Chapter 85 The Whereabouts of the Elder Brother "I'm home, but I'm not planning to come in and sit for a while..."
A few days ago, Xue Fengchun was ambushed and killed by a group of masked thugs on his way to Puming Temple to burn incense and pray for blessings.
The thugs were vicious and relentlessly pursued him. Just when things seemed hopelessly dangerous, the Crown Prince happened to pass by. His accompanying guards rushed forward and fought the thugs, managing to rescue Xue Fengchun unharmed. That such a heinous act could occur right under the Emperor's nose immediately caused a huge uproar. Xue Xiude, his eyes red with tears, knelt in the main hall, pleading with His Majesty to thoroughly investigate the true culprit.
Logically speaking, this had nothing to do with Xue Rongyue, but for some reason, rumors suddenly began to circulate in Chang'an eight days ago—
Those with ulterior motives used Xue Rongyue's presence at the Xue residence after Xue Fengchun returned to Chang'an as a pretext to imply discord between the two, and even tried to pin the blame for the real culprit on Xue Rongyue.
As the saying goes, "three men can make a tiger," and rumors spread like wildfire, growing increasingly uncontrollable. Xue Rongyue had already left Chang'an, and several days had passed without her showing up or uttering a single word of explanation or protest. This only added weight to the baseless rumors.
By the time Princess Yu'an learned of this matter, the news had spread throughout Chang'an. Even though she ordered that no one in the mansion should gossip, she could not silence the gossip outside the mansion.
Upon hearing this, Xue Rongyue did not show the anger that Princess Yu'an had expected. Instead, she looked up at her as if scrutinizing her, and after a long while, asked, "Does Your Highness not believe me?"
Princess Yu'an was taken aback.
Xue Rongyue said in a low voice, "These rumors are not entirely unfounded; they sound somewhat true. I am indeed domineering by nature, and my past behavior can be described as vicious. It is not impossible that I would hire someone to kill out of jealousy."
Princess Yu'an laughed upon hearing this: "Stop trying to glorify yourself. If you were capable of doing such a thing, you wouldn't have been so restless and sleepless all night the day before Xue Xiude and his party returned to Chang'an."
As soon as she finished speaking, Princess Yu'an paused for a moment and said reproachfully, "I watched you grow up. How could I not know your character? How could I not believe you and instead believe some rumors?"
—How could I not believe you?
A sudden pang of pain shot through her heart. These words were like a boulder thrown into the center of a lake, creating ripples in Xue Rongyue's heart.
She couldn't help but think of that dream again—
Princess Yu'an stood opposite her, her face filled with helplessness and bewilderment. She said in a deep voice, "You have disappointed me greatly. How could you have become like this, so ruthless, inhuman, and utterly unreasonable?"
The words in her dream pierced her heart like a sharp sword, drawing blood.
Looking quietly at Princess Yu'an, Xue Rongyue could not hide the complex emotions on her face. She did not even know how long this belief would last, or whether it would disappear again due to the development of the original plot, but that did not prevent those wounds from being plugged.
"Why are your eyes red?" Princess Yu'an looked at Xue Rongyue in surprise, pulled her into her arms, and coaxed her gently, "I know you have been wronged this time. I have already sent people to investigate, and I will definitely not let you suffer this injustice for nothing."
Xue Rongyue shook her head and said softly, "I'm not feeling wronged, I'm happy."
Wiping away the tears that welled up in her eyes, Xue Rongyue looked at Princess Yu'an with a stubborn and earnest gaze: "As long as Your Highness believes in me, I will not feel wronged."
"You silly girl, you've gotten even sweeter since you went out. You've even started saying these kinds of things to make me happy."
Princess Yu'an was taken aback at first, then reached out and tapped Xue Rongyue's reddened nose: "Don't think that I won't hold it against you just because you said that. You left Chang'an without even informing me beforehand."
Despite this, Princess Yu'an's red lips curled up, and her smile deepened, showing that she was only arguing verbally.
As night fell, a feast was prepared at the mansion to welcome Xue Rongyue back.
Princess Yu'an did not ask Xue Rongyue where she was going, but simply chatted with her for a while and advised her not to get angry because of the gossip. The two drank a jar of wine together until late at night before Xue Rongyue left.
Princess Yu'an, unable to hold her liquor, was helped by her maid to rest on a soft couch in a drunken stupor. Watching Xue Rongyue's departing figure, Princess Yu'an felt as if something was missing. However, she was too dizzy to think clearly, and after a long time of trying to figure it out, she still couldn't come up with a solution.
After her bath, Princess Yu'an lay on the bed, drifting into a deep sleep. As if dreaming of something, she suddenly threw back the covers, a hint of unspeakable fear on her face—
"Doesn't this brat know about the arranged marriage? Why is she so calm? She hasn't even bothered to cause me any trouble!"
Although she realized that her relationship with Qin Jin was no longer as hostile as before, and that their marriage was beneficial to the situation, it was still too sudden. She feared that Xue Rongyue would not be able to accept it and would cause a scene at the Heavenly Palace. Her ability to cause trouble was extraordinary.
Thinking of this, Princess Yu'an's headache worsened, and she muttered to herself, "...Maybe I should find a Taoist temple and go out to hide for a while?"
......
However, for several days in a row, Xue Rongyue adhered to the principle of not leaving the inner palace. The scene of the great disturbance in the Heavenly Palace that Princess Yu'an had imagined did not occur. She went to visit her several times and saw that Xue Rongyue's expression was as usual, and she did not seem to be deliberately hiding from people.
Perhaps she was tired from her trip, so Princess Yu'an didn't think much of it. She simply sent some more people to investigate the source of the rumors.
In the scorching heat of July, the sun blazed down, the leaden clouds had long since vanished, and the spacious courtyard was enveloped in its intense heat. Even the evergreen trees succumbed to the blazing sun, their curled leaves drooping low.
Xue Rongyue pushed open the window, and a wave of scorching heat rushed in. The sudden chirping of cicadas, along with the heatwave, carried a strange sense of unease. She stood quietly by the window, her gaze fixed on an insect slowly climbing up the corner of the wall. It was unclear whether she was pondering something or waiting for something.
"My lady, please finish your lotus seed porridge. I specially chilled it with ice; it will help cool you down in the summer heat."
Jingnu stepped forward and handed over the cool soup bowl.
Xue Rongyue took the drink, took a couple of sips but had no appetite, and casually put it aside. Seeing this, Jingnu advised, "As long as there is news from Liangzhou, Luo Zhen will definitely send a message immediately, so please don't worry, Madam."
"You haven't had any appetite these past two days, and you've lost a lot of weight. What if you fall ill when the letter arrives?"
Upon hearing this, Xue Rongyue picked up the soup bowl again. Just as her fingertips gripped the soup spoon, two carrier pigeons flew over one after the other and landed on the branches by the window.
Her heart leaped into her throat, and Xue Rongyue's breathing became rapid. Before she could give any orders, Jingnu had already quickened her pace and run out, grabbing the two carrier pigeons perched on the wall and deftly removing the secret messages tied to them.
When she turned around, Xue Rongyue had already strode out to greet her. Jingnu quickly handed her the secret letter and asked in confusion, "Why are there two letters?"
Her outstretched hand trembled uncontrollably. The moment her fingertips touched the letter, Xue Rongyue felt a surge of emotion, almost suffocating. She could only take a deep breath.
She closed her eyes briefly and then opened them again. Without further hesitation, Xue Rongyue quickly unfolded the two secret letters. The light, fluttering letters resembled butterflies about to take flight, making Xue Rongyue dare not loosen her grip.
She first looked at the secret letter sent by Luo Zhen, quickly scanning its contents. Her pupils widened suddenly, and her ears rang. Xue Rongyue stared intently at the clear handwriting on the letter, even forgetting to breathe at that moment.
"...It was him, it was him all along..."
After an unknown amount of time, Xue Rongyue murmured repeatedly, her voice trembling with disbelief and a sob: "So it really was him..."
"My lady, my lady?" Jingnu called out anxiously when she saw Xue Rongyue's expression. "My lady, what do these two letters say? Is there a letter from Luo Zhen?"
Xue Rongyue held the letter to her chest with both hands. Even though she had expected it, large tears still streamed down her face. Hearing this, she choked out, "There is... there is a letter from Luo Zhen."
Seeing this, Jingnu didn't dare to ask what was written on the letter. She could only pick up another secret letter that had fallen to the ground and hand it to Xue Rongyue: "My lady, would you like to take a look at this secret letter? I think that carrier pigeon is not raised by me."
A wave of soreness washed over her, and years of pent-up emotions burst forth like a flood. Xue Rongyue could no longer contain herself and covered the letter with her hands, crying her heart out before her emotions finally calmed down.
A quarter of an hour later, after wiping away her tears, Xue Rongyue took another secret letter from Jingnu. When she saw the signature on the letter, her brows furrowed immediately, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, and her fluctuating emotions were suppressed once again.
After reading every word in the secret letter, her heart sank and her expression gradually became serious.
Jingnu asked cautiously, "Madam, who sent this letter?"
With her eyes slightly narrowed, Xue Rongyue slowly uttered three words after a long while: "Jiang Shiyan".
Jingnu exclaimed in surprise, "How could it be him?"
"...Not only that, the contents of the two letters are exactly the same."
Xue Rongyue frowned, a dark and unfathomable glint flashing in her eyes: "The letters that Jiang Shiyan and Luo Zhen sent one after the other both said the same thing... they have found my brother's whereabouts."
Jingnu's eyes widened suddenly as she stared blankly at Xue Rongyue: "Where?!"
***
As the sun gradually sank behind the western mountains, the last rays of brilliant sunset faded from the high pavilions and buildings. The scorching heat finally subsided, and a cool night breeze stirred the green leaves on the branches, creating a soft rustling sound.
"Lord Bai, it's been a long time! You've finally come to cut meat for us again tonight?"
The butcher greeted Bai Hemian familiarly, exchanging pleasantries while cutting him a piece of fine pork tenderloin. Before Bai Hemian could refuse, he smiled, put down the money, and turned to leave.
After buying a jar of fruit wine, two packs of pastries, and a small box of dried fruit, Bai Hemian left Dongfang Market, wandering through streets and alleys until he finally stopped in front of a small courtyard deep in the alley.
He didn't turn around, but lowered his head slightly and remained silent for a while before saying gently, "We're home. Don't you want to come in and sit for a while?"
Xue Rongyue emerged from the back corner, leaning against the wall. Her pale lips were tightly pressed together, and her swollen, red almond-shaped eyes stared at him quietly.
Throughout the journey, she maintained a respectful distance from Bai Hemian, and did not approach him directly, as if afraid of shattering a beautiful dream she did not want to wake up from.
Bai Hemian's eyes reddened slightly. He turned to look at her and shook the things he was carrying: "I bought your favorite pastries and dried fruit."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xue Rongyue burst into tears again.
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Author's Note: Let me see which darlings guessed correctly in which chapter! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]
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