Chapter 106 Returning Home
After finishing the noodles, it was already past 3:45 PM. Although Prince Jin was reluctant to part with her, he knew he couldn't keep her there. He still ordered Eunuch An to escort her back, but she rode in the Prince Jin's carriage. As soon as she left, Xu Maoyu arrived, stroking his beard and smiling, saying, "Your Highness has achieved your wish; now you can finally rest assured and recover from your injuries."
Upon hearing this, the King of Jin showed no joy whatsoever. Instead, he frowned and said, "Mao Gong, do you really think so?"
Xu Maoyu smiled but remained silent.
Prince Jin carefully recalled their meeting. She had initially been angry and shed tears, but gradually calmed down, even becoming gentler than usual, never mentioning a word about her visit to his residence that day. The more she kept quiet, the more worried he became. She wasn't the type to passively accept her fate, much less to sit idly by and wait for death. If she didn't stir things up, it wouldn't be like her.
Thinking of this, his heart jumped. He got out of bed, wrote a letter, and called Yu Qing in: "Have someone deliver this letter to Yunying."
Yu Qing received the letter and left, intending to find a guard to deliver it to the Ruan residence. However, he hadn't gone far when he encountered You De, who looked at the letter in his hand and asked, "Is this to Yunying?"
Yu Qing nodded.
"I'll go. I'm bored anyway, and I'll chat with Yunying while I'm at it," Youde said, snatching the letter and turning to leave. He went to his room, changed into ordinary clothes, chose a shortcut, and rode his horse quickly towards the side gate of the Ruan residence. As soon as he entered the alley, he felt a chilling aura wash over him and quickly reined in his horse. He saw about a dozen people standing in twos and threes in the alley, dressed in ordinary clothes, but with knives at their waists. Each of them was tall, strong, and fierce; they were clearly no ordinary people.
Upon closer inspection, several familiar faces were spotted. Although their names were unknown, they recognized them as officials on duty.
He accompanied Prince Jin in and out of the forbidden area every day, so those people naturally recognized him. After exchanging glances, one of them stepped forward and asked with a smile, "Brother Luo, what brings you here?"
Luo Youde recognized him and vaguely remembered drinking with him before. He said, "The Prince summoned me to give a message to Chief Ruan."
The man said in a low voice, "It's not convenient right now, come back later."
Luo Youde also lowered his voice and asked curiously, "Why did you come here for no reason?"
The man pointed to the sky and said, "It was just a sudden whim, how dare we ask? We've been here for half an hour, and we'll probably be leaving soon. When I came over just now, there was a tavern on the street next door. Brother Luo, go and have a drink first. I'll treat you to drinks another day."
Luo Youde nodded, turned his horse around, and rode a few steps. Sure enough, he saw a small tavern with a blue banner fluttering in the wind. He dismounted, went into the tavern, ordered a pot of wine, but kept his eyes fixed on the alley entrance. Half an hour later, a dozen or so guards emerged, surrounding a carriage. Presumably, the official was inside.
After they had gone some distance, he tilted his head back and finished his wine, threw down a string of copper coins, left the tavern, mounted his horse, and rode to the side gate of the Ruan residence. The gatekeeper informed him, and soon Ruan Chi came out with a beaming smile, saying, "Brother Youde, what brings you here?" As he spoke, he affectionately put his arm around Luo Youde's shoulder and led him inside.
Youde asked in a low voice, "What brings Your Majesty here?"
Ruan Chi said vaguely, "I came to see my late father's collection of books."
The Ruan family's vast collection of books was well-known throughout the land. Although Luo Youde came from humble origins, he had heard of it to some extent, and simply said "Oh," without paying it any mind. Ruan Chi led him to the study, called Yunying over, and knowing that the Prince of Jin had something to tell him, he excused himself.
Upon seeing Youde, Yunying's face fell, and she said, "You always boast about how amazing you are, but how come you're so vigorous that you caused the prince to get injured?"
When this matter was mentioned, Youde's eyebrows immediately drooped, and he said, "There are too many assassins from the Northern Rong, and they are only targeting the prince. I really can't stop them."
"You're incompetent, yet you blame others." Yunying snorted coldly and held out her hand, saying, "Give it to me."
Youde, wanting to tease her, said with a grin, "What are you bringing? I came here especially to see you. I haven't seen you for a while and I've missed you terribly."
Yun Ying rolled her eyes at him and said, "Come on, I met you at the Prince's mansion yesterday."
"I only glanced at you and didn't even get a good look at your face. They say girls change a lot as they grow up, but I think you're getting prettier and prettier."
Yunying's face flushed red, and she said angrily, "When did you become so wicked? The prince is so badly injured, and instead of staying at the palace to guard him, you have the leisure to tease me."
Youde chuckled at her words, then said sheepishly, "I was just teasing you. What are you thinking? The Prince's illness is a matter of the heart. He saw Fifth Miss today, and he'll be fine in a few days." As he spoke, he took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to her, then asked, "What did the Emperor come here for just now?"
Yunying said in surprise, "The Emperor just arrived? No wonder the Third Master told us to stay inside and not come out." As she spoke, she opened the letter and looked at it, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.
Seeing her expression suddenly change, Youde asked with concern, "What's wrong? Is the matter the Prince instructed you to handle difficult?"
"Sigh." Yunying sighed and folded the letter. "It's not difficult, it's just that I'm allowed to visit Fifth Miss's room more often and talk to her more. But now, just thinking about that parrot in Fifth Miss's room makes my heart ache, and I really don't want to see her. I originally thought that once the Prince bestowed the marriage, my job would be over and I could go back to the Prince's mansion, but I didn't expect to have to stay here. I'm really having the worst luck."
"Don't worry, you'll be able to return to the Prince's Palace soon."
Hearing his certainty, Yunying looked at him in surprise and asked, "Why?"
Luo Youde then recounted how the Empress Dowager had summoned Ruan Bi to the Prince of Jin's residence that day. Before finishing, he said triumphantly, "This time, she's like a cooked duck that can't fly away anymore."
Yunying, however, knew Ruan Bi's stubborn nature well. With a solemn expression, she shook her head and said, "Fifth Miss is so stubborn, how could she admit it? No wonder the Prince asked me to keep an eye on her."
Luo Youde stroked his stubble and said dismissively, "No matter how stubborn she is, she's still a woman, and she still has to get married. With her talent and character, she's not worthy of being the prince's principal wife. It's a miracle she became a concubine in the prince's mansion."
Yunying was anxious and had no intention of chatting. She nudged him and said, "You should go back quickly. I have to go see Fifth Sister." With that, she hurriedly left Xiangmu Xiaozhu and headed towards Liaoyuan. Halfway there, she saw Xiuping and Qiulan standing by the rockery, whispering to each other. When they saw her coming, the two quickly separated.
Xiuping walked over to her and asked, "Yunying, are you going to find Fifth Sister?"
Yunying nodded.
"Don't go, Fifth Sister is in the ancestral hall right now."
Yunying was slightly taken aback.
Xiuping smiled mysteriously and said, "You don't know, do you? I heard that around noon, Princess Huiwen's residence sent an old nanny over. I don't know what she said to the old lady, but anyway, the old lady smashed a whole tea set. Just now, when Fifth Miss returned to the residence, the old lady took her into the ancestral hall with a livid face." She paused, then added gleefully, "It doesn't look like anything good..."
She kept rambling on and on, but Yunying couldn't listen anymore, staring blankly in the direction of the ancestral hall.
Inside the ancestral hall, Ruan Bi knelt on a prayer mat, her brows lowered and eyes closed, her expression calm.
The old lady pointed a trembling finger at her and said, "...Tell me in detail how you came to know the Prince of Jin?"
“A few months ago, on my way to Yuxu Temple, I was caught in a downpour and took shelter in the City God Temple by the roadside. He happened to be there too…”
"He brought so many people with him, all around him, couldn't you see? Didn't you know to stay away? It's infuriating! You're all smart, but when it comes to something important, you become completely muddle-headed. What am I supposed to do now?" The old lady was furious. She stomped her foot, poked her forehead, and said, "Why didn't you just crash into the gate of the Prince of Jin's mansion back then?"
A chill ran down her spine, and Ruan Bi sighed, "Grandmother, I am willing to become a nun and serve the Three Pure Ones from now on."
The old lady paused, then looked at her closely. Perhaps because of her advancing age, her features had matured, and she looked better than before. Thinking that such a good marriage with the Duke of Dingguo's family was about to fall through, her heart ached, and she said harshly, "You are truly naive! Tell me, which Taoist temple in the world would dare offend the Prince of Jin and the Empress Dowager to take you in?"
Ruan Bi was speechless.
“What a tragedy, what a tragedy! In over a hundred years, not a single daughter of the Ruan family in Jingxi has ever been a concubine. Now this precedent is about to be set on me. How can I face my ancestors when I am in the afterlife?” The old lady, tears streaming down her face, sobbed, “Your mother… your Aunt Lan is coming to the capital the day after tomorrow. How can I face her?” Thinking of Ruan Lan’s tragic and desolate life, she never imagined her daughter’s fate would be so difficult. She sighed deeply and cursed again, “What a tragedy!” She stamped her foot, turned, and left the ancestral hall, her back hunched and her steps unsteady.
Only after her footsteps completely disappeared did Ruan Bi raise her head. It was late, and the ancestral hall was dimly lit. The memorial tablets on the altar stood in a somber atmosphere, as if an eye lurked behind each one. She stood up, brushed the dust off her knees, picked up the tablet of Ruan Wenxiao, and looked at it. What were his feelings when he left this world? And why did he protect the original owner's life?
These things are now lost to history.
"Fifth Sister..." A timid voice called out from outside the ancestral hall; it was Xiuzhi's.
Ruan Bi went outside and saw her peeking in from the gate. The ancestral hall was a place of great importance for sacrifices, and servants were not usually allowed to enter. Seeing Ruan Bi, she smiled happily, a smile that seemed especially warm in the dim light. Ruan Bi felt a warmth in her heart and quickly walked over.
Xiuzhi put the cloak she was holding on her and said softly, "It gets windy at night, and it's really cold."
"Yeah, has the food been served yet? I'm hungry."
"I brought it a while ago. Tonight there's mutton soup, which is what you like to eat, Miss. It's getting cold, and your hands and feet are usually a bit cold, so mutton is good for warming up your body..." Xiuzhi chattered on, helping her walk along the covered walkway. "And water chestnut soup, kept warm in the water. It'll be just the right temperature to eat right now..."
Normally, Ruan Bi would have been lost in thought long ago, but listening to her chatter on today, she actually felt a sense of peace and tranquility, and a faint joy filled her heart.
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