Heartfelt wishes
Chen Run couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Only devoted to you? Why should Ruyi be devoted to only you? What do you have that makes Ruyi devoted to you? Devotion? Respect? Understanding? Your world has always revolved around power struggles! Every step you take has a purpose. Ask yourself honestly, before all this, what was Ruyi's place in your heart?"
Shangguan Zeyu was speechless for a moment, stammering before finally saying, "But no matter what, Ruyi is my woman! I admit I didn't treat Ruyi well before, but I can guarantee that I will treat her very well from now on. My feelings for Ruyi are as clear as day!"
Chen Run simply shook his head and remained silent.
Shangguan Zeyu looked at him quietly and said, "I will prove to you that only I can give Ruyi happiness!"
Chen Run remained silent, simply gazing at the withered lotus flowers before him.
Shangguan Zeyu did not torture him because, in Shangguan Zeyu's eyes, Chen Run was a rare talent. Their Great Zhou needed him.
However, Shangguan Zeyu had someone spread the word that Chen Run refused to confess and was being imprisoned and subjected to extreme torture.
Shangguan Zeyu didn't think Jiang Yan would actually appear because of this, but he was also very afraid. What if Jiang Yan really did appear because of this?
What does this mean?
He, Jiang Yan's husband, was abandoned by Jiang Yan when they encountered danger and she fled for her life. But now, Jiang Yan has appeared for a complete stranger. What does this mean?
Shangguan Zeyu naturally investigated the past between Chen Run and Liu Ruyi thoroughly, but despite this, and despite knowing that Chen Run and Liu Ruyi had secretly contacted and communicated for several years, in his eyes, it was nothing.
Even though they were once deeply in love, it couldn't withstand a marriage certificate, nor could it withstand his deep affection for her.
Besides, Chen Run had wronged her before, and whatever the reason, wrong is wrong.
Shangguan Zeyu was confident that he would find Jiang Yan and make her accept him again.
Time flies like an arrow, and in the blink of an eye, it will be March of next year.
The snow and ice in the mountains gradually melted, and yellow-green grass sprouts began to emerge from the soil. Jiang Yan and Huang Ying finally ended their three months of poverty.
On a bright and sunny afternoon, they headed down the mountain with their empty bundles on their backs.
In order to get down the mountain before dark, they set off on a run, running non-stop from the top of the mountain to the bottom. By the time night fell, they had actually reached the bottom of the mountain. However, a day of running had left their legs shaking uncontrollably, like puppets being manipulated.
"I can't go on anymore, I can't run or walk." Jiang Yan lay sprawled on the damp ground covered with fallen leaves, reluctantly feeling his legs trembling as he spoke weakly.
Huang Ying wasn't much better off; lying on the ground with her eyes closed, she weakly said, "I can't walk anymore either."
When you can't walk anymore, lie down and enjoy the solid ground beneath you.
Jiang Yan adjusted her breathing slightly and opened her eyes. What she saw was a pitch-black night sky, a bright half-moon, and stars gradually appearing around the moon.
At this moment, Jiang Yan suddenly felt so fulfilled and relaxed, and she also had a vague sense of disorientation, as if she was no longer the same person she had been before.
Huang Ying opened her eyes and couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, how beautiful!" Then she turned her head to look at Jiang Yan and said, "Master, I have never been so leisurely lying on the ground watching the stars before."
"I haven't seen it in a long time either. When I was little, I loved to lie in the wheat field in the summer and count the stars. There were fireflies back then, and the nights were so beautiful."
“Master, there are fireflies in the grass here in the summer, they are especially beautiful. I saw them when I was a child.”
"Really? Then let's go see it together in the summer."
"It's a promise, Master, you can't go back on your word."
"A woman's word is her bond. When have I ever gone back on my word?" Jiang Yan said with a smile, but in her heart she couldn't help but wonder where they were or what they were doing in the summer.
Jiang Yan and Huang Ying dared not lie on the ground for the night. Not to mention the possibility of wild animals devouring them, the cold night itself could freeze them to death. So, as the stars became more numerous and brighter, the two sisters supported each other, leaning on a thin stick they had picked up at random, and continued to stagger towards where there were houses.
Shangguan Zeyu tried every method he could think of, but he still couldn't find Jiang Yan's whereabouts. To him, it was as if Jiang Yan had vanished from the face of the earth.
In this way, Wang Qianqian and Xiao Yiqing's schemes became increasingly elaborate.
On the surface, Xiao Yiqing was on the same side as Wang Qianqian, but behind the scenes, he was always looking for a way to get rid of Wang Qianqian and drive her out of the palace.
Wang Qianqian was no pushover either, always managing to turn misfortune into good fortune and escape from desperate situations. As a result, the two of them developed an unprecedented tacit understanding. For example, when talking about Liu Ruyi in front of Shangguan Zeyu, they always cooperated perfectly, one lighting the fire and the other fanning the flames.
Whether Shangguan Zeyu genuinely couldn't see through their tricks, didn't want to bother with it, or was simply deceiving himself, Xiao Yiqing and Wang Qianqian's arrogance only grew stronger, and they practically disregarded Shangguan Zeyu completely.
That day, Shangguan Zeyu and Steward Cui were discussing the drought in Jiangnan. When they got to the point, Steward Cui said, "Your Highness, have you heard any rumors circulating in the manor recently?"
"What rumors?" Shangguan Zeyu didn't care and was still carefully flipping through the memorial in his hand.
After pondering for a moment, Steward Cui asked, "Your Highness, did Zhang Qin bring back any useful information? Is there anything I can do to carry it out?"
Shangguan Zeyu then put down his official duties and looked at Steward Cui: "Uncle Cui, please stop referring to yourself as your subordinate. It makes me very uneasy."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Shangguan Zeyu gazed out the window and said, "Let them continue with their affairs in the manor. I want to see what kind of trouble they can stir up!" Then he added, "Zhang Qin hasn't found the person I'm looking for, but he has found out some information. I still need Uncle Cui to help."
"If Your Highness speaks for me, I will serve you with the utmost loyalty."
"The surviving members of the Zhang clan say that Zhang was obsessed with Taoist arts from a young age. They say that after He's marriage, he went mad shouting that he was going to become an immortal, an immortal. It seems he must have become a Taoist priest. According to the clansmen, Zhang once said that he wanted to go to Penglai to inquire about Taoism. Therefore, I would like to ask Uncle Cui to make a trip to Penglai. If Zhang is still alive, I implore Uncle Cui to do his best to find out any useful information."
"Your Highness, rest assured, I have a friend who happens to be in Penglai seeking information. If Zhang has indeed gone to Penglai, I should be able to find out some things."
"I'll leave this matter to Uncle Cui."
"Your Highness is too kind. This is what I should do."
The night Jiang Yan and Huang Ying first came down the mountain, they made do outside a house's fence. They were hungry and cold, and their minds were starting to wander, so they didn't care about anything and just huddled together to sleep.
The next day, when the people opened the fence gate and saw them, they found that they had fainted, so they carried them into the house.
The woman washed their faces, wiped their bodies, and fed them water. It took them most of the day to recover.
Huang Ying was the first to open her eyes, and the first thing she saw was the hostess's simple and sincere smile.
"Girl, you're finally awake. Have some more water to soothe your throat." With that, he fed the water from the wooden spoon to Huang Ying.
Huang Ying gently sipped the water and asked, "Master? Where is my master?"
The voice was so faint that the woman didn't hear it clearly, but seeing the worry and tension on her face, she guessed that the woman might be asking about Jiang Yan's whereabouts, and said, "The girl who was with you is lying on another bed. She hasn't woken up yet, but she's alright now."
Huang Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief and then fell into a deep sleep again.
Jiang Yan woke up the next morning at breakfast, awakened by the aroma of rice porridge and stir-fried potatoes. By then, Huang Ying was already able to sit up and eat by herself.
She murmured something in her throat, which was heard by the mistress's son, a six-year-old boy. The mistress had just fed her water, and only then did she learn from her that the oriole was in the area. Only then did she feel relieved and fall asleep again.
She didn't wake up again until dinner time.
Huang Ying helped her lean against the earthen wall behind her and fed her rice porridge spoonful by spoonful, very carefully.
The hostess stood outside the door, looking on, and smiled, "You sisters have such a good relationship, it's truly enviable."
Jiang Yan looked at Huang Ying with great satisfaction and said, "It is the younger sister who is good to the older sister."
Huang Ying smiled slightly and said, "Without you, sister, I wouldn't have the life I have now. You should be grateful to me."
The hostess smiled so broadly her eyes narrowed, saying, "Good, good, good, sisters!" Then, puzzled, she asked, "Why are you two sisters here? You're not from around here. Where are you going? What happened?"
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