Chapter 111 The Approaching Snowstorm
She tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. She didn't know how much time had passed when, just as she was drifting off, she heard a rooster crow in the distance, instantly waking her. Peeking out from under the covers, she saw that it was still dark outside the window, so she figured it was still early. She closed her eyes and lay there for a while, but with something on her mind, she couldn't fall back asleep. After tossing and turning a few times, she suddenly sat up.
There was no brazier in the servants' quarters. As soon as they left the warm bed, it felt like being bitten by a thousand icy mouths, chilling them to the bone. A shiver ran through them. Xiuzhi quickly put on her padded jacket, muttering under her breath, "Damn weather." After dressing, she got out of bed, slipped on her shoes, grabbed the candlestick, and went outside. The sound of her shoes tapping on the floor only accentuated the stillness of dawn.
There was no sound or light in Cha Mei, Han Xing, and Ju Zi's rooms; they were probably still asleep. However, light was seeping from under Ruan Bi's bedroom door. Xiu Zhi knew Ruan Bi never slept with an oil lamp lit, so she paused, then quickly went forward and gently knocked on the door, asking in a low voice, "Are you awake, Miss?"
"Get up, come in."
Xiuzhi pushed open the door and went in. She saw Ruan Bi already dressed and sitting in front of her dressing table, combing her hair. Judging from the overlapping collars, the inner jacket was the one sewn with pearls. Over it was a slightly worn green embroidered brocade jacket; the embroidery was exquisite, but the material was ordinary. Seeing this attire, people would only assume she was the daughter of an ordinary wealthy family, and would never guess that she came from a prestigious clan.
Seeing that she was staring at her intently, Ruan Bi turned around and smiled brightly, saying, "Why are you staring at me like that? Come and help me comb my hair."
In the dim candlelight, her smile was particularly radiant, like a lamp flame suddenly bursting open, causing the entire room to momentarily shimmer. But Xiuzhi felt a pang of sadness. She hurriedly put down the candlestick, went behind her, took the comb, and slowly began to comb her hair. A thousand words churned in her heart, but only one sentence escaped her lips: "The weather isn't very good today. Are you still going to the Jade Void Temple, Miss?"
"I will go." Ruan Bi fiddled with her dressing case, picking out a pair of pearl hairpins that were neither too big nor too small. She had asked the old lady yesterday if she could visit Master Ziying at Yuxu Temple today. The old lady had no idea that she had ulterior motives and agreed without a word.
Seeing her firm tone, without the slightest hesitation, the comb in Xiuzhi's hand suddenly felt incredibly heavy.
Ruan Bi sensed it, glanced at her in the mirror, saw her sad expression and her movements getting slower and slower, and felt bad for her too. She took the comb from her hand and said, "Never mind, I'll comb it myself. Go and wake them up, have Han Xing go to the stable, and have the coachman prepare the carriage."
Xiuzhi remained motionless, looking at Ruanbi with tears welling up in her eyes.
"Xiuzhi." Ruan Bi put down the comb, took her hand and said, "Don't be sad anymore. I made it clear to you last night that we will definitely meet again in the future."
Xiuzhi blinked, forcing back her tears, and choked out, "I know, I'll wait. Remember, girl, you must come find me someday." With that, afraid she wouldn't be able to control her emotions, she turned and left. Once outside, after calming herself, she went to wake Cha Mei, Han Xing, and Ju Zi.
When they saw that it was almost Chenshi (7-9 AM) and heard that Fifth Miss had already gotten up, they blushed and complained to Xiuzhi for not waking them sooner. Watching them hurriedly get dressed and complain without a care in the world, Xiuzhi felt a pang of envy. Ruanbi, fearing her plans would be exposed, hadn't told anyone except Xiuzhi about them.
Hanxing went to the front yard stable to tell the coachman to prepare the horses, while Juzi went to the kitchen to get breakfast.
After finishing breakfast, it was already 7:45 AM.
Ruan Bi surveyed the room; everything that needed to be destroyed had been destroyed, everything that needed to be tidied up had been tidied up, and everything that needed to be returned to its owner had been handed over to Xiuzhi. Stepping out of this room, she felt free and unrestrained, like a fish leaping and a kite soaring. She felt no fear, only excitement.
He walked to the bedside, took out the letter he had written the night before from under the pillow, and handed it to Xiuzhi, saying, "Give this letter to Yunying along with Chunshui and Lvbo."
Xiuzhi took the letter and could no longer hold back her tears.
Ruan Bi patted her shoulder silently, went to the clothes rack, took down the white fur-trimmed cloak, and looked back once more at the east wing where she had lived for nearly nine months—the intricate and brightly carved window lattices, the slightly faded dark blue warm curtains, the black sandalwood desk, and the neatly arranged writing brush, inkstone, paper and ink on the desk. She actually felt a little reluctant to leave.
She took a deep breath, turned around, and went to the outer room. Tea Girl was wiping the table, Orange was feeding the parrot, and Hanxing's hands were red like radishes, probably from being dipped in cold water. She rubbed her hands and kept complaining that it was too hot.
When they saw her come out, they all looked up at her and smiled, saying, "Miss, are you still going to Yuxu Temple? It's so cold outside, it might snow. Why don't you go another day?"
"It's alright, I'll be back soon..." Ruan Bi said calmly, a faint sense of apology lingering in her heart. Having spent so much time together, she had developed feelings for them, but fearing they might not be able to control their emotions and that the old lady might hold them accountable for not reporting what they knew, she hadn't told them anything. She had even considered taking them all with her, but knew that was unrealistic.
"Then the girl should go and come back soon." Han Xing said as she walked to the door and helped her lift the curtain.
Ruan Bi nodded again and walked out.
A strong wind was blowing outside, but it felt like icicles seeping into my neck and seeping straight into my pores. My breath instantly turned into a puff of white mist at my lips before slowly dissipating. Looking at the sky, layers of dark clouds pressed down, seemingly about to fall.
The streets were nearly deserted; the few pedestrians who did appear were all hunched over and walking briskly with their arms tucked in. The horse-drawn carriages, mule carts, and oxcarts that used to ply the main road in spring and autumn had vanished; only one would occasionally pass by. The wheat seedlings lining the road were just a hand's breadth tall, lush and vibrant, their green leaves rippling in the wind, adding a touch of life to the bleak winter day.
Upon arriving at Yuxu Temple, Ruan Bi declined the guide's offer to lead the way, saying she could go to the hermitage of Master Ziying herself. The weather was cold, and the guide, unwilling to leave his room with its burning charcoal fire to accompany her, but hearing her sincerity, he let it go. Passing through numerous temple gates, Ruan Bi did not go to Fushu Hermitage, but headed straight for Wanmiao Residence.
Reaching the wall of Wanmiao Residence, she picked up a stone and threw it. A moment later, a rope was thrown in from outside. Climbing the rope, Ruan Bi laboriously climbed over the high wall.
Winter Snow, whose nose was red from the cold, hugged her tightly and exclaimed joyfully, "Girl!"
Ruan Bi wasn't a sentimental person, but in this situation, she was happy and hugged her tightly. However, it wasn't the place to reminisce, so she let go after a while. Looking at Zhou Zhuzi, who looked nervous beside her, she said, "Thank you for your hard work."
Dongxue glared at her and said unhappily, "What are you saying, young lady!"
Ruan Bi smiled as she took her hand, then glanced at Zhou Zhuzi. Although she had been trying to win him over, it was inconvenient for her because she was in the inner courtyard. Usually, it was Granny Liu who dealt with him, and even Zhou Zhuzi's indenture was still with Granny Liu. Now that she wasn't around, would he still listen to her?
Zhou Zhuzi was quick-witted. Seeing that she was staring at him, he knew she was waiting for his response, so he quickly bowed and said, "Please rest assured, Miss. Granny Liu already told me that you are my master. But Miss, why didn't Granny Liu and the others leave the city yesterday?"
"They were delayed by some matters, but they'll join us later," Ruan Bi lied calmly. However, she wasn't worried about Liu Mama's safety. Prince Jin wasn't a ruthless killer, and besides, she had left a letter; she believed he would consider it carefully.
Zhou Zhuzi was relieved and said, "Then let's hurry up and go, young lady. The weather isn't good; it might snow. If it snows heavily, the carriage won't be able to travel."
Ruan Bi nodded.
The carriage stopped by the dirt road at the foot of the hill behind the village, surrounded by farmland that stretched as far as the eye could see, a continuous expanse of green. Seeing no houses nearby, Ruan Bi felt relieved. She and Dong Xue boarded the carriage, with Zhou Zhuzi driving. The dirt road was difficult to navigate, and after a bumpy half-hour journey, they finally reached the smooth, mirror-like main road. Traveling north for about half an hour, the wind gradually picked up, the sky grew increasingly gloomy, and the dark clouds seemed to press down overhead, almost within reach.
Dongxue lifted the curtain and glanced inside, saying with deep concern, "Miss, I think it's going to snow."
Everything was going wrong. Ruan Bi sighed helplessly and said, "Never mind that, let's just go as far as we can."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a strange sound coming from the wind.
Ruan Bi's heart skipped a beat. She quickly listened intently, and the sound drew closer, like the rumble of thunder. She hurriedly lifted the curtain and peered behind her. She saw a dozen or so riders, their formations neat and imposing, galloping towards her with the speed of shooting stars, followed by rolling dark clouds. Although they were too far away and the light too dim to make out their features and clothing, the uniformity of their formation alone told her that they were highly trained and extraordinary.
Aside from the Prince of Jin's guards, Ruan Bi had no other thought. Her heart sank. She had assumed that by evening, when the Prince of Jin discovered she had run away, it would be too late. In the freezing cold and the dead of night, he wouldn't send anyone to chase her, and even if he did, they wouldn't catch her. That meant she could at least run two hundred li away, then disguise herself as a poor commoner and return to the capital, then travel by boat south from Sizhou, passing through Guangzhou to Miaoxiang Kingdom (Dali). Miaoxiang Kingdom was not a vassal state of the Great Zhou, nor was it under the Great Zhou's jurisdiction, and women there held a low status.
However, he acted faster than expected.
As her thoughts raced, the dozen or so riders had already galloped up and surrounded the carriage. The one in the lead was none other than Yu Qing. He spurred his horse and rode to the carriage, saying expressionlessly, "Fifth Miss, the Prince said the weather is bad today and it's going to snow heavily. You should hurry back to the manor. If you want to go to Zhuozhou, he will take you there next spring when the flowers bloom."
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