Ruan Meiying said, "Brother, where have you been all this time? I couldn't find you. Do you know how worried I was?"
Ruan Dafeng said, "Meiying, I'm sorry." Then Ruan Dafeng told her all about what had happened recently, including how he complained and what happened after he complained.
After listening, Ruan Meiying looked at Ruan Dafeng and said, "Brother, you've been wronged."
Ruan Dafeng said, "What's it to me, a grown man, if I suffer a little grievance? It's you who's suffering because you're with that beast. I'm useless and I've dragged you down with me."
Ruan Meiying shook her head: "It's okay, it was my own choice. In any case, we've finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel."
“Yes, those corrupt officials will get their comeuppance,” Ruan Dafeng said. Then he saw Tiezhu next to him. Seeing Ruan Meiying made him so excited that he didn’t even remember that there were other people around.
Ruan Dafeng pointed at Tiezhu and said, "Meiying, Tiezhu is here to testify for us in this matter."
Ruan Meiying bowed gracefully to Tiezhu and said, "Meiying, thank you, Brother Tiezhu."
Tie Zhu didn't know what to say. His face, which was tanned from working in the fields, was now flushed red. He lowered his head and dared not look at Ruan Meiying.
Having spent so many years in the brothel, how could Ruan Meiying not see that Tiezhu was interested in her? Seeing this big man acting so coy, Ruan Meiying couldn't help but chuckle.
Now Tie Zhu dared not look at Ruan Meiying anymore, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into.
A few days later, the emperor decided to release Hongshi back to his homeland, as Hongshi had already been demoted to a commoner according to the previous decision.
The informant sent by the Prince's household to the front of the capital heard the news and rushed back to tell the Princess Consort.
Upon hearing this news, Consort Shuzhen gave a bitter smile. She had caused the death of Hongshi's first wife, Irgen, in her struggle for the position of principal consort. She never imagined it would end like this.
After Hongshi returned to the manor, he asked Shuzhen, "Has anything happened in the manor since I left?"
Shuzhen said coldly, "No."
She married Hongshi for his status. Hongshi was a womanizer, and now that he had been demoted to a commoner, she cared even less about him.
Hongshi, completely oblivious to Shuzhen's odd behavior, still asked, "Where are Ruan Meiying and Linlang? Why didn't they come to greet me?"
Shuzhen sneered and said, "You still have the nerve to ask? If you hadn't brought that bitch Ruan Meiying into the manor, how could we be in this state now? Don't you know that she betrayed you? She's from Geshan Village, and she was only trying to get revenge on you from the beginning."
Seeing Hongshi's incredulous expression, Shuzhen continued, "As for Linlang..."
Hongshi asked, "What happened to Linlang? Is he a spy too?"
“No,” Shuzhen said, “it’s just that she’s already dead.”
"Dead? How did he die?" Hongshi asked.
"In order to stop Ruan Meiying from being taken away by the people from the Jingzhao Prefecture, she was stabbed to death by that person. I advised her to move aside, but she wouldn't listen."
Hongshi was devastated from then on. When he heard that Linlang was dead and Ruan Meiying had been taken away by the Jingzhao Yin, he was heartbroken. He realized that the woman was the reason he had ended up in this state. He hated himself for being bewitched by her.
How could he have been so foolish? He could have killed her earlier, but he hesitated and let her go to the Jingzhao Prefecture. Thinking of the consequences of his leniency, Hongshi was filled with remorse and wished he could die immediately.
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