Chapter 100 Fearless of Life and Death
Ruan Bi blinked, feeling as if these words were drifting from the sky, unreal. After a long while, she asked incredulously, "Wasn't...wasn't there more than a hundred people following him?"
"I...I don't know either," Yunying sobbed softly.
"Yunying, could there be a mistake? Aren't Youde, Yuqing, and Nanfeng all highly skilled in martial arts? Aren't they all at least three zhang away from him? How could they have been assassinated?"
"I don't know. It was the Third Master who told me when he came back. It was an urgent report from Yanzhou to the Emperor."
"I still think it's impossible, impossible, impossible." Ruan Bi shook her head repeatedly, not knowing whether she was trying to convince Yun Ying or herself.
Suddenly, the old woman's voice rang out at the courtyard gate: "Oh dear, Third Master, which young lady are you looking for? Oh dear, wait, Third Master, you can't come in. Which young lady are you looking for? I'll just call her out. There's no rule for an uncle to barge into his niece's courtyard..." Her voice drew closer, accompanied by the sound of pattering footsteps. Ruan Chi strode in, followed by the incessantly chattering, anxious old woman.
He went to the platform under the east wing, glared fiercely at Ruan Bi, and pulled Yun Ying away. "What's the point of telling her anything? She's the one who killed the prince."
"What did you say!" Ruan Bi asked, her voice trembling. "He...he's dead?"
"Yes, he's dead. You jinx, no one who gets involved with you will have a good ending," Ruan Chi said viciously, grabbing Yun Ying and leaving.
Ruan Bi felt a chill run through her body and froze on the spot. Night had fallen, and the north wind outside the courtyard whistled through the branches, sending shivers down her spine. After a moment, she came to her senses and saw Xiuzhi, Hanxing, Xiaoju, and Chamei huddled at the doorway, staring blankly at her. Under the eaves beside her, Tangpozi was also looking at her with a hesitant expression.
Xiuzhi shooed Hanxing and the others back into the house, then came out and pulled her aside, saying, "Miss, the food is getting cold, let's eat first."
Ruan Bixin was in a state of confusion, nodding haphazardly. After finishing her dinner, she sent Xiuzhi away early and sat alone on the bed, hugging her knees. A solitary lamp by the bedside shone dimly through the thick bed curtains, its light only faintly penetrating. She knew he wasn't dead. If he were, even if Ruan Chi hadn't drawn his sword and killed her, the Empress Dowager would have sent the Imperial Guards to dismember her to vent her anger. However, she also understood that he had truly been assassinated, and likely seriously injured, which was why the Emperor had abandoned his incognito visit and ventured out to seek fragrance amidst the frost.
How could things have turned out like this? She couldn't understand it, and her head felt like it was about to split open.
I don't know how much time had passed when I suddenly heard a light knocking sound outside the window.
Ruan Bi lifted the curtain, slipped on her shoes, went to the window, and opened it. She saw the Fourth Sister standing outside, holding a wine jug. The dim, orange light cast a pale golden glow on her face, making her appear ethereal and aloof, like an unattainable statue in a temple. Behind her stretched the vast expanse of night, with a thin, waning crescent moon in the sky, as if frozen by the weather, shivering and weak.
"Fifth Sister, I can't sleep. How about you have a drink with me?" the Fourth Sister said, handing her a wine cup without giving her a chance to refuse, and then filling it to the brim.
Ruan Bi didn't want to refuse, so she tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp. A spicy sensation went down her throat, first burning like fire, then turning into a warm flow that spread throughout her body, making her feel warm as well. The Fourth Sister refilled her cup and asked in a low voice, "Sister, what are you most afraid of?"
Ruan Bi thought for a moment, wondering what she was most afraid of. She had already experienced death, so what else was there to fear? She should be fearless, but just now she had been afraid. The instant she heard Ruan Chi say "he's dead," even knowing he was bluffing, she was still afraid—afraid that he really was dead…
The fourth sister placed the wine pot on the windowsill, turned her back, leaned against the window frame, looked at the cold moon in the sky, and asked again, "Sister, do you know what I'm most afraid of?" Before Ruan Bi could answer, she continued, "I'm most afraid of living a life of ignorance and confusion. I'm afraid that my life will just be like this, going from one deep mansion to another, getting married and having children without understanding why, and then growing old and faded. What's the use of being beautiful? What's the use of being good at needlework? Aren't I just locked in my room, pitying myself in the mirror?" As she spoke, she gradually choked up, and tears fell drop by drop onto her clothes.
Hearing the sorrow in her voice, Ruan Bi couldn't help but tear up as well.
"Little sister, I'm so scared, so scared. I'm afraid I'll be like a flower, withering away before I've even bloomed."
Ruan Bi silently shed tears for a moment, then put her arm around her shoulder and said, "Sister, don't worry, the sun has set, but it will rise again tomorrow."
This was said to her, and also to himself.
The next day, news of the assassination attempt on the Prince of Jin had spread throughout the capital. In teahouses and taverns, by wells and under trees, everyone except the carefree children was talking about it. With a thousand people, a thousand stories, and ten thousand mouths, naturally, there were all sorts of versions. Some said that the Prince of Jin was drunk in a tavern when he was discovered by spies from the Northern Rong, who gathered a group of assassins, swarmed him, and riddled him with holes. Others said that the Northern Rong sent a beautiful dancer to seduce him, and just as things were getting intimate, an assassin hidden under the bed sprang up and stabbed him through the heart. Still others said that the Northern Rong hated him to the core and sent five hundred peerless masters to ambush him in the valley; arrows rained down, the battle cries shook the heavens, and blood flowed everywhere…
It is said that upon receiving news of the assassination attempt on the Prince of Jin, the Empress Dowager was overcome with anger and fainted. The Emperor was furious and immediately summoned all civil and military officials, declaring his intention to send troops to the Northern Rong. One elderly minister opposed this, and was struck on the forehead by a paperweight thrown by the prince, bleeding profusely. The nearly seventy-year-old, hot-tempered Duke of Dingguo volunteered, requesting 200,000 troops and vowing to wipe out all the Northern barbarians. The Empress's father, General Zhao, also submitted a memorial requesting to return to the Northwest, willing to permanently guard the frontier and prevent the Northern Rong from trampling on every blade of grass in the Great Zhou Dynasty. A minister submitted a memorial stating that such an incident occurred as soon as General Zhao returned to the capital, demonstrating that the Northwest frontier still needed his presence. Another minister submitted a memorial stating that the Prince of Jin's unexplained trip to Yanzhou required a thorough investigation, and was subsequently dismissed from his post.
Most of the people were filled with righteous indignation, wishing they could drink the blood and eat the flesh of the Northern Rong. Of course, there were exceptions, such as Old Madam Ruan. After hearing the various news, especially after the Empress Dowager fainted from anger, she let out a long sigh, her brows immediately brightening. She even told her maid, "Amitabha, tell the kitchen to add four-happiness meatballs to lunch today." Everyone in the mansion knew that the Old Madam's diet was very regular, with two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a soup at each meal. If she suddenly wanted to add dishes, it was definitely because she was happy and wanted to have an extra meal.
How could she not be happy? She was certainly afraid after being threatened by the Empress Dowager, but she was also holding a grudge. Now that her son's life was hanging by a thread, she could finally vent her anger, especially since this son was the Third Master's powerful backer.
Sitting to the side, Ruan Bi heard her say "Amitabha" in a fake manner and wished she could throw the Diamond Sutra in her hand at her and smash her into a pulp.
It took seven or eight days for the news to gradually become clear.
Yunying knew Ruanbi was worried, so as soon as she received the definite news, she ran to the east wing and told her everything: "...That's right, the Prince has a guard of three hundred men, plus thirty-two personal guards. However, he usually only takes one line of personal guards with him when he goes in and out of the capital. That day, he left the palace and went straight out of the city without informing Yuqing and the others. They all thought he was just going to the Imperial Guard camp in the suburbs, but when they saw him heading west, they realized something was wrong and quickly sent someone back to the Prince's mansion to send a message for the guards to come over. Although the guards arrived overnight,..." It was because the prince's horse was fast, and he traveled day and night, that they hadn't been able to catch up. In the Northern Rong region, there were probably spies lurking in the capital, watching the prince. Seeing an opportunity, they sent a message back to the Northern Rong, dispatching a large number of skilled warriors to infiltrate the border and ambush him in a mountain valley near Yanzhou City. At that time, the prince only had a single line of guards with him… Fortunately, they were all highly skilled in martial arts and held out until the guards arrived. However… the prince was seriously injured. Although his life was not in danger, he was currently unconscious and unable to move. The Emperor had already dispatched many imperial physicians to Yanzhou overnight…”
Hearing that his life was out of danger, Ruan Bi breathed a sigh of relief, but when she heard that he was still unconscious, a lump formed in her throat, unable to rise or fall.
"It's really strange, why is Your Highness going to Yanzhou instead of Xingping City?" Yunying said in a low voice. Xingping City and Yanzhou are not far apart, but they are in the north and south of each other. There is no need to go through Yanzhou to get to Xingping City.
Ruan Bi, of course, knew even less about this issue.
Just as they were looking at each other in silence, they suddenly heard footsteps thumping around them. Baozhen ran in, panting, and said, "Fifth Miss, hurry, hurry, the Empress Dowager summons you to the palace for an audience."
Yunying was slightly taken aback, her heart leaped, and she pressed Ruanbi's hand, saying, "Miss."
Ruan Bi withdrew her hand and calmly changed into a flowing robe. She followed Bao Zhen to the main hall, where the eunuch who had summoned her to the palace stood arrogantly in the center, head held high and chest puffed out, his expression indifferent. The steward and the First Madam accompanied him cautiously, but he completely ignored them; it was clear that this trip to the palace was not going to be a good one.
Upon seeing Ruan Bi, he coldly said, "Come with me to the palace."
This time, Ruan Bi wasn't made to stand at the entrance and be met with a cold shoulder; she was led directly to a side hall. Inside, many braziers burned, making it as warm as early spring. However, the Empress Dowager's face was like a river in the dead of winter, frozen solid. Ruan Bi knelt down as usual and kowtowed deeply. Unsurprisingly, she heard neither "Rise" nor "Get up" for a long time.
He could only lie on the ground, his forehead touching the cold earth.
After about an hour, Tai Shou finally spoke, as elegant and composed as ever: "Raise your head."
Ruan Bi still raised her head to meet her condescending gaze.
When the Empress Dowager saw that she was calm and composed, with no trace of fear or hesitation, she was secretly impressed, but at the same time, she was also vaguely afraid.
She looked at Ruan Bi, and Ruan Bi looked at her too. She saw her eyes flicker, sometimes with a hint of murderous intent, and sometimes with hesitation.
They stared at each other for a long time before the Empress Dowager waved her hand. The eunuch glanced at her in surprise, but stepped forward and said loudly, "Fifth Miss, the Empress Dowager is tired. You may leave."
After Ruan Bi bowed and left, the eunuch looked at the Empress Dowager with confusion and called out softly, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager..."
The Empress Dowager shook her head slightly and said, "The people are not afraid of death, so why threaten them with death?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
