Chapter 51 The long night under the bright moon wasn't as unbearable as I had imagined...
[One day until the female lead appears and the original plot begins]
The night was cool and clear, the stars and moon illuminating the scene. Only a dim candle burned in the dimly lit inner room. Xue Rongyue lay quietly on the chaise lounge, the crimson characters floating before her eyes. She stared intently at the words, then suddenly reached out to grab them, her slender white fingers passing right through the characters, and unsurprisingly, she grasped at nothing.
The wind is picking up.
A sudden gust of wind blew the pear trees outside the window into disarray. As the branches swayed, the white pears, like snow, fluttered down in a flurry.
The night was deep, and in the quiet city of Chang'an, only the distant sound of night watchmen's drums could be heard.
Xue Rongyue got up and opened the window. The surging night wind ruffled the loose hair around her ears. With one hand supporting her chin, she looked up at the full moon on the eaves. Her face, which had been feigning calm for several days, finally revealed a trace of bewilderment in the dead of night when no one could see it.
The curtain of destiny has been drawn, and she is about to embark on her predetermined journey, but she has no idea what awaits her at the end.
Anxiety about the future enveloped her.
A single petal swirled and drifted silently before her eyes. Xue Rongyue reached out to catch it, but a gust of wind blew, and the lanterns lit under the eaves swayed restlessly. When she opened her eyes again, the petal had already drifted away to who-knows-where.
Xue Rongyue sighed with a sense of loss, and for some reason suddenly thought of Qin Jin, whom she hadn't seen for several days. Her gaze involuntarily fell on the sachet at her waist.
It's unknown whether Qin Jin heard her last words on the night of their parting.
...It shouldn't be, judging from his calm reaction as he sped away without looking back, which didn't seem like he had heard anything.
Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.
At the same moment, on Yuming Mountain in Linxian County of Cenzhou, a mighty mountain wind lifted the hem of Qin Jin's clothes. He lay on the branches of a cypress tree with his hands behind his head. Looking up, he saw a large, bright moon through the layers of green branches.
He quietly examined the little wolf doll he was holding up, then suddenly curled his thin lips into a slight smile, reached out and flicked the little wolf's head, scoffing, "Dumb and clumsy."
Who are you talking about?
Panting from searching for him, Ji Dian leaned against a tree trunk and sneered upon hearing this: "And what about yourself? Every night you don't sleep, you run up to this hilltop, one minute you're a poet inviting the moon to drink with you, the next you're talking to this broken rag doll. We are military generals, who are you trying to impress by pretending to be a scholar here? Do you even have the talent for it?!"
Exhausted, Ji Dian plopped down on the ground and cursed, "Do you know what those bandits said about me? They said I was already mentally challenged, and then I picked up another mentally challenged person! I even wrote to you before I left, specifically asking you to bring me some Jade Dew Dumplings from the Lake East Tea House, and all you brought was a broken rag doll... Do you even remember we came here to suppress bandits and investigate a case?!"
"First of all, this is not a tattered rag doll, but a very lifelike little wolf rag doll that has been sewn together."
Qin Jin tucked the doll back into his pocket, crossed his legs, and said lazily, "Secondly, the identity I forged has never been to Chang'an. Isn't it strange that I'm carrying a box of pastries from the Hudong Teahouse, which is only available in Chang'an?"
"Finally, shout even louder, and try to attract all the bandits on the mountain. Then we won't have to struggle and stay here anymore. Let's find a scenic spot on the mountain and bury ourselves here to save trouble."
Ji Dian couldn't argue with him, so he had no choice but to shut up.
Qin Jin asked, "What do you need me for in the middle of the night?"
Ji Dian mimicked his tone: "Firstly, those bandits came down the mountain a couple of days ago and kidnapped a young woman; they're discussing what to do with her. Secondly, they're sending people to Chang'an to transport a batch of goods back from there."
Qin Jin frowned: "Who is the young woman we kidnapped? And what goods are we transporting back from Chang'an?"
"I don't know what goods they're transporting; only the top two leaders know. So one of us has to sneak back to Chang'an to investigate this shady business. As for that young lady..."
Ji Dian paused slightly, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "You know her too, she's Zheng Shuman, the youngest daughter of the Duke of Zheng. When she was visiting her maternal grandparents, her group was kidnapped by these bandits and taken to the mountains while passing through Cenzhou."
Qin Jin lowered his brows: "A coincidence?"
“If it were a coincidence, they wouldn’t have locked her up and treated her so well.” Ji Dian stood up slowly and sneered, “Besides, even if they didn’t know when they arrested her, Zheng Shuman isn’t without a mouth. She’s been here for so long, they should know by now.”
Qin Jin jumped down: "Let's go, let's take a look."
The night grew longer and quieter. A stray dog darted through the woods, scattering patches of weeds and wildflowers, and the mountains and fields returned to tranquility.
The moon cast a soft, silvery glow from the sky, fireflies danced in the air, and pear blossoms were scattered throughout the garden under the dim candlelight.
Princess Yu'an walked into the courtyard at that moment: "I knew you hadn't rested yet."
Xue Rongyue bowed in surprise: "Your Highness, how come you..."
Perhaps because she had just finished drinking, Princess Yu'an's steps were slightly unsteady and her figure was a little unsteady. She walked in with the help of her maid. Once inside, she sat down on the soft couch. The maid said in a low voice, "Thank you for taking care of me, Madam Xue. I'll go and cook a bowl of hangover soup first."
Knowing that it was Princess Yu'an who had something to say to her, Xue Rongyue nodded slightly and did not call for servants to serve her. Instead, she turned around and poured a cup of hot tea and placed it next to Princess Yu'an: "Why did Your Highness drink so much wine again?"
Along with that, Princess Yu'an asked, "You saw everything, didn't you?"
Xue Rongyue's brow twitched, but she remained silent.
Princess Yu'an picked up her hot tea and took a sip: "You know what I'm asking. That day on the street, I was being intimate with Cao Mingyu...you saw it all, didn't you?"
Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, Xue Rongyue smiled helplessly: "Did Your Highness come here tonight to kill me and silence me?"
Princess Yu'an glanced out the window and nodded, "A dark and windy night is indeed suitable for murder and silencing witnesses."
Xue Rongyue couldn't help but smile, and poured herself a cup of hot tea. When she looked up, she saw Princess Yu'an looking at her calmly and seriously, with no trace of drunkenness or smile on her face.
The inner room fell silent instantly, and Xue Rongyue's hand trembled: "...No, no way?"
Princess Yu'an couldn't help but laugh: "Look how nervous you are, are you really afraid I'll kill you?"
Xue Rongyue gave a fake smile: "How could that be?"
"So you've been avoiding me all this time?" Princess Yu'an snorted coldly, then looked at her meaningfully. "Or do you have some shady business that you're worried Cao Mingyu will find out?"
A chill ran through her, and Xue Rongyue's smile became even more fake. She denied it repeatedly: "How could that be? I never leave my house. What kind of shady business could I possibly have?"
"Alright." Princess Yu'an waved her hand. "I have no intention of prying into your secrets, and you can't say these insincere things to appease me."
"I came tonight only to tell you that although General Xue is your biological father, you are no longer the helpless child you once were. If you don't want to deal with him, you can continue to live in the Princess's residence. No one will dare to gossip about you. If you have a conflict when you meet tomorrow, don't be afraid. Just send a servant to inform me, and I will personally go to the Xue residence to pick you up."
Her long eyelashes trembled as Xue Rongyue stared blankly at Princess Yu'an.
After finishing her hot tea, Princess Yu'an stood up and looked at Xue Rongyue, as if she were recalling the past through her: "Back then, I did not have pure intentions in helping you, so when His Majesty ordered me to take you back to the manor to recuperate, I was unwilling."
"But during the difficult time after my husband's death, you were the only one by my side."
"You have no idea how much you cried when you were little. You would pretend to be calm and indifferent during the day, but your tears would still flow when you fell asleep at night. I was the one who cried in the middle of the night, but after you came, I had to change my pillow non-stop after nightfall, otherwise I couldn't sleep at all. And when I woke up in the morning, I had to take the blame for you."
When Xue Rongyue heard her mention the past, she immediately lowered her head and muttered softly, "Then why does Your Highness still sleep with me at night?"
Princess Yu'an raised a delicate eyebrow and suddenly flicked Xue Rongyue's forehead: "You heartless wretch."
She said irritably, "Let's go. You should rest and conserve your energy. Even if you bring back an adopted daughter, what can she do to cause trouble? Don't let me see that timid and spineless look on your face again."
Xue Rongyue winced in pain, clutching her forehead and hissing. Hearing this, she quickly said, "Wait!"
Princess Yu'an stopped in her tracks: "What's wrong?"
Xue Rongyue hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't help asking, "Your Highness, why did you... with Lord Cao?"
As soon as she asked the question, Xue Rongyue regretted it. She began to stammer halfway through her sentence. Princess Yu'an, on the other hand, had no reservations. After thinking for a moment, she lowered her head and replied, "He looks very much like the prince consort."
Xue Rongyue: "......"
Xue Rongyue said expressionlessly, "I still remember what the Prince Consort looks like."
The prince consort was handsome and refined, completely different from Cao Mingyu, and their appearances were also completely different. Where did they get the similarity?
Seeing that she couldn't brush it off, Princess Yu'an smiled awkwardly: "Your memory is really unpredictable. Your husband has been gone for so many years, yet you still remember what he looked like."
Xue Rongyue stared at her longingly.
With a helpless sigh, Princess Yu'an walked over, gently patted her head with her slender white fingers, and gave a very serious answer: "Youth is fun. One should enjoy life to the fullest."
"ah?"
Xue Rongyue never expected that Princess Yu'an would say such an inappropriate thing while wearing such a serious expression.
Princess Yu'an patted her frozen face with a smile, and Xue Rongyue couldn't help but smile as well.
After a moment of silence, Princess Yu'an, her eyes still slightly swirling with intoxication, spoke with a sincere and gentle tone: "What I said just now was from the bottom of my heart, so please don't think of me so badly, or I'll be sad."
After saying that, she waved her hand and turned to leave.
Watching Princess Yu'an's figure gradually disappear from sight, Xue Rongyue turned and walked back into the house. Jingnu, who had not fallen asleep, came out of the house and walked over quickly: "It's really getting late. I'll light a calming incense for you, so you can fall asleep."
Xue Rongyue nodded, watching Jingnu bustling about. As the candlelight was gently extinguished, the room fell into deep darkness. Hearing the door close softly, Xue Rongyue closed her eyes in peace.
She suddenly realized that the long night wasn't as unbearable as she had imagined.
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Author's Note: Yesterday's chapter was posted at the wrong time. I realized this morning and quickly posted it. Don't forget to read it, my darlings, otherwise the plot won't flow smoothly!
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