and she stammered, "Granny Jia isn't here, and you don't have any other female relatives with you. I'm worried... This is something I secretly bought when I came. You can open it tonight."
After saying that, he shoved the wooden box into her hands and, without waiting for her to speak, fled as if chased by a demon.
Luo Yan was very curious. Seeing that several people inside were raising their cups and competing, she figured they wouldn't fight. So, by the light of the candle under the eaves, she turned the lock.
The box contained a silk painting and a small porcelain bottle, which she examined closely—
Erotic paintings.
It was a book specifically teaching men how to serve women.
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